I. Look backwards on the past year.

1. On your sins.

They are many—great—mighty. You need forgiveness, and Christ is ready to forgive. Neh. ix. 17. Make this your prayer for the past year, ‘Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.’ Ps. xxv. 11.

On your sins towards your husbands. Provocation—temper—carelessness of their comfort—an unyielding spirit. Again must you say, ‘Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.’

On your sins towards your children. Neglect—bad example—prayerlessness—cross tempers—hasty slaps. Again you must say, ‘Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.’

2. On your sorrows.

Poverty—sickness—death. Yet your sorrows not so many as your sins. How have you been helped through them! Have you profited? Heb. xii. 10. God has been teaching you, have you learnt the lesson?

3. On your mercies.

You can count your sorrows. Try and count your mercies, they are more than can be numbered. Ps. xl. 5. How undeserved they were! You have counted your days of sickness—have you those of health? Your hours of mourning—have you those of joy? Your children taken—have you counted your children spared? &c., &c. Were you thankful? Gen. xxxii. 10.

II. Look forward on the opening year.

On what? Can you tell?

How uncertain, you know not what will be even on the morrow. Jam. iv. 4. Prov. xxvii. 1. Who will be taken? Whose husband? Whose child?

You know not.

Therefore, ‘be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.’ Matt. xxiv. 44.

Can you say, ‘Even so come, Lord Jesus, come quickly?’