yet he takes care to let his moderation, his sobriety, be known and
plain to everyone, remembering that the Lord is at hand.

And that man--I will stand surety for him--will be the one who will
rise from his bed next morning, best able to carry out the next verse
of the Epistle, and "be careful for nothing."

Now that is no easy matter here in England; to rich and poor,
Christmas is the time for settling accounts and paying debts. And
therefore in England, where living is dear, and everyone, more or
less, struggling to pay his way, Christmas is often a very anxious,
disturbing time of year. Many a family, for all their economy,
cannot clear themselves at the year's end; and though they are able
to forget that now and then, thank God, through great part of the
year, yet they cannot forget it at Christmas. But, as I said, the
man who at Christmas-time will be most able to be careful for
nothing, will be the man whose moderation has been known to everyone;
for he will, if he has lived the year through in the same temper in
which he has spent Christmas, have been moderate in his expenses; he
will have kept himself from empty show, and pretending to be richer
than he is. He will have kept himself from throwing away his money
in drink, and kept his daughters from throwing away money in dress,
which is just what too many, in their foolish, godless, indecent
hurry to get rid of their own children off their hands do not do.

And he will be the man who will be in the best humour, and have the
clearest brain, to kneel down when he gets up to his daily work, and
"in everything, by prayer and supplication, make his requests known
to God." And then, whether he can make both ends meet or not,
whether he can begin next year free from debt or not, still "the