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ADA.
STREAKS OF LIGHT
OB
FIFTY-TWO F^ACTS FROM THE BIBLE
FOR THE
Jtfll-ttoff JSunktrs jrf % gear
BY THE AUTHOR OF 'PEEP OF DAY,- Sx.
The Lord of all a babe became,
A babe like others seen,
As small in size and weak of frame
As babes have always been.'
Hart.
Jjebentg-first Opusanb
LONDON
HATCHARDS, PICCADILLY
1890
PREFACE.
This little work appeared before under the title
of Tracts for Children in Streets and Lanes,
Highways and Ilrdges.
While it bore this humble title, it wore a
humble dress. Now having assumed a more
elegant one, it aspires to a higher title : thus
reversing the usual order of things, in which
the dress is made to suit the title ; whereas in
this case the title is made to suit the dress.
But though it may, by means of its better
dress and better title, gain admittance into
better places than highways and hedges, still
its office is as humble as before : and that office
is to teach the children of the poor. It is an
offering made to the Ragged-School Teacher, the
Sunday-School Teacher, and the District Visitor.
Each lesson can be understood by those who
have no previous knowledge ; and each is calcu-
lated to be the first address to one who has never
before heard of God or His Christ ; whether
IV PREFACE.
read by a Kagged -School Teacher in an alley, or
by a swarthy Catechist under a tree.
If lent to cottagers by District Visitors, this
lowly book will be read by some dim eyes which
have never conned the second page of a sermon.
But though designed for village school-rooms
and lowly dwellings, its voice has reached the
nurseries of the rich. Children in worked
frocks and silk sashes have sat on the Saviour's
knees, as well as the tattered and bare-footed.
One of those drawing-room pets, though un-
able to read a single line, carried this book into
her nursery. Soon afterwards — the victim of
scarlatina — she was removed from the nursery
into the highest attic. From her sickbed she
sent for her favourite, and turning away her
eyes from the gaudy pages of earthly story-
books, she fixed th^m upon Jesus alone, as she
listened to the voice of her nurse reading these
sacred stories, and the accompanying hymns —
(sweet strains played by various hands on the
infant lyre.)
The last of her forty-five fleeting months was
spent in fellowship with Jesus. Her best-loved
song began
' Here we suffer grief and pain/*
PREFACE. *
acd of that song, her best-loved stanza was
1 Oh, how happy we shall be!
For our Saviour we shall see
Exalted on His throne.
Ob, that will be joyful V
She had also her favourite stories. Among them
were ' The Happy Night,' and ' The Happy
Morning.'
When her happy morning came — which was
the morning of Palm Sunday (the morning on
which babes warbled forth their songs of praise
in the Saviour's presence) when that morning
came — that long-desired — that ever-to-be-remerm
bered — that dark-bright morning — this lovely,
loving infant, lifted up her eyes — her bright — blue
— celestial eyes, and gazing intently upon an
unearthly vision — whispered, ' Pretty Lord!'
It was the language of a babe ; but it was the
sentiment of an apostle. For thus John spake
of Him, ' His countenance was as the sun shineth
in his strength.
* Pretty ! pretty !' lisped the babe.
'Glorious! glorious!' shout all the angels
round the throne.
Her everlasting song began when Ada
whispered, 'Pretty Lord!' All the songs of
VI PREFACE.
heaven are but modulations of *Jhe theme,
i Thou art fairer than the children of men !
Ps. xlv, 2.
Fair — exceeding fair didst thou appear to us
— sweet infant, in all the flower of thy baoy-
hood — scarce four years ; — but fairer — fairer far
did thy Lord appear to thee in all the brightness
of His glory at the right hand of God. And
fair — divinely fair — wilt thou be — when thou
comest with Him amongst His white-robed
innocents.
*«,* The Story of Ada, by her Mother, is still in cir-
culation.
CONTEXTS.
1.
2.
3.
1
5.
6.
This World
The Old Serpent ; or, Adam and Eve
The First Murder ; or, Cain and Abel
The Great Eain ....
The Fire on the Mountain
The Ravens
7. The Burning Fiery Furnace .
8. The Den of Lions ....
9. The Heavenly Babe and its Mother
10. The Happy Night ....
11. The Old Man and the Baby .
12. The King of the Jews .
13. The Heavenly Boy ....
14. The Heavenly Dove
15. Christ in the Wilderness
16. The Heavenly Lamb
17. The Man under the Tree ; or, Nathanae
18. The Woman at the Well
19. The Four Fishermen
20. The Widow and her Son
21. The Woman who Washed the Saviour's
22. The Wild Man ....
23. The Child who died and livev again
Feet
TAGE
1
6
12
17
23
28
33
3rJ
46
51
57
62
69
74
78
84
89
95
101
106
111
116
122
Vlll
CONTENTS.
24. The Dancing Girl ....
25. The Supper on the Grass
26. Christ in the Storm
27. The Praying Mother
28. Christ Shining on the Mountain .
29. The Miserable Boy.
30. The Two Sisters ; or, Martha and Mary .
81. The Cripple
32. The Blind Beggar of Jerusalem
33. Little Children ....
34. The Ten Sick Men ....
35. The Blind Beggar of Jericho .
36. The Man in the Tree .
37. Christ in the Garden
38. The Man who sat by the Fire in the Hall
39. The Man who Hanged himself
40. The Judge .....
41. Christ on the Cross
42. The Dying Thief ....
43. Christ in the Tomb
44. The Woman Weeping at the Tomb
45. The Happy Morning
46. The Happy Evening . . 2
47. Christ going up to Heaven
48. The Holy Spirit coming down from Heaven
49. The Two Liars ....
50. The Man in the Chariot .
51. The Man who saw the Great Light
52. The Man who saw Heaven before He died
STREAKS OF LtGHT.
1.
THIS WORLD.
Once there was a deaf and dumb boy, who
used to wonder how the world was made.
At last, he was taught to understand signs
with the lingers, and then he was told who
made the world. How much delighted he
was to find that God made the world !
What is God like ? Nothing that you
have 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 heaven. I cannot tell you where
it is. No bird could fly to that place ; but
angels often come down from heaven into
this world.
And who are angels? They are spirits
B
2 THIS WORLD.
There are good angels in heaven with God.
They have no bodies. But they are not
everywhere, as God is.
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 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.'
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 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 ed#e ? No ! when
THIS WORLD. O
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 way without ever turning
back.
Most of th e world is covered over with the
great sea, and part of it is dry land.
Once the land was all bare, but God spake,
and it was covered with grass, and flowers,
and trees, and corn.
Once it was empty. No one lived in it ;
but God spake, 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. 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 coulc1
understand and think of God. His name
was called Adam. God took a piece of his
flesh and bone and made a woman, and she,
too, could think oi God.
Can you, my dear child, think of God?
** THIS WORLD.
1 am sure vou can. You listen now that I
am telling you about Him. If I were ta
talk to a little dog, or to a cow, or to a sheep
about God, would it listen ? Oh, no. What
is the reason of this ? The dog has a body,
but it has no spirit. Tou, my child, have a
spirit. God gave you a spirit or 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. He
made you : He takes care of you, He gives
you food and clothes, and all you have — He
is very, very kind to you/
1 Then/ said the little darling, looking up
quite pleased in her mother's face, — ' then I
love Him.'
This little child loved God still more, when
she heard how kind God has been in sending
His own dear Son from heaven to die for us.
This is the kindest of all the kind things
that God has done.
Whenever you like, vou may speak to
God. He is always near, and can hear you.
THIS WORLD. 0
[ know you have done many naughty things,
but God is willing to forgive you.
Here is a little prayer just fit for you: '0
Heavenly Father, forgive me for the sake of
Thy dear Son Jesus Christ/
* God made all the things I see,
And beautiful they are ;
But things I have not seen there are,
More sweet and beauteous far.
God has made a glorious place,
A golden land of light,
Where holy children see His face,
And walk with Him in white.'
Sony* of Praise by Mrs. Bevam.
II.
THE OLD SERPENT; OR, ADAM
AND EYE.
When children are very little, they begin
to do wrong. A child will sometimes, when
its mother is not looking, slily take a pinch
of sugar out of the basin, or when its mother
is out of the room it will go to the cupboard
and help itself to sugar, fruit, or nice red
jam. Is it not very naughty of little child-
ren ever to behave in this way ? But this
is not all. When a little child is caught in
doing wrong, it will often deny it. 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 some-
times laugh about it. I have seen children
look at each other and laugh about what they
had done wrong. But God is angry at sin.
Is it children only who are wicked ? Do not
men and women do many wrong things?
THE OLD SERPENT. 7
Yes; there are men and women who
swear, who steal, who call names, and say
what is not true.
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 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
understand 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 Garden, called the Garden of Eden, —
or Paradise. You never saw such a garden
as that.
It was full of fruit-trees. God allowed
Adam and Eve to eat the fruit. But He told
them not to eat of the fruit of one tree
which grew in the middle of the garden.
8 THE OLD SERPENT ,
He said, ' If you eat of the fruit of that tree,
you shall 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 Ser-
pent, because he is so sly. He said to Eve,
' Has God said that you may not eat of every
tree in the garden ? '
And Eve said, ' We may eat of the fruit
of all the trees, except of one. God has
said, if we eat that, or even touch it, we
shall die/
Then the serpent said, ' You shall not die,
but if you eat of that fruit you shall become
wise like God/
The serpent knew this was not true.
Why did Eve believe him sooner than
God?
She took some of the fruit, and she gave
some to Adam.
They soon found out how foolish they had
OR, ADAM AND EVE. 9
been. They were not happy now ; they were
sinners ; they had disobeyed the command-
ment of God.
When they heard God speaking in the
garden, they were frightened, and hid
themselves among the trees. How foolish
it was to think they could hide themselves
from God ! Cannot 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 it was the serpent's fault, —
that was a bad excuse. Why did she believe
the serpent ?
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
10 THE OLD SEHPENT ;
his bread, and He told Eve that she would
have much trouble with her little children ;
and He turned them both out of the garden.
But God did not curse Adam and Eve ; He
loved them, and wished to save them from
being for ever in hell with the devil.
God has an only Son, whom He loves.
He promised to send His only Son to die
instead of Adam and Eve, and all their
children.
How kind it was of 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 ever
steal and say what is not true ? Because
they are the children of Adam and Eve,
who took the fruit.
Your bodies must turn to dust in the
grave, — will your 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
OR, ADAM AND EVE. 11
child.' Ask Him very often to forgive you.
Ask God, His Father, to forgive you for
the sake of His dear Son Jesus ; and ask
for the Holy Spirit to make you good. —
Then you will hate lying, and fighting, and
calling names.
1 When man at first was made by God,
In glory, glory, glory,
No sin nor sorrow found abode
In glory, glory, glory.
But soon, alas! our father fell,
From glory, glory, glory,
And rather chose the way of hell,
Than glory, glory, glory.
But God beheld our ruin'd race.
From glory, glory, glory;
And Jesus left His happy place,
In glory, glory, giory.
He died on the accursed tree ,
Sing glory, glory, glory;
To bring poor sinners, such 98 we.
To glory, glory, glory.'
12
in.
THE FIRST MURDER ; OR, CAIN
AND ABEL.
Have you ever heard an account of a
murder? I know you have. Men often
go about the streets singing a song about a
murder, and selling a paper about it.
Who was the man that 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.
Eve had another son, whom she called
Abel. He grew up to be a good man. God
gave 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
THE FIRST WTTRDER. 13
angry. Why did not Cain ask God to give
him His Holy Spirit, too ? Then he would
have been good, like Abel.
I daresay you have sometimes seen a
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 of the great God to speaK
to this sinful man ; but Cain would not
mind — he went on in his wickedness.
One day he was with Abel all alone, when
a dreadful thing happened.
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
14 THE FIRST MCJRDKR ;
been a dreadful sight ! How did Cain feol
when he 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 when
he did it. But he forgot that God saw
him.
Soon God spoke to him. He said, ' Where
is Abel, thy brother ? '
Cain answered, 'I do not know. Am I
my brother's keeper ? '
You see he dared to tell God a lie.
Then God told him that he should not
stay in that place. 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 to be killed.
OR, CAIN AND ABEL. 15
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 gave him
children, but God did not love him.
What becomes of liars when they die, and
what becomes of murderers ? They will go
to hell ! That is a horrible, dark, and burn-
ing place, far off from God. The devil is the
father of liars and murderers, and he wishes
to have them in his own place.
Abel did not go to hell when he died ; his
body lay bleeding on the earth, but his soul
went up to God in heaven. There he saw
his Saviour, the Son of God, who had pro-
mised to die for his sins.
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
Bongs.
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
c
16 CAIN AND ABEL.
us, and washed 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,
because Thy dear Son died upon the cross
for me/
1 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, ftre, and chains
Watts.
17
IV.
THE GREAT RAIN.
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 happened four thousand years ago.
This world was full of people then, as it
is now, and it was full of wicked people.
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 his children. The name of
this man was Noah.
God told Noah to build a great place
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.
18 THE GREAT RAIN*
The Ark was to be made of wood, and covered
with pitch, and lined with pitah, 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 with 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.
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 not believe that they should at
last be drowned.
THE GREAT RAIN. ]9
As soon as Noah was in the ark, God
Himself 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 for nearly six
weeks. Such rain was never seen before,
nor ever will be seen again. Everybody
was drowned, and every beast and every
bird. If people climbed to the tops of the
trees, the water soon reached them ; and if
they mounted the high hills, the waters at
last covered them ; there was no way of
escaping from the anger of God. Once
God would have heard the prayers of these
sinners, but now it was too late — they were
all drowned.
For nearly a year Noah floated 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 ne sent out a dove, and this
20 THE GREAT RAIN.
sweet bird came to the window again, 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 re-
turned with the branch of an olive-tree in
her bpak ; 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 out of the
ark with your wife, and your sons, and
your sons' wives, and the beasts, and the
birds, and the creeping things/ Then they
all went out.
How glad must the stag have been to
bound once more in the forests ! How glad
must the eagle have been to soar once more
in the air! And how sweetlv tne lark
THE bREAT RAIN. 21
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 HL&
goodness, and praised Him, and prayed to
Him.
God promised He would never again
drown the world, and He gave a sign that
He would remember His promise ; that sign
vou have seen, — it is the beautiful rainbow
which shines in the sky when the sun is
beginning to shine, and the showers are
almost over. That rainbow puts us in mind
of God's kindness to Noah.
But though the world will never be
drowned again, something else still more
dreadful will happen. It will be burned up !
Who will be saved in that day ?
Only those who have believed in Jesus
Christ. He died for our sins, that we might
be saved from eternal fire.
See Gen. vi, vii, viii, and ix, 1-17 ; £
Peter, last chapter.
22 THE GREAT RAIN
• There was a Doble ark,
Sailing o'er waters dark,
And wide around ;
Not one tall tree was seen,
Nor flower, nor leaf of green.
All — all were drowned.
Then a soft wing was spread,
And o'er the billows dread
A meek dove flew ;
But on that shoreless t&6
No living thing she spied
To cheer her view.
So to the ark she fled,
With weary, drooping wing.
To seek for rest:
Christ is thine ark, my love ;
Thou art the tender dcye ;
B'ly to His breast.'
Mrs. Sigourney.
23
v.
THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN.
Do you think any one ever heard God
speak? Should you be frightened ii* God
were to speak from heaven ? Yes, I know
you would.
Once God spoke to a great many people ;
He spoke in a very loud voice, so that ihey
could all hear.
Who were these people ? They were
called the people of Israel: they did not
live in a town like London : they were
amongst 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.
One day God spoke to the people of Israel.
In the morning there was a noise of thwider
and the sound of a trumpet, very loud indeed.
24 THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN.
The people heard the noise in their tents,
and they trembled
Moses told the people to come out of their
tents to see God ; and so all the people stood
round about the mountain.
What a sight they beheld ! The Lord
was come down in fire, and there was a
great deal of smoke, and the mountain
shook. There was a dreadful sound as well.
The noise of the trumpet grew louder and
louder.
At last God spoke. What did He say ?
He gave the people ten laws. They are
called the Ten Commandments.
While God was speaking, the mountain
went on smoking, and the people were so
frightened that they went further off, for
they were afraid of being killed. They
said to Moses, ' Do you speak to us, and we
will hear; let not God speak to us or we
shall die.' So, after that, God did not speak
to the people, but He told Moses what to
say.
Moses went up quite near to God, and
listened to His words. The people of Israel
THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN. 25
saw him go up the mountain, till he was hid
by the great cloud of smoke.
When Moses came down from the moun-
tain he brought in his arms two great pieces
of stone, on which God had written the ten
laws.
The next time you go to church you
might see the ten commandments, for they
are copied out, and written up at one end of
the church.
I have 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,
4 Thou shalt not steal.
The thief had never heard this law berore.
He felt frightened, and he did not dare to put
his hand into anybody's pocket. He went
home, repented of his sins, and believed in
Jesus.
26 THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN.
You have done a great many naughty
things. God could punish you.
The Son of God minded all the ten laws,
yet He was punished.
Why was the Son of God punished ?
That you might be forgiven. Ask God
to forgive you for the sake of Jesus. Say
to God, — ' I have not obeyed Thy laws : I
am a sinner. But Jesus was punished
instead of me. Oh, forgive me for His
sake ! '
You may read about Moses in the Bible, in
Exodus xix and xx.
THE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN. 27
These are the ten commandments: —
I. Thou shalt have no other gods before
Me.
II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any
graven image. Thou shalt not
bow down thyself to them, nor serve
them.
III. Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain.
TV. Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it
holy.
Y. Honour thy father and thy mother.
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 neighbour.
X. Thou shalt not covet.
28
VL
THE RAVENS.
While we are sleeping in our beds there is
One above the sky who is making the food to
grow out of the earth. He makes the little
seed of corn spring up into a tall stalk, and
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.
Is it men who make the bread or God ?
It is God who makes the corn to grow ; if
God were not to make the corn, we could
have no bread to eat. Sometimes God
THE HAVENS. 29
will not make the corn grow. Why ?
Because men are wicked, and God is angry
with them.
The land of Israel 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 were very wicked. They
bowed down to images of wood and stone,
and prayed to them, and said, ' Take care of
us ; you are our gods/
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 desired the ravens to feed
ou 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 :
but God can make fierce ravens gentle as
doves, if He please.
Eliiah believed what God said, and he
D
30 THE RAVENS.
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 so warm that 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 Elijah his supper.
Every morning and every evening they
came ; they never missed. His Father in
Xoaven never forgot to feed Elijah. He
£ave him two meals every day, breakfast and
supper. Most people have dinner as well,
but Elijah was content with what God
gave him. He drank nothing but cold
THE RAVENS. 31
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 could Elijah do now ?
