Here a little and there a little, or, Scripture facts

HERE A LITTLE AND THEEE A LITTLE

OR,

SCRIPTURE FACTS

W THE AUTHOR OF " THE FEEP OP DAT," K LINE UPSN L!r«,*
" PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT."

VU».0UNN1. !••»''

NEW YORK:
CHARLES SCRIBNER,

145 NASSAU STREET.

1853.

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2012 with funding from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

http://archive.org/details/herelittletherelOOmort

CONTENTS

Fags.

THIS WORLD, • - 5

THE OLD SERPENT, - - - 10

THE FIRST MURDER, - " . -' - - 15

THE GREAT RAIN, ... .... 20

THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, , . - - 26

THE RAVENS, 31

THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE, 37

THE DEN OF LIONS, 43

THF HEAVENLY BABE AND ITS MOTHER, 49

THE HAPPY NIGHT, 54

THE OLD MAN AND THE BABE, 60

THE KING OF THE JEWS, 65

THE HEAVENLY BOY, 71

THE HEAVENLY DOVE, ..... 76

CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS, 81

THE HEAVENLY LAMB, 86

THE MAN UNDER THE TREE, 91

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL, 96

THE FOUR FISHERMEN, 102

THE WIDOW AND HER SON, 107

THE WOMAN WHO WASHED THE SAVIOUR'S FEET, 112

THE WILD MAN, 117

THE CHILD WHO DIED AND LIVED AGAIN, - - 122

THE DANCING GIRL, 127

THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS, 132

CHRIST IN THE STOEM 137

CONTENTS.

Pag*

THE PRAYING MOTHER, 143

CHRIST SHINING ON THE MOUN1AIN, 147

THE MISERABLE BOY, 152

THE TWO SISTERS, 157

THE CRIPPLE, 162

THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERUSALEM, ... 167

LITTLE CHILDREN, 172

THE TEN SICK MEN, .177

THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERICHO, * - ■> MB

THE MAN IN THE TREE, 187

CHRIST IN THE GARDEN, 192

THE MAN WHO SAT BY THE FIRE IN THE HALL, 197

THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF, 202

THE JUDGE, 208

CHRIST ON THE CROSS, 213

THE DYING THIEF, 219

CHRIST IN THE TOMB, 225

THE WOMAN WEEPING AT THE TOMB, 229

THE HAPPY MORNING, 234

THE HAPPY EVENING, 239

CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN, 244

THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING DOWN FROM HEAVEN, 249

THE TWO LIARS, 054

THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT, 259

THE MAN WHO SAW TJJE GREAT LIGHT, - - 264

THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN BEFORE HE DIED, 269

THIS WORLD.

Once there was a deaf and dumb boy who

used to wonder how the world was made. As
he was deaf, he had never heard anything, and
as he was dumb, he could not ask any body.
At last he was taught to understand signs with
the fingers, and then he was told who made
the world. How much delighted he was to
find that God made the world — God, who is so
very good.

What is God like? Nothing that you ha\e
seen. A picture of him could not be drawn
because he has not a body like you and me ;
he is a spirit — he is everywhere. But there is
one place in which he lives ; it is called hea-
1*

6 THE WORLD.

ven. I cannot tell }rou where it is. No bird
could fly to that place ; but angels often come
down from heaven into this world.

And what are angels ? They are spirits.
There are good angels in heaven. Though
they have no bodies, yet they shine like the
sun. Who made the angels? It was God.
Once God was alone in heaven. But he did
not choose to be always alone. He made the
angels. Some of them grew wicked, and he
turned them out of heaven. Those wicked
angels are called devils.

At last God made the world — this world in
which we live. Of what did he make it ? Of
nothing. How did he make it? By speaking
— he said, " Let there be light, and there was
%ht.

This world is very large. What shape is it ?

You have seen the moon — this world is the
same shape as the moon. Do you think it is
flat, like a plate, or a shilling? Oh, no; it
is round, like an orange. Many children think
the world is flat, and then they wonder what
is at the edge of the world. They think to
themselves, " If I were to travel a great way,
at last I should come to the edge ;" but they
never would.

If a fly were walking on an orange, would
it ever come to the edge ? No ; when it had
gone a great way, it would come round to the
same place again where it was at first ; and so
would you, if you were to travel a very long

THE WORLD. 7

way without ever turning back. If you could
measure the world, you would find that it is
twenty-five thousand miles around it.

Most of the world is covered over with the
great sea, but part of it is dry land. Once the
land was all bare, but God spoke, and it was
covered with grass, and flowers, and trees,
and corn. Once it was empty ; no one lived
in it ; but God spoke, and fishes swam in the
waters, and birds flew in the air, and reptiles
crept upon the ground, and beasts walked
there. But not one of all these creatures
could understand. They could eat and drink,
some could swim, some could climb, some could
run, and some could sing, but not one could
understand. Then God made a man. He
took the dust of the ground, and made a body
for the man ; and then he breathed into him,
and he gave him a soul. The man could un-
derstand, and think of God. His name was
called Adam. God took a rib out of his side,
and made a woman ; and she, too, could think
of God.

Can you, my dear child, think of God ? I
am sure you can. You listen now that I am
telling you about him. If I were to talk to a
little dog, or to a cow, or to a sheep, about
God, would it listen ? Oh, no. If I offered a
dog some food, it would look up and seem
pleased, but it could not understand about
God. What is the reason of this ? The dog
has a body, but it has no soul. You, my

8 THE WORLD.

child, have a soul. God gave you a soul as
well as a body.

I once heard of a little child of two years
old, who said to her mother, " Who made me ?
some one must have made me." Her mother
said, "It was God, my child." "Then," said
the little darling, looking up quite pleased in
her mother's face — " then I love him." And
well she might love God, for he not only made
her, but he did more than that for her. God
sent his Son to die for her, and for you, and for
me. Yes, my child, this is true ; I cannot tell
you all about it now, but some day I hope you
will hear a great deal about God's kindness in
sending his dear Son Jesus Christ into this
wTorld.

God loves us very much, and he wants us
to be happy. The devil wants us to be un-
happy. The devil hates us, but you need not
be afraid of the devil. Ask God to help you,
and no one can hurt you. Whenever you like,
you may speak to God. He is always near,
and can hear you. I know you have done
many naughty things, but God is willing to
forgive you.

Here is a little prayer just fit for you and
me : " O heavenly Father, forgive me, for the
sake of thy dear Son Jesus Christ."

A minister once came to see a child who
was dying. He saw that the child wanted to
speak to him. He stooped down to listen to its

THE WORLD. 9

weak voice, and he heard it say, "God is
love !"

If you have a Bible at home, you may read
in the beginning of the book about God mak-
ing the world.

Behold the daisy where you tread,

That little lowly thing J
Behold the insects overhead,

That play about in spring :
Though we may think them mean ax*.1'
Yet God takes notice of them all.

And will he not as surely make

A feeble child his care 1
Yes; Jesus died for children's sake,,

And loves the infant's prayer.
God made the stars and daisies, ti»c»
And watches over them and yo'i.

THE OLD SERPENT.

When children are very little, they begin to
do wrong. A child will sometimes, when its
mother is not looking, slyly take a pinch of
sugar out of the basin ; or when its mother is
out of the room, it has been known to go to the
cupboard and help itself to sugar, fruit, or nice
red jam. Is it not very naughty in these little
children to behave in this way ? But this is
not all. When a little child is caught in doing
wrong, it will often tell lies. If the mother
finds it at the cupboard, it will say it has not
taken anything, when it has. It would be well
if children were ashamed of their naughtiness.
but they will often laugh about it. When I
have spoken about stealing, I have seen chil-
dren look at each other and laugh. How
wicked that was !

Is it children only who are wicked ? Do
not men and women do many wrong things ?
Yes ; there are men and women who swear,
who cheat, who call names, and tell lies.
How is it people are so wicked ? Did God
make them wicked ? Oh, no ! God is good ;
he never made anybody wicked. It is the

THE OLD SERPENT. 11

devil who makes people wicked. I will tell
you how he made the first man and woman
wicked. Their names were Adam and Eve.
God made their bodies out of the dust of the
ground. He gave them souls as well as
bodies ; and they could think of him, and un-
derstand what he said. Beasts and birds have
no souls : they cannot think of God. Adam
and Eve were very good. They loved each
other, and they loved God better still. They
were very happy. They lived in a sweet gar-
den, called the Garden of Eden — or Paradise.
You never saw7 such a garden as that.

It was full of fruit trees. God allowed them
to eat the fruit. But he told them not to eat
of the fruit of one tree which grew in the mid-
dle of the garden. He said, if they ate the
fruit of that tree they should die.

The devil did not like to see Adam and Eve
so happy. He is very miserable himself,
and he wishes everybody to be miserable.
Once he was a good angel, and lived with God,
but he grew wicked, and was cast down to
hell. The devil came into the Garden of
Eden. He is called the Old Serpent, because,
he is so sly. He said to Eve, " Has God said
you shall not eat of every tree of the garden ?"

And Eve told him that they might eat of the
fruit of all the trees, except of one. But God
had said, if they ate that, or even touched it,
they should die.

Then the serpent said, they should not die,

12 TH3 OLD SERPENT.

but if tliey ate of that fruit they should become
wise like God.

The serpent told a lie. Why did Eve be-
lieve him sooner than God ? She took some
of the fruit, and she gave some to Adam.
They soon found out how foolish they had
been. They were not happy now ; they were
sinners ; they had disobeyed the command-
ment of God.

When they heard God speaking in the gar-
den, they were frightened, and hid themselves
among the trees. How foolish it was to think
they could hide themselves from God ! Can-
not God, who made the trees, see through the
thickest boughs ?

God might have left Adam to himself, and
let the devil take him away to hell. But God
is very good and kind : he spoke to Adam, and
said, " Where art thou ?"

Adam was obliged to answer God, but he
did not speak as he ought ; he said that the
woman had given him of the fruit — that was a
bad excuse. Why did he take the fruit ? Eve
said the serpent had told her lies — that was a
bad excuse. Why did she believe the ser-
pent ?

God was most angry with the serpent ; he
cursed him. But he did not curse Adam and
Eve. He told Adam he must work hard to
get his bread, and he told Eve that she would
have much sorrow with her little children ;
and he turned them both out of the garden,

THE OLD SERPENT. 13

and sent an angel to stand at the gate tc keep
them out. But God did not curse Adam and
Eve ; he loved them, and wished to save them
from going to be forever in hell with the devil.

God has an only Son, whom he loves. He
has sent this only Son to die instead' of Adam
and Eve, and their children. How kind it was
in God to send his dear Son to die for us, that
we might not be cursed for ever !

We are Adam's children, and we should go
to hell if it were not for Jesus Christ, the Son
of God. We are sinners, like Adam and Eve.
Why is it that children steal and tell lies ?
Because they are the children of Adam and
Eve, who took the fruit.

Your bodies must turn to dust in the grave
— will you souls go to hell ? I hope not.
There is one who can save you. Go to Jesus.
He is in heaven now, but he can hear you. Say
to him, " Pardon a sinful child." Ask him
very often to forgive you. Ask God, his Fa-
ther, to forgive you for the sake of his deal
Son Jesus ; and ask for the Holy Spirit
to make you good. Then you will hate steal-
ing and lying, and all wicked ways.
„ I will tell you a sweet verse out of the Bible,
and I wish you would learn it ; " God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him, should not
perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

Should you not like to learn a pretty hyn 22
2

14 TILE OLD SERPENT.

about all this? Well, then, here is one. Pray
read it, and try to remember it.

Our father ate forbidden fruit,

And from his glory fell ;
And we, his children, thus were broagh

To death, and near to hell.

Blest be the Lord, that sent his Son

To take our flesh and blood ;
He for our lives gave up his own,
, To make our peace with God.

He honor'd all his Father's laws,

Which we have disobeyed ;
He bore our sins upon the cross,

And our full ransom paid.

THE FIRST MURDER.

Have you ever heard an account of a mur-
der ? I know you have. Almost every week
we hear of some horrible murder, and soon
afterwards we hear of the murderer being
caught and hanged.

Who was the man who dared to commit
the first murder ? His name was Cain ; his
father and mother were called Adam and Eve,
and they were the first man and woman whom
God made. Cain was their first baby. His
mother was pleased when she saw her baby,
for she did not know what a wicked man he
would grow up. When we see little children,
we cannot tell what sort of people they will
become. Eve had another son, whom she
called Abel. He grew up to be a good man.
God had given Abel his Holy Spirit to make
him good, and Abel loved God and tried to
please him. Cain soon found out that God
loved Abel better than himself, and this made
him angry. Why did not Cain ask God to
give him his Holy Spirit, too ? Then ne would
have been good like Abel.

I dare say you have sometimes seen a

16 THE FIRST MURDER

naughty, sulky child sitting in a corner of the
room, not choosing to speak to anybody, or, if
he spoke, grumbling and calling names. That
naughty child was like Cain. God in the sky
sees all the people in this world. He sees the
wicked thoughts in their hearts, as well as their
wicked looks. This great God spoke to wicked
Cain, and said, " Why are you angry ? Why
do you look displeased ?"

It was very kind in the great God to speak
to this sinful man, but Cain would not mind,
he went on in his wickedness.

Sometimes a kind teacher goes up to a
naughty child, and begs it to try to be good,
and says, "It is not too late ; wipe away your
tears, and behave as you ought." But often
the naughty child goes on frowning and pout-
ing, till his teacher is forced to punish him.

It was in this way Cain behaved. He went
on feeling angry with God for loving Abel.
One day he was with Abel all alone, when a
dreadful thing happened. Perhaps you wonder
that Abel would be alone with Cain, but I sup-
pose he often tried to persuade his brother to
be good. While they were talking, Cain rose
up against Abel and killed him. I do not
know how he killed him, whether with a stone,
or a great stick, but that is no matter — poor
Abel lay bleeding on the earth, the blood ran
into the ground. Oh, it must have been a
dreadful sight ! How did Cain fe^l when he

THE FIRST MURDER, 17

saw his brother's blood, and that good brother
cold, and pale, and still, like a stone ?

Cain thought he could hide his sin from
every eye, because he was alone. Bnt he for-
got that God saw him. Soon God spoke to
him ; he said, " Where is Abel thy brother ?"
Cain answered, " I know not. Am I my
brother's keeper ?" You see he told a lie to
God. Then God told him that he should wan-
der about the world. Cain was not to live
any more with his father and mother, and his
brothers and sisters, and their children. He
was to go to some place far off, where he would
hear of God no more. He did not like this ;
for though he did not love God, he was afraid
of being sent far away ; he thought, also, that
anybody who found him, would kill him. But
God set a mark upon him, to show people that
Cain was not be killed. So Cain went a great
way off, and he had a wife and children ; and
he built a city for his grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. But was he happy? Wicked
people cannot be happy. God let him live, and
and gave him children, but God did not love
him.

What becomes of liars when they die, and
what becomes of murderers ? They go to
hell! That is a horrible, dark, and burning
place, far off from Gocl. The devil is in hell .
he is the father of liars and murderers. Abe)
did not go to hell when he died ; his body lay
bleeding on the earth, but his soul went up to

18 THE FIRST MURDER.

God in heaven. There he saw his Saviour, the
Son of God, who had promised to die for his
sins. Abel was a sinner, but God had pardoned
his sins. There are a great many angels in
heaven who have never sinned, or done one
wrong thing. All men, women, and children,
are sinners ; yet God will pardon their sins, if
they ask him, because the Son of God was
nailed to a cross of wood that sinners might
be pardoned.

Abel has been singing in heaven a long
while. He was the first who began to praise
God for pardoning his sins, and now there are
hundreds and thousands joining in his songs.

I hope the child who reads this book will one
day be praising God in heaven with Abel, and
will say, " Praise him who loved us, and wash-
ed us from our sins in his own blood."

If you- want to go to that happy place, go
and pray to God alone, and say, " 0 great
God, pardon all the naughty things I have done,
and make me good by the Holy Spirit, be-
cause thy dear Son died upon the cross foi
me."

And canst thou, wilt thou yet forgive,
And bid my crimes remove ?
And shall a pardon'd rebel live
To speak thv wondrous love l

THE FIRST MURDER. 19

Almighty; grace, thy healing power,

How glorious, how divine ;
That can to bliss and life restore

So vile a heart as mine.

Thy pardoning love, so free, so sweet*

Dear Saviour, I adore ;
Oh keep me at thy sacred feet,

And let me rove no more.

HEAVEN AND HELL.

There is beyond the sky,
A heaven of joy and love,
And holy children, when they die,
Go to that world above.

There is a dreadful hell,
And everlasting pains \
There sinners must with devils dwell,
In darkness, fire, and chains.

Can such a wretch as I
Escape this cursed end ;
And may I hope, whene'er [ die,
1 shall to heaven ascend ?

Then I for grace will pray,
While I have life and breath
Lest I should be cut off to-day,
And sent to eternal death.

THE GREAT RAIN.

Sometimes we hear it said, "A boy has fal-
len into the water, and is drowned." Perhaps
he was sliding on the ice, when it broke, and
he fell in ; or, it may be, he was walking on a
plank into a ship, when his foot slipped, and
he went over ; or, it may be, he was bathing,
when he got out of his depth, and was drown-
ed. There is much reason to be afraid of the
water. How many ships full of people have
sunk into the great deep, and been seen no
more ! Sometimes rivers overflow their banks,
and a whole town is laid under water, and
thousands perish in a day. This is a dread-
ful event. It happened in a great city, called
Petersburgh, some years ago.

But a more dreadful event happened once.
The whole world was drowned. Yes, all the
people in the world were drowned, and all the
beasts and birds, except one family, and a few
beasts and birds with them. How did this
happen ? Did you ever hear about it ? It is
called the Flood. It happened four thousand
years ago. The world was full of people then,
as it is now, and it was full of wicked people.

THE GREAT RAIN. 21

The great God who made the world cannot
bear wickedness ; he looked down and saw the
people fighting, and stealing, and killing each
other. At last he said he would drown them
all, except one good man, and his wife and
children. The name of this man was Noah.

God told Noah to build a great house called
an ark. It was to be built so that it could
float on the water like a ship, only it was not
to have a mast or sails like a ship. The ark
was to be made of wood, and covered with
pitch, and lined with pitch, to keep out the
wet. There were to be three great rooms in
the ark, one above the other, and there was to
be a window at the top, and a door at the side.
God told Noah to take some of all sorts of
beasts and birds into the ark wTith him ; but first
he was to get food for them, such as hay for
the horses, and seed for the birds.

When the ark was finished, God told Noah
to go in, and to take the beasts and birds in
with him. What a strange sight it must have
been to see the beasts and birds going into the
ark ! If God had not made them quiet and
obedient, Noah never could have brought them
in ; but. He, who made them all, could easily
teach them to be tame and gentle. Noah had
three sons, and they had three wives, so that
there were eight people who went into the ark.
None of the wicked people went in. Noah
had often begged them to repent and to turn to
God, but they had not minded. They would

22 THE GREAT RAIN.

not believe that they should at last be drown-
ed. They thought that one day would be like
another, and that no sad day would ever come ;
so they built houses, and planted gardens, and
married wives, and ate and drank, and never
thought of God, or thanked him for giving
them food and all their pleasures. They did
not wish to go into the ark with Noah ; they
liked much better staying in their fine gardens
and houses.

As soon as Noah was in the ark, God him-
self shut the door. No one could get into the
ark after God had shut the door. That day the
rain began to pour down from the sky, and
the water came up out of the ground. All
that day it rained, and the next, and the next,
and every day for nearly six weeks. Such
rain was never seen before, nor ever will be
seen again. Everybody was drowned, and
every beast and bird. If people climbed to
the tops of trees, the water soon reached them,
and if they mounted the high hills, the wraters
at last covered them ; there was no way of es-
caping from +he anger of God. Once God
would have neard the prayers of these sin-
ners, but now it was too late — they were all
drowned.

For nearly a year, Noah rode in his ark
upon the waters. Once he sent out a raven to
see whether the land was dry, but the bird never
came back. Another time he sent out a dove,
and this sweet bird came to the window again,

THE GREAT RAIN. 23

and Noah put out his hand and pulled her in.
The poor little dove had found no bough on
which to rest, and she liked to return to the
ark, while the raven chose to fly about till the
earth was dry.

Noah waited one week, and then he sent out
the dove again, and this time she returned with
the branch of an olive-tree in her beak ; then
Noah knew that the tops of the trees were seen.
In another week he sent out his good little
dove again, and this time she came back no
more. Still Noah would not leave the ark till
God told him.

At last God said to him, " Go forth of the
ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy
sons' wives with thee, and the beasts, and the
birds, and the creeping things." Then they
all went out.

How fresh and green the earth must have
looked that day! How glad must the stag
have been to bound once more in the forests,
and the noble horse to gallop on the plains,
and the harmless sheep to lie down on the
meadows ! How glad must the eagle have been
to soar once more in the air, and how sweetly
the lark must have sung as it flew out of the
window and saw again the bright sun !

But were beasts and birds as glad as Noah ?
Oh, no ; he knew who had saved him from
dying in the waters. He loved God for his
goodness, and praised him and prayed to him ;
and God promised he never again would drown

24 THE GREAT RAW.

the world, and he gave him a sign that he
would remember his promise : that sign you
have seen — it is the beautiful rainbow which
shines in the sky so often when the sun is be-
ginning to shine, and the showers are almost
over. That rainbow puts us in mind of God's
kindness to Noah.

But I have not told you of all his kindness.
Did you ever hear how he sent his only Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for wicked men ?
Yes, he did send him, and Jesus was nailed to
a great piece of wood called a cross. He died
instead of you ; he is willing to save you from
going to hell. Do you wish to turn from all
wicked ways ? Do you wish to be saved as
Noah was ? A dreadful day is coming, when
the wTorld shall be burned up. There will be
terrible noise and scorching heat, but those,
who love God as Noah did, shall be caught up
and saved from the fire. What I am now
telling you is quite true. Do believe me.
The people would not believe Noah, and they
were drowned. All I have told you is written
in the Bible, which is the book of God.

See Genesis 6, 7, 8 ; 2 Pet., last chapter.

Oh say, shall I be there,

To see the dreadful glare,
. The dreadful sound to hear,

The dreadful heat to hear,
Of falling crags and rocks, $f roaring seas,
Of smoking hills, and flaming earth and skies *

THE GREAT RAIN. 25

Oh, yes ! I shall be there ;
The graves shall open'd be;
. All shall the trumpet hear,
The Judge's face shall see :
In vain shall some upon the mountains call,
To hide their heads from Him who judges all.
3

THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

Do you think any one ever heard God
speak? Should you be frightened if God were
to speak from heaven where he lives ? Yes, I
know you would. Once God spoke to a great
many people ; he spoke in a very loud voice,
so that they could all hear. Who were these
people ? They were called the people of Is-
rael , they did not live in a town ; they were
among the hills ; at night they slept in their
tents. They were going to a country a great
way off, and they moved their tents from place
to place. There was a good man who took
care of them, called Moses. God was their
King. How could these people get food every
day ? for there were no shops among the hiljs.
and there were no cornfields. God rained
down bread, called manna, every morning ; the
people of Israel went out every morning with
their baskets and picked up the little bits of
nice, sweet bread, and took it to their tents to
eat. How kind it was in God to feed them.
He is kind to us, too, for it is God who makes
the corn grow.

One day God told Moses he would speak to

THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN. 27

the people of Israel. One morning there was
a noise of thunder, and the sound of a trum-
pet, very loud indeed. The people heard the
noise in their tents, and they trembled, for they
knew that God was coming to speak to them.
Moses told the people to come out of their
tents to see God ; so all the people stood round
about the mountain. What a sight they be-
held ! The Lord had come down in fire, and
there was a great deal of smoke, and the
mountain shook. You never saw such a terri-
ble sight. There was also a dreadful sound.
The noise of the trumpet grew louder and
louder.

Moses drew near unto the thick darkness
where God was, and listened to his words, and
wrote them down in a book. The people of
Israel saw him go up the mountain, till he was
hid by the greal cloud of smoke. All the time
Moses was on the mountain, there was a great
fire burning at the top, and God was in that
fire.

You see how dreadful God is ! He can
punish wicked people, and there is a hell where
he will put them at last. But God is very
kind. You see how kind he was to Moses ;
he did not hurt him while he was in the moun-
tain, but talked to him as a man talks to a
friend. When Moses came down from the
mountain, his face shone like the sun, so that
the people of Israel could not bear to look at

28 THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

him, he was so bright; then Moses put a veil
over his face.

Moses wrote the ten laws upon two great
pieces of stone. Sometimes they are copied
out, and written up at one end of the church.
I heard of a thief who once went into a
church, not to pray, but to steal. He meant
to put his hand into people's pockets, and take
away their handkerchiefs and their money.
But before he began to steal, he looked up and
saw the ten laws. One of them is,

" Thou shalt not steal."

The thief had never heard this law before.
He felt frightened, and did not dare to put his
hand into anybody's pocket. He went home,
prayed to God, read the Bible, and left off
stealing.

Do you wish to keep God's laws ? You
have done a great many naughty things. God
could punish you, but he is very kind. He
sent his own dear Son to die upon the cross,
that he might forgive you all your naughti-
ness. The Son of God minded all the ten
laws, yet he suffered for our sins. You have
not minded God's laws ; you have often been
naughty, yet God will forgive you, because
his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, died for you.

Here is a little prayer for you : " O God,
forgive me all my sins, because Jesus died for
me."

I hope you will soon be able to learn the ten

THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN. 29

laws, or commandments, and I hope you will
try to mind them. You may read about Mo-
ses in the Bible in Exodus 19 and 20.
These are the ten commandments :

I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any
graven image, or any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth be-
neath, or that is in the water under the earth •
thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor
serve them ; for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me ; and showing
mercy unto thousands of them that love me,
and keep my commandments.

III. Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain : for the Lord will not
hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

IV. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it
holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy
work ; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of
the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy
man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates : for in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it.

V. Honor thy father and thy mother ; that

3*

SO THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

thy days may be long upon the land which the
Lord thy God giveth thee.

VI. thou shalt not kill.

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VIII. Thou shalt not steal.

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbor.

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife,
nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor
his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy
neighbor's.

Here are the Commandments in verse :

1 . Thou shalt have no more gods but me ;

2. Before no idol bow thy knee ;

3. Take not the name of God in vain ;

4. Nor dare the Sabbath-day profane;

5. Give both thy parents honor due;

6. Take heed that thou no murder do ;

7. Abstain from words and deeds unclean ;

8. Nor steal, though thou art poor and mean ;

9. Nor make a wilful lie, nor love it ;
10. What is thy neighbor's dare not covet.

THE SUM OR MEANING OF THE COMMANDMENTS.

With all thy soul love God above,
And as thyself thy neighbor love.

Dr. Watta.

THE RAVENS. .

The first thing that children want, when
they get up in the morning, is their breakfast.
They go to their mothers, and say, " Give me a
piece of bread, please mother;" or else their
kind mothers, even without being asked, give
them a piece. It is a sad thing when a child
ets up in the morning and has no breakfast,
id you ever go without your breakfast ? Did
your mother ever say to you, "My child,
I have no bread in the cupboard ?" If she
ever did, I know you cried to hear it, and I dare
say she cried too, fo»* mothers like to feed their

5

32 THE RAVENS.

children, and they will often go without break-
fast that they may give their children more.

Many people have as much bread every day
as they can eat. How much bread it must
take to feed so many people !

While we are sleeping in our beds there is
one above the sky who is making the food to
grow out of the earth. It is God who makes
the little seed of corn grow in the ground,
and spring up into a tall stalk, and even then
turn yellow, and bend under the weight of the
grain at the top. When the corn is ripe, the
reaper comes and cuts it down and binds it
into sheaves, and fills the wagon, and lays it
by in the barn ; then the thresher beats out
the grain from the husks. Then the corn is
put into a sack and carried to the miller to grind
into flour ; then the flour is put into a sack
and carried to the baker, and it is baked in the
oven ; when it is taken out, it is fit to be eaten.
Was it men wTho made the bread, or God ? It
was God who made the corn to grow ; if God
were not to make the corn, we could have no
bread to eat. Sometimes God will not make
the corn grow. Why? Because men are
wicked, and God is angry with them.

There is a country a great way ofT which
is very hot. One year God sent no rain to
make the ground soft, so the corn did not grow
up. The people in that land wrere very wick-
ed. They bowed down to images of wood
and stone, and prayed to them and said,

THE RAVENS. S3

" Take care of us ; you are our gods." That
is very wicked. It is called worshipping idols.
We ought to worship none but that great God
whom we cannot see.

There was a good man in that land who
loved God. His name was Elijah. When
there was very little bread God would not let
him starve. He told him to go and live by the
side of a certain brook or pond, and he said,
" I have commanded the ravens to feed thee
there." What, birds to feed a man ! I have
often heard of a man feeding birds, but I never
heard before of birds feeding a man — and
such birds, too, as ravens ; not gentle birds,
but fierce creatures, ready to pick out your
eyes with their great beaks.

Elijah believed what God said, and he went
to live by the side of a brook or pond, among
the trees. I do not think he had any house
there, but it was a warm country, and he could
sleep out of doors. He was quite alone, yet
he could speak to his friend in heaven, I mean
his God.

Did his heavenly Father keep his promise ?
Oh, yes. In the morning the birds came. I
cannot tell how many, but there were more
than one. What did they bring with them ?
Pieces of bread and of meat. I suppose they
carried them in their beaks. God had sent his
birds to feed his dear son Elijah. The ravens
were the servants of Elijah.

In the evening they came again, and brought

oi THE RAVENS.

Elijah his supper. Every morning and every
evening they came ; they never missed. His
Father in heaven never forgot to feed Elijah.
He gave him two meals every day, breakfast
and supper. Most people have dinner, too,
but Elijah was content with what God gave
him. He drank nothing but cold water.

Every day there was less and less water in
the brook, for the sun dried it up, and there
was no rain to fill it again. At last all the
water was gone ! What use was food to eat
if he had nothing to drink? He would soon
die of thirst. But his God remembered him,
and told him to go to another place.

How much care God took of Elijah. At
_ast he took him to heaven to live with him.
But you will be surprised to hear that Elijah
never died. He was carried up to heaven by
bright angels in a chariot of fire. How won-
derful ! Why was God so very kind to Elijah ?
Why is God kind to anybody? We are all
sinners, but God has given his only Son to (lie
upon the cross that we- may not be sent to
hell. If you ask God to forgive you for Christ's
sake, he will do it, for he loves his Son Jesus
Christ.

When a famine comes, those people whom
God has forgiven need not be afraid. Here is
a promise which God made them, which you
will find in the Bible :

"Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them
that fear him, upon them that hope in his

THE RAVENS. 35

mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and
to keep them alive in famine." — Psalm 33: 18,
19.

The history of Elijah and the ravens is
written in I. Kings, chap. 17.

God is in heaven ! Can he hear

A little prayer like mine ?
Yes, thoughtful child, thou need'st not fear,

He listeneth to thine.

God is in heaven ! Can he see
When I am doing wrong ?
Yes, that he can ; he looks at thee
All day and all night long.

God is in heaven ! Would he know

If I should tell a lie?
Yes, though thou saidst it very low,

He'd hear it in the sky.

God is in heaven! Does he care —

Does he provide for me 1
Yes ; all thou hast to eat or wear,

'Tis God that gives it thee.

God is in heaven ! Can I go

To thank him for his care ?
Not yet ; but love him here below,

And he will take thee there.

38 THE RAVENS.

God is in heaven ! May I pray

To go there when I die ?
Yes ; love him, seek him, and one day

He'll call thee te the sky.

THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE.

There is a place in London called Smith-
field. It is a market for cattle. On market-
day it is full of lowing oxen, bleating sheep,
and grunting pigs. Each beast is shut up by
itself between some posts and wooden bars,
and a little gate. The butchers hasten early
to the spot to buy beasts for the slaughter.

But in that very place crowds of people
used once to come — not to buy beasts, but to
burn men, and see them burned. How dread-
ful ! Was it wicked men who were burned —
thieves, or murderers ? No, it was good men,
who loved their Bibles, and would not pray to
images. Yes, they were burned. But I am
not going now to tell you about the men who
were burned at Smithfield : I am going to speak
of some men who lived at a great city called
Babylon, a more beautiful city than London.

There was a great king in Babylon, and this
king had a great image made — a very tall
image — as tall as a church steeple, and it was
made of gold. Oh, what a rich king he must
have been, and what a fine image ! It was not
*et up in the town, but in a great place called a
4

38 THE BURNING

plain, which was like a larcre field without
hedges. There everybody could see the great
image quite well. The king desired all the
lords, and judges, and captains in his kingdom
to come to the plain.

