Stories on the Lord's prayer

UF00028192_00001.pdf

prepa tea eaee hs ob





The Baldwin Library









—s2 dba

STORIES ON THE LORD’S PRAYER.

tg pete

















STORIES

on

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

** Though earthly parents pass away,
Be Thou our everlasting stay ;
And for His sake the cross that bore,
Make us Thy children evermore.”

LONDON:
T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW;
EDINBURGH ; AND NEW YORK.

1875.













STORIES ON

THE LORD’S PRAYER.



CHAPTER I.
‘OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.”

HE regiment was under orders to
proceed to the seat of war. The em-
barkation was to take place on the
following day. Major Allen assembled
his family for worship in the evening,
as usual; but their hearts were very sad, for next
day their dear father was to leave them; and
though the troops were going out in great spirits,
yet it was certain that some would never return
to country and home. Very solemnly the Major
opened the great Bible; and as he did so, a tear
trickled down the cheek of his wife. He read
the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel; and







6 OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.

soon there was sobbing which could not be re-
strained. His own voice faltered several times ;
but he was a soldier, accustomed to self-command,
and he went on bravely to the end.

When they kneeled down, oh! how fervently
he prayed; how he besought the Lord to keep
his dear ones, and to be a Father to them; to
preserve them from the evils that are in the
world, and to prepare them for his heavenly
kingdom. He asked to be brought safely back,
if that were God’s holy pleasure; but added,
“Nevertheless, O Father, not my will, but thine
be done!”

He was obliged to be short, for his manly spirit
was giving way, and the young ones were almost
choked with weeping. He committed each to
their Father in heaven; and the promise was in
his heart, though he could not trust his lips to
utter it, ““ Leave thy fatherless children, I: will ~
preserve them alive.” His last words to them
in the morning were, ‘‘Remember your Father
in heaven; cleave to him as his children.”

The drums beat; the bugles sounded; the
troops formed in order, and then the sun shone
brightly upon as gallant a regiment as ever passed
along the streets of The band played,
the arms glittered; the horses pranced; crowds
cheered them as they moved along; and from





OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. i

the opened windows handkerchiefs were waved.
They went forward to the sound of music and
applause; who could have fancied that the noisy
display was nearly breaking many a heart!

That evening the children of Major Allen were
sitting with their mamma around the parlour
fire; baby had fallen asleep upon her knee, and
none seemed disposed for noisy play. Harriet
had been looking very thoughtful, and at length
she said, “‘ Mamma, I have been thinking all day
of the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Our
Father who art in heaven.’ ”

Charles was sitting on a stool at his sister’s
feet, and half hiding his face in her frock, he
added, ‘I think a great many children will say
that prayer to-night.”

“T hope so, dear,” said Mrs. Allen; “but I
fear that not ali the children who repeat the
words of that prayer, do really feel towards God
the true spirit of filial love and reverence when
they say, ‘Our Father.’ ”

“Ts he not the Father of all?” Charles in-
quired.

“In one sense he is,” replied his mamma.
“He is the Creator of all, and the Preserver of
all, and his kindness is shown in wonderfully
providing for many fatherless children who do
not know their benefactor; but I should like him



8 OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.

to be the Father of my children in a higher sense
than this.”

“T never before thought much of the meaning
of that part of the prayer,” said Charles.

“That is too often the case, my boy,” replied
his mamma. ‘ We say words, and call it prayer,
when we do not pray in our hearts; we speak
to God, and do it as if we were speaking into
the air.”

“Mamma,” said Harriet, “I have often tried
to feel the presence of God in prayer ; but once
or twice when I did so, I was terrified—he is so
great, so holy.”

“‘ Yes, my child, he is too great, too holy for a
sinful being to approach, except through Christ.
We must go to him by the Mediator, or else we
shall find him a consuming fire.”

“ But I am never afraid of papa,” said Charles.

“ Never, dear? think again.”

“OQ yes, mamma, when I have been naughty,
and must be punished.”

“That is just the reason why we are afraid of
God. We have been naughty, and deserve to be
punished.”

“Then when I say ‘ Our Father’ to-night, I
must think, ‘Our Father in Christ,’ must I,
mamma?” said Henry.

“ Ask God to be your Father through Christ,



OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. 9

to wash away your sins in his blood, and to give
you the Spirit of adoption, whereby to cry ‘ Abba,
Father,’” replied Mrs. Allen.

Just then nurse came for baby and Emily.
After Mrs. Allen had kissed little Emily, and
said good-night, the child still lingered and hung
round her mamma. At length, looking up
thoughtfully, she said, ‘“‘When papa said good-
night, he always said, ‘ God bless you, my child.’
Mamma, kiss me, and say, ‘God bless you,’ for
papa.”

