The Tupelo journal., 1903-08-07
ting on of Christ II the reward and
bl~essedness of the change of raiment.

l SOAiy 0SSuoAAA6 IA SCll, dbA lOllluk LII
turning about in my chain, till it
might be wholly broken. At length,
rushing into the garden, grooming in
spirit, all my bones were crying out,
soul-sick was l and grievously tor
mented. l said to myself: BE it done
now: be 1t done now And a voice
said: why standest thou in myself.
and SO standest nots Cast thyself
upon Him. Fear not; He will not
withdraw Himself to let thee fall. He
will receive, and will heal thee. Stop
thine ears against those unclean mem
bers of thine, which are upon earth,
that they may be mortified Then
arose a mighty tempest, bringing q
heavy downpour of tears. l cast N.Y.
self under a fig tree, and gave rein
to my tears, and the flood of mine
eyes brake forth. Way not now? Why
not this hour make an end of my I'M
cleanness? And, 10! from the neigh
boring house l heard the voice as of q
boy or girl, I know not which, singing
and oft repeating: Take and read;
take and read!' Checking the torrent
OF my tears, l arose, interpreting it to
be a Divine command to open the Book
and read the first chapter / could find.
l seized; l opened, and in silence read
the passage on which mine eyes fell:
Not in rioting and drunkenness, not
in chambering and wantonness. not
in strife and ~envying. But PUT YE
ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, and
make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfill the lusts thereof No further
would l read; nor was there need, for
instantly all my heart was flooded with
a light of peace, all the sadness Of
doubt melted away!" History's page
and his W confessions give us q
glimpse of the profligacy of Angus
tine; and we can understand that it
was no easy task for him to put off
the old life and nature and put on
Christ. But this he did, and we have
in the foregoing a vision of what that
struggle meant, and the peace and joy
which came when ne had by faith put
on the Christ whom he professed.
THE world expects the protesting
| Christian to wear the raiment of the
redeemed. 1t is constantly looking to-
ward the Christian for help in its dis
tress and need. 1t knows that Chris
tian profession, if 1t be genuine, is fol-
lowed by the outward expression Of
good works. And, on the other hand,
it is able to pick out the Christian,
to know him when 1t sees him by the
kindly word or helpful deed. l re-
member hearing the testimony once OF
a redeemed drunkard. He had been
not only a dissipated man, but a skep-
tic. He put all Christians down as
hypocrites, and refused to believe in
the g~enuineness of religious expert
ences. All appeals by Christian work.
ers were fruitless. He was untouched
and unyielding. But one day a Chris
tian who was clothed with the COM
passion and love of Jesus came along
and found this miserable drunkard and
skeptic in the gutter where he had
fallen. He saw beneath the dirt and
filth and besotted condition the soul
which God loved. He went down into
the gutter. He put his arm around
him. He lifted him up. He took him
home. The man was not so drunk
but that he knew he was being COM
p~assionately cared for. He knew he
was having a new experience, that in
stead of being abuse and mistreated
by the wicked and thoughtless and
Stunned by others, he was being de-
livered from his wretched position. AS
his brain cleared and he was able to
think, the question kept arising in his
mind: why did he do this?" 1t was
the first thing in his life that ever
made him realize that religion was a
reality. He said: II knew he was a
Christian, if ever there was one. I
wanted to be one, tool" That man who
had been denying the reality of the
Christian religion was able to identify
the Christian by the Christly raiment
he was wearing. Does the world have
an opportunity Of Identifying you and
me as Christians by the raiment we
are wearing? Are we putting on the
Lord Jesus Christ in the home, on
the street, in business, in the social
circle, everywhere and always, in such
a way as to be easily identified a. Q
Christian?
IA ND the people Of the world are
n quick to detect the sham. They
may not have light enough to realize
their W need; they may never be
brought to the place where they know
they are lost AMI need a Saviour, but
they do know when the protesting
Christian is not wearing the livery Of
his Lord. The shallow-minded, super
fetal Christian, the worldly-minded
that the world can detect any differ
ence between his veneer and the genu-
inc raiment of the redeemed, but the
world Is keen and observing, and
knows just what a Christian ought to
be. 1t can soon penetrate the out
ward sham and know just the depth Of
the profession. What a reproach it is
to-day to the religion of the Lord
Jesus Christ that the Christ is SO read
lily and universally professed, and so
little put on. If you profess Christ,
the command to you is to put IN the
Lord Jesus Christ" in every relation
ship in life. Pus off the things of the
former life, the old Adam, and put on
the Divine graces Of the second Adam.
the man Christ Jesus! Wear the raj
ment of the redeemed!
Bird Feathers.
Bird News and Notes says that the
fatal n..uahar of naalzauoc of ocnrou