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
last 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 wonderful ! Why was God so very
kind to Elijah ? Why is God kind to any-
body ? We are all sinners, but God has
given His only Son to die upon the cross
that we may not be sent to hell. If you
ask God to forgive you for Christ's sake Ho
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 has made to
them : —
32 THE RAVENS.
' Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon
them that fear Him, upon them that hope
in His mercy ; to deliver their souls from
death, to keep them alive in famine.' (Ps.
xxxiii, 18, 19.)
The history of Elijah and the ravens is
written in 1 Kings xvii.
' From the glorious heaven,
Where the angels are,
God looks down on children,
Seeth them afar;
Heareth all they ask for,
All the night and day ;
Watches, like a father,
All their work and play.
As a father giveth,
So He gives them oread ;
Saves +hem out of danger,
Watches by their bed.
Tell all little children
Of their Father's care,
How He loves and pities
Children everywhere.'
Songs of Praise by Mrs, Be van.
33
VII.
THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE.
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
he had made it of gold. Oh, what a rich
king he must have been, and what a fine
image ! It was not set up in the town, but on
a great plain, which was like a large 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
swings, the flute in which men breathe to
make it sound, and many other instruments
of which you have never heard. And the
34 THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE.
king was there, the proud king whc did
what he pleased.
A man cried out with a loud voice, ' As
soon as the music begins to be played,
then everybody is to bow down to the
golden image that the king has set up ; and
if any one does not bow down, he shall
be thrown immediately into a burning fiery
furnace. '
Presently the music struck up, and the
people fell down and worshipped the golden
image.
Did I say that all the people bowed down
to the golden image ? Almost all — all but
three.
Soon some of the king's servants came to
him and said, 6 0 king, there are three men
here who have not bowed down to the image.
These 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 passions just as little
children do.
This king desired the three Jews to be
brought to him.
THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE. 35
When they came, he spoke very angrily
to thein, and said, ' Is it true you have
not bowed down to the image ? When you
hear the music again will you fall down
and worship the image? for if you will
not, you shall be cast into a burning fiery
furnace, and your Grod cannot deliver you
out of it.'
But these three Jews were not frightened
by the king's words. They said, ' We will
not worship the image, and our God is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,
0 king, and He will deliver us/
Then the king was in a greater passion
than before. To see hi* faje it was terrible !
for passion makes the face look very red and
ugly.
But still the three Jews were not afraid.
The king desired that the furnace might
be made seven times hotter than before.
Then he desired strong soldiers to cast the
Jews into the flames.
These three good men had their legs and
arms tied down, that they might not
struggle when put in ; and all their clothes
36 THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE.
were left on, their cloaks, and their turbans,
and their stockings. 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 ?
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
wonderful !
But there was one thing which surprised
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 fire?' They said 'True, 0
king/ Then he said, ' I see four men loose,
walking in the midst of the fire, and one of
them is like the Son of God.'
Was He the Son of God ? Oh, yes ; for
the Son of God loves us. God the Father
THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE. 37
had sent down His Son to save the three
young Jews. How happy they were in the
midst of the fire ! They felt no pain.
Xow 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), and be called the three Jews by
their names : ' Ye servants of the Most High
God, come out, and come here/
And they came out — yes, they walked
out.
Then all the great lords came round them
to see whether they were hurt; but there
was not even the smell of tire jn them ; not
one hair was singed, and their clothes were
not even scorched.
Then the king began to praise their God,
and to praise them, too, for not worshipping
the image. And he sent round to all the
towns in his kingdom, and desired 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 God who can deliver people like the
God of these Jews.'
38 THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE.
You will find the history of the Inrw
young Jews in Daniel iii.
• There is a happy land,
Far far away,
Where saints in glory stand,
Bright, bright as day.
Oh, how they sweetly sing,
" Worthy is our Saviour King.
Loud let His praises ring —
Praise, praise for aye."
Come to this happy land,
Come, come away ;
Why will ye doubting stand—
• Why still delay ?
Oh, we shall happy be,
When from sin and sorrow free !
Lord, we shall live with thee —
Blest, blest for aye.
Bright in that happy land
Beams eveiy eye —
Kept by a Father's hand,
Love cannot die.
On, then, to glory run ;
Be a crown and kingdom won ;
And bright above the sun
Reign, reign for aye.
A. Young.
1838.
39
VIII.
THE DEN OF LIONS.
I am going to tell you of a man who waa
shut up with a lion — not with one lion
only, but with many lions — with hungry
lions with open mouths, in the night, all
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 wanted the king to be
fond of them, but the king loved the good
man best.
The good man's name was Daniel.
The wicked lords knew that Daniel prayed
to the true God. As for them, they prayed
to idols of wood and stone.
40 THE DEN OF UONS.
The wicked lords wanted to get good
Daniel into disgrace with the king, so the}
made a very sly plan. They went to the
king, and said, '0 king, do make a law
that no one shall pray to any god, or to
any body, for thirty days, except to you, 0
king ; and do say that if anybody disobeys
this law he shall be cast into the den of
lions/ The king said he would make this
law.
Daniel soon heard of this new law.
Would he leave off praying to God for
thirty days? Oh, no, not for one day.
But perhaps he prayed when nobody saw
him or heard him ? No ; he wished people
to know that he prayed to God, that they
might pray to Him too.
So he went into his room when (he
windows were open, and knelt down and
prayed, morning, and noon, and evening.
The wicked lords heard that Daniel went
on praying, and they came to look at him,
and when they had seen him on his knees
speaking to God, then they went to the
king.
THE DEN OF 1.IOX8. 41
They said to him, ' Did you not make a
law that if anybody prayed to any god or
any man for thirty days, he should be cast
into the den of lions ?'
1 Yes/ said the king, ' I did ; and I know
I cannot change the law that I have made.'
Then said the lords, ' That Daniel, though
he has heard of this law, still goes on
praying 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,
1 0 king, you cannot change the law.' The
king knew that, and he sent for Daniel and
desired him to be cast into the den ; but
before he was put in, the king said to him,
* Your God will deliver you/ This was the
only comfort the kin^r had ; he hoped that
42 THE DEN OF LIONS.
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 to 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 straight to the den, and he cried
out in a most sorrowful voice, ' 0 Daniel,
h'js your God whom you pray to been able
tP deliver you 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, * 0 king, live for
ever ! My God has sent His angel, and has
«hut the lions' mouths, and they have not
hurt me.'
THE DEN OF LIONS. 43
On, how glad the king was !
Immediately he commanded the servants
to take Daniel out of the den.
When Daniel 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. Most men would have been killed
by the fright if they had been shut up with
lions ; but, no, Daniel had trusted in his
3od. 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 desired them to be cast into the
den, and their wives and children with
them. It was cruel to cast the poor wive3
in, and the little children, but as for these
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 sprang up and
seized hold of them, and with their strong
teeth smashed and crunched their bones to
44 THK 1>EN OF" LIONS.
pieces. So, though the lions had gone
without their supper, they had a good
breakfast the next morning. God punishes
wicked people when they have tried to hurt
good people, and He often lets them fall
into the very same trouble that they
wanted to get the good people in. As it is
written in the Bible, 'In the net which
they hid is their own foot taken/ (Ps.
ix, 15.)
The Bible tells us that Satan goes about
like a roaring lion ready to devour us. But
we must not be afraid, for God is much
stronger than Satan, and He will keep us
quite safe, as He kept Daniel, if we pray to
Him as Daniel did.
This history is to be found in the Bible
See Daniel, vi.
THK DEN OF LION& 4/5
1 " Oh, mother !" cried a little child,
" I cannot sleep to-night;
Hark ! how the storm grows fierce and wna .
It fills me with affright:
I hear the wind roar through the trees,
And howl above my bed;
I tremble when it comes so near,
And cover up my head."
"And why?" the mother gently said,
" Why need you fear to sleep ?
Why hide that little timid head ?
God will my darling keep.
What though the wind blows fierce and loud
It can do us no ill ;
We're in our Fathers hand, and He
Can bid the storm stand still.
Trust Him, my child, and peaceful reau
Safe in His tender care :
But think of others more distressed
And breathe for them a prayer.
Think of the little sailor-boy,
Tossing upon the deep ;
Think of the wandering, homeless pi>or,
Oil, pray for them — then sleep."'
M. &.
46
IX.
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 grand-
father,— 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 full 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
THE HEAVCXLY BABE. 47
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.
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 message. He sent him
from heaven to a poor woman named Mary.
The angel's name was Gabriel.
What had Gabriel to say to Mary ?
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 favour.
Was Mary delighted to hear this ? No,
she was frigntened ; she could not think
what the angel meant.
Then the angel said, 'Fear not, Mary, for
thou hast found favour with God.' Then the
angel told her that she should soon have a
little babv ; and that lie should be the Son
48 THE HEAVENLY BAKE.
of God ; and that His name should be
* Jesus.'
This was a very wonderful message. Why
was the Son of God to be a baby ? God His
Father sent Him to be a baby, that He might
grow up to be a man, and then be punished
instead of us sinners. How good it was of
God to send His only Son to save us from
going to hell !
Mary believed what Gabriel told her.
Soon the angel went away.
At last the baby 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 with her
husband, Joseph ; and when it was night
she went to the inn, but there was no room
for her there. There were so many travel-
lers at the inn, that Mary and Joseph were
obliged to go into the stable. Among the
oxen and the asses the baby 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 kings lie in beautiful
AND ITS MOTHER. 49
cradles hung with muslin, and silk, and satin.
But this baby 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.
You will like to see Mary in heaven
Blessed was she among women. Of all tha
women who ever lived, she was the most
blessed or 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, ' Who-
soever 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 this world who swear, and steal,
and tell lies ; but there are some who love
God, and pray to Him. and believe in Hiim
50 THE HEAVENLY BABE.
and try to please Him. Jesus counts them
His brothers, and sisters, and mothers.
Would you like to be the little brother
of the Lord Jesus ? Would you like to be
His little sister? Luke, i, 26-35 ; ii. 1-7.
* Little children, God above,
In His tenderness and love,
Has become a child like you.
See Him in the manger sleeping,
Weeping in this world of weeping
For the evil that you do.
He hath left the world of light,
He hath left the angels bright :
Seeking you — a child — He came,
Seek Him, children; He is near;
Be His little angels here,
Singing praises to His name.
Sweet Child Jesus, take my will,
Make it holy, pure, and still,
Loving, meek, and undefiled.
From this evil world I flee,
Child of heaven, I seek but Thee;
Thou dost love a little child.'
Songs of Eternal Life by Mrs. fiemn
61
x.
THE HAPPY NIGHT.
Nearly two thousand years ago some good
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.
A very wonderful thing happened that
night ; — an angel came ! What a glorious
creature an angel is ! Angels are bright
like the sun, and their clothes are white like
snow.
Yet when the shepherds saw this angel
they were very much frightened. But the
angel told them not to be afraid. ' Fear
not/ he said ; ■ I bring you very joyful
news. A baby is born this day, who is the
Lord, and He is wrapped in long clothes ;
and He is lying in a m anger.'
This was good news, indeed.
A long while before, God had promised
62 THE HAPPY NIGHT.
to send His own Son down from heavea 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.
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 that dark night !
These angels began to sing. How sweet
the sound must have been !
I can tell you the very words these angels
sang. 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
goodwill, and all happiness into this wicked
world.
The angels did not stay very long.
See the good shepherds in the field alone
with their sheep ! What did they talk of
THE HAPPY NIGHT. 53
now ? Of that sweet babe who was lying in
a manger. They knew He was in the next
town, a very little way off, and they said
one to another, ' Let us go and see Him/
So they left their sheep yery quickly in-
deed.
There were other babies in Bethlehem,
but most babies lie in soft cradles, or on
their mothers' pillows ; but there was no
cradle and no pillow for this baby, only a
manger full of straw or hay.
The shepherds found out in which stable
the baby was, and they went 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 heayen, 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 infant. Do not you like to look at
a baby, and to take it in your arms P But
there neyer was such a baby as this.
Though He was so weak and small. He was
54 THE HAPPY NIGHT.
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 that baby loved them,
and had come down from heaven to save
them. Oh, how they loved that baby !
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 shepherds 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 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 it
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 with Him, singing the
angels' song. One day He will come to
THB HAPPY NIGHT. 55
this world again, shining brighter than
angels do ; and the shepherds will come
with Him, and all people who have ever
loved Him.
Those shepherds often talked about Jesus,
they told everybody 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 angels would com©
and fetch their souls to be with Jesus in
heaven.
This history is written in Luke, ii, 8-20.
56 THE HAPPY NIGHT.
* Once in Royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle-shed,
Where a mother laid her baby,
In a manger for His bed.
Mary was that mother mild:
Jesus Christ ber little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His stable was a stall.
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honour and obey,
Love and watch the lowly mother,
Tn whose gentle arms He lay.
Christian children all should be
Ifiii'j, obedient, good as He.'
Mrs. C. F. Alexander.
Di
XL
1HK OLD MAN AND THE BABY.
litlosT children love little babies. A babe of
six weeks old is very little indeed ; it cannot
sit up ; it lies down 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 anybody without being
frightened ; it smiles, but it never laughs,
though it often cries.
I am now going u> zell you about the
sweetest baby of six weeks old that was
ever seen in this world. Who was this
baby ? 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.
Who was this baby ? He was the Son
of God. He came down from heaven to be
a baby. And why? — that He might grow
58 THE OLD MAN AND THE BABY.
to be a man, and then die upon the cross of
v^ood 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 yon
now about His dying, but about His being a
little baby.
The name of His mother was Mary, — she
was a good woman ; the name of His Father
was God. Mary had a husband called
Joseph, and He was very kind to this sweet
baby.
The baby 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 Jerusalem.
She went in the beautiful place there
called the Temple, where people often
prayed to God, as they do in church. She
took her little baby in her arms when she
went to the Temple. Joseph was with
her.
Why did Mary take her baby 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
THE 01,0 MAN AND THE BABY. 59
to God. They were to be killed and burnt,
but the baby 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 that they
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 he died he should see the
Son of God.
When Mary brought her baby 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 baby was. He took
Him up in his arms, and began to pray to
God.
Would you not have liked to see that good
old man praying to God, and holding that
lovely infant in his arms? He told God
60 THE OLD MAN AND THE BABY.
that he was now ready to die, because he had
*een the Saviour of all people in the world.
He said, ' Lord, now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart and in peace ; for mine
eyes have seen Thy Salvation ' (that is,
the Saviour).
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 for
a very long while indeed. She lived close
to the Temple, and was very fond of being
there, and of praying to God. Her name
was Anna.
When, she saw the baby, she began to
praise God for having sent His Son from
heaven to save people from going to hell.
There were other people 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 babyP You
THK OLD MAN AND THE BAWY. 61
can never see the baby, but you may see
the Son of God. He is in heaven now
with His Father, and He will come one
day into the world, and then you will see
Him.
You may read the history of Simeon in
Luke, ii, 22-38.
' Little child, do you love Jesus?
Oh, how He 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 '.
He will listen to your prayer:
Oh, how He loves !
Feed you by His tender care :
Oh, how He loves!
He became a child just like you ;
Here He suffered to redeem you,
And at last He died to save you:
Oh, how He loves !
Writer unknown.
62
XII.
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
There was once a wicked man who was
King of the Jews, 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 worship Him/
But was not Herod king of the Jews?
Yes, he was ; but a little baby had been
born whom God sent to be King of the
Jews. This baby 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 wise men; they had
learned a great deal. They were good men
also, for they laved the Son of God, and
wanted to see Him. They had come a
great way on purpose to find Him. They
THE KING OF THE JEWS. 63
knew He was somewhere near Jerusalem,
but they did not know exactly where ; so
they asked everybody, ' Where is the King
of the Jews V
King Herod heard that some wise men
had come from a long way off, and wen
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 that the King
of the Jews should be born in a place called
Bethlehem.
Herod was glad to find out where this
king was born, and hecalled the wise men,
and he told them that this little king was
born at Bethlehem. He said to them, ' Go,
and look for the young child, and when you
nave found Him come and tell me, that I may
come and worship Him.' But did Herod
wish to worsirp this l^tle king ? Oh, no, he
wanted to kill Him I but he pretended to
64 THE KING OF THE JEW 8.
love Him, that he might iind 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 in the sky ; the star
moved along, and showed the wise men the
way, arid 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 child 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, to be a baby. 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 !
The baby's mother was with Him in the
house.
Joseph, Mary's husband, was with the
babe. He took care of Mary, and helped
THE KING OF THE JEWS. 65
her to bring up the glorious little King
Jesus.
The first thing the wise men did was to
worship Him, because they knew He was
the Son of God.
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, which flow from
trees ; these are called frankincense and
myrrh. Mary was very poor, but God had
sent her 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 the dream God told
them not to go back to Herod ; so they went
back to their own country, and they did not
go back to Jerusalem.
Happy wise men ! they saw the Lord of
glory ! Could they ever forget that sweet,
that lovely baby ? But He is more lovely
66 THE KINO OF THE JEWS.
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 the wise men did not come back ?
He was very angry. He was a very
passionate man, and when he was angry
everybody might well be frightened. Herod
said, ' I will kill all the babies in Bethle-
hem, then I shall be sure to kill this young
king amongst the rest.' What a cruel man
this Herod was !
He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill
all the little children of one year old. It
was of no use for mothers to hide their
babies, the soldiers would find them out.
It was of no use for mothers to hold their
babies fast, the soldiers would pull them
away. Oh, what screams, what bitter sobs,
must have been heard that day ! Do you
not pity the poor mothers of Bethlehem ?
And did Mary lose her baby, and was the
Son of God killed ? Oh, no. Before Herod
sent his men, God had sent an angel to
Bethlehem. He came one night to Joseph,
THE KING OF THE JEWS. 67
end said to him, ' Take the young child
and His mother, and go into Egypt, anJ
stay there till I tell you to come back, for
flerod will try to kill the young child/ So
Joseph got up that night, and told Mary to
get up, and to bring the baby with her ; and
they all set out that night upon their long
journey.
Herod did not know that the little king
was gone away, and that it was no use to
kill all the babies in Bethlehem.
God knows what wicked men will dc.
No one could kill the Son of God till He
chose to die.
He is the King of the Jews, and He is
the King of all people.
Tou may read this history in Matthew, ii.
1-16.
68 THE KING OF THE JEW&.
4 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 arrayed,
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.
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 :
Bathed in that pure and precious flood
Behold them white and clean ,
Singirg, Glory, glory.'
69
XII).
THE HEAVENLY JL50Y.
Osce there was a boy who came down froiL
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, but only Jesus.
He was a poor boy, and lived with 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. No 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.
