TRUST! A New Year's Address.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 189, 29 January 1887, Page 8

TRUST! A New Year's Address.

And now what awaits us in the New Year?, Perhaps wo are curious to know. We try to asce.tain, but the effort fails at once. Wo cannot peer into tho future— no, not so much aa into the next minute — in -our endtavour to ascertain what may betide us presently. All is dark, utterly dark ! .Not one single event, beyond that which we are afc the present moment occupied, can we discern. We give up the attempt in complete despair. And, in giving it up, we do so without indulging a thought of lenewing it more successfully by and by. " Wo," we say, " I ouust let it alone ; I cannot possibly ascertain what experiences may await me in the New Year." Our thoughts revert to the past, We glance through the chief events with which we had to do in 1886. We sco the occurrences of the year aa in a picture. There they all lie spread out before our eyes — many of them, pi rhaps, painted in very vivid colouis indeed. We gaze, and gaze still ; and then, i 1 may be, we sigh deeply. Ah, we think ot the painiul and trying exporieuees through which we had to pass. The bitter cup was again and again placed in our hand, and we nad to drink it ; or we had to pass under the rod, aud we remember well the sinaTt of the stroke. Yea, thero wore shaded poitions of the way we had to take in 188G -probably deeply shaded in tome instances. Ono tells how his business affairs presented elements of gteat discouragement, and he feared a crisis fraught with disastrous consequences. Another remembers woll tho laying low upon a bed of dangerous illness of some beloved ono ; and how the days passed by amid hopes and fears, until at length the weak aud weary one seemed compelled to give up the unequal conflict, and lay the head upon the pillow to die. Oil the anguish of that moment to those who watched ! And oh the sweetneaa of that "still, ymall voice "that prompted the ** Even so, Father !" And oh the ''perfect peace" of the hours that slowly wore away till tho grey dawn of the succeeding day ! And oh the joy, and the praise, and the gidteful love, when the morning came and tho sun arose ! For the Healer had spoken tho restoring woid, and tho dear one vva3 yet to live. A third had experiences of another kind, in the j-ear judfc closed. Occupying an honourable position, and ever intensely longing and piaying to be enabled to walk blamelessly before oil men, his reputation was assailed, his actions were misinterpreted, his word was doubted. Sore trial this ; ah, sore indeed ! But by and by the Lord Himself took care the dcog, dense cloud should clear away, and the' brightest sunshine be restored. * Or, yet again, ii is remembered that in ISB6, all unexpectedly, all unannounced, the last dread loe entered a community, a congregation, a homo, and in an instant laid low in the long sleep of death one whom our hearts would have cried to God to spare, and upon whose too early grave the tears of unaffected sorrow now fall fast. " Good-bye - for the present." tells of the loss, tho vacancy, tho sundered relationships bore ; but also of the " sure and certain hope" of the glad meeting in the Father's house above ; for " they who love Jeeus never say, 'good-b>e' for the last time." And still memory goes on to tell of trial?, temptations, discouragement, loeaea, perplexities, anxieties in the past. Oh, how many of these experiences marked the occurrences of ISSU. We do not forget thorn. Perhap?, in many instances, as wo review the previous year, these things almost entirely occupy the mind, and we live our troubleß "o'er again " Certuinlyic should uoc be so ; bub perhaps it is. And what is the rnault? Standing on tho threshold of 18S7, we -fear ! Fear ! And under the influence of fear we say, " I know not how many fresh tiials and troubles I may experience in 1887. There uill be much for me to bear, no doubt. Perhaps sorer distresses and heavier afflictions await me than those of 1886 Woe is me ! 1 am afraid !" At such a moment all former experiences of relief and deliverance are lost sight of, or but dimly seen, the sufferings and trials glare before the mind in intensity of colojring ; and so tho future, which may reproduce the pad events! of the past, is dreaded, anS Ihe scared one exclaims, "I'm afraid !" Ye' the foar is unnecessary. May we not go further, and say it is wrong? Tiue, the veil of the future will still hide its events aud ocurencut? irom our view, and the trjjin^ experiences, which wo remember so well, may be renewed to us even io sell greater number and still further severity. But all fear may be banished. God has provided an antidote, lie woulu huve us anticipate the future in a " jjj'jie excellent way." He wants us to trust, Trusting id no new experionce to any of us. Wo already live the "trust-life" every day. We trust those who prepare our food, those with whom we have to do in our business, in our homes, and by the wayside Thousands of travellers each 'day trust themselves to the care of those who conduct the rapidly moving trains. It is quite 1)ho rare exception whon we cannot aud do not trust another ; and wero the " trust-life" to become an impossibility our ordinary exiatonco would be simply intolerablo. Theuo might, well be fear when we could not trust. Ten thousand fcrms of danger continually surround us, myriads of hands might do us grievous harm, nothing would give ua peace, or comfort, or joy, aa the tormenting fear possessed our minds and dominated our daily lives. Who would caru to iivo under such conditions ? Would any one ? Yet we all trust, to an almost unMmited extant, not only our friends, but evon the utter stranger* from whom we buy food, with whom we travel, and with whom we carry on the multitudinous transactions of every day lite. And trusting, we are at peace ; yea, we can enjoy life and be happy— otherr thingß being equal. Tbis, too, is the antidote to discouraging and frightening apprehensions of future lossee, trials, sufferings,— trust. Nab a blind trusting in "good fortune," or " luck," or the " chances " of the »* chapter of accidents," but in Him who governs the universe and the affairs of His people ; who lovea his children, and is purposed to bless them, and lead them aright, and has given them many a aure word of promise, upon whioh thwy may confidently rest, and