Mamma’s lip trembled, but she caught up the
little thing fondly, and uttered a heartfelt prayer
for a blessing on her child. Emily was carried
off saying, “Emmy will go now and pray God
to bless papa and mamma.”

Mrs. Allen felt deeply the child’s simple
words.

After Emily was gone, Charles said, ‘‘ Mamma,
would God never have been our Father, if Jesus
had not died for us?”

“God can be our Father and friend only
through Jesus,” replied mamma; “but it was
because he loved us with a father’s love that he
gave Jesus to die for us. Our salvation is the
fruit of his love.”

“Then we never need be afraid of him?” said
Harriet.



10 OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.

“We may justly be afraid if we do not go to
him in hzs own appointed way,” replied mamma;
“but if we plead before him the merit of Christ,
we may go with confidence.”

“T want to love him as I love my father,’’ said
Harriet.

“ Ask him, for Christ’s sake to put that love
into your heart,” said Mrs. Allen. “He has
promised that ‘ whosoever cometh to him he will
in no wise cast out;’ all are freely invited.”

“ Oh, how I wish to be in Christ,” said
Harriet.

“Go to him, then, my love, and tell him so—
he will not cast you out.”

“Christ my Saviour—God my Father—what.
happiness!” said Harriet.

“But, mamma,” interrupted Charles, “ God
cannot be to me all that my father is.”

“In what respect, love?” ,

“Why, you know, I walk with my father and
talk to him, and he teaches me so many nice
things.”

“ Does not the Bible tell us of any one walking
with God?”

“Yes, yes; Enoch. But that was not the
walking I mean. Enoch did not see God, and
talk with him.”

“ God is invisible,” said Mrs. Allen; “but he



OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. ll

is as certainly near you now as ever your father
was; and when we ‘walk by faith, we see him
who is invisible.’ ”’

“That is what I so often strive to do,” said
Harriet, ‘to feel that God is near me.”

“ But, then, talking, mamma,” said Ghatles,.

‘Do God’s people never sibel to him?”

““Q yes! in prayer.”

“Surely. In prayer the ghilaien of God pour
out their very hearts to him; they hold with him
sweeter fellowship than the most loving child
ever held with its father.”

“ And then,’ said Harriet, a tear trembling
in her eye, “our heavenly Father can never be
called away from us. When papa is eee we
can still be with Him.”

“¢ Besides,’ added their mother, “ our heayonly
Father has power to preserve and to bless his
children im all circumstances; -he is almighty as
well as all-wise.”

‘“‘Hiven papa. himself must depend on him,”
said Harriet.

“Yes, my love; we are all in hishand. Let .

us live by faith on him,” said Mrs. Allen.
Harriet clasped her hands, and said, “ Dear

mamma, how I pity the soldiers’ families who have

not learned to say, ‘Our Father in heaven.’ ”
“Perhaps God may enable us to teach some



12 OUR FATHER WHO-ART IN HEAVEN.

of them to look up to him, now that their earthly
parent is gone,” said Mrs. Allen.

“Qh, how delightful that would be!” re-
sponded her daughter.

Mrs. Allen had to conduct family worship
herself that evening. That was a severe trial, it
reminded her so forcibly that she was now the
only earthly head of the house; but she was
enabled to go through it with tolerable calm-
ness.

The children learned that night the ¢rue mean-
ing of the words, “‘ Our Father who art in heaven,”
—its full blessedness can be known only in eter-
nity.

Next morning Mrs. Allen had severe headache,
and Harriet carried her breakfast into her bed-
room. Harriet had toasted her mamma’s bread
herself, a béautiful thin slice, of a light brown,
and very crisp; and she was sadly. disappointed
to see it scarcely tasted. She ran to bring some
greengage jelly, but even that.did not tempt her
mamma to eat. Harriet thought that sorrow had
taken away her appetite, and to comfort her she
said, “Mamma, I had some sweet thoughts this
morning. I had been dreaming terrible things
about my father in battle, and awoke in great
distress, when I seemed to hear the words, ‘ Our
Father, who art in heaven.’. Then I thought, if



OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. 13

God is our Father, may we not trust him? I
felt sure, mamma, that God would do for my
dear papa, and for all of us, exactly what is best.
Then love.to God came into my heart, and I was
very happy.”

“Yes, my love,” replied Mrs. Allen, “it is

only in trusting God that we can have peace.
There is a blessed promise coupled with a com-
mand: ‘ Be careful for nothing; but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God. And
the peace of God, which passeth all understand-
ing, shall keep your heart. and mind through
Christ Jesus.’ ”

“Well, then, dear mamma, try to be happy,”
said her daughter, kissing her. ‘“ God is papa’s
Father in heaven as well as ours.”

