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Sanctified Humanity
by Founder
Catherine Booth
If I were asked to put into one word
what I consider to be the greatest obstacle to the success of
Divine truth, even when uttered by sincere and real people, I
should say stiffness. Simplicity is indispensable to success;
naturalness in putting the truth. It seems as if people the
moment they come to religion assume a different tone, a
different look and manner –– in short, become unnatural. We
want SANCTIFIED HUMANITY, not sanctimoniousness.
You want to talk to your friends in the
same way about religion as you talk about earthly things. If a
friend is in difficulties, and he comes to you, you do not
begin talking in a circumlocutory manner about the general
principles on which men can secure prosperity, and the sad
mistakes of those who have not secured it; you come straight
to the point and, if you feel for him, you take him by the
buttonhole, or put your hand in his, and say, “My dear fellow,
I am very sorry for you; is there any way in which I can help
you?
If you have a friend afflicted with a
fatal malady, and you see it and he does not, you don’t begin
to descant on the power of disease and the way people may
secure health, but you say, “My dear fellow, I am afraid this
hacking cough is more serious than you think, and that nasty
flush on your cheek is a bad sign. I am afraid you are ill ––
let me counsel you to see advice.” That is the way people talk
about earthly things. Now just do exactly so about spiritual
things.
If your friend has a spiritual disease
tell him so, and deal just as straight and earnestly with him
as you would about his body. Tell him you are praying for him,
and the very concern that he reads in your eyes will wake him
up, and he will begin to think it is time he was concerned
about himself.
Try to attain this simple, easy,
natural way of appealing to people about their souls. I
believe if all real Christians would attain this, and acted
upon it, this country would be shaken from end to end!
This
previously was published by Salvation Factory at Friendship
Evangelism-
http://www.salvationfactory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Friendship-Evangelism.pdf
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