have of
Christ, for it is written, "Both he that sanctifieth and they who are
sanctified are all of one;" and Christ sanctifies by bringing God's life
into me.

We read in Judges, "The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon." But you know
that there is in the New Testament an equally wonderful text, where we
read, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ," that is, clothe yourself with
Christ Jesus. And what does that mean? It does not only mean, by
imputation of righteousness outside of me, but to clothe myself with the
living character of the living Christ, with the living love of the
living Christ.

_Put on the Lord Jesus._

Oh! what a work. I cannot do it unless I believe and understand that He
whom I have to put on is as a garment covering my whole being. I have to
put on a living Christ who has said, "Lo, I am with you all the days."
Just draw the folds closer round you, of that robe of light with which
Christ would array you. Just come and acknowledge that Christ is with
you, on you, in you. Oh, put Him on! And when you look at one
characteristic of His after another; and you hear God's word, "Let this
mind be in you which was also in Jesus Christ," and it tells you He was
obedient unto the death; and then you answer, Christ the obedient one,
Christ whose whole life was obedience, it is that Christ whom I have
received and put on. He becomes my life and His obedience rests upon me,
until I learn to whisper as Jesus did, "My Father, Thy will be done; lo,
I come to do Thy will."

This, too, is the secret of influence in witness and work. How comes it
that it is so

_Difficult to be obedient_,

and how comes it that I so often sin? People sing, "Oh, to be wholly
Thine," and sing it from their hearts. How comes it then that they are
disobedient again? Where does the disobedience come from? And the answer
comes, It is because I am trying to obey a distant Christ, and thus His
commands do not come with power. Look what I find in God's Word. When
God wanted to send any man upon His service, He first met him and
talked with him and cheered him time after time. God appeared to
Abraham seven or eight times, and gave to him one command after another;
and so Abraham learned to obey Him perfectly. God appeared to Joshua and
to Gideon, and they obeyed. And why are we not obedient? Because we have
so little of this near intercourse with Jesus. But, oh, if we knew

_This blessed, heavenly secret_

of having the presence of Christ wit