Awake Thou That Sleepest — R.G. Flexon

He asked me to do something which is one of the hardest things for any preacher to try to do, and that is to break in in the middle of a revival and take the place, or at least try, to do something and not get in the way of the evangelists or in any way hinder the meeting.

But as they requested it so much, I prayed about it and will do my best, but I hope I don't hinder the meeting and don't stop the progress of it. But will you stand, please, while we read the word of the Lord?

If you have your Bibles with you and you want to bring your Bibles to these chapel services or this revival, that's our textbook, so bring your Bibles along so you can follow along with the preacher. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of Ephesians, the fifth chapter, beginning to read at verse 14, Ephesians, the fifth chapter, beginning at verse 14.

Now, some of you have been around, and I preached here before, I was here in seven camp meetings in succession, preaching, and then for six years I've been preaching in chapel services. I did not come prepared to preach this time, but to listen.

But you pray and I'll do my best. But turning to the scripture, wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See them that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, buying up the time because the days are evil.

Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled, or keep filled, with the Spirit. Not only what we get in this revival, but what we have in a year or ten years from now, keep filled with the Spirit.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God, thanks for all things unto God, and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wives, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the saviour of the body.

Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. But husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with a washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself, for no man ever yet hath his own flesh, but nourish it and cherish it, even as the Lord the church. For we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. We need thy help this morning, dear Lord.

We are not sufficient in ourselves, but somehow we ask thee that thou wouldst settle down on this crowd today, speak lips of clay, make this a profitable time, don't let us get in the way of the progress of the meeting, but grant that God will take hold of this service and will take hold of every heart, give us victory like God knows victory, not like we know it, but like God knows victory, and we'll praise thee for it, in Jesus' precious name we ask it.

The Sanctified, Satisfied, and Spirit-Filled Church

Amen. If you follow me in the reading of the scripture lesson this morning, you'll possibly notice that there are three different kinds of churches mentioned in this scripture. In the first place we have the sanctified church, and then we have the satisfied church, and then we have the spirit-filled church.

We might preach on either one of those subjects this morning and spend an hour on each one of them, but I just want to call your attention this morning to the spirit-filled church. I'd like to call your attention to three different thoughts, and don't expect me to jump around like my brother does.

If I did, I'd break my neck. But I'll try to give you what God's placed on my heart. So in the first place we're noticing why some people are not being filled with the Spirit. Second, I'd like to notice what will obtain in one's life when they refuse to be filled with the Spirit, and then some things that will obtain when you are filled with the Spirit.

Preparing for Sanctification and the Fullness of the Spirit

So in the first place we're noticing why some people are not filled with the Spirit. And one reason is they're not ready for that kind of an experience. I was preaching in Bromwell, West Virginia, and one young man was at the altar five nights in succession, and finally looked up in my face and said, Brother Flexin, I just can't get sanctified.

Then I said, Young man, if I were you, I'd get justified. If I couldn't get the second work of grace, I'd begin to seek after the first one. He began to pray along that line and soon left the altar. But the next day he came to Parsons, had the pastor to help him write 14 letters of confession, and then went around the town paying up old store bills that he said he never would pay.

Then went and visited the people in the town he'd been talking about behind their back. And that night he came back to the altar. It took him just three minutes to get saved and five minutes to get sanctified.

He got ready for the blessing. God won't keep you waiting when you get ready for it. But you and I have to make the way for the Holy Ghost to come. And then some are not filled with the Spirit because they do not deserve it enough.

You have to want this experience more than you want anything else in the world or you're never going to get it. But right where you want it worse than you want anything else on earth, thank God that's where you're going to get it.

Reminds me of the slave owner down in the Southland during the days of slavery. One of his slaves went off and came back to the plantation, shouting all over the plantation. The master said to him, Rastus, where'd you get that religion that makes you so happy all the time?

He said, down here at the crossroad is a big meeting. The master said, you think I can get it? He said, I think you can if you go down and pay the price. He said, it's the team to the sorry and let's go.