In the spring, all the men in the land
went up to Jerusalem. When they got
there they used to meet together in a room.
70 THE HEAVENLY BOY.
and eat a roasted lamb, and sing hymns, and
pray to God. It was very 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 neighbours who lived
in their town. He stayed there about a
week.
At the end of that time Joseph and Mary
set out with their neighbours 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 neighbours,
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 neighbours
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 thev came to Jerusalem ; thev
THE HEAVENLY BOY. 71
looked everywhere for Jesus. At last they
found Him. Where was He ? In the Temple.
What was He doing there ? He was among
the children who were being taught.
There were some wise men in Jerusalem
who used to teach the boys about God and
about the Bible. Jesus was at the Temple
hearing these wise men teach. When they
asked Him questions, He gave very good
answers. Then He asked them questions.
Teachers like to hear children ask questions ■
it shows that they wish to understand and
to grow wise.
Should you not like to know what ques-
tions Jesus asked ? I should ; but I do not
know. But this I do know, that both His
questions and His answers were so wise,
that His teachers were quite surprised.
They had never taught such a child. There
never was such a child before, for this was
the only child who was the Son of God.
Joseph and Mary were very much sur-
prised to find Jesus in the Temple. His
mother said to Him, ' Son, why have you
done so ? Your father and I havy been
72 THE HEAVENLY BO*.
looking for you, and we have been very
unhappy about you./ Then Jesus an-
swered, 'Why did you look for Me? Do
you not know that I must do My 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.
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 anybody. But Jesus
thought only about minding 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 what is
wrong, ask yourself this question : ' Did
Jesus behave in this way when He was a
THE HEAVENLY BOY. 73
boy?' Then ask God to make you iike
Jesus. Luke, ii. 41-50.
* Jesus, 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 talked with mar.
(The Jews all wondering stand);
Yet He obeyed His mother then,
And came at her command.*
Witt*
HAPPY CHILDREN.
' As we play at evening
Round our fathers' knees,
Birds are not so merry,
Singing in the trees.
Lambs are not so happy,
'Mid the meadow flowers ;
They have play and pleasure.
But not love like ours.
For the heart that's loving,
Works of love will do ;
Those we dearly cherish
We must honour too.
To our fathers' teaching
Listen day by day,
And our mothers' bidding
Cheerfully obey.'
Mrs. C. F. Alexander.
74
XIV.
THE HEAVENLY DOVE
Do you remember the first time you went
to church or chapel? You saw a man
standing in a pulpit in the midst cf the
church ; you heard him speak loud, so that
everybody could hear him. That man was
the preacher.
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 wore very
coarse clothes, and he had a leather 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 P He said,
'Repent/ "What does that mean? It
THE HEAVENLY DOVE. 75
means, 'Tarn from your wieked 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 them how God would make
their hearts clean from sin. This was
called ' baptizing/ John baptized everybody
who was sorry for their sins.
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 wrong 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
76
THE HEAVENLY DOVE.
heavens were 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, — it was the voice of God the Father
in heaven ; He said, ' This is My dear Son ;
I am pleased with Him.'
Would you not have liked to be there to
see the Son of God, and the Spirit of God,
and to hear the voice of God the Father.
I hope you will one day see that glorious
sight and hear that heavenly voice.
Perhaps you feel, ' I am a wicked child ;
[ 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
iv ash away all your sins and make your heart
Ciean.
I know you wish to be happy : you may
be happy.
There are fierce beasts called lions, tigers,
wolves, and bears. Perhaps }ou have seen
THE HEAVENLY DOVE. , ,
them shut up in cages. Tricked people are
like wild beasts.
There is a gentle bird called a dove. It
is a sweet, harmless creature. The Holy
Spirit of God is like this dove. If this
Holy Spirit were to come into your heart,
you would grow gentle, like a dove.
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.
Head this history in Matt, iii, 13-17 ;
Mark, i, 9-11; Luke, iii, 21, 22.
A CHILD'S PRAYER.
• Lord, teach a little child to praj,
Thy grace betimes impart,
And grant Thy Holy Spirit may
Renew my infant heart.'
Tavf T*vrr>n
f
XV.
w
CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.
There is one 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 a boy sees nice rosy apples
hanging on a tree, the devil 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,
Oh, keep me from sin/
Is there anybody who has never done
what Satan wished ? No ; everybody has
CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS. 79
done many wrong things. Have not you ?
have you never been disobedient ? 0 yes —
you have been naughty very often. And
why ? Is it because Satan tempts you ?
That is one reason. But there is another;
you have a naughty heart. There once
was a man in this world who had not a
naughty heart, and He never did one wrong
thing. This man was the Son of God.
He came down to live here for a little
while, and then to die ; His name was
Jesus. He knew we were wicked, and must
be punished, so He said He would be punished
instead of us. But He was not wicked like
us. Satan wanted to make Him wicked, but
He never could.
Once Jesus went into a place quite alone ;
it was called a wilderness. Nobody lived
there ; there were no corn-fields nor fruit-
trees, nor sheep nor cows — only lions and
bears, who howled and roared; and there
were stones upon the ground, not flowers —
and there were deep pits, but no rivers, nor
running brooks — and there were stinging
scorpions and biting serpents. Jesus was a
80 CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.
long while in this horrible place qinte alone,
and all 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 fo^ four days, perhaps — you
would certainly die in seven days. But Jesus
lived forty days without 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 was very bold. He said, ' Why
do you not make these stones into bread ? '
Jesus could make stones into bread, but He
would not, because His Father had not
told Him> 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 ; it was the top of the Temple,
when he asked Jesus to throw Himself
CHRIST EN THE WILDERNESS. 81
down from the top. Satan said, ' God
will tell His angels to keep you 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 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.
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.
82 CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.
Then the devil said to Jesus, i I will give
you all these things, for they are all mine,
and I give them to whom I will/
Was that true ?
Oh, no ! the devil knew it was not true, —
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 like God.
Would Jesus do that ?
No, He would worship no one but God
His Father.
When the devil found he could not make
Jesus do one wicked thing he went away.
But Jesus was very hungry — God His
Father knew that, and He sent His angels to
feed Him.
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, bat now
He can.
Believe in Him and you shall be saved.
God wishes to save you, Jesus wishes to
CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS. <v;>
save you, but the devil wishes to torment
you. Matt. iv. 1-11.
Happy the children who are gone
To live with Jesus Christ in peace,
Who btand around His glorious throne,
Redeemed by blood, and saved by grace.
The Saviour, whom they loved below,
Hath kindly wiped their tears away;
No sin, no sorrow, there they know,
But dwell in one eternal day.
There to their golden harps they sing,
AVhile tens of thousands join their songs,
Hosannas to the immortal King,
To whom immortal praise belongs.
0 glorious Lord, and when shall we
Be brought with them in bliss to join,
Thy lovely countenance to see,
And sing Thy mercies all divine ?'
Writer unknown.
84
XVI.
THE HEAVENLY LAMB.
Did you ever spend a happy day ? Perhaps
you will answer, ' I have spent a great many
happy days/ What made those days so
happy? Was it that you went a journey
into the country ? or that you went to a
feast under the trees ? or that you went to
see your little cousins ? T do not know what
made you happy on your happy days, but
I will tell you of a happier day than any
you have spent.
Once there was a good man who preached
to a great many people.
His name was John ; there were some men
who liked to be with him, and these men
were called his disciples.
One day he was standing in the countiy
with two of his disciples, when he saw a man
talking along a little way off.
When John saw this man he looked at
Him, and then said to his disciples, l See
the Lamb of God.'
THE HEAVENLY LAMB. 85
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.
The Son of God was like a sweet and
gentle lamb, and was 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
Andrew. 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 P1
I think I hear you answer, i I would have
gone after that gentle Lamb/
That is what Andrew did, and the other
disciple too. The two disciples went after
the Son of God.
While they were walking behind Him,
86 THE HEAVENLY LAMB.
Jesus turned and said to them, ' What is it
you want ? '
How kind it was of the Son of God to
speak to these poor men !
They answered, ' Master, where do you
live?'
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 was a day spent with the Son of
God.
I have a little more to tell you about
Andrew. He loved Jesus so much, that he
wanted his brother to know him too. He
had a brother called Simon, and he said
to him, 'We have found the Christ.' It
was Jesus that he meant ; he called Him the
Christ.
Simon did not know where Jesus lived,
but Andrew did. and he showed his brother
THE HEAVENLY LAMB.
87
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 P There is a mean-
ing in the word Peter ; it means, ' Stone.'
Christ knew that Simon would be like a
stone. Is it good to be like a stone ? Yes,
it is good to be firm like a stone. Jesus
knew that Peter would stand firm one day
when wicked people would try to turn him
away from God.
We ought all to be like stones in standing
firm, for it is a dreadful thing to turn away
from Jesus.
Wicked boys may laugh at you, and try
to persuade you not to mind Jesus. But ask
God to give you His Spirit, to keep you firm
and faithful unto death. John, i. 29-42.
THE HEAVENLY LAMB.
* T love the Lamb who died for me
I love Tlis 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,
J 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 st hon>«/
89
XVII.
THE MAN UNDER THE TREE :
OR, NATHANAEL.
Nathanael was a good man. He lived in
those days when the Lord Jesus was walk-
ing about this world. Did Nathanael see
Him ? Yes, he did.
Nathanael had a friend named Philip.
These two friends, Nathanael and Philip,
had often heard the Bible read out aloud.
There was one promise in the Bible which
they had taken much notice of, — it was this,
that God would one day send His Son into
the world. Nathanael and Philip thought
this a great promise, and they wished to
know the Son of God.
One day Philip came to Nathanael and
pmd, 'We have found Him* it is Jesus of
Nazareth.'
Was this true ? Oh, yes ; Jesus of Naza-
reth was the Son of God. At first Nathanael
90 NATHANAEL.
thought thai. 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.'
Philip knew where to find Jesus, and he
took Nathanael with him.
At last the two friends came within 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 knew all about him.
As soon as He saw him coming near, he
said, ' Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom
there is no guile, or deceit/
What did He mean by an Israelite P
There was once a good man called Israel
who prayed very earnestly. Nathanael was
NATHANAEL. 91
like that Israel, for he had prayed earnestly,
and so he was an Israelite indeed.
But he was quite surprised to hear Jesus
speak of him as if He knew him, and he cried
out, ■ How do you know 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 ? Yes.
Jesus had seen Nathanael hid under the
thick branches of a shady fig-tree, when no
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 pro-
mise ! He said, * One day thou shalt see
the angels of God going up and coming
92 NATHANAEL
down upon the Son of man/ What did
this mean ? That Nathanael should one
day see Jesus go up to heaven with
angels.
Yes, and he did see that. But it meana
also that Nathanael shall see Jesus coming
again with angels. And he shall see that ;
for Nathanael will come with Him.
And would you, dear child, like to come
with Jesus and the angels, and be an angel
too?
If you would, then go like Nathanael and
pray all alone by yourself.
Look for Nathanael's history in John, i.
43-51.
•We're travelling home to heaven above;
Will you go ?
To sing the Saviour's dying love ;
Will you go ?
Millions have reachod that blessed shore,
Their trials and labours all are o'er,
But still there 's room for millions more ;
Will you go ?
We're going to walk the plains of light;
Will you go ?
Far, far from death, and curse, and night?
Will you go?
NATHAN AKL.
Tlie crown of life we then shall wear,
The conqueror's palm we then shall bear,
And all the joys of heaven share :
Will you go ?
WVre 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 ^iy to heaven is straight and plain/
Will you go 7
Repent, believe, be born again ;
Will you go ?
The Saviour cries aloud to thee,
** Take up thy cross and follow Mo,"
And thou shalt My salvation see ;
Will you go*
Ob, could I hear some sinner say,
" I will go."
Oh, could I hear him humbly pray,
" Make me go/
And all his old companions tell,
,l 1 will not go with you to hell,
1 long with Jesus Christ to dwell :
Let me go."
93
94 NATHANIEL.
'I have a Father in the promised land,
1 have a Father in the promised land,
My Father calls me ; I must go,
To meet Him in the promised land;
I'll away, I'll away to the promised land;
My Father calls me ; I must go,
-To meet Him in the promised land.
I have a Saviour in the promised land,
1 have a Saviour in the promised land,
My Saviour calls me; I must go,
To meet Him in the promised land,
Ml away, I'll away to the promised land;
My Saviour calls mo; I must go,
To meet Him in the promised land.'
95
XVIII.
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.
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 people about God.
The poor man did not travel alone : there
were twelve other poor men who went with
Him ; they were ILis friends ; they liked to
be with Him, and to hear what He said about
God and heaven.
One day this poor man was making a
journey 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 that the
poor man was all alone by the side of the
well ; but though He was thirsty He could
96 THE WOMAN AT J HE WELL.
not drink, for the well was deep, and there
was no bucket there.
Very soon a woman came to the well with
a pail to fetch water ; then the poor man said
to her, ' Give Me to drink/
She saw that this poor man was a Jew,
and she did not like 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
wras a meek, gentle, and patient man ; He
only answered the woman, ' If you had asked
Me for some water, I would have given you
running spring water.'
The woman was surprised to hear this.
i How could you give me water/ she said,
i wrhen you have no jug or bucket, and the
well is deep V. Then she began to say what
good water there was in the well, and that
she was sure the poor man could not give her
any better water.
But the poor man told her that He could
^ive her better water than that: 'for,' said
He, 'any one who drinks this water is
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL. 97
soon thirsty again, but if any one drink
of the water I give, he is never thirsty any
more.'
Then the woman thought she would like
such water as that, for she could not bear the
trouble of coming to the well every day to
fill her pail ; so she said, * Sir, do give me
some of this water, that I may never thirst
or come here to fetch water/
But instead of giving her any water, 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. She exclaimed,
1 1 see you are 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 won-
derful, yet it is true.
When the woman knew that it was Jesus
Christ who was talking to her, she left her
pail and ran very quickly into the town.
98 THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.
What for ? To call the people to see the
Lord Jesus Christ. She said to them,
' Come and see a man who has told nu
everything I have done.'
The people of the town went back with
the woman to the well.
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. He liked sav-
ing 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 : 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 how He was going to save
them by dying for them.
A great many of the people believed what
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL. 99
He said, and loved Him. Some people had
not believed when the woman said, ■ He
has told me all that ever I did/ But they
did believe when they heard Him speak
themselves. ' Now,' they said, ' we do
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 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 plea-
sure is soon oyer. But if you love God you
will always be happy — you will thirst no
more.
Should you like to be happy ? I know
100 THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
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, ' 0 Lord Jesus, make me happy. Give
me Thy Holy Spirit. I want to live with
God, and not to go to hell/ John, iv. 5-42.
' Like mist on the mountain,
Like ships on the sea,
So swiftly the years
Of our pilgrimage flee.
In the grave of our fathers
How soon shall we lie !
Dear children, to-day
To a Saviour fly !
How sweet are the flowerets
In April and May,!
But often the frost makes
Them wither away.
lAke flowers you may fadev
Are you ready to die?
While ' yet there is room *
To a Saviour fly.'
Robert M'Oheynb.
101
xix.
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 brothers were called
Andrew and Simon Peter. These four
fishermen were friends ; they shared with
each other all they caught, for they were
partners in trade. They had two little ships ;
one ship belonged to John and James, and
the other to Peter and Andrew.
The best time for fishing is in the night.
These young men used to go fishing in the
night. They 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 *?nme to the place where they were,
a mat whom they knew well and loved much.
He was greater than any man upon earth,
yet He was the friend of the fishermen. He
102 THE FOUR FISHERMEN.
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. Now He was standing by
the sea- side, and a great crowd of people
were standing round Him.
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 Him
better than before.
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
THE FOUR FISHERMEN. 103
troubles without their telling Him, for He
knew all things, because He was God.
After He had done preaching He said to
Simon, ' Make your ship go further into the
water, and then let down your nets to catch
fish.'
Simon said, * We have been trying all night
to catch fish and have not caught any, but we
will do what you tell us to do.'
The Lord Jesus was pleased with Simon
for doing what He told him.
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 be-
ginning to sink.
Then it was that Simon Peter fell down
104
THE FOUR FISHERMEN.
at the knees of Jesus, who was sitting in the
ship, and said, ' Go away from me, for I am
a sinful man/
Why did he ask Jesus to go away from
him ? Did he not love Him ? Had not Jesus
been very kind to him in letting him catch
all these fish ? Yes, and that was the reason
that Simon asked Him to go away, for he
felt that he was not good enough to have
such a friend.
Did Jesus go away from him ? Oh, no ;
He knew that Peter loved Him. He said to
him, ' Fear not ; from this time thou shalt
catch men.'
What did He mean by catching men ? He
meant that Peter would catch the soak of men.
He meant that Peter would tell men that
Jesus was come down from heaven to die foi
their sins upon the cross and save them from
going to hell. Afterwards Peter was a prea-
cher, 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 James : these four fishermen left
off fishing and became preachers
THE FOUR FISHERMEN. 105
"WTien they had brought their two ships
to land they left them, and went after Jesus.
They followed Him from place to place, and
listened to His kind voice and saw the won-
ders He did.
It is a happy thing to belong to. Jesus.
Happy now are the fishermen who love Him,
and happy are the fishermen's children who
love Him, and happy are all the little boys
and girls who love Jesus. And they must
all show their love by doing what Jesus tells
them, and by trying to do something for
Jesus.
This history may be found in Luke, v,
1-11.
1 Up and doing little Christian,
Up and doing while 'tis day ;
Do the work the Master gives you,
Do not loiter by the way :
For we all have work before us,
You, dear child, as well as I.
Let us seek to learn our duty.
And perform it cheerfully.'
C. E K. F.
106
xx.
THE WIDOW AND HER SON.
When a child dies, who ie 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
I believe he was, for many people lamented
for him at his death.
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 screwed down.
The men were taking him out of the
town where he had died into the country to
be buried, and his mother walked near him
crying very much, and a great many people
followed.
THE WIDOW AND HER SON. 107
They met on the road another crowd who
were going towards the town. In that crowd
there was a very wonderful man called the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He
did such wonderful things that people fol-
lowed Him about from place to place.
He saw 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.'
Jesus went up to the coffin where the
young man was, and touched it. Imme-
diately the men who carried it stood still.
Then Jesus said, 'Young man, I say unto
thee, Arise.'
The young man was 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 ?
Do you think the widow left off weeping
now ? If she shed tears now, thev mast
108 THE WIDOW AND HER SON.
have been tears of joy. Jesus Himself gave
the young man back to his mother.
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 sin-
ners. Why did He give life to the young
man? To show people that all He said
was true.
He could make all dead people alive now,
but He lets them lie in their graves till the
day when He comes again. Then all tnai,
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. The ground is full of dead people,
one lying above the other. What a sight
it will be when all these dead people come
up out of their graves !
