The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-05-07

Inc glitter anu ulSpldy OI cXteTndlltleS
are of more real concern to us than the
spirit and purpose which should lie be-
| hind them. The Scribes and Pharisees Of
Jesus day had learned the art of coun-
| terfeiting They had lost Gods gold,
and unwilling to lose the glamour Of
the outward display of their religion
| they substituted the base metal of their
own fusing. They made for themselves
shields Of brass that they might make
the same show and appear to have lost
nothing. They cared more for what
the eyes of man saw than for what
the all-seeing eye Of God beheld. And
so with Rehoboam, and as with the
Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day, so
with multitudes of people to-day. Gilt
tering shields must be had and the
! worlds brass Is eagerly taken and
used, when Gods gold Is not to be had
because of sin. Rehoboam might bet
ter have gone without shields alto
gether after he lost the gold ones than
to have substituted the brass ones OF
his own making Why should he try
to make it appear that he had lost
nothing by Shishak's raid? Why
should he proudly hold his head aloft
and fatter himself with the glitter and
display which he had enjoyed before
his sin and punishment? And why
should people to-day, having forfeited
the gold of Gods favor and presence,
seek to ignore the loss and substitute
therefor the brass shields of their own
making?
oh
i sessed shields of pure gold. They
constituted a rich treasure which had
been committed to his hands. They
typified Gods protection, and the gold
from which they were made was SYM
bolic of purity. Their possession was
sign of Gods favor and blessing. Gold
shields for Rehoboam when he came in
to the kingdom, and gold shields for
you and me when we enter the kingdom
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rich treas
ures committed to our hands. Colo
shields typifying the protection OF God
and His purity. All, how We delight In
their possession! We have them hung
about the walls of the palace OF our heart,
and we delight to take them down and
march with them to the temple of our
| God, where we may worship Him. colo
shields of protection promised to them
| that love and obey Him. Gold shields
of purity, because through the blood OF
Jesus Christ we are made clean and His
righteousness and purity are counted for
u.s. Purity and protection-what more
can God give? Within these two are
comprehended all that God has to give
to the trusting soul. Purity is God-like-
ness. And the Christian attains that
condition or quality in two ways: BY
imputation and by requirement.
Through the cleansing and Transforming
power of Jesus blood the sinner Is made
pure. That is, Jesus. having borne the
punishment of our sin. is able to throw
over us as mantle His Righteousness
and purity. Apart from Jesus Christ
there can be no purity In Gods sight. II
God sees in us Christ He sees purity and
holiness. If by faith the heart lays
hold of Christ, by that act of surrender
and obedience we become possessed of
His purity and righteousness, and God. in
beholding us, sees not the marred and
SCARED life, but His precious Son, behind
|
His purity and Righteousness imputed
unto us.
IN HE Shield of Protection.-This is Of
l. fensive and defensive. 1t implies
the surrounding presence of God which
shields from every danger, which nerves
for every conflict, which sweetens every
| joy, which soothes every sorrow, which
| intensifies and deepens every relation
ship and responsibility of life, This is
what Gods protection means 1t in
cludes everything essential to the well
fare and enjoyment and success Of life.
| The child enjoys the protection of its
| father, and this protection comprises
shelter. food, clothing, as protection
against exposure, hunger and cold. 1t
includes provision for the best welfare
and needs, and development of the child
as well as a shielding from the dangers
that Turk on every hand to harm and
destroy. God speaks of holding us in the
hollow of His hand. And Jesus in His
last prayer with His disciples reported
to the Father that He had guarded them
and not one Of them had perished save
the son of perdition, who never really
belonged to Him. The protection Of
God Is of a three-fold character: Of
fensive, defensive and intensive. Of
fensive as that protection enables us to
grow from weak and immature babes
into full-statured' and strong saints
ready for aggressive warfare in His
name. Defensive in that He prevents
the world, the flesh and the Devil, the
iniquitous trinity, from crushing to
eternal destruction. When talking about
His righteous servant Job, God said to
the Devil: You may test him to the
point of takingNhis life. but upon his life
you shall not even lay go much as your
finger. Peter WAS in imminent peril of
utter annihilation by the Devil, but
Jesus prayed for him and set the bounds
OF the Devils power over him. And 1t
Is so with Gods children always. They
are kept from utter defeat and destruc-
ton. His protection Is defensive. And
Gods protection is intensive. 1t gives
. the sunshine and the rain, the rich soil
and the tender care which are essential
to the deeper roofing in Him and the
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