THE NEW YEAR.

T comes in the midst of gathering clouds. Distress and sorrow are filling ten thousand hearts. Poverty, and sickness, and death are around us on every hand. No man can judge of the future. The very earth on which we stand is groaning and shaking, and pouring forth flames. Earthquakes in divers places. Volcanic eruptions such as have never been within the memory of man. Man himself everywhere filled with anxious foreboding; yes, even as the Scripture said: "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." There are even now wars and rumours of wars." There have been famines and pestilences on the earth. Politically, ecclesiastically, and socially, there are everywhere shakings among the nations. The very

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foundations seem to be giving way. Man in the pride of his reason is setting himself up to judge even God and His written Word. Thought never was so active-never so deep. The masses think. Satan works. Infidelity rises up in a thousand forms. The predicted times have come when men depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons." Surely we see the characteristics of these times. Men are "lovers of their ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF." How this last expression marks the prominent features of these times! They are times of great and widely extended profession; but times of weakness and worldliness, true spiritual power is wanting on every side, and the Lord says so emphatically to us: "FROM SUCH

TURN AWAY.'

But though we enter on the year 1869 with all these clouds of darkness getting more and more dense, we have a bright hope beyond them all. "The Lord is at hand."

"A little while!" our Lord shall come, And we shall wander here no more; He'll take us to our Father's home, Where He for us has gone before, To dwell with Him, to see His face, And sing the glories of His grace." And in the meanwhile He is with us by His He has engaged to keep us. He will never lea forsake us. All things are in His hand, and disposal. He maketh all things to work toget good to us. "I will say of the Lord, He is my and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trus "Since His love and mercy found us, We are precious in His sight; Thousands now may fall around us, Thousands more be put to flight; But His presence

Keeps us safe by day and night.
As the bird beneath her feathers,
Guards the objects of her care;
So the Lord His children gathers,
Spreads His wings, and hides them there
Thus protected,

All our foes we boldly dare."

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We have another word to add. The times de bold and outspoken testimony. They are no for half-hearted men and compromising mea The enemy has come in like a flood; we look Spirit of God to lift up a standard against him. must gather under Christ's banner. The vict sure! but the battle must be fought. May the help us! EDI

THE JEW.

HAT deep thoughts crowd upon the mind of

dent of the prophetic Scriptures when a Je dentally crosses his path! It is not necessary to that such a one is a descendant of Abraham, becau Israelite bears upon his face the family likeness race. Go where you will, travel through every of the earth, and the same lineaments are to be fo the descendant of Abraham, whether he be a me prince, or a dealer in old clothes, a city banke wandering pedlar. Thousands point the finger of