Jesus will be there, seated upon a throne
of glory, with all His bright angels round
THE WIDOW AND HER SON. 109
Him. Then Jesus will judge the dead. He
will say whether they shall go to heaven
or hell.
Whom will He take to heaven ? Those
ivho believed that He died upon the cross to
save them.
Whom will He cast into hell? Those
who forget Him, and do not care for Him.
You may read the history of the widow's
son in Luke, vii, 11-16.
'A widowed mother lost lier son;
She had do son beside,
He was her loved, her only one,
And he fell sick and died.
And many a friend shed many a tear,
But none had power to save;
They placed the body on a bier,
To bear it to the grave.
When, lo ! a company appears,
A band by Jesus led :
Jesus can dry the mourner's tears.
Jesus can raise the dead.
His heart, with tender pity moved,
Felt for the widow's grief;
" Weep not," He said, and soon He proved
His hand could give relief.
110 THE WIDOW AND HER SON.
He touched the biei,— the mourners' eyes,
Are fixed upon the Lord ;
" Young man, I say to thee, Arise \n
Is His almighty word.
He rises up — he speaks — he lives!
No tear need now be shed,
Christ to the widowed mother gives
The child she mourned as dead.'
D. A. T.
.'Within the churchyard, side by side,
Are many long, low graves,
And some have stones set over them ;
On some the green grass waves.
Full many a little Christian child.
Woman, and man, lie there ;
And we pass by them every time
When we go in to prayer.
But we believe a day shall come
When all the dead shall rise ;
When they who sleep down in the grave
Will ope again their eyes.
For Christ our Lord was buried once ;
He died, and rose again;
He conquered death, He left the grave :
And so will Christian men.*
Mrs. C. F. Alexander.
Ill
XXI.
THE WOMAN WHO WASHED THE
SAVIOUR'S FEET.
When the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, lived in this world, some people hated
Him, and some people loved Him. Do you
think you 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 peo-
ple loved Him, and why some people did
not. It is this : people who were sorry for
Vheir sins loved Him. — people who were not
sorry, did not.
There was a woman who had committed
a great many sins. People thought her
eery bad. One day, when Jesus was sitting
at dinner in a rich man's house, she went
112 THE WOMAN WHO WASHED JESU's FEET.
in, and she came behind Him, and she stood
there crying.
What made her cry ? It was her sins ;
she was sorry for having been very wicked.
Jesus was lying on a sofa at dinner, for it
is the custom in some hot countries to lie
down when you eat.
Jesus was not lying down quite flat ; He
was sitting up, resting on His elbow, but
His 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 stuff called 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 were
really as wise as people think, He would
know what sort of a woman this is, and He
would not let her touch Him '
THE WOMAN WHO WASHED JESU'S FEET. 113
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 question.
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.
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 forgiven all. . .
114 THE WOMAN WHO WASHED JESU'S FEET.
And why did not Simon love Him ? Be-
cause 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 loye 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.'
The men who sat at the table were angry
when they heard those words ; they thought
that Jesus could not forgive sins ; they did
THE WOMAN WHO WASHED JESU's FEET. 115
not believe that He was the Son of God ;
they did 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,
'Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace/
You may read this history in Luke, vii,
36, to the end.
• Just as I am — without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
Aud that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee —
0 Lamb of God, I come I
Just as I am — and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee — whose blood can cleanse each spot —
0 Lamb of God, I come !
Just as I am — Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve.
Because Thy promise I believe,
0 Lamb of God, T come !'
C. Elliott.
116
XXII.
THE WILD MAN.
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 he broke them and got
away again, and then he cut his own flesh
with sharp stones, so his body was covered
with wounds and blood. It was dreadful
to see him and to hear his cries.
No doctor could have made this man
THE WILD MAN. 217
well. But there was one person in the
world who could do everything, — Jesus, the
? Son of God, was then living in the world.
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 worshipped Him. Then Jesus
said, ' Come out of the man, thou unclean
spirit!' The man answered, ' What have
I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the
Most High God ? Art Thou come hither tc
torment us before the time ? '
It was the devils in the man who made
him speak, for they made the man do all
they pleased. These devils did not like to
be sent out of the man, and they begged
Jesus not to send them quite away, but to
let them go into a great herd of pigs that
were feeding among the hills close by ; and
Jesus said, ' Go/
As soon as the devils were in those poor
pigs, a very strange thing happened. The
pigs no longer fed quietly on the grass,
as they had done before, but they all ran
violently down a steep hill into the lake
which was at the bottom. And they were
L
118 THE WILD MAtf.
choked in the deep water arid died. In
a few minutes two thousand pigs were de-
stroyed.
There were some people who were paid to
look after the pigs. When they saw that the
poor beasts were all drowned, they were very
much frightened, and ran into the town,
and told their masters 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 was 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 weie they frightened ? Ought they
not to have been pleased ? A man is worth
more in God's sight than all the beasts in
THK WILD MAN.
119
the world, because he has a soul, which
beasts have not.
The foolish people begged Jesus to leave
them. They were too sorry at having lost
their pigs, and were afraid of losing other
beasts. Was it not very selfish to care more
for losing their pigs than for that poor man
being made well ? 0 yes — it was very sel-
fish and very wicked.
Jesus would not stay with them, as they
did not want Him. He had come over the
water in a ship, and He got into a ship to
go away.
But before He went — there wras 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 every-
body in the town how Jesus had made him
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.
120 THE WILD MAN.
Would you like to be with Jesus? If
you were to see Him, would you do as the
poor man did ? Would you wish to follow
Jesus, or would you beg Jesus to go away ?
Ask the Lord Jesus now to come into your
heart : say, i Come, Lord Jesus/
This history may be found in Matt, viii,
28, to the end ; Mark, v, 1-20 ; Luke, viii,
26-40.
THE GIDDY LAMB.
' A giddy lamb, one afternoon,
Strayed from its gentle brothers.
The tender shepherd missed it soon,
Though he had many others.
It grieved him that a little one
He used to love and cherish
Should wander helpless and alone
In desert wilds to perish.
So night and day he went his way
In sorrow, till he found it ;
And when he saw it fainting lie,
He clasped his arms around it :
And, closely sheltered in his breast,
From every ill to save it,
He brought it to his home of rest,
And pitied and forgave it.
1HE WILD MAN. 121
Just so the Saviour will receive
The little ones that fear Him ;
Their pains remove, their sins forgive,
And draw them gently near Him, —
Bless while they live, and when they die,
And soul and body sever,
He'll bring them to His home on high,
To dwell with Him for ever.'
Falloon's Collection of Hymns,
THE DYING SAINT.
' 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 thee,
And washed thee from sin :
With care I have brought thee
;»iy fold to be in :
Refreshed by still waters,
In green pastures fed,
Thy day is gone by —
I am making thy bed."'
Extract in ' The Twin Broth**.
122
xxn r.
THE CHILD WHO DIED AND
LIVED AGAIN.
One day a rich man came to Jesus, and fell
down at His feet, and begged Him to come
to his house. He said, 4 My little daughter
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. But I
do know her age — she was twelve years old.
The father thought, that if Jesus only put
His hands upon her He could make her well.
The Son of God was very kind to people
in trouble. He went with the father, and
He was followed by a great crowd. 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,
4 Your daughter is dead.' They told him
THE CHILD WHO DIED AND LIVED AGAIN. 123
it was now useless for Jesus to come. They
little knew what He could do ; but Jesus
said to the father, ' Do not be afraid, she
shall 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 a great noise and bustle in the
house ; there were men playing music, and
people weeping and crying out with loud
voices because the girl was dead.
When Jesus came into the room where
she was lying, He said to these people,
1 Why do you make this noise ? The girl is
not dead, she only sleeps/ Then they began
to laugh at Him, for they knew the child wa*>
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
124 THE CHILD WHO DIED AND LIVED AGAIN.
the room with Him when He went to the
bed and took hold of the girl's hand, and
said, ' Girl, 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 desired 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 everything. They did
not know that 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.
Some children at twelve years old begin
to think about their souls, and to say, 'What
would become of me if I were to die ?' Then
gome begin *o pray and to say, 'Merciful
THE CHILD WHO DIET) AND LIVED AGAIN. 125
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, ' Honour thy father and thy
mother.'
You can read the history of the daughter
of Jairus in your Bible, in Mark, v, 23, 24,
and 35, to end ; Luke, viii, 41, 42, and 49, to
end.
• The sun that lights the world shall fade,
The stars shall pass away;
But T, a child immortal made,
Shall wifjoecs their decay.
For I can never, never die,
WTiile God Himself remains,
But either live in heaven high,
Or groan where darkness reigns.
If heaven and hell ne'er pass away,
To Christ, oh ! let me flee ;
If pain be hard for one short day.
What must for ever be ! '
FnJlnon'n Ctllrctinn
126
XXIV.
THE DANCING GIRL.
Once upon a time there was a little girl
who could dance very well. Her name was
Salome. Her parents were rich and great,
but they did not fear God, and they had
brought up their child in a 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 birth-
day, and this was the way in which he kept
the day.
While the lords were eating and drinking
and making merry, — in came a little girl.
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 child she was !
She ought to have been ashamed to dance
before all those gentlemen.
Her uncle Herod wished to reward heJ
THE DANCING GIRL.
127
for dancing, and he said, ' I will give you
anything you like.'
What should you think Salome would
wish to have ? Some children would have
asked for a doll, some for a new book, some
would have asked to drive out, some to visit
their cousins, and some would have asked
for a holiday. But you could never guess
what Salome asked for. She did not know
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, Herodiaa
128 THE DANCING GIRL.
hated this holy man very much, and she said
to her little girl, ' Ask the king to give you
the head of John the Baptist in a great dish.'
Oh, what a dreadful thing to ask for ! I
wonder the little girl could do it. It was
right of 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 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 whatever she asked, and I must do
it : if 1 do not, the lords sitting at the table
will laugh at me.' What a foolish man
Herod was ! We ought not to keep a pro-
mise to do a wicked thing. It is better that
voen should laugh at us, than that God
should be angry.
THE DANCING CTRL. 129
Herod immediately desired a man to go
and cut off the head of John the Baptist.
The man went with his sword and cut it
off.
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
driven to the cruel child. She carried the
dish to her mother. I do not know what
that wicked woman did with the 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.
What became of the body of John the
Baptist ? 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
If
130 THE DANCING GIRL.
of John. Jesus loved John very much,
and He will make liim happy for ever and
ever.
You may read this history in your Bible,
in Matt, xiv, 6-12 ; Mark, vi, 21-29.
THE VAIN GIKL.
4 She has chosen the world,
And its paltry crowd ;
She has chosen the world,
And an endless shroud ;
She has chosen the world,
With its misnamed pleasures ;
She has chosen the world,
Before heaven's own treasures.
Rev. Robert M'Cheyne.
THE HAPPY CHILD.
I was a wandering sheep,
I would not be controlled,
But now I love my Shepherd's voice,
I love — I love the fold !
I was a wayward child ;
I once preferred to roam ;
But now I love my Father's voice,
I love — I love His home.'
BONAR.
131
XXV.
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
b'ttle scholars singing thanks to God in
some sweet grace that they have learned.
This is a grace that I have heard children
sing: —
4 Be present at our table, Lord ;
Be here and everywhere adored ;
These creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in Paradise with Thee.'
What creatures ? Bread and milk ? Yes,
they are God's creatures, for God created
them. You are His living creatures. I
hope you may live with Him in heaven in
Paradise
132 THE SUrPER ON THE GRASS.
The Son of God, when He lived in this
world, fed a great many hungry people.
These people had come from a great way
off; they had left their cottages, and had
walked over the green hills. Many of the
mothers had brought their little children
with them. All day long the people had
been with Jesus. They liked to listen to
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 or shops there.
What could they do ? They had a great
way to go home, and the little children
would be very much 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 very kind. He pitied the
poor people. He said to one of His friends,
named Philip, 'Where shall we buy some
bread ?'
Philip was surprised that his Master
should talk of buying bread for so many
people, for there were more people than you
-C-^*--
THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS. 133
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 said to Him, * Send these
people into the villages near, that they may
buy some bread for themselves/
But Jesus said, 'No, they need not go
away. How many loaves have we ? 9
One of His friends, named Andrew, said,
1 We have only five loaves and two little
fishes, but they are not nearly enough for
60 many people.'
You know, dear children, how soon five
loaves are eaten up. A school of fifty child-
ren 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.
134 THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS.
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,
^nd gave a piece to each of His friends, and
a piece of the fishes. Then the twelve friends
went to the men sitting on the grass, and
gave some to each.
How much 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
everything.
The people could not eat all the bread.
There was more than enough ; a great deal
was left lying upon the grass.
"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 at this miracle.
That evening they talked a great deal about
Jesus, and said they felt sure that God had
^ent Him into the world.
THE SUPPER OR THE GRASS. 135
Do you not think those little children
roved 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? You
know that He died for you.
He is alive now. 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 gi\e bread to little
fatherless children.
But if you love Jesus you will try to
please Him. 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 arm, and carry them in His bosom : f
(Isa. xl, 11.)
You may read about the five loaves in
four parts of the Testament: Matt, xiv,
136 THE SUPPER ON THE GRASS.
15-21 ; Mark, vi, 35-44; Luke, ix, 12-1?
John, vi, 3-14.
* And is it true, as I am told,
That there are lambs within the fold
Of God's beloved Son ?
That Jesus Christ with tender care,
Will in His arms most gently bear
The helpless little one ?
Ob, yes! I've heard my mother say
He never sent a child away,
That scarce could speak or run ;
For when the parent's love besought
That He would touch the child she brought,
He blessed the little one.
And I, a little straying lamb,
May come to Jesus as I am,
Though goodness I have none ;
May now be folded in His breast,
As birds within the parent nest,
And be His little one !
And He can do all this for me,
Because in sorrow on the tree
He once for sinners hung ;
And having washed my sins away.
He now rejoices day by day,
To cleanse the little one
A. M. Hall
137
XXVI.
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.
1 1 have had a great many troubles : 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 little
family.'
My dear child, have you had any trou-
bles? I am sure you have had some.
Have you ever felt great pain? have you
lost a little baby-brother or sister? have
you got into disgrace ? have you been pun-
ished for your faults ?
There is one Friend to whom every one
may go in every trouble. It is Jesus, the
Son of God.
I will tell you how He helped some of His
disciples out of trouble when He lived in
this world.
138 CHRIST IN THE STORM.
One evening they went into a ship. Jesus
did not go with them ; He stayed where He
was, and spent the night all alone on the
top of a mountain, praying to His Father,
God.
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
distress, 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
CHRIST IN THE STORM. 139
spirit, who has no body. They were very
much frightened, and they cried out in
iheir 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 untc
Thee on the water/
Jesus said, ' Come/
So Peter 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 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
140 CHRIST IN THE STORM.
7ery 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 disci-
ples 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 Matt, xiv
22-33 ; Mark, vi, 45-52.
CHRIST IN THE STORM. 141
• A little ship was on the sea,
It was a pretty sight ;
It sailed along so pleasantly,
And all was calm and bright.
When lo ! a storm began to rise,
The wind grew loud and strong ;
It blew the clouds across the skies,
It blew the waves along.
And all but One were sore afraid
Of sinking in the deep :
His head was on a pillow laid,
And He was fast asleep.
" Master, we perish ! Master, save ! "
They cried — their Master heard:
He rose — rebuked the wind and wave,
And stilled them with a word.
He to the storm says, " Peace — be still,"
The raging billows cease ;
The mighty wind obeys His will,
And all are hushed to peace.
Oh 1 well we know it was the Lord,
Our Saviour and our Friend ;
Whose care of those who trust His word
Will never — never end.*
D. A. T.
142
XXVIL
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, there was a 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 He
cared for this poor 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
look for Him.
THE FHAY1NG MOTHER.
143
When the poor woman saw Jesus she
cried out, ' Have mercy on me, 0 Lord,
Thou Son of David, my daughter is griev-
ously 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 great-great-grand-
children. Jesus liked to hear people call
Him the Son of David, for it showed they
believed in the promise God made to
David.
What promise ?
That he should have a son who should
be a great king.
Jesus was this great king.
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 mercv.
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 ua/
144 THE PRAYING M0THEK.
But Jesus did not send her away, though
at first He seemed unkind, for He said, ' I
am only sent to 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, i It is not fit to take the bread from
the children, and to throw 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/
THE PRAYING MOTHER. 145
Was not that a meek 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 kept her waiting no longer. He
said to her, ' 0 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 ? ' 0 woman, great is thy faith ! '
Jesus had praised her. Why was He so
much pleased with her ? Because she
believed that He could do everything, and
that He loved her, and was ready to help
her.
Jesus likes us to believe that He is a?
146
THE PRAYING MOTH Kit.
kind as He is great. 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 ?
You may road this history of the pray-
ing mother in Matt, xv, 21-28 ; Mark, vii,
24-30.
1 Who are they whose little feet,
Pacing life's dark journey through,
Now have reached that heavenly seat
They have ever kept in view '
" I from Greenland's frozen land,"
* I from India's sultry plain,"
u I from Afric's barren sand,"
" I from islands of the main ! ■
** All our earthly journey past,
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!'
James Edmestcn
147
ijcvm.
CHRIST SHINING ON THE
MOUNTAIN.
Did you ever think how the Lord Jesus
looked when He was walking about this
world ? There is no picture of Him to be
seen, but we aie told in the Bible that He
looked 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 ha^ve taken Him for a poor man.
You could not have told by His look that He
was the Son of God.
But once He let His friends see a wonder
ful change in Him. He took three of Hi?
disciples to tho top of a mountain ; their
names were Peter, James, and John. When
Jesus wished to be in a quiet place, He otter;
went to a mountain, because it is not easy to
climb up high places, so that it is very seldom
Aat people come there.
TVTiy did Jesus wish to find a quiet place i
148 CHRIST SHINING ON THE MOUNTAIN.
Because He was going to pray to His Father
in heaven.
He spent the night on that mountain.
During the night He prayed. While He
was praying, the disciples saw a great
change in Him. In the midst of the dark-
ness they saw His face shine 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 who had lived upon the
earth a long while ago, and who had been
taken to heaven, and now they were come
down to talk to 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
CHRIST SHINING ON THE MOUNTAIN. 149
sorrowful thing that would soon happen —
about Jesus being nailed to the cross of
wood for our sins. How sweet it must be to
listen to heavenly men, and to hear them talk
to 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 tc
heaven. Then Peter said, l Lord, it is good
for us to be here : let us 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 and covered Jesus and those two bright
ones. The disciples were frightened at the
sight.
A voice came out of the cloud, saying,
1 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.
