A Concern for Holiness and Its Cost — Ernest C. Reisinger

You know there's a place in Isaiah chapter 41 verse 7 where it says the carpenters encouraged the goldsmiths. Well we've had the goldsmiths and I hope this carpenter this morning can encourage the goldsmiths a bit.

Last night before Pastor Martin preached we prayed together and he said to me, Ernie every time he was referring to preaching he said every time is like the first time. Well the Lord must have thought we need to hear much about the subject we're going to hear about because as I listened to Dr. Packer I wonder if he had left me anything to say.

And I began to think he's not only stole the time but he stole everything else. There will be some overlapping but I couldn't change what I'd already, I already had the material for this paper and so I can't change it and the only thing I can figure out is the Lord wanted underscored with you.

It's not because I didn't think he was clear, it's not because I didn't think he was able but I figure the Lord must want it underscored that he led me in a way that he has. At one point this week I felt like that young seminarian who had, it was his turn to give his trial sermon before his professor and before his classmates and he had always trembled at the thought of this because he heard his classmates being scrutinized and criticized and sometimes ridiculed and he feared the day when he had to preach that sermon.

But it came and he was nervous and he got up and he said you all know, he said you don't know what I'm going to say do you? And they said no, he said neither do I. He said, he said, he said let's, he said let's stand for the benediction.

And he thought because, he thought because if that was somebody else was due to do it the next day then he was home free but the professor was too wise, he said you come back tomorrow. And so he came back tomorrow and he said you all know what I'm going to say don't you?

And they shook their head and he said well there's no use me saying it. By this time the professor was really perturbed and he said, he said you come back tomorrow. And so the fellow just as nervous as he was the first day he came back the third day and he said you don't know what I'm going to say do you?

About half of them shook their heads no and about half of them shook their heads yes. He said those of you who know tell those who don't know. I wouldn't do this in a Sunday morning, in a Sunday morning service but a little holy birth is right and I do feel somewhat like that.

Recommended Works on Holiness

Well the subject I have is a very large subject as we've already been acquainted with. And I, in case I, in case I don't get said what I'd like to say, what's on my heart, what's on my notes and that's always possible I don't get said what's on my notes.

I want to at least do something else, recommend a few books and these books have been the source of the material that I've drawn from in trying to put this paper together. First of all the Bible's a pretty good book on holiness.

You know it's a holy Bible. I hope before I die I find somebody that picks it up and reads it and believes it. Wouldn't that be something to find somebody that picked up the Bible and believed it and read it.

And then the Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 13. Years ago and I'm not sure how many years ago Pastor Martin gave a series and he took the shorter catechism question and the larger catechism question on sanctification and then he took the confession.

And those messages I forget whether there were three or five but they were so great that Morton Smith made those required listening for his seminary students. Then of course other books that have been mentioned John Owen volume 3 and volume 6.

Now that's not bedtime reading and if you're lazy just forget about that recommendation. Thomas Goodwin, Gospel Holiness in the Heart and Life volume 7. Horatius Bonar, God's Way of Holiness. I recommend Martin Lloyd-Jones on several sermons on the text Romans 8 verses 12 and 13.

Has some excellent material on mortification. And then two little volumes that have come across my path in the last three years. I mentioned the one is The Great Doctrine of the Bible, The Way of Holiness by K .F .W. Pryor.

It's an InterVarsity publication. And of course the book I mentioned last night that has become a companion with me. Months ago I was reading this book on the plane. And I noticed the stewardess trying to find out what I was reading.

I guess she thought I was reading, I thought what she thinks I'm reading some pornographic magazine. But she kept looking and finally she said to me, she said, Is that Jerry Bridget's Pursuit of Holiness that you're reading?

I said yes. Well then she told me that they had this aviation of some kind of Christian organization among people in the airlines. And she said I live in Chicago. And she said we've just studied that book, The Great Prophet to Our Soul.

I recommend it very highly. Well I want to read some scriptures without comment on this as a kind of a springboard for what I hope to say. Try to say I want to read a few passages of scripture. You know you're not in trouble trying to find passages on holiness in the Bible.

