AFTER most excellent instruction in Christian living, the apostle Peter, in his second epistle, gives us this earnest admonition: "Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure." Last week we studied the "Calling;" this week let us begin our study of the "Election." The word itself means, as above used, "selection," "choosing after trying," "calling out of." What does it mean to us? Does it mean to us, as we have been taught, that God has from all eternity elected some to be saved and chosen others to be lost? Many is the poor soul who has lived in years of misery and sadness under the awful conviction that he was elected to be lost, and yet longing with a God-begotten longing to be saved. Others have presumptuously counted themselves among the saved, and have turned to sin believing they could not sin away their choosing. The word of God does teach election, choosing, and the choosing is of God, as is the calling. Jesus said to His disciples: "Ye did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide." That is what the Lord has declared concerning those disciples; we have no reason to conclude that the cases of others are different in principle. There is an election mentioned in the Scriptures which we note here as "special election," but which comes outside of our general study. Still it is worthy of consideration. God chooses men to do special work, and has done this throughout the ages, but this temporal choosing does not in itself insure eternal salvation. For instance, God chose Abraham to be the father of the promised Seed. Gen. 17:1-8. Of Abraham's two sons, Isaac, the younger, was chosen to perpetuate the promise to the father. Gen. 21:11, 12. Of Isaac's two sons, Jacob, the younger, was chosen as the channel of the promise. Gen. 25:23, 31-34. Jacob had twelve sons; Judah was chosen. Gen. 49:8-10. Of the families of Judah, that of Jesse was chosen; and of Jesse's sons, David was chosen. This choosing did not insure eternal salvation of the men chosen; nor did it consign to destruction their brothers who were passed by. God chose Pharaoh to glorify His name. He would have done it in mercy and prosperity to the king, but Pharaoh forced God to do it in punishment. Even so He chose Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, and unlike Pharaoh they yielded to do the work for which God chose them. When the virgin Mary was chosen as the mother of Christ, that was not a seal of eternal salvation. She could have apostatized from the faith and thus be lost at last. Jesus Himself declared that others who were not chosen to do the special work of Mary, would be counted in God's plan as truly His mothers as was she whom some have honored even above God; "for," He declares, "whosoever shall do the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother." Matt. 12:50. God calls every soul of us to do some special work for Him, and He blesses and prospers us in that work. Mark 13:34. But if we are eternally elected, we must be true to the end. It is possible to preach to others, and yet ourselves be castaways. 1 Cor. 9:27. We ourselves must choose God's choice, God's way, the things that please God, the life that He offers with its conditions, if we are to be effectually elected. Isa. 56:4; Deut. 30:19. And then we must ever bear in mind that "we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end." Heb. 3:14. To what the election pertains will be studied in our next issue.