Mrs. Allen did not speak, she wept; but her
tears were not quite tears of sorrow; there was
comfort in them.

“Mamma, dear mamma, I love God now,”

- Harriet continued.

“And I submit to our Father’s will,” said
Mrs. Allen.

The Spirit of adoption had produced both
love, and. submission, and trust. Mother and
adishece had learned to say, “ Our Bathe who
art in heaven.”







CHAPTER. II.

“ HALLOWED BE THY NAME.”

for some days. A strange feeling
always passed over him as the hour
approached when the well-known
ring might be expected; and if there
was no ring at all, or if another letter was
handed in, or a mere newspaper, it was some
time before his sadness passed away.

This morning he had been standing at the
door about twenty minutes, wondering why all
the clocks and watches were so slow, and what
could possibly have stopped the postman. - At
length the familiar figure turned the corner of
the street—he had four doors to ring at. Charles
could not bear the suspense; he darted off,.
caught the man as he was pulling the bell of
No. 1, and the beating of his heart would scarcely
suffer him to speak.





HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 15

Posty smiled, peeped into his bundle, and
drew forth—a foreign letter.in papa’s own hand.
With hop, step, and jump, Charlie bounded back
to his own door, nearly knocked over Emily and
the housemaid, who stood in the lobby, and
bounced into mamma’s room with such energy
as to frighten her. He held up the letter above
his head, for he was quite out of breath; the
colour mounted into Mrs. Allen’s cheeks, and
she thankfully took the letter, opened it, and
ascertained that all was well. , ¥

Charles, in his eagerness, asked question after _
question before his mother had time to read half
a page; Emily and Harriet came in to hear the
news.

“Papa is well; he writes from Malta, after a
good voyage,” said Mrs. Allen. “ And now,
children, you must go away till I read my letter.
I will tell you all about it at breakfast.”’

“ Any tisses for Emmy?” inquired the little
girl, 1

“T will tell you at breakfast, eee. and
' give you them then,” said her mariima.

The children had been trained to instant
obedience; and although eager to hear all the
letter at once, they left the room, happy to know
that papa had got safely to Malta. “ But papa
has to sail a long way after that,” said Charles.



16 HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

“Not out of the sight of our Father who is in
heaven,” replied Harriet.

The breakfast bell rang. ‘Come, we shall
hear all now,” cried Charles, galloping to the
dining-room.

“Mamma must have one cup of tea before she
reads aloud,” said Harriet.

“ Have you had your porridge, Charlie?
Mrs. Allen inquired, after the blessing was
asked. o

““O yes, mamma! long ago; in time to watch
Master Posty.”

“Then, I suppose, you are not in particular
haste for your tea?”

“ Not a bit of haste, mamma.”

“Then read aloud this part of your papa’s
letter,” said Mrs. Allen.

Charles put on an air of great importance, and
read a nice account of the departure from Eng-
land, and of the voyage to Gibraltar, where the
vessel touched. ‘‘I sent a short letter to you
from Gibraltar,” said papa, “‘ merely to tell you
that we were well. We were received most cor-
dially by the officers of the —th, took in various
articles which we needed, and joined in a prayer-
meeting in the evening. It was very pleasant to
pray for all the dear ones at home; and I hoped
that at the same hour my children were seeking



HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 17

the blessing of their Father in heaven. I trust
they remember my parting words about Him.”

“‘ Now, Harriet,” said Mrs. Allen, ‘‘ do you read
the rest of the letter. Here is your tea, Charlie.”

“OQ mamma, I don’t care a bit about tea;
but I can’t get on with the writing so fast as J
wish. Please, Harriet, read fast.”

“ As fast as I can,” replied Harriet, who then
read the account of the voyage from Gibraltar
to Malta. There was a description of this island,
made famous by the shipwreck of St. Paul,

=‘ But, alas!”” Major Allen observed, “some of
the military’ who are here at present seem to
have very little acquaintance with the writings
of the Apostle, or with any other part of the
sacred-volume. I am dreadfully shocked by the
profanity which abounds. The first petition of
the Lord’s Prayer seems unknown.”

“Repeat the first petition, Charlie,” said
mamma.

“ Hallowed be thy name,” said Charlie, care-
lessly.

“ Charlie!”’ said mamma, “ those are sacred
words, never to be repeated but with reverence.
God’s words must be hallowed as well as his
name. Restrain your eagerness, my dear boy,
and try to profit as well as to satisfy your curi-

osity.—Harriet, read on.”’
2



18 HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

““T heard a private using shocking language,
which I cannot write ;—the meaning was, a wish
that God would send him to everlasting destruc-
tion. I stopped, and looking at him, asked: ‘ Is
that a sincere prayer, my friend? Do you wish
God to do what you have asked him to do?’ He
seemed confused, and did not reply. Perhaps
this simple word may be blessed. It is most
painful, for one who loves and reverences our
Father in heaven, to hear the disrespect with
which his name is treated.”

