eepeth His word, in him verily is the love
of God perfected."(811) Here is the test of every man's profession. We
cannot accord holiness to any man without bringing him to the measurement
of God's only standard of holiness in heaven and in earth. If men feel no
weight of the moral law, if they belittle and make light of God's
precepts, if they break one of the least of these commandments, and teach
men so, they shall be of no esteem in the sight of Heaven, and we may know
that their claims are without foundation.

And the claim to be without sin is, in itself, evidence that he who makes
this claim is far from holy. It is because he has no true conception of
the infinite purity and holiness of God, or of what they must become who
shall be in harmony with His character; because he has no true conception
of the purity and exalted loveliness of Jesus, and the malignity and evil
of sin, that man can regard himself as holy. The greater the distance
between himself and Christ, and the more inadequate his conceptions of the
divine character and requirements, the more righteous he appears in his
own eyes.

The sanctification set forth in the Scriptures embraces the entire
being,--spirit, soul, and body. Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, that
their "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."(812) Again he writes to believers, "I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God."(813) In the
time of ancient Israel, every offering brought as a sacrifice to God was
carefully examined. If any defect was discovered in the animal presented,
it was refused; for God had commanded that the offering be "without
blemish." So Christians are bidden to present their bodies, "a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." In order to do this, all their
powers must be preserved in the best possible condition. Every practice
that weakens physical or mental strength unfits man for the service of his
Creator. And will God be pleased with anything less than the best we can
offer? Said Christ, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart."
Those who do love God with all the heart will desire to give Him the best
service of their life, and they will be constantly seeking to bring every
power of their being into harmony with the laws that will promote their
ability to do His will. They will not, by the indulge