Newport weekly independent., 1902-12-19
The crisis comes in every life,

gates to the city of eternal pOssibili- ties below, the crisis will come un- eXpectedly and take your city of de- sire and drive you out, perhaps for ever. The crises come to every Chris tlan They have come in my life. I have seen them come into the lives of others. An, how I remember the crisis that came in my life years ago when my conscience was asleep and the desire of -gratification ruled. l had given myself to God for His service. I had promised to walk along the will of His purpose for me- And I did, and it was blessed, but let conscience go to sleep. and care less indulgence of selfish desires was let loose in my life. God tried to waken me to sense of the impend- ing crisis. He always does. He is so merciful and patient His hand stayed off the crisis as long as possi- ble. in longing hope that I might arouse to a consciousness that it was coming. But I went heedlesslv on. It came. I was unprepared to meet 1t. Oh, the anguish of soul and the darkness that filled the years that followed. Only God knows Only His hand of mercy stayed the hand of desperation that would have taken the life that He had given. No one but God knew it. l went on with my Christian service, and others behold ing. thought I had comfort and de- light in it. But I did not. I realized crisis had come in my life. that I had failed, and that was rejected of God. And as the years rolled heavily by l began to pray: "Oh, God, give me another chanceH' And He did. He whose mercy is from everlasting to everlasting and whose fOrgivino love is as ineXhaustible as the ocean always gives poor, misera ble, failing man another chance. And thanks be to God and the faithfulness and keep ing power of my Saviour, when the next crisis came, as it always does, and as then I realized it would, had conscience up in the watch tower with my Saviour, and I had steadi- ness of purpose below at the gate with my Saviour, and with His help l passed the crisis and kept the city of my desires for God! And other crises have come since then. and I have found they have nearly always come along the line of previous fail ures. Set lookout and watch for the crises.
 And crises come in the experience of nations. The fate of Solomon'z extensive kingdom rested in the de cision of his son Rehoboam. who faced the national crisis when emis- saries came to him from the tribes of Israel and complained of opprex- sive burdens. And every nation be- had it's crisis to face. Set lookout, oh. ye nations. for the crisis vii! surely come and determine your des- tiny. And crises come to churches. The calling of new pastor, the building of new structure. the adoD- tion of new policy. the method Of raising funds and disbursing them are conditions which may come as the determining crises in the life of church. There comes to my mind the history of one little church to which the crisis came years ago in the se- lection of a pastor. It was a newly organized church. and was vigorous and active. God sent them man after His own heart as pastor For three months he did a magnificent work among them, and then God sud- denly took him from earth. Ther came the crisis. A man came. not sent from God. Little was known of him. He came from a distant par: of the country. There were rumorS heard that should have caught the ears of the officials in the. watch tow CT of the church if they had been at their post and keen to catch the warning sound. The crisis was on. The mans preaching was faultless. He captivated the people. The off cials allowed the rumors to be cov- cred up and explained away This man, not sent from God, was called as pastor. And, oh! what that church has suffered in not heing watchful for the crisis and prepared to meet it. The church was blasted in it's early bloom. but it was not wholly wrecked. It survived the ex- perience of those dark days. God has mercifully spared it for a large mis. sion of usefulness in the days to come. He gave them a man who has. under Divine guidance. healed the cruel wounds made by the other pas tor, and God has led along the line of the previous failure to another crisis. The church is looking for an- other pastor. Will it set it's watcf, in the tower? Will it be prepared to meet the issue? It will if it will do what the children of Israel did as they faced their crisis before the Red sea. If it will wait until the clear and certain command of God is heard: "Go forward!"
 The Test of Waiting-It comes in every crisis. The haste of Saul in the moment of his crisis cost him the T.; 1,s