J WIN MARY I AM, Bart on da han fet. The only answer to “Oo forth," trust God if you are God then manifests His His wok He w 1994 what you; He will take care. jachan wis je valakul lampket of wind, then an earthquake, then a fire; but Tord wie und in lend of kubak klijah had mistaken God's character. He thought God word indoitus on his behalf by some great exhibition of His power. But judgment in His aleungs wide. ifis meinorial is, "The Lord, the Lord God, mer aful and gracious." Bohus. There comes a still small voice. Gentleness is more powerful than force. Elijah had forgotten this; but it is the meek who shall inhot the canth. The same question was again put, and the same answer given; but God zould not accept the excuse. He knows what is best for His servant, and He sends him to work. Go and anoint Hazael, &c. So long as I have work for you, I shall protect you. And then He shows how groundless his want of faith was, for there were 7000 in Israel faithful to God; and what could he not have done had he not boon terified by a woman's threat. Memory Exercise Shorter Catechism 58.-John iii. 8. Sobject to be proved The Kingdom of God cometh not with Observation. Golden Text "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."- John iii. 8. Nours. The one great point here is that wind is known by its effects. We do note it, but we know it exista by what it accomplishes. So with the work of the Holy Spirit. We know He has begun to work by the results. Look at the Traits of the Spirit, (Cial, v. 22-28.) Wherever we find these we may trace the 7 picit's working. By their fruits ye shall know them. vidence of the Spirit's working. They cannot be hid. They will manifest themSee that you have this elven LESSON 261. THE FLIGHT OF TIME.- Psalm xc. 1-17. 1. 7 ye is short, ver, 9.) A little girl was asked why she was working so very hard. She replied, "My enrole is abuest boned out, and I have not got another." Our life is like a candle burning out. Sometimes there is some flaw in it, disease that is con aning it quickly. Or it may be blown out in a moment, and we have not got another." 2. We should therefore make the most of every minute, (ver. 12.)-A short time before the meeting of a missionary society near Wigan, one little boy, seeing his sister with a missionary box, burst into tears; and being told he should have a box next year, replied, "Yes, father, but I may be dead before next year." was permitted to have one at once, and before the meeting he collected nearly three pounds. He LESSON 262.-AHAB'S SIN AND ELIJAH'S PREDICTION.-1 Kings xvi. 29-34, xvii. 1. 3. See the influence of a Bad Example, (ver. 30-33.)-A drunken father, at the funeral of his little boy, resolved that he would never taste drink again; and for many years he faithfully kept his resolution. But one day he happened to be in a store where he saw a deacon of the church, who was a very good man, taking a little brandy. He kept looking at the deacon; felt very uneasy; walked about; sat down; then walked to the door to go away. But, thinking that he might have a taste of brandy as well as the good deacon, he at last walked back to the counter and ordered a glass. And from that day he became a confirmed drunkard. 4. Not one of God's Commandments can be broken with impunity, (ver. 34.)— We might illustrate this by the following comparison:-"Suppose I were going along a street, and were to dash my hand through a large pane of glass, what harm would I receive?"-"You would be punished for breaking the glass.' "Would that be all the harm I should receive?"-" Your hand would be cut by the glass." "Yes; and so it is with sin. If you break any of God's commandments you will be punished for breaking them, and your soul is at the same time hurt by breaking them." LESSON 263.-ELIJAH MIRACULOUSLY FED.-1 Kings xvii. 2-24. 5. God always provides for His people, (ver. 4-6.)—In a town in Germany, about 300 years ago, there lived a good man, whom the emperor hated, because he preached the Gospel. The good man, on learning that his life was in danger, hid himself in an attic in another part of the town. The emperor's soldiers spent a fortnight in searching every house in the town, but failed to find him. During this fortnight he would have perished for want of food had not a hen come every day and laid an egg near the spot where he lay concealed. The very day the soldiers left the town she ceased to come. How true it is that "The lions young may hungry be, And they may lack their food; 6. "There is that Scattereth and yet Increaseth," (ver. 14-16.)