When the rich lords were come together,
they all stood round the image. There was a
band of musicians there, with many kinds of
instruments, the harp with its sweet strings,
the flute on which men breathe to make it
sound, and many other instruments of which
you have never heard. And the king was
there, the proud king who did what he pleased.
A man cried out with a loud voice, and told
them that as soon as the music began to be
played, everybody must bow down to the
golden image that the king had set up ; and if
any one did not bow down, he should be
throwri immediately into a burning fiery fur-
nace. Presently the music struck up, and the
people fell down and worshipped the golden
image.

Do you know that it is very wicked to wor-
ship images? Yes, we ought never to bow
down to any one but God, and he is in heaven,
and cannot be seen by us. The angels see
him, but we cannot. God likes to see us
kneeling down, and looking up to him in the
heavens.

Did I say that all the people bowed down
to the golden image ? Almost all — all but
*hree. Scon some of the king's servants came

FIERY FURNACE. 39

to him and said, "0 king, there are three men
here who have not bowed down to the image.
Those men are not people of this land of
Babylon — they are Jews." Then the king
was in a great passion, for wicked people fall
into a passion just as little children do. Oh, it is
a horrible thing when a man falls into a passion
and especially a king. What mischief he can
do in his rage, for he cannot be shut up like a
naughty child. This king desired the three
Jews to be brought to him. When they came,
he spoke very angrily to them, and asked if it
was true they had not bowed down to the
image.

He told them that if, when they should hear
the music again, they did not fall down and
worship the image, they should be cast into a
burning fiery furnace, and that their God
would not deliver them out.

But these three Jews were not frightened by
the king's words. They said, they would not
worship the image, and their God was able to
deliver them from the burning fiery furnace,
and he wTould deliver them. Then the king
was in a greater passion than before. It wras
terrible to see his face! for passion makes the
face look very red and ugly. But still the
three Jews were not afraid. The king de-
sired that the furnace might be made seven
times hotter than before. This was foolish in
him, because a very hot fire would kill the poor
Jews more oxuickly than a little fire. But I

40 THE BURNING

suppose in his passion he forgot that. Then
he desired the strongest soldiers he had to cast
the Jews into the flames. First their legs and
arms were tied down, that they might not
struggle when put in, and all their clothes
were left on, their cloaks, and their turbans,
and their stockings, and all. Then the strong
soldiers took hold of them and threw them into
the fire, but the flames were so fierce that they
caught hold of the soldiers and burnt them up.
What became of the poor Jews ? They fell
down in the midst of the furnace. Were they
alive or dead ? Such a fire would soon turn a
man black as a cinder.

The king came to look at the three Jews ;
but oh, how much surprised he was to see them
walking about in the fire, not only alive, but
loose ! for the fire had burned their bands, but
not their clothes nor their bodies. How won-
derful ! But there was one thing which sur-
prised the king still more. There were four
men walking in the fire. The king called to
his lords and said, " Did we not cast three
men bound into the midst of the fire ?" They
said, " True, 0 king." Then he said, " Lo, I
see four men loose, walking in the midst of
the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form
of the fourth is like the Son of God." Was
he the Son of God ? Oh, yes ; for the Son oi
God loves us. Once he died for us upon the
cross, that we might not be cast into hell, and
he always cares for his people when they are

FIERY FURNACE. 41

in trouble, and now he was walking in the fire
with the three young Jews. That was the
reason they were not burned ; God the Father
had sent down his Son to keep them from
harm. How happy they were in the midst of
the fire! They felt no pain.

Now the king saw that the God of the Jews
could save them, and he came near to the door
of the furnace — not so near as to be burned,
as his soldiers had been — and he called the
three Jews by their names, " Ye servants of
the Most High God, come forth, and come
hither." And they came out- — yes, they walk-
ed out. Then all the great lords came round
them to see whether they were hurt, but there
was not even the smell of fire on them, not
one hair was singed — and you know how
easily the hair catches fire — and their clothes
were not even scorched.

Then the king began to praise their God,
and to praise tkem, too, for not worshipping
the image. And he sent round to all the
towns in his kingdom, and commanded that
if anybody spoke against their God, he should
be cut in pieces, and his house made into a
heap of rubbish ; for the king said, " There is
no other God who can deliver after this sort."
Neither is there any god who can deliver at
all except the true God, who made the world,
the sun, moon, and stars.

Did the king of Babylon leave off worship-
" ig images or idols ? No ; I fear he went
4*

42 THE BURNING F ERY FURNACE

on in his wicked ways for some time longer,
till at last God made him like a beast, and he
ixte grass; afterwards he was sorry for his
wickedness.

Do you love God as those young Jews did ?
If you do, I count you a happy child. There
are many good people who have been
burned in the fire. I told you about the fires
in Smithfleld. Good people were burned
there, but only their bodies — their souls went
to heaven, to God. If you love God, your
soul will be happy forever, and your body will
be taken one day out of the grave and made
new again.

You will find the history of the three young
Jews in Daniel 3.

THE DEN OF LIONS.

VJH&B&*'

The lion is generally called the king of
beasts. There is no beast that looks so like a
king as he does, for though the elephant is much
larger, he is not so terrible. With what a
stately air the lion walks ; how proud is his
look ; what strong teeth he has ! How fierce
his eyes seem, glaring in the midst of his yel-
low hair ! When he is hungry, how horrible is
his low growl — it is like the rumbling of thun-
der before a storm ! But when he is angry
and utters his loud roar, all the beasts of the
forest tremble. Perhaps you have seen a lion
in a den ; you knew he could not hurt you,

44 THE DEN OF LIONS.

and therefore you were not afraid lo look at
him. But would you have gone into his den ?
Oh, no, even if the lion's mouth had been tied
up, you would not have liked to be shut up
with him.

I am going to tell you of a man who was
shut up with a lion — not with one lion only,
but with many lions — with hungry lions with
open mouths, in the night, alone, at-the bottom
of a deep den under ground. Why was he
shut up there ? I will tell you why. He had
done nothing wicked. He was a very good
man, who loved God, but there were some
wicked men who hated him. There was a
great king who was kind to the good man, and
the wicked men did not like that. They want-
ed the king to be fond of them, but the king
loved the good man best. The good man's
name was Daniel. And why did the king love
Daniel best ? Because Daniel did the king's
business best; he wrote letters for him, and
paid money for him ; he never told lies, nor
cheated, nor was idle, nor careless. So the
king trusted him with everything, and made
him a great lord. Then the wicked lords hated
Daniel, only because the king loved him best.
They were envious. What made Daniel so
good ? It was the Holy Spirit of God that
made him good. Daniel used to pray to God
three times every day to make him good, and
keep him from telling lies, and stealing, and
all sorts of wickedness. That is the way to

THE DEN OF LIONS. 45

be good, to pray to God, for we all have wick-
ed hearts. But God can make our hearts
good ; he sent his dear Son Jesus to die for us
that we might not go to hell, and he gives us
the Holy Spirit to make us fit to go to heaven,
fit to be in that sweet place with the holy
angels.

The wicked lords knew that Daniel prayed
to God. As for them, they prayed to idols ot
wood and stone. All the people in that coun-
try prayed to idols, except Daniel and his
friends. It is no use to pray to images or idols,
for they cannot hear us when we call.

The wicked lords wanted to get good Dan-
iel into disgrace with the king, so they made a
very sly plan. They went to the king and
asked him to make a law that no one should
pray to any god, or to anybody for thirty days
except to him, and to command that, if any-
body disobeyed this law, he should be cast
into the den of lions. The king said he would
make this law. Oh, he did not know what a
cruel plan the lords had settled between them.

Daniel soon heard of this new law. Would
he leave off praying to God for thirty days ?
Oh no, not for one day. He still went into
his room when the windows were open, and
knelt down and prayed, morning, and noon,
and evening. The wicked lords heard that
Daniel went on praying, and they went to the
king, and told him that Daniel, though he had

46 THE DEN OF LIONS.

heard of this law, which could not be changed,
still prayed three times a-day.

How sorry the king was when he heard this
sad news ! He loved Daniel ; he could not
bear to have him cast into the den. But what
could he do ? It was not yet time to cast him
in ; the evening was the time ; and till the
evening came, and the sun had set, the king
tried to think of some way of saving Daniel.
But he could think of no way. As soon as it
was dark, the lords said, " O king, you cannot
change the law." The king knew that, and he
sent for Daniel and commanded him to be cast
into the den; but before he was put in, the
king said to him, " Thy God, whom thou
servest continually, he will deliver thee."
This was the only comfort the king had; he
hoped that the God of Daniel would save him
from the lions.

After Daniel had been thrown in, a great
stone was laid on the top of the den, and a seal
was put upon it, that nobody might come in
the night and take Daniel out, and the king
sealed the stone with his own seal. What a
miserable evening the king passed ! He could
eat no supper. Usually sweet music was
played to him in the evening, but he desired
that the musicians should not play : and when
he went to bed, he could not sleep. Very early
in the morning he got up. He went in haste
to the den, and cried out in a most sorrowful
voice, "O Daniel, is thv God, whom thou

THE DEN OF LIONS, 47

servest continually,- able to deliver thee from
the lions ?" Oh, how the king did listen for
the answer ! What if he should hear nothing
but the growls of the beasts ! But he heard a
voice say, " O king, live for ever. My God
hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions'
mouths, and they have not hurt me, because I
have done no hurt." Oh, how glad the king
was ! Immediately he commanded the ser-
vants to take Daniel out of the den. When
he came up, people looked to see whether the
lions had bitten him, or scratched him, or
bruised him. But no, there was not the least hurt
found upon him. Some men would have been
killed by the fright, if they had been shut up
with lions ; but Daniel had trusted in his God.
He knew his God loved him, and would save
him. What did the wicked lords say when
they saw Daniel come up out of the den ? They
had not much time to speak, for the king com-
manded them to be cast into the den, and their
wives and children with them. It was cruel
to cast the poor wives in, and the little chil-
dren ; but as for those wicked men, they well
deserved to be eaten up. Now it was seen
how hungry the lions were, for before the men
could get to the bottom of the den, the lions
sprung up and seized hold of them, and with
their strong teeth broke and ground their bones
to pieces. So, though the lions had gone
without their supper, they had a good break-
fast the next morning. God punishes wicked

48 THE DEN OF LIONS.

people when the)* have tried to hurt good peo-
ple, and he often lets them fall into the very
same trouble that they wanted to get the good
people in.

There is a place called hell, much more hor-
rible than the lion's den. It is filled, not with
lions, but with devils, and all wicked people
will be cast there some day, and there they
will stay forever. Are you, my child, afraid
of going there ? I wish you to be afraid, be-
cause I want you to ask God not to send you
there. You may pray to God as well as Dan-
iel j God will hear you as well as him. Dan-
iel prayed to God when he was a child, and he
found that God took care of him. He was
only a slave when he was young, and he was
far away from his father and his mother ; but
he looked up to God, and asked him to be his
friend.

His history is to be found in the Bible.
See Daniel 6.

THE

HEAVENLY BABE AND ITS MOTHER.

Did you ever see an angel ? I know you
never did ; neither did your father ever see an
angel, nor your mother, nor your grandfather
— none of these ever saw an angel. But some
people have seen angels. Angels are very
bright creatures ; they live in heaven with God,
and they shine like the light. They know
about us ; they know that there is a world fall
of men and women and children. They pity
us. Why ? Because we are sinners. We
do wrong things ; we sin against God. Angels
are not sinners. Though they have lived so
many, many years with God, they have never
done one wrong thing, and they never will.

Angels will always be happy. But shall we ?
We shall die one day. Shall we be happy after
we are dead ? Will God let sinners live with
him ? My dear child, did you ever think to
yourself, " Shall I go to heaven when I die ?"
There is a dreadful place called hell, and there
are many sinners there burning in the flames.
You would not like to go there. I hope you
will not.

50 THE HEAVENLY BABE

I will now tell you what God has done for us
miserable sinners. A -long while ago he
told one of his bright angels to go on a mes-
sage. He sent him from heaven, to a woman
named Mary. The angel's name was Gabriel.
What had Gabriel to say to Mary? Wait,
and you shall hear. When the angel came into
the place where Mary was, he told her the
Lord was pleased with her, and was going to
do her a great favor. Was Mary delighted to
hear this ? No, she was frightened ; she could
not think what the angel meant. Then the
angel said, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast
found favor with God." Then the angel told
her that she should soon have a babe ; and that
he should be the Son of God; and that his
name should be "Jesus."

This was a very wonderful message. Why
was the Son of God to be a babe ? God his
father sent him to be a babe, that he might
grow to be a man, and then suffer instead of
us sinners. How good it was in God to send
his only Son to save us from going to hell !

Mary believed what Gabriel told her. Soon
the sftigel went away. At last the babe was
born. Where do you think it was born ? You
will be surprised to hear — it was born in a
stable ! Mary had taken a long journey, and
when she came to the end, she went to the inn,
but there was no room for her there. There
were so many travellers at the inn, that Mary
was obliged to go into the stable. Where the

AND ITS MOTHER. 51

oxen and the asses fed that night, her babe was
born. Mary wrapped him in long clothes, and
laid him in the manger. What a place for the
Son of God !

The children of the queen lie in beautiful
cradles, hung with muslin, and silk, and satin.
But this babe was the Son of the King of kings,
and he lay in a manger. The people in the
inn did not know that the Son of God was in
the stable, but Mary knew who her babe was.
She called him her God and her Saviour ; she
knew he had come down from heaven to save
her and many people from hell.

And did he suffer for our sins when he grew
up to be a man ? Oh, yes. He was nailed to
a cross of wood. The nails went through his
hands and through his feet, and his blood was
spilled upon the ground. Mary, his mother,
stood near the cross. Oh, how unhappy she
felt to see her son dying. He felt sorry for her,
and told his disciple John to take care of his
dear mother.

After Jesus was dead he was buried, and in
three days he was made alive again. Mary
saw him once more. Oh, how happy she was
then ! Very soon Jesus went up to heaven in
a cloud back to his Father. Mary still staid in
this world. Then she prayed to her son Jesus,
and thanked him for saving her soul. At last
she died and went to heaven, to live there with
God the Father and God the Son, and there

52 THE HEAVENLY BABE.

We ought never to pray to any one but God
Mary was a sinner once. Jesus saved her.
Mary cannot save us. Only Jesus can save
sinners.

You will like to see Mary in heaven. Bless-
ed was she among women. Of all the woman
who ever lived she was the most blessed, 01
happy. Jesus loved his mother very much,
but he will love you as much if you wish to
please God. He knows who wishes to please
him. He has said, " Whosoever shall do the
will of my Father which is in heaven, the same
is my brother, and sister, and mother/'

Jesus has only one Father — God — but he
has many brothers, and sisters, and mothers.
There are a great many wicked people in the
world who swear, and steal, and tell lies ; but
there are some who love God, and pray to him,
and believe in him, and try to please him.
Jesus counts them his brothers, and sisters, and
mothers. Would you like to be the brother
of the Lord Jesus ? Would you like to be
his child ? What a dreadful thing it is to be
the child of the devil.

THE HEAVENLY BABE. 53

A MOTHER'S SONG TO HER BABE IN THE
CRADLE.

Soft and easy is thy cradle —
Coarse and hard thy Saviour lay,

When his birthplace was a stable,
And his softest bed was hay.

Blessed babe ! What glorious features,

Spotless, fair, divinely bright !
Must he dwell with brutal creatures %

How could angels bear the sight?

Was there nothing but a manger,

Thankless sinners could afford,
To receive the heavenly stranger ?

Did they thus affront the Lord %

Soft, my child, I did not chide thee,

Though my song might sound too hard %

Tis thy mother sits beside thee,
And her arm shall be thy guard.

5*

THE HAPPY NIGHT.

In the night very dreadful things often nap-
pen. Sometimes a fire breaks out in the night.
1 remember having heard of a fire in a street,
and of a house being burned to the ground ;
four little boys and their mother were all smo-
thered in the smoke, and the father only and
one child escaped.

Sometimes thieves and murderers break
into a house in the night. It is well to Jock
the doors fast, and to bar the windows ; but
even then we are not safe, unless God take
care of us. But I am not going to tell you of
anything horrible, but of a very delightful
night — yes, of the happiest night which has
ever been since the world was made.

Some shepherds were in a field taking care
of their flocks. It was night, and they were
watching to prevent the wolves, and bears, and
lions coming to devour their pretty lambs and
harmless sheep. These shepherds were good
men ; they loved God. When wicked men
are sitting up together, they often amuse them-
selves with singing wicked songs, and with
drinking and swearing, and they often end by

THE HAPPY NIGHT. 55

quarrelling and fighting. But these shepherds
were different men from those, and had differ-
ent ways from theirs ; they were men who
loved singing hymns, and talking about God
and heaven.

Avery wonderful thing happened that night ;
such a thing as had never happened to them be-
fore— an angel came ! What a glorious crea-
ture an angel is ! I never saw one, but I know
that angels are bright like the sun, and their
clothes are white like snow, and they are so
good, so gentle, and so kind.

Yet when the shepherds saw this angel, they
were very much frightened. But the ange
told them not to be afraid, " Fear not," he said ;
" I bring you good tidings of great joy. Unto
you is born this day, in the city of David, a
Saviour, who is Christ the Lord ; and ye shaJJ
find him lying in a manger." This was good
news indeed. A long while before, God had
promised to send his own Son down from
heaven to be a babe. And why ? That he
might die instead of us wicked creatures, and
save us from going to hell. These shepherds
had often heard of God's kind promise, and
now the angel told them this babe was really
born. Yes, the babe that was to save them
from never-ending pains.

When the angel had done speaking, the most
beautiful sight was seen. A number of angels
suddenly appeared ! How bright they must
have shone in thaf d?,rk night ! To see angels

56 THE HAPPY NIGHT.

is charming, but what must it be to hear them
sing ! These angels began to sing. How
sweet the sound must have been ! It is sweet
to hear children sing ; it is sweet to hear them
sing, " That will be joyful," or " Glory, glory ;"
but what is children's singing compared to the
singing of angels ! What is the cawing of a
rock compared to the warbling of a nightingale,
and what is the singing of a sinful child com-
pared to the singing of a glorious angel !

I can tell you the very words these angels
sang, but I am not sure that you will under-
stand them. This was their song : Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-
will towards men."

It was because the Son of God was born
that they sang this song — Jesus, the Son of
God : he came to bring glory, and peace, and
good-will, and all happiness into this wicked
world.

The angels did not stay very long. How
sorry the shepherds must have been when the
song was over, and the angels were gone back
into heaven. Could they ever forget that song ?
I think not. Well, I hope we may hear angels
sing one day, and that we may sing with them.
Now we could not sing an angel's song, but one
day we shall be able, if our sins are forgiven.

See the good shepherds in the field alone
with their sheep. — What did they talk of now ?
Of that sweet babe who was lying in a manger.
They knew he was in the next town, a very

THE HAPPY NIGHT. 57

ittle way off, and they said one to another,
" Let us go and see him." So they left their
sheep, very quickly indeed. There were other
babes in Bethlehem, but most babes lie in soft
cradles, or on their mother's pillow ; but there-
was no cradle and no bed for this babe, only a
manger full of straw or hay. The shepherds
knew in which stable the babe was, and they
wTent in. And what did they see ? There,
in the midst of the oxen, and the cows, and the
asses, they saw a babe, and near him was his
mother, a poor woman, named Mary. His
Father was in heaven, for God was his Father ;
but there was a good man in the stable named
Joseph, and he was the husband of Mary. All
kind people like to look on a little helpless in-
fant. Do not you like to look at a babe, and
to take it in your arms ? But there never was
such a babe as this. Though he was so weak
and small, he was the Son of God, and had
made the world, and the moon, and the stars.

How did the shepherds feel as they looked
at him ? They knew he loved them, and had
come down from heaven to save them. 0 how
they loved that babe !

Did they take him in their arms ? Did they
kiss his sweet forehead ? I cannot tell you,
for it is not written in the Bible. The shep-
herds did not know all the pain that tender
babe would have to bear when he was grown
to be a man. Those little hands with fingers
folded up, afterwards had nails thrust through

58 THE HAPPY NIGHT.

them ; and those tender feet, which had never
touched the ground, were afterwards fastened
to the cross of wood. Oh, to have looked upon
that babe, and to have thought of all he would
suffer, might have made the hardest heart feel
sorry ! But that babe is happy now — Oh, very
happy ! After dying upon the cross he was
made alive again, and he went up into heaven ;
and there he is now, and the shepherds are
with him there, singing the angel's song. And
Jesus will one day come to this world again,
shining brighter than angels do, and the shep-
herds will come with him, and all people who
have ever loved him.

If you grow to be a man, I hope you will be
like one of those good shepherds. Perhaps
you will not have to take care of sheep. I can-
not tell what you will do, whether you will
make things, or sell them, or work in the fields,
or go to sea ; but whatever you do, I hope you
will be a good man and love God. Those
shepherds often talked about Jesus; they told
every body about the babe in the manger, and
about the angels in the sky, and they praised
God with all their hearts for having let them
see and hear such wonderful things. You
have heard about the babe in the manger,
though you have not seen him. There are
many children who have never heard about
him. God has been very kind to you in letting
you hear about him. I hope you love Jesus.
Some children do. If they were to die, the

THE HAPPY NIGHT. 59

angels would come and take their souls to be
with Jesus in heaven.

This history is written in Luke 2: 8-20.

See the faithful shepherds round him,

Telling wonders from the sky ;
Where they sought him, there they found him.

Wich his vrgin mother by.

THE OLD MAN AND THE BABE.

Most children love little babies. A babe of
six weeks old is very little indeed ; it cannot
sit up ; it lies in its mother's arms, and its head
rests upon her hand ; it can open its eyes and
look about, and it is pleased with the light of
the candle; but it does not know its mother
from a stranger, and it will go to any body
without being frightened ; it never laughs, but
it oftens cries. Perhaps some of you, dear
children, have got a little baby brother or sis-
ter at home whose cradle you rock. I hope
you take great care of the baby when your
mother lets you nurse it.

I am going to tell you now about the
sweetest babe of six weeks old that was
ever seen in this world. Who was this
babe? Was he a prince, the son of a king or
of a queen ? He was not called a prince,
yet he was greater than any prince in this
world — yes, greater even than the prince of
Wales, the son of the queen of England.

Who was this babe ? He was the Son of
God. He came down from heaven to be a
babe. And why ? that he might grow to be a

AND THE BABE. 61

man, and then die upon the cross for our sins.
Oh, how kind to come down to die for us, that
we might not be punished! But I am not
going to tell you now about his dying, but about
his being a babe.

The name of his mother was Mary — she
was a good woman ; his Father was God.
Mary had a husband called Joseph, and he was
very kind to this sweet babe. The babe was
born in a stable, but when he was nearly six
weeks old, his mother took him a little journey ;
she went to a town eight miles off, called Je-
rusalem. She went into a beautiful place
there called the temple, where people often
prayed to God, as they do in church. She took
her little babe in her arms when she went to
the temple. Joseph was with her. Why did
Mary take her babe to the temple ? To give
him to God, because he was her first child.
And she brought with her two young pigeons
to give them to God. They were to be killed
and burnt, but the babe was not to be killed.

When Mary was in the temple, an old man.
came in. Who was this old -man ? He was,
a very good man, and his name was Simeon.
When men are old, their hair turns white like,
silver, and their backs are bent, and their knees
are weak, and they cannot walk fast ; but good
old men are very happy. They know the}7
shall soon die, and they are not afraid, for they
wish to be with God. Simeon knew he should
soon die, but God had promised him that before
6

02 THE OLD MAN

he died he should see the Son of God. When
Mary brought her babe into the temple, God
told Simeon to go in and look at his Son.
How glad Simeon was to go ! As soon as he
saw Mary, he knew who she was, and who her
babe was. He took the babe in his arms, and
began to pray to God. Would you not like to
have seen that good old man praying to God,
and holding that lovely infant in his arms ?
You cannot see him, but you may hear what
he said, he told God that he was now ready to
die, because he had seen the Saviour of all
people.

Mary and Joseph, who were standing by,
were much surprised to hear what the old man
said. Simeon then began to talk to Mary,
and told her a great deal more about her child.
While he was speaking an old woman came in.
I believe she was more than a hundred years
old, and she had been a widow a very long
while indeed. She lived close to the temple,
and. was very fond of being there, and of pray-
ing to God. Her name was Anna. When
she saw the babe, she began to praise God for
having sent his Son from heaven to save peo-
ple from going to hell. There were other peo-
ple in the temple who heard what Anna said,
and who were glad to think that the Saviour
was come.

Would you like to see that babe ? You can
never see the babe, but you may see the Son
of God The babe grew to be a man, and

AND THE BABE. 63

when he was a man he was nailed to a cross
He died, but God made him alive again. His
name is Jesus ; he is in heaven now with his
Father, and he will come one day into thir
world, and then you will see him. Dead peo-
ple will see him then, and living people, too.
Every body will see him, but every body will
not be glad to see him, for he will be angry with
wicked people. But, if you ask him, he wik
forgive you all the naughty things you have
done, for he died that he might forgive sins.
Ask — ask him very often to forgive you. Ask
him every day. Kneel down when you are
alone, and say, " Forgive me, Oh, forgive me !
Have mercy on a sinful child !"

Jesus has forgiven a great many people.
He likes to forgive, he is so kind. When he
comes again, he will speak sweetly to all people
whom he has forgiven. He will say, " Come
ye blessed of my Father !" How dreadful it
would be to hear him say, "Go away." How
sweet to ■ hear him say, " Come !" I hope he
will say "Come" to you. If you love him, I
know he will.

lou may read the history of Simeon in
I »ike 2 : 22-38.

i4 THE BABE.

Little chi.i, do you love Jesus %

Oh, how lie loves !

Do you wish to go to heaven ?

Oh, how he loves !

First of all ask his forgiveness,

With your heart, although quite helpless ;

Jesus little children blesses —

Oh, how he loves I

He will listen to your prayer ;

Oh, how he loves J
Feed you by his tender care !

Oh, how he loves!
He became a child just like you ;
Here he suffer1 d to redeem you,
And at last he died to save you —

Oh, how he loves !

Trust him, he will ne'er forget you .

Oh, how he loves I
No, he never will forsake you :

Oh, how he lcves !
None from his strong arm can pluck you ;
His almighty arm protects you ;
Loving once, he ever loves you —

Oh, how he loves I

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

The Jews are scattered over the world.
Their own land is a great way off, and it is full
of strangers. There is a city in it called Je-
rusalem. Some people say it is the most beau-
tiful city in the world, but the people in it are
very poor. Once it was full of Jews ; once
there were kings there, who were called kings
of the Jews.

I will tell you about one of these kings. He
was a very wicked man ; his name was Herod ;
he lived at Jerusalem. One day some men
came to his city, and said, "Where is he
that is born King of the Jews ? for we have
seen his star in the east, and are come to wor-
ship him." But was not Herod king of the Jews ?
Yes. he was ; but a babe had been born whom
God sent to be King of the Jews. This babe
was the Son of God. Very few people knew
anything about him. But God had made a star
shine in the sky to show these men where his
Son was born. These men were wTise men ;
they had learned a great deal. They were
good men also, for they loved the Son of God,
and wanted to see him. They had come a
6*

G6 THE KING OF THE JEWS.

great way on purpose to find him. They knew
he was^ somewhere near Jerusalem, but they
did not know exactly where, so they asked
every body " Where is the King of the Jews ?"

King Herod heard that some wise men had
come from a long way off, and were asking for
the King of the Jews. Herod was very sorry
to hear this ; he did not like hearing of another
king. He did not know where the King of the
Jews was, but he asked some of his friends to
look in the Bible to see where God had said he
should be born. They looked, and they found
that God had written in his book (which is the
Bible), that the King of the Jews should be
born in a place called Bethlehem. Now Beth-
lehem is a village near Jerusalem.

Herod was glad to find out where this king
was born, and he called the wise men who had
come to Jerusalem, and he told them that this
little king was born at Bethlehem. He said to
them, " Go, and search diligently for the young
child; and when ye have found him, bring me
word again, that I may come and worship him
also." But did Herod wish to worship this lit-
tle king? Oh, no; he wanted to kill him; but
he pretended to love him, that he might find
out which child he was.

The wise men believed what Herod said,
and they meant to come back and tell him.
They went to Bethlehem ; they had only seven
miles to go But how could they find out the
little king ? God made the star to shine again

THE KING OF THE JEWS. 67

in the sky ; the star moved along, and showed
the wise men the way, and at last it stopped
just over a house in Bethlehem. Oh, how very
glad the wise men were to see the star again !
They went into the house, and they found
there a young chi/d about a year old. He was
the King of the Jews ; he was the Son of God,
and had come down from God his Father
in heaven. And why? That when he
was a man he might die upon the cross to
save us from going to hell. Oh, how kind he
was !

This glorious babe had a mother. Her
name was'Mary. She took care of him : she
dressed him in long clothes, she put him to
sleep, she nursed him and loved him. Oh how
she loved him, for she knew he was the Son of
God. The wise men saw her in the house with
the little king. What was this king's name ?
It was Jesus. The first thing the wise men
did was to worship him. That was right ;
they knew he was the Son of God. All the
angels in heaven worship him. Do you wor-
ship him? These wise men were rich; they
had brought beautiful things with them from
their own land : they made presents to the king :
they opened their boxes, or bags, or baskets,
and they took out the most precious thing in
the world — gold; they also took out sweet-
smelling gums, whicn flow from trees, and are
called frankincense and myrrh.

Mary was very popr but God had sent b*f

C8 THE KING OF THE JEWS.

some gold. The wise men remembered what
Herod had said. They meant to go back and
tell him they had found the child. But they
had a dream, and in that dream God told them
not to go back to Herod ; so they wrent back
to their own country, and they did not go
back to Jerusalem. Happy wise men! you
saw the Lord of glory ! Could they ever for-
get that sweet, that lovely babe ? But he is
more lovely now. He is in heaven, on the
throne with God, and he will come down
here some day, shining brighter than the sun.

But what did wicked Herod do when he
found that the wise men did not come back ?
He was very angry. He was a very passion-
ate man, and when he was angry every body
might well be frightened. Herod said, "I
will kill all the babes in Bethlehem, then I shall
be sure to kill this young king among the rest."
What a cruel man this Herod was ! He sent
his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the little
children under two years old. It was of no
use for mothers to hide their babes ; the sol-
diers would find them out. It was of no use
for mothers to hold their babes fast, the sol-
diers would pull them away. Oh, what screams,
what bitter sobs must have been heard that
day ! Mothers love all their children, but the
babe is so helpless, that they think more about
it thdii about the rest. If you have a little
baby brother or sister, you know that your

THE KING OF THE JEWS. 69

mother loves it very much indeed. Does
she not call it many pretty names? Does
she not often take it in her arms, and kiss it?
Do you not pity the poor mothers of Beth-
lehem ?

And did Mary lose her babe, and was the
Son of God killed ? Oh, no. Before Herod
sent his men, God had sent an angel to Beth-
lehem. He came one night to Joseph ; this
good man was Mary's husband, and he loved
the Son of God. The angel said to Joseph,
" Arise, and take the young child and his
mother, and flee unto Egypt, and be thou there
until I bring thee word ; for Herod will seek
the young child to destroy him." So Joseph
got up that night, and told Mary to get up, and
to bring the babe with her ; and they all sat
out that night upon their long journey.

Herod did not know that the little king was
gone away, and that it was of no use to kill
all the babes in Bethlehem. God knows what
wicked men will do. If a wicked boy were to
intend to hurt you, God could get you out of
his way. No one could kill the Son of God till
he chose to die.

At last he was nailed to a cross and died,
but he was soon alive again, and he will never
die any more. He is the King of the Jews,
and he is the King of all people. Pray to him,
and he will hear you ; praise him, and he will
be pleased; trust him, and he will save you;

70 THE KING OF THE JEWS.

obey him, and he will remember you when
he comes again.

You may read this history in Matthew 2 :
1-16.

WORDS WRITTEN ON AN INFANT S TOMB.

It died, for Adam sinned ;
It lives, for Jesus died.

THE HEAVENLY BOY

When you walk in the streets of a great
city, you see many boys playing about. Some
of these are wicked boys, who swear, and
steal, and tell lies. But there are some boys
who fear God, and who speak the truth;
yet even they sometimes do wrong. I never
heard of more than one boy who always did
right. This boy came down from heaven ; he
was the Son of God, and he is called the Lord
Jesus Christ. The people in the town where
he lived did not know that he was the Lord.
They knew his name was Jesus, but they did not
call him the Lord Jesus. He was a poor boy,
and lived w'th a man called Joseph, who was
a carpenter. Joseph, was not his father. God
was his Father. He had a mother named
Mary ; she was a very good woman ; she knew
her little son came down from heaven. N<?
mother ever had such a son as the Lord Jesus.
He always minded what she said ; he always
behaved well to her, and treated her kindly.

One day he went a long journey with his
mother and with Joseph; he was then twelve
years old ; he did not go in a coach or a wagon

72 THE HEAVENLY BOY.

he walked, or, if he rode at all, it was upon an
ass. He came at last to a great city called
Jerusalem. What did he go there for? It
was to pray to God. There was a great build-
ing there, made of marble, very large and beau-
tiful, where people worshipped God. Its name
was the Temple.

