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Show Some 'New Year's Thoughts Important and Appropriate Considerations at the Begin-ning Begin-ning of the New Year. 1 All good business men are accustomed accus-tomed to pay the utmost attention, at j certain periods, to one particular mat-ter mat-ter connected with ' the business in j which they are engaged. They regard 1 this as indispensable in order that their business should prove successful. I They are fully awake to the risks 1 and results consequent on any serious neglect in this point. This matter to which they attach so much importance is that of "occasionally taking stock." It is a scriptural truth that "the children chil-dren of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." The business man is more wise, more in earnest, more painstaking in his business affairs, in his temporal concerns, con-cerns, ' than the spiritual man in his spiritual ones. Where are the Christians Chris-tians and how many are they who pay as much attention to and take as much trouble in that which concerns their immortal souls and their eternal salvation salva-tion as they-do in regard to their temporal tem-poral concerns? There are the "few exceptions" who "prove the rule" that "the children of this world are wiser in their generation genera-tion than the children of light." Christians who would be truly "children "chil-dren of light" must imitate the wise business man. and must, like him, periodically.. pe-riodically.. "take stock." They must be careful, how they are carrying out the most important of all transactions, the business of . their salvation. Above all other periods or seasons of the year, the time when the old year is about to close forever and a new-year new-year to begin is, above all, the most appropriate and important for fulfilling fulfill-ing this duty. It is now, above all, the time when a tru Christian is bound to look back into the past year especially, and examine ex-amine carefully how he has been corresponding cor-responding with God's grace. It is now he should endeavor to see where and in what he has been failing in the past. It js now, too. he should strive to realize real-ize the importance of saving his soul at any cost, and of making those sacrifices sacri-fices and resolutions which he knows are absolutely necessary if he would be saved. There is no time when Christians are called upon to reflect seriously on the extraordinary means of divine grace afforded them, as during the holy season sea-son when the solemn anniversary of our Lord's nativity is being celebrated, and when, also, another year of life is closing and a new one about to begin. This is truly the Christians' time for "taking stock." Few there are who "take stock" sufficiently suf-ficiently as to the value of divin.; grace, or who realize how marvelous are the facilities and helps and graces we can now possess and enjoy, compared com-pared to those who lived before Christ' a coming. Neither, consequently, do they perceive per-ceive the terrible responsibility and account ac-count they shall have one day to render ren-der for the graces they now so freely abuse. If one degree of divine grace be of infinite value, and consequently of greater worth than the world's entire wealth, what account shall not a Christian have to give for the numberless number-less graces abused? To examine where, how and in what respect this has been done in the past, and to resolve to rectify rec-tify it in the future is the solemn obligation obli-gation of a Christian at the dawn of a new year. A Christian should not at this time be discouraged or hindered from beginning be-ginning a new life at the thought of his past offenses. On the contrary, seeing that s many have passed away during the year that is closing, and that he is not numbered amongst them, but that God is still giving him time to repent and to atone for his sins in this life rather than in the next, he should, with all the more courage and determination, avail himself of this offer and invitation of God's mercy toward him. Since the dawn of last New Year's day during every twenty-four hours at least 80.000 souls were called to their j account, and great as is the number i whose doom has been decided forever. he has been spared and thus afforded I a further opportunity of rectifying the past and preparing for eternity. i Let no sincere Christian, therefore, j disregard or abuse this opportunity, j one hour of which many of the depart- ed would so gladly welcome, but which ' j shall not be given to a single one of j them forever. C. E. B KG LEY. |