—A rich, hut ungodly merchant, who wished to train his son to business habits, gave him half-a-crown, asking him to lay it out so as to profit by it. For some time the boy kept the half-crown in his pocket; but one day, on entering a house on his father's property, he found the mother ill in bed, and the family without food, so he gave them the half-crown. Shortly after, his father asked him whether he had laid out the money so as to profit by it. "Yes," he said. But, on stating what he had done with it, the father, thinking that his son had deceived him, was very angry, and told him that he had thrown the money away. The boy then took down a Bible, and read Prov. xix. 17: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again." Though the father did not believe in the Bible, he was so much pleased with what he called the ingenuity of his boy, that he gave him five shillings. On receiving which the boy said, "I knew that God would fulfil His promise; but I did not expect that He would do it so soon, or give me such large interest.' LESSON 264.-OBADIAH.-1 Kings xviii. 1-16. 7. We should begin to Love and Fear the Lord in our Youth, (ver. 12.)—A little girl of seven years of age, on an invitation from the pulpit, came forward to join the church; but the minister, on account of her size, told her that she must join the church when she was old enough. Three times she came, and the minister states that he felt very sharply reproved when the little girl, on presenting herself the third time, asked, "Am I not old enough to love Jesus now?" 8. We should Help the Distressed, (ver. 13.)-The Rev. David Anderson, in a time of persecution, was obliged to flee from England to Holland. Here he was reduced to the greatest distress. He had no means of support for himself and his family. But he trusted in God. And, during all the time of his exile, he and his family were regularly provided with food and money, though, to the day of his death, he never discovered from what source the supplies came. It was afterwards discovered that a pious merchant in the town, who had taken notice of the distressed circumstances of the pious family, had regularly supplied their wants, saying to himself, "God forbid that any of Christ's people should be strangers, and in distress, and we neglect to assist them." LESSON 265.-ELIJAH AT CARMEL.-1 Kings xviii. 17-46. 9. We should Decide for Jesus, (ver. 21, 39.)—A soldier in hospital three times picked up the hymn entitled, "Will you go?" Twice he threw it down. The third time he read it, thought of it, and, taking his pencil, wrote deliberately on the margin these words, "By the grace of God I will try to go-George Waugh, company G, 10th regiment.' That night he went to a prayer meeting, read his resolution, requested prayers for his salvation, and said, "I am not ashamed of Christ now; but I am ashamed of myself for having been so long ashamed of Him." A few months after he was killed. What a blessing for him that he had decided in time! 10. Persevering Prayer is Answered, (ver. 41-45.)-Two Christian ladies, whose husbands were unconverted, agreed to spend one hour each day in united prayer for their salvation. This was continued for seven years, when they debated whether they should continue longer; and, after full deliberation, resolved to persevere. Three years after, one of them was awakened in the night by her husband, who was in great distress for sin. As soon as the day dawned, she hastened with joy to tell her praying companion that God was about to answer their prayers. What was her surprise and joy to meet her friend coming to her on the same errand! Ten years of united and persevering prayer were crowned with the conversion of both husbands on the same day. LESSON 266.-THE STILL SMALL VOICE.-1 Kings xix. 1-21. 11. We should be Charitable in our Judgment of Others, (ver. 10, 14, 18.)A good man who was bitterly opposed to Wesley, but a great admirer of Whitefield, said to the latter one day, "Do you think we shall see John Wesley in heaven?' -"Certainly not," said Whitefield. "I thought you would say so. Thank you, sir," "But stop, my friend," said Whitefield, "Hear all I have to say about it; you and I will be so far from the throne, and John Wesley so near it, that we cannot expect to see him." 12. God often speaks to us in a "Still Small Voice," (ver. 12.)—A young man who had been piously brought up, but who had given himself up to every vice and folly, at last joined himself to a company of pirates. But a voice, soft and gentle as a mother's, or as the cooing of a dove, seemed always to be pleading with him. He tried to shake off the effect, but again and again it returned and threw his soul into a turmoil. One night, when all was still around him, the tender, reproachful murmur seemed to pierce his very heart. He could stand it no longer; but, throwing himself on his knees in an agony of contrition, he vowed before God that he would forsake his evil ways. By God's help he did so. He went back to his home, became an altered man, and lived ever after a pious and useful life. wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Let us be wise, and listen to its gentle teaching. "The 4 BATH STREET, GLASGOW, Jan., 1882. NEW-YEAR ADDRESSES FOR THE YOUNG. Price 8s. 4d. per 100. SHIP, A-HOY! By the Rev. GEORGE DAVIDSON. 32 pp., Crown Svo., with 19 Pictures. Can be had from all Booksellers, and the Publisher, |