Fact is your problem is trying to eliminate which passages you don't want to read. Well let me just read a few for our scripture lesson this morning. 2 Corinthians 7 .1 Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the spirit of God.

2 Corinthians 7 .1 But as he who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, Be holy for I am holy. 1 Peter 1 .15 -16. And then I suppose if I had a text it would be this text.

Pursue peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. These texts and many more contain some of the most solemn, sobering, searching truths in the Bible. And I want to just first give some general statements about holiness.

And it will be some overlapping of statements that have already been made. But I want to make them in carpenter fashion, in carpenter style. Just general statements about the subject before we look into it.

God's Holiness and His Command for His People

First of all, everyone who picks up the Bible with a serious heart will soon see that the Bible says God is holy. He is called in the scripture by such names as the Holy One. The Holy One of Israel. Holy is often, is more often I should say, holy is more often used as a prefix to his name than any other attribute.

Holiness is the perfection of all his other attributes. His power is holy power. His love is holy love. His mercy is holy mercy. His wisdom is holy wisdom. Well, this should, this fact alone should make us anxious to worship him and praise him because he is worthy.

The four living creatures that we read about in Revelation 4, who were gathered around the throne, never stopped saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. When Isaiah visions, in that vision, the prophet saw this truth and reports what the seraphim were crying when they said, holy, holy, holy, thrice holy is the Lord of hosts.

Moses sang of God's holiness in Exodus 16 .11. Who is like unto thee, majestic in holiness. The life that God described for his people by Isaiah is called the way of holiness. But it's not enough just to state this and acknowledge it as true.

But God demands his people to be holy. Be ye holy, for I am holy. When God takes back the veil and lets us enter into the prayer closet of our Savior, in that great, great prayer, allows us to come into his very prayer closet and hear his own words in prayer.

Part of that prayer is, sanctify them through thy truth, thy words is truth. The great apostle, when he lays down several weighty and particular evangelical duties in 1 Thessalonians, he lays down these evangelical duties and he connects them with several motives for enforcement of these duties and then he ends with a fervent prayer for them.

He lays out the duties, he enforces these duties, the motives for these duties, and then he prays. And this is his prayer. And the very God of peace, sanctify you holy. For I pray your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My text says holiness without which no man will see the Lord. Now in many, if not most religions, there are those who seek a holy life, though they do not have a biblical definition or idea of holiness.

Nevertheless, there's something about religions, other religions, where they seek holiness. Many of our Catholic friends who have gone into the monasteries and practiced a monastic life, in many cases back of that, were seeking to be holy and out of the world.

Our Mormon friends use no tobacco or alcohol or coffee, and back of that is an idea that this is holiness. In our evangelical circles, there are many different ideas about what holiness is, and just as many different teachings on how to attain it.

Sanctification and Its Relationship to Justification

Now every man who is born again has some desire to be holy. If he doesn't have some desire to be holy and to be like Christ, he's not a Christian. But many dear, sincere, true Christians have no clear idea about or biblical understanding of precisely what biblical holiness is.

And there are more differences among true Christians on the doctrine of sanctification and how to pursue it than any other major doctrine in the Bible. There are many this morning who would agree on justification, who do not agree on sanctification.

And I don't doubt in this crowd there would be those who, we have perfect unanimity on the doctrine of justification, but not on sanctification. Many agree that holiness is a part of salvation, but they do not agree on how it is related to justification and other important Bible doctrines of the New Testament.

Many denominations have come into being, not over the doctrine of regeneration, or not over the doctrine of justification, but over the doctrine of sanctification, what it is, and how to attain it. Think in your own mind of the many denominations and groups that are divided over the doctrine of sanctification.

In my circles they call some people the holiness people. I say to some Baptists, what do you think Baptists are meant to be, unholy people? Holiness groups, all the holiness groups. There are many theories advanced and many experiences claimed in this whole area.

And I personally believe that if the experiences would be interpreted by Scripture, instead of interpreting Scripture by the experience, we'd have a little less confusion and a few less denominations and less divisions among Christians.

You know something else? Preachers are not likely to get in trouble preaching on the doctrine of justification. Everybody wants a free gift. But I tell you, when a preacher begins to bear down seriously about the doctrine of sanctification and holiness, its necessity, I'll tell you he'll make a few waves.

