Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-12-26
cu,sI rtAN ENpt AvOR.



Toric.-Tbe old and new; your purposes.-Math.
Xiii, 81. 81; Luke v, $6-s9. a New Years meet
ing)
The passing of an old year and the
advent of a new wear SUGGEST tho study
of the past purposes and the future
purposes of our lives. He Is thought
less man indeed VINO uocs not at TINS
season of the year pause andconsitlcr,
What has my life been. and what is
my life going to bef'' These questions
present themselves to us at this time
with the greater force because we not
only close Il year. but a century, and
we not only begin a new year. but a
new century. If our lives have not
been In the past year what we should
like them to have been. we have every
incentive at this time to make them so
in the year upon which we are enter
ing. and that we may do 50 we may
well study these words of Christ about
the old and the new, for He sets forth
principles that are as applicable today
as they were when He spoke them,
/. A new life cannot be made by
patching the old. NO man putteth a
piece of new garment upon an old"
else both are made useless. mo man
putteth new wine into old bottles"
The new wine. in fermenting, would
burst the old bottles, and both wine
and bottles would he lost. New wines
demand new bottles. The Jews could
not become Christians by patching Ju-
daism with the truths of Christ. They
could not live the gospel in the forms
of the law. That would be putting new
cloth ON an old garment and new wine
in old bottles and would destroy both.
No more can we make our lives new by
patching the old, by adding a new res
olution here and one there. nor can we
lead a new life in the old forms of our
lives. Our whole lives must be changed,
their principles and purposes. and this
the Holy Spirit alone can do.
9. The tendency of man is to be salts
fed with the old. mo man having
drunk old wine straightvay desireth
new, for he says the old is better"
Cue accustomed ~ "a mixing old wine
desires it above the new, though the
new may be better. He says: THE
old is pleasant. good enough for me
/ have no desire to try the new" This
is precisely the attitude of false con-
servatism. 1t Is the attitude of many
toward their lives. In the past their
lives have been lived upon certain prin-
ciples and with certain purposes In
view. These may not have been the
best principles or the loftiest purposes.
And yet they say: The old is pleasant
ha 1t1ra mo in ha CT 10
good enough. and l will try no other.
not even a better" But this is false
attitude toward life. Its folly can
often be seen in the business and com
mercial world. and il is Just as foolish
in the moral and spiritual world. Quail
ity. not age. should be the supreme test
Of the desira bility of the principles and
purposes of our lives.
3. There is proper relation between
the old and new which all should strive
to maintain. Christ likens His disci-
Piles to a householder who bringeth
faith out of his treasures. things new
and old Old truths can be set forth
in new lights, and new truths can be
brought into proper accord with old
ones. He who forgets the old will
become sensationalist and he who
forgets the new a fossil. Let us keep
the past and the future in their proper
relations. The past is prophetic Of
the future, and through it we may read
the future In such a way as TO make
it vast improvement upon the past.
But let us not strive to do il by moral
patchwork. but by having our whole
lives changed by accepting Christ as
our Saviour and being born dEain by
His Holy Spirit
THE PRAYER MEETING.
Have a watch meeting or arrange a
special appropriate service for the reg
ular meeting.
BIBLE READINGS.
Ps. Xxi, IS; Lam. iii. %, %; Math.
tx. 10, II; ii Cor. v. II; Eph. iv. 1924;
Col. i'll, Ill; Heb X, 1925; John H.
Z, s: Rev. Ii. Il; xxi. 10