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Aaron Hills

Aaron Hills, born 1848, died 1935, was a prominent American preacher, theologian, and author whose life was deeply rooted in the Holiness movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Raised in a devout Christian household in Wilmington, Vermont, Hills felt a calling to ministry early on and pursued education at Oberlin College and later at Yale Divinity School, where he honed his theological insights. Ordained in the Congregational Church, he eventually embraced the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification, which became the cornerstone of his preaching and writing. His passionate sermons and clear exposition of holiness theology earned him widespread recognition, leading him to serve as a pastor and evangelist across the United States. In his later years, Aaron Hills emerged as a prolific writer and educator, authoring numerous books, including Holiness and Power (1897), which remains a classic in Holiness literature. After a distinguished pastoral career, he took on leadership roles in Christian education, serving as president of Texas Holiness University (now part of Southwestern Christian University) and teaching theology at various institutions. His work left a lasting legacy within the Holiness and Pentecostal traditions, influencing generations of believers.
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Aaron Hills preaches on the essence of consecration, emphasizing the act of yielding ourselves completely to God, not just to His service or work, but to God Himself. He highlights the importance of faith as the final condition for receiving blessings, citing examples from the Bible where lack of faith hindered the fulfillment of promises. Hills also echoes the need for believers to claim the filling of the Spirit through faith, trusting in God's Word for sanctification and full salvation.
Pledge of Faith
"Now, as I have given myself to Thee, I will, from this time forth, regard myself as Thine. I believe Thou dost accept the offering that I bring. I put all on the altar. I believe the altar sanctifieth the gift. I believe the blood is applied NOW as I comply with the terms of Thy salvation. I believe Thou dost now cleanse me from all sin." Prof. Dougan Clark, the Friend, says: "The essence of consecration is in the sentence, 'Yield yourselves unto God.' When you yield yourselves you yield everything else. Consecration is not to God's service, or His work, or to the church, or to the missionary cause, but to God Himself. 'Yield yourselves unto God.' Consecration does not mean the giving up of your sins, or vices, or depraved appetites, or forbidden indulgences. We cannot consecrate our alcohol, or our tobacco, or our opium, or our card-playing, or dancing, or theater-going. He wants none of these things. Actual and known sins must be abandoned at conversion. He wants all the good things: the son Isaac, most precious to our heart, laid on the altar. An English periodical had this: 'I am willing To receive what Thou givest, To lack what Thou withholdest, To relinquish what Thou takest, To suffer what Thou inflictest, To be what Thou requirest, To do what Thou commandest. Amen.'" Amanda Smith says: "You must make your consecration complete, and you must make it eternal." VIII. -- The last condition is faith. One might take all the seven steps already described, and still remain without the blessing. The children of Israel marched out of Egypt and entirely across the desert to the very border of the Promised Land, and halted on the wrong side of the border. For lack of faith they did not get into Canaan. With faith they might have gone in before sundown. Acts 26:18 teaches that we are "sanctified by faith that is in Me" (Jesus) . "We receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal. 3:14). Our hearts are "purified by faith" (Acts 15:8, 9). All other conditions lead to this, and without faith all others would end in failure. As Dr. A. J. Gordon says: "It is the duty and privilege of believers to receive the Holy Ghost for sanctification by a definite act of appropriating faith, just as we received Jesus Christ by faith for justification. It is as sinners that we accept Christ by faith for justification; it is as sons that we accept the Spirit by faith for sanctification." Dr. Steele says: "My faith had three things to master: 'the Spirit, for me, NOW I' Upon the promise I ventured with an act of appropriating faith, claiming the Comforter as my right in the name of Jesus. For several hours I clung by naked faith. Suddenly I became conscious of a mysterious power . . . melting my heart." Dr. Carradine says: "Is everything upon the altar? If so, who is the altar? Paul tells you -- it is Christ. What does the altar do? God says, "The altar sanctifies the gift.' Will you believe that? Will you take God at His word? You must believe that Christ makes you holy right now. Will you take that step and receive full salvation? Plant yourself on God's Word. Dare to believe it, and hold on till the witness comes." Andrew Murray says: "Who are ready to come into this life and claim their heritage as a child of God? (1) Say, tonight, I must be filled with the Spirit. (2) I may be filled with the Spirit; God does not give a must without a may. (3) Say, I would be filled with the Spirit; I long for it. (4) I shall be filled with the Spirit; O God, I give myself to Thee entirely; I claim the filling of the Spirit. Thou givest it."
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Aaron Hills, born 1848, died 1935, was a prominent American preacher, theologian, and author whose life was deeply rooted in the Holiness movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Raised in a devout Christian household in Wilmington, Vermont, Hills felt a calling to ministry early on and pursued education at Oberlin College and later at Yale Divinity School, where he honed his theological insights. Ordained in the Congregational Church, he eventually embraced the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification, which became the cornerstone of his preaching and writing. His passionate sermons and clear exposition of holiness theology earned him widespread recognition, leading him to serve as a pastor and evangelist across the United States. In his later years, Aaron Hills emerged as a prolific writer and educator, authoring numerous books, including Holiness and Power (1897), which remains a classic in Holiness literature. After a distinguished pastoral career, he took on leadership roles in Christian education, serving as president of Texas Holiness University (now part of Southwestern Christian University) and teaching theology at various institutions. His work left a lasting legacy within the Holiness and Pentecostal traditions, influencing generations of believers.