In the spring all the men in the land went
up to Jerusalem. When they got there they
used to meet together, a few at a time, and eat
a roasted lamb, and sing hymns, and pray to
God. It was pleasant to go to this feast.
Very often the fathers took their children with
them, and sometimes the mothers went too.

When Jesus was twelve years old, he went
up to Jerusalem with Joseph and Mary, and
with their neighbors who lived in their town.
He stayed there about a week. At the end of
that time, Joseph and Mary sat out with their
neighbors to return home to their own town.
Did Jesus go home with them ? No, he did
not ; but Joseph and Mary did not miss him at
first; they thought he was with some of the
neighbors, walking on a little before, or
coming after them. But when the evening
came they did not see him, and they began
to be frightened. They asked all their
neighbors where he was, but nobody knew.
What could they do ? They said they would
turn back and look for him at Jerusalem.
They did not find him on the road. At last
they came to Jerusalem ; they looked every

THE HEAVEWLY BOY. 73

where for Jesus. At last they found him.
Where was he? In the temple. What was
he doing there ? He was learning.

There were some wise men in Jerusalem
who used to teach the boys about God and
about the Bible. Jesus was at the temple
earning of these wise men. When they
asked him questions, he gave very good an-
swers. Then he asked them questions. Tea-
chers like to hear children ask questions ; it
showTs that they wish to understand, and to
grow wise.

Should you not like to know what questions
Jesus asked ? I should ; but I do not know.
But this I do know, that both his questions and
his answers were so sensible, that his teachers
were quite surprised. They had never taught
such a child before. There never was such a
child before, for this was the only child who
came down from heaven.

Joseph and Mary were very much surprised
to find Jesus iv the temple. His mother said
to him, " Son, y» by hast thou thus dealt with
us ? behold, thy father and I have sought thee
sorrowing." T) en Jesus answered, " How is
it that ye sough) .ne ? Do you not know that
I must be about • ay Father's business ?"

Whom did he call his father? Not Joseph,
but God in heaven — he was his Father. Jesus
came down from heaven to please his Father.
All the time he was in the world he never for-
got his Father in heaven. He was always
7

74 THE HEAVENLY BOY.

thinking of him, ani very often he was speak-
ing of him. But wicked people did not like
to hear him talk of his heavenly Father, and
at last they killed him.

It was not till he had grown to be a man
that he <\ied. He let the wicked people kill
him, because he wanted to save us from going
to hell. We are sinners, and deserve to go to
hell, out Jesus suffered for us, that we might
be pardoned. When he was a little boy, he
knew that one day he should be nailed to a
cross. Other boys do not know what will
happen to them when they grow up, but Jesus
knew everything. Many boys think that they
shall be very happy as soon as they are men,
that they shall do what they like, and not mind
any body. But Jesus thought only about
minding his heavenly Father. When he was
a child, he minded his mother too, but he al-
ways minded his heavenly Father.

Oh, how much I wish you would try to be
like him. Jesus would be pleased if he saw
you wishing to be such a child as he was.
When you are going to do wicked things, ask
^yourself this question, " Did Jesus behave in
this way when he was a boy?" Then ask
God to make you like Jesus. You need n<:t
speak loud for God to hear. He hears yc in
thoughts. You cannot always pray out loud,
nut you can pray in your heart at any time.
When you are alone, speak to God, for he likes
to hear you speak.

THE HEAVENLY SOY. 75

EARLY PIETY.

Jzjcjs, who reigns above the sky,

And keeps the world in awe,
Was once a child as young as I,

And kept his Father's law.

At twelve years old, he talk'd with men,
(The Jews all wond'ring stand :)

Yet he obeyed his mother then,
And came at her command.

Children a sweet hosanna eung,
And blest their Saviour's name ;

They gave him honor with their tongue,
Whilst scribes and priests blaspheme.

Samuel, the child was wean'd and brought

To wait upon the Lord ;
Y'oung Timothy betimes was taught

To know his holy *>ordr

Then why should I so long delay.
What others learned so soon ?

I would not pass another day,
Without this wort regmi.

THE HEAVENLY DOVK

Were you ever in a church ? Do you re-
member the first time you went to church or
chapel ? You saw a man standing in a pulpit
in the midst of the church ; you heard him
speak loud, so that everybody could hear him
— that man was the preacher. Did you hear
anything he said ? Do you remember any-
thing ? I know what he talked about. He
spoke of God. It is to tell people about God,
that preachers go up the stairs and stand in
the pulpit. I am now going to tell you of a
preacher who did not stand in a pulpit ; he did
not preach' in a church or a chapel, but out of
doors ; he did not preach in the streets, but in
the country, far away among the green hills.
His name was John ; he did not wear a white
gown, nor a black gown, as many preachers
do, but he dressed in very coarse clothes, and
had a leathern band round his waist. He
lived in a place called a desert, where there
were no houses, and he ate the honey that he
found in the holes of the rocks.

A great many people came to hear John.
What did John say to them ? He said, " Re-

THE HEAVENLY DOVE. 77

pent." "What does that mean ? It means,
" Turn f:om your wicked ways." John told
the people that God hated sin — all kinds of
sin, stealing, lying, swearing, and fighting.
Some of the people wished to turn from their
sins, and to please God. Then John took them
to the edge of the water, and told them to go
in. Why did he tell them to go in ? Not to
make their bodies clean, but to show how God
cleansed their hearts from sin. This was
called " baptizing.'5 John baptized everybody
who was sorry for their sins.

Would you like to have been baptized ?
Are you sorry for your sins ? God can make
your heart clean.

Among the people who came to be baptized,
at last there came one who had never done
anything wrong. Who could that be ? All
men have done wTrong many times, but this
man was the Son of God ; he had come down
from heaven, that he might save us from going
to hell. His name was Jesus.

After Jesus had been baptized in the water
just as he was coming out of it, and as he was
praying to his Father, a very wonderful thing
happened — the heavens w7ere opened. How
bright it would be, if we could see the place
where God the Father lives beyond the sky !
This is what John saw. Out of the heavens
there came the Holy Spirit of God. He came
down like a dove, and rested upon Jesus. Oh,
what a lovely sight ! Then a voice was heard

73 THE HEAVENLY DOVE.

■ — it was the voice of God the Father in hea-
ven : he said, " This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased."

Would you not like to have been there to
have seen the Son of God, and the Spirit of
God, and to have heard the voice of God ? 1
hope you will one day see that glorious sight,
and hear that heavenly voice. Jesus is in
heaven now with God his Father, and he is
still a man, as well as the Son of God. He
died for sinners like you and me upon the
cross, and he was buried ; but he rose out of
his grave, and went up to heaven.

And now he asks God to forgive sinners.
Does God hear what his Son says ? Oh, yes ;
you know the Father loves his Son, for he
said, " This is my beloved Son." Only ask
Jesus to pray for you, and I know he will do
it, and your sins shall be forgiven.

Perhaps you feel, " I am a wicked child ; I
am not fit to live with God." Well, I am glad
if you feel you are a sinner ; but do not be afraid,
Jesus can wash away all your sins, and make
your heart clean. You know how clean
very dirty things are made by the water.
Jesus is better than water, he can wash all
stains out of the heart. I know you wish to
be happy, you may be happy.

There are horrible beasts called lions, tigers,
wolves, and bears. Perhaps you have seen
them shut up in cages. Wicked people are
like wild beasts. There is a gentle bird called

THE HEAVENLY I OVE. 79

a dove. It is a sweet, harmless creature.
The Holy Spirit of God is like this dove. II
this Holy Spirit were to come into your heart,
you would grow gentle like a dove, and then
you would be happy. But will the Holy Spirit
come ? Yes, Jesus has promised to send him
into the hearts of all people who ask him.
What a happy child you might be, if your sins
were forgiven, if your heart was made clean,
and if the heavenly Dove was with you.
Should you not be happy ? Oh, yes, even
now you would be happy. But you would be
happier still one day, for one day you would
live with God.

I know not where your home is — whether in
a garret, or a kitchen, or a prett} cottage, or a
neat house. But if your home were a prison,
you would be happy with the heavenly Dove,
the Holy Spirit in your heart ; and if you lived
in a palace, if you were wicked, you would be
unhappy, for God has said, " There is no peace
to the wicked/'

Read this history in Matt, 3 : 13-17 ; Mark
1: 9-11 ; Luke 3 : 21, 22.

80 THE HEAVENLY DOVE.

A CHILD-S PRAYER.

Lcrd, teach a little child to pray,
Thy grace betimes impart,

And grant thy Holy Spirit may
Eenew my infant heart.

A sinful creature I was born,
And from my birth have stray'd

I must be wretched and forlorn
Without thy mercy's aid.

But Christ can all my sins forgive,
And wash away their stain,

And fit my soul with him to live,
And in his kingdom reign.

To him let children come,
For he hath said they may ;

His bosom then shall be their home j
Their tears he'll wipe away.

CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.

What is that large house with hisfh walls all
round ? It is big enough for a palace for the
queen, but it is not pretty enough ; there are
no pleasant gardens near, no balconies nor ve-
randahs, nor carved pillars. Is it a hospital
for sick people, or a school for orphan children ?
No, for I see little windows with bars before
them, and great iron spikes longer than your
arm at the top of the wTalls. Is it a prison ?
Yes. How many wicked people there must
be to fill so large a place, and how unhappy
they must be shut up there ! Why did they
steal ? Did they not know that if they wrere
found out they would be sent to prison ? Yes,
they knew it ; but there is a person who goes
about teaching men to be wicked. Who is
that? It is not a person you can see. No,
he has not a body like yours, but he has a
mind, and a wicked mind. His name is Satan,
and he is often called the devil. He is very
miserable and he tries to make everybody
miserable. He often puts it into the mind of
a boy to wish to steal. When the boy sees
nice rosy apples hanging on a tree, the devil

82 CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.

says, " Take them, they are so nice ; nobody
will see you."

But we ought not to please the devil, but to
please God. It is God who made us, and we
ought to obey him. When the devil wants
you to be naughty, then say to God, " O keep
me from sin." Satan is very bold. He tries
to make everybody wicked. He tries to
make ladies and gentlemen proud and un-
kind, and he wrishes little beggars to swear, and
to fight, and to tell lies.

Is there anybody who has never done what
Satan wished? No, everybody has done
many wrong things. Have not you ? Have
you never told a lie ? Have you never been
cross, and rude, and pert.

But there once was a man in this world who
never did one wrong thing. This was the
Son of God. He came down to live for a lit-
tle while, and then to die ; his name was Jesus :
he knew we were wicked, and must be pun-
ished, so he said he would be punished, in-
stead of us. But he was not wicked like us.
Satan wanted to make him wicked.

Once Jesus went into a place quite alone ; it
was called a wilderness. No body lived there ;
there were no cornfields nor fruit trees, no
sheep or cows, only lions and bears, who howl-
ed and roared ; and there were stones upon the
ground, not flowers — and deep pits, but no
rivers, nor running brooks — and stinging scor-
pions and biting serpents. Jesus was a long

CHRIST IX THE WILDERNESS. &S

while in this horrible place quite alone, and ai'
the time he ate no bread and drank no water.
He was there forty days without eating or
drinking anything. You would die very soon,
if you had nothing to eat: you would not live
four days, perhaps — you would certainly die in
seven days. But Jesus lived forty days with-
out food. It was God, his Father, who kept
him alive.

At last Jesus was very hungry, and then the
devil came to him. And did he dare to speak
to the Son of God ? Oh, yes. I told you he
is very bold. He asked him why he did not
make the stones into bread. Jesus could make
stones into bread, but he would not because it
was not the will of his Father. So, though he
was very hungry, he would not make the stones
into bread.

The devil then tried another plan. He took
Jesus to the top of a very high place. Have
you ever been to the top of a church ? It was
to such a high place that Satan took Jesus.
Then he asked him to throw himself down
from the top; and told him that God would
tell his angels to keep him from being hurt.
But it is very wicked to throw ourselves down
from high places, and Jesus would not do it.
Then the devil took him to the top of a very
high mountain.

Were you ever at the top of a high moun-
tain ? There are some mountains five miles
high, and it would take you two days to climb

84 CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.

up to the top; but I do not think a child like

you could get up at all. Jesus did not climb up

this mountain, Satan took him there all at once.

Jesus let Satan take him there. When you

are at the top of a high mountain it is very

fine to look all round, and to see the fields and

the towns a great way underneath. But no

one ever saw so many beautiful sights as Jesus

saw from the top of this mountain. He 'saw

all the most beautiful things in the world, such as

grand houses and sweet gardens, and armies

of soldiers, and ships with flags, and carriages

with horses, and tables covered with gold and

silver cups, and thrones of ivory where kings

sit, and crowns of jewels which kings wear.

Then the devil told Jesus that he would give

him all these things, for they were all his, and

he gave them to whom he would. Was that

true ? Oh, no ; the devil tells lies — everything

belongs to God, for everything was made by

him. Then Satan promised Jesus to give him

all these grand things, if he would kneel down

and worship him. Would Jesus do that ? No,

he would worship no one but God his Father.

It is very wicked to bow down to images, or

to pictures, or to pray to any body but God.

When the devil found lie could not make

Jesus do one wicked thing he went away. But

Jesus was very weary — God his Father knew

that, and he sent his angels to feed him. Oh,

now pleasant it must be to be fed by angels!

—those kind and bright creatures who live

CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS. SO

with God. It was much better to be fed by
angels than to turn the stones into bread.

How glad I am that Jesus did not do what
Satan asked ! If Jesus had been wicked like
us, he could not have saved us from going to
hell to be with the devil ; but now he can. Do
you want to be saved ? Would you like to
live witl^ Jesus ? I know you would be very
miserable in hell. Now is the time to ask God
to save you. God wishes to save you, Jesus
wishes to save you, but the devil wants to tor-
ment you. If you do what the devil bids, you
will go to hell What can you do ? Ask God
to save you.
8

THE HEAVENLY LAMB.

Did you ever spend a happy day ? Perhaps
you will say, "I have spent a great many hap-
py days." What made those days so hp/ppy ?
Was it that you went into the country to play
on the green grass ; or was it that you saw
some fine sights; or was it that you had a
new book; or was it that you saw again
your kind grandmother, or your eldest sister, or
your brother who had been absent ? I do not
know what made you happy on your happy
days. I am going to tell you of a happy day
which two men spent — I think you will say,
" It must have been a happy day."

Once there was a good man who preached
to a great many people. He did not wear a
black silk gown as some preachers do, but only
coarse clothes; he did not preach in a pulpit,
but under a tree, or by the water-side. His
name was John ; there were some men who
liked to be with him, and these men were call-
ed his disciples. Once he was standing in the
country with two of his disciples, when he
saw a man walking along a little way off.
When John siw mis man he looked at him
and then said to his disciples, "Behold the

THE HEAVENLY LAMB. 87

Lamb of God." What did John mean ? Was
it a lamb he saw? No, it was a man. Why
did he call him a lamb ? I will tell you why.
That man was God as well as man ; he was
the Son of God, and he was come down from
heaven to die — yes, to die for our sins. God
his Father sent him down to die for us, that
we might not go to hell, and be punished for-
ever and ever. The Son of God was like a
sweet and gentle lamb, and wTas willing to die
for us, though he had done no sin. How much
pleased John was to see him ! John loved
him, and he wished his disciples to love him too.

One of those two disciples was called An-
drew. I do not know the name of the other.
If you had been Andrew, what would you
have done when you heard John say, " Behold
the Lamb of God ? I think I hear you answer,
"I would have gone after that gentle Lamb."
That is what Andrew did. The two disciples
went after the Son of God. His name was
Jesus. While they were walking behind him,
Jesus turned and said to them, " What seek
ye ?" How kind it was in the Son of God to
speak to these poor men ! They answered,
" Master, where dwellest thou ?" Jesus said,
"Come and see." Was not this kind? The
two men went to the house where Jesus
lived. Did he ask them to come in ? Yes he
did, and he let them stay with him all the rest
of the day.

Must not that have been a happy day? It

88 THE HEAVENLY LAMB.

was a day spent with the Son of God. You
never spent such a day as that. Yet Jesus
could make you happy every day, for he can
come into your heart. Should you not like to
see the house where Jesus lived when he was
in this world ! I cannot show that, but I can
tell you where Jesus is now. He is in heaven.
If you wish to see him, ask him to take you
there when you die. He is very kind, and
hears children when they pray to him.

I have a little more to tell you about An-
drew. He loved Jesus so much, that he want-
ed his brother to know him too. He had a
brother called Simon, and he said to him,
" We have found the Christ/5 It was Jesus
that he meant ; he called him the Christ. Si-
mon did not know where Jesus lived, but An-
drew did, and he showed his brother the way.
How pleasant it is when brothers are kind to
each other! As soon as Jesus saw Simon, he
knew who he was, without being told, and he
knew the name of his father, too, and he said,
" Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas." Jesus
knows the name of every one. He knows
your name, and your father's name, and your
mother's name. 'Jesus gave Simon a new
name; he called him Peter. Why? There
is a meaning in the word Peter; it means "a
stone." Christ knew that Simon would be
like a "stone." Is it good to be like a stone?
A stone is very useful. Ask the mason whether
a sto'ie is not. useful. Christ knew that Simon

THE HEAVENLY LAMB. 89

would be a preacher, and do a great deal of
good, so he called him " a stone."

Wicked people are not like stones, but like
rubbish, for they are of no use ; they are like
briars and thorns which prick, or like scorpions
which sting, or like serpents which bite, or like
wolves and lions, and bears which devour, or
like dogs and pigs which eat vile food. But
good people — what are they like ? They are
like fruitful trees, like harmless sheep, like
stones, or silver or gold.

My child, what are you like ? Are you a
child of God, or a child of the devil ? If you
are a child of God, you are like a gentle lamb,
and Jesus is your shepherd, and carries you in
his arms. If you are a child of the devil, then
you are like the devil. How horrible he is.
He loves sin and hates God.

I love the Lamb who died for me,
I love his little lamb to be ;
I love the Bible, where I find
How good my Saviour was and kind
I love beside his cross to stay,
I love the grave where Jesus lay ;
I love his people and their ways,
I love with them to pray and praise ;
I love the Father and the Son,
I love the Spirit he sent down ;
I love to think the time will come,
When I shall be with him at home.

90 THE HEAVENLY LAMB.

THE LAMB OF GOD. '

Sinners, " behold the Lamb of God,"
Who takes away our guilt ;

Look to the precious, priceless blood,
That Jews and Gentiles spilt.

From heaven he came to seek and save,

Leaving his blest abode :
To ransom us himself he gave —

" Behold the Lamb of God !"

Sinners, to Jesus then draw near,

Invited by his word ;
The chief of sinners need not fear —

"Behold the Lamb of God!"

In every state, and time, and place,
Naught plead but Jesus' blood ;

However wretched be your case,
" Behold the Laid) of God !»

NATHANAEL.

Nathanael was a good man. He lived in
those days when the the Lord Jesus was walk-
ing about this world, and he lived in the same
country as the Lord, and in a town very near
the place were the Lord dwelt. Did Natha-
nael see him ? Yes, he did. Should you like
to hear how it was he saw him first ?

Nathanael had a friend named Philip. These
two friends, Nathanael and Philip, had often
heard the Bible read out loud, and they had
listened while it was read. There was one
promise in the Bible which they had taken
much notice of — it was this, that God would
one day send ixis Son into the world. Natha-
nael and Philip thought this a great promise,
and they wished to know the Son of God.

92 VATHANAEL.

One day Philip came to Nathanael and said,
" We have found him ; it is Jesus of Nazareth/'
Was this true ? Oh, yes; Jesus of Nazareth
was the Son of God. At first Nathanael
thought that Philip had made a mistake, and
that he had not really found the Son of God.
Nathanael had heard that a great many wicked
people lived in Nazareth, and he thought that
the Son of God could not come from such a
wicked city ; so he replied, " Can any good
thing come out of Nazareth ?" Philip gave a
very short answer — it was this, " Come and
see/5 Philip thought that if Nathanael were
just to see Jesus, he would then be sure that
ne was the Son of God ; for though Jesus had
a body like ours, and though he was poor, and
weak, and sorrowful, he was so wise and so
good, that there was no one ever seen like him.

Philip knew where to find Jesus, and he
took Nathanael with him. How much Philip
hoped that his friend would believe in the
Saviour ! At last the two friends came with-
in sight of Jesus. Did the Lord know who
that man was walking with Philip ? Oh, yes,
he knew who he was ; he had made him ; he
gave him breath every moment ; he could look
into his heart ; he knew all about him. As soon
as he saw him coming near, he said, "Be-
hold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no
guile," or deceit. What did he mean by an
Israelite ? There was a good man called
Israel, who prayed very earnestly. NathanaeJ

NATHANAEL. 93

was like that Israel, for he had prayed earnest-
ly, and so he was an Israelite indeed. But he
was quite surprized to hear Jesus speak ot
him as if he knew him, and he cried out,
" Whence knowest thou me ?" Then Jesus
answered, " Before Philip called thee, when
thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee."
Had Nathanael been alone under a fig-tree ?
And what for ? People who love God get
often alone to pray to him, and God sees
them and hears them when they are praying
by themselves. Jesus had seen Nathanael hid
under the thick branches of a shady fig-tree,
when n© one else saw him, and we may be
quite sure that he saw him praying, and asking
God to forgive his sins.

Nathanael knew that no one but God had
seen him under the fig-tree ; so when he heard
what Jesus said, he knew that he was God,
and he cried out, " Master, thou art the Son of
God ; thou art the King of Israel." How
happy Nathanael was to find the Saviour!

Jesus soon made him such a sweet promise !
He said, " Hereafter ye shall see heaven open,
and the angels of God ascending and descend-
ing upon the Son of Man." Nathanael has
been dead a long while, but we are sure that he
is now with Jesus in heaven, and that he will
come again with Jesus and the angels at
the last day.

Would the child who reads th's book like to
see angels, and to see Jesus ?

94: NATHANAEL.

If you would, then go like Nathanael and
pray all alone by yourself. You cannot go
under a fig-tree, but there may be some bush
behind which you can creep to pray, or you
might pray by the side of your little bed when
no one was near. God does not mind what
place you are in. If you pray with your heart,
he will hear you.

I have heard of a little black girl who often
crept behind the bushes, and said, " Lord help
me ; Lord, teach me ;" and God did help her,
and sent her a good man to teach her about
Jesus. Cannot you pray as that poor little black
girl did ? You can say to God, " O Lord,
pardon my sins, because Jesus died upon the
cross. Give me the Holy Spirit to make me
good. May I live in the happy place with thee
for ever and ever." God would be pleased to
hear your young lips repeat such a little
prayer as this.

If you wish to read the history of Natha-
nael in the Testament, look for John 1 : 43, to
the end.

We're travelling home to heaven above ;

Will you go?
To sing the Saviour's dying love ;

Will you go ?
Millions have reach'd that blessed shore,
Their trials and labors all are o'er,
But still there's room for millions more :

Will you go ]

NATI ANAEL. 95

We're going to walk the plains of light ;

Will you go ?
Far. far from death, and curse, and night ;

Will you go ?
The crown of life we then shall wear,
The conqueror's palm we then shall bear,
And all the joj s of heaven share ;

Will you go %

We're going to see the bleeding Lamb )

Will you go ?
With joyful songs to praise his name ;

Will you go ?
Our sun will then no more go down,
Our moon no more will be withdrawn,
Our days of mourning past and gone :

Will you go ?

The way to heaven is straight and plain ;

Will you go 1
Repent, believe, be born again :

Will you go 1
The Saviour cries aloud to thee,
" Take up thy cross and follow me,"
And thou shalt my salvation see :

Will you go ?

0 could I hear some sinner say,

" I will go ?"

0 could I hear him humbly pray,

" Make me go."
And all his old companions tell,
" I will not go with you to hell,

1 long with Jesus Christ to dwell :

" Let me go."

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.

Did you ever take a journey, and how did
you travel? The quickest way of travelling
is by the railroad train. You may go in that
way twenty-five miles in one hour. An-
other way of travelling is in a coach or omni-
bus. But people often go in a wagon, while
others go on foot — that is a very slow way in-
deed. Twenty miles in a day is a good jour-
ney for a man, and as for a child, I do not
think he could walk ten without being very
much tired.

I am now going to tell you of a poor man
who travelled on foot. Where was he going ?'
Was it to his home ? He had none. He was
always going from place to place to teach peo-
ple about God. This poor man was a very
good man ; he would often preach while people
stood around and listened. I hope you never
laugh at any poor man you see preaching in
the streets. This poor man did not travel
alone ; there were twelve other poor men who
went with him ; they were his friends ; they

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL 97

liked to be with him, and to hear what he said
about God and heaven.

One day this poor man was making a jour-
ney with his friends. It was very hot, and
about the middle of the day ; he was tired, and
hungry, and thirsty ; he saw a well of water
just under a hill, and he sat down by it to rest
himself. There was a town a little way off, and
his friends went to the town to buy some food,
so the poor man was all alone by the side ot
the well; but though he was thirsty, he could
not drink, for the well was deep, and there was
no bucket there. Very soon a woman came
to the well with a jug to fetch water; the
poor man said to her, " Give me to drink."
He always spoke kindly, yet this woman be-
haved very rudely to him. She saw that this
poor man was a Jew, and she did not like the
Jews. I hope you do, for God loves the poor
Jews. The woman would not give the thirsty
traveller any water, because he was a Jew.
Was the poor man angry ? Oh, no ; he was a
meek, gentle, and patient man : he only told the
woman, if she had asked him for water, he
would have given her living water. The
woman was surprised to hear this, and asked
how he could give her water, when he had no
jug, or bucket, and the well was deep. Then
she began to say what good water there was
in the well, and she was sure that the good man
could not give her any better water. But the
poor man told her that he could give her bet-
9

98 THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.

ter water than that; "for," said he, "who-
soever drinketh of this water shall thirst again,
but whosoever drinketh of the water that
I shall give him shall never thirst." Then the
woman thought she would like such water as
that, for she could not bear the trouble of com-
ing to the well every day to fill her jug ; so she
said, " Sir" (for she wras more civil now
than she was at first,) " give me this water,
that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw."
But instead of giving her any wTater, the poor
man began to talk to her about her sins, for he
knew she was a wicked woman, and had done
many wrong things. She was quite surprised
to find that the stranger knew all about her —
knew things which other people did not know.
At last she said, " I see you are a prophet ;"
and so he was — the woman was right in think-
ing the poor man was a prophet. But still she
did not guess who he was. At last he told
her ; and who do you think that poor man was ?
The Son of God ! Oh, wonderful ! The Son
of the great God a poor man, sitting by a well !
It is wonderful, yet it is true.

When the woman knew it was Jesus Christ
wTho was talking to her, she left her jug and
ran very quickly into the town. What for ?
To call the people to see the Lord Jesus Christ.
She said to them, " Come, see a man who told
me all things that ever I did : is not this the
Christ ?" The people of the town went back
with the woman to the well. Would you

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL. 9C

have gone back wiih the woman ? I think you
would. The poor man was still sitting by the
well, and his twelve friends were with him.
But he had not eaten any dinner — he could not,
for he was so glad about this woman and
about the people of the town, for he was going
to teach them, and to save their souls from
going to hell. He liked saving souls. It was
his delight. He had come down from heaven
on purpose to save us.

The people from the town begged him not
to go on his journey, but to stay with them ;
and so he went to the town and stayed there
two days. How much he talked to the people
while he was there ! He told them about God
his Father, and about sin and Satan, and hell,
and that he had come to save them by dying
for them. A great many of the people believed
what he said, and loved him. Some had not
believed when the woman said, " He has told
me all I ever did." But they did believe when
they heard him speak themselves. " Now"
they said, " we believe that this is the Saviour
of the world."

Did the poor man give water to the people ?
Yes, he gave them water from heaven. What
do I mean by "water?" " The Holy Spirit of
God." When people have the Holy Spirit in
their hearts, they are happy, for then they love
God. People who do not love God, are not
happy; they are always trying to be happy,
but they cannot be happy. Can money make

100 THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.

people happy ? No. Can cakes and fruit ?
Can new coats and frocks ? Can picture-books ?
Can fine sights ? None of these things can
make you happy always. They please for a
little while, but the pleasure is soon over. But
if you love God, you will always be happy —
you will thirst no more.

Should you like to be happy ? I know you
would. Then go to Jesus. He is not sitting
by a well now, yet you may find him, though
you cannot see him. He is sitting on a throne
in heaven. If you were to speak to him he
would hear you. Say to him, " O Lord Jesus,
make me happy. Give me thy Holy Spirit. I
want to live with God, and not to go to hell."
Jesus knows all the naughty things we have
done. If he wTere to .come into this room, he
could tell you a great deal that I do not know.
He saw one child go to the cupboard, when
its mother's back was turned, and steal
sugar. He heard another tell a lie — nobody
found him out, but God knew it. He observes
the spiteful pinch ; he knows when big girls
shake the little ones; he hears wicked children
when they call their parents bad names — such
names as I would not like to repeat; and he
hears, too, when they speak any bad word : all,
all is written down in God's book — nothing is
forgotten, and all will be read out one day.
But if you ask God now, he will forgive you
all. Oh, ask him — ask him ; he has promised
to forgive you, if you ask, because Jesus died

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL. 101

for you. He forgave the woman at the well,
though she was a very naughty woman.
Read John 4 : 6-43.

'Tis religion that can g'.ve
Sweetest pleasure while we live ;
'Tis religion must supply
Solid comfort when we die.

After death its joy will be
Lasting as eternity.
Be the living God my friend,
Then my bliss shall never end.
9*

THE FOUR FISHERMEN.

There were once four fishermen, two of
them were brothers, and the other two were
brothers. Two brothers were called John and
James, and two were called Andrew and Si-
mon Peter. These four fishermen were friends ;
they shared with each other all they caught,
for they were partners in trade. They had
two fishing boats, or little ships ; they lived by
the seaside. The best time for fishing is in
the night. These men used to go fishing in
the night.

A fisherman leads a hard life. When the
wind blows and makes the sea rough, he is
tossed about : his little boat is borne up by a
high wave, and then it sinks into a deep place
where the water rolls over it. The poor fish-
erman is wet to the skin, and has no fire by
which to dry his clothes. He does not care
for that, for now he sees a great wave rolling
towards him which may perhaps swallow him
up. When the sea is smooth he lets down his
net to catch fish, but sometimes he cannot
catch any ; he takes it up out of the water, and
finds it empty. While his children are sleeping
in their little beds in his hut, he is toiling hard
on the great sea. In the morning "ie returns

THE FOUR FISHERMEN. 103

home chilled with the cold winds. If he has
plenty of fish in his boat then he is glad, for he
sells them to buy bread for his wife and chil-
dren.

The four fishermen of whom I have told you,
went one night in their two little ships to catch
fish, but they could not catch any at all. In
the morning they left their ships and went on
shore, where they began to wash their nets.
There came to the place where they were, a
man whom they knew well and loved much.
He was greater than any man upon earth
yet, he was the friend of the fisherman.
He looked like a poor man, yet he had made
all things. Who could this be? It was
Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He had come
down from heaven to live in the world a
little while. He preached very often to poor
people. He was standing by the seaside, and
a great crowd of people were standing round
him, and they stood very close to him, listening
to what he said.

Jesus wished to get out of the crowd, that
he might preach to them more easily. He
saw the two ships ; he knew whose ships they
were. He saw Simon Peter very near, wash-
ing his net, and he said he would go into his
ship, and he told Simon to push it a little way
into the water. When he was got into the
ship, he sat down and preached to the people
who were standing on the land. Now they
could hear him very well, and they could see

104 THE FOUR FISHERMEN.

nim better than before. It was a good plan to
eit in a ship and preach.

The two brothers Simon and Andrew were
in the ship with Jesus. These poor men must
have felt tired after the sleepless night they
had passed. Jesus knew all their troubles
without their telling him, for he knew all
things, because he was God. After he had
done preaching, he told Simon to make his
ship go further into the water, and then
let down their nets to catch fish. Simon
answered that they had been trying all night
to catch fish and had not caught any, but that
they would do what he told them to do. The
Lord Jesus was pleased with Simon for doing
what he told him. It is always best to do what
he bids. Simon and Andrew let down their net,
and then tried to pull it up again, but in trying to
pull it up the net broke. What could they do
now? All their fishes would soon get' out of
the net, if they did not make haste. They
made a sign to John and James, who were in
the other ship, to come and help them. Then
all the four fishermen lifted up the net and
took the fishes out of it: and there were so
many that both the ships were filled, and
were so heavy that they were beginning to
sink. Then it was that Simon Peter fell down
at the knees of Jesus, who was sitting in the
ship, and said, " Depart from me, for I am a
sinful man." Why did he ask Jesus to go
away from him ? Did he not love him ? Had

THE FOUR FISHERMEN. 105

not Jesus been very kind to him, in letting
him catch all these fishes ? Yes, it was because
Jesus had been so very kind that Simon asked
him to go away, for he felt that he was not
good enough to have such a friend. Perhaps
Simon Peter, when he could not catch fish in
the night, may have thought that God was un-
kind, and that he would let him starve ; but
now he saw how kind God was, and he was
ashamed of himself. Have you never thought
God unkind ? It is a great sin to think so.
God sometimes seems unkind, but he always
has some wise reason for what he does. Now
Simon Peter knew why he had caught no fish
in the night. It was that he might see in the
morning how wise, and strong, and kind the
Lord Jesus was.

