Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-11-07

BY Rev. W. G. Ware. PASTOR I


B. Church, Salem, w. Va.
Text-Nevertheless I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love. Rev. 2:4 Ea
Note the charge against the
church at Ephesus. Thou has left
thy first love.
ASK yourself the question, What
is the first love, and see if the
answer is not, that it was when you
became conscious of sentence of
death; you came trembling under
struggling in the bondage of dark
the curse of broken law; after
ness and doubt, and fear, you came
forth under the leading Of the
Spirit, into the light, liberty, and
joy of Salvation.
What was the first love?
We don't have to go back many
years to recall what our first love
was. 1t was the days when we
were so happy. The love that we
had for the Savior, the first time
when he forgave our sins.
When we first loved the Savior
how earnest we were. The promise
of the Bible we thought most pre-
cious. His commands eve thought to
be ! like fine gold and Echoice silver
How obedienta we were. No sacri-
fee for our church, and the cause
Of Christ was too severe asking.
How happy We were In the com
mands tof Cod. Every bitter thing
was sweet. Will you let your mind
turn back little and see il the
same love for God and the sause Of
Christ, and zeal for the church is as
great now as at one time? If not,
may it not be that you are losing
your first love? -. "a
Examine yourselves whether We
be in the faith. 2 Cor. 1876 M
There was time when you would
take your place in the church in
the singing, in the sunday-school, in
the young peoples meetings, in the
praying, in the paying. No sacri-
flee of time, or personal interest,
or money was too great for you to
freely give. If it is not so now is
it not an indication that you may
have lost your first love? If there
was charge against the Ephisian
church, may there not be one a.
gainst the church now, for the same
things for which the Ephisian
church was guilty?
Examine yourselves, Cor 1876
The decline of Spiritual love-
+, FIRST-Its indications. How can
we discern the subtle beginnings
of this decline
Love is profound self sacrifice.
In love the soul comes out of the
sphere of merely personal life, when
the soul the very life vanishes into
living for another. When our life
finds another center; when to be a.
lone with COG is no longer blessed;
when prayer loses it's inspiration;
when we can begin to find fault
with every body, to. rest in self and
be coldly contented there; when the
feeling arises that am rich and in
creased in riches and have need Of
nothing, then the light of love is
fading, and earth born clouds are
quenching its brightness, and Satan
comes in and Christ goes out.
2Love proves itself by the resem-
blance it creates to the beloved. We
cannot conceal the fire that burns
on the hearts altar. II we do not
grow more true, more holy, more
submissive, our love is declining.
3-Love proves its reality by CON
fronting opposition. When men
can turn US aside, when we can
stand like towards looking back ling
eringly on the path we have for
saken, afraid to return, afraid to go
on; when in the midst of a sinful
generation, we are ashamed of
Christ ad are selling him, are sell
ing our christian principles for the
fierce anger Of our own selfshness
then IS the fire of our love going
down, TIE altar becoming cold, the
temple growing dark, and we have
lost our first love
Second
Its dangers.
lit renders the christian a him
derance to the power of truth. A
christian professor, protesting to be
inspired by infinite love, processing
to believe in a glorious Immortality
and yet cold and Indifferent!
The world reads that and what