and friends may forsake us during our pilgrimage through this wilderness; but the stream of God's love will never cease to flow. What a glorious thought! 'Though cisterns be broken, and creatures all fail," our heavenly Father's goodness and "mercy endureth for ever"! 66 2. After a while the brook Cherith dried up (ver. 7), and this is the case with all our earthly brooks of pleasure or amusement. But although they become dry, there is a Fountain whose streams can supply every need, console every aching heart, and wash away all our sin. Trust not too much to earthly enjoyments; sooner or later they will all become "dried up.” 3. When God calls us from the busy scenes and active duties of the world, and lays us prostrate upon a bed of sickness, we may regard ourselves as being secluded by a brook Cherith. He has said to us, Get thee hence 4. Why does God station us "by the brook Cherith "? To wean our affections from earthly idols, to exercise our faith, to make us feel our own worthlessness and the all-sufficiency of Christ; to afford us opportunities to commune with our own hearts, and lead us to self-examination, etc." Well, we have studied Elijah's call to the brook Cherith, the Lord's promise to him there, the fulfilment of that promise; we have also seen the never-failing mercy of God throughout that season of trial. Let us, therefore, take courage, and beware of giving way to a spirit of murmuring or discontentment when trials overtake us. Let us rather strive to glorify "the Lord God of hosts," and He will call us from the sorrows of Cherith" to the joys of Zarephath, as He did Elijah. 66 A MOTHER'S INFLUENCE. ALICE H. How touching is this tribute of Hon. T. H. Benton to his mother's influence:"My mother asked me never to use tobacco; I have never touched it from that time to the present day. She asked me not to gamble, and I have never gambled, and I cannot tell who is losing in games that are being played. She admonished me, too, against hard drinking; and whatever capacity for endurance I have at present, and whatever usefulness I may have attained in life, I have attributed to having complied with her pious and correct wishes. When I was seven years of age she asked me not to drink, and then I made a resolution of total abstinence; and that I have adhered to it through all time, I owe to my mother." A LESSON IN THE WOODS. SOME sixty years ago, there lived on the borders of civilization a man who had an aged, infirm, and blind father. The old man frequently broke the crockery on which his food was served. His son's wife complained of it, and the son at last determined to take a block of wood and hew out a tray, or trough, on which to feed his father. Accordingly he took his axe and went to the forest, followed by his little son. He found a poplar that looked as if it would suit his purpose, and he began to cut cut a block of the desired size. Having swung his axe a few moments, he became weary, and his son said: The father replied, "I am going to make a trough for your grandfather to eat out of." The little boy loved his grandfather very much, and supposed it all very kind, and said, "I am so glad; won't it be nice? Father, when you get to be old and blind, I will make a trough for you." The father, conscience-stricken and fearing sorrow for himself, took up his axe, eturned home, and ever after seemed to treat his aged parent kindly. LESSONS FOR SENIOR CLASSES. THE DIVINE COUNSEL. LESSON FOR THE NEW YEAR. Psalm lxxiii. 24. INTRODUCTION. Alpine tourists and the dangers they encounter; a description of the Alps; the glaciers; the chasms hidden by a thin crust of ice, or covered with snow; the narrow pathway on the edge of the precipice; the fearful avalanche; the benumbing cold inducing the sleep which ends in torpor, death, etc. Are any found hardy enough to brave dangers such as these? Yes, but they go not alone. That would be little better than madness. Describe the guides, their qualifications, etc.; must be acquainted with the way, strong to help, wise to advise, patient, faithful, etc. I. But what has all this to do with our lesson? Just this; we are in much the same circumstances all along the journey of life. Do you suppose this journey has fewer dangers? Let us see. There are slippery places here, and unless we look well to our goings we shall surely slide. There are deep pits into which many are daily falling. [Give examples.] The young girl beguiled by evil companions to forsake the house of God; her feet already slide; no guide to warn ; who shall lift her out of that pit? Does she not sink