Did Jesus go away from him ? Oh, no ; he
knew that Peter loved him. He said to him,
" Fear not ; from henceforth thou shalt catch
men." What did he mean by catching men ?
He meant that Peter wrould catch the souls of
men. He meant that Peter would tell men that
Jesus was come down from heaven to die for
their sins upon the cross, and save them from go-
ing to hell. Afterwards Peter was a preacher,
and a great many men believed what he said, and
turned to God, and were saved. So he did
catch men, and so did Andrew, and John, and
J ames ; these four fishermen left off fishing,
and became preachers.

When they had hrought their two ships to

*06 THE FOUR FISHERMEN

land, they left them, and went aftei Jesus
They followed him from place to place, and
listened to his kind voice, and saw the wonders
he did. At last they looked upon him as he
was hanging on his cross, and they stood near
when his body was put into the grave. When
he was alive again, they saw him and were
glad, and now they are with Jesus in heaven.
When he comes again, they will come with
him. It is a happy thing to belong to Jesus.
Happy are the fishermen who love him now,
and happy are the fishermen's children who
love him, and happy are all the poor little boys
who love Jesus !

This history may be found in Luke 5 : 1-11.

Hosanna to the Son

Of David and of God,
Who brought the news of pardon down

And bought it with his blood.

To Christ the annointed King,

Be endless blessings given ;
Let the whole earth his glories sing,

Who made our peace with Heaven.

THE WIDOW AND HER SON.

When a child dies, who is it sheds the most
tears ? Is it not the child's mother ? If it be
an only child who has died, how very unhappy
the mother is ! And if that mother be a
widow, she is the more to be pitied, because
she has no husband to weep with her. A long,
long while ago a widow lost her only son. He
was a young man. I do not know whether he
was a good son or not, but this I know, his
mother loved him. Soon after he died, he was
put in a coffin, and carried by some men to be
buried. The coffin had no lid — it was not like
the coffins in this country, for they are screw-
ed down.

The men were taking him out of the town
where he had died into the country to be bu-
ried, and his mother walked near him, crying
very much, and a great many people followed.
They met on the road another crowd, who
were going towards the town. There was no
dead person in that crowd, but there was a
very wonderful man called the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. He had come down
from heaven, and was living in the world ; and
he did such wonderful things that people fob
lowed him about from place to place. He saw

108 THE WIDOW AND HER SON.

the poor widow weeping*. He knew all about
her trouble without being told ; he knew she
had lost her only son, and he felt very sorry for
her. He came up to her and said, " Weep
not." But how could the poor mother help
weeping ? Jesus could make her happy. He
went up to the coffin where the young man
was, and touched it. Immediately the men
who carried it stood still. Then he said,
"Young man, I say unto thee, arise." The
young man wTas dead, how could he get up out
of his coffin ? But the dead hear the voice of
Jesus, because he is God. The young man
sat up, and began to speak. I wonder what he
said. Did he praise God, or did he ask to see
his mother ?

Do you think the widow left off weeping
now ? If she shed tears now, they must have
been tears of joy. Jesus himself gave the
young man back to his mother. How happily
Xhe widow and her son must have v alked
home together !

Every one who saw this wonder was very
much surprised, and felt afraid. Many people
said. " A great prophet has risen up amongst
us." They thought that God had sent him.
And so he had ; the Father in heaven had sent
his Son down into this world : and why. To
die. Jesus came to die for sinners. Why did
he give life to the young man ? To show peo-
ple that all he said was true. He could make
all dead people alive now, but he lets them lie

THE WIDOW AXD HER SON. 109

in their graves till the day when he will come
again. " Then all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice, and shall come forth." What a
day that will be! We often see a churchyard
filled with graves; there are stones over some
graves, but the green grass grows over many
a coffin. The ground is full of dead people.
What a sight it will be when all these dead
people come up out of their graves ! They will
see Jesus seated upon a throne of glory, with
all his bright angels round him. Then Jesus
will judge the dead. ■ He will say whether they
shall go to heaven or to hell. Whom will he
take to heaven ? Those wTho believe that he
died upon the cross to save them ; those who
love him, and serve him, and wish to see his
face. Whom will he cast into hell ? Those
who forget him, and do not care for him.

Pray to Jesus to take you to heaven when
you die. Some persons will be alive when
Jesus comes again. He will judge them as
well as the dead. If they love him, they shall
have bright and glorious bodies like the body
of Jesus. And the dead people, too, shall have
new bodies. The young man whom Jesus
made alive again had his old body still, and at
last he died ao;ain ; but those who are made
alive at the last day, shall never die any more.
The wicked shall be unhappy forever, and that
is the worst sort of dying. It is called the
second death. May you, my dear child, never
feel what it is !
10

110 THE WIDOW 4ND HER SON.

You may read the history of the widow'i
son in Luke 7: 11-16.

Here we suffer grief and pain,
Here we meet to part again ;
In heaven we part no more,

Oh, that will be joyful !

Joyful, joyful, joyful !

Oh, that will be joyful !
When we meet to part no more !

All who love the Lord below,
When they die, to heaven will go,
And sing with saints above.

Oh, that will be joyful!

Joyful, joyful, joyful !

Oh, that will be joyful !
When we meet to part no more.

Holy children will be there,

Who have sought the Lord by prays

From every Sunday school.

Oh, that will be joyful !

Joyful, joyful, joyful !

Oh, that will be oyful !
When we meet to part no more.

THE WIDOW AND HER SON. Hi

Teachers, too, shall meet above,
And our pastors, whom we love,
Shall meet to part no more.

Oh, that will be joyful !

Joyful, joyful, joyful !

Oh, that will be joyful !
When we meet to part no more.

Oh, how happy we shall be !
For our Saviour we shall see,
Exalted on his throne !

Oh, that will be joyful !

Joyful, joyful, joyful !

Oh, that will be joyful !
When we meet to part no more.

There we all shall sing with joy,

And eternity employ

[n praising Christ the Lord,

Oh, that will be joyful !

Joyful, joyful, joyful !

Oh, that will be joyful !
When we meet to part no mors.

THE WOMAN WHO WASHED THE
SAVIOUR'S FEET.

When the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son oi
God, lived in this world, some people hated
him, and some people loved him. Do you
think }tou should have loved him ? He was
very kind, and gentle, and meek. You think
you should have loved him. But I must tell
you something else about him — he hates sin ;
he has seen all the naughty things you have
'done. Should you love him ?

I will tell you the reason why some people
iOved him, and why some people did not. It
is this : people who were sorry for their sins,
loved him ; people who were not sorry, did
not.

There was a woman who had committed a
great many sins. People thought her very
bad. One day, when Jesus was sitting at din-
ner in a rich man's house, she went in, and
she come behind him, and she stood there cry-
ing. What made her cry ? It was her sins ;
she was sorry that she had often been very
wicked. Jesus was reclining at dinner, for it
is the custom in some hot countries to lie down
when you eat. He was not lying down quite
flat ; he sat up, resting on his elbow, but his

THE WOMAN, ETC. 113

feet were upon the sofa. The poor woman
began to wash his feet — not with water, not in
a basin — but with her tears. And how did
she wipe them? With her own long hair.
Then she kissed his feet, and poured sweet
ointment on them.

The man who had invited Jesus to dine
with him was called Simon ; he was a proud
man ; he was angry when he saw the poor
woman showing so much love to the Lord,
and he thought in his heart, " If Jesus wTere
really so wise as people think, he would know
what sort of a woman that is, and he would not
let her touch him." Did Jesus know what sort
of a woman she was ? Oh, yes ; he knew all
the bad things she had ever done, and he had
forgiven her — quite forgiven her. Jesus saw
into the woman's heart ; he saw that she loved
him for having forgiven her. He saw into
the heart of the proud Simon ; he knew all he
was thinking about, so he asked him a ques-
tion. First he told him a little history. He
said, there were two men who owed some
money; one owed a great deal, the other a
very little. A kind man to whom they owed
the money, said to both the men, " You need
not pay me." " Which would love the kind
man the best ; the man who owed much, or
the man who owed little ?"

Simon answered, " The man who owed
much will love the most." Was that a right
answer? Jesus said it was a right answer.
10*

114 THE WOMAN WHO WASHED

Why did Jesus ask Simon this question? To
show why the woman loved him so much.
She loved him because she felt she had done a
great many bad things, and that Jesus had for-
given all. And why did not Simon love him?
Because he did not think he had done bad
things ; he thought he was very good, but he
was not really good ; he had behaved very
rudely to the Lord. It was the custom in that
hot country always to bring water in a basin
to wash the feet of your friends before they
sat down to dinner ; and it was the custom to
kiss your friends when they came to see you,
and to pour some sweet oil upon their heads.
Simon had done none of these things to Jesus.
But the woman had washed his feet with tears,
and had kissed them, and had poured ointment
on them.

And why did the woman love the Lord so
much ? Jesus told Simon the reason ; " Her
sins, which are many, are forgiven." That
was the reason she loved the Lord so much.
Then Jesus said to the woman, " Thy sins are
forgiven." How glad that poor woman must
have been to hear Jesus, with his own kind and
gentle voice say to her, " Thy sins are for-
given ! Would she ever forget those words ?
Would she be afraid to die ?

But the men who sat at the table were angry
when they heard those words ; they thought
that Jesus could not forgive sins ; they did not
believe that he was the Son of God ; they did

THE SAVIOUR'S FEET. 115

not Know that his Father had sent him down
here to be nailed to a cross of wood, and to
die for our sins.

Jesus did not answer those wicked men, but
he spoke again to the woman. He said,
u Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace."
Oh, what a happy woman she was! she was
saved from hell by faith, that is, by believing
in Jesus. This is the only way to be saved.
We have all done more sins than there are
hairs upon our head, but if we believe that
Jesus died for our sins we shall be saved. It
is not enough to say, " We believe," we must
believe with our hearts ; then we shall love
Jesus, and hate sin.

A little girl of five years old once said to her
mother, " Do you know when I feel the hap-
piest ? Her mother answered, " I suppose
when you are good." "No," said she, "but
when I feel very sorry for having been naugh-
ty, and that God has forgiven me." That
young child was like this poor woman ; she
knew she was a sinr er, and she loved her
Saviour.

You may read this history in Luke 7 : 36,
to the end.

116 THE WOMAN, ETC.

Oh, teli me who is standing there,
With weeping eyes and flowing hair,

And box of ointment sweet :
Now on the ground she's bending low,
Her tears yet fast and faster flow —

They fall on Jesus' feet.

Ah, she whose love is now so strong,
Has wander'd far, has wander'd long,

And from her God has gone •
But now with willing feet returns,
And now with deepest sorrow mourns

The deeds that she has done.

To her dear Lord such love she bears,
His feet she washes with her tears,

And wipes them with her hair ;
And then, with pious tenderness,
Fond kisses ceases not to press,

And pours the ointment rare.

THE WILD MAN.

There is one creature who hates men, and
who is always trying to do them harm. He is
not a man, he is a spirit, and he can go about
without being seen. His name is Satan ; he
is very wicked. God is very angty with him,
and will not let him live in. heaven with the
good angels. Satan has a great many ser-
vants. He and his servants are cailed devils,
and they all agree together to try to hurt us
poor creatures upon earth. But God, who
made us, can take care of us. Let us pray
to him. Then all the devils can never do us
harm.

A long while ago there was a man whom
the devils made very miserable. The devils
were in him. This man would not wear any
clothes ; he would not live in a house, but he
went to places where dead people were buried.
There were no churchyards in those days.
Dead bodies were buried among the hills and
rocks, where no one lived. It was in those
lonely places that this man liked to be. Every
one was afraid of passing near the place where
he was, for he was very fierce. Sometimes
people got hold of him, and put chains round
his hands and feet; but he was so strong that

118 THE WILD MAN.

he broke them and got away again, and then
he cut his own flesh with sharp stones, so that
his body was covered with wounds and blood.
It was dreadful to see him — and then to hear
his cries, that was dreadful ! You would have
thought it was a wild beast, if you had heard
his howls and his screams as you were walk-
ing among the lonely hills at night. I do not
believe that there is any man now in the world
in such a dreadful state as this poor creature
was in, for there were a great many devils in
him.

No doctor could have made this man well.
But there was one person in the world who
could do everything : Jesus, the Son of God,
wras then living in the world ; he was a man,
like your father or your uncle, only he was
quite good. Jesus is a man still, as well as
God, but he lives in heaven now with God his
Father.

It was a happy thing for that miserable man
that Jesus came near the place where he was.
He ran to Jesus, fell down at his feet, and wor-
shipped him. Then Jesus said, " Come out of
the man, thou unclean spirit." He answered,
" What have 1 to do with thee, Jesus, thou
Son of the Most High God ? Art thou come
hither to torment me before the time ?" It was
the devils in the man who made him speak, for
they made him do all they pleased. The devils
did not like to be sent out of the man, and they
begged Jesus not to send them quite away, but

THE WILD MAN. 119

to let them go into a great herd of swine that
were feeding among the hills close by ; and
Jesus said, " Go."

As soon as the devils were in those poor
swine, a very strange thing happened. The
swine no longer fed quietly on the grass, as
they had done before, but they began to run
violently all together down a steep hill into the
water which was at the bottom, and they were
all choked in that deep water and died. In a
few minutes two thousand swine were destroy-
ed. There were some people who were paid
to look after the swine. When they saw that
the poor beasts were all drowned, they were
very much frightened, and ran into the town
and told everybody what had happened.

Soon there was a great crowd of people
standing near Jesus, and there was one sitting
at the feet of Jesus who looked gentle and
harmless. Who was that man ? It wTas the
same who had once been like a wild beast,
fierce, and naked, and miserable. Now he was
clothed, now he was quiet, now he was happy.
People remembered his face, and asked how he
came to be so quiet. When they heard how
Jesus had told the devils to come out of him,
and how the devils had gone into the pigs and
destroyed them, the people were frightened.
Why were they frightened ? Ought they not
to have been pleased ? A man is worth more
in God's sight than all the beasts in the world,
because he has a soul, which beasts have not

120 THE WILD MAN.

— because he will live forever, which beasts
will not — because he can think of God, which
beasts cannot. The foolish people begged
Jesus to leave them. Why did they not bring
their sick children to him to be made well?
Why did they not bring their blind and lame
parents to be cured ? They were foolish in-
deed. I am afraid that they were too sorry at
having lost their pigs, and were afraid of
losing other beasts. Jesus would not stay with
them, as they did not want him. He had come
in a ship over the water, and he got into a ship
to go away. But before he went there was a
poor man who asked to go with him. You can
guess who it was. But Jesus said, " Go home
to thy friends, and tell them what great things
the Lord hath done for thee." So the man
went home, and told everybody in the town
how Jesus had made him gentle and happy. I
do not wonder that poor man wanted to be
with the Lord Jesus, but it was better to stay
behind and tell his friends about him.

Jesus will do great things for vou, my child,
if you ask him. He can keep you from the
devil, and from going to hell to burn forever.
Jesus came into this world that he might take
us away from the devil. Jesus was nailed to a
cross and died, that we might not be sent to
hell. Satan is very angry with Jesus, and he
wants nobody to love him. But. if you pray
to Jesus to forgive your sins, and to give you
his Holy Spirit, Satan will not be able to hurt

THE WILD MAN. 121

you. Would you like to live with Jesus? It
you were to see him, would you do as the poor
man did ? Would you wish to follow Jesus, or
would you do as the foolish people did ? Would
you beg Jesus to go away ? Ask the Lord
Jesus now to come into your heart; say,
" Come, Lord Jesus."

This history may be found in Matthew 8 :
28, to the end ; Mark 5; 1-20; Luke 8: 26-40.

I hate the Tempter, and his charms,
I hate his flattering breath ;

The serpent takes a thousand forms
To cheat our souls to death.

Now he persuades : " How easy 'tis
To walk the road to heaven ;"

Anon he swells our sins, and cries,
" They cannot be forgiven."

Thus he supports his cruel throne

By mischief and deceit;
And drags the sons of Adam down

To darkness and the pit.
11

THE

CHILD WHO DIED AND LIVED AGAIN.

Did you ever see a, person who was dead ?
Perhaps you have seen one of your own bro-
thers and sisters lying on a death-bed. What
a change takes place when we die ! No more
breath comes out of the mouth, no color is
seen on the cheeks ; the eye can look on us no
longer, nor the tongue speak to us ; the body
soon grows cold and stiff; it has no more feel-
ing than the ground on which we tread. And
why ? Because the soul is gone out of the
body. While the soul or spirit is in us, we are
alive ; but when it is gone out, then we are
dead. The soul can never die, but the body
is only made of dust, and it soon crumbles
away and becomes dust again.

No one can make a dead person alive again.
Yet once there was a man in this world who
made dead people alive. Who was that man ?
He was called Jesus ; he was not only a man.
he was God, too ; he was the Son of God.
Most people would not believe that he was the
Son of God, though he said he wTas. Yet we
are sure he said true, for if he had been a
wicked man he could not have made deadpeo-

THE CHILD WHO DIED, ETC. 1 23

pie alive again. God his Father was with him,
and this was the reason he did such wonderful
things. One day a rich man came to Jesus,
and fell down at his feet, and begged him to
come to his house. He said, " My little daugh-
ter is dying." He was very unhappy, he loved
his little girl very much, and she was his only
child. His name was Jairus, but I do not
know the name of his little girl. I do know
her age, she was twelve years old. The fa-
ther thought if Jesus only put his hands upon
her he could make her well.

The Son of God was very kind to people m
trouble. He went with the father, and a great
crowd followed him. As he went along the
road, he was pressed on every side by those
who wanted to see him and to hear what he
said.

Before he reached the rich man's house,
some people came and said to the father, " Thy
daughter is dead." They told him it was now of
no use for Jesus to come. They little knew
what he could do ; but Jesus told the Father
not to be afraid, for she should be made well.

When he came to the house, he only allowed
three of his friends to come in with him.
Their names were Peter, James and John.
There was k great noise and bustle in the house ;
there were men playing music, and people
weeping and crying out with loud voices be-
cause the girl was dead. When Jesus came
into the room where she was lying, he said

124 THE CHILD WHO EIED

to these people, " Why make ye this ado and
weep? The damsel is not dead but sleepeth."
Then they began to laugh at him for they
knew the child was dead. Why did Jesus say
she slept? Because she was soon to be made
alive. Her death was like sleep.

Jesus would not let the people who mocked
stay in the room, but he let the girl's father
and mother be there, and his own three friends.
There were just these five in the room with
him when he went to the bed and took hold of
the girl's hand, and said, " Damsel, I say unto
thee, arise." Immediately her spirit (or her
soul) came again into her body. Then she
was alive. She was now quite well ; she was
not weak now, as she had been; she got up out
of her bed and walked about. Then Jesus de-
sired that something might be given her to eat.
Her parents were very much surprised. They
had been afraid that Jesus would not be able
to make her alive. They did not know he
could do every thing. He made all our bodies
and gave us souls, and one day he will call all
the dead people out of their graves.

I wonder whether that young girl loved
Jesus. She was old enough to understand
what he said. At twelve years old, children
can understand almost as well as men and
women can ; they learn more quickly, and re-
member better. Though they love play still, yet
they have a great deal of sense. Some chil-
dren at twelve years old begin to take great

AND LIVED AGAIN. 125

pains with their learning; then they get on
very fast. Some begin to be very useful ; they
can do more now than take care of the baby,
or run upon errands. If they are steady, and
tell no lies, they are trusted and get on well in
the world.

Some children at twelve years old think about
their souls, and say, " What would become of
me if I were to die ?" They go and hear ser-
mons, and they can understand them. They
look in the Bible, and they can understand a
great deal which they read. Then some begin to
pray, and to say, "Merciful God, give me thy
Holy Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ."

But there are some who, at twelve years old,
will mind their parents no longer. They say,
" We are not little babies now, we will do as
we please." They forget all the kindness their
parents have shown them for twelve years, and
they forget the words that God has spoken,
" Honor thy father and thy mother."

You can read the history of the daughter of
Jairus in your Bible, in Mark 5, verses 23, 24,
and 35 to end ; Luke 8 : 41, 42, and 49 to end.
11*

126 THE CHILD WHO DIED, ETC.

THE DYING CHILD.

Why do you weep ?

I am falling asleep,
And Jesus my Shepherd,

Is watching his sheep;
His arm is beneath me,

His eye is above ;
His Spirit within me

Says, " Rest in my love :

With blood I have bought the?,

And washed thee from sin ;
With care I have brought the«

My fold to be in ;
Refreshed by still waters,

In green pastures fed,
Thy day has gone by —

I am making thy bed,"

THE LANCING GIRL.

A long time ago, there was a young girl who
could dance very well. Her name was Salome.
Her parents were rich and great, but they did
not love or fear God, and they had brought up
their child in a foolish, wicked manner. Her
uncle was a king. His name was Herod.
One day, king Herod made a great supper to
his lords and captains. It was his birthday,
and this was the way in which he kept the
day.

While the lords were eating and drinking,
and making merry, in came a young girl.
What business had a young girl to come in at
such a time ? She ought to have been at home
with her mother. • It was Salome who came
in. She began to dance before the lords. Her
uncle was much delighted with her dancing,
and so were the lords. But oh, what a bold
girl she was! She ought to have been asham-
ed to dance before all those gentlemen. It was
her mother who had brought her up in this
wicked manner.

Her uncle Herod wished to reward her for
dancing, and he said, " Ask of me whatsoever
thou wilt, and I will give it thee." Was He-
rod a kind uncle ? It is not kind to encourage

128 THE DANCING GIRL.

the young in foolish ways. I cannot call him
kind. What should you think Salome would
wish to have? Some children would have
asked for a doll, some for a new frock,
some would have asked to ride out with
their uncle the next day, and some would have
asked for a holiday. But you could never
guess what Salome asked for. She knew not
herself what to ask for, but she ran to her
mother and told her what the king had said.

Now her mother was a very wicked woman
indeed, much more wicked than King Herod.
Her name was Herodias. She soon told the
little girl what to ask her uncle for.

There was a good man shut up in prison.
Why had he been put in prison ? He was not
a thief, or a murderer ; he had done nothing
wrong, but he had offended Herod? How?
He had told the king of his wicked ways.
The king in anger had shut him up, but he did
not intend to kill this good man ; he was afraid of
doing that. Now Herodias hated this holy man
very much, and she told her daughter to ask
the king to give her the head of John the Bap-
tist in a great dish. Oh, what a dreadful thing
to ask for ! I wonder the girl could do it. It
was right in her to ask her mother's advice,
but when she heard her mother speak such
wicked words, she ought to have said, "Oh,
mother, I cannot ask for that good man's head ;
let me rather ask. that he may be let out of prison. "
But Salome was quite ready to do what her

THE DAXCIXG GIRL. 129

mother wished ; she ran quickly back to
the king, and said, " Give me the head of
John the Baptist in a dish." The king
was very sorry to hear this speech, but he
thought to himself, "I must keep my promise ;
I have said I would give Salome what-
ever she asked, and I must do it; if I do
not, the lords sitting at the table will laugh at
me." What a foolish man Herod was ! He
ought not to keep a promise to do a wicked
thing. It is better that men should laugh at
us, than that God should be angry. Herod im-
mediately commanded a man to go and cut off
the head of John the Baptist. The man went,
and with his sword cut it oft'.

Do you think John was frightened when the
man came with the sword to kill him? Oh,
no ; I am sure he was ready to die, for he knew
that God had pardoned all his sins and that he
would take him to heaven.

His head was placed in a dish, and given to
the cruel girl. How could she bear the sight
of that bleeding throat ! She carried the dish
to her mother. I do not know what that
wicked woman did with the bloody head. No
doubt she was pleased to look upon it, and
to think that the tongue that used to speak
against sin could speak no longer. But she will
not be pleased at the last day, when the Lord
Jesus comes to judge the world. Jesus once
died for sinners upon the cross, but when ha

Loi) THE DANCING GIRL.

comes again he will punish those who go on in
their sins.

What became of the body of John the Bap-
tist? His friends came to the prison and
asked for his body, and they took it and laid it
in a grave; and then they went and told the Lord
Jesus all about the death of John, for Jesus
was then walking about this world, though now
he is in heaven with God his Father, and the
soul of John is with him there. One day Jesus
will call the body of John out of the grave
where he is laid, and he will give him a new
body, all glorious, that will never die.

If you love Jesus, you will be happy for ever
and ever. Perhaps you may die when you
are young; perhaps wicked people" may shut
you up in prison and kill you, but you need
not be afraid.

You may read this history in your Bible, in
Matthew 14: 6-12; Mark 6 : 21-29.

Happy the children who are gone
To live with Jesus Christ in peace,

Who stand around his glorious throne,
Redeemed by blood and sav'd by grace

The Saviour, whom they loved below,
Hath kindly wiped their tears away j

No sin, no sorrow, there they know,
But dwell in one eternal day.

THE DANCING GIRL. 13 J

There to their golden harps they sing,
While tens of thousands join their songs,

Hosannas to the immortal King,
To whom immortal praise belongs.

O glorious Lord, and when shall we
Be brought with them in bliss to joi.v

Thy lovely countenance to see,
And sing thy mercies all divine ?

THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS.

It is very pleasant to feed hungry people.
Teachers are very much pleased to see poor
children at a feast, drinking milk or tea, and
eating cake, or bread and butter. They like
to see them sitting on the grass in summer, and
the kettle boiling on a fire of sticks. Kind
teachers like to hear their little scholars sing-
ing thanks to God in some sweet verse that
they have learned. This is a verse that I have
heard children sing before their meals :

M Be present at our table, Lord,
Be here and everywhere adored ;
These creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in paradise with thee."

THE SUPPER OX THE GRASS. 133

Bread and milk are God's creatures, for God
created them. You are his living creatures.
I hope you may live with him in heaven in
paradise. And this is another verse that I
have heard children sing after their meals :

" We thank thee, Lord, for this our food,
But more because of Jesus' blood ;
Let manna to our souls be given,
The bread of life sent down from heaven."

Do you know that the Son of God once
came down to be a man, and to live in this
world ? He was called Jesus Christ. He
once fed a great many hungry people. These
people had come from a great way off; they
had left their cottages, and had walked among
the green hills. Many of the mothers had
brought their little children with them. All
day long the people had been among the hills.
They had seen Jesus curing sick people, and
they had heard him talk about God his Father
in heaven. They liked to be near him ; they
stayed till it was getting dark, and till they
were quite hungry. They had not brought
enough food with them, and there were no
houses nor shops there. What could they do ?
They had a great way to go home, and the
little children would be very tired, and would
be crying for their supper, and the mothers
would not be able to carry them, and even the
fathers would be quite weary. Jesus was
12

134 THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS.

very kind. He pitied the poor people. He
said to one of his friends named Philip,
" Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eat ?" Philip was surprised that his Master
should talk of buying bread for so many peo-
ple, for there were more people than you ever
saw at church ; there were enough to fill ten
churches. But Jesus did not mean to buy
bread for them ; he had another plan in his
mind. His friends told him to send the people
into the villages near, that they might buy
bread for themselves. But Jesus said, "No,
they need not go away. How many loaves
have ye?" One of his friends, named An-
drew, said, " We have only five loaves and two
little fishes ; but what are they among so
many ?" You know, dear children, how soon
five loaves are eaten up. A school of fifty
children would soon get through five loaves.
But Jesus told his friends to make the people
sit down on the grass. Soon the green grass
was covered with people sitting in rows, as
children do at school, fifty men in every row.
There were in all one hundred rows of men,
besides women and children. How many men
were there ? Five thousand.

Then Jesus took the five loaves and the two
fishes, and looked up to heaven and gave
thanks to his Father, and brake the bread, and
gave a piece to each of his friends, and a little
piece of the fishes. Then the twelve friends
went to the men sitting on the grass, and gave

THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS. 135

some to each. How surprised everybody was
to find that this little bread was enough for the
suppers of all these people — yes, and more than
enough. This was the great wonder that
Jesus did, for he is God and can do every-
thing. He made us, and keeps us alive.

The people could not eat all the bread. A
great deal was left. What was done with it ?
Jesus would not let it be wasted ; he told his
friends to take some baskets, and to gather up
the bits of bread and fish. Twelve baskets
were filled with these bits. Everybody was
astonished to see what had been done that
evening ; they had never seen anything like it
before. That evening they talked a great deal
about Jesus, and said they felt sure that God
had sent him into the world. And so he had.
Do you know why ? Was it to teach people
that Jesus came down here ? It was not only
to teach them as I teach you, it was to do
something else that I could not do for you — it
was to die for them. Men are wicked ; they
have offended God, and they deserve to die.
But God is kind and merciful, and he gave up
his only Son, and said Jesus should die instead
of men — and Jesus has died ; he was nailed to
a cross of wood. Do you not think those lit-
tle children loved him who sat on the grass by
the water-side, and who ate the bread that
Jesus gave ? Yes, I think they did. And
will not you love him too, now that you
hear he died for you? He is alive now.

136 THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS.

He is sitting in Heaven on his Father's
right hand; he knows whether you love him;
he gives you food every day, for it is he makes
the rain to fall and the sun to shine upon the
corn growing in the fields ; he puts it into the
hearts of rich people to give bread to little
fatherless children. But if you love Jesus, you
will try to please him. He hates wickedness.
Do not swear, do not steal, do not tell lies, do
not fall into a passion, do not call names, do
not be rude, or pert, or disobedient. Be gen-
tle, like the lambs that sport in the spring
among the buttercups ; be gentle, like the
doves that moan so softly among the trees.
Jesus is gentle, like a lamb. The Holy Spirit
is gentle, like a dove. Jesus calls the children
who love him, his lambs ; and like a kind
shepherd, he carries them in his arms.

Here is a verse out of the Bible about Jesus :
" He shall gather the lambs with his arms, and
carry them in his bosom/' — Isa. 40 : 11.

You may read about the five loaves in four
parts of the Testament: Matt. 14: 15-21;
Mark 6: 35-43; Luke 9: 12-17; John 6:
3-14.

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

There are a great many troubles in this life.
— ask your father and your mother whether
this is true. Your father will say, " I have had
a great many troubles ;" perhaps he will say,
"I have found it hard to get bread for my
children." Your mother will say, " I have had
a great deal of sorrow in bringing up my lit-
tle family."

My dear child, have you had any troubles ?
I am sure you have had some. Have you ever
felt great pain ? Have you lost a little brother
or sister ? Have you got into disgrace ? Have
you been punished for your faults?

There is one Friend to whom every one
may go in every trouble. It is Jesus, the Son
of God. When we are unhappy, if we cry
unto him, he will hear us and help us. Once
he lived upon this earth, and was a man. Now
he is in heaven, and he is a man still, as well
as God.

I will tell you how he helped some of his
friends out of trouble when he lived in this
world. His friends were called disciples. One
evening they went into a ship. Jesus did
not go with them ; he stayed where he was,
12*

138 CHRIST IN THE STORM.

and spent the night alone on the top of a
mountain, praying to his Father. God was his
Father. The disciples were in their little ship
on the water, when the wind began to blow
very hard indeed. The waves rose high, and
the ship was tossed about. Every moment
the poor men were afraid that the water would
fill their ship, and that they should sink to the
bottom of the sea.

All night long, the disciples were in sad dis-
tress, trying with all their might to row their
ship to land, but all they could do was of no
use. At last they saw a man walking on the
sea. There he was in the midst of the great
waves, walking as on the dry land. He went
faster than the ship, and seemed as if he would
pass by it. The disciples did not know who
it was. They thought it could not be a man
with a body like ours ; they supposed it was a
spirit, who has no body. They were very
much frightened, and they cried out in their
trouble. Then they heard a voice saying, " It
is I; be not afraid." Whose voice was that ?
You know, and they knew ; it was the voice of
Jesus. Though the winds were whistling and
the waves roaring, his voice could be heard.

One of the disciples, named Peter, said,
" Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee
on the water." Jesus said, " Come." So Petei
got out of the ship and walked on the water to
go to Jesus. He believed that Jesus could
help him to walk on the water, and Jesus did help

CHRIST IN THE STORM. 139

him. But when Peter saw how high the wind
was, he began to be afraid. This was wrong.
He ought to have trusted in Jesus. Soon he
felt that he was sinking, and he cried out,
" Lord, save me." Jesus heard that short
prayer ; he was very near, and he stretched out
his hand, and caught hold of Peter.