They started, they traveled a little ways. When the master said, Rastus, I thought you told me it wasn't very far, that meeting. He said, we're getting closer, master. Ripped up the team and said, come on, pay it, come on, June, went a little faster.

After a while the master looked over and said, Rastus, I thought we were getting nearer. He said, we are now, master. Ripped up the team and they went a little faster. After a while the master said, Rastus, aren't we nearly there?

He said, I'm getting so anxious I can't wait another minute. Rastus said, whoa, June, he said, we're right there. Thank God when you can't wait another minute, God's going to meet your need. But so long as you can get along without it, Lord, you can do it if you want to.

No, you're going to have to want it worse than you want anything else in the world. And then again, some are not filled with the Spirit because they say, well, what will I call it? Well, what's the difference what you and I call it?

Whether we call it perfect love, whether we call it being filled with the Spirit, whether we call it entire sanctification, just so we have it. That's the thing that really counts, not what we call it, but whether we have it or not.

And some are not filled with the Spirit because they say, if I'm filled with the Spirit, sanctified, I'll have some enemies. You get old time salvation and regeneration, you're going to have some enemies.

You're going to make enemies because you're going crossways with what they're doing. But I'm glad when we're sanctified and have enemies, greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. I'd rather have enemies made by being sanctified than just by being justified.

And some are not filled with the Spirit. They say, I don't understand it. This is not an experience of the head. It's something of the heart. Andy D 'Alba, a drunkard in Baltimore, went to a mission one night and God gloriously saved him.

And then later on sanctified him wholly and called him to preach. He never had any formal education. He couldn't even write his own name, but God used him in a mighty way to preach for the greatest preachers in America on the line of holiness.

One time a Methodist preacher heard about him, went to Baltimore and asked Andy to go and hold a meeting for him. Andy consented. They had to travel on the train for a long distance. Noon hour came and they went to the diner to get the meal.

And the preacher said, now, Andy, order anything you want and I'll pay for it. The waiter looked down and said, Mr., order anything you want on that menu and I'll bring it. Well, Andy couldn't read his name written on a barn door in big letters.

So he didn't know what the menu called for, but threw the menu down the table, looked up at the waiter and said, bring me the whole bill of fare. We may not understand without his, but by faith we can have it down in our hearts.

We can have everything that God provided for us on Calvary. If we're willing to take what God has provided, but you're going to have to accept what God has provided as well as you expect him to accept what you are handing to him.

The Consequences of Refusing the Spirit's Fullness

But then I noticed some things that will obtain one's life when they refuse to be filled with the spirit. And one thing is you'll settle in an up and down profession. I did not say an up and down experience.

I said an up and down profession. When you and I are born again, we come to the light of wholeness. We turn that down and back up on it. We lose our regeneration. All we have left is a profession. We go on making a profession, but we do not have the assurance that the work is done in our heart.

Why? Because we have not walked in the light. We backed up on wholeness and therefore we've lost our regeneration. You'll either walk in all the light God gives you and live behind light and lose your experience in regeneration, or you'll walk in all the light God gives you and go right on into wholeness.

Then another thing that may obtain is when you refuse to get sanctified, you will settle down in false doctrine and in false isms. But when you and I are sanctified holy, we're not running after false doctrines.

We're not running after oral robbers. We're not running around after some of these professional healers. We're not running around after false doctrine, for when the Holy Ghost has come, he'll guide you into all truth.

He'll take you right straight down the middle of the King's Highway of Wholeness. When you are filled with the Spirit, he certainly will guide you into all truth. Another thing that may obtain is that you'll settle down in a state of chronic doubting.

I believe I've seen some chronic doubters at my altars. They were honest chronic doubters. But after dealing with thousands of people around the altar, I'm convinced it's not so much chronic doubting as it is chronic disobedience.

You can't believe God while you're disobeying God. You can't believe God while you're saying yes to God in your mind and no to God down your heart. You've got to bring the two together, say yes to God down your heart as well as yes to God in your mind.