We need not repeat the rest of the letter.
Major Allen was"to sail for the Crimea on the
following day. He meant to distribute a num-
ber of tracts, “'The Swearer’s Prayer ” among
them, and some New Testaments, with which he
had been intrusted by Colonel A , before he
left the island.

By-and-by Captain Hardy called, and kindly
inquired after the Major. He remarked, “It is
well my friend was not shipwrecked on the
island, like St. Paul. Clever fellows, those old
Jews and Romans, to get on shore, as they all
did, on boards and broken pieces of the ship.”

Mrs. Allen looked grave, and inquired: ‘“ Have
you read Mr. Smith’s book on the shipwreck,
Captain Hardy?”

“ No, I have not,” was the reply.





HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 19

“Tt isvery remarkable. All the details given
in the inspired narrative agree so exactly with
present reality. Bays, rocks, currents, prevail-
ing winds, &., are given with the minuteness
of a scientific description.”

‘“ Ah, indeed!” said the Captain, carelessly.

When their visitor was gone, Charles re-
marked, ‘I think the Captain forgot the first
petition in talking about St. Paul.”

“YT greatly regretted it,” said Mrs. Allen.
“Those who believe that the Bible is the very
word of God, all dictated by his Spirit, ought to
take care how they use it.”

“It is a very terrible threat,” said Harriet :
“©The Lord will not hold him guiltless that
taketh.his name in vain.’ ”

“Very terrible, my love; and it is said:
“Thou hast exalted thy word above all thy
name;’ therefore, to take his word in vain is
equally offensive with so treating his name.”

“J think,” said Harriet, “ those who love God
must hallow his name.”

“Tam sorry to say, my love, that many who
seem to be really the children of God do use
very lightly the words of God.”

““ How can it be, mamma?”

“We are so fallen by sin,” replied Mrs. Allen,
‘‘that even after our hearts are renewed—after



20 HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

we are born again—our eyes are not opened fully
at once; it is only by little and little that we are
taught what God requires of us.”

“The words of Scripture often come so
readily,” said Harriet, “that it is difficult’ to
help using them when we ought not.”

“Let us beseech our Father, then, to enable
us to set a watch upon the door of our lips, for
you know St. James tells us how difficult it is
to bridle the tongue.”









CHAPTER III.
“mHY KINGDOM COME.”

AMMA,” said Charles, “ when Christ’s
“y kingdom comes, will there be. no



_, more war?”
s" “No more war, my love! Men
shall beat their swords into plough-
shares and their spears into pruning-
: hooks. There shall be nothing to
hurt nor to destroy in all God’s holy mountain.”

“Oh, I wish the time would come! is not it
very, very long?” cried the little boy.

“Jt will come. Let us pray and labour for
its coming.”

“ Labour, mamma ?”’

“Yes; let us labour for the spread of the
gospel.”

“Ts it that which will bring the kingdom?”

‘Yes; when the knowledge of the Lord shall
cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, then
the world shall be obedient to Christ.” -



°

22 THY KINGDOM COME.

“Then I am afraid it will not be soon, there
is so much to do yet,” said Harriet.

“There is much to do; and yet it may be
soon,” replied mamma. “The Word of God
has been wonderfully spread among the nations.
If he were to pour out his Spirit, even now they
might be seen flocking to the feet of Jesus, to
learn and to obey.”

It was the hour for the evening post. The
door-bell rang; the children now always flew to
the lobby at this summons.

“ Hurrah! hurrah !—from the Crimea!” cried
Charlie, who had snatched the letter, and now
bore it triumphantly to his mamma. “ Well,
mamma, all well?”

‘* All well,” replied Mrs. Allen, as she glanced
over it; “and now be quiet until I read.”

Charlie did not speak again, but he thought
mamma the slowest reader in the world; and he
pulled to pieces all the bits of paper he could
find, twitched a button off his surtout, kicked
about his slippers, and was almost in a fever of
fidgets before she was done.

At length mamma said, “There has been
much privation—much suffering; but God has
preserved your father; let us be very thankful.
He is greatly grieved by the suffering of the men; .’
but cheered by the anxiety displayed by many



THY KINGDOM COME. 23

for religious instruction, and’ by the thankfulness
with which Bibles and good books are received.
While some of the officers strive to heighten
their spirits by steeple-chases and folly, others
meet for prayer and reading; and very pleasant
it is, in that foreign land, and with death all
around them, to go to their Father’s throne, and
seek his protection and blessing. While the
battle of the Alma was being fought, Christians
in Constantinople were praying for the troops.
This was a curious coincidence, one very strength-
ening to faith.

