The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-02-14
Subject: Clothed With Christ.

of the text he advised us unreserved-
ly to put on Jesus Christ. Thus on1!
can we become the children OF COO
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 to
nut on Jesus? What sort of men
will we be?
Well, to be sure the first answer
wifi be that the nature of that splr-
itxal life wherewith Xelare to be re-
clothed or clothed u ~, as the case
NAV 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 glorlt1ed
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, fu4l-blooded, sane
titled 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 anu full and free out
of life that is consistent, that rings
true, out of heart rich with expert
ence of the glorious joys and possibil-
tiles of the life within Jesus. And
as with the preaching, SO also with
all the means by which Gods Gospel
is mediated to men. The only testi-
mony which secures results is that
which springs from a trusted source.
The'only word which will strike home
is That which has behind It convic-
ton and an assurance that Is born Of
experimental knowledge. To preach
Christ with power we must be &C
counted sincere and sure.
The Christ man will be strong
man. That is to say, he will be full
of force. He may be warped and
drawn physically, as one mighty mes
senger of God whom 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 vino 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
a quiver, quaver, or even the slight
est fear will. he fight against the
wrong. To be sure, he may not be
blue e-blooded, as the social standards
of our day set the term. He may
quail to force the unjust combat. He
may refuse to pick quarrel merely
in order to despoil people. But
there, there where the fight is hottest
and sin is strongest entrenched; there
where the odds are against him and
it 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 III
growth in godliness. Sanctification 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 lets policy give the
sidetrack to principle. With him
truth has the right Of way and the
clear road always. His motives are
above suspicion. If he falls In the
race he is still undaunted. For him,
to be well up at the end, is ambitions
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 ye learn the high
est service, thus shall ye enter i1tc
of the finest life.