It's more chronic disobedience than it is chronic doubting, for he gives the Holy Spirit to them that obey him. If we're obeying him, thank God he will not withhold the blessing from us. Another thing that may obtain when you refuse to be filled with the Spirit, you'll be afraid of fanaticism.

Some places that I go, you know, they're as dead as a doornail. I offer them a brand new five dollar bill if anybody will say amen out loud. I haven't lost a five dollar bill yet in such churches, and I find that you can't even buy an amen from them.

But they've settled down in a state of fear of fanaticism. But do you know what a fanatic is? It's somebody that's making a big fuss over nothing. You go out to the ball games and you'll find the fanatics.

They're making a big fuss over nothing. When the Cincinnati Reds are playing down here in this ball field, and their side's winning, you can hear them yelling clear up on this hilltop. But we don't get excited enough about our religion sometimes to say amen out loud and praise the Lord.

I'm not a bit afraid of fanaticism, but I'm certainly afraid of dry rot. We've got so much of that around the wholeness movement, dry rot, drying up until we're not getting blessed anymore. The Spirit of God's not being poured out upon us anymore.

The Evidence of a Spirit-Filled Life

But then I notice in the next place some things that we'll obtain when you are filled with the Spirit. One thing is that you will once in a while, at least once every six months, get blessed out loud.

You'll get blessed enough to praise God out loud. I think of that man who was a drunkard, a down-and-outer. His family left him. His children wouldn't even speak to him when they passed him on the street.

But he got saved and sanctified and joined the Presbyterian Church. There was no other kinder and no other wholeness church around, so he joined the Presbyterian Church. But he used to get blessed even in that dried-up church and shout out loud.

And when he did, it made the people nervous. So they appointed the pastor as a committee to hold a weight on him. He went out to his farm, found him plowing with a fine team of horses. And he said, Mr., we're glad, brother, we're glad to have you as a member of our church.

You're a good member. You pay good. But when you shout out loud, it makes our people so nervous. They've asked me to come and ask you to be more quiet with your religion. He looked at the pastor. He said, Pastor, I was a drunkard.

I was a down-and-outer. My wife had left me. My children wouldn't speak to me when they passed me on the street. But God picked me up and saved me and sanctified me, and I joined your church. And he said, Since that time, you see, that little house, all these broad acres, brother, God's given them to me since he saved and sanctified me.

You see that little house over there? My wife and my children have come back to me. We have a happy home. He said, You see, this team of horses is the finest team there is in the country. But they're a young team of horses.

And if there's a fuss around, sometimes they get a little nervous. He said, Pastor, I wish you'd hold them a few minutes, sir. I feel one of them spells coming on me right now. Thank God you'll have a spell once in a while.

Not a bad one, but you'll have a good one once in a while. If you are filled with the Holy Ghost, and you may have one in hell, you may have one of family around the family altar, and you may have one most anywhere in the world.

I've gotten them on a plane flying 28 ,000 miles above the Pacific Ocean, walking up and down the aisle of the plane, praising God. I've driven my car along the road and had to stop and get out and praise God.

You have to have a Holy Ghost spell most anywhere when the Holy Ghost abides in your heart. And you can't tell just when they're going to come on. Another thing that will obtain is you'll see the condition of the ministry.

And you'll refuse to put yourself in front of the ministry of any preacher that will not preach second blessing wholeness. And you'll refuse to support them. One time, a lady came to me and said, Brother Fixon, I've been trying for six months to find out whether my pastor's a wholeness preacher or not.

I said, Sister, he is not. She said, Do you know him? I said, I do not. Did you ever meet him? I never did. Did you ever hear him preach? No, I never have. Well, then how did you know he's not a wholeness preacher?

Because had he been, it wouldn't have taken you six months to find it out. It hasn't taken you six months to find out whether I preach wholeness or not. I'm preaching it this morning. If I were to preach tonight, I'd preach on wholeness.

