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A Higher
Up Religion
By General William
Booth
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Originally printed
in, The War Cry, No. 3.- Jan. 10, 1880.
Reprinted
in, Holiness Readings. A selection of Papers on the
Doctrine, Experience, and Practice of Holiness, Salvation
Army Book Depot, London, 1883.
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A lady in
one of our large cities, who takes a great interest in the
doctrine of holiness, and who had sought me out because she
had heard I love the same blessed truth, gave me a rather
curious account of the way in which the Lord had led her into
the possession of this pearl of greatest price.
She said, “I was a member of a Presbyterian Church, and
had been converted for some years, but for a long time had
been living in a poor half-hearted condition, my special
difficulty being a hot and ready temper.
I became convinced, and hardly knew how, that there
must be a religious experience far beyond mine, but knew
nothing about it.
I talked to the Elders of my church, and sought counsel and
guidance from my Minister, but they could tell me of nothing
better. I prayed
and searched my Bible, but got little forwarder, saving
getting more deeply convicted that God had more of power and
peace and joy for me than I had ever enjoyed.
One day
while walking in the city I saw on the other side the way a
lady whom I knew by report to be more than ordinarily zealous
in religion, and it occurred to me that she might be able to
answer the problem that was perplexing and agitating my heart.
At once I crossed the street, and, stopping her, said,
‘Miss _____, can you tell me anything about “a higher up
religion?”’ I
knew no manner by which to describe the experience that the
Holy Ghost had set me hungering after, and so in the first
words that came to my lips, that seemed best to indicate what
I wanted, I called it ‘a higher up religion.’
She smiled, and said she did not exactly know what I
meant, but some friend had lent her a book entitled ‘Holiness
by Faith.’ She did
not know what it contained, for she had shown it to her
Minister, and he had pronounced it a very dangerous book, and
charged her not to read a word in it, but to return it at once
to the owner. I
said, ‘holiness,’ that is what I want, and I suppose it must
be had by faith.
So I borrowed the book, read it, received the truth it taught,
and more than this, according to its teaching I knelt down and
trusted Jesus Christ to save me from my evil heart and from my
bad temper, and he saved me there and then, and though many
months have passed away He saves me to-day.”
Not it
seems to me that there are a good many people who have some
inkling, some very strong suspicion that there must be a
religion higher up than that which they enjoy; that for them
there must be some joy and assurance and power in religion
that is far above and beyond anything they experience and
know. Something
nearer in word and victory and glory to the plan and pattern
and practice of the Prophets and Apostles and Martyrs; nearer
the plan and pattern and practice of Jesus Christ, who is not
only our Great Teacher and Redeemer, but our Example-something
nearer then all-perfect principles and practice of the Great
God Himself.
For my
part, I hardly see how the religion of many of the professed
followers of Jesus Christ could very well be much lower
down, for is it not down, down, until nearly into the
world itself, and lost sight of there.
It dresses, and dances, and goes to theatres and
concerts. It grubs
after money, and idolizes, and todies and fawns on rank and
position whatever the morals and godlessness of the said rank
and station may be.
Low
enough. It is
consequently all uncertainty and weakness.
Sure of nothing.
It doubts the forgiveness of sins, doubts inspiration
and hell, Calvary and immortality, and angels and devils, and
God Himself so far as any active interference with the things
of this present every day world is concerned; in short, all
else that it cannot see and hear and in general apprehend and
handle with its five bodily senses.
And what
follows? Why the
religion of to-day, this fashionable religion, even the very
choicest of it sins and repents, and then sins again; the
things that it would do those it does not, and the things that
it would not do those it does.
And, then to descend to a still lower depth, it argues
from the very Scriptures, and proves to its own satisfaction,
and the easement of its own benumbed conscience, that this is
the very condition of the soul that God desired and has
planned His people to enjoy.
Yes; there
is something higher up than this.
But how much higher?
In our dissatisfaction with this state of things we
must not rebound too far and make the standard of a possible
ascent too high.
How much higher up?
Can a question be more interesting?
Can a question be more important that that which asks
how much of holiness, and power, and victory, and God, can be
possessed down here in this very present world.
Oh, what books have been written, what sermons have
been preached, what hymns have been sung to describe and make
plain to us the possible attainments of the heavenly state.
Every hour of every day multitudes are carried away
with ecstatic expectation of what they are going to see and
hear, and feel, and be, on the other side of Jordan.
But are there not wonderful visions, and revelations,
and signs, and feelings, and capacities, on this side of
Jordan, that are worth inquiring about.
