A Sanforized Faith

A Sanforized Faith

The term “sanforized” is not used anymore, but when I was in high school it was quite common to see the term on the label of a piece of clothing.  It simply means “preshrunk,” and was a term named after its inventor, Sanford L. Cluett (1874-1968).  The term referred to the fact that the cloth had been preshrunk permanently by a patented process before making garments.  One was assured by the label that washing or dry cleaning would not shrink the garment.

The reason I think of this term occasionally is that when I was a teen our pastor at Auburndale First Methodist used “A Sanforized Faith” as a sermon title.  I probably would never have remembered it except that sometime back I found an old church bulletin in my collection in which his sermon title was listed.  One of the hymns sung in that service illustrated his message.  It is no longer in our hymnal, but still has a great message.  It is “O For a Faith that Will Not Shrink” by William H. Bathurst (1796-1877).

                O for a faith that will not shrink,

Though pressed by every foe,

                That will not tremble on the brink

Of any earthly woe!

 

                That will not murmur nor complain

Beneath the chastening rod,

                But, in the hour of grief or pain,

Will lean upon its God;

 

                A faith that shines more bright and clear

                                When tempests rage without;

                That when in danger knows no fear,

                                In darkness feels no doubt:

 

                Lord, give me such a faith as this;             

                                And then, what-e’er may come,

                I’ll taste, e’en now, the hallowed bliss

                                Of an eternal home. 

Lord, give me sanforized faith!