Trusting in God is called faith. Peter had
a little faith, but not much. So he was able
to walk on the water a little way, but not far.
Jesus went into the ship and took Peter with
him, and as soon as he was there the wind left
off blowing. Then all the disciples came round
him and worshipped him, saying, " Truly thou
art the Son of God."

It is this Jesus who can help you in your
troubles. Will .you trust him ? Do not be
like Peter and only trust him a little while, but
go on trusting in him, and you will find that
he will keep you safe and make you happy.
He forgives sins, which no one else can do,
because he died upon the cross to save us from
our sins. When we are dying he will not
leave us if we trust in him, but he will comfort
us and take us to heaven.

This history you will find in Matthew 14 :
22-33 ; Mark 6 : 45-52,

140 CHRIST IN THE STORM.

I lay" my sins on Jesus.

The spotless Lamb of God ;
He bears them all, and frees us

From the accursed load

I bring my guilt to Jesus,
To wash my crimson stains

White in his blood most precious^
Till not a spot remains.

I lay my wants on Jesus,
All fulness dwells in him,

He healeth my diseases,
He doth my soul redeem.

I lay my griefs on Jesus,
My burdens and my cares ;

He from them all releases,
He all my sorrows shares.

I love the name of Jesus —
Immanuel, Christ, the Lord!

Like fragrance on the breezes,
His name is spread abroad.

I long to be like Jesus —
Meek, loving, lowly, mild ;

I long to be like Jesus —
The Father's holy chill.

CHRIST IN THE STORM. 141

I long to be with Jesus,

Amid the heavenly throng,
To sing with saints his praises,

To learn the angels' song.

MY FATHER'S AT THE HELM.
'Twas when the sea with horrid roar,

A little bark assail'd,
And pallid fear, with awful power,

O'er each on board prevail'd ;

Save one — the captain's darling child,
Who fearless view'd the storm,

And, playful, with composure smil'd
At danger's threat'ning form.

" Why sporting thus," a seaman cries,
" Whilst sorrows overwhelm ?"

" Why yield to grief ?" the boy replies,
" My father's at the helm !"

Safe in his hands whom seas obey

When swelling surges rise,
He turns the darkest night to day,

And brightens lowering skies.

Then upward look ; howe'er distress'd,

Jesus will guide thee home
To that eternal port of rest

Where storms shall never come.

THE PRAYING MOTHER.

Can we pray too much? No, we cannot
God likes to hear us pray ; he is never tired
of listening to us. Is he not kind ? Men are
soon tired of hearing beggars ask for money,
but men are not like God.

When Jesus the Son of God was in this
world, he cured a great many people who
were sick ; he just spoke, and they were made
well.. Sometimes he wished to be alone, for
Jesus was a man as well as God, and he had
need of food and sleep. One day he went
into a house, and he did not want any body to
know where he was gone. But people soon

THE PRAYING MOTHER. 143

asked each other where he was, and they
found out the place.

There was one poor woman who longed
very much to see him. I do not think she
had ever seen him, but she had heard of him.
She had been brought up to worship idols ;
she did not belong to the people of Israel, who
worshipped the true God. No, she was a poor
heathen, but Jesus cares for the poor heathen ;
and you will see how kind he was at last to
this woman.

She had a little girl very ill at home. A
wicked spirit, called a devil, tormented her,
The mother knew that Jesus could make her
little daughter well, so she went to the house
where he was. I do not know whether Jesus
was still in the house. I think he had come
out of it, and was walking. His friends were
with him. There were twelve men who went
about with Jesus from place to place, and he
called them his friends, and his disciples.

When the poor woman saw Jesus, she cried
out, " Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son
of David ; my daughter is grievously vexed
with a devil," Why did she call Jesus the
son of David? David was a great king, who
had long been dead, and Jesus was one of his
children's children. Jesus liked to hear peo-
ple call him the son of David.

What did he say to this poor woman, when
she seemed so unhappy ? He said nothing at
all ; so she went on crying out for mercy.

144 THE PRAYING MOTHER.

The disciples did not like to hear the poor
woman crying out, ' Have mercy on me!"
As they walked along with Jesus, the poor
woman followed them with her cries. So the
disciples went to Jesus, and said,-" Send her
away, for she crieth after us." How unkind
this was ! How selfish the disciples were !
Instead of begging their Master to have mercy
on the poor mother, they wanted him to tell
her to go away. They knew she was a poor
heathen, so they despised her.

But Jesus did not despise her ; he loved her
very much indeed. Yet at first he seemed
unkind, for he said, " I am not sent unto the
lost sheep of the house of Israel." This poor
woman was not an Israelite. Did she go
away when she heard Jesus speak in this way ?
No, she did not ; she came nearer than before ;
she fell at his feet and worshipped him, saying,
'•' Lord, help me." What a short prayer —
only three words ! but it came from the heart ;
it was such a prayer as God likes to hear.
Yet Jesus still seemed unkind, for he said, " It
is not meet to take the children's bread, and
to cast it to dogs." Did he mean, that this
poor woman was a dog, and that the people
of Israel were his children? Oh, no, he did
not really think this woman was a dog; he
only spoke so, that she might go on praying.
She made a very sweet answer this time. She
said, " The dogs under the table eat of the
children's crumbs." Was not that a meek

THE PRAYING MOTHER. 145

answer, and a wise answer ? She did not
say she was not a dog; she meant to say,
" If I am a dog, may I not have crumbs ?
Though you love the people of Israel best,
yet you will have pity on a poor heathen
like me." This is what she meant to say.

Jesus left her waiting no longer. He said
to her, " O woman, great is thy faith ; go thy
way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter."
So the woman went home, and found her
daughter lying on the bed. The devil had
left the girl at the very moment when Jesus
spoke. Then the girl grew quiet and easy,
but it seems she was weak and tired, and
wanted rest.

Could the mother ever forget what Jesus
had said, " O woman, great is thy faith ?'*
Jesus had praised her. Why was he so much
pleased with her? Because she believed that
he was kind and merciful. Jesus likes to
have us believe that he is kind. Whatever
happens, we ought always to think " Jesus is
kind." Did he not die for us on the cross ?
Does he wish to hurt us ? Are you in great
pain ? Still think " Jesus is kind." Then go
and pray to him. Is your father ill, and not
able to work ? Is your little baby brother,
whom you dote on, lying in his coffin ? Are
your clothes ragged? Is there nothing for
dinner but a cold potatoe or a dry crust ?
Still, remember "Jesus is kind; he will hear
you, if you prav to him."
13

146 THE PRAYING MOTHER.

You may read the history of the praying
mother in Matthew 15: 21-28.; Mark 7:
24-30.

Who are they whose little feet,
Pacing life's dark journey through.

Now have reach'd that heavenly seat
They have ever kept in view ?

M I from Greenland's frozen land,"
" I from India's sultry plain,"

M I from Afric's barren sand,"
" I from islands of the main j"

" All our earthly journey past,"
u Every tear and pain gone by,"

* Here together met at last,"
" At the portal of the sky."

Each the welcome " Come" awaits
Conquerors over death and sin :

Lift your heads, ye golden gates,
Let the little travellers in.

CHRIST SHINING ON THE MOUN-
TAIN

Did you ever try to think how the Lord
Jesus looked when he was walking about this
world ? There is no picture of him to be seen,
but we find in the Bible that he appeared like
other men. He was not bright as angels are,
neither did he wear fine clothes, as princes do.
If you had seen him, you would have taken
him for a poor man ; you could not have told
by his looks that he was the Son of God, that
he was the King of kings, the Creator of the
world, and of the sun, and of the moon, and of
all the stars. We are quite sure that there
was a meek, kind, gentle look in his face,
because his heart was full of love. We know,
also, that he was sorrowful, and that he often
shed tears, and groaned, and prayed. There
must have been a look of sorrow in his face.

But one day he let his friends see a wonder-
ful change in him. He took three of his dis-
ciples to the top of a mountain ; their names
were Peter, James, and John. I am not sure
what was the name of the mountain, but I
believe it was called Tabor. When Jesus
wished to be in a quiet place, he often went

148 CIIRTST SHJNING ON

to a mountain, because it is not easy to climb
up high places, so that it is very seldom that
people come there. Why did Jesus wish to
find a quiet place? Because he was going to
pray to his Father in heaven. While he was
praying, the disciples saw a great change in
him. His face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became as white as snow, and as bright
as the light. There were never any clothes
seen on earth so white and shining.

Two men were with Jesus. Where had
they come from ? From heaven. They were
two men wTho had lived upon the earth a long
while ago, and who had been taken to heaven ;
and now they were come down to talk with
the Lord Jesus. One of these men was named
Moses ; he had once died, and God had buried
him. The other man was Elijah; he had
never died, but had gone to heaven in a chariot
of fire ; he had been carried by bright angels
into heaven. And what were these men
talking about ? They were speaking about a
very sad and sorrowful thing that would soon
happen — about Jesus being nailed to the cross
for our sins. How sweet it must be to listen
to heavenly men, and to hear them talk with
the Son of God ! I do not wonder that the
disciples were pleased. At last it seemed as
if these men, all bright and glorious, were
going back to heaven. Then Peter said,
* Lord it-is good f )r us to be here : let us

THE MOUNTAIN. 149

make three tents ; one for thee, one for Moses,
and one for Elijah."

Peter wanted to have these heavenly men
always with him, but they could not stay down
here. Peter did not know what he said, for
he was very much afraid. While he was
speaking, a bright cloud came over them.
What could this cloud be ? The disciples
were frightened when they saw it round them.
Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying,
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased ; hear ye him." Whose voice was
that? It was the voice of God the Father
The disciples were afraid when they heard it,
and they fell upon their faces. They could
not look at the brightness of that cloud, for
God was there ; but the great God did not
hurt them. He did not punish them for their
sins, nor say he would send them to hell. No :
he only commanded them to hear his beloved
Son. He sent his Son into the world to save
us, and if we believe in Jesus we shall be
saved.

I do not know how long the disciples re-
mained with their faces on the ground, but
they did not dare to look up, till they felt
some one touch them, and heard a gentle
voice, "Arise, and be not afraid." Whose
touch was that ? Whose gentle voice ?
When the disciples looked up, they saw
Jesus ; the bright cloud shone there no
longer. The disciples looked roufld about,
13*

150 CHRIST SHINING ON

but they could not see the two heavenly men ,
there was no one but Jesus. They were not
afraid to be alone with him, for they knew
him well, and loved him too. They walked
down the mountain with him.

Could they ever forget the glorious sight
they had seen at the top ? They could not,
but Jesus said to them as they walked, " Tell
no man what you have seen, till the Son of
man be risen again from the dead." Jesus
called himself the Son of man. The disciples
did not know he would soon be buried in a
grave, and that he would rise again in three
days. • But they minded what Jesus said, and
told no one about the brightness on the
mountain, till after Jesus had been crucified
and had come to life again. Then they told
people all that you have now heard. Is it not
a very wonderful history ?

Jesus is now shining as bright in heaven,
as he shone on that mountain. When you
see him coming in the clouds, he will look
very glorious. Good men who lived a long
while ago will come with him. Abel, who
was killed by his wicked brother ; Noah, who
was saved when the world was drowned ;
Moses, who was hidden in a basket when he
was a babe ; David, who sang sweet psalms
and played upon his harp ; Elijah, who was
fed by ravens; Daniel, who was not eaten by
the lions in the den — all of them will be there ;
and if you love Jesus, you shall stay with him

THE MOUNTAIN. 151

for ever, and you shall be with those holy men,
and with the holy angels. Oh. how happy
you will be ! But those who do not love the
Lord, will be shut up with the devil in a dark
place for ever and ever.

You may read the history of Christ on the
mountain in Matt. 17: 1-9; Mark 9 : 2-10;
Luke 9 : 28-38.

Lo, he comes, with clouds descending,

Once for favor'd sinners slain ;
Thousand thousand saints attending,

Swell the triumphs of his train ;
Hallelujah ! God appears on earth to reign.

Now redemption, long expected,

See in solemn pomp appear !
All his saints by man rejected,

Now shall meet him in the air :
Hallelujah ! See the day of *od appear !

THE MISERABLE BOY

There is a wicked creature called Satan, or
the devil ; he is not a man, neither is he a
beast ; he is a spirit ; he has not a body, as
you have, but he can think — he thinks of
doing wickedness ; he hates God, and he hates
everybody ; he hates you, my little boy, and
my little girl — he would like to make you un-
happy ; he is very unhappy himself, and he
tries to make us unhappy, too. One day God
will shut him up in a dark prison, but now he
lets him walk about this world ; yet hell is the
devil's home. There are a great many devils,
and they help one another to do harm. Satan
is the prince of the devils, and tells the rest
what to do.

I am now going to tell you of a poor little
boy who was made very wretched by one ot
the devils. It seemed as if this boy was mad.
A wicked spirit was in him, and tormented
him. This spirit was deaf and dumb. Some-
times it would tear the boy, and make him cry
out with pain, and foam at the mouth, and
gnash his teeth, and fall on the ground. Some-
times this poor child would rush into the water
to drown himself, and sometimes into the fire

THE MISERABLE BOY. 153

to burn himself. His father loved him, and
could not bear to see him in this dreadful state.
But his father could not cure him, nor could
any doctor.

At last this poor man heard that there was
a man who had cured a great many people as
wretched as his son. This man was called
Jesus Christ. He was the Son of God, and
had come down from heaven to save us from
Satan and all the devils. The father of the
boy thought, " I will take my dear son to
Jesus, and ask him to cure him."

The Lord Jesus had some friends who walked
about with him, and these men were called his
disciples. The poor father saw them first.
Jesus was not with them ; he was gone away
for a little while to pray to God his Father in
heaven, upon the top of a hill. What could
the poor man do now ? Could the disciples
help his boy ? He begged them to try. Jesus
had once told them that they should be able to
cast out devils; so they tried to cast the devil
out of this boy, but they could not. A great
crowd of people gathered round the boy and
the disciples', and some wise men were there,
called scribes ; those scribes did not love
Jesus, and they were always glad when the
disciples could not do wonderful things.

No one knew when Jesus would come back.
At last the people saw him coming, and they
ran to meet him. How glad the poor father
must have been to see Jesus ! He fell on hi?

154 THE MISERABLE BOY.

knees, and said, "Lord, I beseech thee look
upon my son, for he is my only child." And
then he told him all about the boy. Jesus
said, •" Bring thy son hither." But as the boy
was coming, the devil threw him on the
ground, and there the poor creature lay foam-
ing at the mouth. Ah, that devil knew who
Jesus was — all the devils know the Son of
God, and are afraid of him.

The poor man was very unhappy to see his
son lying in such pain upon the ground, and he
said to Jesus, " If thou canst do anything,
have compassion on us, and help us." If the
father had known Jesus better, he would not
have said, "If thou canst;" he would have
felt quite sure that Jesus could cure him.
Then Jesus asked the man whether he believed.
What could the poor father say ? He did be-
lieve a little, but he did not believe as much as
he ought. Immediately the man cried out,
" Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbelief."
As he said this, the tears came into his eyes.
Poor man ! I am sure you would have pitied
him, if you had seen him. It was a good
prayer he made when he said to Jesus, " Help
thou mine unbelief." It showed that he be-
lieved that Jesus wTas God ; for who but God
can make people believe ?

While the Lord was talking with the father
more people came running to the place — soon
there would have been too great a crowd.
Then Jesus said to the devil, " Thou dumb and

THE MISERABLE BOY. 155

deaf spirit, I charge thee come out of him, and
enter no more into him." This deaf spirit heard
the words of Jesus : this dumb spirit was able
to cry out ; it tore the boy, and came out of
him. The people looked at the boy, and said,
" He is dead." There he was, lying on the
ground, and looking just like a dead person.
Jesus went to him, took his hand, and lifted
him up.# The child was alive, and quite well.
Jesus gave him to his father. How happy that
father must have been ! Did he now believe
in Jesus ? He knew now that Jesus could
cure his child.

Afterwards the disciples went into a house
with their dear Master, and they said, " Why
could not we cast out the devil ?" Jesus said,
"Because of your unbelief." The disciples
had not prayed as they ought, and so they did
not believe as they ought. Jesus had given
them the power to do wonders, but they could
not do them except when they believed in the
Son of God. Jesus can still do everything.
He has died upon the cross, and he has been
put into a grave ; but he was alive again in
three days, and went up to his Father in
heaven, and there he sits at his right hand, and
he hears the prayers of men in this world. Do
you ever pray to him ? I hope you do — in all
your troubles go to him. If you do not believe
that he can help you, say, " Lord, help mine
unbelief." He 's very kind, and pities people

156 THE MISERABLE BOY.

in distress ; he is very strong, and able to help
them out of all their troubles.

You may read this history in Matthew 17 :
14-21 ; Mark 9 : 14-29 ; Luke 9 : 37-42.

" Lo ! Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.T

THE TWO SISTERS.

A long while ago there lived two women
named Martha and Mary. They were sisters,
and they lived in a house in a pretty village.
It was two miles from a great city called Je-
rusalem. It was on the side of a green hill,
and it was planted with beautiful trees. Its
name was Bethany. I cannot tell what kind
of a house Martha and Mary lived in — whether
it was a large house, or only a cottage. One
day a visitor came to their house: it was such
a visitor as never came to your father's house.
Perhaps a rich gentleman came one day to see
your father and mother. Can you remember
how your parents behaved to him ? Did they
not behave with great respect ? Did they not
ask him to sit down, and did they not stand up
and listen when he spoke ? But it was not a
rich gentleman who came to see Martha and
Mary ; it was a poor man, yet no rich gentle-
man is so great as that poor man was. How
can that be? Perhaps you know that the
poor man was the Son of God. He had come
down from heaven to live a little while in this
world ; he died at last for our sins ; he is in
heaven now with God his Father ; his name is
H

158 THE TWO SISTERS.

Jesus Christ. When he was in this world he
was quite poor ; he had no carriage to ride in,
he had no horse, not even an ass ; he had no
servants, and no house of his own. He might
have been rich, but he chose to be poor; he
walked about and talked to the people that
he saw in the road, and told them about
God his Father in heaven. Sometimes he
came into people's houses and rested himself.
Kind people gave him food to eat. Should you
have liked to see Jesus come into your house ?
He could not bear wickedness. If you had
said a wicked word, he would have been dis-
pleased ; if you had been rude or disobedient,
he would have been grieved with you.

Martha and Mary were glad to see him
come into their house, for they loved him very
much. When Jesus was come in, he began
to speak about God his Father, and about
heaven. Should you like to have heard what
he said ? Mary did ; she sat down at his feet,
and listened to every word. People in that
country often sat upon the floor, or on a low
stool. Mary liked to sit near Jesus, where
she could hear him. But where was Martha ?
She was gone to get ready the dinner. She
wished to make a very fine dinner for the Lord
Jesus. But did Jesus care about eating nice
things ? Oh, no ; he wanted very little. Mar-
tha coulu easily have brought him a piece oi
bread and .^eat. or bread and honey, and then
she might have sat down with Mary, and lis-

THE TWO S.STERS. 159

tened to the Lord. But instead of doing this
she was displeased because Mary did not help
her to get ready the dinner ; and she came into
the room where Mary was sitting so happy,
and she said to the Lord, " Dost thou not care
that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
Bid her therefore that she help me." .What
rude behavior this was !

Mary did not answer, but Jesus did : " Mar-
tha, Martha, thou art careful, and troubled
about many things : but one thing is need-
ful, and Mary hath chosen that good part,
which shall not be taken away from her."
What was the good thing Mary had chosen ?
Was it not to hear about God and heaven ?
It is better to know about God than to have
all the things in the world. If you had a fine
house fit for a king, and a hundred servants to
wait upon you, and a carriage with six horses
to draw it, yet some day you must leave them
all, for some day you must die. But if you
know about God, and if he has forgiven you
all your sins, then when you die you will be as
happy as the angels, and sing sweet hymns to
a golden harp.

I wonder what Martha did after Jesus had
spoken to her; I hope she sat down to listen.
She was a good woman and loved Jesus, and I
know she is with him in heaven now.

Do you like to hear the words of Jesus?
You can read them in the New Testament ;
they are written down there, and they are sweet

iGO THE TWO SISTERS.

words. What a sweet verse is this : " Suffer
the little children to come unto me, and forbid
them not, for of such is the kingdom of God."
And is not this a sweet verse ? " Come unto
me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and
I will give you rest." And is not this sweet ?
" Him that cometh unto me, I will in nowise
cast out." All these are the wwds of Jesus,
and they are written down in the Testament,
that you may read them.

There is no harm in liking to play, for you
are a child; but if you love Jesus, you will
like to think of his wrords as soon as you wake
in the morning, and when you are going to
sleep at night, and often in the day you will
think of them, and sometimes you will pray to
him, and say, "Forgive my sins, 0 blessed
Jesus. Make me good ; give me thy Holy
Spirit ; take me to heaven when I die."

You may read the history of Martha and
Mary in Luke 10 : 38, to end.

Suffer me to come to Jesus,
Mother dear forbid me not ;

By his blood from hell he frees us,
Makes us fair without a spot

Suffer me, my earthly father,
At his pierced feet to fall :

Why forbid me ? help n.e, rather;
Jesus is my all in all.

THE TWO SISTERS. 161

Suffer me to run unto him,

Gentle sisters, come with me ;
Oh, that all I love hut knew him,

Then my home a heaven would be.

Loving playmates, gay and smiling,

Bid me not forsake the cross ;
Hard to bear is your reviling,

Yet for Jesus all is dross.

Yes, though all the world have chid me,

Father mother, sister, friend,
Jesus never will forbid me !

Jesus loves me to the end '

Gentle Shepherd, on thy shoulder

Carry me, a sinful lamb ;
Give me faith, and make me boldefj

Till with thee in heaven I ana.

IV

THE CRIPPLE.

Some boys laugh at poor cripples when
they see them in the streets. This is very
wicked. Sometimes when walking, wre meet
a man with only one eye, one arm, or one leg,
or who has a hamp-back. How ought we to
feel when we see them? We ought to pity
them ; we ought to think to ourselves, " Plow
painful it must be to limp along, instead of
walking easily ! How unpleasant it must be
to have only one hand to work with, or to
dress ourselves with!'"' Then we ought to
thank God for his kindness in giving us so
many limbs, and keeping us from being hurt.
If our mothers had dropped us out of their
arms when we were babies, our backs might
have been broken. If a playfellow had put a
stick into one of our eyes, we might have lost
our precious sight.

When Jesus, the Son of God, lived in this
world, he took great notice of poor cripples.
Once when he was in a place like a church,
called a synagogue, he saw a woman who was
bent double. She could not lift herself up to
look at him, but he saw her. 1 wonder how
she got to the synagogue. Perhaps she lived

THE CRIPPLE. 163

very near or perhaps her friends helped her
to come, or perhaps she crept along by her-
self. I have known a poor creature who was
bent almost double, when she wished to go to
worship God in his house, she set out early in
the morning ; she had only half a mile to go,
yet she was two hours getting along, for almost
every step she sat down to rest, now upon the
grass and now upon a bank, or she leaned
against a gate.

I wonder how this poor woman whom Jesus
saw got to the synagogue. How glad she
must have been that she had come there when
she heard Jesus teaching! There never was
such a teacher as he was. He spoke so gently
and so sweetly that poor people liked to listen
to him, and to hear him say, '*' Come unto me,
all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I
will give you rest."

Jesus, saw the poor cripple, and he called
her to him. The people who stood round
heard him call, and they watched to see what
he did. First Jesus said to her, "Woman,
thou art loosed from thine infirmity." Then
he laid his hands on her, and immediately she
was made straight. What a sight it was to
see that woman lift herself up, and all at once
become as straight as other women. What
did she do when she was made straight ? She
began to praise God. This woman loved
God. It was the devil who had bent her back
double. God sometimes allows the devil to

IC4 THE CRIPPLE.

hurt the bodies of good people, but he does
not let the devil have their souls. This poor
woman had been bent double eighteen years,
yet she had gone on loving God, and now at
last she was saved out of her trouble. Do
you think that everybody was glad to see her
made straight ? Oh, no ; there were some
wicked people there, who hated Jesus, and
they could not bear to see him do wonders,
because they were afraid more people would
believe that he was the Son of God. The
chief man in the synagogue was wicked; it
was he who used to offer up the prayers to
God, yet his heart was full of malice and
envy. After he had seen Jesus make the
woman straight, he was very angry, and he
told the people not to come on the Sabbath-
day to be made well, but on one of the six
week-days.

But the people had not come to the syna-
gogue only to be made well, they had come to
be taught. Jesus himself answered the wicked
man; he called him by a dreadful name — -
'• Hypocrite." He can see into the heart, and
he knows who pretend to be good when they
are really wicked ; those people are hypocrites.

What did Jesus say to this hypocrite ? He
said, " Does not each one of you, on the Sab-
bath-day, loose his ox or his ass from the stall,
and lead him away to the watering? And
ought not this woman, whom Satan hath
bound, lo; these eighteen years, to be loosed

THE CRIPPLE. 105

from ihis bond on the Sabbath-day ?" What
could the hypocrite answer to this question ?
No one couM answer it. It was plain, that if
an ass ought to be kindly treated on the Sab-
bath, a poor woman who trusted in God ought
to be made happy on the Sabbath. This
woman did trust in God, and Jesus called her
a daughter of Abraham. Abraham trusted in
God, and she was like him.

Perhaps some poor cripple will read this
story. Be comforted, God cares for you. He
could make you straight and strong. He has
some wise reason for letting you be crooked.
He gave his only Son to die for your sins
upon the crossj he knows whether you love
him. At the last day, all the people who
have been buried will rise out of their graves
with new bodies. Cripples who have loved
God will then be bright and beautiful like the
Son of God.

Children, who are tall and straight, and
strong, if you are wicked, and die in your sins,
you will be eaten by worms for ever and ever,
and burned in a fire that will never be put
out ; for God has said, " The wicked shall be
turned into hell, and all the nations that forget
God." Psa. 9 : 17.

You will find the history of this poor woman
in Luke 13: 10-17.

1GG THE CRIPPLE.

My little body's made by God,
Of soft warm flesh and crimson blood ,
The slender bones are placed within,
And over all is laid the skin.

My little body's very weak;
A fall or blow my bones might break,
The water soon might stop my breath,
The fire might close my eyes in death.

But God can keep me hy his care ;
To him I'll say this little prayer ;
" 0, God ! from harm my body keep,
Both when I wake, and when I sleep."

While some poor wretches scarce can tell
Where they may lay their head,

I have a home wherein to dwell,
And rest upon my bed.

While others early learn to swear,

And curse, and lie, and steal ;
Lord, I am taught thy name to fear,

And do thy holy will.

Are these thy favors, day by day,

To me above the rest ?
Then let me love thee more than they,

And try to serve thee best.

THE

BLIND BEGGAR OF JERUSALEM.

There are a great many blind persons in
London. I have heard that there are two
thousand blind people in that great city. Many
of them are old people, who once could see as
well as you can ; some are young, and have
been made blind by the small pox, or a fever,
or an accident; and some were blind when
they were born.

There is a city a long way off, called Jeru-
salem, and there are blind people in that city.
A long while ago there was a blind beggar in
Jerusalem. He was a young man, but he
could not work because of his blindness, so he
begged. One day some men passed by ; one
of these men was the Son of God. He was
come down from heaven to live in this world
for a little while. Why did he come down ?
It was to save us sinners from going to hell.
At last he was nailed upon a cross of wood,
and died. But before he died he used to walk
about with his twelve friends and cure poor
people who were blind or sick. He saw this
blind beggar, and he told his friends that he
would cure him. You will be surprised to

168 THE BLIND BEGGAR

hear the strange manner in which he cured
him. He made a plaster of the dust of the
ground by wetting it with his spittle, and then
he put it on the blind man's eyes. You would
have thought, that by this way his eyes could
not be made well. Then Jesus told the beggar
to go and wash in a pool or pond a little way
off. The beggar went and washed, for he
could find his way about Jerusalem, as he had
lived there a long while. When he had wash-
ed, he found he could see.

Everybody was very much surprised to see
him walking about the streets with his eyes
open. JV^ny people wondered whether it was
the same man who once sat and begged.
Some people were sure it was the same man,
and other people thought it could not be the
same, but only a man very much like the blind
beggar. But when he heard what people said,
he answered them, "I am he." Then the
people said, " How were thine eyes opened ?"
Then he told them that a man named Jesus
had cured him. He did not know who Jesus
was, and he had never seen him, but he knew
that he had been very kind to him, and had
done a great wonder in giving him sight.

You will be surprised to hear that the people
in Jerusalem did not love Jesus. They hated
him, because he told them of their sins; so
they were very angry with the blind man for
saying that Jesus had cured him. They told
him, it was not Jesus Wiio made him see, it

OF JERUSALEM. 169

was God, and he must praise him ; fur Jesus
was a wicked man. The blind man did not
know that Jesus was God as well as man, but
he was sure that he was good, and he said so.
This made the wicked men more angry than
before, and at last they said they would have
no more to do with him, and that they would
not speak to him or take any notice of him.
Was not this very cruel?'

Jesus knew that the poor blind beggar was
ill-treated, and he went to him. Jesus could
easily find him, for he is God, and sees every-
body, by day and by night. I do not know-
where the poor man wras when Jesus found
him — whether he was in the house, or in the
street. When the man saw Jesus, he did not
know who he was, for he had never seen him
before. But he had heard his voice, and per-
haps he knew that voice again. Jesus said to
him, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?"
The man answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I
might believe on him ?" Then Jesus said,
" Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that
talketh with thee." Then the man said,
" Lord, I believe," and he worshipped him.

I do not know what happened afterwards to
that blind man, but I am sure he is happy now
in heaven, for he believed in Jesus, the Son of
God. Everybody will be happy who believes
in Jesus, as this blind man did. If Jesus were
to say to you, " Do you believe on the Son of
God ?" could you say, " Lord, I believe ?" It
15

170 THE BLIND BEGGAR

you believe in Jesus, then you love him, and
you will try to please him. You will not say
bad words, nor tell lies, nor steal, nor fight.
Wicked people abused the blind man, because
he said that Jesus was good ; but Jesus him-
self came to comfort him. If wicked boys and
girls laugh at you, because you wish to please
God, do not mind what they say. Jesus hears
them when they laugh at you, and he will make
you happy.

You may read this history in the ninth chap-
ter of the Gospel according to St. John.

Jesus, who lives above the sky,
Came down to be a man and die ;
And in the Bible we may see
How very good he used to be.

He went about, he was so kind,
To cure poor people who were blind :
And many who were sick and lame,
He pitied them and did the same.

And more than that, he told them, too,
The things which God would have them do ;
And was so gentle and so mild,
He woul^ have listen'd to a child .

OF JERUSALEM. 171

But such a cruel death he died—

He was hung up, and crucified !

And those kind hands th'at did such good,

They nail'd them to a cross of wood.

And so he died ! And this is why
He came to be a man and die.
The Bible says he came from heaven,
That we might have our sins forgiven.

He knew how wicked men had been,
And knew that God must punish sin j
So, out of pity, Jesus said
He'd bear the punishment instead.

LITTLE CHILDREN.

Some people are very fond of children.
Other people think them troublesome, take no
notice of them, or speak roughly to them.
When Jesus, the Son of God, was in this
world, he was very kind to children, and now
he lives in heaven he loves them still.

Once, when he was in a house, he called a
little child, and took him in his arms. And
why did he do so ? There were some men in
the house who had been disputing together.
What had they been disputing about ? Who
should be the greatest. It is proud to wish tc
be great. A little child does not wish to be
great; it likes better to be with its own mother
than to ride in a carriage with a fine lady,
Jesus showed this little child to the men who
wished to be great. He set him in the midst
of them, and said, "Except ye become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom
of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall hum
ble himself as this little child, the same is great-
est in the kingdom of heaven."

You see that Jesus loves humble, meek, gen-
tle people, who are like lambs and doves ; but
children, as they grow bigger, often grew

LITTLE CHILDREN. 173

worse, till they are like lions, bears, and tigers.
Here is a prayer for a little child :

" Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child ;
Pity my simplicity,
Suffer me to come to thee."

There were some other little children whom
Jesus took in his arms ; their mothers brought
them to the Lord. Should you like to have
seen those mothers, with their little darlings in
their arms, coming to Jesus ? But when they
came, those men were there who once disput-
ed who should be the greatest. Those men
were called "disciples ;" they were good men,
but not as good as J esus was. They did not like
to see the mothers bringing little children in their
arms ; they thought the children would be trou-
blesome, and they told the mothers to take them
away. How sorry those poor women would
have been to take their little ones back again,
for they wanted Jesus to touch them, to pray
for them, and to bless them. But Jesus heard
the disciples speak unkindly to the women, and
he was much displeased with them, and he
said to them, " Suffer the little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is
the kingdom of heaven." Then he took the
dear little creatures in his arms, put his hands
upon them, and blessed them.