In the kingdom of glory, above the stars, no doubt it
will be grand beyond conception; but, short of that, down here
in this lightly appreciated kingdom of grace there is a great
deal that is well worth possessing, a very “kingdom of heaven”
that is worth acquiring though it do require some force to
take it.
You may
have to wait a few years before you are summoned to the fourth
heaven; meanwhile, perhaps the first, or the second, or the
third heaven may have some charms for you.
Anyway many of our readers will readily confess that
there are conditions, and experiences, and enjoyments, and
revelations, and baptisms, far exceeding in height, and
length, and depth, and breadth, anything they at present know
and feel and possess.
Let us inquire concerning them.
Don’t be afraid, dear reader, we are not going off into
any intricate and puzzling theological disquisition; we simply
propose to present a few particulars of this higher up
religion, and to point out the shortest and easiest, nay, the
only method of getting up into it.
We will
begin with cautions.
Perhaps we ought to do, although we are not quite sure
about it. We used
to think we ought always carefully to guard ourselves from
being misunderstood, when we came to talk about how much grace
can be had down here, in order to prevent people believing
too much and aiming too high.
But really when we find almost everybody who talks or
writes about gracious gifts, and powers, and privileges,
warning everybody else that they are not to expect too much,
that God cannot save from this evil or bring them into that
good, we are led to doubt whether we ought not to throw
caution and prudence overboard, and go in for the things as
God does, for there is very little caution and prudence (so
called) in God’s book and plan.
However, we will give a caution or two in the proper
orthodox manner.
AND HERE
LET ME SAY THAT THERE IS NO PLACE IN CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE SO
HIGH UP AS TO BE BEYOND THE SIGHT AND REACH AND TEMPTING POWER
OF THE DEVIL. You
cannot get out of the sound of his voice, nor from within the
range of his strong bow, and of his poisoned-barbed arrows.
Though you do go to live in Hallelujah Terrace, on that
right-hand side of Thy-will-be-done Street, which is a goodly
street of very pleasant situation that runs along the brow of
Full Salvation Hill, leading straight up to the pearly gates
that open on to the Golden City.
Though you should be enabled by divine grace thus to
fix your abode on high, satan will find you out, write down
the number of your dwelling in his memorandum-book, and will
come and go thither far more frequently and with far more
determination than he does now you reside in that dark, damp,
and doleful Grumbling Alley which runs directly out of
Doubting Street, in the parish of Self Indulgence.
Get higher up, a very long way higher up, by all means;
God and angels, your own peace, and every possibility of
usefulness urge you to get higher up; but remember that the
devil will follow and harass you there even more than he does
in the low lands, where now, perchance, you dwell.
Get higher
up, and you will not only present a better mark for the enemy,
but be, in his estimation, better worth while shooting at,
nay, he will find a new necessity for shooting at you.
Satan pays little heed to those who, while professing
godliness, are all the time destitute of its power.
He has no need to trouble himself with and about such,
seeing they could not very well serve his purpose better.
Any next to these are those who, having a measure of
grace, and still only partially renewed, who, along with
undeniable evidence a work of grace, manifest, in words,
temper, and habits equally undeniable evidence of the
continued existence of much remaining evil in the soul.
These live in a very mixed life, and consequently a
life of both good and evil influences.
Alas, the evil is often greater than the good; but only
let such come up to this higher platform, let them was their
robes and make them white, let them get emptied of self
and sin, be made pure in heart, and come to know the love of
Christ which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the
fullness of God, and then their lives will be so striking a
testimony for God, and their power with God and man will be
such that the devil will feel called upon, nay, compelled, in
the interests of his kingdom and glory, to attach them with
all his might, which he will most assuredly do, either as a
roaring lion or an angel of light, as he may judge most likely
to succeed. But
attack them he will.
But, thank
God! There is
provision made for victory.
No weapon formed against faithful, obedient, believing
souls shall prosper.
There are three sources of temptation, and only three,
namely, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Provision is made in the scheme of redemption for our
overcoming each of these three great enemies.
First source of
temptation, The World, of which the Holy Spirit says, “This is
the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith.”
Secondly, The Flesh, of
which the Holy Ghost says, “If ye walk in the spirit, ye shall
not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.”
Thirdly, The Devil, of
which also the Holy Ghost says, “The shield of faith shall
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
It must be
so. Although God
allows the attack, he has made arrangement for its defeat.
Victory is not only a possibility, but a probability,
and may, thank God! Be made a dead certainty.
Fight on! Then, my comrades; and as you fight you may
sing-
What though a thousand
hosts engage
A thousand worlds my soul
to shake?
I have a shield shall
quell their rage,
And drive the alien
armies back.
Pourtrayed, it bears a
bleeding Lamb.
I dare believe in Jesu’s
name.
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