The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-08-01

ND thlS rQlment OF the reedeemed
| n is something Of which the world
cannot deprive the soul. 1t can strip Of
earthly possessions, II can take the gar
ments with which the body is clothed,
but II cannot touch the raiment Of the
soul. The heartless Roman soldiers
could strip Jesus of His raiment and put
upon Him scarlet robe and plat a
crown of thorns upon His brow, but
they were utterly powerless to take
away that sublime faith. that quiet
dignity, that matchless grace and love
which clothed His presence as with
garment and wrought its influence on
all about and made those same
soldiers declare In the dark
hour of death: Truly, this
man was the Son Of God!" They
could In avaricious zeal seize upon His
raiment and cast lots for His cloak, but
they could not rob Him OF that mex
haustible mercy which reached out and
shortened the sufferings of the dying
thief and took him with Him into Para
disc. And that which was true of Jesus
is true of every one of His disciples. The
world may be able to take their silver
and their gold, and everything else
which they possess of this worlds
goods, but 1t can never lay a soiling.
defiling hand upon the raiment OF the
redeemed, which consists Of the indwel-
ling Christ manifesting Himself in
their every thought and word and deed.
A T the entrance to some of the great
n coal mines where the fine black dust
of the coal settles upon everything with
soiling and disfiguring touch, there grows
| little white flower which glistens and
| CLOVIS in its spotless purity amidst all
| the blackness around 1t. The effect Is
the pure white OF its petals is not soon
furnished and blackened by the ever-set-
Ting coal dust All else about II is dingy,
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 find that the little flower has a
transparent enamel covering for its
white petals which is absolutely imper-
vious to the dust about II. The black
ness from the coal mine rolls from its
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 shell
tering presence OF his Lord. His gar
ments cannot then become furnished or
defiled with the sin dust Of the world
D UT II the world may not rob the
- Christian of his raiment, or soil OF
tarnish 1t, the Christian may soil his
own garments. In the message to the
church at Sardis we find the charge made
that there were not many who had moi
defiled their garments. Only few there
were who had kept themselves unspotted
from the world. The majority had sc
far forgotten the profession they had
made and the name they bore as to share
In the sinful pleasures and ambitions
OF the world. The garments Of Christian
profession had become soiled with the
filth of the world, had become torn by
Its snares and temptations. Demas, a
co-laborer with Paul. and about whom
Paul sorrowingly had to write: "Demas
hath forsaken me, having loved this
present world" was one whose gar
ments had become soiled and defiled
with the touch of the world. While he
stayed with Paul and labored in the Cos
| pei with him he came In contact with the
| sin spots of the world; he went into the
dark and needy and foul places, but 1t
was not then that his garments became
he
and not be unclean; He could feel the
pressure of the ceremonial unclean wo-
man who was suffering with an incura-
BILE ailment and not be defiled; He could
lift the sinful woman to her feet and tell
her to go and sin no more. and still be
spotless and pure; He could eat with
publicans and sinners, and still lift up
and save, for "He came. not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance"
And Demas could go with His Lord and
Master into the needy and dark places
and be untouched by the sin and dirt of
the world, but when he went OF by him
self into the world, drawn by his own
desires and longing for Its pleasures. he
at once lost that immunity, and the sin
anu ulTt VI TIC WOTlu ulduC HiuOOus, uib-
figuring marks upon the garments of his
Christian profession.
UDUT ye on the Lord Jesus" because
the garments of the natural self
are but filthy rags. Gods Word gives
us the picture OF Joshua. the high priest,
standing before the angel of the Lord.
The contrast Is striking. Joshua is
clothed in filthy garments; the angel in
robes Of spotless white. Joshua has
upon him the garments which he himself
has secured; the angel has those which
God has provided. And the command
goes forth: Take away the filthy gar
ments from him." And change of raj
ment was provided for Joshua. He was
clothed upon by God. Although II was
Joshua, the high priest, who had been
ministering for the people before the
Lord, still the righteousness of the ma
tural self were as but filthy rags I'm the
presence of God. He must receive gar
ments from the hand Of God. It is so
with the Christian. To put on Christ
means more than mere acceptance of
Him as Saviour. II is the putting away
Of the natural self and allowing Christ
the supreme rule over and control in the