The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1922-02-02

tAs~~ Id Glorious likeness
Of Gods image In which he was Great
ed, as sang the psalmist, Thou COW
crest him with light as with gar
ment." Naked" See him, In the
very shame of it, betaking himself to
the trees Of the garden. IL was afraid.
because l was naked; and / hid my
self"
All. sin has brought shame to all the
race. Naked STILL y soul This the
sad heritage of sin bequeathed to
you and me by that fallen first man
moral nakedness. With all our boast
ed discoveries through the centuries
since, with all our progress in sci
ence and art, with all our Wanted Gull
ture, still naked. YEA "All things
are naked and open unto the eyes of
Him with whom we have TO do" oh,
let me hide, then, from those holy
eyes. But where? Yea. "Whither
shall flee from Thy presence"
10, this only have ! found" de-
clared the wise man of old. that God
hath made upright: but they have
sought out many inventions" And 1t
was the painful realization of no hid
Ing place" that led to the first inven-
tion-a fig leaf apron. Adam will re-
store with his own labor the terrible
damage done by sin. And from that
sad day to this, the making of fig leaf
aprons has been the universal occupa-
ton: the vain attempt to patch the
ruin that sin has wrought; endeavor-
Ing by Righteousness, by fleshy piety,
by good works, by anything and ev-
erything, to adorn the flesh for God;
seeking by the work of his own hands
TO cover his nakedness from the "all-
seeing eye" and by his own efforts at
self-improvement and self-righteous-
ness to fit himself for the presence OF
God and make himself worthy Of
eternal life.
But, "Not by the works of righteous.
ness which we have done, but by His
mercy" for by deeds of law shall no
flesh be justified" for 1t is mot of
works, lest any man should boast"
but by grace are ye saved through
faith"
See how Adams miserable inven-
ton is displaced by the divine pro-
vision. The Creator, in grace, has
come into the scene of sin to be
Savior, and In the very sentence of
judgment pronounced upon the daring
originator of sin, has preached the
glad tidings of a coming Redeemer:
at shall bruise thy head and thou
shalt bruise his heel" Judgment must
precede glory. The judgment stroke
must fall, and sins penalty be met
before grace can flow in forgiveness to
men.
And now, In holy symbolism, God
makes vivid His great salvation. No
self-righteousness for Him, no works
of fallen nature, no apron of fig leaves,
but garment-a garment that
clothes completely from front to back
and from head to foot. Gone are the
fig leavesl Hidden the nakedness! o
soul, this Is for theel A garment OF
Gods own design and making. Moth
ing else can meet His righteous de-
mands. He must provide 1t. You have
not the material. He must make Ii.
You do not know how.
VIII He be satisfied with what His
hands have wrought2 Yea and amen
The only acceptable dress He knows,
and the most beautiful. And L? II
will greatly rejoice In the Lord, for
He hath clothed me with the gar
ments of salvation"
But do not overlook the source from
which those garments are derived.
They had their origin In death. Blood
is their price; their color, death
stain! Those animals must die and
their blood be shed to provide this
naked sinner with raiment. 1t is the
first emergence In Scripture of the
great truth Of vicarious atonement, of
substitutionary sacrifices shadow of
the cross falling upon that distant
day.
| come, a naked sinner, with moth
ing but my sin to commend me. TO
Jesus cross where He hangs I'm shame
for me, and bowling my head to own
the righteous penalty borne for me by
Him, and that my sins have nailed
Him there, leave 1t with His raiment
upon me- and | give thanks unto the
Father which hath made me meet TO
be n partaker Of the saints in light"
NOT that paradise Of earth which
Adam lost. hut the heavenly one.