“Your father says, ‘I was taking a solitary
stroll one evening, when I heard voices issuing
from the brushwood near me; a piece of rock
concealed the speakers. I stopped to listen,
and as I listened I wept. holding a prayer-meeting; one was offering up
fervent supplications for Divine strength to en-
able them to bear their privations without mur-
muring, and to glorify God in the midst of them,
by spreading the knowledge of his name among
those who knew him not. He prayed for the
officers commanding—for their country—for their
Queen; and, with quivering voice, he besought
blessings upon those whom they had left behind
—their dear ones and their homes. He prayed,
‘too, for their enemies—for the poor Russians,



24 THY KINGDOM COME.

who know not the way of salvation, but trust in
saints and images. And then he prayed that the
kingdom of Christ might come, and his name be
known among all nations; that righteousness and
peace might reign on the earth; and that all who
were kneeling there might be members of the
spiritual kingdom, and heirs of everlasting life,
so that, if they should fall in battle, it might be
only to go and be for ever with the Lord.

“*T am quite sure,’ continued Major Allen,
‘that this war will be the means of greatly
increasing true religion. There is great thought-
fulness and desire of religious knowledge among
many who were formerly quite careless; and the
Scriptures, in various languages, are thankfully
received by Turks, Russians, Tartars, Arabs,
French, &c. Peace will grow out of this war;
Christ’s kingdom of peace will be advanced by
it. Let my children pray, ‘‘ Thy kingdom come.”
A. blessed kingdom it will be.’ ”’

There was a bit of the letter which Mrs. Allen
could not read aloud; so she gave it to Harriet and
Charles to read by themselves. It was as follows :

“And now, my own dear wife, although I
trust that your prayers for me will be heard,
yet, if I fall in battle or by disease, do not be
unreasonably cast down. I am the soldier not
merely of an earthly sovereign, but of the King



THY KINGDOM COME. 25

of kings—my life, my all is his—at his own
good and wise disposal. He will be with me to
the last. I have no fear, for Christ has died for
me, and I shall live through him and with him
for ever. All my confidence is in his finished
work, so that in life or in death I am safe.
Bring up our children as subjects of his king-
dom; and fear not for the things that are
coming upon the earth: for though nation rise
up against nation, and there be wars and rumours
of wars, and famines, and pestilences, and earth-
quakes in divers places, yet his kingdom shall
come; the earth shall be filled with his glory—
all flesh shall see his great salvation. Let these
things comfort your heart, as they comfort mine,
and pray, pray continually, ‘Thy kingdom come.’”

There was little more talking that evening ,;
all were silent and thoughtful; and they did
pray very fervently the prayer which Jesus dic-
tated, and of which their father reminded them.

Next evening, as they sat around the table,
with the gas-light streaming cheerfully down
upon books and work, and the fire stirred up
and blazing, Harriet sighed and said, “ Oh,
mamma, how I wish that dear papa had some
of these comforts. Perhaps he is cold and
hungry.” And the little girl laid her head upon
her mother’s lap and wept.



26 THY KINGDOM COME.

Mrs. Allen’s lip quivered, and tears streamed
down her face; but she said, “Our Father in
heaven is taking care of him, my child; all we
can do is to pray for him. He will be comforted
when he gets the nice things we have sent tc
him.”

“© that the kingdom were come!” exclaimed
Harriet.

“Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,’ added
Mrs. Allen.

“Tet us talk about the kingdom, mamma,”
said Harriet, drying her tears.

_ “Shall we read about it?” inquired mamma.
-“O yes, do!”

Mrs. Allen then turned to Isaiah, and read:
““«The wilderness and the solitary place shall
be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom
as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and
rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency
of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory
of the Lord, and the excellency of our God......
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and
the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: then
shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness
shall waters break out, and streams in the
desert.’ ”’



THY KINGDOM COME. 27

“Please, mamma,” said Harriet, “ repeat that

verse you are so fond of about the chamber.”

-“¢ Come, my people, enter into thy chambers,
and shut thy doors about thee for a little season,
until the indignation be overpast. For, behold,
the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.’
There is exquisite tenderness in this invitation,”
said Mrs. Allen. _

‘What is meant by entering into their cham-
bers, mamma?”

“T think entering into their chambers and
shutting their doors means separation from the
world, its follies and vanities, to hold communion
with Christ in the ways which he has appointed,”
said Mrs. Allen. ‘Christ is our refuge, our
hiding-place; in him we have light in the
midst of darkness; and united to him, trusting
in his promises, we have peace and safety even
in the midst of the storm.”