And like we heard last night, sometimes he'll be like John the Baptist, it'll cost him his head. However, sanctification is just as important as justification because they are inseparably joined together in the application of God's salvation.

Just the same as faith and repentance are entirely two different things, but inseparably joined together in the application of God's salvation. You young preachers ought to hold tenaciously to that in your preaching and in your practice.

Evangelical doctrine, regardless of what it is, is useless, useless, unless it is accompanied by a holy life and teaching on biblical holiness. In fact, it is worse than useless. Evangelical, apart from holiness, can do harm.

It is by a holy life, says Paul, that we adore the doctrine of God. And holiness is a powerful thing. You look for powerful things to make your church grow and you seek power. Holiness is a powerful thing.

And I'll tell you, Satan knows it. It's the power of true holiness that injures his kingdom. And I'll tell you, it's easier to preach than it is to practice. Holiness is a very practical truth because it has to do with present-day living and present-day life rather than with future heavenly existence.

Spurgeon said in the treasure of the Bible, I found this quote where Spurgeon said, and I quote, It would be a great pity if, in the process of being qualified for the next life, we become disqualified for this.

It would be a very strange thing if, in order to be fit for the company of angels, we should grow unfit to associate with men. It would be a singular circumstance if those who speak of heaven have nothing to say concerning the way thither.

He went on to say, True religion has as much to do with this world as with the world to come. It's always urging us onward to higher and better life, but it does so by processes and precepts which fit us worthily to spend our days here below.

Well, another general remark. Every second work of grace teaching, irrespective of the name, every second work of grace teaching, at the bottom of it, there is, and there are too many to mention, but at the bottom of it is, an erroneous view of the doctrine of sanctification, and particularly as it relates to justification and regeneration.

At the bottom of that second work of grace, the error is, the basic error is, a faulty, erroneous view of the doctrine of sanctification, and particularly as it relates to justification and regeneration.

The whole carnal history, heresy, and history of it, and it's, the world is pregnant with it, our country is pregnant with that heresy. The whole carnal Christian heresy is a result of an unbiblical view of the relationship between justification and sanctification in the application of God's salvation.

All forms of legalism, every kind of legalism, all forms of antinomianism, is the result of a wrong view of true biblical holiness and its relationship to the moral law. As it's summarized in that fixed eternal standard for biblical holiness.

The Vital Necessity of Biblical Holiness

Now in summarizing these general statements that I've just made, I want you to get two points. Just in summarizing those general statements that I made, I'd like you to get two points, and not miss it.

The first one is very simple. The subject of biblical holiness is vital. It's vital and it's important. Thomas Goodwin, commenting on Ephesians 1, said this, God never at first, God never at first, cast a thought on us to be in Christ, but with the intention that we should be holy.

He went on to say, quote, holiness is an essential component to being in Christ. It goes alongside of it. And then the second summary statement in those general remarks is this, that there are more mistakes and errors on the subject, among this subject, among true Christians, than any other essential doctrine in the Bible.

The mistakes are many and great. One of the reasons we wanted to have this subject as the principal subject and thrust of this conference is just because of that. The mistakes are many and great, and I could add disastrous.

Union with Christ as the Root of Holiness

Well, so much for those just general broad remarks. And before I talk about some remarks about what it is and what it costs, if I ever get there, before I do that, I want to make one point very clear, and that is the root and soil of practical holiness.

You know, sometimes we can miss things. But we must, when we talk about it, we must never forget the root and soil of practical holiness. And before discussing the subject of practical holiness, I want to be very, very, very clear on this point, and that is the root and soil of practical holiness.

You know, every plant must have both soil and root. My wife's great on, great on plants. And she's always has to repot them. Seems like she's repotting plants all the time. The reason is because the soil gets all, and it's all root.

And if she doesn't repot them, they die. And so there's two aspects, the soil and the root. And without both of these, there can be no growth or fruit. You will notice in the text that I read, there's a link between holiness and peace.

Follow after peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Speaking on these two things, the racist Bonar said, and I quote, Holiness must have these. He was talking about the root.

