same as throwing a stone into the water. You have displaced some air, and the effect of that displacement is to go on for ever, in ever-vibrating waves of sound; so that they say, if we had powers of hearing sufficiently acute, we might hear all the words ever spoken, retained in the air as witnesses for or against us. Is not this an awful thought? If we could realise it, should we not be more careful of our words? Think of the words that drop lightly out of careless lips the oaths, the sharp, hard, unkind words-the foolish, sinful words that are rolling round in what seems to us the still air; and these all having their influence on those that heard them. Is it not enough to make us lay our hand upon our mouth and fear to speak again; at least to pray with greater earnestness, "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." How often do we say one to another, "I should not have said that if I had known you would hear it." And God hears all. As I saw it lately put with reference to those who were talking lightly and speculating curiously about some of His wonderful works, of the meaning of which we know so little, "I think they would not dare to talk so if they remembered that they can't talk behind God's back." I think we should not dare to talk as we do if the solemn thought of the influence of our words were ever with us, and we remembered, "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

A man who was to answer for his faith with his life was under examination in olden time. Suddenly his quickened ear detected the scratching of a pen behind the tapestry hangings of the chamber, and he knew that his words were being taken down as witnesses against him. How doubly careful would this make him as to what he said. We are told that for "every idle word that men shall speak" they shall give an account; and that the dead shall be judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. But besides this, now in the hearts of those around, now in the hearts and lives of those who hear

our words, is a record kept (sometimes unconsciously), which may be as surely to our condemnation as if written in the record above. Oh let us be careful of this awful talent of influence, which belongs to us, which is born with us, which we cannot get rid of, whether we will or no, and watch ourselves that we exercise always a right influence, whether conscious or unconscious, knowingly or not, upon one another. It is a happy thing when the unconscious influence is directly for good.

These thoughts occur to me through a very simple incident. A young woman was untying a knot in a piece of string with which she was to tie up a parcel, when she looked up quietly, saying, "I always think of you when I undo a parcel." She proceeded to ask if I did not remember, some six or seven years before, undoing a parcel of books at the room where we had a little weekly reading. The knot for the moment did not seem inclined to give way kindly, and a young man, in his zeal to assist, had produced his knife to cut the string, but I had declined such help, saying, I was a member of the "Try Company," and would try to undo the knot; adding that this name had been put in my head by having recently met a little boy in the train who said he was a member of the "Try Company.” The time expended in undoing the knot would not have been lost, as there were always little greetings to those present and inquiries for the absent ones to be gone through while any little arrangements were being made, and, doubtless, I thereon founded a little homily; but the words had faded from my recollection, though they lived in that young woman's. I wonder if the young man who kindly produced his knife remembers them!

It has always been my idea to help by action and example, as much as by talking at and to my poorer friends, or those with whom I may come in contact. For instance, I always liked to have the books I lent covered as neatly as possible, so that the readers might take a pattern; and that they did notice it I knew, as some said, "I cannot do it

as neatly as you do," or apologised if the covers got torn. Also in the matter of tying up a parcel I take pains to show how it ought to be done. And a knot in the string presents a peculiar attraction to me. I seem to have a faculty for undoing it, and many a piece of string is saved for a further use, when, if the impatient exhortation, “Cut it, cut it," had been attended to, it would have been useless. If time is an object, and the knot very unyielding, the string must be cut close to the knot; but the lesson of patience is often of more value than the time which may be consumed over it; and we often make strange mistakes in our calculations as to our use or abuse of time, not hesitating to waste precious minutes, which soon mount up to hours, in doing nothing, or worse than nothing, and then, suddenly recollecting ourselves, call that waste of time which really is "a lesson of skill," or a most useful exercise of our patience.

How to make a New Year a Happy One.

A FEW WORDS TO MY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS.

o make this year a truly happy one, or one in which you shall receive much good, I would persuade you:

To study the Holy Bible-that Book which is able to make you wise unto salvation.

To attend the house of God that place wherein you can sing, or learn to sing, praises unto the Great, the Eternal, the Almighty Being, He who is the Maker and the Preserver of all things, and the Source of every good and perfect gift.

To live soberly-so that you might be able to provide temporal things for yourselves and families, and have a better chance of escaping not only the earthly, but also the eternal dangers of the drunkard. For saith the Scriptures, "No drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of heaven."

To make good use of the Sabbath-day-a day which is not only peculiarly adapted to engage the attention of all to spiritual things, but which is particularly "the workingman's day of rest;" and a day therefore on which he can, if he chooses, acquire a great deal of spiritual knowledge.

To love your children, by bringing them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord; so that you might enjoy the happy thoughts of being more certain of receiving temporal benefits from them. Nay, the still happier thoughts derived from the expectation of receiving spiritual happiness and benefit in their society, and of reigning with them world without end in the realms of eternal bliss.

To love your homes, by doing your utmost to make them comfortable and happy; so that they might be a sufficient attraction to keep yourselves and families from going elsewhere to seek enjoyment and social happiness.

To love your neighbours, by showing them all the kindness you possibly can; so that you might fulfil the saying of St. Paul: "If possible, live at peace with all men," and insure to yourself the happy right of being entitled to the kindness of all around you.

To love God, by hallowing His holy Name, and by speaking well of the same; and also by keeping His commandments; "and His commandments are not grievous." And by doing all you can to advance His kingdom on earth.

To love your own souls, by taking heed to what you hear and read respecting salvation, and by praying to God, who is the "Hearer and Answerer of prayer," for the aid of the Holy Spirit, without which we cannot do nor receive much spiritual good. "Paul planteth, and Apollos watereth, but God giveth the increase."

I. "Choose you this day whom ye will serve."-Jos. xxiv. 15.

2.

"No man can serve two masters."-Matt. vi. 24.

3. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon."-Luke xvi. 13.

4. "The Lord our God will we serve."-Jos. xxiv. 24.

5. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."-Jos. xxiv. 15.

6. "Serve Him with a perfect heart."- -1 Chron. xxviii. 9.

7. "Serve the Lord with gladness."-Psa. c. 2.

S. "Serve the Lord with fear."-Psa. i. II.

9.

"Serve Him with one consent."-Zeph. iii. 9. 10. "Him only shalt thou serve."-Matt. iv. 10.