St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-08-29

i s'ssS INC AoOA Vi N1Ous 10G
could In avaricious zeal seize upon hi
raiment and cast lots for His cloak. br
they could not rob Him of that ine1
haustible mercy which reached out an
shortened the sufferings Of the dyin
tnlef and took him with Him into Para
disc. And that which was true of Jesu
IS true OF every one OF His disciples. TIL
world may be able to take their. silve
and their gold. and everything els
which they possess Of this world
goods, but 1t can never lay q soiline
dehling hand upon the raiment Of tn
redeemed, which consists of the indwel
ling Christ manifesting Himself /,
their every thought and word and deed
Put on your broadcloths, your silks an.
sat1ns and laces, and they may becom.
soiled and torn and ruined, but put OF
the Lord Jesus Christ and the. raimen
OF the redeemed becomes the brighter
and more beautiful. and more powerful
n the influence exerted the more 1t Ii
worn and brought into everyday use
In tact. Il Christ be not put on daily
Il the soul fails to clothe itself with the
Divine presence. the raiment Of the re-
deemed surely and swiftly II with
drawn, and the thoughtless. careless
Christian finds himself standing naked
before the world, a reproach to the pro
fession which he makes and dishonor
to the Christ whose name he bears.
A T the entrance to some Of the great
4 \ coal mines where the fine black dust
OF the coal settles upon everything with
soilfng and disfguring touch, theregrows
q little white flower which glistens and
CLOVIS In its spotless purity amidst all
the blackness around 1t. The effect is
startling, and you wonder how it Is that
the pure white Of its petals is not soon
furnished and blackened by the ever-set-
thing coal dust. All else about 1t is dlingy,
but here is this little white flower which
the coal dust seems unable to injure In
the least degree. In searching for the
reason We ind that the little flower has
transparent enamel covering for its
white petals which is absolutely imper-
vious to the dust about 1t. The black
ness from the coal mine rolls from It's
surface and leaves no tell-tale marks
behind. The flower is still possessed of
its purity and loneliness. 1t is SO with
the Christian who abides under the kel-
tering presence OF his Lord His gar
ments cannot then become furnished or
defled with the sin dust Of the world,
but let him wander OF into the path
way of sin and he has, like the Chris
tians at Sardis, soon defiled his gar
ments.
z UT II the world may not rob the
. Christian Of his raiment, or soil or,
tarnish It, the Christian may soil his
own garments. In the message to the
church at Sardis we find the charge made
hat there were not many who had not
1efiled their garments. Only few there
we're who had kept themselves unspotted
rom the world. The majority had SO
ar forgotten the profession they had
made and the name they bore as to share
n the sinful pleasures and ambitions
Il the world. The garments of Christian
had become soiled with the
18th Of the world, had become torn by,
to snares and temptations. Demas, a
o-laborer with Paul. and about whom
PAUL sorrowingly had to write: 'Demas
ath forsaken me, having loved this
resent world" was one whose gar
nehts had become soiled and defled
nth the touch Of the world While he
tayed with Paul and labored in the Cos
el with him he came in contact with the
In spots Of the world; he went into the
ark and needy and foul places, but 1t
,as not then that his garments became
efiled. Christ could touch the lepers
nd not be unclean; He could feel the
fessure Of the ceremonial unclean wo-
ian who was suffering with an incura-
le ailment and not be defiled; He could
It the sinful woman to her feet and tell
er to go and sin no more, and still be
,otless and pure; He could eat with
lblicans and sinners, and still lift up
Id save, for "He came, not to call the !.
ghteous, but sinners to repentance" .
nd Demas could go with His Lord and ,
aster into the needy and dark places
i'd be untouched by the sin and dirt Of !.
le world, but when he went oil by HIM :
II into the world, drawn by his ownil :,
sires and longing for its pleasures, he :
once lost that immunity, and the sin =
ID dirt of the world made hideous, dis
curing marks upon the garments Of his
lristian profession. e
DUT We on the Lord Jesus" because y
the garments Of the natural self
. but filthy rags. Gods Word gives .
the picture Of Joshua, the high priest, y
Lnding before the angel of the Lord. q
le contrast is striking. Joshua ID Z
,thed in filthy garments; the angel in y!
bes of spotless white. Joshua has II
on him the garments which he himself II
5 secured; the angel has those which II
d has provided. And the command L
Is forth: Take away the filthy gar 81
,nts from him." And a change of raj fe
mt was provided for Joshua. He was II
thed upon by God. Although it was 18th
'hua, the high priest. who had been m
nistering for the people before the
I'd, still the righteousness of the ma
al self were as but filthy rags in the -
sence OF God. He must receive gar -
nts from the hand of God. It is SO
b the Christian. To put ON Christ -.
ans more than mere acceptance Of -
q as Saviour. 1t is the putting away =.
The natural self and allowing Christ =,
supreme rule over and control In the -
Joshua, until he came into the very -
sence of God. probably did not real q
that his garments were filthy rags. -,
] always in the presence Of God that =.
Christian comes to realize the true ~
dition of the natural self and longs