Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-07-15

Yesterday morning the Rev. r. r.
Bigger. the pastor, preached an inter-
esting sermon on tho topic. Christian
Perseverance" He chose as his text:
Being confident OF this very thing that
he which hath begun a good work IN
you will perform it unto the day OF
Jesus Christ. "-Phtl. 1:6.
The Apostle Paul was n Of the
most thankful men that ever lived.
Amid all of his privations and hard
ships he always found something Tor
which to give thanks unto God. And
not only does he thank God for personal
blessings, but he returns thanks for the
religious life Of others. In the third
verse of this chapter he says: I thank
my God" And what is he now thank
ing God for? For the most condoling
thought that can enter the mind of
any Christian, that God not only be-
gins the work of salvation in us. but
that he also continues it in us and COM
pletes it in us. In these words 1 find
the good old doctrine OF the perseyer-
ance of the Saints, which reads as fol-
lows: They whom God hath accept
ed in his beloved. effectually called and
sanctiied by his spirit can neither to-
tally o finally fall away from the
state OF grace; but shall certainly per-
severe therein to the end and be eter-
nally saved" Now this is not a merely
human affirmation. 1t is practically a
restatement OF u text. 'He that
hath begun a good work in you will per-
form 1t unto the day of Jesus Christ"
Our Savior said the same thing, record
Cd in John 10; %, 20. And l give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any pluck them
out OF my hand, my Gathers which gave
them me is greater than all; and none
Is able to pluck them out OF my faith
er's hand" In Jeremiah 32:40, God
speaking Of his redeemed says Il will
make IN everlasting covenant with
them, that I will not turn away from
them, to do them good; but I will put
my fear in their hearts that they shall
mot depart from me-" The Psalmist
says of the righteous: Though he fall,
he shall not be utterly cast down; for
the Loud %upholdeth him with his right
hand. The Lord forsaketh not his
Saints; they are preserved forever"
And again he says 1.-THE Lord will per-
feet that which concerneth me-" And
Peter in his first epistles speaks Of the
children OF God as being kept by the
power of God unto salvation, ready to
be revealed in the last time" There
are twenty-three different portions of
Gods word which teaches us that Gods
truly redeemed, will persevere to the
end and be saved. This is a very ON
forting doctrine, and is in contrast
with the teaching that a man may be
saved one day and lost the next. II
you are truly regenera,ed, you will per-
severe, you can't help it. This is the
greatest evidence of your conversion.
Having established this fact let us
more fully examine this text.
4. Christians have a good work 60
ing on within them. Christianity is
flrst Of all internal. 1T is not a matter
OF outward morality or external moral
reform. It does not begin by pruning
of this bad habit or that evil disposi-
ton, but it begins in the heart and
works out, and as the spirit OF God
works out it develops. trains, prunes,
purges, builds up. Christianity is a
good thing outside of is yet unless it
snters into our natures, permeatea. in
spires. dominates, etc, it is of no GER