Even Your Sanctification: Friend or Foe

BLJ: We have finished Rev. Fay's book on salvation. He wrote an additional book on entire sanctification. We will spend a few days looking at this subject. As I wrote earlier, I believe only a few in the church are truly saved, and if so, there are even fewer sanctified wholly. Entire sanctification destroys the "old man", i.e. carnality or the carnal mind. When someone is sanctified, you see it in their life, their speech and in their behavior. The sanctified believer is sold out 100% for God. Are you sanctified?

FRIEND OR FOE -- AN ALLEGORY

Once upon a time there was a lonely man who lived in a handsome castle which had long fallen into disrepair. Fortunately, this condition came to the attention of the King who sent him this message:

"If you are the King's friend I will come to live with you and renew the castle. Do you agree?"

Soon the King's friend returned the answer.

"Please come and make my castle your very own!"

The Majesty arrived riding upon a pure white horse and announced His intention to remain. For several days the castle attendants carefully groomed the beautiful horse, prepared the most palatable dishes and in every way catered to the pleasure of the King and his friend. Trees of sweet bearing fruits and flowers of rarest colors were soon growing in abundance on the castle grounds; for the King who planted them was well known for his gardening skills.

How sweet was their fellowship as the King and his friend walked the halls and talked together of the alterations the King would make and the beauty that would return to the castle. There was, however, one serious problem. An Old Man also lived there. Although the Old Man was not permitted a free run of the castle, but suppressed and limited to a rather slim diet, his was a troublesome presence.

One morning a kitchen maid wishing to set a bouquet of flowers on the table found that most of them had been rudely trampled and crushed. When this came to the King's attention, he and his friend walked quickly to the scene. They stared and grieved at the sight.

"Look!" the King said, pointing to a set of footprints leading past the flowers and out among the trees. They followed these and soon came to where the lush fruit had been clubbed off the trees and lay smashed beneath them. The King pointed to broken branches where the trees had been slashed and scarred by some cruel tool; and again, to the same footprints, unmistakably those of the Old Man. Silent and grave the king and his friend returned to the castle.

"I must talk to the Old Man in the morning," the friend said earnestly to the King. "I have never known him to act so ugly before." The King remained silent.

It was a very troubling night for the King's friend. Something must be done. "What can I do?" he questioned, "but try to humor the Old Man and persuade him to behave."

Before breakfast, a stable groom burst into their presence crying, "Come, your Majesty... quickly... your horse!" Together the King and his friend rushed to the stable. The horse had fallen and was now lying on its side, convulsing in great pain. While they watched, the beautiful creature ceased struggling, gave a final gasp and died. Solemnly, the King ordered the groom to fetch him the grain bucket. He dug his hand into the oats, allowing the grains to slowly fall through his fingers. Carefully, he picked out several black seeds.

"Poison," he announced. "Someone has mixed poison into the feed."

Knowingly, they stared at each other and the King's friend knew that this cruel deed had to be the work of the Old Man.

That night the King's friend excused himself to walk abroad and collect his thoughts. Torches were burning in their sockets, throwing some feeble light into the shades of the castle walkways. Along one of these and near an outer wall the King's friend was constrained to suddenly halt. Immediately a huge stone fell directly on the path before him. A moment more and a mere step forward and he would have been crushed beneath it. He glanced upward in time to see the retreating shadow of the Old Man. He was terrified. He chose, however, not to divulge this matter to the King. The next day he purposefully avoided close familiarity with the Majesty. He knew that questions would be asked and he did not want to talk to the King as before. This reluctance was strange and difficult for him to understand; for after all, was he not the King's friend?

The following evening as darkness fell about the castle, once more, the King's friend ventured out to sort through his thoughts. He was walking slowly in another area; with his head down, hands clasped behind his back and deep in thought, when it happened. He heard a hiss and felt as though some giant spider had bitten into his shoulder; but it was not a spider's bite, but the sting of an stout black arrow. He struggled to pull it lose, but it had lodged deeply into a vital spot and he could not. He staggered to the wall where he collapsed, groaned and tried to cry for help; but only passed into unconsciousness.

He awoke hours later. The King was seated at his side, bending over him and rubbing pungent balm into his deep wound. He felt nauseated, weak and ill.

The King smiled and his friend thought that his smile had more healing virtue in it than any amount of medicine of other sorts.

"You are recovering now," he whispered, "but your wound was near unto death. You were foolish to walk abroad in the darkness without me."

The King's friend was humbled. "Please forgive me," he said, and this too seemed like healing medicine to him. In a few days, he was back to his old self once more and able to sit at the table with his King. Communion, however, was now more difficult. The King seemed to be waiting for something; waiting for his friend to speak or do something; but the King's friend did not speak or discuss doing any thing.

Suddenly, the King stood to his feet and started for the door. "I must leave!" he announced.

The King's friend was stunned, "Leave? Leave the castle? Why?"

"You know our problem," the King answered sternly. "It is this hideous Old Man. At the most unexpected moments he will "pop up" to frighten you and he greatly annoys me. Sometimes in the midst of our most enjoyable conversation the Old Man will scream aloud and shatter the peace. This situation has continued far too long. I have waited patiently for you to apprehend and quiet the troublemaker. You, however, have remained hesitant and even reluctant to do so. Friend, unless you do something with that Old Man I cannot remain!"

Frantically, the King's friend grabbed up his sword and rushed through the castle; chasing the Old Man from one room to another and up and down the hallways and stairways, until at last he fell upon him, and at sword point put him in chains. He then dragged him to the dungeon, far below. There, in a iron cell, he left the Old Man chained, and returned to the presence of the King.

All seemed to be well now until, once again, they heard the Old Man scream and howl and stomp and rattle his chains in protest. He hated his restrains and wanted to be free and to do as before. Sadly the King arose and started toward the door.

"Please don't leave!" the King's friend pleaded."

"I cannot stay unless you do something with that Old Man. You well know he will not behave but will continue to break the peace and mar the tranquillity of this castle. He will protest and attempt to defeat all my plans for the needed changes. You know, also, that he will not reform his way and become my obedient subject. He has terrorized all of the attendants. He has destroyed our garden and fruit trees. He has poisoned my faithful horse and twice he has attempted to kill you and I must warn you further that he will kill you and every beautiful and useful thing in this castle. I must, therefore, leave unless you take a hand in this!"

"But what can I do?"

"Put him to death."

"But this is hard," said the King's friend, "he is my relative, you see. I inherited him when I came to this castle. He has been here all my lifetime. I find it hard to put him to death although, I confess, I do not want him here."

"Indeed, it is impossible for you to do so!" the King answered. What I am asking is your consent. If you will put him in my hands I will put him to death. This is my promise!"

"I will!" shouted the King's friend. Then the King hugged his friend warmly and smiled. Inspired, the Kings friend raced down the stairs to the dungeon. Soon he returned leading the Old Man in chains and surrendered him to the King.

That very hour the King put the Old Man to death, saw him buried out of sight and set the grave stone with the marker and date of death which read: "HERE LIES THE OLD MAN, ENEMY OF THE KING AND HIS FRIEND."

The King's friend never forgot the moment the King returned with a smile and said, "Now we will have peace."

And that memorial day has lingered in the memory of the King's friend as the greatest day of his life.

The End