“ T think,” said Charlie, “ Christ is everything.”

“ Kverything to those who believe in him, my
boy. We can be safe and happy nowhere else
than in him.”

“T know the meaning now of ‘Thy kingdom
come,’ ”’ said Charles. ,

“And yet, Charles, we shall never know it
fully until we get to the kingdom of heaven.”







CHAPTER IV.

‘(THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN.”



*§ not the will of God always done,
mamma?” Harriet inquired. ‘ For
it is said, ‘He doeth according to his
will in the armies of heaven, and
among the inhabitants of the earth.”

““ Nothing can happen contrary to
the will of God,” Mrs. Allen replied.

‘* And yet, mamma, we are directed to pray
that it may be done on earth as it is done in
heaven: does not that imply that God’s will is
not done on earth ?”

“ God rules and over-rules all things that are
done on earth, and yet his will is not done here
as it is done in heaven. Wicked men are con-
stantly fighting against him, and trying to oppose
his will; and it is only because he is wiser and
stronger than they, that he makes their very re-
bellion subserve his purposes.”



THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH. 29

“Then that petition is just a prayer that all
men may do God’s will wellingly,—is it ?”

“Tt is; and when that is accomplished, the
earth will be as happy as heaven.”

“ Ah!” said Harriet, ‘war is the fruit of
ambition, and covetousness, and hatred.”

“‘ True, dear; therefore when men do the will
of God by restraining those evil passions, he will
make wars to cease unto the end of the earth.”

“Then I think the Bible Society is the true
Peace Society,” said Harriet.

“Tt is indeed. Peace which does not flow
from holiness, produces evils as great as war
does.”

‘‘ What evils come from peace, mamma?”

“‘Indolence, sordid money-getting, luxury,
self-indulgence, contempt of the poor. There are
many vices which war cures, as a surgeon cures
by cutting.”

“Then it is the will of God that there should
be war, mamma ?”’

“War is God’s scourge; his terrible judgment
upon sinful nations. It is their punishment
brought out of their sins. If they will sin, he
wills that their sins shall bring misery—the pain
before the cure.”

‘‘T wonder, mamma, that people do not see
that the way to be happy is to do God’s will.”



30 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH,

“ Satan blinds them; they love sin, and refuse
to see that it is the cause of misery. It is only
the renewed heart that can choose to walk in
the way of God’s commandments.”

“Do you think that people whose hearts are
renewed are happier in this world than sinners?”
Harriet inquired.

“YT have no doubt of it. People are happy
just in proportion as they are holy.”

‘And yet God’s people sometimes seem to
have more trials than others.”

“Trials are often the greatest blessings; suf-
fering people are often the happiest people,” said
Mrs. Allen.

“T think we cannot judge of happiness from
the outward appearance,” said Harriet.

“Indeed we cannot,” said her mamma. ‘“ Few
people have more outward means of happiness
than Mr. Williamson.”

* And yet, O mamma! how miserable he is
fretting, and scolding, and repining; something
always appears to go wrong with him.”

“He is not content with God’s will, my love,
he is always wanting something which God has
not seen fit to give.”

“ And yet, his beautiful house and grounds,
and hot-houses, and carriages, and horses. I
think he has everything but a contented mind.”





AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN. 31

“‘ T was greatly pleased, the other day, with the
story of old Betty,” said Mrs. Allen. “ She was
bedridden and asthmatic, but happy. She re-
marked: ‘ When I was well, I used to hear God
saying, “ Betty, do this,” or, ‘‘ Betty, do that ;”
and I went and did it as well as I could: now I
hear him say, ‘‘ Betty, lie still and cough;”’ and
I just do that too.’”

“Old Betty was doing God’s will,” said Harriet.

‘She was doing it on earth then, and was
preparing to do it in heaven for ever,”’ replied
Mrs. Allen.

Charlie had been -listening attentively to this
conversation. He now remarked: “I do not
think we can always know what God’s will is,
mamma.”

“God has given us a perfect rule of duty,”
replied Mrs. Allen. ‘ When we are doubtful
what our conduct ought to be, I think you know
whither we ought to go for direction.”

“To the Bible, mamma, of course; that is,
about great things; but it surely does not tell
us the will of God about little things. I wanted
to walk in the town instead of the country this
morning; I think I could not have found in the
Bible which I ought to do.”

“T am quite sure you could have done x0,
Charlie.”



X
32 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH,

“ Could have found in the Bible where my
morning walk should be? Oh, mamma!”

“Yes, my boy. Where did your mother de-
sire you to walk?”

