Year: 1878

BY REV. TRY0N EDWARDS, d. u


The Moravians have the custom, IN theii
congregations and families, of annually
adopting "year word" or text for th'
year, to be remembered alike in JOY or sor
row, in labor or suffering, as memento &c
duty and as help to each one in the Chris
tian life. Taking the idea probably from
them, the late DIR. James Alexander was ac'
customed, at the beginning of every year, to
select and preach op some brief and striking
text of Scripture which he would suggest to
his people as their motto for the year, asking
them to keep it every day in their thoughts
against temptation, maxim for the guidance
of their conduct, and constant incentive to
spirituality and duty. At one time it would
be "Praying always" at another, Seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteous
ness )" at another, "S9 gers and pilgrims
on the earth - now command, now an ex-
hortation, now promise; but in every case
some brief sentence from the Bible that
might keep God and duty and eternity in
view, and thus aid to fidelity and progress in
the divine life.


In things of this world We see at once the
value of the many brief proverbs and apo
thegms in which the wise and good of the
past have embodied the results of their expe'
rience for the benefit and guidance of those
coming after them. Such maxims as e Out
of debt, out of danger" Idleness will
clothe man with rags; )" "Take care of the
pence, and the pounds will take care of
themselves" have saved many man from
poverty and distress for this world, and
guided surely to prosperity and wealth.
And the benefit of such maxims is that they
separate those who act on principle from
those who act only from impulse, and they
also lead to consistency and to promptness
and decision in the execution of our pur-
poses, in carrying. out to results the plans
that in theory seem wise and good. And
their value is greater or less, according to
the truth they embody, the subjects to which
they relate, the ease of their application, and
the extent to which they are applicable in
every day life.


But if the wise maxims of man are of
value for this world, much more are the max
inns which God has given US of value, both
for this world and another. And the Bible
is full of such maxims, every one of which is
safe guide for our conduct, not only for
the life that now is, bat for that which is to
come. And any one of such maxims may
we'll be taken as a motto for the marked
epochs of life--for the return, for example,
of 8 birthday, or for the gaming of new
year. And what better motto for every
one, for the year that has opened upon US,
than that brief and wonderful expression of
the apostle, the aim and object, and sum-
ming up, as it were, of his entire life, "For
me to Ive IS Christ !"


Here, in word, is the estimate of Pauls
sober .judgment-that this was the WiseSt and
best life one could live; the language of his
Supreme qfection-that his whole soul was
bound up in life like this; his earnest and
prayerful desire that he might be enabled
always to live it; his fixed and solemn pur-
pose that, by the grace of God, he wvuld so
live; his daily course of enlightened and ha-
bitual action, for life to him was more than
mere reverie or dreaming or planning, his
everyday inquiry was, "Lord, what wilt
thou have me to dog" And, when known,
he did it with his whole might, silently, earn
estly, perseveringly, till at last his entire life
ran in the channels of holy, Christian hab
it, just as the blood does in the arteries and
veins! Converted, he was new creature il
Christ Jesus enlightened, Christ was his
wisdom justified and accepted, Christ was
his Righteousness; purified and made holy
Christ was his sanctifcatioD; subject, Chris
was his ruler servant, Christ was his mas
ter; disciple, he followed where Chris
led, and received every lesson that Chris
taught. His knowledge was the knowledge
of Christ his faith, faith in Christ; BIZ
love, supreme love to Christ His time
talents, influence, labors- body, soul, spirit
all were habitually and entirely cOnsecratet
to Christ. Even to the end he lived fol-
Christ, and so at the end he found that tt
die was gain, for it was to be with Chris
forever


What blessed motto, then, for our life
is found in these words of the apostle. l
now, at the opening of another year, VI
should seriously adopt it, and every day dill
gently and prayerfully act upon it, would
not revolutionize our hearts and aims an,
lives and conduct Would it not deepen ou
humility, and quicken our faith, and animat
our hopes, and kindle afresh both our low
and zeal, and lead US 80 to live that our ligh
would indeed shine, and all take knowledg
of US that we had been with Jeaus And
all were to adopt it, would it not revolution
, ize the family and society and the Churc
and the world Would it not make all wise
and better, more faithful to every duty, NOR
humble, WatchfuI, prayerful, useful, more lik
Christ in spirit, more devoted to him in ODE
dience, more bound to him in love, more en-
, tirely one with him as the branch is one wit
the vine, and SO bringing forth much frai
for him


Tbio +ban ha th6 motto of auaru ona fo