Now listen, my Comrades, and cry to God for an increase of Faith, seeing that
and unbelief, and every other evil thing has been cast out, your "peace shall flow as a river, and your righteousness shall abound as the waves of the sea."
3. Purity of Heart is the condition on which God will enter and dwell in your soul. Now listen, my Comrades, and cry to God for an increase of Faith, seeing that what I am going to say is a great mystery. But it is, nevertheless, gloriously true.
God wants to live with you, not only in your home, but in your very heart. Poor and ignorant as you may be among men, and little noticed, nay, even despised, by the great and rich people of the world, yet God -- the great God, whom the "heaven of heavens cannot contain" -- wants to come and live in your heart and that not as a visitor only, but as an abiding guest.
An old writer curiously says, "God is like the rich people in one respect. He has two houses -- a town house and a country house. His town house is in the Celestial City, but His country house is in the hearts of His people." Hear what He says Himself: -- "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place" -- and -- "with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit" -- in order -- "to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Brother, sister, can you not hear Him saying, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him"?
"O joyful sound of gospel grace!
Christ shall in me appear; I, even I, shall see His face;
I shall be holy here. "This heart shall be His constant home;
I hear His Spirit cry; 'Surely,' He saith, 'I quickly come';
He saith who cannot lie."
Will you not say "Amen, come in, Lord Jesus, and come quickly"'? Will you not let all go that would prevent Him entering? Will you not fling the gates of your soul wide open, and let Him come in? If you will, go down before Him just now, and bid Him welcome.
I have much more to say to you on this precious subject, but it must wait till another time. Meanwhile, wait no longer for a full Salvation.
Yours affectionately, William Booth
"Jesus, my All-in-all Thou art, My rest in toil, my ease in pain, The medicine of my broken heart,
In war my peace, in loss my gain,
In grief my joy unspeakable, My life in death, my All-in-all.
"In want my plentiful supply, In weakness my almighty power,
In bonds my perfect liberty, My light in Satan's darkest hour,
In grief my joy unspeakable, My life in death, my heaven in hell."
Chapter 5 PURITY AND LOVE
Romans 6:22 -- But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
My Dear Comrades,
Since writing my last Letter, I have been visiting the Salvationists of Switzerland, Italy, and France. Everywhere I find vast openings for The Salvation Army. Everywhere I have met with dear Comrades longing to make the most of their opportunities; and everywhere, it has seemed to me, that more Red-hot Religion would make these Comrades equal to the splendid chances of usefulness that lie right before them.
But is it not the same in Great Britain, America, Australia, and in every other part of the world to which these Letters will come? Is it not so in your Corps? -- nay, is it not so with every individual Soldier who reads these words?
Now, as I have explained to you before, by Red-hot Religion I mean hearts made hot with love for God, for Comrades, for perishing souls, for noble work, and for every other good thing possible to men or women on earth or in Heaven.
I mean hearts made hot with holy love, such love as will compel us to toil and sacrifice for the welfare of the object cared for. Such love as will make its possessor the servant of those beloved, and exercise a self-denying mastery over the heart that experiences it. Such love will be like our Master's. For "herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us."
Look at the Mother's love. Does it not make her sacrifice time, comfort, and health for her child?
Look at the Patriot's love. Does it not compel him to turn his back on home, family, business, to fight and die for his country?
And so Hot love in the Salvationist will make him lay health, time, goods, and all he possesses at the Feet of his Lord, and there use all in blessing and saving the souls of men.
Now it is this spirit of Love which makes this blessed heat in the souls of men and women. As the Devil lights and feeds the fires of malice, ambition, selfishness, pride, lust, and the other evils that encourage and strengthen souls in their warfare with God, and carries them down the broad way to destruction, so the fierce heat of Pure Love, created and maintained by the Holy Spirit, makes the Salvationist
watch and pray, toil and talk and suffer, careless of what it costs him in doing so, if he can thereby gain the blessed object on which his heart is set.
But the Holy Spirit only dwells, in all His mastering power and burning zeal, in souls that have been cleansed from evil; so that if you are resolved to spend your life in blessing and saving men, and fighting for your Lord, you must have a Pure Heart.
A Pure Heart will make you a blessing to those around you, and that not merely as a result of what you do, but from the fact of what you are. People will, no doubt, be drawn to love Christ, and seek Salvation, and fight for The Army by what you say and sing. Your appeals and your prayers will all affect them; but if, in addition, you possess this treasure they will also be led to God and Holiness and Heaven by what they see you are.
A Pure Heart, as we have seen, makes a good life. Goodness is attractive; men respect it, and are drawn to it, for what it is in itself. Even if they are themselves the slaves of what is bad and devilish, they cannot help admiring what is Holy and Divine. And if this is the case with the slaves of sin and vice, it will be a thousand times more so with those around you who have already been captivated by the charms of Holiness. To such hearts, your life, if governed and inspired by Pure Love, will be a constant source of light, and strength, and consolation.
This is what we call Influence. It is something that is always going on. It is like the fragrance of a rose. You take the flower and place it in the middle of a room, and day and night it will send forth a sweet smell to all around. You have not to do anything at it, or with it. You need not wave it about, or pass it from one to another. It will spread abroad its pleasant perfume quite apart from any movement.
So it is with the Soldier who enjoys Purity of Heart, and lives in harmony with the experience. A holy influence will be going out from him all the time, not only from what he says and does, but from what he is himself.
You feel the power, and the sweetness, and the genuineness of his spirit and devotion. And when you hear his testimony, or listen to his prayers, or hear his pleading with sinners, you feel this blessed influence proceeding from him wherever you find him.
As you look into his eyes, and shake his hand, or sit by his side, it will be there. When you see him in the furnace of affliction, or stand by his dying bed, or follow him to the grave; nay, long after he has passed from mortal sight, this influence will continue to flow out to you. For years to come, a sight of his photograph or the bare mention of his name, will warm your heart, strengthen your courage, sustain your faith, and increase your love for all that is Christlike and true. Why is