“Tn the country.”

“Then the Bible says, ‘Children, obey your
parents.’ Now, although it says nothing about
walking in the country, yet it tells you to do
what your mother desires, and she desired you to
take a country walk.”

“T did not think of that sort of way of find-
ing out, mamma.”

Charles, who was now looking grave, said,
“ Mamma, when I won Cousin James’s two great
marbles that he was so fond of, and saw him
sorry, I ought to have given them back. The
Bible does not say anything about marbles; but
it says, ‘Be kindly affectioned one to another,
with brotherly love, in honour preferring one
another.’ I will go and give him them back to-
morrow.”

“Do so, my dear boy,” replied Mrs. Allen;
“and do not again play at marbles to win them.
Play for amusement, if you like, but not for
gain.”

“ Really, mamma, how strange to think of
even playing according to God’s will!” Charles
exclaimed.



AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN. 35

““ Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do,
do all to the glory of God,” Mrs. Allen replied.
“The healthful plays of children would be far
happier if they remembered God’s will.and God’s
law in all of them.”

When Charles arose in the morning, he opened
his box to look at the two great marbles. They
were very fine ones to a little boy’s eye. “I
won them in fair play,” he said. “I did not
cheat one bit. James has no right to expect
them back. I'll just keep them, I think.”

Charles said his prayers: he always finished
with the Lord’s Prayer. When he said, ‘ Thy
will be done,” a qualm came over his heart, for
he thought of the marbles, and his clever ex-
cuses for keeping them vanished. The little boy
was in trouble. At last he prayed, “ Show me
thy will, O Lord; and make me willing to do it.”

He opened his Bible to read his chapter. The
first words he saw were, “ Take heed and beware
of covetousness.” ‘I am afraid I am covetous,
and not kindly affectioned,’ he said. ‘“ Lord,
take away my wicked heart—thy will be done.”

Charles returned the marbles to his cousin
that morning. James was surprised and happy,
and Charles felt merry and light-hearted all day.
The cousins resolved never to play at marbles
again, except for love.

3



=

34 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH,

“What a happy place heaven must be, where
God’s will is always done,” said Charles. “It
has made me so happy to do it in one little
thing !”

Dear boy, he had soon to learn to bear God’s
will, as well as to do it.

There had been a letter from Major Allen so
lately, that another was not expected at present,
and consequently the postman was not watched
as he was when news were looked for. The
Major had won honour, and escaped scathless at
the battle of the Alma, and hitherto he had been
unhurt before Sebastopol. The postman rang,
and Harriet, looking down stairs, saw Mary
coming up with a black-edged letter on a little
silver tray. Her heart beat very quickly, and
with a strange feeling she followed the girl into
her mamma’s room. As Mrs. Allen took the
letter, she became deadly pale. Trembling vio-
lently, she tore it open; a minute afterwards she
had fainted. Harriet screamed, and sprang to
where her mother had fallen; her scream brought
back the servant, and others were quickly called.
As the women were lifting Mrs. Allen into bed,
the little girl, distracted between fear for her
‘mother and dread of the news which had s0 .
affected her, picked up the open letter, and saw
that it contained the intelligence of her father’s



AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN. 35

death. She threw herself upon the bed, and
burst into a paroxysm of sobbing and tears.
Mrs. Allen had by this time recovered conscious-
ness; she lifted up her eyes to heaven, and said,
“ Rather, thy will be done.”

“Mamma, dear mamma!” sobbed Harriet—
it was all that she could say. Mrs. Allen drew
her daughter towards her, and the child wept
upon her mother’s breast.

I need not tell how the younger children were
informed, nor what bitter grief was in the house
that day. Their dear minister called to console
and to pray with them. “ The will of the Lord
be done” —‘“‘ Good is the will of the Lord,” were
Mrs. Allen’s frequent expressions. She never
once murmured at that holy-will, but lay like a
stricken deer, with bleeding submissive heart.

“Emmy not ask for pa’s big tisses to-night,”
said the weeping little girl, as nurse carried her
to her mother at bed-time. Mamma’s kisses
were mingled with tears; but Emmy, patting
her mother’s cheek, whispered, “ Don’t c’y,
mamma! Pa gone to heaven—mamma and
Emmy go too some day.”

The bitterness of childish grief soon passes
away, and in a few days mamma was able to talk
with the children about their loss and hers.

“T think,” said Harriet, “ papa had an idea



36 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH.

that he would die, he was so careful to tell us .
about our Father in heaven, and to teach us to -
trust in him. He willbe our Father, dear
mamma; I am quite sure of that.”

ab a, though,” said Charles, his lip quiver-
ing—“ TI wish I had had both.”