150 CHRIST SHINING ON THE MOUNTAIN.
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. 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
remained 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, but the bright cloud shone there no
longer. The disciples looked round about,
but they could not see the two heavenly
men ; there was no one but Jesus. They
tfere 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
CHRIST SHINING ON THE MOUNTAIN. 151
they had seen at the top ? They could not,
but Jesus said to them as they walked,
1 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 won-
derful 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. And if you
love Jesus you shall stay with Him for ever.
Oh, how happy you will be !
You may read the history of Christ on the
mountain in Matt, xvii, 1-9 ; Mark, ix,
2-10 ; Luke, ix, 28-36.
152 CHRIST SHINING ON THE MOUNTAIN
' 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, j oyf ul , j oy f ul !
Oh, that will be joyful,
When we meet to part no more!
Holy children will be there,
Who have sought the Lord by prayer,
From every Sunday-school.
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 w« meet to part no more.
153
XXlX.
THE MISERABLE BOY.
There is a wicked creature called Satan, or
the devil ; he has not a body, as you have,
but he can think — he thinks of doing wicked
things ; he hates God, and he hates every-
body ; he hates you, my little boy and my
little girl, — he would like to make you
unhappy : he is very unhappy himself, and
he tries to make us unhappy too. There
are a great many devils, and they help one
another to do harm.
I am now going to tell you of a poor
little boy who was made very wretched by
one of the devils. It seemed as if this boy
was mad. A wicked spirit was in him,
and tormented him. This spirit was deal
and dumb. Sometimes 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. Sometimes this poor
child would rush into the water to drown
154 THE MISERABLE BOY.
himself, and sometimes into the fire 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 father heard of Jesus
Christ, the Son of Grod, who came down from
heaven to save us from Satan and all the
devils. The father of the boy thought, '1
will take my dear son to Jesus, and ask Him
to cure him/
But when the father came to the place
where he expected to find Jesus, he did not
find Him ; he found only His disciples, —
and not all of them — only nine.
"Where was Jesus ? 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 hov
THE MISERABLE BOY. 155
and the disciples, and some wise men were
there, called scribes ; these scribes did not
love Jesus, and they were always glad when
the disciples could not do wonderful things.
No one knew how soon Jesus would come
back. He had gone away the day before,
and now it was morning. At last the people
saw Him coming, and they ran to meet
Him. Three of His disciples were with Him
— Peter, James, and John. How glad the
poor father must have been to see Jesus !
He fell on his knees and said, ' Lord, I pray
you, have mercy on my son, for he is my
only child.' And then he told Him all
about the boy.
Jesus said, ' Bring thy son here to Me/
But as the boy was coming, the devil
threw him on the ground, and there the
poor creature lay foaming 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
156 THE MISERABLE BOY.
canst do anything, have pity upon us and
help us/
If the fa her 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 if he believed.
What could the poor father say ? He did
believe 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 ! It was a good prayer he made
when he said to Jesus, ' Help Thou mine
unbelief/ It showed that he believed that
Jesus was 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 deaf spirit, I command thee come out of
him, and enter no more into him/
THE MISERABLE BOY. 157
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 much as
they ought, and so they did not believe as
much 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 sits
at His Father's right hand., and He hears
the prayers of men in this world. In all
158 THE MISERABLE BOY.
your troubles go to Him. Say, ■ Lord, help
mine unbelief.' He is very kind, and pities
people in distress.
Tou may read this history in Matt, xvii,
14-21 ; Mark, ix, 14-29 ; Luke, ix, 37-42.
' Jesus, Saviour, pity me !
Hear me when I cry to Thee !
I've a very naughty heart,
Full of sin in every part :
I can never make it good,
' Wash me, wash me in Thy blood.
Jesus, Saviour, pity me !
Hear me, when I cry to Thee.
Short has been my pilgrim way,
Yet I'm sinning every day:
Though I am so young and weak,
Lately taught to run and speak,
Yet in evil I am strong,
Far from Thee I've lived too long.
Jesus, Saviour, pity me !
Hear me when I cry to Thee.
Though I cannot cease from guilt,
Thou canst cleanse me, and Thou wilt,
Since Thy blood for sin was shed,
Crowned with thorns Thy blessed head ■
Thou, who loved and suffered so,
Ne'er wilt bid me from Thee go.
Jesus, Thou wilt pity me !
Save me when I cry to Thee.'
Dublin Farthing Hymn Book.
159
THE TWO SISTERS ; OR, MARTHA
AND MARY.
A long while ago there lived two women,
named Martha and Mary. They were sis-
ters, and they lived in a house in a pretty
village, on the side of a green hill. 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 good ministers
come sometimes to see your father. But
such a minister never came to your father's
house as came to Martha's house. He was
better than any minister — greater than any
king — more glorious than any angel — and
yet He was a very poor man. He had no
carriage to ride in ; He had no horse nor
even an ass ; He had no servants, and no
160 THE TWO SISTERS.
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 ip heaven. Sometimes He camo
into people's houses and rested Himself.
Kind people gave Him food to eat.
Martha used to beg Jesus to come into
her house, and Mary was very glad to see
Him enter.
When Jesus was come in, He began to
speak about Grod His Father, and about
heaven. Should you have liked to hear what
He said ? Mary 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.
Martha could easily have brought Him a
THE TWO SISTERS. 161
piece of bread or fish, ov a honeycomb, and
then she might have sat down with Mary
and listened to the Lord. But instead of
doing this, she was vexed 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, t Do you not care that my sister has
left me to do all the work alone? Will
you not tell her to help me V
Are not you sorry she said this ?
Mary did not answer, but Jesus did;
' Martha, Martha, you trouble yourself about
a great many things. There is only one
thing that we cannot do without, and Mary
has chosen that good thing, and it 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 le?ve them all,
162
THE TWO SISTERS.
for some day you must die. But if you
knew about God, and if He had forgiven
you all your sins, then when you died you
would be as happy as the angels, and sing
sweet hymns to a golden harp.
I wonder what Martha did after Jesus
ad 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
neaven now.
Do you like to hear the words of Jesus ?
You can read them in tiie New Testament ;
they are written down there, and they are
such sweet words. Is not this a sweet
verse, ' The Son of man is come to seek and
to save them which are lost ? ' And is not
this sweet, 'Him that cometh unto Me I
will in no wise cast out ? '
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 words, and some-
t imes you will pray to Him, and say, ' For-
give my sins, O blessed Jesus. Make me
good ; give me Thy Holy Spirit ; take me to
heaven when I die.'
THE TWO SISTERS. 163
You may read the history of Martha and
Mary in Luke, x, 38, to the end.
The words of Jesus to Martha .
1 Mary hath chosen that good part which
shall not be taken away from her.'
4 Suffer me to come to Jesus .
Parents dear, forbid me not ;
By His blood from hell He frees us,
Makes us fair without a spot.
Suffer me to run unto Him ;
Gentle sisters, come with me :
Oh, that all I love but knew Him !
Then my heaven a home 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 !
Rev. Robert M'Cheyxe.
164
XXXI.
THE CRIPPLE.
Sometimes, as we walk along, we meet a
man with only one eye, or one arm, or one
leg, or who has a hump-back. How ought
we to feel when we see them ? We ought
to pity them ; we ought to think to our-
selves, 'How painful it must be to limp
along, instead of walking easily V Then
we ought to thank God for His kindness to
us 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
TTIE CRIPPLE. 16o
up to look at Him, but He saw her. I
wonder how she got to the synagogue.
Perhaps she lived very near, or perhaps her
friends helped her to come, or perhaps she
crept along by herself.
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,
1 Woman, thou art loosed from thy infirmity. f
What was her infirmity ? It was being
bent double. 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 !
166 THE CRIPPLjfi.
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 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 said to the people, ' Do not
come here on the Sabbath-day to be made
well, but come on one of the six week-
THE CRIPPLE. 167
days.' But the people had not come to the
synagogue only to be made well, they had
come to be taught.
Jesus Himself answered the wicked man ;
He called him by a dreadful name — ' Hypo-
crite ! ' 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 the hypocrite?
He said, ' Does not every one here loose his
ox or his ass from the stall on the Sabbath-
day, and lead him to drink water ? And
ought not this woman, whom the devil has
bound eighteen years, to be loosed on the
Sabbath-day?' What could the hypocrite
answer to this question ? No one could
answer it. It was plain that if an ass ought
to be kindly treated on the Sabbath, 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
168 THE CRIPPLE.
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 cross ; 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, you should love God for making
you so. You can show your love to Him
by being very kind and gentle to all who
are lame, and weak, and sick, and sad. Per-
haps you can do something to comfort them,
though you cannot heal them as Jesus did.
You will find the history of this poor
woman in Luke, xiii, 10-17.
4 Jesus is our Shepherd, wiping every tear ;
Folded in His bosom, what have we to fear ?
Only let us follow whither He doth lead,
To the thirsty desert, or the dewy mead.
THE CRIPPLE. 169
Jesus is our Shepherd ; well we know His voic&;
How its gentlest whisper makes our heart rejoice I
Even when it chideth, tender is its tone;
None but He shall guide us ; we are His alone.
Jesus is our Shepherd ; for the sheep He bled ;
Every lamb is sprinkled with the blood He shed:
Then on each He setteth His own secret sign, —
M They that have My Spirit, these," saith He, u are
Mine."
H. Stowell.
' 1 heard the voice of Jesus say,
" Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast."
I came to Jesus as I was —
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.'
Bonar.
170
XXXI l.
THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERUSALEM.
A long while ago there was a blind beggar
in Jerusalem. Eta 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. He saw this blind beggar,
and He told His friends that He would
cure him.
You will be surprised to 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 man7s eves. You would
have thought that by this way his eyes
would be made worse.
Then Jesus told the beggar to go and
wash in a pool, or pond, a little way off.
THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERUSALEM. 171
The beggar went and washed, for he
could find his way about Jerusalem, as he
had lived there a long while. Whea he
had washed he found he could see.
Everybody was very much surprised to see
him walking along the streets with his eyes
open. Some people wondered whether it
was the same man who once sat and begged.
Other 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 the same man/
Then the people said, 'How were your
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.
Though Jesus was so very good, yet
many people in Jerusalem did not love Him.
They hated Him because He told them of
172 THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERUSALEM.
their sins; so they were very angry with
the blind man for saying that Jesus had
cured him. They said to him, ' It was not
Jesus who made you see, it was God — praise
Him ; Jesus is 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
^vas ill-treated, and He went to him. Jesus
could easily find him, for He is God, and
sees everybody by day and by night. I do
not know where the poor man was when
Jesus found Him — whether he was in the
house, or in the street, or in the temple
When the man saw Jesus, he did not
know who He was, for he had never se?n
Him before. But he had heard His voice
and perhaps he knew that voice again.
THE BUND BEGGAF OF JERUSALEM. 173
Jesus said to him, ' Do you believe on the
Son of God?'
The man answered, 'Who is He, Lord,
that I might believe on Him ?'
Then said Jesus, 'You have seen Him,
and He is now talking with you.'
Then the man said, 'Lord, I believe/
and he worshipped Him.
1 do not know what happened afterward?
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
Josus, 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 ? '
If you believe in Jesus, then you love
Him, and you will try to please 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
174 THE BLIND BEGOAR OF JERUSALEM.
chapter of the Gospel according to St.
John.
1 Jesus, who lives beyond 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 would have listened to a child.
But such a cruel death He died —
He was hung up and crucified !
And those kind hands that did such good,
They nailed 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 ;
So out of pity Jesus said,
He'd bear the punishment instead.
Jane TATLOBt
175
xxxni.
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 ?
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 to be great. A little
child does not wish to be great; it likes
better to be with its own mother than to
go in a carriage with the Queen.
Jesus showed this little child to the men
who wished to be great. He set him in
176 LITTLE CHILDREN.
the midst of them, and said, l Except you
become as little children, you shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven. If any
one shall humble himself as this little
child, he is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven.'
You see that Jesus loves humble, meek,
gentle people, who are like lambs and
doves. 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 have liked to see those
mothers, with their little darlings in their
arms, coming to Jesus ?
When they came, those men were there
who once disputed who should be the
greatest. I mean the disciples ; they were
good men, but not nearly as good as Jesus
was. They did not like to see the mothers
bringing little children in their arms; they
LITTLE CHILDREN. 177
thought the children would be troublesome,
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,
and He said to the disciples, ■ Let the little
children come to Me : do not tell them to go
away ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven/
Then He took the dear little creatures in
His arms, put Hi& hands upon them, and
blessed them.
Every good mother wishes to bring her
little children to Jesus. She cannot carry
them in her arms now, as those mothers
did ; but she can talk to them about Jesus,
and teach them to fold their little hands in
prayer ; and she can go and pray to Jesua
for them.
Here is a hymn that a fond mother wrote
on purpose for her own child : —
178 LJTTLK CHILDREN.
When children came the Saviour nigh,
And those around forbade them,
" Forbid them not, " was His reply,
And on his breast He laid them :
He took them in His arms of love,
With sacred kiss He press'd them,
And to His Father's throne above,
His prayer ascending, bless'd them.
• And thou, my darling cherub child,
While fondly I caress thee,
I pray that, as on them he smil'd,
His smile of love may bless thee ;
And when by thine ascending wing
This world shall be forsaken,
Thy spirit may to Jesus spring,
And to His breast be taken.'
Christian Melodies,
Another time Jesus was pleased by hear-
ing some children praising Him. Jesus
was in that beautiful house called the
Temple, when these children came in. They
saw the wonderful things He did; they
saw Him make blind people see, and lame
people walk, and they cried out, ' Hosannah
to the Son of David ! * This was a prayer.
The word ' Hosannah ' means, 'Save, Lord,
we beseech Thee/ The children called
LITTLE CHILDREN. 179
Jesus the Son of David. David was a
great king. But Jesus 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 ? l Those words are in the
eighth psalm of David. It is a dreadful
thing to hear a child use wicked words,
but it is very sweet to hear him praise God
— it makes one think of the angels in
heaven.
You may read about Christ and the
children in Matt xix, 13-15; xxi, 15, 16,
Mark, ix, 33-37; x, 13-16. Luke, xviii,
15-17.
' " The Master has come over Jordan,"
Said Hannah the mother one day ;
" He is healing the people who throng Him,
With a touch of His finger, they say ;
180 LITTLE CHILDREN.
And now I shall carry the children,
Little Bachel, and Samuel, and John,
I shall carry the baby, Esther,
For the Lord to look upon."
So over the hills of Judah,
Along by the vine-rows green,
With Esther asleep on her bosom,
And Eachel her brothers between ;
'Mong the people who hung on His teaching.
Or waited His touch and His word,
Through the row of proud Pharisees listening,
She press'd to the feet of the Lord.
11 Now why shouldst thou hinder the Master,'
Said Peter, " with children like these?
See how, from the morning till evening,
He teacheth and healeth disease."
Then Christ said, " Forbid not the children ;
Permit them to come unto Me ; "
And He took in His arms little Esther,
And Rachel He set on His knee ;
And the heavy heart of the mother
"Was lifted all earth care above,
As He laid His hands on the brothers,
And bless'd them with tenderest love.'
Julia Gill,
181
XXXIV.
THE TEN SICK MEN.
It is very common to meet sick people ii)
the streets, but did you ever see ten sick
people 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 white sores breaking out, and
whose flesh is beginning 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 !
I 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
ihey were glad to keep company with each
other. They were not allowed to walk in
182 THE TEN SICK MEW.
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 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. They knew He was Jesus.
The ten lepers had heard of Jesus, and
when they saw Him passing by they called
out very loud, ' Jesus, Master, have mercy
on us ! ' They did not dare to come near
Him, but they hoped He would hear their
voices.
And He did hear them, and said, ' Go,
show yourselves to the priests.' 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 be*
fore they walked again about the streets.
So when these lepers heard Jesus tell them
THE TEN SICK MEN.
183
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 were now the same brown colour
they had been before. When 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.
AYhen he came to Jesus he fell down at
His feet with his face to the ground, and
thanked Him. Then Jesus said, ' Did not
1 cure ten lepers, but where are the nine f
Only one has returned to praise God/
184 THE TEN SICK MEN.
Now Jesus knew that this man who had
come back was not a Jew. He was a stran-
ger, or a foreigner, and he came from a land
where the people knew very little about God,
yet he loved God better than the other lepers
did. He was a Samaritan.
Is there a boy reading this book who was
once in trouble ? Did God get you out of
trouble ? Did you thank God ? God knows
your name. If you do not thank Him, He
says, i 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, xvii,
11-19.
THE TEN SICK MEN. 185
• 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,
&nd Him would be praising
With saints evermore.'
Writer unknown
A CHILD'S THANKSGIVING.
1 1 prayed to God — He heard my prayer,
And made a little child His care ;
When I was sick He heal'd my pain,
And gave me health and strength again.
Oh, let me now His grace implore,
And love and praise Him evermore.'
Writer unknown.
186
XXXV.
THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERICHO.
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 won-
ders, and he felt 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
THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERICHO. 187
out very loud, ' Have mercy on me, 0 Lord ! \
He did not cry out 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 by that way again — so he cried
out more than ever, ' Lord, 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 ft 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
say, * Be of good comfort ; rise, He calletfc
thee.'
He got up very quickly, and went to Jesus
for now the people made room for him.
B
188 THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERICHO.
No one now was rude to the poor beggar,
for Jesus had called for him.
And what did Jesus say to him P
He asked him this question, 'What do
you wish Me to do for you?'
The man replied, 'Lord, that I may
received 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 your
father or mother ? But there is something
which Jeeois could do for you, that would
make you happy for ever. What is it ? Do
THE BLIND BEGGAR OF JERICHO. 189
you know ? If He were to say, ' What do
you wish Me to do for you ? ' — what would
you answer ? Would you say, ■ Forgive
me my sins, and give me Thy Holy Spirit V
My dear child, do make this little prayer
every day. Jesus would hear you. He
would be much pleased to hear you praying
to Him, because He loves you, and He once
died upon the cross that you 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.
Read Mark, x, 46 to end ; and also Luke,
iviii, 35 to end.
4 The blind man in his darkness.
Beside the highway sat ;
He heard the trampling footstep*
Throng to the city gate.
They told him, Christ of NazaretL
That hour was passing by ;
And, " Jesus, have Thou mercy!"
Was then the blind man's cry/
Neal*.
190
XXXVL
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.
More than eighteen hundred years ago,
the King of kings was walking about this
world. It is true, He did not go in a grand
carriage drawn by fine horses, — no, He was
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
THE MAN IN THE TREE. 191
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 into a
tree called a sycamore tree, which is a high
tree with strong branches and large leaves.
There he waited till the King passed by.
He thought he should see Him well from
this high place.
