Persevere to the End by D. Downer

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 10, 1875

Persevere to the End.

By D. Downer

“He that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matt. 10:22. The above language was addressed to the apostles, but may with profit be applied to every child of God. Satan knows how useful a consistent follower of the Saviour is, and how much damage to the cause of Christ an inconsistent professor may do; and therefore he pierces the child of God, if it takes his last arrow. Many of the readers of this article have had longer experience than myself. You know how stern is the battle of religious life. The Christian’s life is a constant and unceasing warfare. He is always ploughing a stormy sea, and never resting till he reaches the port of glory.

Perseverance is the scriptural mark of the true Christian. It is declared, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” How are we to know a man’s fruits? By watching him every day for a week? No; be with him twenty years, and if by carefully watching, we see him constantly bearing in his life the fruits of the Spirit, we may conclude he is not a spasmodic Christian. A man has begun to build a house and has erected one side of it; do you consider him a builder if he stops there, and fails to cover it? The strength of Wellington consisted in this, that when a triumph had been achieved, he knew how to reap the harvest that had been sown in blood. And he only is a true conqueror, and shall be crowned at last, who continues till the war trumpet shall be blown no more. So, under God, conquest has made us what we are, and conquest must sustain us still.

In this country there is hardly a person who has not had one or more religious spasms in his life. Common sense shows us that a man must hold on, or he cannot be saved, because the worst of men are those who begin, and then give up. If you would turn over the black pages of the records of villainy to find the son of perdition, where would you find him? Why, among the apostles. The man who wrought miracles sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver. Judas Iscariot betrayed the Son of man with a kiss. Simon believed, but he offered money for the Holy Ghost. The Scriptures are plain enough. I cannot see how people can give up who know the inspired words, “If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” What we have learned from Scripture has been confirmed by observation.

There is one thing that startles me in reading the inspired record of olden time. It is that so many who professed Christianity and sinned, and whose sins have been recorded, were men old in years and experience. Lot when drunken was not a youth. There is David’s conduct in reference to Bathsheba—he was not a young man in the heat of passion. There is Peter, denying his Lord—he was no boy at the time. These were men of wisdom. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

If Satan cannot prevent us from serving God, he will try to prevent our perseverance in times of trial or suffering. Why be patient any longer? says he; curse God and die. You have always been poor since you were a Christian. Your business does not prosper. You cannot make money without doing as others do. Give it all up. Again, Satan says, Give up your doctrinal views. Why hold to them? Sensible men are getting more liberal. To be anything for the times is now popular. Oh! if I must perish, God grant that it may not be as an apostate. For our own sake, for the church’s sake, for Christ’s sake, let us endure to the end.

We cannot persevere except it be by much watchfulness and care. Let us take all our actions to the closet, and walk and live as in the sight of God. We know where our strength lies. Oh! that we may all feel the importance of being faithful to the end. And when the great roll call takes place in Heaven, may both writer and reader respond; and may we join in ascribing “glory and majesty, dominion and power,” “to the only wise God our Saviour.” D. DOWNER.