A NEW YEAR'S DISCOURSE

Westport Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1967, 17 January 1882, Page 3

A NEW YEAR'S DISCOURSE

" Asmodeus" wrote as under in the N.Z. Mail of December 24th:Another year Las passed, or very nearly, and to-night there will be invocations of churchmen and chapelmen, and tabernaclemen—l won't gay Christians, for Christians are so very scarce —for grace to do better in the future and true repentance for the sins of the past. So far as the terms used are concerned, they are very nice, but it is the spirit of the thing that is wanting. Year after year pass by ; we —or rather " they," for I am out ot the ruck—are miserable sinners to a man, and woman too, and crave for mercy ; and year by year the style of living is just the same —never a bit of difference. Secret and darling sins are as much in vogue as ever, as any one may ascertain for himself who will look through the roofs with me. Slandering and backbiting are rather on the increase—one or two gross cases have occurred in this city lately. Pride and its handmaidens, envy, hatred, malic, are rife as ever; and uncharitableness of the common kind abounds. And as a fiismy effort to screen all this, the cloak of Pliariseeism is everywhere apparent, and brows are bound with the phylacteries of self-righteousness. Whilst much of these shortcomings is the outcome of sheer worldliness, of pure animalism, the lack of earnest belief in a future destiny is also an exciting cause. True religion is at ?» premium • the religion of the day is merely worn as a convenient garment of fashionable cut. Truly is there much need of a new dispensation, and as surely as I am penning this, one is trying to force its way, is appealing to the hearts and reason of men. I suppose I must follow the fashion by tendering seaI sonable wishes, I do wish all of you " miserable sinners," as you love to \ dub vpurßelves "A happy .New

Tear," and a better one, knowing full well that you won't be a bit better when the year is ended. Two things are indispensibleto your reformation—a new Dispensation, and a new Bankruptcy Act. Let Harry Atkinson see about the latter without loss of time The country looks to him, as Trea» surer, for the initiation of commercial reforms, and looks with despair to the churches for the initiation of religious ones.