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The New Year comes! new blessings bringing,
Water still flows from God's full horn.
Wait, all ye creatures, for your pleasure;
Soon shall the empty fields bear treasure
Of the green blade and golden corn.
The New Year comes! new blessings bringing,
Water still flows from God's full horn.

A New Year! but the same old sorrows;
It is not yet our jubilee.

Yet we the pilgrim's path must follow,
In heat and rain, o'er hill and hollow,
We yet must combat manfully.

A New Year! but the same old sorrows;
It is not yet our jubilee.

The New Year comes! new hopes are springing;
The earth will yet again be green.

This March again shall larks be singing,
This May shall come, fresh roses bringing-

This year again new joys be seen.

The New Year comes! new hopes are springing;
The earth will yet again be green.

A New Year! but the same faith ever;
This is our badge of victory!

Hail, friends! by every pathway wending,
Boldly the future's flag unbending,

Be Christ o'er all our pennon high.
A New Year! but the same faith ever;
This is our badge of victory!

The New Year! let a new heart welcome,
A fair new leaf be turned to-day!
Let the old debt be all crossed over,
The old feud let new kindness cover,
And the old curse be done away.
The New Year! let a new heart welcome,
A fair new leaf be turned to-day!

S. A. B.

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I.

2.

Precious Gems from the Gospel Mine.

JANUARY.-GOD'S PRESENCE.

"Certainly I will be with thee."-Exod. iii. 12.

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee."-Isa. xli. 10.

3. "I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand.”— Isa. xli. 13.

4. "I will help thee, saith the Lord."-Isa. xli. 14.

5. "God is in the midst of her."-Psa. xlvi. 5.

6. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."-Deut. xxxiii. 25.

7.

"Underneath are the everlasting arms."-Deut. xxxiii. 27.

8. "My presence shall go with thee."-Exod. xxxiii. 14.

9. "Lo, I am with you alway."-Matt. xxviii. 20.

66

10. 'Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord."- Jer. xxiii. 24.

11. "The Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee."-Deut. xxxi. 6.

12. "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."-Josh. i. 5.

13. "Thou compassest my path and my lying down."-Psa. cxxxix. 3. 14. "We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”—John

xiv. 23.

15. "I will come to you."-John xiv. 18.

16. "Thou art with me."-Fsa. xxiii. 4.

17. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee."Isa. xliii. 2.

18. "The angel of His presence saved them."--Isa. lxiii. 9.

19.

"He shall give His angels charge over thee."—Psa. xci. II.

20. "I will be with him in trouble.”—Psa. xci. 15.

21.

"The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me."--2 Tim. iv. 17. 22. "He be not far from every one of us.”—Acts xvii. 27.

23. "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous.”—Psa. xxxiv. 15. 24. "He is at my right hand."--Psa. xvi. 8.

25.

"The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him.”—Psa. xxxiii. 18.

26. "He beholdeth all the sons of men."-Psa. xxxiii. 13.

27.

"He looketh upon men.”—Job xxxiii. 27.

28. "I have covered thee in the shadow of My hand."--Isa. li. 16. 29. "The Lord is with us."-Num. xiv. 9.

30. "My Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not."—Haggai ii. 5. "And the hand of the Lord was with them."-Acts xi. 21.

31.

'HROUGH life's journey be Thou with us
Evermore, we pray;

Let Thy hand support and cheer us

Day by day.

Help us to resist temptation,

Whatsoe'er it be ;

We are weak, but know we've ever
Strength in Thee.

Hide us in Thy hand of mercy,
When in danger's hour;

Show Thy mighty Presence with us,
And Thy power.

Go forth with us-guard us, keep us;

Lord, we look to Thee,

Resting only on Thy mercy

And sufficiency!

HE old year is past and gone! and this leads us to solemn reflection. The days, the weeks, and months, are all past and gone-the year with every action, evil or commendable, that marked its progress is lost-for ever lost, in the fathomless abyss of eternity.

Solemn thoughts therefore possess our souls as we enter on a new period of time; we look back and around, and discover a loud knocking has been heard in our midst. Many of those we loved began the last year with us, cheering us on in our work by their sweet and kind words, but suddenly they have ended the journey of life and gone home. Many around us have been cut down in the prime of life, many others unprepared for their change, others have fallen asleep in Jesus, and yet we are spared. Perhaps our time may not be long; this may be our last. Let us then seek without delay an interest in Jesus Christto undergo that great change without which we cannot enjoy the blessedness of heaven.

I am very anxious to fix upon the minds of my readers three watchwords in commencing the New Year: one for the Past, one for the Present, and one for the Future.

(1.) The one for the Past you will find in 1 Sam. vii. 12. "Ebenezer." "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." The historical account of the reason of this memorial stone is very interesting. When the ark of God was taken from the Israelites, just at the time of old Eli's death, the Philistines took it to Ashdod, and placed it before Dagon, their idol god, in his temple; and in the morning Dagon was fallen. on his face before the ark of the Lord, and the Lord smote the people of Ashdod with a painful and dangerous disease. They were therefore in great trouble what to do with the ark of God, so they decided to send it to Gath. The people of Gath suffered in a similar way, and they determined to send it on to Ekron. When it came there the people were afraid to receive it, and took counsel as to what should be

done with it, and they determined to send it back again to the Israelites; accordingly they acted on this wise:

They took two cows (shut up their calves at home), tied them to a new cart, and placed the ark of God in the cart, and let the cows go where they liked. So they went straight on through the Philistines' land, lowing as they went, and came to Beth-shemesh where the people were reaping their wheat harvest. It was taken from thence to Kirjath

jearim.

Then Samuel gathered the people to Mizpeh, and offered a burnt offering, and raised a memorial stone, and called it "Ebenezer."

This is our watchword to us then.

Let us look back on the past: the innumerable mercies and blessings we have received, the countless difficulties we have overcome in our Christian walk. Let us look back with holy gratitude, raise our "Ebenezer," and say, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," whether as individuals, or as families, or as in relation to the Church of Christ.

(2.) The watchword for the Present is in Exod. xvii. 15. "Jehovah-nissi." "The Lord my banner."

It was during the journeying of the children of Israel in the wilderness that Amalek came and fought against Israel. Joshua was commanded to choose out the fighting men, and go out against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of a hill to pray, and while Moses' hands were lifted up, Israel prevailed; but when they dropped, Amalek prevailed. So Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands till the going down of the sun, and Amalek was entirely discomfited. The Lord moreover told Moses He was determined to put out the name of Amalek from under heaven, and because of this, and to perpetuate the remembrance, Moses built an altar and called it "Jehovah-nissi."

Let us therefore take great encouragement for the present; whatever trials and temptations we may have to encounter from within or without; whatever difficulties in our Christian pathway, however great they may appear

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