They must have these two things, root and soil. And then he said this, The root is peace with God. The soil in which the root strikes itself, and out of which it draws its vital sap, is the free love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And then he quotes, Rooted in love is the apostle's description of a holy man. Holiness is not austerity or gloom. Carrying out the great work of making us holy, God speaks to us as the God of peace. The very God of peace, Thessalonians.

And him being our peace, Ephesians 2 .14. The which, that which we receive from him, is such as merely, is not merely peace with God, but peace through our Lord Jesus Christ, who said, My peace, my joy.

Well, again, let me emphasize. I want to emphasize this point before we pursue it, because this is where some of the people go off. They miss the root and the ground of true holiness. And I want to repeat and emphasize.

To be savingly joined to Christ is the essential, is the first essential step toward a holy life. And until your people or you are in Christ, we have not one dot of biblical holiness. Union with Christ by saving faith is both the beginning and the continuing of a holy life.

Why am I saying this? Well, I'm saying this because if you would be holy, you must begin with Christ. Christ is the foundation of true holiness, and other foundations can no man lay. First Corinthians 30 teaches us that God has made Christ unto us wisdom, regeneration, sanctification, and redemption.

I found a strong and true statement by Robert Traill when he said, on this verse, he said, Wisdom without Christ is damning folly. Righteousness without Christ is guilt and condemnation. Sanctification without Christ is filth and sin.

And redemption without Christ is bondage and slavery. Men want to attain holiness, they must go to Christ. Holiness comes from Christ. It is the fruit of being a living branch in the true vine. And if men would continue in the path of Christ, they must abide in Christ.

Because he is the manna that men must daily eat. He is the rock on which men must daily drink. Now, whatever I have to say on this point, I want to be very clear on this major premise. There is no holiness apart from Christ.

Personal Exertion and the Call to Active Holiness

However, this is not my thrust today, but it must be understood in respect to what I'm about to say. I'm talking a little bit on the human side of things from here on out. I'm talking about personal exertion, not passive sanctification.

That's the enemy of the doctrine, passive sanctification. And so I'm going to talk about personal exertion. The scriptures are also just as clear, in light of all that I've said, they're just as clear that personal exertion, human responsibility in holiness, if you will, is necessary.

The expressions in the Bible, such as, I fight, that doesn't sound very passive, I war, and these are Bible expressions, I keep under my body, let us cleanse ourselves, I run, let us labor,.

Strive to enter in,.

Lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset you. These and many more expressions should strike a death blow to all the false teachings of passive sanctification, such as let go and let God.

Stop trying and start trusting. Just turn your life over and let him live his life through you. One great preacher, I heard him say, why you're just a drain pipe and Christ runs through you. True holiness does not commit, does not consist in merely believing and feeling, but rather in doing, bearing, practical, practical exhibition of both active and passive grace.

Our tongues, our tempers, our natural passions and inclinations, our conduct as parents and children, as masters and servants, as husbands and wives, as rulers and subjects, our dress, how we spend our time, how we conduct our business, our demeanor in sickness and health, our demeanor in riches and poverty, all these are matters which are fully treated in the Holy Scriptures.

And the Scriptures are not content only with general statements. They go to particulars. And that's what some of you preachers won't do when you preach. You won't go to the particulars. And that's why you have churches that are filled with people who know nothing about Bible holiness because you're afraid to get down to the particulars.

No, no. True holiness does not merely consist in inward sensations and vague impressions. It's more than a few tears and sighs and bodily excitement. It's something of the image of a holy Christ. It's something of an image of a holy Christ which can be seen and observed by others in our private life, habit and character and in our doing.

It's something that can be seen. It's not some mystical thing floating around somewhere. And as long as Hebrews 12, 14 is in the Bible, the subject of Bible holiness will be in season. Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.

When have you preached on biblical holiness? How many times in the last year have you preached on biblical holiness? Yes, it is a solemn text. And it's a solemn thing to hear almighty God say, without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

It's a solemn text. A wise man tells us there's a time to weep. There's a time to laugh. There's a time to keep silent. There's a time to speak. But there is no time, no hour, no moment when a man ought not to be holy.