There is a very pretty hymn about Jesus
15*

74 LITTLE CHILDREN.

blessing the little children. I am sure you will
like it.

" T think when I read that sweet story of old,

When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children, as lambs, to his fold,

I should like to have been with them then.
I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,

That his arms had been thrown around me,
And that I might have seen his kind look when he
said,

' Let the little ones come unto me.'

" Yet still to his footstool in prayer I may go,

And ask for a share in his love,
And if I thus earnestly seek him below,

I shall see him and hear him above —
In that beautiful plaee he is gone to prepare

For all who are wash'd and forgiven ;
And many dear children are gathering there,

' For of such is the kingdom of heaven.'

" But thousands and thousands, who wander and fall,

Never heard of that heavenly home —
I should like them to know there is room for them all

And that Jesus has bid them to come.
I long for the joy of that glorious time,

The sweetest, and brightest, and best,
When the dear little children of every clime

Shall crowd to his arms, and be blessed.1'

Mrs. Lu&ic.

LITTLE CHILDREN. 175

May the children who read this book often
think of the sweet words, "Suffer little chil-
dren, and forbid them not, to come unto me ;
for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

I do not know whether the little- children
whom Jesus blessed could speak. I do not
even know whether they could walk ; but
there were some children who could speak
who loved the Lord. I think they loved him,
because they praised him. Once, when he was
in a beautiful house called the Temple, these
children were there too. They saw the won-
derful things that he did ; they saw him make
blind- people see, and lame people walk,
and they cried out, " Hosanna to the Son of
David." This was a prayer. The word
" Hosanna" means, " Save, Lord, we beseech
thee." The children called Jesus the son of
David. David was a great king, and Jesus
belonged to his family. But he was the son of
a greater king than David — he was the Son of
God.

Did he like to hear the children praising him ?
Yes, he did ; but there were some wicked men
there, who did not like to hear them. They
said to him, " Do you hear what these children
say ?" And Jesus said, " Yes. Have you
never read, ' Out of the mouths of babes and
sucklings, thou hast perfected praise ?' " It is
God who teaches children to praise him. It is
a dreadful thing to hear a child use wicked
words, but it is very sweet to hear him praise

176 LITTLE CHILDREN.

God— it makes one think of the angels in hea-
ven.

You may read about Christ and the children
in the New Testament, or the Bible, in Mat-
thew 19 : 13-15; 21 : 15, 16 ; Mark 9: 33-37 ;
10: 13-16; Luke 18: 15-17.

Children of Jerusalem
Sang the praise of Jesus' name ;
Children, too, of later days,
Join to sing the Saviour's praise.
Hark ! while infant voices sing
Loud hosannas to our King.

Christ approved their song, and said,
" Have you not then ever read,
God accepts the simple praise
That these babes and sucklings raise •■
Hark ! their infant voices sing
Loud hosannas to their King.

Come, let all our infant train

Swell the humble, grateful strain ;

Hallelujah let us sing,

Loud hosannas to our King.

Hark ! while infant voices sing
Loud hosannas to our King.

Parents, teachers, old and young,

All unite to swell the song ;

Higher and yet higher rise,

Till hosannas reach the skies.
Hark ! we all unite to sing
Loud hosannas to our Kins.

THE TEN SICK MEN.

It is very common to meet sick people in
the streets, but did you ever see ten sick peo-
ple all standing together ? I think not. Yet
once ten very sick people were seen together.
They were called lepers. What is a leper ?
It is a man whose skin is covered with a
white breaking- out, arid whose flesh is begin-
ning to crumble away. Sometimes the ends
of his fingers drop off, and then his hands or
his feet, till only the stumps are left. It would
make you sad to see one of these poor lepers.
But, oh, how very sad it must have been to
see ten lepers standing together. 1 will tell you
why they all kept together. It was because
they were not allowed to be with people who
were well — not even to touch them ; so what
could the poor creatures do ? They did not
like always to be alone, and they were glad to
keep company with each other. They were
not allowed to walk in the streets of a town,
lest they should touch the people who were
passing by; they were obliged to be in the
country, amongst the trees and the fields. It
is pleasant to be in the country — yes, very
pleasant for people who are well, but it was

178 THE TEN SICK MEN.

not pleasant for the poor lepers ; no place was
pleasant for them.

One day, as the ten lepers were all together,
they saw a man coming along the way, and
going towards a village. They knew who
this man was; they must have seen him
before. But do you know who that man was ?
He was the greatest man who ever lived in
this world. Was he a king ? He was greater
than all the kings — he was the King of kings,
and yet he wTas a poor man. How could this
be ? I will tell you how it was. The Son
of God had come down to be a man, and to
live in this world. God, his Father, had sent
him down here that he might die upon the
cross for our sins. We are. sinners, and the
Son of God died that our sins might be for-
given. The Son of God was called Jesus.
Oh, he was so kind and good, but he chose to
be very poor. He could do wonderful things;
and make sick people well only by speaking a
word. The ten lepers had heard of this, and
when they saw Jesus passing by, they called
out very loud, " Jesus, Master, have mercy on
us." They did not dare to come near Jesus,
but they hoped he would hear their voices.
And he did hear them, and said, " Go, show
yourselves to the priests." Now, the priests
were ministers. God had said, that when
lepers were made well they should go first to
the priests, to be looked at by them before
they walked again about the streets. So

THE TEN SICK MEN. 179

when these lepers heard Jesus tell them to go
to the priests, they knew that they should soon
be quite well.

As they were walking along towards the
place where the priests lived, they grew well.
Those hands that were covered with white
sores, wrere now the same brown color they
had been before. If the lepers looked at each
other, they saw faces that were of a sickly
white become rosy and healthy. And when
the lepers saw this, did they go on or did
they turn back ? One of them turned back,
and only one ; all the rest made haste to go to
the priests. Why did that one turn back ?
It was that he might go to Jesus and thank
him. As he went along, he praised God for
his goodness with a loud voice. When he
was sick, he had asked to be cured with a loud
voice ; and now he was well, he thanked God
with a loud voice. This was right.

When he came to Jesus, he fell down at his
feet with his face to the ground and thanked
him. Then Jesus said, " Were there not ten
cleansed ? but where are the nine ? There
are not found that returned to give glory God,
save this stranger." Now Jesus knew that
this man who had come back was not of his
own country. He was a stranger, or a for-
eigner, and he came from a land where the
people knew very little about God, yet he
loved God better than the other lepers did.

There are many people who pray to God

180 THE TEN SICK MEN.

when they are unhappy, and who forget to
thank him when they are happy again. Is
there a boy reading this book who was once
in great distress ? Had you once no food in
the house ? Did you pray to God for food ?
Did you get food ? Did you thank God for
it ? Whenever God has given you anything,
or made you well, or got you out of trouble,
he expects you to thank him. He knows
how many men and women and children he
has helped. Perhaps there were one hundred
people very ill last night, and God has made
them all better this mornng, and perhaps only
one thanks him. Then God says, " Where are
the ninety and nine ?"

God knows your name. If you do not
thank him, he says, "Where is that little boy,
or that little girl ? Why does not he come
and thank me ? I have been very kind to
him." Do you know the greatest kindness
God has ever shown you ? He has given his
Son to die for your sins. Did you ever once
thank God for sending Jesus Christ to die
upon the cross that you might not go to hell ?
If you have never thanked him yet, begin this
day, and say, "0 Father, I thank thee for
sending the Lord Jesus Christ to die upon
the cross to save sinners."

You may read this history in Luke 17
11-19.

THE TEN SICK MEN. 181

THE SAVIOUR'S LOVE.
How great is the love

Which Jesus hath shown !
He came from above,

From heaven's bright throne,
That he might deliver

His children from hell,
And take them for ever

In glory to dwell.

He died on the cross,

And pour'd out his blood,
To bear their dread curse,

And fit them for God.
For love so amazing-,

His name we adore,
And would him be praising

With saints evermore.

16

THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERICHO.

It is very common to see blind men begging
in the streets. Do not you pity the blind ?
How sad it must be never to see the light of
the sun, nor the green leaves in spring, nor the
faces of our dearest friends !

A long while ago a blind man sat begging
by the side of the road. As he sat, he heard
the noise of a great crowd walking along. He
did not know why there was such a crowd, so
he asked the people passing by why so many
had come together. They told him that Jesus
of Nazareth was passing that way. The blind
man had heard before of Jesus. He had heard
that he could do great wonders, and he felt

THE BLIND BEGGAR. 1S3

sure in his heart that Jesus could make him
see. But the blind man could not go to him
— how could he dare to stir in such a crowd ?
he might have been pushed down and trodden
upon and crushed to death. But he could
speak. He cried out very loud, " Jesus, thou
Son of David, have mercy on me." He did
not cry out barely once or twice, he kept on
crying out, hoping that Jesus would hear him.
But the Lord took no notice of him, and a
great many people came up to him and told
him not to make such a noise. Yet the poor
man would not be quiet ; he knew that the
Lord was passing by, and that he might soon
be gone, and that he might never pass that way
again, so he cried out more than ever, "Have
mercy on me !" And did the Lord take notice
of him at last ? Yes, he did ; he stood still,
and told the people to bring that blind man to
him. How kind it was in Jesus to care for
the blind beggar! Jesus is very kind, and
cares for every poor creature in the world.
At last the blind man heard some one speak
kindly to him, and say, "Be of good comfort,
rise, he calleth thee/' How glad he was to
hear that Jesus had sent for him ! He got up
very quickly and went to Jesus, for now the
people made room for him. No one now was
rude to the poor beggar, for Jesus had called
for him.

And what did Jesus say to him ? He asked
him what he wished him to do for him. The

184 THE BLIND BEGGAR

man replied, "Lord, that I may receive my
sight." Jesus pitied him very much, and he
touched his eyes, and said, " Receive thy
sight." That moment he was able to see
How glad he now was that he had cried out,
" Lord have mercy on me," and that he had
not left off when the people told him not to
make a noise ! He would not leave Jesus now
he had found him, but went after him on the
road, praising him, and thanking God for his
goodness.

If all people would pray as this blind man
did, Jesus would hear them all. The child
who reads this book is not blind. If you were
blind, how could you read to father or to
mother? But there is something which Jesus
could do for you, that would make' you happy
forever. What is it ? Do you know ? If he
were to say, " What do you wish me to do for
you ? What would you answer ? I should like
you to say, " Forgive me my sins, and give me
thy Hoiy Spirit." My dear child, do make
this little prayer every day. Jesus would hear
you. Perhaps you live in a- very poor place.
Perhaps you live in a little room in town, up
some dark and narrow stairs ; perhaps there is
very little furniture in it, and very little food
in the cupboard ; but Jesus knows where you
live, and he knows your name, and your
father's name, and your mother's name, and he
hears all you say. He would be much pleased
to hear you praying to him, because he loves

OF JERICHO. 185

you, and he once died upon the cross that }tou
might not go to hell. If you go to heaven,
you will see the blind beggar there — I mean
the beggar who once was blind. Then you
will sing with him about the love of Jesus in
saving your souls.

If you wish to read a full account of this
blind man, you will find it in Mark 10 : 46, to
end : and also in Luke 18 : 35, to end.

When Jesus Christ was here below,
And spread his works of love abroad,

If I had lived so long ago,

I think I should have loved the Lord.

Jesus, who was so very kind,

Who came to pardon sinful men,
Who heal'd the sick, and cur'd the blind :

Oh, must not I have loved him then %

But where is Jesus 1 Is he dead %
Oh, no ; he lives in heaven above :

" And blest are they," the Saviour said,

" Who, though they have not seen me, love."

He sees us from his throne on high,
As well as when on earth he dwelt ;

And when to him poor children cry,
He feels such love as then he felt.

16^

186 THE BLIXD BEGGAR.

Aif.d if the Lord will grant me grace,
Much I will love him and adore ;

But when in heaven I see his face,
'Twill be my joy to love him more.

" Mercy, 0 thou Son of David !"
Thus blind Bartimeus pray'd ;

" Others by thy word are saved,
Now to me afford thine aid."

Many for his crying chid him,
But he called the louder still ;

Till the gracious Saviour bid him,
" Come, and ask me what you will.*3

Money was not what he wanted,
Though by begging used to live ;

But he ask'd, and Jesus granted,
Alms which none but he could give.

"Lord, remove this grievous blindness,
Let my eyes behold the day;"

•Straight he saw, and, won by kindness,
Follow'd Jesus in the way.

Oh, methinks I hear him praising,

Publishing to all around,
u Friends, is not my case amazing .

What a Saviour I have found !"

THE MAN IN THE TREE.

Sometimes the queen passes through the
city of London in her grand carriage of state.
Then all the windows in the streets, from the
shop to the garret, are full of faces looking out
and longing to have a peep at her Majesty
the queen.

Sometimes the queen travels in the country,
and then all the lanes are filled with people :
where generally sheep are feeding, there chil-
dren may be seen in large flocks ; and where
the birds often sit and sing, there boys and
even men have climbed up, that they may get
a good sight of their sovereign.

More than eighteen hundred years ago, the
King of kings was walking about this world.

188 THE MAN IN THE TREE.

It is true, he did not wear rich and splendid
clothes, nor did he ride in a grand carriage
drawn by fine horses — no, he was dressed like
a poor man, and he walked about from place
to place ; but then he spoke such sweet words
that people came from far to hear him; and
besides this, he did such wonders — making the
blind to see, and the lame to walk — that every
one wished to look at him.

There was a man who longed and tried to
see this great King, but he could not, because
there was a crowd all round, and he was a
short man and he could not look over the heads
of the people. So he ran on a little way, and
then he climbed up in a tree called a sycamore-
tree, which is a high tree with thick, strong
branches. There he waited till the King pass-
ed by. He thought he should see him well
from this high place, but he did not know that
any one would see him, or take notice of him.
How much surprised he was when Jesus came
to the place ! (for this King was the Lord Jesus.)
The Lord looked up towards the tree. Now,
the man could see him well — not only the hair
upon his head, but his eyes, and his whole face.
Jesus not only looked, but stopped and spoke.
He said, " Zaccheus, make haste, and come
down ; for to-day I must abide at thy house."
Jesus knew the man's name ; he knew why he
had gone up into the tree, and he knew that he
had a house in the next town.

Zaccheus did not stop any longer in the

THE MAN IX THE TREE. 189

tree ; he got down very fast, went back to his
house, and was ready to receive the Lord into
it. He thought it a great honor to receive
such a visitor beneath his roof, and indeed it
was the greatest honor he could have ; even an
angel would think it a great honor to have a
visit from the Son of God.

Zaccheus was a rich man, so I suppose he
had a large, and perhaps a fine house. But
Jesus does not care whether a house is large
or small, he looks into the hearts of the
people who live in it. Why did he choose
to come to the house of Zaccheus ? Be-
cause he had determined to make Zaccheus
happy forever. Once Zaccheus had been a
wicked man ; he had cheated many people. It
was his business to collect the public taxes, and
for this reason he was called a publican; but
he had not been honest ; he had charged more
than he ought, and he had grown rich by his
dishonesty. His cheating ways had been
found out, and now he had a bad character ;
so when people saw Jesus go into his house,
many said, " Why does he go into the house of
a wicked person ?" But the people who said
that, did not know that Jesus came into the
world to save sinners. Zaccheus was now
very sorry for his past wickedness, and while
Jesus was in his house, he stood and said to
the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods
I give to the poor ;" and he promised to give
oack to those people from whom he had taken

190 THE MAN IN THE TREE.

too much, four times what he had taken. Was
not this right in Zaccheus ? Everybody whom
he had cheated might come to him and say,
" You took from me one penny, or two pence,
more than you ought; will you give me back
four times as much?" If the people said true,
then Zaccheus would give them back the
money. Jesus was much pleased to hear
Zaccheus speak as he did. He praised him,
and said he was a son of Abraham. Abraham
was a man who believed in God, and Jesus
saw that Zaccheus did so also, for he could
see into his heart. These were the words that
Jesus spoke to Zaccheus : " This day is salva-
tion come to this house, forasmuch as he also
is a son of Abraham."

I do not know whether Zaccheus had any
little children, but if he had, how glad they
must have been to hear Jesus say salvation
wras come to the house or the family. How
happy are the children of a man who believes
in Jesus ! A good father prays for his children,
teaches them, takes them to the house of God,
and begs them to be good, and to love Christ.

Zaccheus never could forget the visit that
Jesus had made to his family. How often he
would talk of it, and call to mind all that Jesus
had done and said. How often he must have re-
peated this sweet sentence : " The Son of man
is come to seek and to save that which was
lost."

Jesus is not now walking about the world.

THE MAN IN THE TREE. 191

but many of his servants are, and they go like
him to seek the lost. They go to the houses
of sinners ; they go to the rooms of sinners ;
they stand by the dying beds of sinners, and
tell them of the Saviour. Has a good man
ever visited your father's house ? It might be
a minister, or it might be a good man who
was not a minister. Did he come and talk
to you of Jesus ? Perhaps he often comes and
reads the Bible, and kneels down, and prays
with you and your father and mother. Are
you not glad to see him ? Do you not say
sometimes to your mother, " I think I hear his
steps upon the stairs ?" Do you run and open
the door, and beg him to come in and sit down ?
Do you keep quite still while he is reading and
praying? Perhaps he sometimes speaks to
you, and tells you that Jesus loves little children.
You may find the history of Zaccheus in
Luke 19: 1-10.

Christ is merciful and mild;
He was once a little child :
He whom heavenly hosts adore,
Lived on earth among the poor.

Then he laid his glory by,
When for us he came to die;
How I wonder when I see
His unbounded love for me.

Children in his arms he pressed,
Kindly took them to his breast;
They, said he, shall share my bliss,
Fur of such my kingdom is.

CHRIST m THE GARDEN.

When the Lord Jesus lived in this world,
he used often to go into a garden. A garden
is a sweet place. There are different kinds of
gardens ; some are very small, and have little
walks in them, and a few flower-beds with a
grass border. You will often see such a gar-
den spread out before the door of a neat cot-
tage, and it is very pleasant to look at the gay
tulips and the lovely lilies, and to smell the
sweet wall-flowers, and hyacinths, and roses.
But there are some gardens which have large
trees in them, and shady walks. It was
to such a garden that Jesus used to go. He
had twelve friends who went with him from
place to place, and when he sat in the garden
they would sit with him and listen to his
sweet words about his Father in heaven.

I will now tell you about the last time that
the Lord Jesus went to the garden before he
died. It was in the evening, when it was
dark. All his disciples were with him except
one, and that one was called Judas ; he was
very wicked, and he was gone away from
Jesus. But there were eleven men still with
their Lord, and they loved him very much.

CHRIST IN THE GARDEN. 193

They knew that he was very unhappy that
evening, and they were unhappy too. What
made Jesus sad ? It was this ; men had
sinned, and done very wickedly, and they
deserved to go to hell, to be tormented for
ever ; but Jesus had come into the world to
die for their sins. Oh, was not this kind in
Jesus Christ to die for sinners such as you and
I ? And was it not kind in God his Father to
give up his only Son to suffer pain and grief,
that we might not suffer pain and grief for
ever and ever ? Now you see why Jesus was
sad. He was going to die for our sins ; the
time was almost come : this was his last
evening. He had come into the garden to
pray to his Father. It is a great comfort in
trouble to pray to God. When the Lord was
at the garden-gate, he said to his friends, " Sit
ye here, while 1 go and pray yonder." He took
three of his friends with him, and eight were left
near the garden-gate. Should you like to
know the names of the three who went with
Jesus ? They were Peter, and James, and
John. They often were with Jesus when no
one else was there besides.

When the Lord had gone some way, he
said to Peter, James, and John, " My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry
ye here, and watch with me." Then he went
a very little way off, and lay with his face on
the ground, and began to pray to his Father,
and these were the words he said : " O, my
17

194 CHRIST. IN THE GARDEN.

Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me." What did he mean by this cup ? He
did not mean a real cup. He was going to be
tormented by the wicked devil, and to be
nailed upon a cross of wood till he died. It
was not a cup of bitter medicine he was going
to drink, but a cup of pain and grief, and he
asked his Father not to let him drink it. But
then he knew that his Father loved us sinners,
and wished to save us, so Jesus finished his
prayer with these words, " Not as I will, but
as thou wilt." What a sweet prayer this
was ! Jesus did not wish to do his own will,
but his Father's will. When we pray to God
in our troubles, let us say the same, " Not as I
will, but as thou wilt."

After Jesus had prayed, he went to his
three friends, but he found them sleeping, for
they were very tired, and very unhappy. He
was not angry, but he said to them gently,
" Could ye not watch with me one hour ?"
Then he went back again to pray, and he said
the same words he had said before. After he had
prayed he returned to his friends, but he found
them asleep, and when he spoke to them they
did not know what to answer him. They
knew they ought to have be"en praying and
watching with their Lord. Jesus went back
again to pray the third time. His Father
heard his prayers, and he sent an angel from
heaven to comfort him.

How glad that angel must have been to go

CHRIST IN THE GARDEN. ]95

to his Lord ! for Jesus is the Son of God, and
is greater than all the angels. • Before he came
into this world to be a man, he was with his
Father in heaven, and he made everything,
and he made the angels. But what a sad
sight the angel saw when he came down and
found Jesus in the garden ! The Son of God
was in such great sorrow and trouble, that the
blood came through his skin while he prayed,
and it fell on the ground in great drops. Oh,
what pain the blessed Saviour must have felt !
It was for us, and not for the angel, he was
suffering all this pain. That angel had never
sinned, but we have sinned, every day and
every hour.

After Jesus had prayed very earnestly, he
came back the third time to his friends. Were
they sleeping still ? Yes they were ; they
had not seen the bright angel talking to their
Lord. This time Jesus said to his three
friends, " Rise up, let us go." He told them
that the people who hated him were coming,
and so they were. While Jesus was yet
speaking, a number of men came near, with
lamps in their hands and great sticks and
swords. And who was showing them the
way ? It was the wicked Judas. He had
often been in the garden w7ith his Master, and
he knew where to find him. The Lord did
not go away, but let the wicked people take
hold of him.

Oh, what a loving Saviour Jesus was !

]96 CHRIST IN THE GARDEN.

Now he is alive again, and is ready to hear
our prayers, and to pardon our sins, and to
give us new hearts, and to take us to heaven.
This history may be found in Matthew 26 :
36-47 ; Mark 14 : 32-43 ; Luke 22 : 39-47 ;
John 18: 1-4.

He, who was a King above,
Left his kingdom for a grave,

Out of pity and of love,

That the guilty he might save :

Down to this sad world he flew

For such little ones as you.

Stretch'd upon the cross, behold,
How his tender limbs are torn !

For a royal crown of gold,

They have made him one of thorn !

Cruel hands, that dare to bind

Thorns upon a brow so kind.

Come then, children, come and see!

Lift your little hands to pray j
'< Blessed Jesus, pardon me,

Help a guilty infant," say ;
" Since it was for such as 1

Thou didst condescend to die.'*

THE MAN WHO SAT BY THE FIRE
IN THE HALL.

Once the Son of God lived in this world-
Is not that wonderful ? He became a man,
and he had a body and a soul just as you have.
Would you have liked to have seen him ? I
•think you would. There were twelve men
who walked about with him from place to
place. They were called his disciples. One
of them was named Simon Peter. He loved
Jesus, the Son of God.

Sometimes Jesus used to say to his twelve
disciples, "I shall soon die; wicked men will
kill me ; they will nail me on a cross, but I shall
rise again out of my grave." The disciples
were very sorry to hear their Master talk in
this way ; they could not bear to think that
he should die. Once Peter said, " Lord, I am
ready to go with thee both into prison, and to
death." Then Jesus said to Peter, " This night,
before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice
deny that thou knowest me." Jesus was
God, and he knew all that was going to happen.
Peter could not believe that he would ever say
he did not know his dear Master, but Peter did
17*

198 THE MAN WHO SAT

not know how much naughtiness there was in
his heart.

That very night some wicked men came
into a garden where Jesus was, and bound him
with ropes, and took him to a great house. The
judges were seated on high seats in that great
house or hall. Peter was very sorry to see his
Master taken away, and he went after him.
He did not go with him, but he followed him
some way off. There was a woman at the
door, and she let him go in ; then Peter sat by a
fire, and warmed himself. Soon the woman who
had let Peter in, looked at him, and said, '" Thou
also art one of his disciples." Then Peter was
afraid lest the wicked people should use him
ill, as they did his Master, and he said to the
woman, "Woman, I know him not." That
was a lie — a dreadful lie. Presently after-
wards Peter left the hall, and went out into the
porch. Then the cock crew. Did Peter re-
member what Jesus had said? No, he did
not ; he took no notice of the crowing of the
cock. While he was in the porch, a man said
to him, " Thou art also of them." Peter an-
swered, " Man, I am not ;" and not content
with telling this lie, he soon began to swear he
did not know the Lord.

He returned into the great house. There
his Master was. The wicked people were
round him, laughing at him, beating him, and
even spitting at him. Several persons came
up to Peter, and said, " Surely thou art one of

BY THE FIRE. 199

them." Then he began to curse and to swear,
and to say, " I do not know the man." While
he was speaking in this wicked manner, the
cock crew again, and Jesus himself turned to-
wards Peter, and looked at him. Now Peter
remembered what Jesus had said to him ; now
he felt very sorry indeed for his wickedness.
He left the hall, and began to weep very bitter-
ly. He thought over all that had happened —
how kind his Master had been to him, and how
ungratefully he had behaved. Could he ever
forget that look which Jesus had cast upon
him? What sort of a look do you think it
was — an angry look or a sorrowful look? I
think there was more sorrow than anger in it.

Did the Lord Jesus forgive Peter his great
sin ? Yes, he did. The next day Jesus was
crucified, and was buried. But he only lay
three days in his grave. On the morning of
the first day of the week, very early he rose
again. How glad Peter was to see him again!
Jesus did not say to Peter, " I cannot love you
any more, because you behaved so ill that
night.''" No; Jesus said to him, " Lovest thou
me?" And Peter said, "Yea, Lord, thou
knowest that I love thee." Jesus asked him
three times over if he loved him, and Peter
said three times over that he did love him.

Jesus is now in heaven with God his Father,
and Peter is there too. Jesus wants you to
love him. He has been very kind to you ; he
made your body, for he is God. He died on the

200 THE MAN WHO SAT

cross to save you from going to hell. Do you
love him ? How wicked it would be not to
love him! It is very wicked not love your
father or your mother, but it is more wicked
still not to love Jesus.

When you do wrong Jesus sees you, and if
you are sorry for your sin, and cry about it,
Jesus sees your tears. Children who really
love Jesus are very sorry when they have
done wrong; but other children say, " I don't
care." I am afraid lest they should go to hell.
Did you ever cry because you had displeased
God ? You have often cried — what has it
been about ? Was it because you were cold
and hungry ? Was it because you had a pain
in your head ? Was it because a boy had
taken away your things, or because he had
struck you a blow? Was it because your
father was angry with you, and was going to
punish you ?

I dare say you have cried for all these rea-
sons. Have you ever cried about your sins ?
It is a good day when a boy or a girl sits in
some corner, and thinks over sins that are
past, and feels sorry, and prays to God, and
says, " O God forgive me, for the sake of Jesus
who died upon the cross, and give me thy Holy
Spirit to make me good."

You may read the history of Peter's sin in
Matt. 26: 69, to end ; Mark 14 : 66, to end'
Luke 22: 54-62; John 18 : 15-27.

BY THE FIRE. 201

Ashamed of Jesus ! that dear triend,
On whom my hopes of heaven depend !
No ; when I blush, be this my shame,
That I no more revere his name.

Ashamed of Jesus ! yes, I may
When I've no guilt to wash away,
No tears to wipe, no good to crave,
No fears to quell, no soul to save.

Till then — nor is my boasting vain—
Till then I boast a Saviour slain !
And oh, may this my glory be,
That Christ is not asham'd of me.

THE

MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF.

These are a great many wicked people in
the world. No one but God knows who is the
most wicked, for he sees into the heart. I am
going to tell 3^ou the history of a very wicked
man. He was a liar, a thief, and a murderer ;
and worse than all, he was a hypocrite, that is,
he was a man who pretended to be good.
What was his name ? Judas. Where did he
live? In a country a great way off, called
Canaan. It was the land of the Jews. When
did he live? More than eighteen hundred
years ago. He has been dead a long while,
but his history is written in the Bible. When
Judas was alive, the Son of God was living in
this world for a little while. Did Jesus the
Son of God ever speak to Judas ? Yes, he
did, and he chose him to be one of the twelve
men who were always with him. Are you not
surprised to hear this ? Jesus knew that Judas
was wicked, yet he let him come after him.
Jesus often talked to him, and told him about
his Father in heaven. Jesus was very kind
to him, yet Judas did not love Jesus. The
men who were with Jesus were called his dis-

THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF. 203

ciples. The other disciples thought that Judas
was good : they all put their money into one
bag, and they let Judas take care of that bag ;
they did not know that he often took the
money out of it, and kept it himself. Judas
was a thief, but he was not found out for a long
time. Jesus knew that he was a thief, because
he knows all things.

Once a good woman named Mary poured
some very sweet stuff upon the head of Jesus,
and upon his feet. This ointment was in a
beautiful white box, but Mary broke the box
to pour it out upon Jesus. When Judas saw
what she had done, he said it was a great pity
she had wasted the ointment upon Jesus, and
that it would have been better to have sold it
and given the money to the poor. But had
Mary wasted the ointment? Oh, no; it was
not too good to be given to the Son of God ;
nothing could be too good for him who is all
goodness. But why did Judas wish the oint-
ment had been sold ? His reason was, that
he thought the money would have been put
into the bag for him to give to the poor, and
then he could have stolen some of it. He
pretended to care for the poor, for he was very
sly. Jesus knew all that Judas was thinking
about, and he said that Mary had done right in
pouring the ointment upon his head. Then
Judas was very angry, because Jesus had
taken Mary's part, and he went out of the
room. And where did he °o ? To some

204 THE MAN WHO

wicked men who wanted to kill Jesus. It was
night, and these wicked men were saying to
each other, " How shall we get hold of Jesus,
that we may have him killed ? In the day we
are afraid of taking him, because the people
like him very much, and we do not know
where he goes at night." Judas came in and
said to the wicked men, "I will show you
where Jesus goes at night." Then the wicked
men were pleased, and promised to give Judas
thirty pieces of silver.

Two days afterwards Jesus took his last sup-
per with his twelve disciples. Judas was
there. Jesus told his disciples that he should
soon die. All the disciples, except Judas, were
very sorry to hear him say this. Then Jesus
said, "One of you will betray me." What
did he mean ? He meant that one of his dis-
ciples would show the wicked people where he
went at night. Then each of the disciples
said, "Lord, is it I?" And at last Judas said.
" Is it I ?" Then Jesus said that it was.
Soon afterwards, Jesus told Judas to do
quickly what he was going to do. Then
Judas got up, and went out of the room. The
other disciples thought he was gone to buy
something at the shop, or to give something to
the poor, but he was gone to the wicked peo-
ple. He knew where Jesus was going that
night, and he meant to bring the wicked people
there.

After Judas was gone, Jesus left the room

HANGED HIMSELF. 205

and went down stairs, and walked along the
streets. His disciples went with him. They
came at last to a garden full of high trees.
There they used often to go with Jesus. This
night Jesus went alone to one part of the gar-
den, and prayed to his Father. He was very
sad. At last he came back to his disciples.
Just at that moment <i number of men were
seen with lamps in their hands. Judas show-
ed them the way"; he went up to Jesus and
kissed him. Why did he kiss him ? Only to
show the men which was Jesus. How very
wicked it was to pretend to love Jesus while
he helped people to kill him ! Jesus knew
why he kissed him, but he spoke very gently
to him, and said, " Friend, wherefore art thou
come ?" The wicked people seized Jesus,
bound him with ropes, and said he must come
with them. Then all the disciples were fright-
ened, and ran away. The wicked men made
Jesus stand before them all the night. In the
morning they said that he must be killed.
Next day he was nailed to a cross of wood till
he died. Oh, what a painful death this was !
But Jesus came down from heaven that he
might die instead of us. If he had not died,
we should all have gone to hell ; but now, if
we love Jesus, we shall go to heaven. How
kind it was in Jesus to die for sinners such as
you and me ! Ought we not to love him ?

When Judas heard that the wicked men
had said that Jesus must be killed, he was very
18

206 THE MAN WHO

sorry. He did not like to keep the thirty
pieces of silver. He felt he had behaved very
wickedly to his kind, good Master, the Lord
Jesus. What could he do with the money ?
He did not like to keep it ; he did not like to
spend it; so he took it back to the men who
gave it to him. He said he had done very
wrong ; Jesus was good, and he had betrayed
him to be killed. But the wicked men were
not sorry — they did not care — so Judas threw
down the pieces of silver and went away.

