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A Page for the Young.

"I DID NOT OBEY MY PARENTS."

The jail was a large, gloomy-looking, stone building. In one of its rooms was a young man.about twenty-eight years old. He had been found guilty of making and passing bad money; and the judge said he must go to prison, and stay there as long as he lived. But he was so sick that he could not be removed to the prison.

Poor fellow! once he could play in the green fields, down by the cool spring, or under the shady trees around his father's house; or, when he was tired, he could go home and lay his head upon his mother's knee, and rest himself; or, if he was sick, she would sit by his bed and kindly nurse him. But now, how different; shut up in a dark gloomy jail, with no one to care for him, and all around cursing and swearing, and horrid noises! Oh, he felt very wretched!

Said he, "I shall never be able to go to prison, I am so sick. Oh, if I was only ready to die, it would not matter so much!" "And are not you ready to die?"

Oh, no!" said he, "I am afraid to die."

"But why are you afraid to die?”

"Because I am such a sinner."

"There is hope, and mercy, and salvation for sinners, for the greatest of sinners, through Jesus Christ."

"I have no hope. You may talk to me about Christ and salvation, but there is none hope for me."

I talked to him some time about his father; and when I spoke of his mother, then his lips trembled, and a single tear stole down his burning cheek.

"Was your mother a christian?”

<< Oh yes, Sir! a good woman she was. Many and many a time has she warned me of this."

"Then you have had good religious instruction, kind christian parents, who, no doubt, often prayed for you, and taught you to pray?"

"Oh, yes, Sir!"

"Then why are you here?”

Said the dying man, "I can answer you all in one word,—1 did not obey my parents!"

These were the last words he spoke to me. After saying a few words more to him, I came away, reflecting upon his awful condition, and the reason which he gave me for being in that dark and gloomy jail,—" I did not obey my parents!"

The Christmas month is come once more; come with all its various remembrances.

It reminds us of long ages of superstition. For hundreds of years credulity believed that on this very day the Lord of Glory was born. Pious people now, who think it well to do so, commemorate on this day the fact of Christ's birth; but, happily, the times are gone by, in this country at least, when days of mere human invention, like Good Friday and Christmas-day, are deemed as sacred as the Lord's-day, or more so. Let us be thankful for gospel light.

It reminds us of happy family meetings. Time was when riot and drunkenness defiled these gatherings. In all decent families things are mended now. How touching is the remembrance of those who met with us on these occasions never to do so again. Some vanished for ever from earth,—some scattered by emigration to its remotest countries,—and some, nearer to us, unable to leave their families and their duties to enjoy the sacred pleasure of meeting at the family hearth of all. Shall we all meet again? 'Love, thy true home is heaven." Are we, are they, in the path to heaven?

It reminds us of a more serious subject,—the state of our accounts. All respectable men of business, once a year, at least, balance their accounts; ascertain how much they owe, and how much they have to pay with. This is the most common time of the year for that purpose. How often, perhaps, have we anxiously looked forward to what the result would be. Whether it would be found that we had gained or lost; whether, it may be, we had lost so much more that perseverance was hopeless. Amidst the merriment of Christmas, how many hearts have been heavy and boding. Have we been equally anxious respecting our account for eternity? have we been as much more so, as eternity is more to us than time?

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Hence Christmas, like every marked day in our year, reminds us how fast we are hastening to the last account. We may have to give it, indeed, before this year is gone. tainly, we are one whole year nearer to it. How many more remain? Once, a year was the seventieth, fiftieth, twentieth, tenth part of our life,-what part of it is a year now? What myriads of our fellow-men have gone to their Maker's bar since last Christmas! "Be thou, also, ready, for in such an hour as thou thinkest not, the Son of Man cometh."

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"There is a way that seemeth, right unto a man; but the end thereof is the ways of DEATH."-Prov. xvi. 25.

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A PAGE FOR THE YOUNG.-Little Bell; oR, THE NEW YEAR'S DRESS.

Cover, p. 3.

THE NEW YEAR AND THE HOUSE OF GOD.-Cover, p. 4.

PRICE ONE HALFPENNY.

LEEDS:

JOHN HEATON, 7, BRIGGATE;

LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., ARTHUR HALL & CO. BENJAMIN L. GREEN;

EDINBURGH: JOHNSTONE & HUNTER.

May be had by order of any Bookseller.

On the first day of the first month of 1852, we cordially offer to all our readers the hearty wish that they may have a "HAPPY NEW YEAR.' ." If we could, we would make all our friends "HAPPY," in all senses; but amongst the vast number who peruse our pages, there are doubtless many who will have much of unhappiness, and we can only, therefore, wish for them all the comforts which it is well, in the highest sense, for them to have, and that they may possess that religion which can alone prepare them for all the events of the future, whatever they may be.