If I were to preach tomorrow, I'd preach on wholeness. It's the need of the human heart and it's the thing we need in this day and age is old-fashioned wholeness to get a hold of our hearts. That'll settle a lot of questions in our lives when we are sanctified holy.

We need some more preaching on old-fashioned wholeness. Another thing that may occur is you'll carry burdens without complaints. If God puts a burden on you or you have a burden, you'll carry them without complaints.

Living Faith at Home and Burden for the Lost

I think of that drunkard today who was in a gambling den. They were gambling. He was gambling with three other men and finally the subject of religion came up. The other man said, there's nobody on earth that has that old-time religion.

The man said, yes, there is. My wife has it. You come on home with me and I'll show you that she has it. They went to the home at two o 'clock in the morning, knocked at the door. His wife arose and let those four drunkards in.

And he said to his wife, you go to the kitchen, fix a meal for my friends. She went to the kitchen, began to fix the meal. Those drunkards sat down, began to gamble. And finally they heard somebody singing out in the kitchen.

Must Jesus bear the cross alone since all the world go free and all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me. The consecrated cross I'll bear until death shall set me free.

And then go home a crown to wear for there's a crown for me. The drunkard said to the other fellow, who was that singing? He said, it's my wife out in the kitchen fixing a meal for you at two o 'clock in the morning.

And singing that old hymn, they said, bring her in. If religion will do that for a person, we want that kind. And all three of them prayed through and found God. The world's looking for our manifestation of God in our lives.

Not what you and I profess in a camp meeting or a meeting like this. It's what we live around home. It's what we live in the dormitory rooms. It's how we act in the classroom. It's how you act when you go back home in your own church and in your own home that the world's looking at.

Do you act the Christian then? Do you manifest the spirit of God in your life then? And when the burden's on, do you manifest that you can carry it without complaint anywhere? And then another thing is that we'll obtain, you'll carry burden for lost humanity.

Carry a burden for lost humanity. You could stand on a stack of Bibles as high as this desk this morning and profess to be filled with the spirit. But if you have no burden for lost humanity, do you have no concern about praying with seekers around the altar?

Whether you're a faculty member or you're a student, you couldn't make me believe you're filled with the spirit. If you stood on a stack of Bibles that high, if you have no concern for helping people to find God when they're struggling to find God, God will put in your heart a burden for lost humanity.

When you're filled with the spirit of God and how people can say, I'm sanctified and sit back or come and sit on the front benches and no concern about helping anybody get through with this order and say I'm filled with the spirits more than I can understand.

If you don't have a burden for lost humanity, my young friends, don't begin to profess to be filled with the spirit. I'm afraid you're just fooling yourself. God will put a burden in your heart for a lost humanity.

If you have no burden, just remember you have no spirit. Then another thing that will obtain perhaps, you'll go to excess in religion. But you say, I don't want to go to excess in religion. Jesus Christ went to excess religion.

They said he had a devil. Paul went to excess religion. And they said the disciples of the disciples, they that turn the world upside down will come hither also. Dr. Jowett, a Presbyterian preacher said, the world never will be moved toward God until the church thinks that it's gone stark mad over its religion.

Dr. Jowett was no fanatic. But on the day of Pentecost, what happened? They said these men are filled with new wine. Peter said and went and stood up and said, it's not new wine that's a matter with us.

It's something we got from heaven, the new wine of the kingdom. They thought they were drunk. But friends, we're not thinking the whole of this movement's drunk on the spirit in these days. So dead and dried up, they wouldn't come around and say we've gone mad over our religion anymore.

God help us this morning along this line. But we find that those that were filled with the spirit back there, they certainly acted like they were filled with the spirit of God. But you say, but what will we do and how will we act when we're filled with the spirit?

On the day of Pentecost, they acted like men that were filled with new wine. Other people would not have said they are filled with new wine. Now just remember that Paul was perhaps then talking about a contrast between a person filled with new wine and a person filled with the spirit of God.

