Spots and Wrinkles by Jos. Clarke

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 27, 1874

Spots and Wrinkles.

By Jos. Clarke

“Not having spot or wrinkle.” Eph. 5:27.

We sometimes see a garment coming from the laundry imperfectly washed; and, to complete the negligence, the ironing imperfectly done. You feel that your money is wasted, and you are greatly annoyed at the slackness of the work.

Again you receive from the same place your nice garments, all washed white and clean, and the laundress has taken pains to fold so evenly and smoothly that you are fully satisfied and well pleased, and you wear the same with sensible delight.

Now the apostle here would convey to us the idea that our sins and errors and mistakes are spots and wrinkles in the character; and for the love of God and man, he wishes to remove these spots and wrinkles, and present you faultless before God in the last great day.

How is it, brother, or sister, Are you willing to have the spots all removed? It will probably require much labor to remove these spots and to smooth down all the wrinkles. It will give you much pain; but will you shrink from the task? Perhaps the hot water and the soap have terrors for you, or the heavy smoothing-iron all heated has pain in store for you; but do not shrink, and say, I am clean enough, and I need no smoothing down. Depend upon it, Paul understood this thing. Some careless launderer had suggested this illustration in his experience, and he would improve upon the idea. Let us submit to be thoroughly washed from all our sins, have all spots removed and all our roughness smoothed down, our impatience, harshness, anger, and fretfulness.

Jos. CLARKE.