Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-01-21

from the beginning. and He makes
no mistakes or plumbers. The finite
mind of man cannot compass the doc
trine of election. or how it can be
reconciled with the doctrine of free
grace, but, as it has been beautiful
ly expressed, they are like the two
sloping sides OF a roof, we know they
meet, though the point of union is
hidden from our view in the mystic
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 who's oever
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
well admonish us: Wherefore the
rather, brethren, give diligence 10
make your calling and election sure"
Good Start.-lt is comparatively
easy TO make good start. but the
start is not the finish. Between the
two, there may he many 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 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 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
One sent to he the Saviour of the
world. When the controversy grew
sharp among the multitudes as to
who Jesus was and the disciples were
asked: But Whom say We that |
amp" Peter quickly and boldly de
clares: Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God" When Jesus
warned Peter that lie was to deny
Him before the morning light gilded
the dome of the temple with it's
glory, he was vehement in his pro-
testations of loyalty, declaring that
he was willing to die with Him. But
when the awful fury of the betrayal
and trial of Jesus burst upon them,
overconfident Peter fell before the
prying question of maiden ana
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 terrible temptation. His
hrst call to service by the Master
and his three years of tutclage
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 Tor 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 ii surrendered to Him and
obedicntly turned and followed Him,
has been succeeded by the period of
failure and disloyalty, which began
at the point where self-nterest was
allowed to dominate in the life and
which had its full fruitage in the
final denial. And when the sou,
awakened to a realization of its fail
ure bitter anguish crushed with it's
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 am
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. IL is the first step to reinstate.
ment In the verse preceding the
ones of our text Peter speaks If ii
class Of so-Called Christians. who
have failed TO seek with diligence to
make their calling and election sure
and have as consequence become
blind and unable to see afar off and
have even forgotten that Jesus had
purged them from their sins. IL -
not to these that Jesus appears and
revives the hope of new and sure
call, for they are blind and would be
unable to see Him; they are unrc-
peniant. and not in a position to re-
ceivc His full and free forgiveness.
Hut he who walks with Peter over
the hard stones Of repentance and
waits patiently through the dark
days which follow failure and dis