Where did he go ? If he had gone and sin-
cerely prayed for forgiveness, God would have
forgiven him ; for he pardons all who are
really sorry for their sins. But Judas did not
pray. He felt very unhappy, so he thought he
would kill himself. It is very wicked for a
man to kill himself. Judas went into a field
and hanged himself up in some high place ;
and while he was hanging he fell down, and
his body burst open, and all his bowels came
out upon the "ground. It must have been a
dreadful sight. Everybody who lived in the
town heard of it,' and they called the place
where Judas died, " the field of blood."

And what became of the soul of Judas ?
He went to his father the devil, to be tor-
mented in hell forever and ever. It would
have been good for Judas if he had never been
born. Had his parents known when he was a
child what a wicked man he would have grown
up, oh, how sorry they would have been !

HANGED HIMSELF. 207

I hope your parents will never be sorry that
you were born. I hope that you yourself will
never be sorry that you were born. The
wicked in hell wish that they had never been
born. It is a good thing to be born, if we go
to heaven when we die. How sweet to be like
the angels in heaven ! Pray to God to forgive
you all your sins, and to make you like an
angel.

You will find part of Judas' history in Matt.
26 : 47-50 ; 27 : 1-10

THE JUDGE.

Have you seen a judge upon his high seat,
judging a thief or a murderer ? Many people
crowd into the place when a bad man is taken
before the judge. Once a very good man was
taken before a judge; there were some wicked
people who hated this good man, and who
wanted to have him killed ; they brought him
to the judge early one morning, and they said
" This man says we ought not to mind oui
king, or to pay taxes to him ; he says that he
is a king himself." The judge knew nothing
about this man ; he did not knowT whether he
was good or bad, but he thought he looked
good. Do you know who this good man
was ? He was the Son of God, come from
heaven to live in this world for a little while.
His name was Jesus Christ ; he was a King,
but he was not like the kings of this world ;
he was the King of heaven, and the King of
kings. Who was the judge ? His name was
Pontius Pilate ; he knew nothing about God ; he
was a heathen, and had been taught to worship
idols. Pilate thought that Jesus was good,
and he said to the wicked men who brought
him," I find no fault in him." Then the wick-

THE JUDGE. 200

ed men were more angry, and said that Jesus
had done a great many wrong things. While
they were speaking, Jesus said nothing; he
was as meek as a lamb, and they were as fierce
as lions and tigers.

It was the rich and great people who hated
Jesus the most. Pilate thought that perhaps
the poor people would wish him to be set free.
It was the custom to let one prisoner loose every
year. Pilate said to the people, " Whom will
ye that I release unto you ? Barabbas, or
Jesus, which is called Christ ?" Now this
Barabbas was a robber and a murderer. The
people answered, " Barabbas." It was the
rich and great men who had persuaded the
people to ask for Barabbas. How shocking it
was to hear crowds of people crying out with
loud voices in the street, " Not this man, but
Barabbas !" Jesus had been very kind to the
people ; he had cured those who were sick,
and blind, and lame ; he had fed the hungry ;
he had blessed the little children, and he had
taught the poor all day long about God : and
yet now they cried out, " Away with this
man, and release unto us Barabbas."

Pilate was sorry to hear them speak in this
way, and he said, "What shall I do with
Jesus ?" They cried out, " Crucify him !
Crucify him !" They wanted him to be
nailed on a cross of wood till he died. Oh,
how cruel ! While Pilate was on his judg-
ment-seat, his wife sent a message to him; it
18*

210 THE JUDGE.

was to tell him not to hurt Jesus, for that he
was good, and that she had been dreaming a
very sad dream about him. That was a good
message. God had sent the dreams to Pilate's
wife. Do you not hope that Pilate will mind
his wife's advice ? He wished to mind it, but
//hen the people went on crying out, " Crucify
him ! Crucify him !" He was afraid to say
"No," lest they should be angry with him
But God would have taken care of him, if he
had only done what he knew was right. We
ought never to mind what wicked people say.

At last Pilate took some water and washed
his hands while everybody was looking at him.
Why ? Not to make his hands clean, but to
show the wicked men that he was clear from
the blood of Jesus. But could water wash
his heart clean from wickedness ? No, it
could not ; it was no use to wash his hands,
he could not wash his heart. Then Pilate
gave Jesus up to be crucified, and he let
Barabbas go out of prison. How wicked it
was in Pilate to do so ! He knew better ; he
knew he was doing wrong. God saw him,
and was angry.

Before Jesus was crucified, he was scourged ;
that is, his back was beaten with hard ropes
full of knots. How that tender flesh must
have bled, as the ropes tore the skin open !
Yet Jesus bore all the pain as meekly as a
lamb. After he had been scourged, he was
tormented by the soldiers. Hundreds of cruel

THE JUDGE. 211

soldiers came round him and took off his
clothes, and put on him some fine clothes like
those which kings wear, only just to laugh at
him ; and they took some thorns, and made a
crown and pat it on his head. You know
that thorns are very sharp, and prick very
much. How could the cruel men put thorns
on that dear head ! Then they took a reed
and put it in his hand for a sceptre, such as
kings hold, and they knelt down to him, and
said, " Hail, King of the Jews !" How dread-
ful it must have been to hear the laughter of
those soldiers ! But they did more than
laugh ; they even dared to beat him on the
head, and to spit in his face. How sweet
Jesus must have looked, standing amongst
them, bearing all their cruel treatment without
saying an angry word! 4

Pilate saw Jesus, and he showed him to
the people once more. Jesus came out of the
great house where the soldiers had been tor-
menting him, dressed in his purple clothes,
with his crown of thorns on his head. Pilate
said to the people, " Behold your King!" But
did the sight melt their hard hearts ? Oh, no ;
they still cried out, " Crucify him ! Crucify
him !" Then Pilate gave him. up to be cru-
cified. That very day Jesus was nailed up to
the cross till he died. It was a painful death,
but he bore it that we might not go to hell.
If we believe in him, and love him, we shall
go to heaven, and be with him for ever ; for

212 THE JUDGE.

though Jesus died once, he was made alive
again, and he went up into heaven, and he is
there now, shining more bright than the sun.
You may read part of the history of Pon-
tius Pilate in Matt. 27 : 11-31 ; John 19 : 1-7.

Those soft, those blessed feet of his,

That once rude iron tore,
High on a throne of light they stands

While saints around adore.

CHRIST ON THE CROSS.

There is often a crowd of people to be seen
in London. Why do the crowd come to-
gether ? Is it to see the lord mayor pass along
with the citizens in their gay clothing ? Is it
to look at the sparkling lamps on the walls
when there is an illumination ? Or is it to be-
hold the queen in all her splendor, riding in
her chariot of state ? All these are joyful
sights. The people who look out of their win-
dows have smiles on their faces, and the little
children clap their hands, and laugh with de-
light.

But sometimes there are sad sights, and
crowds come to view. When a great man
dies, and his body is carried to the tomb, how
many wish to see the funeral. There is the
hearse, covered with nodding plumes, and
there is the train of coaches, all drawn by
black horses, but the coffin is hidden, and the
dead man's body is not seen. Oh, could we
see it, so stiff and so pale, we should be shock-
ed at the sight.

I am going to tell you of a much sadder
sight than this : it was not in London this sight
was seen, but in a city a great way off. There

214 CHRIST ON THE CROSS.

was a crowd of people looking at one man ;
that man was covered with blood; his back
was marked by the stripes of the rope, his fore-
head was pricked by thorns which had been
fastened round his head, his face looked very
sad, as if he had been shedding many tears ;
his body was very thin, and his knees were so
weak that he could hardly stand, yet there was
a great piece of wood on his back, and he was
dragging it along, but it seemed as if he could
hardly move another step, it seemed as if he
would faint and drop down dead by the way.
There were some soldiers near the man — very
cruel men, who laughed at him and abused him.
But they did not wish him to die on the road,
for they were going to kill him in another
place ; they would not help him to drag the
wood along, but they met a stranger, and they
made him help to carry the wood. What was
this wood for ? You shall know soon. All
the crowd were not laughing at the poor man ;
some were crying very much. There were
some women who seemed very unhappy ; these
women loved the poor man, and could not
bear to see him ill-treated. Do you think that
poor man is good ? See how gentle he looks !
Now hear him speak. How sweetly he speaks !
He turns round and tells the poor women not
to cry about him. Not one rude word does
that poor man say to all the wicked people
who are laughing at him. Do you not think
he must be good ?

CHRIST ON THE CROSS. 215

At Tast the soldiers came to a place outside
the town ; they stop the poor man — they take
the wood off his shoulders — they lay it on the
ground ; it is a very large piece of wood, and
there is another piece nailed across it. It is a
cross. The soldiers take off the poor man's
clothes, and then they make him lie upon the
cross ; they stretch out his hands, and strike a
great nail through each palm ; they stretch out
his legs, and strike great nails through his ket,
and so they fasten him to the wood ; then they
take hold of the cross and lift it up, and thrust
it into a deep hole in the ground. Oh, what a
jerk that was for those bleeding wounds in
those hands and feet ! It is morning, about
nine o'clock; it is beginning to get hot, for
the weather is hot. What a crowd collects
round that cross ! What loud laughs are
heard ! Some people say, " If thou be the Son
of God, come down from the cross." And is
he the Son of God? Oh, yes, he is; he came
down from heaven to die instead of you and
me, my child. We all deserve to die, and to go
to hell. But the Son of God never did any-
thing wrong; it was very wicked in people to
kill him. Is he angry with the wicked people?
What is he saying upon the cross? He is
praying to God his Father. This is what he
says, " Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do." Hew kind to pray for the people
who were killing him ! The soldiers do not pity
him. What are they doing with those clothes ?

216 CHRIST ON THE CROSS.

They are dividing them between them ; the
four soldiers tear the clothes into four parts ;
there is one garment, something like a shirt,
only with no seam in it, but woven all in one
piece ; the soldiers do not like to tear that, so
they cast lots for it, to see who will get it.
These soldiers care for the clothes, but not for
the Son of God. O foolish soldiers, that poor
man whom you laugh at could give you better
clothes than those — clothes that would never
wear out. All the people who love the Son of
God shall live with him, and wear white and
beautiful clothes, aad never be hungry any
more, or thirsty, or sick, or unhappy.

Would you like to live with the Son of God ?
His name is Jesus, which means Saviour. He
can save you from going to hell.

At last it is twelve o'clock ; all at once it
grows quite dark, though it is the middle of
the day. No one now can see the face of
Jesus. Do you not think the darkness must
frighten the wicked people ? It is a sign that
God is angry. Still, the people go on mocking
— they are not sorry for their cruelty. At last
a voice is" heard to say, "I thirst!" It is the
voice of Jesus. He must be thirsty hanging
for six hours upon that cross in the heat and in
great pain. One of the soldiers dips a sponge
in vinegar and puts it on the end of a stick,
and lifts it up to the mouth of Jesus — it
touches his dry lips — then a voice is heard

CHRIST ON THE CROSS. 217

again, saying, e* It is finished!" that means, it is
a!! done.

Once more a loud voice is heard. It is
Jesus praying his Father to take his soul, and
then he bows his head and dies. Then the earth
shakes, and great cracks are seen in the hard
rocks, and the wicked people are very much
afraid. Then it becomes light, and they can
see the dead body of Jesus hanging on the
cross. Where is his soul ! With his Father
in heaven. His pain is over; his sorrow is
gone ; he is happy now, and he will be happy
forever. His body is put into the ground, but
it soon rises out of the tomb, and goes up to
God, for Jesus is the Son of God.

There are a great many souls with Jesus in
heaven now. All who love him go up to be
with him when they die, but the wicked are
cast down into darkness with the devil. May
you never go there ! Jesus died to save you,
but if you will go on being wicked he cannot
save you. How glad Jesus is when any boy or
girl says to him, "Jesus, save me!'' How
glad Jesus will be to take your soul to heaven
when you die.

Would you read about the death of Jesus,
look at Matt. 27: 31-54; Mark 25:20-39;
Luke 23: 2G-48; John 19: 1(3-31.

19

218 CHRIST OX THE CROSS

Alas, and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my Sovereign die %

Did he devote his sacred head
For such a worm as I ?

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree ?

Amazing pity ! grace unknown !
And love beyond degree !

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,

When God, the mighty Maker, died
For man, the creature's, ain.

THE DYING THIEF.

Some people fall sick, lie upon their beds,
and die there. Some people meet with an
accident, and are suddenly killed — they are
burned, they are drowned, they are crushed
under a wheel, or kicked by a horse, or dashed
to pieces by a fall. Some people are put to
death ; they are accused of having murdered
one of their fellow-creatures, and are hanged
up by the neck till they die. Which of all
these ways of dying is the most dreadful ? Is
it not the last ? It is dreadful to be put
to death on account of crimes we have done.

In our country, none but murderers are
executed ; but in other countries, thieves are
often put to death. Here the punishment is
hanging, but in other countries there are other
ways of killing wicked men ; in one place the
head is cut off, in another the body is pierced
with spears.

Sometimes good people are put to death.
Wicked people accuse them, and the judge
believes the accusers, and orders them to be
executed. The best man who ever lived was
put to death.

The Son of God once became a man ; he

THE DYING THIEF. 220

was called Jesus? Wicked men hated him,
accused him, and killed him. How did they
kill him ? In a most cruel way. They took
a large piece of wood, and placed another piece
across it. Then they laid Jesus down upon
the wood, and nailed his feet to the end of it,
and they stretched out his arms, and nailed
each hand to the end of the other piece of
wood ; then they lifted up the wood, and made
it stand upright in the earth. The body of
Jesus hung upon the cross, and the nails tore
the tender flesh off his hands. Thus the Lord
was crucified. There were two other men
nailed upon crosses in the same place as Jesus.
They were wicked men ; they were thieves.
They were crucified on each side of Jesus,
one on the right hand, and the other on the
left ; they were very near him, and they could
speak to him, and hear what he said. They
saw the men passing by the cross of Jesus,
and looking up and laughing ; they heard them
reading what was written over the cross,
" This is the King of the Jews ;" and they heard
them say, "If he be the Son of God, let him
come down from the cross ;" and they could
hear Jesus sweetly say, "Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do."

And what did the thieves do when they saw
and heard these things ? One of the thieves
began to mock and abuse Jesus, and he said,
"If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us."
That was not a good prayer. The thief asked

THE DYING THIEF. 221

Jesus to save him, but he did not believe he
could save him ; he wanted to be saved from
dying on the cross, but he did not care about
being saved from the everlasting pains of hell.
The other thief was quite different. He
was displeased to hear his fellow talk in this
wicked way just as he was dying, and he
spoke to him ; for, though the cross of Jesus
was between them, he could speak loud enough
to make him hear. He asked him if he did
not fear God, now that he was condemned to
die ; and told him that they deserved to die,
but Jesus had done nothing wrong. You see
that this thief was sorry for his sins ; you see,
also, that he believed that Jesus was quite
good. I do not know what the other thief
said, or whether he gave any answer. The
thief who was sorry for his sins then spoke to
Jesus. This was his prayer, " Lord, remember
me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
The dying thief believed that Jesus was a
King, and that he would one day sit upon a
throne. Did Jesus grant the poor thief's
prayer? He gave him such an answer as will
surprise you, if you have never heard it before.
He said, " To-day shalt thou be with me in
paradise." What is paradise ? It is heaven.
That very day the poor thief was to be with
Jesus in heaven. What a change for him!
Instead of hanging on a cross, he would sit in
the glorious palace of the King of kings ;
instead of hearing wicked men speak against
19*

222 THE LtlNG THIEF.

Jesus, he would hear the bright angels sing his
praises ; instead of seeing the Son of God
bleed and groan, he would see him shine like
the light in the kingdom of his Father.

What a happy thing it was for that poor
thief that his cross was placed so near the
cross of Jesus! It was better to be nailed
there than to be lying on the softest bed any-
where else. Had not the thief been nailed to
that cross, he might never have seen Jesus, he
might never have believed in him, he might
never have prayed to him, he might never
have gone to live with him.

Was it long before that poor thief died ?
Not long ; but Jesus died first. His last
words were, " It is finished !" and then he
died, at three o'clock, in the afternoon. It
was at nine in the morning that he had been
nailed to his cross.

The thieves were still hanging alive on
their crosses, when some soldiers came to see
whether they were dead. When the soldiers
saw that the thieves were alive, they broke
their legs, and the pain killed them immediately.
Then the thief who loved Jesus went to be
with him. How glad the angels were to see
this sinner saved from hell! It was Jesus
who had saved him. If Jesus had not died
upon the cross, that thief must have gone to
hell. It was the blood of Jesus that washed
him from his sins ; it was the spirit of Jesus
that made his heart sorry, and taught his

THE DYING THIEF. 223

tongue to pray. How glad the thief must
have been to see again that dear Friend who
had died by his side.

But was it for that thief only that Jesus
died ? Oh, no ; he died for all the thieves
who ever have believed in him, and who
ever shall believe in him. It is a wTetched
thing to be a thief; God has said, "Thou
shalt not steal," and all who go on stealing
shall be sent to hell. But if, when thieves,
whether old or young, hear of Jesus, they
are sorry for their wickedness, and ask him
to forgive them, they shall be saved. If
any sinner, when he hears this history, thinks
in his heart, " I will go on stealing till I am
just going to die, and then I will be sorry and
ask God to pardon me/' that sinner is in great
danger of being sent to hell. God is very
angry with him for intending to go on in his
wickedness. I do not know what God will do
to him, but he has cut off many sinners quite
suddenly ; he has taken them away in his
anger, and given them no time to repent.

The history of the dying thief is to be
found in Luke 23 : 32, 33. 39-43; John 19 :
30-32.

224 THE EYING THIEF.

The Saviour heard the poor thief's prayer
And promised he would take him where

Our God and angels dwell.
Alas ! his life was spent in sin :
What joy a heaven at last to win,

And to escape from hell !

And oh, for him what glad surprise,
When heavenly glories met his eyes,

And Christ array' d in light !
He just had seen the dying pains
That had releas'd his soul from chains,

And everlasting night.

Ah ! sure of all the hosts that sing
The praises of their heavenly King,

His voice was loudest heard !
For when just trembling on the "brink.
And just about in hell to sink,

The Lord for him appear'd.

CHRIST W THE TOMB.

Most children have heard that the Lord
Jesus Christ was nailed upon a cross till he
died. Do you know what was done with his
dead body ? Was it buried ? Where was it
buried ? Who buried it ? The Bible answers
all these questions. There was a rich man
who loved Jesus ; his name was Joseph ; he
went to the judge, and said, " Do let me have
the body of Jesus, who has been crucified. "
And the judge said, " Yes, you may have it."

It was right in Joseph not to be ashamed to
ask for the body. It was thought a great dis-
grace to be crucified. Now, you know, it is a
disgrace to be hanged, because it is murderers
who are hanged. But though Jesus had never
done one sin, he was crucified as if he had
been a bad man. Joseph knew he was good ;
though people spoke against him, Joseph loved
him still. Joseph was very glad when he got
leave to have the body of his Lord. Another
rich man went with Joseph ; he was called
Nicodemus.

Joseph and Nicodemus went together to the
cross, and took the nails out of the hands of
Jesus, and the nails out of his feet. What

226 CHRIST IN THE TOMB.

marks were left in those dear hands and feet!
How the blood had run down from the wound
in his side ! It is that blood which can wash
our souls clean from all sin. Jesus shed it that
sinners might be forgiven, and made good and
holy.

In what was the body put when it was
taken down from the cross ? Not in a coffin ;
Joseph and his friend wrapped it in a clean,
fine, white linen sheet ; and they wrapped up
with it a quantity of very nice sweet-smelling
spices ; it was a mixture of myrrh and aloes.
But first they bound a cloth round his head —
that head which the thorns had pierced ; then
they carried the bleeding body into a garden
very near the cross. In this garden there was
a rock, which was hard like stone, and rose up
above the ground like a little hill. In the side
of the rock there was a great hole — or cave.
Joseph had once ordered this cave to be made.
And why? That he might be buried there
himself when he died. But now he was going
to lay the body of Jesus in this cave. It was
a sweet tomb, for no dead body had ever been
laid there before. Joseph was glad that the
Son of God should lie in his own grave.
There was no door to it, so Joseph had a very
great stone rolled before the mouth of the cave,
that no beast or bird might come in to devour
the precious body, and that no wicked man
might steal it, and carry it away.

It was just as the sun was setting that the

CHRIST IX THE TOMB. 227

body of our beloved Saviour was laid in the
touib. That night his friends shed many bit-
ter tears, for they thought they should never
see him again in this world. But Jesus could
not remain in the grave ; his body could not
corrupt, or turn to dust. And why not? Be-
cause he had done no sin. Our bodies turn to
dust when we die, because we are sinners.
But Jesus had borne the punishment of our
sins, and now all was over, and his spirit was
with his Father in heaven, and his wounded
body was resting for a little while in a tomb,
and soon to rise again.

On the third day the Son of God rose from
the dead, and now he sits at the right hand of
his Father, and he will come again to raise the
dead, and to judge the world.

" All that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth : they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation." John 5 : 29.

You will find accounts of the burial of the
Lord Jesus Christ in Matt. 28: 57-61 ; Mark
15 : 42-46 ; Luke 23 : 50-53 ; John 9 : 38, tc
end.

Lo, at noon 'tis sudden night,
Darkness covers all the sky !

Rocks are rending at the sight !
Children, can you tell me why ?

What can all these wonders be %

Jesus dies at Calvary !

228 CHJIIST IN THE TOMB.'

Nail'd upon the cross, behold
How his tender limbs are torn !

For a royal crown of gold,

They have made him one of thorn:

Cruel hands, that dare to bind

Thorns upon a brow so kind !

See, the blood is falling fast

From his forehead and his side !

Hark ! he now has breathed his last,
With a mighty groan he died !

Children, shall I tell you why

Jesus condescends to die?

He, who was a King above,
Left his kingdom for a grave,

Out of pity and of love,

That the guilty he might save :

Down to this sad world he flew

For such little ones as you.

You were wretched, weak, and vile ;

You deserved his holy frown;
But he saw you with a smile,

And, to save you, hasten'd down.
Listen, children, this is why
Jesus condescends to die.

Come then, children, come and see j
Lift your little hands to pray ;
" Blessed Jesus, pardon me.

Help a guilty infant,'' "say ;
" Since it was for such as I
Thou didst condescend to die."

THE WOMAN WEEPING AT THE TOMB,

(iiWMIM

Who has not lost a friend ? It may be that
a child is reading this little book — but have
you never lost a friend ? Have you never
seen a little brother or sister laid in its coffin ?
You loved that babe, so I called it your friend.
Do you remember a kind old man who used to
let you sit upon his knee ? Perhaps you loved
your grandfather, and were sorry when ne
died. Some poor little children have lost their
father, and some have lost their mother. There
is no friend in the world like a father or a
mother. God is the best friend of all, and he
can never die.

When the Son of God came down to be a

man, he was killed by wicked men ; his friends

cried very much when he died. He had one

friend called Mary Magdalene ; he had been

20

230 THE WOMAN WEEPING

very kind to her. Once seven devils had tor
mented her; Jesus delivered her out of hei
trouble, and sent the devils away. Ever after-
wards Mary loved the Lord, and she listened
to his sweet words, and she believed that he
was the Son of God. When she saw him
nailed to the cross, she was very unhappy. At
last she saw the kind men come, and take down
his body from the cross, and lay it in a beauti-
ful grave in a garden. This grave was dug
out of the side of a rock, and a very great
stone was put before it. She went home to
make sweet ointment, that she might bring it
and put it on her dear Lord's body.

One morning she came very early to the
grave with her ointment, and some other wo-
men were walking with her. But when she
came within sight of the tomb, she saw that
the great stone was rolled away; then she
thought, " Some wicked people have rolled
away the stone, and have stolen the dead body
of my dear Lord." So she did not go any
further, but ran back to the town to ask some
good men to come and see what was the mat-
ter. She went to two men who loved Jesus
very much ; they were called Peter and John
As soon as they heard what Mary said, they
set off, running as fast as they could. John ran
the fastest, and got first to the grave and look-
ed in ; Peter soon came there, too, and went
into it; then John went in, too. They saw the
linen in which Jesus had been wrapped neatly

AT THE TOMB. 231

folded up, and they saw the cloth which had
been bound round his head lying in a place by
itself. If wicked men had stolen the body,
would they have left the clothes ? or, if in a
hurry they had left the clothes, would they
have folded them up so neatly ? John now
felt sure that Jesus was alive again. I do not
know what Peter thought.

Both Peter and John went back to their
own home. But Mary did not go home ; she
stayed by the tomb all alone, and crying very
much. Soon she stooped down and looked in.
And what did she see ? The linen clothes ?
She saw two angels dressed in white ; they
were sitting on the ground ; one was sitting
where the bleeding head of Jesus had lain, and
the other where his wounded feet had been.
Was Mary frightened when she saw the an-
gels ? I think she did not know they were
angels, for she was crying very much, and peo-
ple cannot see clearly when they are crying.

The angels spoke to Mary. Angels speak
kindly to every one who loves Jesus. The
angels said, " Woman, why weepest thou?"
Mary answered, " Because they have taken
away my Lord, and I know not where they
have laid him." Then Mary turned round
and saw some one else standing near her, but
she did not know who it was ; she thought it
was the gardener. This man said to her, " Wo-
man, why weepest thou ?" She answered,
" Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me

232 THE WOMAN WEEIING

where thou hast laid him, that I may take him
away." The stranger then spoke one word —
" Mary." She knew that voice ; it was the
Lord who called her by name. She answered
him by one word — " Master." .

Who can tell what joy she felt at that mo-
ment ! She wranted to keep him, and not to
let him ever go away. But he said he soon
must go up to his Father in heaven. Then he
sent a message to all his dear friends, and he
called them his brothers. This was the mes-
sage : " I ascend to my Father and to your
Father, and to my God and to your God."
Then Mary went to tell the friends of Jesus
that she had seen the Lord, and she told them
all he had said to her. Mary was the very
first person who saw the Lord after he rose
from the grave.

Jesus has been gone into heaven a long
while. He is there now. Should you like to
see him in his glory ? He will come again.
He knows your name. Shall you like to hear
his voice calling out Mary, or John, or what-
ever your name may be ? Speak to him now ;
say, " Lord Jesus save me." Are you afraid
that he will not save you, and do you cry when
you think of your sins ? Jesus sees your tears ;
he says, " I love them that love me, and they
that seek me early shall find me."

The history of Mary Magdalene is to be
found in Luke 8:2: John 20 : 1-18.

AT THE TOMB. 233

HYMN FOR TWO CHILDREN.

(Each to say one line by turns.)

Who came from heaven to ransom me ?
Jesus, who died upon the tree.
Why did he come from heaven above ?
He came because his name was " Love."
And did he die— the Son of God %
Yes, on the cross he shed his blood.
Why did my Lord and Saviour bleed ?
That we from evil might be freed.
When he had died, what happened then?
On the third day he rose again.
Where did he go when he had risen?
He went to God's right hand in heaven.
Where is he now ? Is he still there 1
Yes, and he pleads with God in prayer.
What does he pray for, and for whom ?
He prays that we to him might come.
Should we not come ? Should we not come ?
Oh, yes, Christ is the sinner's home ;
Christ is the weary sinner's home —
Oh, let us come ! oh, let us come !

2(T

THE HAPPY MORNING.

Did you ever get up very early in the morn-
ing, and walk in the streets just before it was
light ? You did not meet many people, did
you ? It was very quiet; the shops were shut
the window-blinds were down, there were no
cries to be heard, and no carriages rolling along,
only a few carts ; but there were workmen
going to their work — they looked busy and
cheerful. But there were some miserable
creatures who had been drinking ail night,
slinking home. Ah, that was a sad sight !

I am going to tell you of three very good
women, who were walking out very early in
the morning. It was in a city a great way off,
called Jerusalem. They looked as if they had
been crying a great deal. What could be the
matter ? If you could have heard what they
said, you might have guessed where they were
going. One of the women said to the others,
" Who shall roll us away the stone from the
door of the sepulchre ?" You see they were
going to a tomb. They had lost some dear
friend, who was buried in a grave. It must
have been a different sort of grave from
those in our churchyards, because the graves

THE IIAITY MORNING. 235

there are filled up with earth ; but this grave
had a great stone put before it.

What do these women carry in their hands ?
Some jars full of very sweet-smelling ointment
and spices. That sweet stuff is for the dead
body.

Let us watch to see where these women
go. It is not to a churchyard, but to a garden.
A garden is a sweet place. What child does
not love a garden with its shady walks and gay
flower-beds, its smooth lawns and pleasant ar-
bors? But did you ever see a tomb in a gar-
den? In our country, the dead are not buried
in gardens ; but this grave was in a country a
great way off. Jn this garden there was a
great rock, and in the side of the rock there
was a cave, and there a dead body had been
laid, and a stone had been rolled close to the
place to stop up the entrance.

When the women came to the garden, the sun
was rising, and everything was beginning to
look bright. They soon caught sight of the
rock. How much were they surprised to see
the great stone rolled away from before the
tomb ! Were they glad ? Oh, no ; they were
frightened, for they were afraid that some
thieves had been there, and taken away the
dead body of their dear friend ; so they went
into the tomb to look for it ; and there they
found, not a dead body, but a bright angel. A
young man was sitting there dressed in a long
white garment; he was one of those good and

236 THE HAPPY MORNING,

beautiful creatures who live with God iir
heaven. The women were very much afraid
when they saw him. But he spoke kindly to
them ; he said, " Be not afraid : ye seek Jesus
who was crucified ; he is not here, for he is
risen. Come see the place where the Lord
lay."

Now, my children, you know who the dear
friend was whose body the women were looking
for. It was Jesus, the Son of God ; he had died
three days ago, but God his Father had made
him alive again. He died to save us from going
to hell ; but he soon rose out of his grave, for he
wished to take us to heaven. The women
were too glad when they heard what the kind
angel said ; they could hardly believe him, yet
they knew he would not tell them lies. The
angel next desired them to tell all the friends
of Jesus that he was alive; and then he added,
" Ye shall see him." Oh, what a promise this
was ! How they did long to see Jesus again ! '
They ran quickly from the tomb ; they were
very happy, yet very much afraid ; they trem-
bled as they went, but they ran as fast as ever
they could, and never stopped to speak to any-
body they met on the way. Yet before they
had gone far, they met some one who spoke
to them, and they stopped gladly to answer
him. They did not expect to see him so soon.
It was Jesus himself. The last time they had
seen him he was bleeding, and his hands and
his feet were pierced with great nails, and his

THE HAPPY MORNING. 237

forehead torn by cruel thorns ; but now he
was quite happy; he would bleed no more, nor
weep any more. When he saw the women,
he told them to rejoice and be happy. They
came near him and held his feet — those feet
that had been pierced by nails — the marks
were still there ; and they worshipped him as
the angels do in heaven, for Jesus is God.
Yet still they were frightened. Jesus said,
" Be not afraid ; go and tell my brethren that
they shall see me." Jesus could not stay with
the women ; he wanted to see his brethren.
These women were his sisters; he called them
sisters, because he loved them. Jesus calls all
his friends his brothers and sisters. Should
you like to be his little brother, and would you
like to be his little sister? If you love him, he
reckons you among his brothers and sisters.
He has a great many ; some are very poor,
and even ragged, but he loves them as well as
the children who wear silk frocks and new
coats. I do not know your name, but Jesus
does. The name of one of the women was
Mary, and the other was called Salome. May
you be like those women. They are now with
Jesus in heaven, for he is still alive. He never
died again, but he went up to heaven, in a
cloud, and there he sits on a throne far beyond
I he brightest star ; and he sees all that happens
down in this world, and he hates all wicked-
ness ; and if you wish to please him, you will
try to leave off a1* wicked ways, and you wiL

238 the happy morning.

pray to God to give- you his Holy Spirit to
make you good. I should like you to go to that
happy place where Jesus is. and to see the
angels, and to sing with them for ever and
ever.

This history is written in Matt. 28: 1-10;
Mark 16: 1-8.

Mary's love may I possess,
Lydia's tender-heartedness,
Peter's ardent spirit feel,
James's faith by works reveal :
Like young Timothy may I
Every sinful passion fly.

Most of all, may I pursue
That example Jesus drew ;
By my life and conduct show
How he liv'd and walk'd below ;
Day by day, through grace restor'd
Imitate my blessed Lord.

THE HAPPY EVENING.

Dm you ever spend a happy evening? 1
do not call it a happy evening when men
meet together in a public-house to drink. It
may be a merry evening, but it is not a happy
one ; it often ends in quarrelling and fighting,
and the next day is very miserable, for the
men find their money is gone, and their heads
are heavy and full of pain. I do not call it a
happy evening when children play in the
streets till it is dark, and make a riot, and
behave rudely to the people who are passing ;
for when they get home they are not happy.
They have nothing pleasant to think of as
they lie in their beds ; they remember they
have made a great noise, and laughed very
loud, till the. neighbors were angry at their
rudeness; this does not make them feel happy.

