Times-promoter., 1903-01-23

give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things,
ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall
be minlstered unto YOU abunGantly into the
everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Clrist."-lI Peter, 1:l0
and II.
Advice of a Veteran.-The value of
an admonitiOn or a piece of advice is
measured by the character and the
experience of the one from whom
such admonition or advice emanates.
The old soldier who has been long in
the service is qualified to speak of mat
ters pertaining to the calling to which
he has devoted his life. He fully ap-
preciates its dignity, he understands
its hardships and dangers, and in the
school of experience he has learned
faithfulness to its possibilities.
The story of his life is living com
mentary on the advice which he gives;
it illuminates the thought and the les
son he would drive home. AS you
travel back, over the milestones in his
life you can read the letterings which
spell out the advice he has given. Take
away the identity of the speaker and,
recognized as self-evident truths, still
half of their force is lost. Advice
without an experience behind it is
like a picture without background.
The coloring may be vivid and the fig
ure perfect in outline, but if the deeper
shades of the artists brush have been
left out the effect of the painting is
to very great extent lost. Precept
and example 90 land in hand, and to
separate the two is to do violence to
both and to mar the individual beauty
of each and destroy their harmonious
blending.
Gods word is an exquisite dovetail-
ing of precept and example, of eternal
truth and living expression of that
truth in the lives of those whose his
tory fills the sacred pages. David's
Psalms are illuminated by the expert
ences in his life which gave them birth.
The teachings of Christ are reen-
forced and explained by His match
less life, His sacrifcial death, His
triumphant resurrection and His
glorious ascension. The epistles of
Paul and the other apostles take on
new meaning and force as we read
them through the lives lived by their
authors. 1t is fascinating study to
discover the experiences in the life
of a Paul or a Peter which have re-
vealed to their hearts some wonderful
spiritual trutn and to which they give
in their letters. Their let
ters help to fill out the fragmentary
account which Gods Word gives to
us of their lives, and on the other
hand the incidents in their lives which
God has been pleased to preserve for
our edificatiOn are wonderful lenses
through which to obtain a clearer and
better view of the truths to which
they have given expression.
Our text throbs with the deepest
in the life of Peter. When
this aged veteran of the cross of Jesus
Christ penned its words, he was living
over again for you and for me Incl
dents which ilud stirred his impulsive
soul to its utmost depths. The silver
lining to the cloud of his denial which |
came between his Lord and himself |
shines forth in our text with rare
beauty as we hear the reinstated dis
ciple pleading with his brethren in the
faith to give diligence to make their
calling and election sure. The palace |
of the high priest, the questioning
damsel, the black lie and foul oath,
the reproachful look of his fettered |
and soldier-guarded Lord, and his wall |
Of heart anguish on the darkness of |
the night air, all come crowding on
canvas as he earnestly |
points out in the preceding verses the
safe and shining way along which
there could be no such STUN bling and
falling as had come into his expert
ance, "for," he says, "if ye do these
things, ye shall never fall" And then
he hears again the words of Jesus:
Feed My lambs. Tend My sheep.
Follow Me-" and he feels anew the
emotion that swelled in his soul that |
morning before Galilee's lake as he
realized that Jesus was swinging wide
he doors of His Kingdom to him and
giving him abundant entrance to the
place from which he felt his denial
lad shut him out forever. And with
he stirring of his soul, his faithful
land writes to you and to me that
AN entrance shall be ministered unto
'ou abundantly into the everlasting
Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour,
'esuS Christ"
The Call to Service.-It came to
'eter away back in the early days of
esus' ministry, when he met Him
nd heard His words: Follow Me-"
t comes to every soul as it meets
esus and He quickly calls: "Follow
Ie." Follow Me-" But it is 80 the
act of the call which Peter empha-
ives hI1f tho maki1O Of that ooII;rO, |