Nearer Home.

How rich the grace which has not only forgiven our sins, crucified our old man, removed all enmity toward God from our hearts, and put us in happy communion with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, but has also provided a most blessed home for the end of the journey! The home is not in some far-off corner, but with Him who loves us and gave Himself for us, where every affection born within us by the Spirit of love will have its fullest satisfaction. Blessed home indeed! We may be weary and worn and forgotten and neglected here, but the light and love of that nearing home brightens the way. As each year ends, it is so much of the way nearer that home-so much of it never to be traveled over again. As a new year begins, it says we may have reached it before its end; that our Lord, with a shout of command, may have wakened His sleeping saints and assembled us all together around Himself, away from this scene of our pilgrimage. Wonderful assemblage! Wonderful meeting again in joy those faces we had parted with in sorrow! No more tears, the good fight is ended, our victorious Lord delights in His mighty victory, and we, falling at His feet in blissful worship, shall share it all with Him! With such prospects before us, well may we begin our new year with rejoicing and praise.

David and Elijah.

The flesh in the child God has very different ways of manifesting itself. In 2 Sam. 24 we see David numbering Israel, though he had so often proved God's delivering power against all odds of his enemies. But pride finds pleasure in numbers ; for, says man, there is power in numbers. How easily we fall into this! Yet we well know that in "the household of faith " power is not in numbers, but in our God. If it is His face, His will, His word, we really seek, we shall lack no power. If we seek numbers, we shall find but weakness.

In i Kings 19 we have quite an opposite picture. Elijah has been a most faithful prophet; he is suffering for it now. So he said, " I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts:for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away" (ver. 10). He repeats it in verse 14. But the Lord answers him by saying, "Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him " (ver. 18).

Faithfulness in an evil day brings us into prominence. There is a snare in this. We naturally love prominence. If we do not watch, we find pleasure in being alone, or only a few; we fancy we are the only faithful ones, and that we must be very faithful because we are alone, or so few. This becomes great pride, and our lowly Saviour and Lord cannot walk with pride.

Let us then watch against that insidious pride which can find food everywhere and in all circumstances.

Geo. O. Atkinson.
At the very moment of going to press there reaches us the news of the departure, at Key West, Fla., of our beloved and aged brother Mr. Geo. O. Atkinson. Being as well known as he was among us throughout a large section of the country we need say little of his life. His devotedness and piety were an example to many. We first met him in Minnesota over forty years ago, when he had first been learning truths from the Scriptures which had greatly changed his path in life, and at considerable cost. What a hold those truths had in his conscience and heart has been manifested in his course ever since. His race is ended, and the toils are over. Now, in the bliss of the Lord's presence he awaits the final examination by the Lord Himself of all those years of labor, and will regret no trial or suffering which arose from faithfulness to Christ.

In a letter from Key West which brings us the news of his death are these words:" He was brighter than usual on the Lord's day morning; was up early, and went to meeting at 10. 30, and gave a stirring address on Philip. 3:1-14. Also when the hymn " We'll sing of the Shepherd that died " was given out he led the tune. Then after the breaking of bread, as a brother in prayer was ending, at the close of the meeting, he fell from his chair on his knees and in an instant breathed his last without a struggle. The last words of his address were,' To know Him better', and a few moments after he was present with Him. We would gladly have sent his body north to his dear daughter but the authorities would not permit it, so his remains lie buried in our midst."