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 up, but stopped and
spoke. He said, 'Zaccheus, make haste
and come down, for to-day I must stay 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
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 honour to
192 THE MAN IN THE TREE.
receive such a visitor beneath his roof, and,
indeed, it was the greatest honour he could
have ; even an angel would think it a great
honour to have a visit from the Son of God.
Why did He choose to come to the house
of Zaccheus ? Because He had determined
to make Zaccheus happy for ever. 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 dis-
honesty. 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, i Why does He go into the house
of a wicked person V
But the people who said that did not know
that Jesus came into the world to save sin-
ners. 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, I give half of my goods to
the poor, and I will give back to those people
THE MAN IN THE TREE. 193
from whom I have taken too much four times
what I have taken/
"Was not this right of Zaccheus ?
Everybody whom he had cheated might
come to him and say, 'You took from me
one penny, or twopence, 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 : i This day is sal-
vation come to this house, forsomuch 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 was 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
194 THE MAN IN THE TREE
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 would repeat the 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,
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.
You may find the history of Zaccheus in
Luke, xix, 1-10.
A CHILD'S PEAYER.
Oh, sweet Shepherd, gently lead me,
Lest I fall, or go astray :
With the oread of Heaven feed me,
That I faint not hy the way.'
Winter unknoum
195
xxxvn.
CHRIST IN THE GARDEN.
When the Lord Jesus lived in this world
He used often to go into a garden full of
large trees.
When He sat in the garden His disciples
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 friends were with Him except one,
and that one was Judas : he was gone away
from Jesus. But there were eleven men
still with their Lord, and they loved Him
very much. They knew that He was very
unhappy that evening, and they were un-
happy too.
What made Jesus sad ? It was this : men
had sinned, and done very wickedly, and they
deserved to be punished, for God must punish
196 CHRIST IN THE GARDEN.
sin ; but Jesus had come into the world to
die for their sins. Oh, was not this kind
of Jesus Christ, to die for sinners i.uch as
you and I ? And was it not kind of 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 P
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.
When the Lord was at the garden-gate
He said to His friends, * Sit here, while I go
and pray a little way off.' He took three of
His friends with Him, but He left eight 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
jaid to Peter, James, and John, ' My soul is
exceeding ^rrowful, even unto death ; stay
CHRIST IN THE GARDEN. 197
here and watch/ 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 : ' 0 My
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. 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 in 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 much tired, and very
unhappy. He was not angry, but He said
to them gently, ' Could ye not watch with
198 CHRIST IN THE GARDEN.
Me one hour V 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 been 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.
What a sad sight the angel saw when he
came down and found Jesus in the garden !
The Son of God was in such grep,t sorrow,
that the blood came through his skin while
He prayed, and it fell on the ground in great
drops. Oh, what pain the blessed Savioui
must have felt ! It was for us, and not foi
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 cams back the third time to His friends
CHRIST IN THE GARDEN. 199
Were the} 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, and let us go.' He
told them that the people who hated Him
were coming.
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 with his Master, and he knew
where to find Him. The Lord let the wicked
people take hold of Him.
Oh, what a loving Saviour Jesus was ! 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 Matt, xxvi,
36-47; Mark, xiv, 32-43; Luke, xiii,
39-47 ; John, xviii, 1-4. '
TJIE LOST SHEEP.
There wore ninety-and-nine that saielv I&t
In the shelter of the fold ;
And one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold ;
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender Shepherd's care.
Lord, Thou hast here the ninety-and-nine,
Are these not enough for Thee ?
But the Shepherd made answer ■ This of Mine
Has wandered away from Me :
And, although the roads be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find My sheep.'
Bat none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark the night that the Lord passed tbrousrfr
Ere He found the sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard its cry,
Sick, and helpless, and ready to die.
Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way
That mark out the mountain track ? '
'They were shed for one who had gone astray
Ere the Shepherd could bring him back.'
'Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?'
' They were pierced to-night by many a thorn.'
And all through the mountains, thunder riven
And up from the rocky steep,
There arose a cry to the gates of heaven,
'Rejoice, I have found My sheep!'
And the angels echoed around the throne,
B>ejoice. for the Lord brings back His own I *
Little Sov%r(
201
XXXVIIL
THE MAN WHO SAT BY THE FIRE
IN THE HALL.
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, ■ I will go to prison
with you. I will die with you.' Then
Jesus said to Peter, ' Will you do so ? No;
this night you will say three times over
that you do not know Me ; you will say so
three times before the cock has crowed
twice.'
Jesus was God, and 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 not know how
much naughtiness there was in his heart.
202 THE MAN WHO SAT BY THE FIRE.
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, ' Are you not one of
the disciples of Jesus ? ' 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 afterwards Peter left the hall,
and went out in the porch. Then the cock
crew. Did Peter remember what Jesus had
said ? No, he did not ; he took no notice of
the crowing of the cock.
While he was in the porcb s man said to
him, ' You are one of the disciples of
THE MAN WHO SAT BY THE FIRE. 203
Jesus.' Peter answered, ' Man, I am
not ! ' and not content with saying this,
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, ' You
are one of this man's disciples/ Then he
began to curse and 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
towards 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 be-
gan to weep very bitterly. He thought
over all that had happened — how kind his
Master had been to him, and how ungrate-
fully he had behaved. Could he ever for-
get that look which Jesus had cast upon
him ? "What sort of look do you think it
was — an angry look, or a sorrowful look?
204 THE MAN WHO SAT BY THE FIRE.
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 lay only three days in His grave. One
morning, 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, 'Do you love Me P*
And Peter said, 'Yes, Lord, you know I
do/ Jesus asked him three times 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 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 to love
your father or your mother, but it is more
wicked still not to love Jesus,
THE MAN WHO SAT BY THE FIRE. 205
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. Did you ever cry be-
cause 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 pain in your head ? Was
it because a boy had taken away your things ?
Was it because your father was angry with
you? Was it because you were disap-
pointed of a treat ? I dare say you have
cried for all these reasons.
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, ' 0 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, xxvi, 69 to end ; Mark, xiv, 66 to
end ; Luke, xxii, 54-62 ; John, xviii, 15-27.
206
XXXIX.
THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF.
I am going to tell you the history of a very
wicked man named Judas. 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. But
though Judas was so wicked, the Son ot
God chose him to be one of the twelve men
who lived with Him. Are you not sur-
prised to bear 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 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 him-
self. Judas was a thief, but he was not
THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF. 207
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 sell it and give 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 ointment
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
208 THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF.
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 go ?
To some 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
supper with His twelve disciples. Judas
was there. Jesus told His disciples that
He should soon die. All the disciples, ex-
cept Judas, were very sorry to hear Him
say this. Then Jesus said, i One of you will
betray Me.' What did He mean? He
meant that one of His disciples would show
THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF. 209
the wicked people where He went at night.
Then each of the disciples said, 'Is it I ?*
And at last Judas said, ' Is it I ? \ Then
Jesus said that it was.
Soon afterwards Jesus said to Judas, 'Do
quickly what you are 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 people. 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 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 garden, and prayed to His Father.
He was very unhappy. At last He came
back to His disciples.
Just at that moment a number of men
were seen with lamps \d their hands
210 THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF.
Judas showed 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, why are you 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.
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 of Jesus to die for sin-
ners such as you and me ! Ought we not
to love Him ?
When Judas heard that the wicked men
THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF. 211
had said that Jesus must be killed, he was
very sorry. He did not like to keep the
thirty pieces of silver. He felt he had be-
haved 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, 'I have done very wrong; Jesus is
good, and I have 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
prayed, 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. 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-
212 THE MAN WHO HANGED HIMSELF.
mented in hell for ever and ever. It would
have been good for Judas if he had never
been born. Had his parents known when
he was a little baby what a wicked man he
would grow up, oh, how sorry they would
have teen!
I hope your parents will never be sorry
that you were born. I hope that you your
self 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-
Pray to God to forgive you all your sins,
and to make you like an angel.
You will find part of Judas's history in
Matt, xxvi, 47-50 ; xxvii, 1-10.
213
XL.
THE JUDGE,
Have you ever 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 ; so they brought Him
to the judge early one morning.
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.
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 wicked men were more angry,
214 THE JUDGE.
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 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,
'Which shall I release, Jesus or Barabbas ?'
Now this Barabbas was a robber and a
murderer. The people answered, * Barab-
bas/ It was the rich and great men who
had persuaded the people to ask for Barab-
bas. 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 the sick, and blind, and lame ;
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
THE JUDGE. 215
this way, and he said, * What shall I do
to 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 judgment- seat
his wife sent a message to him. It 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 when the people
went on crying out, ' Crucify Him ! crucify
Him ! ' he was afraid to say, ' No/ lest
they should be angry with him. But if
Pilate had done right, God would have
taken care of him, and made him happy
for ever.
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 clean from the blood of Jesus.
216 THE JUDGE.
But could water wash his heart clean from
wickedness P
Then Pilate gave Jesus up to be cru-
cified, and he let Barabbas go out of
prison. How wicked it was of Pilate to
do so ! He knew better : he knew he was
doing wrong.
Before Jesus was crucified He was
scourged ; that is, His back was beaten
with hard ropes full of knots. 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 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 put 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 then knelt down to Him, and
THE JUDGE. 217
said, * flail, King of the Jews!' How
dreadful it must have been to hear the
laughter of those soldiers ! But they did
more than laugh ; they were so wicked as
to beat Him on His head, and to spit in
His face.
Pilate sa w Jesus, and He showed Him to
the people once more. Jesus came out of
the great house where the soldiers had been
tormenting Him, dressed in His purple
clothes, with His crown of thorns on His
head. Pilate said to the people, ' Behold
your King ! 9 But did the sight melt their
hard hearts ? Oh, no ; they still cried out,
4 Crucify Him ! crucify Him ! ' Then Pilate
gave Him up to be crucified.
You may read part of the history of
Pontius Pilate in Matt, xxvii, 11-31 ; John,
six, J -7.
4 Little children, praise the Saviour;
He regards you from above ;
Praise Him for His great salvation.
Praise Him for His precious love?
Sweet hosannas
To the name of Jesus sing.
218
There is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified
Who died to save us all.
We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains He had to bear ;
But we believe it was for us,
He hung and suffered there.
He died that we might be forgiven,
He died to ma&e us good,
That we might go at last to heavea,
Saved by His precious blood.
There was no other good enough,
To pay the price of sin,
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven, and let us in.
O dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him too.
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.
219
XLI.
CHRIST ON THE CROSS.
When a great prince 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 shocked at
the sight !
I am going to tell you of a much sadder
sight than this.
There 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 forehead 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
220 CHRIST ON THE CROSS.
a great piece of wood on His back, and He
was dragging it along, but 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 desired him
to help to carry the wood.
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 rough word does that poor man
say to all the wicked people who are laugh-
CHRIST ON THE CROSS.
221
ing at Him. Do you not think Ho must be
good?
At last the soldiers come to a place out-
side the town; they lay the wood on the
ground; it is a very great 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 feet, and so they fasten
Him to the wood : then they take hold of
the cross and lift it up, and thrust it into
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
eay, ■ Why does He not come down from
the cross ? for He said He was the Son of
God.'
222
CHRIST ON 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, for we are
wicked. But the Son of God never did
anything wrong.
What is He saying upon the cross?
This is what He says : ' Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do/
How kind to pray for the people who were
killing Him !
The soldiers do not pity Him. What
are they doing with those clothes? 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.
Oh, foolish soldiers ! that poor man whom
you laigh at could give you better clothes
than those — clothes that would never wear
uut. All the people who love the Son of
CHRIST ON THE CROSO. 223
God shall live with Him, and wear white
and beautiful clothes.
At last it is twelve o'clock in the day ; 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 branch,
and lifts it up to the mouth of Jesus — it
touches His dry lips — then a voice is heard
again, saying, ' It is finished V that means,
it is all done.
Once more a loud voice is heard. It
is Jesus praying to His Father to take
His soul, and then He bows His head and
dies.
Then the earth shakes, and great cracks
224 CHRIST ON THE CROSS.
are seen in the hard rocks, and the wicked
people are very much afraid.
Then it becomes light, and every one can
see the dead body of Jesus hanging on the
cross.
His pain is over; His sorrow is gone;
He is happy now, and He will be happy for
ever. His body is put into the ground, but
it soon rises out of the tomb, and goes up to
God the Father.
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,
1 Jesus, save me ! '
Would you read about the death of Jesus ?
Look at Matt, xxvii, 31-54; Mark, xv,
20-39 ; Luke, xxiii, 26-48 ; John, xix,
16-30.
CHRIST ON THB CROSS. 226
• 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 heals all 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 rest my soul on Jesus —
This weary soul of mine ;
His right hand me embraces,
I on His breast recline.
I love the name of Jesus —
Immanuel — Christ — the Lord I
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 child.
226 CHRIST OS THE CROSS.
I long to be with Jesus,
Amid the heavenly throng,
To sing with saints His praises.
To learu the augels' song.'
BONAR.
A LITTLE CHILD'S PRAYER,
' Jesus, tender Saviour,
Hast Thou died for me •
Make me very thankful
In my heart to Thee.
When the sad, sad story
Of Thy grief I read,
Make me very sorry
For my sin indeed.
Now I know Thou livest,
And dost plead for me,
Make me very thankful
In my prayers to Thee.
Soon I hope in glory
At Thy side to stand ;
Make me fit to meet Thee
In that happy land.'
F. P.
227
XUL
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
norse, or dashed to pieces by a fall. Some
people are put to death ; they are accused of
having murdered one of their fellow-crea-
tures, and are hanged up by the neck till
they die. Which of all these ways of
dying is most dreadful ? Is it not the last ?
It is dreadful to be put to death on account
of crimes we have done.
Sometimes good people are put to death.
"Wicked people accuse them, and the judge
believes the accusers, and orders them to be
executed.
The Son of God once became a man.
Wicked men hated Him, accused Him, and
killed Him !
D
228 THE DYING THIEF.
The body of Jesus hung upon the cross,
and the nails tore the tender flesh of His
hands and feet. 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 laugh-
ing; they heard them reading what was
written over the cross, ' This is the King
of the Jews ; ' and they heard them say,
1 If He be the Son of God, let Him come
down from the cross ; ' and they heard Jesus
sweetly say, ' Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do ! f
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 Jesus to save him.
THE DYING THIEF. 229
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 the other thief hear.
He said, ' Do you not fear God now that
you are condemned to die ? We deserve to
die, but this man hath 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 to him, or whether he
gave him any answer.
The thief who was sorry for his sins then
spoke to Jesus. This was his prayer :
1 Lord, remember me when Thou comest
into Thy kingdom/ The dying thief be-
lieved that Jesus was a King, and that He
would one day sit upon a throne.
Did Jesus grant the poor thief's prayer f
230 THE DYING THIEF.
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 a happy place.
That very day the poor thief was to be there
with Jesus.
What a happy thing it was for that poor
thief that his cross was placed so near the
cross of Jesus ! 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 the 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,
THE DYING THTEF. 231
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 the sinner saved for ever ! It was
Jesus who had saved him. If Jesus had
not died upon the cross, that thief must
have been lost.* 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 tongue to pray.
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 wretched thing
to be a thief ; God has said, ' Thou shalt not
steal/ and all who go on stealing will be lost.
But if, when thieves 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
* Rev. xxi, 8.
232 THE DYING THIEF.
sinner is in great danger of being sent to
bell. God is very angry with, him for in-
tending 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 at last no time to repent.
The history of the dying thief is to be
found in Luke, xxiii, 32, 33, 39-43 ; John,
xix, 30-37.
4 Lo ! at noon 'tis sudden night,
Darkness covers all the sky !
Rocks are rending at the sight!
Children, can you tell me why t
What can all these wonders be f
Jesus dies at Calvary !
Nailed upon the cross, behold
How His tender limbs are torn I
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?
THE DYING THTEF. 233
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 deserv'd 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,
Lift your little hauds to pray :
u Blessed Jesus, pardon me,
Help a guilty infant," say ,
" Since it was for such as I
Thou didst condescend to die." '
Jane Taylor.
234
XLIII.
CHRIST IN THE TOMB.
You have heard that the Lord Jesus Christ
was nailed upon the cross till He died.
Do you know what was done with His
dead body ?
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 of Joseph not to be ashamed
to ask for the body. It was thought a
great disgrace to be crucified. Now, you
know, it is a disgrace to be hanged, because
it is murderers trho 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.
CHRIST IN THE TOMB. 235
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 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 friends 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. In the side of the rock there
was a great hole — or cave. Joseph had
236 CHRIST IN THE TOMB.
once ordered this cave to be made. And
why ? That he might be buried there him-
self 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 Grod 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 body of our beloved Saviour was laid in
the tomb.
That night His friends shed many bitter
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? Because 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
CHRIST IN THE TOMB.
237
all was over, and His spirit was with His
Father in heaven, and His wounded body
was resting for a little while in a sweet
tomb, soon to rise again.
It is a blessed thing for us that Jesus lay
in that tomb. We need not be afraid to be
put in the ground, as Jesus Himself was
buried. Is the grave dark ? The love of
Jesus makes it light. Is the grave cold?
The love of Jesus makes it warm. Is the
grave loathsome ? The love of Jesus makes
it sweet. Is the grave hard ? The love of
Jesus makes it soft. The grave is a bed foi
the bodies of God's children. They shall not
always lie there. As Jesus rose, so shall they
rise, and when they rise they shall be like
Him — beautiful, glorious, holy, and happy.
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
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240
XLIV.
THE WOMAN WEEPING AT THE
TOMB.
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 very kind to her. Once seven
devils tormented her ; Jesus delivered her
out of her trouble, and sent the devils
away. Ever afterwards 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 beau-
tiful 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 put it on her dear Lord's body.
One morning she came very early to the
WIE WOMAN WEEPING AT THE TOMB. 241
grave with her ointment, and some other
women 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 matter.
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 looked in ; Peter soon came
there, too, and he went into it ; then John
went in too. They saw the linen in which
Jesus had been wrapped neatly rolled 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
x
242 THE WOMAN WEEPING AT THE TOMB.
they have left them as Peter and John found
them ? 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, crying very much.
Soon she stooped down and looked in. And
what did she see ? 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 angels? I
think she did not know that they were
angels, for she was crying very much, and
people 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/
THE WOMAN WEEPING AT THE TOMB. 243
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, 'Woman, why
weepest thou?'
She answered, 'Sir, if thou hast carried
Him away, tell me 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 her name. She answered
Him by one word — ' Master ! '
Who can teil vrhat joy she felt at that
moment? She wanted to keep her Lord,
and not to let Him ever go a~yay. But He
said He must soon go up to His Father in
heaven. Then He sent a message to all
His dear friends, and called them His
brothers. This was the message : ' I go up
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
244 THE WOMAN WEEPING AT THE TOMB.
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. Should you
like to hear His voice calling out Mary, or
John, ,or whatever your name may be ?