according to which he will make — is making —all things work together for theirgood. "Trust Me," says our Father, as He takes ourselves and all our affairs in hand on the first day of New Year. How simple the invitation ! How possible the privilege ? How full of blessing the result ! The Word of God abundantly instructs us in all this, and gives us bright and illustrious examples. We are told to trust in the Lord at all times, under all circum stances, and respecting everything ; to com mit ourselves and our way unto Him ; to rest in the Lord. He knoweth our needs, our difficulties, our insufficiency. He understands what is best for us, and by which way to lead us, and how to order our goings and our experiences. The very hairs of our head are numbered, and He sees procisely what to do with us, and how to arrange our affairs ao that Hia own gracious and loving purposes may be brought to pass. All the limitless resources of His love and grace are accessible to us according to our necessities, and He will Himself take care that we lack no manner of things that is good. Then we are told of Abraham, who left country and home to obey the unexplained call of God, and who went forth in simple trust, " not knowing whither he went." It is related, too, that in subsequent times, when God's magnificent promises to him were in process of actual accomplishment, God called him again to go to a certain mountain, and there offer up aa a sacrifice the very eon in whoee life these glorious promises centred and we mark how he instantly obeyed, taking with him tho wood and a knife, and Isaac his son ; and how in due time he was about with uplifted hands to sla> hia son, lying before his eyes npon the altar ! What a splendid instance of trust ! And so also with Daniel, and with Shadrach, Meehach, and Abednego, and with David, and with Paul, and with hosts of others who trusted in God. We see "the end of the Lord" in all these cases God signally honoured His servants who trusted Him. The result was invariably for His glory and their own surpassing welfare and happiness. "Blessed," said one of them, " are all they that put their trust in Him." And ever since the days of old has it been the same. The holy martyrs trusted in God, and " loved not their lives unto the death.." Men have gone forth, under the constraining power oFthe love of Cbriet, to evangelize heathen lands, trusting in Hie apsnring word,-"Lo, I amvvith you a! way." Praise God for the response to simple, implicit trust in Him which wo see in a thousand instances. And thus it has always been. God has always signally recognised, acknowledged, and blessed the lives and experiences of the trusting onea. And in humble instances how distinct, and clear, and well defined has been the seal God has set upon the exercise of eimple trust. The witnesses are legion ! And the testi mony borne is unanimous and consistent. There cannot be a single doubt upon the point. God, according to His Word, keeps him in " perfect peace " whose xnind i* stayed on Him, " because he trusteth in Him." Children of God, this New Year's word is for us all. Every child should trust — implicitly, always, and about everything;. And all God's children may partako of the blee9edness some have realised, and of which they joyfully and gratefully testify. Mark ! Trusting does not exempt us from trial and affliction, or from feeling the heat of the furnace or the wild tossing of the tempest- waves. But it gives peace— " perfect peace "— in the furnace and amid the billows. This is worth much, is it not ? Then, let its trust ! God says?, in anticipation of all trials and all i\eeds -. " Fear thon not, for I am with thea : be not dismayed, for lam thy God. I will strengthen then ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with the right band of My righteouenoeq." Is not thi* enough ? Let us trust ! We may rest our confidence in God. We reay be sure He will fulfil His Word, and do as He has said Let us truU ! Many sing trust hymns very heartily, but forget the trust-life. The hymns are precious and delightful, but the life is more precious and delightful far. Let us trust ! Our experiences will be of a very different character to what they have boon, aa we get rid of the doubts and fears, the corroding cares, and the peace-destroy-ing and joy-blighting anxiousness, which God would hare us put away for ever. Let its trust! Never mind what may await us in ISS7, of trouble or trial, temptation or porrow. Leave all that to Him. Ho will come with eich trying occurrence ; and all will be well. "I will not fail thee," may inJood suffice to assure u£ ot all needtd grace. And " £ will come unto thee, and I "ft ill blesa thee," shall ceitoinly be fulfilled. Now for tbe Response ! What shall it bo V Shall it be this : " I will trust, and not be atraid ?" Yet a further remark. This little New Year's word is addressed to Cbiistiane. Pofesibly some one may day, sorrowfully, " Ah, but I am not a Christian " If so, then thou canst not as yet accept tho woid. Keconciliation must precedo the exorcise of the trust of -which tiua address treaty Oh, thon, be reconciled ! Begin this New Year at the fooc of the Croae. Betake thysolf to Calvary. Behold the Incarnate Son of God bearing thy sins, dying for thee. Anxious to be reconciled and ?aved, thou hafcfc but to look and live ; but to believe, and eternal life is thine. Do not lay this paper down and go away continuing unreconciled. God's moment of mercy toward thao is " now " He will surely accept thee, pardon thee, save thy soul, and send thee on thy was rejoicing, if thou wilt *Com<t noiv " and simply, fully, heartily bdievt. [ Oh, Come ! A thousand joys await thee. ' Blessings, more precious than words can describe, shall be thine. Thy Father will clasp theo to Hl3 bosom, and straightway begin to lead thee homewards, heavenwards Thou wilt scarce know thyself for joy and gladness of heart as thou art assured thy sins are all forgiven, and thy transgressions blotted out, Oh, Come! Jesus invitos thee. Angelg wait to rejoice over thee. The Father longs to receive thee. "All things are now ready " for thine acceptance. 'There need not to© a single moment's delay. This very moment thou mayest " touch tho sceptre," —"look," "believe." On thy knees, then, let this be the lan • guage of thy heart :— Just a3 l am, without one jilea, But that Thy blood was shod, lor me, And that TJiou bid'dt me come to Thee, O Lamb of G-od, I come ! Just as I ana ; Thr love unknown Has brateen every barrier down ; Now to be Thine, yea. Thine alpne, 0 Lamb ot God, I oimc I