BIBLE TRUTHS. SUNDAY, December 4.-" Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Prov. xxvii. 1). WE E ought to prepare for tomorrow, but we must not presume upon it. He who lives as if there were no to-morrow, and makes no preparation for it, acts the part of an animal rather than a man. God has given us the power and laid upon us the duty of looking forward to the future. We are not to live for the present moment alone. But then death may come at any hour. We may not live to see tomorrow. We do not even know what this "day may bring forth." There is one thing needful" for us to do. There is a future which is certain to all. Death will come, and after death the judgment, and after the judgment eternity. Are we prepared for these things? we should die this night, where should we be to-morrow-in heaven or in hell? Let us not leave to chance or to the uncertain future the great concern of salvation. Today is God's set time for our salvation. To-morrow may be too late. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salva tion." "The present moment flies, O make thy servants truly wise, If rich and powerful man to ask a Swift as the morning light, SUNDAY, December 18.-"Occupy till I come" (Luke xix. 13). OUR stewards and disobedient servants. May God help us to be faithful and diligent, so that our Master may say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful in a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." "When thou, my righteous Judge, shalt come To fetch thy ransomed people home, Shall I among them stand? sins. This is the meaning of the save his people from their name which he was to bear. His birth, his life, and his death all had this object in view. On his throne of glory he is still carrying on the same work. "Him hath God exalted, with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give UR WR Lord here speaks of himself repentance and the forgiveness of as a Master who has entrustedsins." With what joy and gratitude, property to the hands of his so then, should we welcome his birth, vants, that they may employ it remembering that he who was born during his absence. He warns on this day to be our Saviour still them that he shall return-they lives to receive sinners and save know not when-and require from them. We cannot go to him in his each of them an account of the cradle as the shepherds and the use they have made of it. What-wise men from the east did. But ever we have is entrusted to us to we can, in faith and prayer, go to use for Christ. It is not our own. him on his throne and find him -they It all belongs to him, and we our-waiting to bless us. As we meet selves are his. We are only stew-to-day in the house of God to sing ards, and we shall have to give his praise and seek his mercy, he will be with us, though unseen by an account at last. How are we discharging this duty? What account shall we have to give? Are we wasting our powers, our time, our bodies and souls, in the follies of sin? Are we living as if we were our own masters, and had a right to use what we have as we please? If so, we are unfaithful us. We shall call him by the name of Jesus, and find that he is to us all that the name means, for he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer's ear; It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear." '' HOW TO BE GREAT, AND RICH, AND GLORIOUS. H, but he was a great man, that Christopher Columbus," said the schoolmaster, as he stood mending a pen for John Waite, his neighbour. The schoolmaster was reading when John came in for his pen, but he laid down his book directly, and took out his knife and picked a stout clear quill from his bundle and began to shape it at once. not greater than Mr. Jackson, who "True, true," said the schoolmaster; "but just think of the glory he got. Mr. Jackson is but Mr. Jackson with all his money, and never will be anything greater; but Columbus! everybody knows "What's your book?" John had what he did. Oh! it was a glorious asked, taking it up. thing to do, and he was a great while Henry Wills sat listening. Many thoughts passed through his mind. He remembered how often he had wished to be clever, that he might get on in the world; and how sometimes he had fancied that if he had been strong he might have gone abroad and made a large fortune. "I have had many discontented thoughts," he said to himself, "but now I have heard afresh what I knew before but so often forget--that the glory of this world passeth away, and that riches will not last." Then he thought of the true glory and riches, where "It's the Discovery of America," man, John!" there is no uncertainty and no said the schoolmaster. “I don't know about glory," said death; and his thoughts shaped What, the America where all John, as he tried the pen on a themselves into a prayer: " If I this fighting is going on?" piece of paper to see if it would had been well and strong, or do, but it seems to me Mr. Jack-very clever, I might have set my son is a real great man: for hasn't heart on the things that perish. So he built a beautiful house, and got I do thank Thee and praise Thee, my servants, and carriages, and horses Heavenly Father, and I pray that in plenty? and can't he wear what Thou wilt keep me believing on clothes he likes, and eat and drink Thee and loving Thee till I come to what he likes, and go where he Thee to be happy for ever, through likes, and do what he likes? Jesus Christ my dear Saviour." What's the good of glory? Columbus is no better off for it now than if he had never had it." "The very same," replied the schoolmaster; and then he gave a very good account of how Christopher Columbus first thought there must be another world across the sea; then how he went through all sorts of trouble and suffering till he found it; and he finished with these words, “Oh, but he was a great man, that Christopher Columbus!" Now there was another person in the schoolmaster's cottage, and this was a young man who had a complaint in his hip, which hindered him sometimes from his work for weeks together; so that he had much ado with all his care to maintain himself; but though he suffered much and often, he was a very happy young man, for in his quiet hours of lying by he had learnt to know and love the Lord Jesus as his Saviour; and all who truly know and love him are happy. Well, his name was Henry Wills; and as the schoolmaster spoke he listened, but made no answer. But John Waite said, "Yes, he must have been a great man, but The schoolmaster and John could all his glory, And the same thought struck the schoolmaster too, and he began to talk with Henry; and after the talk was over he said, "It is this, Henry: God gives gifts of wisdom and cleverness to many, and they get to themselves glory and money; but if they rest satisfied with these, theirs is a poor lot indeed, and we have no need to envy them." MONEY SAVED, OR WISELY SPENT, BRINGS AN OLD AGE OF CONTENT. WORKING MEN'S ANNUITIES AND LIFE ASSURANCE. Y a late Act of Parliament, any person will shortly be able to purchase a deferred annuity (that is, an