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Samuel Alexander Danford

Samuel Alexander Danford (January 22, 1850–N/A) was an American religious figure and author from Brunswick County, North Carolina, likely involved in preaching or teaching within a holiness or evangelical Christian context. Born to Abraham Danford and Mary Jane Cliff Danford, he lived in a region with strong Baptist and Methodist influences, though his specific denominational affiliation isn’t documented. His most notable contribution is Holiness Bible Readings, a concise book published posthumously in 1912 (available as a Kindle edition), which compiles scripture quotations on sanctification with minimal commentary, serving as a resource for Bible study on holiness. This work implies a deep engagement with Christian doctrine, suggesting he may have preached or taught these principles, possibly as a lay preacher or minister. Little is known about Danford’s personal life, education, or ministry career beyond his authorship. He died on October 15, 1911, in Brunswick County, and is buried there, with his legacy tied to his book rather than a documented preaching record. His work’s focus on sanctification aligns with the Holiness Movement, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hinting at a possible role in that tradition. Without further evidence, his status as a preacher remains inferred from his religious writing, marking him as a minor but earnest voice in American evangelicalism.
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Samuel Alexander Danford refutes several misconceptions about sanctification: that it cannot take place until death, that it is by works and not by the blood of Christ applied through faith, that it is identical with the new birth, that inbred sin can be outgrown without the Holy Spirit's work, and that sanctification cannot be certified by consciousness or attested by the Sanctifier Himself.
Errors Respecting Entire Sanctification
A. -- That it cannot take place till death. Refutation: See References under Topic 07 -- A. B. -- That it is by works, and not by the blood of Christ applied by the Holy Ghost through faith. Refutation: Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Also References under Topic 07 -- A. C. -- That it is identical with the new birth. Refutation: John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. D. -- That original or inbred sin in a believer can be imperceptibly outgrown without a conscious operation of the Holy Spirit. Refuted by references under Topic 07. Also see B. above -- by the identity of entire cleansing with the "baptism of the Spirit," which is always given instantaneously. See Topic 04. E. -- That entire sanctification can never be certified by the consciousness, because the soul's nature lies below it gaze, and that it cannot be attested by the Sanctifier Himself, because he is the Witness of Adoption. Refutation: 2 Corinthians 2:11-12 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, 1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
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Samuel Alexander Danford (January 22, 1850–N/A) was an American religious figure and author from Brunswick County, North Carolina, likely involved in preaching or teaching within a holiness or evangelical Christian context. Born to Abraham Danford and Mary Jane Cliff Danford, he lived in a region with strong Baptist and Methodist influences, though his specific denominational affiliation isn’t documented. His most notable contribution is Holiness Bible Readings, a concise book published posthumously in 1912 (available as a Kindle edition), which compiles scripture quotations on sanctification with minimal commentary, serving as a resource for Bible study on holiness. This work implies a deep engagement with Christian doctrine, suggesting he may have preached or taught these principles, possibly as a lay preacher or minister. Little is known about Danford’s personal life, education, or ministry career beyond his authorship. He died on October 15, 1911, in Brunswick County, and is buried there, with his legacy tied to his book rather than a documented preaching record. His work’s focus on sanctification aligns with the Holiness Movement, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hinting at a possible role in that tradition. Without further evidence, his status as a preacher remains inferred from his religious writing, marking him as a minor but earnest voice in American evangelicalism.