And I ask you, are you holy? One of the reasons we don't have holy people, not the only reason, because we don't have holy preachers. Are you holy? That's a good question. Further, are you seeking to lead your people into holiness?

If I could follow you to your prayer closet for the last couple months, would I hear you breathing out to God, saying, Oh God, make my people holy! You won't have to worry so much about churning up some, cranking up some silly ditty of canned evangelism.

You get some holy people, you'll find evangelism. This is no idle question for preachers. I'll tell you, it's a question that concerns all ranks and conditions of men, rich and poor, learned or unlearned, masters or servants, young or old.

There is no rank, no condition in life which men ought not to be holy. That's why I ask you if you're preaching it. I'm not scolding you, dear brothers. I'm in the same war, in the same battle. It's not my purpose to put some kind of false guilt on you.

I'm asking you a question. The Bible is pregnant with the subject. God is a holy God. How can you go a year without preaching on Bible holiness? How can you go in your whole ministry not praying for your people to be holy?

What Biblical Holiness Looks Like

What is true biblical holiness? It's a hard question. And I'm not going to be trying to answer the question by some doctrinal definition of sanctification of what biblical holiness is. That's pretty easy.

I doubt if there's a man here that couldn't do that. I'm not interested this morning in just some theological knowledge about the doctrine of sanctification. It's not just zeal for religious truth that I'm interested in this morning.

It's not just merely an outward respectable morality. Many have decent conduct but know nothing of biblical holiness. And I know a lot of preachers personally, some of them pretty intimately, could do wonderful defining and preaching on holiness, but they don't know anything about it.

What is true biblical holiness, I say, is a hard question. And there are a thousand different teachers running on the contemporary scene with quick answers, quick fixes, on such a profound subject that's inexhaustible.

I first pointed out then that there are two kinds of holiness. John Owen speaks of a two-fold holiness in the scripture. The first is common to persons and things consisting of a peculiar dedication or consecration or separation of the service of God, such as the priests were dedicated and consecrated, the Levites, the altar was dedicated, consecrated, separated, the tabernacle and the temple were sanctified and made holy indeed.

Well, in all holiness whatsoever, this is a peculiar, there is a peculiar dedication and separation to God. But the second kind of holiness is more what I'm talking about this morning. That is where this separation to God, that would be the first thing.

But there is rather an effect. The second thing is rather an effect to the first. There is a real, real, internal, internal if you will, internal and personal. This is done by God Almighty putting the principle of holiness in our natures, thus manifesting itself in acts and duties of holy obedience to God.

Our concern just now is the second kind of holiness. That is the real, the practical, the personal. It's not my intention to speak therefore so much about the doctrinal aspect, but the practical. And I don't suggest by that statement that all doctrine is not practical because all doctrine has a practical application.

But I want to approach it by asking a question. And this is a question. What kind of persons are those whom God Almighty calls holy? What kind of persons are they that God Almighty calls holy? First, a holy person will be of one mind with God according as he finds that mind revealed in the Holy Scripture.

He'll be one mind with God. He will hate what God hates and he will love what God hates. He will have a decided bent of his mind toward God. He'll have a hearty desire to do the will of God. He'll feel what Paul felt when he said, I delight in the law of God after the inward man.

He'll feel something of that. Or what David felt when he said, I esteem all thy precepts and all thy precepts includes the moral law expressed in the Decalogue. He said, David said, I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way.

That's what I mean when I say he'll be a person of one mind with God according as he finds God's mind expressed in the Scripture. David said, my soul followeth hard after thee. Secondly, a holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Packer touched this so well yesterday that I hardly feel like saying anything about it. But since my words are not that polished Oxford English, I'm going to say it to you in carpenter language. My soul followeth hard after thee.

A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. He will seek to have the mind of Christ. He will seek to be conformed to the image of Christ. He will be unselfish even as Christ pleased not himself.

Be like Christ, he will remember, he will remember that Christ was a faithful witness to the truth in every condition and every circumstance. He will remember that Christ came not to do his own will, but it was his meat to do the will of his Father.

