Times-promoter., 1903-01-23

TRUTH" and His election is sure, TO
the infinite wisdom and knowledge o
God understandeth the end of maj
from the beginning, and He make
no mistakes or blunders. The finit'
mind of man cannot compass the doc
trine of election, or how it can bt
reconciled with the doctrine of fre,
grace, but, as it has been beautiful
ly expressed, they are like the tvs
sloping sides of a roof, we know theJ
meet, though the point of union is
hidden from our view in the myste
rious glories of eternity. From
Gods point of view the election pre-
cedes the call; from mans side OF
the case, the call is heard and obeyed
before the fact of the election is real.
lied. AS Henry Ward Beecher once
said: THE elect are the 'whosoever
WILL and the non-elect are the whose
ever WON'T" Only God knows into
which division man is going to cast
himself by the exercise of the power
of choice, which God has given to
him. And as we have already said.
our text considers the matter from
mans standpoint, and Peter may
we'll admonish us: wherefore the
rather, brethren, give diligence to
make your calling and election sure"
A Good Start.-It is comparatively
easy to make a good start, but the
start is not the finish. Between the
two, there may be many a failure
and many fall. 1t is long, weary
journey, sometimes, from the point
where the call is first heard to the
time when the call is realized to be
the supreme purpose and privilege of
life. But a good start is important,
and the failure and fall, the wander
ing and backsliding which may come
before the soul is fixed steadfastly
in its purpose towards God must not
and need not become an insurmount-
able barrier cutting the soul off from
a realization of it's earlier hopes and
aspirations. Peter made a good
start. He heard the call of the Mas
ter as he fished by the lake of Cali
lee, and leaving all he followed the
Christ through the three brief years
of His ministry. He drank in the
spiritual truths as they dropped from
the Masters lips, and he beheld the
mighty miracles which testified that
Jesus was the Son of God and the
Saviour of the world. But when
the awful fury of the betrayal
and trial of Jesus burst upon them,
overcOnfdent Peter fell before the
prying question of maiden and
thrice over denied that he knew the
Christ, and the vile oath stained his
lips in his effort to convince his
questiOners. 1t was a terrible fall
before a terrible temptat ton. His
first call to service by the Master
and his three years of tutelage
seemed as naught to him now as he
went out into the blackness of the
night and wept tears of bitter re-
pentance. The possibility of further
service for the Master, of even the
slightest association and fellowship
with Him, seemed closed forever.
Peter stood where every backsliding,
turn-coat Christian is standing or
has stood. The good start made
when the call of Jesus came to the
soul, and it surrendered to Him and
obediently turned and followed Him,
has been succeeded by the period of
failure and .disloyalty, which began
at the point where self-interest was
allowed to dominate in the life and
which had it's full fruitage in the
final denial. And when the soul
awakened to a realization of it's fail
ure bitter anguish crushed with its
load and all was felt to be lost. The
period between the death and resur-
rection of Jesus must have been full
of awful dread and suspense to poor
Peter, and not until his Lord ap-
peared unto him was a new hope re-
vived in his heart. 1t is at this point !
that the calling and election of God
are made sure. When the heart is
humbled and broken as conse.
quence of repentance after the fail
ure and the fall Jesus always comes
and reveals Himself anew to that |
soul. 1t is the first step to reinstate-
ment.
Days of Diligent Seeking.-Those
were days of diligent seeking for
Peter after he was granted a vision
of his Lord. He gives us hint of
what he was seeking for in the fourth |
verse, where he speaks of the exceed
ing great and precious promises,
which, believed, would enable one to |
become partaker of the Divine ma
ture. That which he says he wants
to do for you and me in the thirteenth |
verse, stir you up, by putting you
in remembrance" was exactly what |
was taking place in his heart during
those days of doubt and conflict. His