AS TAD WY, #4 NENA ENE NEN Wy EY { > : eae rs EN ZA RENTAL 7 '¢ Liff up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already fo harvest. ” . 1 = _ - _ Vor. 11 SouTH LANCASTER, Mass., JANUARY 7, 1903 No. 1 =. : ; : i FAITHFUL PROMISES. GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER. among us would be pleased to have | Isa. 41:10, ~~ the Lord do this? oo | STANDING at the portal LiBERALITY is one of the _directions It were better not to give at all than , Of the opening year, of the Holy Spirit, and when the pro- to give grudgingly; for if we impart of s Words of comfort meet us, fessed people of God withhold from our means when we have not the Sa Hushing every fear. the Lord hisown in gifts and offerings, spirit to give freely, we mock God. | as Spoken through the silence they meet with spiritual loss.” The Let us bear in mind that we are deal- By our Father's voice, . . . IP tn § Tender, strong, and faithful, Lord can not reward a stinted offering. ing with One upon whol we depend | Making us rejoice. Says the apostle, “ He which soweth for every blessing, One who reads 1, the Lord, am with thee, | sparingly shall reap also sparingly; every thought of the heart, every pur- Be thou not afraid | and he which soweth bountifully pose of the mind. i I will help and strengthen, . shall reap also bountifully. Every The apostle Paul had a special work ~ Be thou not dismayed! man according as he purposeth in his to present before his Corinthian breth: | v Vea, I will uphold thee heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, ren. There was a famine in Jeru- | r With my own right hand; Co. a ! L : Thou art called and chosen or of necessity: for God loveth a cheer- salem, and the disciples, “every man | In my sight to stand. ful giver. And God is, able to make according to his ability, determined to For the year before us, all grace abound toward you; that ye, send relief unto the brethren which Oh what rich supplies! always having all sufficiency in all dwelt m Judea.” They presented the NE NEN NY, For the poor and needy " Living streams shall rise; For the sad and sinful ~ Shall his grace abound ; For the faint and feeble Perfect strength be found. He will never fail us, He will not forsake; His eternal covenant He will never break ! Resting on his promise, oo : . What have we to fear? "God is all'sufficient “Bor the coming year. — Frances Ridley Havergal. M ®y bry y . ‘thou hast, that nt no man things, may abound to every good work.” ~ God has made men his almoners, copartners with himself in the great work of advancing his kingdom qu the earth; but they may pursue the course pursued by the unfaithful servant, and by so doing lose the most precious privileges ever granted. to men. For thousands of years God has worked through human agencies, but at his will he can drop out the selfish, the money-loving, and the covetous. He is not dependent on our means, and he will not be restricted by the human Ry He can carry on his own work though we act no 0 part in it. 4But who So need to the churches, expecting to re- ceive a small sum for the relief of the needy saints; and in prayer they pre- sented before the Lord the necessity. But the Macedonian brethren, moved hy the Spirit of God, first made anen- - tire consecration of themselves to God, and then gave all that they had. They felt it a privilege thus to give expres-. sion to their trust in God. The Mac- edonian brethren were poor, but they did not have to be urged to give. They rejoiced that they had opportu nity to contribute of their means. made the offering, in their C simplicity, their integrity an Of - themselves they came forward and.