The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-02-22
Subject: Clothed With Christ.

Of the text he advised US unreserved-
! ~ TO put on Jesus Christ. Thus only
can we become the children OF God
whom we should be-for the fullness
of the Christ is perfection.
And now that We have considered
thus briefly the reasons why all men
should serve God and all Christians
| should be re-clothed day by day with
Christ, let us also reflect what is the
nature of this life wherewith we are
clothed by Christ. What does the
apostle mean when he urges us 10
put on Jesus? What sort of men
will we be?
! Well, 10 be sure the first answer
will be that the nature of that spir-
| itual life wherewith we are to be re-
| clothed or clothed upon, as the case
may be, is essentially Christly. The
| apostle advises us TO be Christlike
| when he points us TO Jesus. Neces-
sarily and logically, therefore, we will
be men who act and live like Jesus
| Christ. The hymn which runs, Jesus
! Christ is my all and in all" states the
situation perfectly. Self is glorified
through the losing Of self in the
! Saviour.
To put on Jesus Christ and to be
! clothed upon by Him is TO be saved,
| to grow from grace unto grace, TO be
| one OF that strong, full-blooded, sane
| tilted host who, under God, live and
preach the Christ life. You will no.
tice | say live and preach, for the
! only preaching that is of value or
| that, in the long run. will count for
! anything very much, is the preaching
| that flows rich and full and free out
| of life that is consistent. that rings
! true; out Of n heart rich with expert
ence OF the glorious joys and possbil-
| tiles of the life within Jesus. And
as with the preaching, so also with
! all the means by which Gods Gospel
! is m)diated to men. The only testi-
mony which secures results is that
which springs from a trusted source.
| THO only word which will strike home
| is that which has behind ii convic-
ton and an assurance that is born of
experimental knowledge. To preach
Christ with power we must be ac-
counted sincere and sure.
The Christ man will be n strong
man. That is to say, be will be full
of force. He may be warped and
drawn physically, as one mighty mes
senger of God whom l know, but his
heart is pure, and his mind is clean,
and his soul looks out toward Heaven
| through windows that are not dimmed
by sin.
| The man who is clothed by and
with Jesus is a full-blooded man.
His heart beats powerfully, his eye
is clear. his head works quick,
his hand is ready and his step
is firm when sin is TO be met
and battled to the death. Without
culver, a quaver, or even the slight
est fear will he fight against the
wrong. To be sure, he may not be
blue-blooded, as the social standards
of our day set the term. He may
quail to force the unjust combat. He
may refuse to pick a quarrel merely
in order to despoil a people. But
there, there where the fight is hottest
and sin is strongest entrenched; there
where the ODDS are against him and
1t seems his God must fail; there, on
the Lords own side, will you find
the man who is clothed upon with
| Christ.
But, above all, the man who puts
on Christ continually is sanctified.
He is being perfected in holiness.
| He is in process of attainment in
growth in godliness. Sanctifcation is
not only perfectness, but the process
and way TO holiness entire. The aim
Of the man who is serving is for the
goal. His hand is ever in the hand
of God. He never let's policy give the
sidetrack to principle. With him
truth has the right of way and the
clear road always. His motives are
| above suspicion. II he falls in the
race he is still undaunted. For him.
TO be well up at the end is ambitions 8
hope. To keep the faith is his en-
deavor. For Christ and the world"
is his motto.
| Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ
and be ye clothed progressively with
Him. Thus shall we learn the high
est service, thus shall ye enter into
knowledge of the finest life