lower and lower? Can you not remember some one who set out on the journey hopefully, but was early lost? The youth, self-confident, thinks he needs not a guide, goes on safely for a time, is precipitated into the chasm of intemperance, or dishonesty, or he brings down on his head an avalanche of disgrace which utterly overwhelms him, drives him, perhaps, to take his own life. [Give examples.] Others, in a fit of passion, perhaps, have committed murder; they have fallen over the precipice and perished, often very early in the journey. Examples and illustrations hereof are abundant. And many perish as surely, lulled into the fatal sleep of worldliness. II. If this be not an exaggerated view of the dangers that beset our path, does it not follow that we need a guide? Well, many guides offer themselves— the world, philosophy, Satan. Everything depends on the choice we make (Prov. ix. 12), therefore it should not be carelessly made. There is only one competent Guide, and so many require His guidance. Can we hope that He will attend to us? (Isa. xl. 27-31.) But will He condescend to guide the poor? (Ps. xxxii. 8; xlviii. 14.) This is the Guide indicated in our motto, "Thou," etc. Do you know this Guide? Who has been your guide hitherto? The world? Your own wills? etc. Oh hasten to dismiss them. Another stage of the journey commences; resolve with the Psalmist, "Thou shalt guide me (Ps. lxxiii. 2, 4). III. The manner. Show how He guided the Israelites; not exactly in the same way, but as surely. 66 With Thy counsel." The guide book (Ps. cxix. 9, 11, 105; xxxvii. 31; xxv. 15). The counsel of His Holy Spirit (Ps. cxliii. 8-10; Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. He comes Himself to walk before us (John i. 14; x. 4); shows our dangers (Heb. ii. 10, 17, 18); removes obstructions (Col. ii. 14); conquers our enemies, helps the feeble (Phil. iv. 13; Ps. xciv. 18; xviii. 32, 33; Isa. xl. 11). As you stand at the beginning of another year, well consider what you mean to do. Will you venture to go on alone? or do you say with Moses (Exod. xxxiii. 15)? Hasten to secure this Guide before you take another step, say with all your heart, "Thou shalt guide me." (See Ps. xlvii. 4; Sol. Song i. 4.) IV. What is our duty toward our Guide? 1. To study His instructions. Let no day pass without the prayerful study of God's word. Have some settled plan. 2. Listen to the voice of His Holy Spirit (Eph. iv. 30; Gal. v. 16). 3. Obey His commands (John xv. 10-14). 4. Keep your eye fixed on your Guide, follow in His footprints (Heb. xii. 2), looking to Him as your Example, your Teacher, your Master, your Saviour; so shall we accomplish the journey safely, and afterward be received into glory. And evermore beside you on the way The unseen Christ shall move, That you may lean upon His arm and say, "Dost Thou, dear Lord, approve?" holy trust! O endless sense of rest! To lay your head upon the Saviour's breast, C. S. S. GOD PUNISHES SIN. Jeremiah xiv. 1-9. WE are taught in the Prayer of Thanksgiving that our Creator who gave us this life takes care to preserve and sustain it too. We have in the Bible a psalm of thanksgiving, which tells us, "He giveth food to all flesh, for His mercy endureth for ever." And when He withholds the food from any people, it must be a token that He is very much displeased with them. So it was here with Israel. The curse of unrepented and unforsaken sin was upon their city. God had turned the water-springs into dry ground, and the fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwelt therein. I. We have here a most affecting description of the misery they were in on account of their sin. 1. The little children of the nobles were sent forth to the dry cisterns and empty ponds by their thirst-stricken parents. The little sufferers returned empty-handed; and many a helpless babe was lying down with others that had fallen in the streets, to die (ver. 16-18; Jer. ix. 21). 2. Far off, in the distant fields, were the faint and exhausted husbandmen. They had put away the ploughshare, for they saw their work was vain. The ground was as hard as as heet of iron. This had been foretold by Moses eight hundred and fifty years before (Deut. xxviii. 23). The skies were now like a glowing furnace; the ground hard, parched, and broken; and as these men thought of their wives and children that so soon must perish by the cruel death that now stared them in the face, they covered their heads,- -an eastern custom in times of sorrow, and the strong men bowed themselves. 