But what is a happy evening? No one
can be happy who is not wishing and trying to
be good. It is children who love God and
wish to please him, who are the happy children.
When they go and pick flowers in the fields
they feel happy, and when they sit at home
and repeat their little hymns to their mothers
they are happy ; and even when they are

240 THE HAPPY EVENING.

sick and going to die they are happy, because
they know they are going to heaven, that
haLpy, happy place.

I am going to tell you now of some people
who iWed God very much, and of a very
happy evening they spent. You have heard
how the Son of God, Jesus, once lived in this
world, and how he was killed by wicked men,
and nailed to a cross of wood. Two days
after he had died, some of his friends were in
a room together; they were talking about
him. Some of them said to the others, "We
have seen him ; he is alive again." Others
said, "We have not seen him." How much
they d;d wish to see him ! All in a moment
Jesus scood in the midst of the room. How
had he got in, for the doors were locked ?
He could get in whether doors were locked or
unlocked ; it made no difference to him, for
Jesus is God, and can do all things.

Jesus spoke to his friends ; these were his
words, " Peace be unto you !" which means,
"Be happy; I will make you happy." But
though he spoke so sweetly, and looked so
kindly at them, his friends were frightened ;
they thought it could not be Jesus himself,
because they had seen him die upon the
cross : they thought it might be a ghost or
spirit, but not the body of their dear Lord.
Jesus knew they were frightened, for he sees
into people's hearts, and knows all they think.
So he told them not to be afraid, but to look

211 THE HArPY EVENING.

at his hands and his feet. He said, " See, it
is 1 myself. . A spirit has not flesh and bones,
as ye see me have." Then his friends looked
at his hands ; they saw the marks of the great
nails which had fastened those dear hands to
the cross, and when they looked at his feet
they saw the marks of the nails in them also.
Then they looked at his side, and they saw
the deep hole which the spear had made ; for
a soldier had pierced that tender side with his
spear, and made the blood flow out upon the
ground. Those marks did not hurt Jesus
now ; no one could hurt him now ; he never
could feel pain again, nor could he die any more.
When his friends had seen those marks,
then they knew that it was Jesus who spoke
to them ; and oh, how glad they were ! I do
not think you were ever so glad in all your
life as they were at that minute, for they
loved Jesus so very much. They knew he
had died to save them from going to hell. Oh,
how they loved him ! Yet still they could
hardly believe it was Jesus himself; it seemed
too wonderful that he should be alive again.
Then Jesus said, "Have ye here any meat?"
He meant to eat something before them to
show them he was a real man, and not a
ghost or spirit. There was a little food in
the room; it was the sort of food that poor
people generally ate in that country — a piece
of broiled fish, and a piece of a honeycomb.
Jesus began to eat this food while all his
21

242 THE HAPPY EVENING.

friends looked at him ; then they were sure he
was really alive again, and that he was a man
like themselves. But Jesus was God as well
as man, and he soon showed them that he
was. He told them to go and tell people how
he had died and lived again ; and then he
breathed on them, and said, " Receive ye the
Holy Ghost." How wonderful this was ! His
breath was not like our breath. With his
breath he gave them the Holy Spirit of God
to make them wise and good.

Where is Jesus now ? He did not stay
always with his friends in this world ; he
went up to heaven to his Father ; he is with
his Father now. But he will come again.
If he were to come into this room this evening,
should you be glad to see him ? ' He knows
whether you love him. Do you ever speak to
him, now he is in heaven ? He knows whether
you do. Do you ever think when you are at
play, " Jesus sees me now ; I will not grieve
him by saying wicked words?" He knows
your thoughts. When he comes again, I
hope he will call you by your name, and say,
"Come, come, come to me, my child." He
will say to some people, " Go away." How
dreadful that will be !

You will find this history in Luke 24 : 35-
43: John 20: 19-23

THE HAPPY EVENING. 243

How sweet are the flowerets

In April and May !
But often the frost makes

Them wither away.
Like flowers, you may fade

Are you ready to die 1
While " yet there is room,"

To a Saviour fly.

Do you ask me for pleasure ?

Then lean on his breast,
For there the sin-laden

And weary find rest.
In the valley of death

You will triumphing cryt
* If this be called dying,

'Tis pleasant to die !"

CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN.

Once the Son of God walked about this
world, but he is not here now. Where is he ?
Jesus the Son of God, is in heaven ; he is sit-
ting on the throne of God his Father. When
did he go there ? Oh, it is a long while ago
since he went up to heaven. I will tell you
how it was. Surely you would like to know
all about it.

On the day that he meant to go up to heaven,
he took a walk with some of his dear friends.
They loved him very much, as well they might.
Six weeks before, he had been nailed to a cross,
and killed, and buried. But he had soon come
out of his grave ; and now the marks of the
nails might be seen on his hands and feet, and
the mark of a great spear in his side, but the
places were quite well, they did not bleed now,
though once they had bled a great deal.
Whenever his friends looked at those marks,
they thought of his love in dying for them ; for
it was for their sins he died, and not for theirs
only, but for your sins, also, my child.

His friends liked to walk with him and to
talk with him. About what did Jesus speak ?
About his Father, and about heaven. He told

CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN. 245

his friends he should soon leave them, but he
made them a promise. What was it? He
said that he would send the Holy Spirit down
from heaven to be with them. Who is the
Holy Spirit ? He is God ; he comes down and
fills the hearts of God's people. It is pleasant
to see Jesus, and to walk about with him ; but
it is still better to have the Holy Spirit in our
hearts, for the Holy Spirit makes people good
and happy.

Where was Jesus when he took his last walk
with his friends ? He was in a town called
Jerusalem, and he walked into the country.
How sweet is a country walk! Children who
live in towns are delighted when their fathers
say to them, "I shall take you to the green
fields to-day." Then the children think, " We
shall hear the birds sing, and we shall gather
flowers, from the hedges, and see the little
lambs by the side of their mothers ; we shall
play about and be so happy." And even
grown-up people like to go into the country.
If they wish to talk about God, they like to
walk in a quiet place among shady trees. Jesus
took his friends by his favorite path ; he led
them down into a low place over a little stream,
then by a garden where olive trees grew — then
up a green mountain called Olivet. When
they were at the top, he began to pray with
them. While he prayed, he lifted up his hands
to bless them. In a moment he was gone — a
cloud took him up. His friends looked up,
21*

246 CHRIST GO.jNG

and the cloud was going up higher and higher,
till at last it looked like a speck, and then could
not be seen at all.

But on the mountain-top there stood two
men ; they were angels, dressed in white. Nc
one can tell how bright angels look, or how
sweetly they speak. These angels had come
to comfort the friends of the Lord Jesus.
They asked them why they stood looking up
towards heaven; and told them that Jesus
should come again in the same way that they
had seen him go into heaven.

Has Jesus come again? Not yet; but he
will come. Those angels would not have told
lies ; they know that Jesus will one day come
down here again, and that they shall come With
him. What a glorious day it will be ! Some
people will be very much frightened when
they see him ; they will howl, and shriek, and
try to hide themselves in deep holes, but they
will not be able to get away. The angels will
sieze them, and shut them in that dark and
burning place where Satan will torment them
for ever and ever. But some people will be
glad to see Jesus ; they will say, " This is our
God ; we have waited for him/' Should you
be glad, my dear child, to see Jesus this day ?
We know not when he will come. Have you
prayed to him to-day ? Do you love him ?

But what became of the friends of Jesus
who were standing on Mount Olivet looking
up into the sk) ? They could not stay with

UP TO HEAVEN. 247

the angels, they went back to Jerusalem. Did
they go back crying and sobbing, and saying,
" We have lost our dearest friend ?" Oh, no ;
they went back quite glad, for they had not
lost Jesus ; they knew where he was gone ; they
knew he would pray to his Father, and that he
would send down the Holy Spirit very soon.
So they waited at Jerusalem as Jesus had told
them, and in ten days Jesus did send down the
Holy Spirit, upon his dear friends.

There is a sweet name given to the Holy
Spirit; it is this, the Comforter. Why is he
called the Comforter ? Because he comforts
people when they are in trouble. When we
are unhappy we like to be comforted. If a lit-
tle child falls down and hurts itself, it runs cry-
ing to its mother ; it wants to be comforted.
And oh, how tenderly a mother comforts her
little darling ! She takes it on her knees and
kisses it, and says, " Tell mother what is the
matter. Has it hurt its dear little hand ?" and
then she kisses the hand, and the child soon
leaves off crying, and leans its head upon its
mother's bosom.

But no mother can comfort us as the Holy
Spirit can. He tells people that God loves
them, and has forgiven their sins, and will take
them to heaven. My child, ask God for his
Holy Spirit, and he will hear you.

You may find the history of Jesus going up
to heaven in Luke 24 : 50, to end ; Acts 1 ;
1-12.

248 CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN.

Ihere is a glorious world of light,

Above the starry sky,
Where saints departed, clothed in light,

Adore the Lord most high.
We're marching through Immanuels's ground
And soon shall hear the trumpet's sound.
We hope to meet at Jesus' feet,
And never, never part again !
What, never part'again ?
No never part again ?
What, never part again ?
No, never part again.
We hope to meet at Jesus' feet,
And never, never part again.

THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING DOWN
FROM HEAVEN.

Every one likes to hear good news. If a
person comes into a room and says, " I have
some good news to tell you," every one looks
up, and says, " Do tell us." What was the
best news ever told to people in this world ?
It was this : " Jesus has died to save you."
Who told this news first ? It was the twelve
apostles : they were twelve friends who walked
about with Jesus, the Son of God, when he
was in this world ; they saw him nailed to the
cross, they saw him after he rose out of his
grave, and they saw him go up to heaven in
the clouds.

Before Jesus went up, he told them to go,
and tell good news to every creature. What
good news? That Jesus had died to save
sinners. But how could the apostles tell this
good news to every creature ? There are a
great many different languages in the world ;
some people speak English, and some French,
and some Italian, and some German. The
apostles did not know all the languages ; they
knew their own language which was the
Jewish language ; but Jesus could make them

250 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING

know erery language. Before he went up
into heaven, he told them he would'send down
the Holy Spirit to help them to preach the
good news. Who is the Holy Spirit ? He is
God. In heaven there is the Father, the Son,
and the Spirit ; these three are one God, one
is not greater than the other ; they are three
in one, and one in three. This is a great
wonder which nobody can understand; but
we may be sure it is true, for God has said it.
It was the Father who sent his Son to die for
the world ; it was the Son who died upon the
cross ; and it is the Holy Spirit who comes
into people's hearts, and makes them good,
and wise, and happy.

After Jesus was gone up into heaven, the
twelve apostles lived in a city called Jerusa-
lem, in a large room up stairs. A great many
people who loved Jesus, used to come very
often and pray with them. Some of these
were women, and one of them was Mary the
mother of Jesus. Ten days passed away, and
then a very wonderful thing happened. It
was in the morning, before nine o'clock. The
apostles and their friends were praying to-
gether in that large room, when suddenly a
great noise was heard from heaven. It was
like the noise of the wind when it blows very
hard, and this sound filled the whole house
where the apostles were sitting. But there
was not only a noise, there was a wonderful
sight, too. There were seen tongues, which

J)OWN FROM HEAVEN. 251

looked like fire, and these tongues were not in
one whole piece, but divided. They came
and sat upon each of the people in the room.
Immediately these people were filled with the
Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in dif-
ferent languages which they had never learned.
What did they speak about ? They gave the
message which Jesus had told them to give —
" Jesus died to save sinners." They did not
stay in the room up stairs, but went into the
street, that every one might hear them. At
that time there were in Jerusalem a great
many people from other countries, for it was
a great day among the Jews, and those Jews
who lived in distant places came to Jerusalem
to worship God on that day. How much
surprised they were to hear people who had
never learned, speaking so many different
languages ! Some wicked people were there
who said, " These men are drunk." I suppose
these people did not understand the strange
languages, and thought that the apostles were
talking nonsense. Soon there was a great
crowd in the streets of Jerusalem ; they were
saying to one another, " What can this be ?"
Then one of the apostles named Peter stood
up to preach. This was the first sermon
that was preached after Jesus had gone up to
heaven. The crowd listened to it very atten-
tively. What was it about ? It was about
the message : Peter told the crowd, that the
man who had been nailed to the cross a little

252 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING

while ago was the Son of God, and that he
had sent down his Holy Spirit from heaven.
Peter said, "You were so wicked as to kill
him, but God his Father has raised him out
of his grave, and taken him to heaven. He is
now your King, and he has sent down the
Holy Spirit." When the people heard that
they had crucified the Son of God, some of
them were very unhappy ; they remembered
how he had been treated — how he had been
spit upon, and crowned with thorns ; how his
back had been torn with the scourge, and his
hands with the nails ; they remembered how
they had laughed at him as he was dying, and
how meekly he had borne all their jeers. No
wonder they were unhappy now ; they came
to the apostles and said, " What shall we do ?"
Then Peter said, " Repent." He told them
that Jesus would forgive them ; and he said
he would baptize them, or wash them in water,
as Jesus had washed away their sins with his
blood. He even said that God would give
them the Holy Spirit.

How happy the men were then to think
that Jesus would forgive all their wickedness !
What a comfort that was ! Yes, dear child,
he will forgive you, too, if you ask him. It
was for your sins as well as mine he died. If
no one had ever sinned Jesus would never
have died upon the cross. Were there many
people who were sorry for having killed Jesus ?
A great many — three thousand. It is a large

DOWN FROM HEAVEN. 253

church which can hold a thousand people ;
there is hardly any church that can hold three
thousand.

I wish people now would believe the
oreachers when they stand in the pulpit and
6ay, " Jesus has died to save sinners." But
very few believe. Most people go away from
the house of God, thinking about their money,
or their dress, or their play, or their plans.
But some people go home to pray to God in
secret, and to say, " What have I done ?" and
some go to the minister and say, " What shall
I do?"

You may read this history in Acta 2.

THE TWO LIARS.

Do you know who is the father of lies ? It
is a creature called Satan. He was once a
bright angel in heaven, but a long while ago
he grew wicked, and God cast him down into
a dark place called hell, and a great many other
angels with him. Satan and his angels are
called devils. They come into this world, and
do a great deal of harm here, and teach people
to be wicked.

There are a great many different ways of
being wicked. One of these ways is lying.

Satan told the first lie that ever was told in
this world. He told it to the first woman
whom God had made. Her name was Eve.
God had told Eve, that if she ate the fruit of
a certain tree she should die, and Satan said
she should not die. That was a dreadful lie.
Eve ate the fruit, and she died.

Now I am going to tell you of two liars who
lived a long while after Eve was dead. They
were a husband and a wife. The name of the
man was Ananias, and the name of the woman
was Sapphira. They. agreed together to tell a
lie ; this was the lie. They had a piece ot
land, and they sold it for some money ; then

THE TWO LIARS. 25'5

they said to each other, " Let us take some of
the money and give it to a good minister call-
ed Peter, and tell him to give it to the poor."
Was not this very good in them ? Yes, it
seems good. But now hear the lie they meant
to tell. " Let us make Peter think that we
have given all the money we got for the land
to the poor." Oh, this was the lie ! They
wanted to seem very good and generous, but
they did not like to part with all their money ;
so they made up their minds to tell a horrible
lie. They might have kept all their money, but
why tell a lie ?

Ananias went with part of the money to
Peter, and gave it him for the poor. But
Peter knew that he meant to deceive him, and
he said to Ananias, " Why hath Satan filled
thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep
back part of the price of the land ? While it
remained, was it not thine own ? and after it
was sold, was it not in thine own power ?
Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."
As soon as Ananias heard these words, he
dropped down dead. Everybody who heard
of his death was very much afraid, for they
knew he had been struck dead by God for tell-
ing a lie. Some young men came, and wrap-
ped him in a cloth, and carried him out and
buried him.

His wife Sapphira did not hear what had
happened to her husband. About three hours
after his death, she came into the house where

25G THE TWO LIARS.

Peter was. Then Peter asked her for how
much she had sold the land. And she said she
had sold it for less than she really had, in hopes
of making Peter think that she had given
away all the money.

As soon as she had told the lie, Peter said,
" How is it that ye have agreed together to
tempt the Spirit of the Lord ? Behold, the
feet of them which have buried thy husband are
at the door, and shall carry thee out." Imme-
diately she fell down at Peter's feet and died ;
and the young men came in and found her
dead, and carried her out, and buried her by
her husband. So in one day these two liars
died and were buried.

If God were to strike all liars dead, how
many sudden deaths would take place ! But
God is very patient, and bears with sinners a
long while, that they may have time to repent
and to ask for pardon. For God will pardon
sinners if they ask him. Yes, he will pardon
liars who wish to leave off telling lies. The
reason why he is so ready to pardon is, because
he is kind and merciful, and because he gave
his only Son Jesus Christ to die upon the cross
to save sinners from being punished.

But there is a place to which all liars who
are not pardoned will be sent one day. It is
a burning lake — not a lake of water, but a lake
of fire. Satan, the father of lies, will be cast
into it, and so will all his children, all liars
are his children. These are the words of

THE TWO LIARS. 257

God. c* All liars shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone." — Rev.
21: 8.

You can read about those two liars, Ananias
and Sapphira, in Acts 5 : 1-11.

THE ALL-SEEING GOD.

Almighty God, thy piercing eye
Strikes through the shades of night,

And our most secret actions lie
All open to thy sight.

There's not a sin that we commit,

Nor wicked word we say,
But in thy dreadful hook 'tis writ

Against the judgment-day.

And must the crimes that I have done
Be read and publish'd there —

Be all exposed before the sun,
While men and angels hear ?

Lord, at thy feet ashamed I lie,

Upward I dare not look ;
Pardon my sins before I die,

And blot them from thy book.

Remember all the^dying pains

That my Redeemer felt,
And let his blood wash out my stains,

258 THE TWO LIARS.

Oh may I now forever fear
T' indulge a sinful thought,

Since the great God can see and hear,
And writes down every fault.

FOR ME.

Lord, to thy mercy-seat I come,
And bow before thy throne ;

Here at thy footstool will I plead
The merits of thy Son.

Though crimes of deepest dye appear,
And justice bids thee slay ;

Yet in thy mercy will I trust,
To wash my sins away.

My only hope is in that blood,
For me on Calvary shed ;
My only plea is this — for me,
For me my Saviour bled.

For me uponjthe cross he hung,
For me passed through the tombj

For me to glory rose, and there]
Prepares my happy home.

THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT.

W&F^

A long while ago there lived a good man
name Philip. An angel once spoke to him,
and told him to go into a desert place. A de-
sert is a place where there are no cornfields, very
little grass, and very few trees. People do not
live in deserts, but sometimes they pass through
them when they are travelling. Why did the
angel desire Philip to go to a desert ? You will
soon see the reason why Philip went.

When he got to the desert, he saw a chariot
passing along. In this chariot a very rich man
was riding. The Spirit of God said to Philip,
" Go near, and join thyself to this chariot." So
Philip went close up to it. There was a very
daik man, almost black, sitting in the chariot,

260 THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT.

reading aloud. The carriage went so slowly
and so softly over the sand that Philip could
hear what the man was reading. Philip listen-
ed, and he heard the words, " He was led as a
sheep to the slaughter ; and like a lamb dumb
before his shearers, so he opefned not his mouth."
Philip knew that these words were in the Bible,
and he understood what they meant, but he
thought that the rich man did not understand
so he said to him, " Understandest thou what
thou readest ?" The rich man answered, " How
can I, except some man should guide me ?"

You see that the rich man was not proud
A proud person is ashamed to say he does not
understand ; a proud person does not like to be
taught. But this rich man wished Philip to
teach him, and he asked him to come up and
sit in the chariot by his side. As soon as
Philip was seated in the carriage, the rich man
said to him, " Of whom speaketh the prophet
this; of himself, or of some other man?"
Then Philip told the rich man who that meek
Lamb was. How many little children now
know who that Lamb was ! Jesus was the
Lamb of God who was nailed to the cross for
our sins, and like a sheep when the shearer is
shearing him, so he was gentle and quiet while
the wicked people were tormenting him.

Philip told the rich man a great deal about
Jesus. He told him, also, that people who be-
lieved in Jesus were baptized, or washed in
water, to show that their sins wTere wasted

THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT. 261

away in the blood of Christ. When the rich
man heard Philip say this, he wished very
much to be baptized. At last he saw some
water. There is not much water in the desert,
but now and then there is a pool or a narrow
stream to be seen. The rich man was glad to
see the water, and he cried out, " Here is
water. " Why cannot I be baptized ?" Then
Philip said, " If thou believest with all thine
heart, thou mayest." The rich man replied,
" I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Then the rich man desired the driver to stop
the carriage, and he got' out, and so did Philip,
and they went down into the water, and Philip
baptized the rich man. Did Philip get into
the carriage again, and go home with his new
friend? No; the Spirit of God caught him
away, and put him down into a town a great
way off.

How much surprised the rich man must
have been to find that Philip was gone away
so suddenly ! But he was not unhappy. Now
he could understand the Bible; now he be-
lieved in Jesus ; now he was baptized in his
name, and he was a true Christian. He knew
that Jesus loved him, and he would take
him to live with him forever. Could he be
unhappy ? He got into his chariot again full
of joy, and he went back to his own country.
It was a heathen country, where people wor-
shipped idols. But soon the people turned
from idols to serve the living and true God.

262 THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT.

Do you think the rich man often read over
that verse, "He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter ?" This was the first verse about
the Lord Jesus that he ever knew. Is there
any verse that you are very fond of? Per-
haps you learned some little verse a long while
ago about Christ that you will never forget.

If you want to find the verse about the
Lamb, look for Isaiah 53 : 7. If you want to
read more about this rich man, look for Acts 9 :
26, to the end.

Around the throne of God in heaven,
Thousands of children stand —

Children whose sins are all forgiven,
A holy, happy band,

Singing glory, glory, glory.

In flowing robes of spotless white,

See every one array'd,
Dwelling in everlasting light,

And joys that never fade,

Singing glory, glory.

Once they were little things like you,

And lived on earth below,
And could not praise, as now they do,

The Lord who loved them so
Singing glory, glory.

THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT. 263

What brought them to that world above,

That heaven so bright and fair,
Where all is peace, and joy, and love ?

How came those children there ?
Singing glory, glory.

Because the Saviour shed his blood

To wash away their sin j
Bathed in that pure and precious blood,

Behold them white and clean,
Singing glory, glory.

On earth they sought the Saviour's grace.

On earth they lov'd his name j
So now they see his blessed face,

And stand before the Lamb,
Singing glory, glory.

THE

MAN WHO SAW THE GREAT LIGHT.

Saul was once a very wicked man. He
lived in the world soon after Jesus had been
crucified, and after he had gone to sit on his
Father's throne in heaven. Saul had heard
of Jesus, but he did not love him. He did
not believe that he was the Son of God ; and
he hated all those people who did believe in
him. Saul was a very cruel man ; he went
about from one city to another to get hold of
good people, and to put them in prison. The
judges in those days were wicked, and allowed
Saul to send good people to prison. Once
when wicked men were throwing large stones
at a very good man called Stephen, Saul
stood and looked on quite pleased ; and when
he saw Stephen fell down dead, bleeding and
covered with bruises, he was not sorry.

At last he set out on a journey to a city
called Damascus. Why did he go there ?
To put in prison those who loved the Lord
Jesus. He did not go alone ; some men went
with him to help him. It was about twelve
o'clock in the middle of the day when he
came near Damascus. The sun was shining

THE GREAT LIGHT. 265

bright, when suddenly a greater light than the
sun was seen in the sky. It was so great a
light, that Saul could not bear to look at it ;
he fell to the ground, and the men that were
with him also fell to the ground. While they
were all lying on their faces very much fright-
ened, Saul heard a voice speaking from the
sky. No one heard it but Saul. Whose
voice was it ? It was a voice that you have
never heard, but you will hear it one day. It
was the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
what did Jesus say ? He said, " Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me?" What did he
mean by these words ? He meant that he
was grieved because Saul tried to hurt his
people ; for Jesus loves his people very much
indeed. Did Saul answer the Lord Jesus ?
Yes, he did ; he said, " Who art thou, Lord ?"
Then the Lord said, " I am Jesus, whom thou
persecutest ; it is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks." While Saul had been trying to
hurt good people, he had only been hurting
himself. It would be silly in a child to kick
against spikes ; he would only hurt his own
little feet, and make them bleed.

All this time Saul was very much fright-
ened; he was now sorry for his wickedness,
and he said to the Lord, " What wilt thou have
me to do ?" Then the Lord said, " Arise, go
into the city, and it shall be told thee what
thou shalt do." When Saul got up from the
ground, he found that he was blind — the great
23

266 THE MAN WHO SAW

light had blinded his eyes. The other men
were not blind, and they led him by the hand
into Damascus, and they took him to a lodging
in a street called Straight-street ; there he
stayed, thinking of his sins, and of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The other men could not com-
fort him, for they had not heard the voice, nor
had they seen the Lord, as Saul had. But
God sent a good man to comfort him. This
man was called Ananias, and he spoke kindly
to Saul, and put his hands on him and said,
" Brother Saul, receive thy sight." Imme-
diately Saul was able to see. Then he was
baptized, and afterwards he took some food,
and began to feel stronger.

Ananias told Saul what the Lord wished
him to do. What was it ? To preach about
Jesus; to tell everybody how he had been
crucified for their sins, and that he was ready
to forgive them, and that he was sitting at the
right hand of the Father, and that he would
come again to judge the world. And did Saul
do what the Lord commanded ? Oh, yes ;
he spent the rest of his days in preaching
about Jesus. Wicked people hurt him, as he
had once hurt good people. One day they
threw great stones at him, till he seemed to be
dead, and eight times they beat him in a
cruel manner. Often they put him in prison,
and at last they killed him,

Saul is now called Paul. He had two
names. When he was alive pome people

THE GAEAT LIGHT. 267

called him Saul, and some called him Paul.
Now he is dead, everybody calls him Paul. He
wrote a great many beautiful letters, and the,y
are printed in the Bible. Children cannot
understand all these letters, but they can
understand part. Here is a verse which Paul
wrote, that you can understand : " Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of
whom I am chief." 1 Tim. 1 : 15.

You will find the history of Paul seeing the
light in Acts 9: 1-22; 22: 1-21; 26: 1-20

HYMN FOR A POOR NEGRO.
We love the Lord ; he came to save
Poor negro from the sinner's grave :
Though we are black, and mean, and vile,
Lord Jesus, on poor negro smile.

We love him, and we would not break
The least command our Saviour spake ;
But pray him, by his precious blood,
To make us humble, faithful, good.

Soon comes the night — the bright beams go.
And all is dark above, below ;
But by and by the sun will rise,
And sweetly shine in morning skies.

Poor negro ! he so dark in face,
\nd dark the lot of negro race ;

268 THE GREAT LIGHT.

But be our Saviour's blessing given,
And he shall rise to shine in heaven.

Then black and white, and bond and free,
The servants of our Lord shall be ;
And nothing shall be heard above,
"But sounds of praise, and peace, and love

THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN BE-
FORE HE DIED.

Many children have some playfellow of
whom they are very fond. Perhaps there is
some child whom you like to be with. Have
you any favorite friend whom you like to walk
with, and to talk to, and sit by ? I hope it is a
good child who is your friend. If he is bad, I
fear he will make you as bad as himself.

There once was a man who was the friend
of the Son of God. What a happy man he
must have been ! Would you like to hear
about him ?

The Son of God once lived down in this
world, and his name was Jesus. He had
many friends. His dearest friend was called
John ; John was a poor fisherman, but he left
his boats and his nets, that he might go about
with Jesus from place to place, and hear his
sweet words.

At last the time came when Jesus must
leave his dear friends. The evening before he
di-ed, he took supper with twelve of his friends.
It was the custom in that hot country for peo-
ple to lie down at supper to rest themselves.
John lay down next to Jesus, and he leaned
23*

270 THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN

his head upon his Lord's bosom. Was it not
pleasant to be so near the Son of God?

That night Jesus went into a garden to
pray, and John went with him, and so did the
other friends — all but one, who did not really
love his Lord. Some wicked men came to
the garden and bound Jesus with ropes and
led him away. John was afraid of going with
his Lord ; he left him, and went a good way
off. But afterwards he went to look for him ;
he saw him hanging upon his cross of wood,
with nails through his hands and feet. John
stood near the cross, and next to John stood a
woman ? Who was it ? Mary, the mother
of Jesus. How unhappy she was to see her
dear son dying on a cross! Jesus loved his
mother ; he looked at her, and then at John,
and he said to her, "Behold thy Son!" He
meant that John was to be her son. And he
said to John, " Behold thy mother !" John
understood what his Lord meant, and very
soon afterwards he took the poor mother to
his own home. Do you not think he must
have loved the mother of his dear Lord ? I am
sure he liked to take care of her.

John saw his Lord die upon the cross that
day at three o'clock, and he saw the soldiers
come to see whether Jus was dead, and he saw
one of them thrust a spear into the side of
Jesus. The spear did not hurt him, because
he was dead, but from his side blood and water
came flowing out It was very strange to see

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BEFORE HE DIED. 271

water as well as blood. It is the precious
blood of Jesus that washes away sin. Water
can make your body clean, but the blood of
Jesus can make your heart clean. Wicked-
ness is like dirt. Jesus died to take away our
sins. Do you want to have your sins taken
away ? Then think how Jesus died upon the
cross that you might not go to hell, then pray
to God and say, "Forgive my sins, because
Christ died." God in heaven will hear your
little prayer, if you say it from your heart.
John was very unhappy when Jesus was dead,
and he shed tears of sorrow. But in three
days Jesus was alive again. A woman came
one morning to tell John that Jesus was alive,
and John ran very fast to his grave to see
whether it was true. Another of the friends
of Jesus ran with him. His name was Peter.
John got to the grave first, and looked in.
When Peter got there, he went in, for the
grave was made in the side of a rock, and you
could walk into it as into a room. After Peter
had gone in, John went there too, and he saw
the white linen clothes that had been wrapped
round Jesus lying in the grave — not all in a
heap together, but folded up. Then John be-
lieved that his Lord was really alive ; for at
first he thought some thieves had stolen his
dead body, but he knew that thieves would not
have folded up the clothes and left them in the
grave.

That very evening John saw his dear Lor-'

272 THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN

again. How much pleased he was to see
him all at once standing in the room! He
saw him again another day by the water-side ;
and another day he walked with him up a
high hill; he heard him pray, and suddenly
he saw a cloud come and take bim up into
heaven. John could not go up in the cloud
with him; he staid down in this world, and
told everybody about Jesus, and how he died
upon the cross to take away our sins.

Did John ever see his Lord again ? Yes.
When he was a very old man, he was sent to
a place called Patmos ; there was water all
round it and a great many wicked people were
sent to this land as a punishment for their
crimes. But had John done some wicked
thing ? No ; he had not stolen, nor killed any
one; he had preached about Jesus, and a
cruel king sent him to this place as a punish-
ment. One day (it was the Lord's day) he
heard a voice behind him like the sound of a
trumpet, and he turned to see who it was,
and he saw Jesus — not looking as he once
had done, but shining very bright — yes, as
bright as the sun shines at noon. John
was so much surprised, that he fell at the
feet of Jesus as if he had been dead. But
Jesus touched him with his right hand, and
said, " Fear not ; I am the first and the last.
I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold
I am alive for evermore." Then Jesus talked
to him, and told him to write down what he

BEFORE HE DIED. 273

said in a book ; and John did write it, and you
may read what Jesus said to him. Afterwards
John saw the angels in heaven, and saw peo-
ple who once lived in this world, all clothed
in white, and looking so happy and singing
so sweetly, and he saw Jesus sitting on his
throne with God his Father. It was an angel
who showed him all the beautiful sights in
heaven. John was so much pleased with
what he saw, that he was going to worship the
angel ; but the angel said, " See thou do it
not; worship God." We must not even
worship angels, because they are only crea-
tures whom God made.

Jesus spoke again to John, and told him
that he would open the gates of heaven to
let in people who did his commandments, but
that he would not let any liars come in.
" All liars shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone."
Jesus will come again to this world. He
said to John, "Behold, I come quickly/' And
John said, " Come, Lord Jesus." He has not
come yet. John has been dead a long while ;
his spirit is in heaven with Jesus.

Do you wish to live with Jesus? Have
you told lies ? Are you afraid of going into
that burning lake? Beg Jesus to wash away
your lies in his blood ; he has forgiven a great
many liars, and I know he would forgive you.
There are many now singing glory in heaven

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274 THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN, ETC.

unto Him that loved them, and washed them
from their sins in his own blood. Rev. 1 : 5.
There is something about John in the last
chapter of the Bible.

ABOUT GOD AND HEAVEN.

Bright angels bow before his face,

And saints stand waiting round his throne,
And in that holy, happy place,
No sinful thoughts or words are known.

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