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THE KING’S BUSINESS “ blessed,” in the Hebrew (O. T .) is from a root meaning “ right” or “ upright,” and therefore gives the same moral quality to the Greek (N. T .) term rendered “ blessed” ; which originally meant no more than " fortunate” “prosperous,” “ rich,” like our happy. These are significant facts. In the heathen tongues “ happiness” had no moral foundations; to the Hebrew it could stand on no other! Hence, friend, to be happy in the biblical sense righteous ness is essential; the ideas, upright, happy, are identical (Rom. 4 :6 ). There are two aspects of this essential: I. An imputed righteousness reckoned to believers in virtue of the blood of the righteous One, by the grace of God, on the ground of faith (Rom. 3 :24- 26; 4:1-7). Without this peace of mind and security o f life are impossible . Whatever fancied felicity one may anticipate or bask in, in this or any year, “ the stars light against” him. II. The second aspect of righteousness essential to happiness is right eousness inherent and in practice; a righteousness animated by love, for right eousness is conformity to moral law and love is the substance and fulfilling of that law (Rom. 13:8-10). Our prayer for you, and your hope, for the year can be realized only if you are reckoned and reckoning* yourself a possessor of that imputed righteousness (Rom. 5 : 1 ) ; and practice, through grace, that other righteousness, the root and fruit of Love. Happiness is thus, as the Hebrew intuitively saw, inseparable from right relations to Law and loving relations with God and man. Make happy—be happy. In every instance in the Hebrew the word “ blessed” is plural. Think of that! God gives no blessing, but “ blessednesses” ; whom He calls them He also justifies; whom He justifies them he also glorifies” (Rom. 8 :3 0 ). “All things are yours” (2 Cor. 3 :21 -23 ); aye, “ all seeming evil” is real good (Rom. 8 :28 ). “ Our heart is enlarged toward you,” reader, we beseech you, therefore by the mercies of God, to present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service, and the happen-nesses of the year shall prove the blessednesses of the Blessed God, Whose are all the years. Good, fortune, happiness, blessedness, whatever you term it, is as certain to follow you all the days of the year as radiance the clear course of the sun, if you but keep yourself in the love of God (Jude), that is, in the consciousness of His favor and fellowship. Be at peace through the blood; confess Him who shed it; make His word your daily feast and fountain; offer the sacrifices of prayer and praise; do justly; love mercy; walk humbly with Thy God; give thanks for all things; save somebody 1 The Outlook an. Uplook What I shall see And grant my plea This coming year For daily cheer God only knows: To friends and foes;
Where I shall be, Or there, or here, At the year’s close;
And led by Thee I will not fear How e’er it goes; But oh, the glee Shouldst Thou appear E ’er the year close.
But give to me A record clear, As on it flows;
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