The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-03-31
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvOR.
Topic For the Week beginning March 20.
Comment by Rev. s. II. Doyle.

comment Dy Rev. y. IL. DOyies
ToPp.-Promise meeting. Being promise
that you have tested) Isa. xl, s. Math. xiv, 30.
In this promise meeting but one pc
culiarity of divine promises is empha-
sized. and that is the faithfulness of
them. Gods promises are sure" is the
keynote of our topic. In Isa. xl, 8. the
prophet says, "The grass withereth, the
flower fadeth, but the word of our God
shall stand forever" In Math. xiv, 85,
Jesus says, Heaven end earth shall pass
away, but Ny words shall not pass
away" In each Of these the character
istic OK certainty is prominent and up
pcrInost, first, as to the promises of God,
and, second, as to the promises of Christ.
/. The promises of God that have
been fulfilled. 1.-THE word of our God
shall stand forever" says the prophet,
and the history Of man re-echoes the
statement. God has been faithful to all
His promises. When man sinned He
promised the world Redeemer. The
promise has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The promise to Noah that the world
should not again be destroyed by
food, the promise to Abraham of cove
nant, people and country; the promise to
be with His people Israel so long as they
were faithful to Him, the promise while
the earth remaineth" of "seedtime and
harvest, cold and heat, summer and win
ter, day and night" the promise to be
with the widows and fatherless, have all
been abundantly fulfilled, and well may
it be said of the promises of God, HE is
faithful that promised"
The promises Of Christ that have been
fulfilled. my words" says Christ.
"shall not pass away" and history also
corroborates the truthfulness of His dec
laration. Christ has fulfilled the prom
ises that He made when upon earth--that
the gates Of hell should not prevail
against his church; that to all who
would come unto Him He would give
rest from sin; that when two or three
Of His followers were gathered together
in His name, to be in their midst; that
when He would go away He would send
another comforter and guide, even the
spirit Of truth, and His great promise,
'Lo, am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world" The promises of
the Son have been as certainly and faith
fully fulfilled as those Of the Father.
8. The logical inference. The only
logical inference from these manifold
facts is that divine promises will always
be fulfilled. Faithful fulfllment in the
past and present is our firm assurance Of
faithful fulfllment in the future. Many
precious promises have been fulfilled,
many are daily and hourly being full
flled, and many are still to be fulfilled,
such as the second coming Of the Son to
Judge the world and to receive to Him
self the faithful of God. Gods faithful
ness should inspire us to faithfulness in
return and to unlimited confidence in
His word. LET us hold fast the confess
sion Of our faith without wavering, for
He is faithful that promised" (Heb. x, 23).
Bible References-Gen. xxi, 9-12;I
Kings viii, SO; Ps. lxxxix, 8, 4; Math. vi,
4, 83; Luke xii, SO; John Xxx, 21; Acts xiii,
%; Rom. xv, 8; II Cor. /, 20; Gal. iii, II;
Tit. i, 2; Heb. iv, 4; xi, 33; Tim. iv, 8;
II Peter i, A.