Prepare for the Coming Storm
RUMORS of a European war are rife. Indications are thickening that that time is upon us which the prophet saw, when, looking into the dim future, he exclaimed, "The nations were angry." What follows? "And thy wrath is come," is the next utterance of the prophetic word. Rev. xi. 18. We know from the chart of our voyage that it will close in perils. We know from the sure word of prophecy that trouble awaits the world—distress of nations with perplexity. The prophetic command has gone forth, "Prepare war, wake up the mighty men!" Are we seeking that righteousness and meekness which will procure for us a hiding place in the avengerful day? We might do this with more heart and zeal, some may say, if affairs were not at present quiet—if the storm was already bursting. But do you not see it gathering? Do you not behold its thickening gloom? Do you not hear its distant mutterings? Is the dread stillness that just precedes its awful fury the time for sloth and stupor? Must we wait till the tornado breaks upon us ere we commence the work of preparation? A prudent man foreseeth the evil, says the proverb, and hideth himself. Now is the time to work. Would that we could echo through all the land the divine and imperative warning, "Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth!"