3. And even the poor dumb creatures of God suffered with the rest. From the thick bushes, where the Psalmist tells us she is wont, at the voice of the Lord, to bring forth her young, the hind had fled to seek for water in the hour of her need and thirst. With wonderful instinct she had left her usual hiding-place and come into the fields immediately round the city, where possibly there might be some little store of water treasured up for the people. And when her little calf was born, she left it with many a long, lingering look; she would turn away, knowing she had no nourishment in her wasted frame to support its tender life. The wild asses too are mentioned: what did they do in this time of common need? They rushed wildly, we are told, to the highest ground, and set their faces on the hill-tops, towards the wind, and eagerly snuffed the passing breeze, longing that it might bear towards them the fresh scent of distant water. II. It was under these distressing circumstances that Jeremiah lifted up his voice in this touching prayer (ver. 7-9). On the strength of the promise,"When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them," he offered up his earnest prayer to Him who heareth the cry of the poor and destitute, and despiseth not their desire. He had great encouragement to make known unto the Lord the sad case of His people. God had, as you know, a * This lesson was originally prepared for the first Sunday in 1864. long time before, provided water for Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness of Beersheba, when they were faint and ready to perish for want of it. Also to the armies of the three kings (2 Kings iii. 20). And again, when Elijah prayed so earnestly that "the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit," in thetime of Ahab. Was God like a wayfaring man, who for a short time has tarried with us, lived in our house, talked to us, appeared to take an interest in us, and then passed on his way, forgetting all about us, and careless what may happen to us when he is gone? Or was He like a man astonied, that is stunned by some sudden blow, and unable to save; powerless to act? You see here one instance of those many sufferings in mind, body, and estate, brought upon mankind by sin. It is an evil and a bitter thing to depart from the Lord. He is so perfectly holy Himself, that He cannot look upon sin without abhorrence. He is so just that He must punish it. It is the abominable thing which He hates; yet "God is provoked every day," "the whole world lieth in wickedness," "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." You have sinned, every one of you, and death is the wages of sin. Have you ever looked at sin in its true light, as shutting God out of His own world, helping forward the power of Satan, crucifying the Son of God afresh, and showing base ingratitude to your Heavenly Father? It was sin which caused our Lord Jesus Christ to come from a happy, glorious home to a miserable, sinful world. His soul was grieved from day to day by the ignorance, carelessness, and pride of those He lived among; His holy soul was pained by the sin He witnessed. He was often weary, thirsty, had not where to lay His head. He wept over Jerusalem; He suffered agonies of mind in the garden of Gethsemane; and agonies, both of body and mind, upon the cross. Oh hate and avoid sin, which caused your Saviour such suffering. Be afraid of sin; watch and pray against the very beginnings of evil. Ask God to pardon all your sins, and as Jeremiah makes use in his prayer of that powerful plea, "We are called by Thy name, and for Thy name's sake," so do you make use of that all-worthy name of His most beloved Son, to whom, He has assured us, He will deny nothing at all. Through Him, the Son of His love, we have access, with confidence, to the Father. In that all-prevailing name we come, like Esther, with a right to touch the Great King's golden sceptre. "Jesus, name of wondrous love, A. A. SOME LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF RUTH. How often we have heard and read the history of Ruth the Moabitess! Now let us try and discover some lessons for ourselves in it. I. THE FAMINE.-Look at the first chapter of Ruth. She lived long, long ago (ver. 1). The history of Naomi, her mother-in-law, is a very sad one. She, unlike Ruth, was a daughter of Israel, and lived in the land of Canaan; but the people in her time were unlike what they had been in the time of Joshua (Josh. xxiv. 31; Jud. ii. 10-19, iv. 6), they forsook their God, and perhaps in judgment He sent a famine He sometimes does (see Ps. cv. 16; Ezek. xiv. 13, 14). as How thankful we should be to Him for our food (Ps. cxlvii. 