annuity payable after the assurer shall have arrived at a certain age), or to secure a sum payable at his death, upon terms arranged expressly for the ease and convenience of the working man. The deferred annuity can be purchased to any amount not greater than £50 a-year; and the sum assured, to be paid at death, may be any sum not less than £20 or exceeding £100; and the age of the persons assuring may be any age between sixteen and sixty years. Persons assuring their lives, and holding their policies for five years, may, at the end of that time, give them up, in case of their not being able to continue their payments, and receive their value at that time in money; or, instead of the money, they can have, if they choose, an annuity, immediate or deferred, which is equal to their value in ready money. In such case, however, it should be borne in mind, the value of the policy, in whatever form it be received, will not be equal to the premiums paid in, or even to half their amount-the Act, indeed, only provides that it shall not be less than one-third of the total amount of such premiums. This is quite fair, because persons assuring are rightly assumed to receive the larger part of the value of their premiums in the certainty they enjoy, that should they die the sum for which they assure will be paid to their heirs; it is fair, also, because the premiums of all assurance offices are calculated on the understanding that they shall be paid during the whole period of the life of the assured. In most offices, if the assurer fails in his payments he forfeits his policy, and has no return for all he has paid in. The provisions of this act are therefore more than commonly favourable to assurers. If, however, the assurer should prefer to do so, he may sell his policy instead of surrendering it to Government, and the person who buys it may continue the payment of the premiums and receive the sum assured at the death of the assurer. In case of disputes or misunderstandings with the office, assurers under this Act are saved from heavy law expenses, inasmuch as they can bring their business before the County Court, which has power to settle all disputed questions without appeal. What renders this Act of Parliament particularly valuable to the working man, are the provisions it authorizes for the payment of premiums at short periods, and by small instalments, such instalments being as low as two shillings-a sum that most men, really desirous of saving, can manage to spare. The Act does not come into operation immediately, but waits for the preparation of the tables, which will set forth the rates of payment to be made, and the periods of the several instalments, and other regulations for the conduct of the business. These tables may be expected to be made public soon after the opening of Parliament next year. In the meantime, we commend the provisions of this new lawwhich is purposely framed in the interest of the working man, and to meet the necessities of his case-to the consideration of our readers. Government here comes forward to do for the labouring classes that which experience has shown they often fail in doing for themselves; that is, it guarantees for them the full benefit of their savings, be they much or little, and gives them as good a security for their investments as any nobleman in the land has for the interest of his capital. Hitherto the practice of prudence, economy, and forethought among the poor has from time to time received great discouragement through default of the institutions which they trusted, and which, in some cases from ignorance, and in others from want of principle on the part of the managers, have taken their money and then failed to return the promised help in the hour of need. Hundreds of benefit clubs and societies in town and country have become bankrupt and deluded their subscribers; and there are thousands of poor men at this moment who should, by virtue of their payments, be in receipt of relief, who are yet without resources because the societies to which they belonged are broken up or are insolvent. It was but the other day, while holiday-making in a seaport town, that we fell in with an old boatman, who, in his sixty-fifth year, was left, destitute and disabled, in a most helpless condition, after paying for thirty-four years to a club, from which, in the whole time, he had received but two weeks' sick pay. In this instance it appeared that no one was to be blamed for anything but ignorance. The club had started thirty-five years ago with a round number of members, nearly all young, and for a long time was supposed to be a most prosperous and thriving affair-it was, indeed, held up as an example to other clubs; but as years rolled on it became less able to meet the claims made upon it, because the members were older and oftener sick and dying, while young members were slow to come forward. When our poor old boatman was disabled by accident, and applied for the relief for which he had been paying so many years, he was informed that there was no money in hand; nor, beyond a few shillings handed to him by one of the managers, did he receive anything. The club soon afterwards ceased to exist. In other cases which have come under our notice, old members have been thrust aside, after a few weeks' relief, against the rules of the club, in pursuance of a new law made on purpose to exclude them -the members being driven to this cruel resource in order to keep their society afloat. Now persons assuring their lives, or buying annuities, under the new Act of Parliament, will incur no risk whatever of such loss or disappointment. It is true they will not be offered such large advantages in return for their payments as many benefit societies do offer; the Government office will only give in return what such payments are really worth-value for value-but then it may be relied on with perfect security for the discharge of its contracts. Whether a working man should assure for a sum at death, or contract for a deferred annuity, will depend on the circumstances in which he is placed. If he has those depending upon him who would be left helpless by his death, it will be best for him to assure his life; but if not, the deferred annuity will be more desirable, since it will give him a feeling of independence, and will save him from being a burden on others in his old age. Many working men are in a condition both to assure their lives and to pay for deferred annuities; and we would strongly recommend such men to do both. They will find their account in it in the satisfaction they will enjoy in the present, and their confidence in the future. In anticipation of the new Act coming into force, labouring men who can manage it should begin depositing in the Post-Office Savings' Bank, and thus get together the amount of a few instalments to start with. WID&G LONG ON FOXTER MONEY SQUANDERED DAY BY DAY, LEAVES A DEBT YEARS CANNOT PAY. THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY, 56, 1'A1ERNOSTER ROW, AND 184, PICCADILLY. PRINTED BY B. K. BURT, HOLBORN HILL. |