There are no recordings of Franz Edmund Creffield preaching, but there are two known articles he wrote before he became infamous: "Holiness" published in the Salvation Army's War Cry in 1901, and "He'll Not Compromise" published in God's Revivalist and Bible Advocate in 1902.

Holiness

by

Captain Edmund Crefeld

(From the Salvation Army's War Cry, 21 September 1901, p. 3.)

 

"Be ye holy, for I am holy."--I Peter, 15:16

If we ever expect to gain Heaven, and see the King in His beauty, we must live holy lives here on earth. It has been bought with an enormous price. Nothing but the freewill sacrifice of Jesus Christ could bring to men the privilege of being holy. "Be ye holy" is just as much a command as "Thou shalt not steal." It is either holiness or Hell. The Scripture cannot be broken.

We find, if we turn to Hebrews 12:14, that the Word of God tells us to "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." In the Bible God speaks to men, and we must search the Scriptures to know the will of God concerning us, and after we have found out His will, the next thing is to do it.

What must I do to be holy? Let us turn to Romans 12:1. Paul says, "I beseech you, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Paul was speaking to the converts. Their sins were washed away, but they had not taken the next step, and that was to make their consecration complete. The apostle urged them to give up all to the service of Christ, who had redeemed them, so that they might receive the Holy Ghost and become holy men. A sacrifice. There is a condition--a complete one. Have you made it?

Are you still in bondage to your carnal nature? Is the "old man" still living in your heart? Have you still this man-fearing spirit, this something which hinders you from becoming a visitor at all times? Do not be discouraged. God wants to use you, to cleanse you, to purge you from your inbred sin, baptize you with fire, and enable you to come up to His commandment to live a holy life. If you was willing to meet the conditions, give yourself a living sacrifice, holy unto God. Put yourself on the altar, fully given up to do his bidding, to follow Him wherever He leads. Claim the promise, stand firm upon it, and the witness of the Spirit will come, and will baptize you with His love and make you a holy man--make you victorious over the world, the flesh and the devil.

As long as you keep hid in Christ, no power on earth or abroad can prevent you from sending aboard the blessed influence of holy living. The man or woman who is not willing to pay the price to become a soldier of Jesus Christ will fall sooner or later, for "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Take time to be holy.

He'll Not Compromise

by

Edmund Crefeld

(From God's Revivalist and Bible Advocate, Volume XIV, No. 32, 21 August 1902, p. 2.

Published by Mrs. M. W. Knapp and Bessie, Publishers: Cincinnati, Ohio, Chicago, IL.)

"He'll not Compromise."

Who? The Holy Ghost. He never does.

When you get Him, you'll bring consternation wherever you go. Peace ceases when you make your appearance. The so-called Christians of the modern Churches of to-day rise up in arms against you, and call you a "disturber of the peace," charging you with the crime of "breaking up their Churches."

Those of your own household may fight you. The modern holiness folks (minus the fire) will call you a fanatic for preaching the baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire.

You will be too hot for them; and when God gives you a message that cuts deep and strikes some of their idols, they cry, "Charity," and the preacher will take you for a text on the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, forgetting that there is also a thirteenth chapter of Ezekiel. when you get baptized with fire your friends become few.

The professors try to kill you on cold shoulder, and lash you to death with their foul tongues; but you have grown strong and healthy. Hallelujah! When you get this blessing, you won't be surprised to find the old man is a professing holiness preacher as well as a sinner. He can stand "water" and "consecration," and grows fat on it; but the fire will make him squeal every time. When you get God's best, you become unmanageable, irresistible; you're not afraid of clay faces any more. Fear of man is burned out, and all you see is the soul plunging into an everlasting, burning, seething hell, and your cry becomes, "Holiness or hell."

"You'll not compromise, but give the message as it comes from heaven--red hot. You'll not confer with flesh and blood. When God sets us a-going, we will be like King Asa, cut down the groves, not stopping at that, but go right up, with drawn sword, and smash the idols of our own household, and make the inmates come down, down, down, until God can lift them up. Hallelujah! This is love divine. Have you got it? "Buy the truth, and sell it not," says God's Word. O, let us keep Him the Third Person in the Trinity!

He'll not allow your human sympathy to get away with you at the altar. You trust in the Word, and when the seeker looks for sympathy, you turn him to God. You won't be anxious about counting numbers and making a glowing report; but you'll see people through on Pentecostal lines.

There are evangelists who were once all aglow, a flame of fire. To-day they are a back number. What's the cause? Compromise, human sympathy, shrinking from persecutions, lowering God's standard a little, letting down the bars and giving carnality a chance to creep in, keeping silent when they should rebuke sin, grieving the Spirit, and getting so at last that they can not detect the devil creeping in.

God, save us from compromising preachers!

For more on Holiness Theology

 

We believe there are other articles Edmund Creffield wrote that we were unable to locate during our research. If you know of any, please e-mail us