He will be continually denying himself in order to minister to others. He thought more, he will remember that Christ thought more of the godly poor than the kings of the earth. He will remember that Christ was full of love and compassion for sinners.

Oh, God Almighty, give us as preachers some of that. You don't have an ounce of it by nature. It was never born on Adam's vine. It never came from Adam's vine. If you knew any of the compassion of Christ, it will be as you walk with him and talk with him.

Not something pumped up. Well, this man who wants to be like Christ or has some compassion of Christ for sinners, he'll be bold and uncompromising in denouncing sin. Christ was bold and uncompromising in denouncing sin.

He sought not the praise of men. One of the preacher killers, a preacher killer seeking the praise of men. Oh, Lord Jesus Christ sought not the praise of men. Though he may have had it, he would not even let his nearest relative's mother stand between him and the work of God that was to be done.

All these things and more holy men will try to remember about Jesus. He will lay to heart. Man seeking to be holy will lay to heart the sayings of John when he said, He that sayeth he abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk even as he walked.

He'll remember the sayings of Peter where it says Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his steps. Secondly, the man God calls holy will be something and some desire to be like Christ.

And third, a holy man will follow meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, patience. He will bear much. A holy man will not only bear much, he'll forebear. You know, there's two bears in the Bible. Not three bears.

There are two bears in the Bible. And you, dear brethren, know something about it. In the ministry, we got the bear and forebear. And Christ is a great example of forebear. A holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial.

If you don't know what self-denial is, please, please read Pastor Chantry's book, The Shadow of the Cross. I beg you to read Pastor Chantry's book, The Shadow of the Cross. He will labor to mortify the desires of his body, crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts.

He'll seek to curb his passions. Oh, what a word. What a word is that of our Lord to his apostles in Luke when he said, and I quote our Lord Jesus, Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the anxieties of this life.

Luke 21, 34. The apostle put it a different way. The same idea. I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by the means when I preach to others, I myself should be a castaway. A holy man will follow after charity, brotherly kindness, he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

A holy man will follow after the spirit of mercy and benevolence toward others. Paul could say, I will be very gladly spent and be spent. A holy man will follow after humility. A holy man will follow after faithfulness in all his duties and relationships of life.

A holy man will keep before him the words of Paul, Whatever I do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Our Lord once put a searching question to his people when he said, What do you more than others?

What do you more than others? Preacher, may I put that question to you? What do you more than others in all these lives? Well, hatefully, a holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness. He will endeavor, he will endeavor to set his affections on things above and hold the things of earth very loosely in his hand, regardless how immense that may be or how little it may be.

Indwelling Sin and Progressive Sanctification

Well, these eight little things, they're not so little, but they're just an outline, just an outline of practical holiness, just a few of the main features. But when you preach this and when I preach it to you this morning, we must be very careful, and I want to be very careful not misunderstood.

I don't want my meaning mistaken. I don't want my meaning mistaken unless this practical description of holiness should discourage some tender conscience or make some truly righteous heart sad or less just put a stumbling block in the way of a weak believer.

I want to say at once what I have just outlined does not shut out the presence of indwelling sin that we have been hearing about. It doesn't shut it out. Remaining sin in the Christian is a very prominent and important thing.

In fact, as every true Christian here knows this morning, the greatest misery of a holy man is he carries in his body, he carries with him the body of death. That often when he would do good, evil is present with him.

That old principle of remaining sin is always affecting him, always hindering his movement, always drawing him back, always seeking to turn him out of the way. The work of sanctification is like Nehemiah building the walls of salvation at Jerusalem and hanging the great gates of praise.

The building went on even in the midst of great trouble. And our progress in sanctification must go on. We must build the walls and hang the gates in the midst of great trouble. You see, the work of sanctification is just like that work of Nehemiah.

Good parallel. I wish it were something that would happen overnight, but it's a progressive work. It's always imperfect in this life. The history of some of God's brightest saints show their crooked steps.

The history of some of God's brightest saints is recorded in the books that the winds of temptation have blown their little ship off course at times. And you know I've found great comfort, not that I comfort in their errors, but that when God gives the biography, he's not like human people giving biography, painting all the beauty things.