But where there's contrast, there may be some forms of likeness. And that was so on the day of Pentecost. I wouldn't make fun of a drunken person for anything. I was brought up with them. My father ran to City Rescue Mission, the city of Bridgeton, New Jersey, where he dealt with drunks all the time.

We had a third story in our home where there were a lot of cots. He'd bring the drunks home. I had to sleep among those drunken men. I learned some lessons from those men when I was just a child. I'm not making fun of them.

I wouldn't laugh at them. I just pity them. But I learned some lessons from them. Would you let me pass them on to you this morning without your criticism? Notice in the first place, you get a man or woman dead drunk on whiskey, and the first thing they want to do is to go to a big meeting, and preferably a religious meeting.

And you can hardly keep them away from there. You talk about having to beg people to go to prayer meeting. No, they'll be feeling something down their heart three hours before the service starts. I'm going to get to go to prayer meeting and worship God, and praise the Lord with the people of God.

And then when they go to meeting, I've had them to jump up when I've been preaching, and say, wait a minute, preacher, I'm so full I've got to say something. I'm so full I've got to sing a song. Well, you may as well stop and let them sing.

They'll go on, they want a part in the meeting. Are you having part in this revival? Are you having a part in what's going on around here? Are you just sitting around looking on at what's going on? Another thing that will obtain, they usually, very seldom take anything home with them.

They usually give everything they've got in their pocket, and go home and try to get some more. Sometimes, you know, if you're filled with the Spirit of God, you give everything you've got, and sometimes promise more than you have, and then go home and pray it in.

Why? Because you're filled with the Spirit. And then we find that you get a person drunk on whiskey, or drunk on wine, and when they go, they know where they got it, and you can't keep them away from there.

They're bound to go back. You talk about people leaving the wholeness movement, know if they're filled with the Spirit, they're going to hang around and get some more of the same kind. They're not going to run away and leave the crowd.

They're going to be with the crowd, and you get a person drunk on whiskey, and he's never satisfied until everybody around him has had a drink of the same kind of stuff. And you and I get filled with the Spirit, and we're never satisfied until everybody around us has a drink of the same kind.

What's the matter with you this morning, brother Flex? And I'm not satisfied. They tell me to quit. There's no stopping point. The boiling Spirit's in my heart, driving me on, a compelling, propelling force.

Why? Because something down in here that stirs and drives me on to help everybody get a drink of the same thing I'm enjoying this morning. Become the meeting, enjoy it. But what are you doing to help anybody else get the same kind of religion you're enjoying?

Persevering When Others Reject You

You may now turn your tape over for the rest of the sermon. Do you know what I'm talking about this morning? Keeping filled with the Spirit of God. And do you know when you're filled with the Spirit of God, you get that drink?

Perhaps somebody will want you around. It won't have much to do with you when you get filled with the Spirit. Oh, if you're just quiet about it, all right. But if you get really filled with the Spirit and have a Holy Ghost spell, even some old churches, they'll all turn around and look at you.

Wonder what's the matter with that fellow? What's gone wrong with him? And you may come to a place in your Christian life, young people, where you get where I've gotten. Where you get, oh, that so many people don't want you around.

They want the younger preachers. They want the younger people. They can do it. So you should get out of the way. And you know, the day came after I preached in seven camp meetings, when they said, Don't affection you to all the preaching camp meetings anymore.

And they won't let me preach in the camp meetings anymore around here. The day came when they said, You can't teach anymore. Why? Boy, you're just getting too old, the teacher. And you don't have the strength.

You better stop preaching. So they stopped me teaching. Did I run up to them if true? I did not. And I never will run up to them if true. If they don't want me around, what am I going to do? I tell you young people this morning, like I told them at the IHC convention a couple of years ago.

If they don't want me around, I'm glad God wants me. When they don't want me around, I'm not going to get up when they're trying to pout about it or complain about it. What are you going to do? I'm going to get in my little corner and sit in my little corner and sit there and talk to myself.