Speak to Him now; say, 'Lord Jesus,
save me.'
The history of Mary Magdalene i« to be
found in Luke, viii, 2 ; John, xx, 1-18.
! Mary to the Saviour's tomb
Hasted at the early dawn ;
Spice she brought, and sweet perfume,
But the Lord she loved had gone.
For a while she lingering stood,
Fill'd with sorrow and surprise ;
Trembling, while a crystal flood
Issued from her weeping eyes.
But her sorrows quickly fled
When she heard His welcome voice:
Christ had risen from the dead,
Now He bids her heart rejoice.'
American.
245
XLV.
THE HAPPY MORNING.
Three women, with jars in their hands,
went very quickly along, as if they wished
neither to be heard nor seen. 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 other, 'Who will
roll away the great stone that was put
before the tomb ? ' You see they were
going to a tomb. They had lost some dear
friend, who was buried in a graye. It must
have been a different sort of grave from
those in our churchyards, because the
grave* there are filled up with earth, but
this grave had a great stone put bofore
it.
What did these women carry in their
hands ? Some jars full of very sweet-
anielling ointment and spices. That sweet
stuff is for the dead body.
246 THE HAPPY MORNING.
Let us watch to see where these women
go. It is not to a churchyard, but to a
garden. Did you ever see a tomb in a
garden? In England the dead are not
buried in gardens ; but this grave was in a
country a great way off. In 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 roiled
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
THE HAPPY MORNING. 247
good and beautiful creatures who live with
God in heaven. The women were verj
much afraid when they saw him. But he
spoke kindly to them ; he said, * Do not be
afraid ; you are seeking for 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,
because He was good. 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, 'You shall see Him.,
Oh, what a promise this was ! How they
did long to see Jesus again J
248
THE HAPFY MORNING.
They ran quickly from the tomb ; they
were very happy, yet very much afraid :
they trembled as they went, but they ran as
fast as ever they could, and never stopped to
speak to anybody 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 wa&
bleeding, and His hands and feet were
pierced with great nails, and His forehead
torn with cruel thorns; but now He was
quite happy ; He would suffer no more, noi
weep any more.
When He saw the women, He said, ' Re-
joice 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 wor-
shipped 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
brothers that they shall see Me/
THE HAPPY MORNING. 249
Jesus could not stay with the women ; He
wanted to see His brothers. 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?
Should you like to be His little sister ? If
you love Him, He reckons you among His
brothers and sisters, and He will take you
to His Father's house, to be with Him for
ever.
This history is written in Matt, xxviii,
1-10; Mark, xvi, 1-8.
THE GRAVE.
* Sweet spices they brought
On their star-lighted way,
And came to the grave
By the dawning of day.
44 But who will the stone
From the sepulchre roll !"
They said, as the tears
From their weeping eyes stole.
The- stone is removed
And the Saviour is gone :
Oh, hail, ye disciples,
This bright Sabbath morn-'
American.
250
XLVL
THE HAPPY EVENING.
Dii> you ever spend a happy evening?
But what is a happy evening? No one
can bfl happy who is not wishing and try-
ing tu 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 sick and
going to die, they are happy, because they
know they are going to heaven, that happy
place.
I am going now to tell you of some
people who loved 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
'. vNV
THE HAPPY EVENING. 251
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 did wish to see Him ! All in a
moment — Jesus stood 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 differ-
ence to Him, for Jesus is God, and can do
all things.
Jesus spoke to His friends ; these were
His words, g 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
252
THE HAPPY EVENING.
sees into people's hearts, and knows all
they think. So He told them not to be
afraid. ' Look at My hands and My feet/
He said ; ' see, it is I Myself. A spirit has
not flesh and bones as I 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, very much. They
knew He had died to save them from going
THE HAPPY EVENING. 253
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, l Have you any food
here ? ' He meant to eat something before
His friends, to show them He was a real
man, and not a ghost or a spirit.
There was a little food in the room ; it
was the sort of food that poor people gene-
rally ate in that country — a piece of broiled
fish and a piece of honeycomb. Jesus began
to eat this food while all His 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 ; for He
breathed on them, and said, i Receive ye the
Holy Ghost/
How wonderful this was ! His breath was
not like our breath. With this breath He
gave them the Holy Spirit of God to make
them wise and good.
Where is Jesus now ? He did not stay
254 THE HAPPY EVENING.
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 hears you when you sp^ak to Him. Do
you ever think when y^u are at play,
' Jesus sees me now ; I will not grieve
Him by my words ? 9 He knows your
thoughts. When He comes again, I hope
He will call you by your name, and say,
' Come, come to Me, My child.' He will
say to some people, i Go away ! ' How
dreadful that will be !
You will find this history in Luke, xxiv,
35-43 ; John, xx, 19-23.
THE HAPPY EVENING. 255
THE DYING YOUTH TO HIS SISTER.
' Sister ! I 'm weary now ;
Nay, do not, do not weep ;
Oh, wipe the death-damp from my brow,
And let me go to sleep.
There's music ringing in my ear,
It calls my soul away ;
It bids me join that angel- choir.
Sister ! I cannot stay.
Sister ! I see them now,
Bedecked in robes of white,
A glittering crown is on each brow,
It hath no stain nor blight.
How sweet they strike their golden hams,
While heaven's high arches ri7ig,
They need no sun nor starry lamps,
" Jesus, our light," they sing.
Sister ! they bid me come,
I cannot longer stay ;
Oh, join me in bhat blissful homs.
Where tears are wiped away.
Now gently lay my dying head
Upon thy faithful breast,
Bright angels bend around my bed ;
Sister ! I go to rest.'
Children's Friend
256
XLVII.
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 sitting 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.
Jesus had been nailed to a cross, and
killed, and buried. He had come out of
His grave ; and the marks of the nails
might be seen on His hands and feet.
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 to Him. About what did Jesus
speak? About His Father and about
CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN. 257
heaven. He told 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 fron
heaven to be with them.
Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God
He comes down and fills the hearts or
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. It was just six weeks since He
had been crucified, when He took this
walk.
Jesus took His friends by His favourite
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, Ha
258 CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN.
lifted up His hands to bless them. In a
moment He was gone — a cloud took Him
up. His friends looked up, 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 dressed in white. No 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 said, ' Why do you stand
looking up towards heaven ? Jesus shall
come again in the same way that you have
seen Him go into heaven.'
Has Jesus come again ? Not yet ; but
He will come. Those angels would not
have deceived us ; 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.
CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN. 259
The angels will seize them, and shut them
up with Satan.
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 sky ? They could not stay
with the angels, they went back to Jeru-
salem.
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
260 CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN.
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 P Because He
comforts people when they are in trouble.
When we are unhappy we like to be com-
forted. If a little child falls down and
hurts itself, it runs crying to its mother;
it wants to be comforted. And oh, how
tenderly a mother comforts her little dar-
ling ! She takes it on her knee and kisses
it, and says, € Tell mother what is the mat-
ter. Has it hurt its dear little hand P' And
then she kisses the hand — the child leaves
off crying, and leans its head upon its mother's
bosom.
But no mother can comfort 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, xxiv, 50 to end*
Acts, i, 1-12.
CHRIST GOING UP TO HEAVEN. 261
JESUS DIED FOR ME.
• I love to sing of that great Power
That made the earth and sea;
But better still I love the song
Of " Jesus died for me."
I love to sing of shrub and flower.
Of field, and plant, and tree :
My sweetest note for ever is,
That " Jesus died for me."
I love to hear the little birds
Attune their notes with glee ;
But larks and linnets never heard
That " Jesus died for me."
I love to think of angels' songs,
From sin and sorrow free ;
But angels cannot strike their notet
To " Jesus died for me."
I love to know the time shall come
When man shall happy be ;
But I am happy now, because
My " Jesus died for me."
And when I reach that happy place.
From all temptation free,
I'll swell the everlasting choir
With " Jesus died for me "•
262
XLVHL
THE HOLT 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 said to them,
c Go, and tell good news to every creature.'
What good news ? That Jesus had died
fco save sinners.
But how could the apostles tel] this good
THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING DOWN. 263
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 Ger-
man. The apostles did not know all the
languages ; they knew only their own lan-
guage, which was the Jewish language ;
but Jesus could make them know every
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 are 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 under-
stand, 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.
264 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING DOWN,
After Jesus was gone up into heaven the
twelve apostles lived in a city called Jerusa-
lem, in a large room upstairs. 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 together 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
flames of fire in the shape of tongues. They
came and sat upon all the people in the
room.
Immediately those people were filled with
the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in
different languages which they had never
learned.
THE HOLY SPYHIT COMING DOWN. 265
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 upstairs, 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
1 These men are drunk.' I suppose they
did not understand the strange languages,
and thought the apostles were talking non-
sense.
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 ureached
266 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING DOWN.
after Jesus had gone up to heaven. The
crowd listened to it very attentively.
What was it about ?
It was about Jesus.
Peter told the crowd that the man who
had been nailed to the cross a little 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, many 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 remem-
bered how they had laughed at Him as He
was dying, and how meekly He had borne
all their jeers. No wonder they were un-
uappy now.
Three thousand people came to the
THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING DOWN. 267
apostles and said, g What shall we do ? '
Then Peter said, * Repent.' He told them
Jesus would forgive them, and he said he
would baptize them, or wash them in water,
as a sign that Jesus had washed away their
sins with His blood, and that God would
give them the Holy Spirit.
How happy the men were to think thaf
Jesus would forgive all their wickedness !
What a comfort that was !
You may read this history in Acts, ii.
COME.
* There's a voice that sweetly calleth,
Little children, come away,
While your life is bright and sunnr,
In the morning of your day.
Come to Jesus ; He will fold you
Closely to His tender breast,
In the hour of danger hold you,
Give you happiness and rest.
When at night you shut your eyelids
Tightly o'er the sleepy eyes,
An gel- watchers round your pillow
He will send you from the skies.
Whon the night of pain and sickness,
Or the clouds of death draw near,
He will save your heart from sadness,
And your parting soul from fear.'
268
XLIX.
THE TWO LIAES.
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 darkness. But he comes here and
teaches people to tell lies, even children.
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 the lie.
Now I am going to tell you of two liars
who lived a long while after Jesus was gone
up to heaven. 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.
It w^s this.
■ ■ ■ '
THE TWO LIARS. 269
They had a piece of land, and they sold
it for some money ; then they said to each
other, ' Let us take some of the money and
give it to a good minister called Peter, and
tell him to give it the poor/
Was not this very good of them ? Yes,
it seems good ; but now hear what they
meant to say.
1 Let us make Peter think that we have
given all the money we got for the land to
the poor/
You know this was not true.
They wanted to seem very good and gene-
rous, but they did not like to part with all
their money : so they made up their minds
to tell this untruth. 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 has Satan
filled your heart to tell this lie ? You need
not have sold the land ; you need not have
given away the money. You have lied unto
God/
270 THE TVVU LIAKS.
As soon as Ananias heard these words he
dropped down dead.
Every one who heard of his death was
very much afraid, for they knew he had been
struck dead by God for telling a lie. Some
young men came and wrapped 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 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 said this, 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/
Immediately 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.
THE TWO LIARS. 271
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 all who wish to leave off
telling lies. The reason why He is so ready
to pardon is, because He is kind and merci-
ful, 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 not a lake of water, but a lake of fire.
Satan, the father of lies, will be cast into it,
and all his children. These are the words
of God : ' All liars shall have their part in
the lake which burneth with fire and brim-
stone.' (Rev. xxi, 8.)
You can read about those two liars,
Ananias and Sapphira, in Acts, v, 1—11.
272 THE TWO LIARS.
GOD HATES SIN.
1 Have we not known, nor heard, nor read
How God abhors deceit and wrong?
How Ananias was struck dead,
Caught with a lie upon his tongue?
So did his wife Sapphira die,
When she came in and grew so bold
Ab to confirm the wicked lie
That just before her husband told.
The Lord delights in them that speak
The words of truth ; but every liar
Must have his portion in the lake
That burns with brimstone and with fire.'
Dr. Watts.
GOD FORGIVES SIN.
' Here's a message of love
Come down from above,
To invite little children to Heaven ;
In God's blessed book
Poor sinners may look,
And see how all sin is forgiven.
And then when they die
He takes them on high,
To be with Him in Heaven above;
For so kind is His heart,
That He never will part
From a child that has tasted His love/
Dublin Farthing Hymn-Book.
273
L.
THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT.
After Jesus was gone up into heaven,
there lived a good man named Philip. An
angel once spoke to him, and told him to
go into a desert place.
Why did the angel desire Philip to go to
a desert ? You will soon see the reason.
When Philip 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 up to that chariot/
So Philip went close up to it. There was
a very dark man, almost black, sitting in
the chariot, reading out aloud. The car-
riage went so slowly and so softly over the
sand that Philip could hear what the man
was reading.
Philip listened, and he heard the words,
' He was led as a lamb to the slaughter :
and like a lamb dumb before his shearer,
so He opened not His mouth.
274 THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT
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, ' Under-
standest thou what thou readest?' The
rich man answered, ' How can I understand
except some one explain it to me P '
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 car-
riage, the rich man said to him, ' I do not
know who is spoken of in the verse I have
been reading. Who is the lamb led to the
slaughter ?'
Then Philip told the rich man who that
meek lamb was. How many little English
children know who that lamb was ! Jesus
was the Lamb of God who was nailed to
the cross for our sins, and like a lamb,
when the shearer is shearing him, so He
THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT. 275
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 believed in Jesus were baptized,
or washed in water, as a sign that their
sins were washed away in the blood of
Christ.
TVTien 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 little 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.
276 THE MAN IN THE CHARTOT.
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 in 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 un-
happy. Now he could understand the
Bible ; now he believed in Jesus ; now he
was baptized in His name, and he was a
true Christian. He knew that Jesus loved
him, and would take him to live with Him
for ever. 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 worshipped
idols. But soon the people turned from
idols to serve the living and true God.
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 ? Perhaps you learned some little verse
THE MAN IN THE CHARIOT. 277
a long while ago about Christ that you will
never forget.
If you want to find the verse about the
lamb, look for Isa. liii, 7. If you want to
read more about this rich man, look for
Acts, viii, 26 to the end.
THE LOVING SAVIOUR.
* How loving is Jesus
Who came from the sky,
In tenderest pity
For sinners to die !
His hands and His feet were nail'd to the tree,
And all this He suffer'd for you and for me.
How gladly does Jesus
Free pardon impart,
To all who receive Him
By faith in their heart !
No evil befalls them, their home is above,
And Jesus throws round tnem the arms of His lova.
Oh, give, then, to Jesus
Your earliest days;
They only are blessed
Who walk in His ways;
In life and in death He will still be your friend,
For wnom Jesus loves, He loves to the end.'
WrxUr unknown.
278
LI.
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
never seen Jesus, he had only heard of
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.
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 bright ; when sud-
THE MAX WHO SAW THE GREAT TIGHT. 279
denly 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 — they also fell to the ground
While they were all lying on their faces
very much frightened, 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 SauJ had
A A
280 THE MAN WHO SAW THE GREAT LIGHT
been trying to hurt good people, he had
only been hurting himself. He had beer,
like a child kicking against spikes, who
hurts his own little feet, and makes 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 light
had put out his eyes.
The other men were not blind, and they
led him by the hand into Damascus, and
took him to a lodging in a street called
Straight Street. There he stayed very un^
happy, thinking of his sins, and of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Soon 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, i Brother Saul, receive
THE MAN WHO SAW THE GREAT LIGHT. 281
thy sight/ Immediately 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 that 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 com-
manded ? Oh, yes ; he spent the rest of his
days in preaching about Jesus.
He did not preach to the Jews only, but
he went to far countries, where people
worshipped idols, and he told them of the
true God, and of His Son Jesus Christ
And multitudes of people turned unto the
Lord.
Wicked people hurt h>m, as hp had once
hurt good people. Once they threw great
stones at him, till he seemed to be dead,
and eight times they beat him in a cruel
282 THE MAN WHO SAW THE GREAT LIGHT.
manner. Often they put him in prison, and
at last they cut off his head.
Saul is now called Paul. He had twc
names. When he was alive some people
called him Saul, and some called him
Paul. Now he is dead, everybody calls
him Paul. He wrote a great many beau-
tiful letters, and they 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
the chief/ (1 Tim. i, 15.)
You will find the history of Paul seeing
the light in Acts, ix, 1-22 ; xxii, 1-21 ;
xxvi, 1-20.
THE STRAY LAMB.
Opon a rugged mountain.
Whose top was while with snow:
And over which the storm-clouds hung
Very black and low,
A little lamb had wander'd.
And knew not wher« to go.
THE MAN WHO SAW THE GREAT LIGHT. 283
The ground was hard and stony,
And hurt its tender feet ;
The grass was very scanty,
And scarcely fit to eat.
Nor was there any water
That tasted good and sweet.
The shepherd heard its bleating.
And pitied its distress !
He could not bear to leave it
In all its loneliness ;
And so he went to find it,
And thus its woes redress.
But. oh ! would you believe it?
The little foolish thing
Refus'd the kindly succour
The shepherd came to bring,
And to that dreary mountain
Perversely chose to cling.
The shepherd would have carried it
Rejoicing to his fold ;
He would have fed it daily,
And have shelter d it from cold;
He would have kept it safely
From lions fierce and bold.
How strange to be unwilling
With such a friend to go !
And yet, dear little children,
Have you not acted so ?
When Christ has gently call'd you,
irour heart has answer'd " No."
284 THE MAN WHO SAW THE GREAT LIGHT.
He left His throne of glory
To seek such lambs as you ;
For that you far had wandeiM,
From Him the Saviour knew :
And, oh ! He long'd to save you.
And make you happy too.
Then do not grieve that Saviour,
Nor from Him turn away ;
Why should you any longer
In sin or folly stray ?
Let the Good Shepherd bring you
Within His fold to-day.
How full of joy and gladness,
The little lambs are there !
No foe can ever harm them
While in their Saviour's care ;
And Jesus gently leads them,
In pastures green and fair.'
Early Lays.
285
LU.
THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN
BEFOIIE HE DIED.
When the Son of God lived down in this
world He had many friends. His dearest
friend was called John; John was a poor
fisherman, but he left his boat and hid
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 died, He took supper with twelve of His
friends. It was the custom in that country
for people to lie down at supper to rest
themselves. John lay down next to Jesus,
and leaned 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
286 THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN.
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
Mary, the mother of Jesus. Jesus loved
His mother ; He looked at her and then at
John, and He said to her, ' Behold thy
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.