8, 9); how careful not to waste it (John vi. 12); how anxious to help others who have not as much as ourselves (Eph. iv. 28; Prov. xxxi. 19, 20). Can you tell me of a worse famine than of bread (Amos viii. 11)? In many countries now there is this famine; should we not send and tell them of the bread of life (John vi. 35)? God's people are not exempt from poverty or other sorrows; but they have a refuge and a comfort in it (Rom. viii. 28, 35-39). II. THE BEREAVEMENT. We have read how Elimelech and his family left their home and went to live in a land where the people were idolaters, and of all the trouble which came on them there (ver. 2-5). Both the older man and the sons were called to meet their God; for death may come where we look not for it; of the four who left Canaan only one was left in Moab. But she had two daughters-in-law with her; for her sons had, contrary to God's command, married heathen wives (ver. 4, 15; see also Deut. vii. 3; 2 Cor. vi. 14; 1 Cor. vii. 39). Look whom David chose for his friends (Ps. cxix. 19). III. A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE. - And now Naomi determines to return to her own country, and what a beautiful picture of home-love we find in verses 5-17! What a bright example Naomi must have set! How wisely and kindly she must have acted in Moab. Though she was poor and friendless her daughters-in-law were willing to leave home and friends for her sake! They thought well of her religion and her country from what they saw and heard of her. Could your companions, relatives, and neighbours, dear children, think well of religion when they behold your daily conduct? Do they see such love and willingness to help at home? Do they hear such kind, gentle words in your work? IV. THE DIFFERENCE. Now mark the difference of the conduct of Ruth and Orpah (ver. 14). Both had good intentions; but when Orpah thought of the difficulties in Canaan, and the comforts of Moab, sorrowfully, with tears and embraces, she left her motherin-law and departed. A sad decision! Better have been poor and friendless here, and have gone and received of an unchangeable Friend everlasting riches. But how many now act like Orpah! They admire religion and religious people; but they cannot make up their minds to "seek first," etc. (Matt. vi. 33). They resemble the young man in Mark x. 22; they turn back to Moab instead of going on to Canaan; they are a cause of much grief and disappointment to their Christian friends and teachers (look at Matt. xiii. 20, 21; 2 Tim. iv. 10). May God have mercy on such, and bring them to a wiser and better mind before it is too late. How differently Ruth acted! Neither her sister's example nor her mother-inlaw's words could shake her resolution. It was not only love to Naomi which caused her to persevere in it, but desire to know and serve Naomi's God. 66 Read her beautiful words again (ver. 16, 17). Do not only admire them; but say to God's people, Thy God shail be my God." Show that you mean it by your actions as well as your words. Join yourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant, not to be forgotten (Jer. 1. 5). "Better is it" (Eccles. v. 4, 5). Seek the grace of His Holy Spirit, to enable you to keep your resolution, for man's strength is indeed perfect weakness; and then you will find your choice was indeed a good one (Deut. xxx. 12, 20), and you will reap the reward promised in Romans ii. 6, 7. V. THE POWER OF DECISION (ver. 18). -The more decided you are to do right, the easier you will find it. It is the half-hearted and faint whom people try most to persuade to do wrong. And so Naomi and Ruth continued their sad journey, with no earthly help or friend but the Friend of the friendless and the God of the widow; and He proved a Friend indeed. Ten years had made a great change in Naomi; sorrow had done its work, her old neighbours hardly knew her, and in her sorrow she refuses her old joyful name of Naomi,. Pleasant, and chooses the sad one of Mara, Bitter. And yet she knew that all her trouble came from the Lord's hand (Ruth i. 20, 21). Yes, all sorrow is sent by Him (Lam. iii. 33) who chastens His people for their profit (Heb. xii. 10, 11). VI. THE HARVEST.-It was the beginning of barley harvest when the strangers reached Bethlehem, about the time of our April. God had given the Jews many rules about their harvest. (Look at Lev. xxiii. 10, 14, 22; Exod. xxxiv. 21, 22). Some of these directions were to serve as types (1 Cor. xv. 20-23). Think of some rules which God has given about |