That's what Paul said in my scripture lesson this morning. If nobody wants you around, get in your little corner and just sit there and speak to yourself in Psalms. So when nobody wants me around, they turn me down.

I sit back in my little corner and study. And blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand the way of sinners, nor sit at the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law that they meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree that's planted by the river of the water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall never dry up. And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Then when I get through with that psalm, I start in the Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Day do I walk for the thou in the shadow of death.

I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil until my cup runneth over.

Then surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And then I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What are you doing, preacher? Sitting in my little corner talking to myself.

Then he said, singing to yourself in hymns. So as I sit in my little corner once in a while, the devil sticks his head in my little corner and says, Yes, but you see, nobody loves you. Nobody cares for you.

What are you going to do now? I'll just sit back and begin to sing, Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly. Then he sticks his head in my corner and says, Yes, but you see, nobody cares for you.

Nobody loves you. I'm on your track and you have no hiding place. What are you going to do now? I'll just start to sing, Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Then he sticks his head in my little corner and says, Yes, but your religion's all a myth.

It's all a supposition. What are you going to do now? You don't have any foundation for it. I sit back in my little corner and start to sing,. There's a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins.

And sinners find me without flood, lose all their guilty stains. I say, Lord, let's suppose you don't have any feeling. The devil sticks his head in my corner and says, Yes, but you don't feel anything.

You haven't had feeling for days. What are you going to do now? I sit back in my little corner and sing, His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. With all around my soul gives way.

Thank God he then is all my hope and stay. Thank God it's not feelings, Lord, whether you're abiding or not. You're going to have him abiding whether you feel anything or not. Amen. Then I sit in my little corner and said, Sing to yourself in hymns.

I'm glad there's still some spiritual hymns left. These days of rock music and standard jazz music that's drifting in the wholeness movement. I'm glad there's a few spiritual songs left. So when nobody wants me around, I just sit back in my little corner and begin to sing.

I found a friend in Jesus. He's everything to me. He's the first of ten thousand to my soul. He's the lily of the valley, the brightest morning star. In him alone I see, in him alone I see, make me whole.

He all my grief has taken and all my sorrows borne. From temptation is my strong and mighty power. I have all for him forsaken and all my idols torn from my heart. And now he keeps me by his power. And O Lord, O Lord, forsake me and take Satan, tempt me sore.

Thank God through Jesus, through Jesus, through Jesus. Not my own strength, but through Jesus. Thank God, young people, for Jesus. We're going to make some of you weak to go. If you'll have him in your heart, have the Holy Ghost controlling you.

Thank God you can make it through Jesus Christ. But suppose you can't sing. And suppose you can't talk. Then what are you going to do? I sit back in my little corner and make melody in my heart to the Lord.

If I were to start to sing to you out loud, you'd all go home. But I can sit in my little corner and sing to myself and really thoroughly enjoy it. And when I can't sing, I just sit back in my little corner and look up and say, praise the Lord.

Glory be to God. Hallelujah. What do you want, son? I don't want to sing. I just want to know you're there. Amen. I just want to know you're there. I'm making melody down in my heart to the Lord. Do you have what I'm talking about this morning?

The Spirit's Fullness Must Work in Everyday Life

Do you have the fullness of the Spirit in your life? You say, does that work? It works all the time. If you have it, you're going to work in the dormitory. You're going to work in the classroom. You're going to work in the chapel.

You're going to work when you're being dealt with by the administration. You're going to work if you're in a church and on the board. You're going to work on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and every day of the week.

If you really have it, thank God it will work. A friend of mine, a graduate of the seminary that I was preaching with me in a meeting in a large Methodist church over in the state of New Jersey at Collinswood, that Methodist church wouldn't have anyone but a holiness preacher.

I was there for five times in revivals and this time this man was working with me. He said when he was a little fellow, he'd turn to church and Sunday school when there was only one person that professed to be sanctified.