John saw his Lord die upon the cross
that day at three o'clock, and he saw the
soldiers come to see whether He 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 water as well as
blood.
THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN. 287
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. Jesus died to take away
our sins.
John was very unhappy when Jesus wa^
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.
Peter ran with him. John got to the grave
first, and looked in. When Peter got there
he went in. After Peter had gone in, John
went in too, and he saw the white linen
clothes that had been wrapped round Jesus
lying in the grave. Then John believed
chat his Lord was really alive.
That very evening John saw his dear
Lord again. How much pleased He was to
see Him all at once standing in the room !
He saw Him again another day by the
waterside.
Another day he walked with Him up a
high hill ; he heard Him pray, and sud-
288 THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN.
denly he saw a cloud come and take Him
up into heaven. John could not go up in
the cloud with Him ; he stayed down in this
world and told everybody about Jesus, and
about 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 John was sent
to a place called Patmos. It was a piece
of land with 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 punishment.
One day (it was Sunday) 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,
THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN. 289
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 said in a book ; and
John did write it, and you may read what
Jesus said to him.
Afterwards John saw the angels in hea-
ven, and saw people 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 heavem
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 creatures
whom God made.
Jesus spoke again to John, and told him
that He would open the gates of heaven tc
let in people who do His commandments.
Those are the people who are washed 'n
the blood of the Lamb.
290
THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN.
But Jesus will not open the gates to
those who do not believe — nor to those who
tell lies. ' All liars shall have their part
in the lake which burnetii 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? Ask
Jesus to wash away your sins in His blood ;
He has forgiven a great many sinners, and I
know He will forgive you. There are many
now singing glory in heaven unto Him that
loved them, and washed them from their
sins in His own blood. (Rev. i, 5.)
THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN 291
THE ANGELS.
• I want to be an angel,
And with the angels stand,
A crown upon my forehead,
A harp within my hand ;
There right before my Savioui,
So glorious and so bright,
I 'd wake the sweetest music,
And praise Him day and night.
I never should be weary,
Nor ever shed a tear,
Nor ever koow a sorrow,
Nor ever feel a fear ;
But blessed, pure, and holy,
I'd dwell in Jesus' sight,
And with ten thousand thousands,
Praise Him both day and night.
I know I'm weak and sinful.
But Jesus will forgive ;
For many little children
Have gone to heaven to live-
Dear Saviour, when I languish,
And lay me down to die,
Oh, send a shining angel,
To bear me to the sky.'
Writer vnknotrn.
292 THE MAN WHO SAW HEAVEN.
A LITTLE SISTER'S DREAM
• I bad a dream, my brother dear.
Whilst fast asleep iast night •
I thought I was in heaven's courts.
And rob'd in spotless white :
A crown of gold was on my head,
A palm was in my hand,
And I had join'd the multitude
Who tread that happy land.
I saw the shining throng of saints,
The elders, twpnty-four,
Who round about the Saviour's throne
Their ceaseless praises pour.
And when I woke, mysejf to find
A pilgrim still below,
I thought how happy we should be
If you and I could go.
For ever to that happy land,
Where sorrow is not known ;
Where only they who do His will
Can go, and they alone.'
H. Wells, in 4 Early Days
293
QUESTIONS ON THE CHAPTERS,
Who made the world ?
Where does God live 1
Are all angels good 1
What are wicked angels called ?
How did God make the world ?
What shape is the world 1
How did God make man's body ?
How did God make man's soul ]
What did God call the first man 1
How did God make the woman ?
Why cannot dogs think about God 1
May children speak to God 1
II.
When do children begin to do wrong ?
How do some children try to hide their
naughtiness ?
BB
294 QUESTIONS ON
Where did Adam and Eve live ?
Who did not like to see Adam and Eve happy?
Why is the devil called the old serpent]
What did Adam and Eve do when they heard
God's voice in the garden %
What excuse did Adam make 1
What excuse did Eve make %
What did God do to the serpent t
How did God show His love to Adam and
Eve*
III.
Who committed the first murder ?
What made Abel love God ]
Why was Cain angry 1
What did God say to Cain 1
Did Cain mind what God said ]
What did Cain do to Abel one day]
Why did Cain think he could hide his sin ?
What did God ask Cain ?
What lie did Cain tell 1
What punishment did God give Cain 1
How will God punish liars and murderers 1
Who was the first man who went to heaven 1
THE CHAPTERS. 295
IV.
How many years is it since the world was
drowned ?
What sort of people lived in the world
then ?
What did God tell Noah to do 1
How many rooms were there in the ark ?
Who were to go into the ark 1
Who shut the door of the ark]
How long did it rain 1
How did Noah know when the world was dry *
What did God promise Noah ?
What beautiful sign did God give him ?
What will happen to the world soma
day?
Who will be saved then ?
V.
What did God say to the people of Israel *
What were the Israelites afraid of?
What did the people beg Moses to do for
them?
296 QUESTIONS ON
Where did Moses go 1
What did Moses bring down 1
Who minded all God's laws ?
Why was the Son of God punished 1
For whose sake must we ask God to forgive
us?
flow many laws are there 1
VI.
What does God do for us whilst we sleep ?
Who makes bread 1
Who makes corn ?
Why did God once send the Israelites no
rain1?
What good man lived in Israel then ?
How did God feed Elijah ?
What wonderful thing happened to Elijah at
last]
Why is God kind to sinners 1
What promise has God made for the time of
famine ?
THE CHAPTERS. 297
YK
What did a great king once set up 1
What did he command every one to do when
they heard the music ?
Who refused to bow down 1
How did the king punish them 1
What happened to the soldiers 1
Who walked with the Jews in the fire ?
What did the king call out to the Jews 1
How did the king say he would punish people
who spoke against the God of the Jews 1
VIII.
Why was a good man shut up with lions ?
What sly plan did the lords make 1
Did Daniel leave off praying 1
Who told the king they had seen him pray 1
Could the king change his law ?
How did the king comfort Daniel 1
Could Daniel get out of the den 1
What did the king say in the morning 1
What was done to the wicked lords ]
298 QUESTIONS on
Who goes about like a lion?
Who can keep him from hurting us ?
IX.
Who saw a bright angel ?
What was the angel's name ¥
What did Gabriel say to Mary ?
What was to be her baby's name ?
Why would God send His Son ?
Did Mary believe what Gabriel told her?
Where was the baby born 1
What was the baby's cradle ?
Did the people in the inn know who the baby
was]
How can you be blessed like Mary 1
What does Jesus call people who try to please
Him?
X.
What wonderful thing happened to some shep-
herds one night 1
What did the angel tell them ?
When the angel had done speaking, what did
the shepherds see and hear 1
THE CHAPTERS. 299
What did the shepherds do 1
Where did the shepherds find the baby?
Will the shepherds see him again ?
Who fetches the souls of children who love
Jesus]
XI.
What was the name of Mary's husband 1
How old was her baby when Mary took him
to Jerusalem 1
Why did Mary take her baby to the Temple ?
Who came into the Temple 1
What had God promised Simeon 1
What did Simeon say ^hen he had seen the
babel
What did Simeon call the babe 1
Who was Anna ?
How old was she ]
Did any one hear Anna praise God ?
When may we see the Son of God 1
XII.
What made the wise men come to Jerusalem \
Who wqs king at Jerusalem 1
300 QUESTIONS ON
What did the wise men wish to find oat ?
Who told the wise men to go to Bethlehem ?
What did the wise men do when they saw the
babe?
Why did they not go back to Jerusalem ?
Why did Herod kill the babies ?
Where did God desire Joseph to go with Mary
and her babe ?
Who is the king of the Jews ?
XIII.
What sort of boy was the Lord Jesus ?
Who was His father?
Where did Jesus go when He was twelve years
old?
What did Joseph and Mary do when they
could not find Jesus?
Where did they find Him at last ?
What did they say to Him ?
What did Jesus answer ?
How can you be like Jesus ?
THE CHAPTttK*. 301
XIV.
Where did John preach?
What did John say to the people t
What did John do to the people who were
sorry for their sins?
What wonderful thing happened when Jesus
was baptized]
Who is like a dove ?
What would make you happy ?
XV.
Who teaches people to be wicked ?
What sort of hearts have we got 1
Could Satan make Jesus wicked 1
Where did Jesus spend forty days ?
Did Satan know Jesus was hungry 1
What did he ask Him to do 1
Why did Satan take Jesus to the top of a
very high place ?
What did Jesus see when He was on the
mountain ?
What did Satan promise to do, if Jesus would
worship him ?
302 QUESTIONS ON
Who came to the Lord Jesus when Satan was
£one ?
XVI.
When John saw Jesus, what did he call Him 1
How is Jesus like a lamb 1
Who told Simon about Jesus ?
What new name did Jesus give him ?
What does Peter mean ?
How can you be like Peter ?
XVII.
What promise did Nathaniel and Philip find
in the Bible ?
Which of them found Jesus first 1
What did Jesus say when He saw Nathaniel
coming 1
Where did Jesus say Nathaniel had been ?
What made Nathaniel sure that Jesus is the
Son of God ]
XVIII.
What did the traveller ask the woman to give
Him]
THE CHAPTERS. 303
Why did she refuse 1
What did the woman ask the traveller to give
her?
What did she do when she found out who He
was?
What makes people happy J
What must you pray for 1
XIX.
Who was a friend of the fishermen t
Why did Jesus get into the ship 1
Who were with Him in the ship ?
What miracle did Jesus do for the fishermen 1
What prayer did Simon Peter make ?
What promise did Jesus give him ?
XX.
What did Jesus say to the poor widow ?
What did He say to the young man 1
Why did Jesus die ?
WTio will judge the dead ?
304 QUESTIONS OIVJ
XXI.
What sort- of people loved Jesus 1
What sort of people did not love Him ?
How did the poor woman show her love 1
Why did not Simon love Jesus 1
What did Jesus say to the poor woman ?
XXII.
Who made a poor man miserable ?
What did Jesus say to the devils 1
What did the devils ask Jesus ?
What did the foolish people ask Jesus ?
What did the poor man ask Jesus ?
What may you ask Jesus 1
XXIII.
Why did Jairus beg Jesus to come to his
house 1
What bad news did Jairus hear on the way?
Which of the disciples went into the house
with Jesus ?
Why did the people laugh at what Jesus said ?
THE CHAPTERS. 305
What did Jesus say to the girl ?
What will Jesus say one day to all the dead 1
XXIY.
What was the name of Salome's uncle 1
How did Salome please him 1
What was the name of Salome's mother 1
What did Herodias tell Salome to ask for ?
Why did Herod grant this wicked request 1
What became of John's body ?
XXV.
How many people did Jesus feed ?
Had the disciples any food with them ?
Was there food enough for all ]
What does Jesus call childreD who love Him ]
XXYL
Who is the best friend we can have when we
are in trouble 1
Did Jesus go with His disciples in the boat ?
What did they ***e in the night 1
30 G QUESTIONS ON
Why were they frightened ?
What did Peter wish to do 1
What is trusting in God called ]
What happened when Jesus got into a ship ?
XXVII.
What did a poor mother call Jesus 1
What was the promise God made to David ?
How did Jesus treat the poor woman at first ?
Why did He keep her waiting?
What sweet answer did she make to Him ]
When did her daughter get well ?
What words would the happy mother never
forget t
XXVIII.
Who went up the mountain with Jesus ?
What two men did they see with Jesus %
What did the men talk about with Jesus 1
What did Peter wish to do 1
What did the voice from Heaven say ?
When might the disciples tell what they had
seen ?
THE CHAPTEKS. 307
XXIX.
Who had asked the nine disciples for help
while Jesus was away]
Could they help him ?
When the poor father saw Jesus coming, what
did he do ?
Was he quite sure Jesus could help him ?
What right prayer did he make ?
How did Jesus cast out the devil 1
Why could not the disciples cast him out ?
XXX.
Where did Martha and Mary live 1
What visitor came one day to see them 1
What did Martha do when He came 1
Where did Mary like to sit 1
How did Jesus answer Martha when she com-
plained ?
If you love Jesus, what will you do t
308 QUESTIONS ON
XXXI.
How ought we to feel when we see cripples ?
Where did Jesus see a poor cripple 'I
What did He say to her 1
What did she do when she was cured ?
Who was angry with Jesus for working this
great miracle 1
What name did Jesus call him 1
XXXII.
How did Jesus cure a blind beggar in Jeru-
salem ]
What did the beggar tell people who asked
him about his being cured?
How did the wicked men behave to this poor
beggar now he was cured 1
When Jesus found him, what question did He
ask him I
What will be sure to make us happy 1
THE CHAPTERS. 3^9
XXXIII.
How did Jesus treat children when He was
on earth ]
Why did Jesus once take a child in His
arras] ■
When mothers brought children to Jesus,
what did the disciples tell them to do ]
What did Jesus say about the little chil-
dren ]
How did children once please Jesus in the
Temple ]
Who did not like to hear their sweet voices ]
What words of David did Jesus repeat to
these wicked men]
XXXIV.
What is a leper ]
Why were there ten lepers together f
What did they call out to Jesus 1
What did Jesus tell them to do ]
When were they cured ?
What did the lepers do when they found tliey
were cured ?
< <
310 QUESTIONS ON
How many thanked Jesus 1
Of what nation was the thankful leper ?
XXXV.
vtThat did a blind man hear as he sat by tii^
roadside 1
What did he cry out 1
Why did he go on crying out, when at first
Jesus did not listen to him 1
What question did Jesus ask him 1
What was his answer 1
Did Jesus hear his prayer, and cure him9
How ought we to pray 1
XXXVI.
Who climbed into a sycomore tree when Jesus
was passing ?
Why did Zaccheus climb up into the tree \
What did Jesus say to him as He looked up
at him in the tree ?
What was Zaccheus's business ?
How did Zaccheus show he was sorry foi
having cheated people ?
THE CHAPTERS. 3.11
What sweet words of comfort did Jesus say to
nim ?
XXXVII.
Where did Jesus often go with FTis disciples 1
The last time He went, which of His disciples
did not go with Him 1
Why was Jesus sad ]
Which of the disciples did He take with Him
into the garden ?
What prayer did Jesus make ?
What did He mean by the cup 1
How often did Jesus go alone to pray 1
Who came to comfort Him ?
WTiat sad sight did the angel behold 1
What were the three disciples doing ?
Who showed the wicked men the way into the
garden ?
XXXVIII.
When Peter heard how Jesus was going to
suffer, what did he think he could do 1
What did Jesus say he would do ?
Why did Peter deny Jesus ?
What was it made Peter sorry for his sin 1
312 QUESTIONS ON
After Jesus rose from the grave, what ques-
tion did He ask Peter three tunes ]
When ought we to feel very unhappy 1
XXXIX.
Did Jesus know how wicked Judas was ?
Did the other disciples know it I
Why was Judas angry when Mary poured the
ointment on Jesus' feet I
What promise did Judas make to the wicked
men ]
How much did they agree to give him 1
Was Judas at the last supper ?
What did Jesus say to him just before he left
the room ?
How did Judas show the wicked men which
xas Jesus ?
What did Judas do with the silver ]
How did Judas die ?
XL.
What was the name of the ,udge before
whom Jesus was brought]
THZ :Ha?TZ7.5 SIS
How did Pilate tzy to sstc Jeans from tLe
wicked ment
Who sent a message to Mate to beg him
uot to hurt Him!
Why did Pilate wash his hands!
What was done to Jesus before lie was
crucified]
How did the soldiers treat Him 1
YT T
What o'clock was it when Jesos was nailed on
the cross I
What prayer did He make to His Father 1
What did the soldiers do with His dothest
"''■'\.\: :v;:.: ~:zi-7 ':.:■,'. yi-ii :-r. :~-.t-
o'clock!
How long did Jesos hang on the crass t
What did the soldier give Him to diink when
He was thirsty 1
What happened when Jesos died!
314 QUESTIONS ON
XLII.
Who were crucified with J esus ?
What was the difference between the two
thieves ]
How did one of the thieves show he was
sorry ]
What sweet promise did Jesus make him 1
What did the soldiers do to the thieves ?
XLIII.
Who asked for the body of Jesus ?
Who went with Joseph ?
Where did they put the body of the Lord ?
Why could not Jesus' body corrupt or turn
to dust ?
Why need not we be afraid to lie in the
grave ?
When did Jesus rise again I
XLIV.
Who came early to the grave 1
What did Mary see 1
THE CHAPTERS. 315
What was Mary afraid had happened 1
What two men came to the grave \
Who got there first •
Who went in first ri
What did they see ?
What did Mary see 1
What did Mary say to the stranger?
How did she find out who He was 1
Who saw Jesus first after He had risen ?
XLV.
When did three women come to the garden 1
What surprised them very much ?
What did they find in the tomb 1
What did the angel promise them ]
Whom did they meet 1
What did Jesus say to them 1
XLVL
How did Jesus surprise the disciples ?
WTiat did He say to them ]
How did they know it was really Jesus who
spoke to them 1
316 QUESTIONS ON
What did He do to make them see II o was
really alive again %
XLVII.
To what mountain did Jesus go with II is dis
ciples 1
What happened on the mountain 1
Who comforted the disciples 1
What did the angels promise them 1
Whom did Jesus send them 1
Who will be glad to see Jesus when He comes
again %
XLVIII.
What is the best news in the world ?
Who is the Holy Spirit ?
What did the Father do for the world ?
What did the Son do %
What does the Holy Spirit do ?
What wonderful thing did the Holy Spirit
make the disciples do %
What did some wicked men say about this ?
Who preached the first sermon after Jesus
went to Heaven 1
How many people repented 1
THE CHAPTERS. 317
XL1X.
Who is the father of lies 7
What lie did Ananias and Sapphira tell i
Why did they teU it ?
What happened to Ananias ?
How soon did Sapphira die too 1
Where will liars go ?
L.
Where did the angel tell Philip to go?
Whom did Philip see there 1
What was the man in the chariot reading ?
What question did the rich man ask Philip ?
How did Philip answer him 1
What did Philip du to the rich man ?
How did the rich man feel as he returned
to his own country 1
LI.
Why did Saul go to Damascus 1
What happened on the way ?
What did the Lord tell him to do 1
318 QUESTIONS ON THE CHAPTERS.
Who came to Saul ?
How did Saul speud the rest of his iife ?
What is Saul called now r(
LIL
How did John show his love lo Jesus ]
How did Jesus show His love to John ]
What did John see done to Jesus' dead body
on the cross "?
Where did John go when he was old ?
What did he hear there %
What wonderful things did John see ri
To whom will Jesus open the gates of Heaven 1
Will Jesus come again to this world %
Mlorfcs bp tl)e game #utijoc
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