We commence the New Year with the resolve to devote ourselves, with renewed earnestness, to our work. May He who has sustained and blessed us thus far, sustain and bless us still.

We trust our readers will not fail to do what they can to enlarge our circulation. This month presents the best opportunity of any in the whole year; and much may be done by simply recommending our magazine to those who have not hitherto taken it. Those who have themselves received benefit from our efforts, will, we hope, be glad to place the means by which they have been blessed within the reach of others also.

TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS.

OMEGA. We cannot hold ourselves bound to answer correspondents who do not favour us (in confidence) with their name and address. Thus much, however, we may observe, that his second argument renders his first worthless. He first alleges, against belief or faith as required in the Bible, that some merit is attached to belief, some demerit to unbelief, but this he affirms is contrary to our consciousness, which testifies that belief is a mere passive state of the mind; but he argues, secondly, that there is no such thing as spirit, that it is an "impossibility,"-hence no hell, no heaven, and, of course, no accountability. If, then, our spirit be an impossibility, so must merit and demerit be,-since no one can conceive of mere matter as possessing either. "Omega" cannot, therefore, argue from what he afterwards discards. The truth is, "consciousness" testifies that our belief and disbelief is, to a large extent, in our power. We can hear evidence or refuse it,-attend to it or be indifferent,-hear one side or both sides, attend to what accords with our prepossessions or strive to be candid,to this extent belief is voluntary, and, to this extent, we are accountable for it. As to the existence of an intelligent, perceptive, remembering, reasoning self, distinct from the material organ which it uses, in perfect contrast to matter yet controlling it, the voice of consciousness is clear and unequivocal. It is far more rational, indeed, to disbelieve the existence of matter than of spirit. We cannot, however, pretend to argue with any one whose metaphysics reduce him to mere matter. Carbon, nitrogen, phosphate of lime, water, &c., of which our bodies are composed, have not, either singly or in combination, any capacity, so far as we can understand, of appreciating even our humble reasonings. We admire much of the poetry of the Libertine of Venice, but do not take him as our religious guide. We are conscious of being no mere machines ourselves, and we cannot reason with mere machines, since, of course, they will go on as they are formed to go, without any power of free, voluntary action. We can reason only with those who feel themselves to be spirits like ourselves. Is 'Omega" aware that by logic much more conclusive than his, it is easy to disprove both liberty and necessity, one of which must, however, be true? That even motion can be disproved, and long has been logically? Logic is inapplicable to ultimate facts. They are its data, not its subjects.

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THE APPEAL.

"A DAY AT A TIME.”

We are all apt to look both too far off, and not far enough ;-not far enough, because we do not look so far as that ETERNITY we must so soon enter;-too far, because we look beyond the present, and put off till to-morrow what should be done to-day. We are sure of the present moment; we are sure of eternity; we are not sure of the time between: yet to-morrow and onwards is the time we chiefly think of and talk of; the time for which we plan, and in which we continually propose, to accomplish so much. To-day and Eternity! these, the most important of all to us, how easily we forget them!

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Is, then, to-morrow,-is the new year,—are future years,-never to be thought of,-never to be planned for? That is the other extreme. Though utterly uncertain "what shall be on the morrow," though it is quite possible Eternity may be our morrow,-yet we are likely to live many days, it may be years; and to live to-day so as to insure want, misery, or suffering to-morrow, or another year, or ten years hence, if we live so long, is to abuse the reason which God has given us. Still TO-DAY is, next to Eternity, the most solemn period in our existence. The innumerable bankruptcies in the Gazette of Time, and in the Court of Eternity, are all due to squandering or neglecting TO-DAY. Bills for duty drawn on "to-morrow" are never paid, they are renewed for "to-morrow," again and again, till the procrastinating man is undone for ever. To-day is God's word. Tomorrow is Satan's word.

We are now all wishing each other a "Happy New Year," and we wish it for ourselves too. We think of what will secure us a new year happier than last year. This is well. If, then, you wish for a happy year, our advice is, take it “a day at a time." You cannot get happily through the year without attention, good arrangement, and industry in respect to your temporal affairs. Well, do not think so much of a year's industry and attention,-think of to-day's; take the year of your worldly business "a day at a time." Let to-day's accounts be put as straight as possible,-to-day's work be done in full, -to-day's occupations be well ordered; so to-morrow's business will be better done, and the next day's too, and the whole year's.

You cannot get happily through the year, without conducting yourself in your family as you ought. You see some alterations which would be a great comfort to your wife, and a great benefit to your children. Do not, then, propose to accomplish your family reforms in the course of the year; take this work also "a day at a time." See

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