Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-12-03
THE TEST OF FAITH.
DIV Rey. CassiuS N. Carter.

by Rev, CassiuS n. Carter.
When the exile2 Pilgrims in Holland,
exiled for Conscience sake, were grow
ing wear$ of a foreign tongue and of for
eign customs, their hearts turned to the
! Tar off New England beyond the seas.
! Exile, hardships, unknown dangers. toll
and WEAKNESS were there, but with all
these was freedom. As they thought on
this their hearts began TO grow hungry
for the new life and the new land. Then
they laid it all before God in prayer.
How earnestly they prayed we may only
imagine. But the answer came, and II
was 10 go. The Spirit revealed the mind
of the Father. Inner conviction, the still,
small voice. providence. tie open door, al
/ said so. The sequel we know; The long
and excruciating voyage, the rocky wei
come, the stormy landing. the freezing
waiting the suspicious and savage neigh
I bors, and the first bleak winter whose
name was Death. For when the summer
came almost one-half of that del oted
band which had prayed for guidance in
hospitable Holland lay beneath the soil
which gave cold welcome. We may in-
agine but in part that tex of faith. They
had prayed for guidance. it had come;
but had they not all oeen deceived, cru
ely deceived? Sh-ely the providence of
God never would have sent them to death
and such direful deliveranee as came to
the few who still Survived God seem
ed to have sent them. in direct answer to
their prayers. Into the very jaws Of de-
struction. The majority Of these disci-
pies never had an opportunity to know,
and of the rest few could have known,
the win of God concerning them. Their
| lives closed in darkness of the purposes
of God. and the sun of faith set amidst
the clouds of a bowling winters storm.
Even the brave eye of Brewster or of
Bradford or grim old Miles Standish
must at times have been filled with the
tear of doubt.
But were they really Spirited? When
they prayed unto God and felt sure they
had his answer TO go to America were
they deceived? We know the answer;
| they never did. The answer comes in
Thanksgiving of 75.O00.00D free people.
They trusted God and he sent them into
the dark and cold and DEATH but also into
the imperial. divinely imperial destiny of
founding nation which should be above
every nation on all the face of the earth.
Thoy walked in the dark, but God was
over all and he saw. They looked at the
SHOWS and the bowling wilderness and
the faces of their dead and dying, Gnd
faith was tortured; but God looked down
the centuries at n nation to be made fit
for his use, light to all others, Il ma
ton which feared not man. but Him only,
and he rejoiced. Yes the Pilgrims pray
ed AID God answered. They interpreted
Alright ala answe. to arise and go into a
land he would give them--"with perse-
cutions.' But they never walked one
step by sight; all was by faith. Only
the succeeding generations ever saw. We
see, we know what IVES the will of God.
| when we remember how hard was the
way for the Pilgrim band we realize how
brave and strong and full of faith they
were. God was making the mightiest
nation of all. and must start it in the be-
ginning with the mightiest test of faith
the world ever knew.
The Pilgrim Fathers were equal TO the
test and worthy to be made into the
greatest nation of all. In the blaekness
of the winter storms they looked beyond
the clouds into his face and faith failed
not. They suffered. and gave thanks
They died. and blamed not God. Here
is lesson for us We pray, and the an
swer comes. God reveals his WILL We
stop at the crossroads until the messen-
ger comes: This is the way; walk you in
it." We set out confidently, our hearts
| at rest with assurance of Gods leader
ship. Lo, as we walk, the way becomes
more and more difficult. darkness gathers
deep, and he winter cold threatens
death. The heart pleads desperately for
light. But the face of God is hid. Meth
er speaks he a word. Yet on and on and
on we must go. TO turn to the right or
left impossible, we are hedged in; to
tn rack is death; to go on looks like
an may be death. Yet we were so hon
est and earnest in trying to know the
will of God, and felt sure that we did.
And we did. Awful as it is it is his way.
Walk we in it we should or die in il. as
he may will Sometime some one viii
look to this test of our faith and take
courage. God knows.
The supreme test of faith can only
come in the darkest night. God leads
his people, and when one has prayed.
felt the warm assurance of answer. and
has set out to walk in the way of God. he
may know he is in the right road The
very fact of silence is the assurance that
God has nothing to say, and h'4 silence
means nothing else but go on Yes. 90
on to suffering, death. or deliveranee.
never mind which. God knows what is
best, and he rules over ALL The Pill
grims prayed, they felt that they were
led, they thought led to triumph but if
was to suffering and disaster. and ulti
mate triumph came only after all were
decll We pray, feel sure that we are
ed. w presume to ease and assured VIC
tory but it may prove that we are led
in ne path of disappointment and sore
.rodble. What of it? We are Gods sol
oIers, and the business of soldiers is to
| fight and die. We should never be dis
couraged because darkness settles about
us. nor when defeat comes. If we have
prayed honestly the silence Of God is
the assurance of his approval Gods
silences may mean approval as well as
desertion. Go on. Some coming day we
+, may possibly know what God was doing
with us in the dark. If not, those who
come after US ma. NJ matter; 20 On.
We know now wi at God was doing
with the Pilgrims o. Plymouth. and v by
| he was doing it the way he did, the way
of suffering. darkness and death. lie
wanted tried people; he tested them 10
the Uttc rmost. He wanted n sure people:
10 esCablisEed them. lie wanted a peo-
pie Of supreme faith; he took away al
light. He wanted a mighty nation and
chosen people: he set the standard at
he highest point at the beginning. When
ne have set out with light feet in the
clear way Of God orr feet may soon
grow heavy and we may need to walk "a
the black darkness. But know Of re