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The Acts of the Apostles
restraining influences of the Spirit of truth. Man’s obedience can be
made perfect only by the incense of Christ’s righteousness, which fills
with divine fragrance every act of obedience. The part of the Christian
is to persevere in overcoming every fault. Constantly he is to pray to
the Saviour to heal the disorders of his sin-sick soul. He has not the
wisdom or the strength to overcome; these belong to the Lord, and He
bestows them on those who in humiliation and contrition seek Him for
help.
The work of transformation from unholiness to holiness is a con-
tinuous one. Day by day God labors for man’s sanctification, and
man is to co-operate with Him, putting forth persevering efforts in
the cultivation of right habits. He is to add grace to grace; and as he
thus works on the plan of addition, God works for him on the plan of
multiplication. Our Saviour is always ready to hear and answer the
prayer of the contrite heart, and grace and peace are multiplied to His
faithful ones. Gladly He grants them the blessings they need in their
struggle against the evils that beset them.
There are those who attempt to ascend the ladder of Christian
progress; but as they advance they begin to put their trust in the power
of man, and soon lose sight of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their
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faith. The result is failure—the loss of all that has been gained. Sad
indeed is the condition of those who, becoming weary of the way,
allow the enemy of souls to rob them of the Christian graces that
have been developing in their hearts and lives. “He that lacketh these
things,” declares the apostle, “is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”
The apostle Peter had had a long experience in the things of God.
His faith in God’s power to save had strengthened with the years, until
he had proved beyond question that there is no possibility of failure
before the one who, advancing by faith, ascends round by round, ever
upward and onward, to the topmost round of the ladder that reaches
even to the portals of heaven.
For many years Peter had been urging upon the believers the ne-
cessity of a constant growth in grace and in a knowledge of the truth;
and now, knowing that soon he would be called to suffer martyrdom
for his faith, he once more drew attention to the precious privileges
within the reach of every believer. In the full assurance of his faith the
aged disciple exhorted his brethren to steadfastness of purpose in the