Perhaps the most effectual way of inducing Christians to seek perfect love, is to show the great benefits resulting from the experience. This is what Mr. Wesley termed preaching perfection by promise, which he regarded as the most successful way of teaching it. Some may ask, What is the difference between the effects of love previous to, and after, full sanctification? The effects are the same in kind, but different in degree. Previous to the full baptism of love, the Christian graces are checked more or less by remaining carnality. There is a conscious limitation, impediment, embarrassment, timidity, shrinking, sluggishness and other forms of hindrance, which prevent the full, free, outflowing effects which would naturally spring from unmixed love. Christian perfection does not purify the graces, but purifies the soul-soil in which the graces grow. It is not another kind of religion, but the same kind we had before, with the internal hindrances removed, the same corn with the weeds extracted, the same fire with the smoke consumed; it is a converted life made easy. We can easily see the effects of perfect love if we apply it to Christian duties. The believer has no more duties resting on him after his full purification than before, but there is a marvelous difference in the promptness, ease, liberty and regularity with which the duties are performed. Justification binds on us the same law of life that sanctification does. We see this illustrated in Scripture. All the duties and laws given to the children of Israel were while they were in the wilderness, and yet over and over again, it is said, thus and thus "shall ye do when you come into the land of promise," showing us that it was entering the land of promise which was to render the keeping of those laws practicable and easy. The same truth is repeated in the New Testament. Jesus imposed on his disciples every precept and duty before their full salvation on the day of Pentecost, but taught them that in order to the sure performance to all His commands, they were to " wait until they were endued with power from on high."
The same truth is repeated in our experience. After we are converted, we feel upon our spirits the pressure of many calls and obligations. A new world and a new life is open before us, convictions of privilege and duty often come to us, and we feel the need of an inward liberty and unction, and a bold, prompt movement to their performance. This is what the full baptism of love supplies. It lubricates all our moral machinery, it oils the secret wheels of action, so that we speak, or pray, or write, or decide, or give, or forgive, with an alacrity, firmness and conscious joy we never did before.
Justification says, "Search the Scriptures," but perfect love says, "Thy Word is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb." The first says, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together," the second says, " I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord." It often happens that the overflow of perfect love renders the ordinary duties of life a pure delight, as looking through the camera upon some ordinary scenery transforms it into a vista of beauty. We are not to hunt so much for new and extraordinary duties as we are for that pure fullness of love which adds a new zest to every old one.
Another emphatic result of perfect love is the wonderful deliverance it imparts from the fear of man. It puts us where we can love everybody, but cringe to nobody, fear nobody. We are not afraid of the criticisms, or threatenings, or the big majorities of our fellows. What an infinite boon such an experience is in this time-serving, man-fearing world! How many Christians there are, who, for lack of perfect love, fail to speak out, or vote, or act, or take the stand which their silent convictions call them to. The Holy Spirit has well said that "the fear of mall bringeth a snare." Several instances have occurred under my observation, where ministers were timid about preaching full salvation, for fear of offending prominent hearers; when those same prominent hearers were thirsting for heart purity, and welcomed a full gospel with delight.
The fullness of love will also remove our fear of God's providence. So many Christians are distressed for fear God's providence will fail them. One is always afraid he will go to the poorhouse. Another is afraid to give his tithes to God lest he should never get them back. Another is afraid of sudden death. Another is afraid of certain forms of disease. Another is afraid of some imaginary calamity to his family. Until trust in God is complete, some imaginary lion puts the heart into a flutter of dismay. Perfect love clarifies the vision to discern the completeness of God's special providence. It makes the form of the fourth moving amid the fiery ordeals of life a positive reality. It is not a spirit of rashness, but an obedient doing of our best, and then resting all results on the bosom of God's care. It is not claiming that He will always do as we ask or plan, but it is a sweet repose in His wisdom and love that He will do the best for us. Perfect love destroys the fear of death. It enables the soul to see death in the true Scriptural light, and not only so, but to see through death in such a way that heaven is a reality. Love conquers all things, even death.
