Sermons & Devotionals by Harmon A. Baldwin

We were at one time approached by a young lady who said, "Between my home and the place of meeting there is an old, deserted factory on a dark and lonesome street. Some terrible things have occurred there. Am I wrong because I am afraid to pass that way at night?" We replied, "You would be foolish t... Read More

Again, we are informed that when a holy man is insulted his feelings are not stirred, and, the inference is, that holiness will leave the soul in a condition of almost stoical insensibility. On the contrary, we claim that the more holy the soul the more keenly an insult will be felt, and the more qu... Read More

When clear light begins to shine on the heart of the candidate for holiness, a great struggle is often experienced in getting definitely at the work. Sloth and indifference bind the soul as with fetters of brass. Persons who in other matters could rightfully repudiate the charge of laziness are so o... Read More

Some base their objections to holiness on the inconsistencies they see in the lives of professors. This method of argument is as reasonable as to take the stand that there is no genuine money because there is a counterfeit. The fact is there can be no counterfeit without a genuine, and, since there ... Read More

We will quote one of Fletcher's definitions of infirmities which was given for the purpose of reconciling the doctrine of Christian perfection with human weakness: An infirmity is a breach of Adam's paradisiacal perfection, which our covenant God does not require of us now; and, evangelically speaki... Read More

III. Infirmities of the spirit. Concerning infirmities of the spirit, Wesley says: From wrong judgments, wrong words and actions will necessarily flow; and, in some cases, wrong affections may also spring from the same source. I may judge wrong of you; I may think more or less highly of you than I o... Read More

One of the most dangerous enemies of the experience of holiness which has re-arisen in the last few years clothed in modern apparel is what is commonly called "suppression." Its advocates teach that the heart of man is such an unfathomable depth that while one may honestly think that he is delivered... Read More

Again, we would state that with the most keen-sighted saints there still lingers such a measure of inability to see that at times it becomes very noticeable. That is, while they see some things clearly, other things they fail to see. There is a dimness of vision which comes from the presence of the ... Read More

It is objected by some that the profession of entire sanctification leads to fanaticism and makes its professors impracticable. They assert that holiness people are filled with wild and uncanny notions, that they are ignorant, superstitious and hopelessly unreliable. No matter how learned or wise a ... Read More

II. Mental Infirmities and Varying Dispositions of Holiness Professors. It is to be doubted if God ever made two persons exactly alike, either in appearance or mental characteristics. These differences often lie in the varying strength of our good points or the extent of our weaknesses. In what ways... Read More

II. We come now to consider some Old Testament passages which are perverted in such a manner as to prove that no man can be delivered from sin. 1. "If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not)." I Kings 8:46; II Chron. 6:36. "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good... Read More

This chapter will be devoted to a few miscellaneous thoughts that may be of service to you in your quest after God. 1. Let us emphasize the fact that you must be led of the Spirit. This is all-important. All the help of your friends and teachers will be a hindrance without it. To this end throw your... Read More

The motive that prompts to any action must be right in order that the action be acceptable in the sight of God. Also the motive for asking favors of the Lord must be right before the favor can be granted. It is the motive then that either gains or forfeits the approval of God. So the motive that pro... Read More

This brings us to the question of nerves. But, some one says, "If you have holiness you will not know you have any nerves." If I were Job I would say, "who knoweth not such things as these?" Such theories have been spun up and down, warped and woven, preached and argued, until they might be put to a... Read More

Just a few words on how "nerves" will manifest themselves in the outward deportment. The answers to this question would be as numerous as the numberless individuals concerned and the infinite variety of circumstances with which they might come in contact. At times the nervous person may feel over-ex... Read More

An objection is urged that holiness as a possible attainment and as a second work of grace is of modern origin and can scarcely be found before Wesley. To establish the fact of the antiquity of the doctrine of holiness even as a second work of grace, the writer has at hand abundance of testimony, bu... Read More

It is objected by some that entire sanctification as a possible experience is not taught in the Bible. In reply to this objection allow us to present the following from Bishop Foster's book, "Christian Purity, or the Heritage of Faith." In this treatise we shall employ both these methods for eliciti... Read More

Again it is stated that entire sanctification is a Methodist doctrine and that it is not held by other churches. We will first give a few quotations from church creeds. Such statements from creeds and admitted authorities could he multiplied indefinitely. The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1647. C... Read More

Volume after volume has been written on the subject of holiness, until the ground has been pretty thoroughly canvassed. There is scarcely a phase of the subject that has not been criticized by its enemies and defended by its friends. It has been set before us as a desirable experience, until our eye... Read More

Both Wesley and Fletcher class infirmities under three heads: those of the body, of the mind, and of the spirit. Owing to the complexity in the composition of body, mind and spirit, and the ever interlacing of the manifestations of their various movements, it is at times impossible to separate them)... Read More