“We must not wish what God has denied,”
said Mrs. Allen. ‘“ He is trying whether we will.
say, ‘Thy will be done.’”

“In heaven,” said Harriet, “‘ they will never
need to say “Thy will be nore in the same man-
ner as we have to say it now.’ .

“No,” replied her mamma; “there is no su/-
fering of God’s will there, only doing it with joy
for ever; because the people who dwell there
have no sin.” Then she added, musingly, “ Per-
fect in happiness, because perfect in holiness ;
doing always, bearing no more !”





q CHAPTER V.

“QIVE US THIS DAY OUR. DAILY BREAD.”

» WING: to several circumstances, which
** we need not mention, the death of
A Major Allen had left his family in
comparative poverty. Mrs. Allen

PL . _ thought it right to inform her eldest
”, daughter of this, that her mind
might be accommodated to her prospects.

“We must take a small house,” said Mrs.
_ Allen, “and practise economy in all things. J
‘care little for. worldly matters, now that your
dear father cannot share them; but I grieve to
think of my children being reduced.”

“Don’t grieve, dear mamma,” replied Harriet;
“our Father in heaven will give us.all things
that are really good for us. Iam quite sure of
that. We must now pray, ‘Give us this- ay

our daily bread.’”
~~ We must, my love; ‘and remember that
daily bread includes other things than food.”






38 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

“What things, mamma—clothing ?”

Yes, and more also; but I will explain it to
you plist Charles is here.”

Harriet looked at her mother’s pale, sad
countenance, and thought with a sigh, “ Ah,
dear mamma wants other things than food and
raiment—she wants consolation.”

’ An excellent, but very poor widow, named
Renton, had been employed by Mrs. Allen to do
some knitting, She had carried it home during .
the time of deep sorrow, when the servants
would not disturb their mistress, and conse-
quently she was not paid. This morning the
nurse was directed to take the money to her
house; and Mrs. Allen told Harriet that she
“might go with Mary. The good woman was
much affected when she saw the child in her
deep mourning. ;

“Tt is a great sorrow that the Lord hath
sent,” she said; “but he is faithful to his
promise, ‘A father of the fatherless, and a
judge of the widdw, is he in his holy habita-
tion.’ ”.

Harriet turned away her head to hide the
tears which were rolling down her cheeks, and .
the old woman proceeded ; “Seek him as your ts

Father, my dear—your Father in heaven; give |

him your heart, and he will give you all good



’ GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. 39

things. J can testify that ‘they who seek the
Lord shall not want any good thing.’.”

Harriet glanced round upon the small, nearly
empty room, and she thought that some people
would say the old woman wanted every good
thing. It was a cold winter day; and there was
nothing in the grate but a few smouldering
ashes; a little deal table, two old chairs, a
wooden chest, and a very poor-looking bed in a
recess, were all the furniture. Yet all was
clean, and the Bible was open upon the table,
which was drawn close to the fire-place;' and
there was not that miserable appearance which |
some poor dwellings have' with twice as much to
make them comfortable.

“The nurse gave widow Renton the money for
her knitting, saying that Mrs. Allen greatly
regretted that in the time of her severe trouble
it had been neglected.

“Tt is’ not. long, it isnot long,” said the old
‘woman, ‘‘A- thousand thanks for it now. I
knew the Lord would provide ; the daily, bread
has never failed |”

This was said with so much fervour that the
nurse looked as if she expected some explana-

._ tion.

“Thad nothing in the house this morning,”
Mrs. Renton said; “no food, no more coal than



40 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR. DAILY BREAD.

you see, and no money to -buy them with. But
T prayed: to the Lord for my daily iaebst and T
knew that he would send it; for he said, ‘ ote
shall be given thee, thy water shall be sure.’ It
has often been so with me.’
“T think you are contented with bts little,”
said the nurse.
“T know I deserve nothing,” replied the
widow, “therefore I am both eee and
‘thankful for whatever my Father sends me.’
“Had you enough yesterday 2?” the: nurse
inquired.
“Yes; I had a penny,’ was the reply. a
“A penny enough !” he
“Yes; I had four meals out of it.” (ea gaes
fe ows did you make them?” . : ;
“T bought four farthing biscuits. I took one ~
for my breakfast, one for my dinner, one for my
tea, and one for my supper; and with all my |
heart I gave thanks for them. I trusted to have
at least another penny to-day; and God has
given me provision for a long time to come. I
have never wanted my daily bread.”
“ Have you never been afraid of wanting it? a
asked the nurse.
“Sometimes,” she replied; “ my faith jus
nearly failed; but what I have received in
answer’ to earnest supplication and tears has



GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. 41

- been doubly sweet. He needs to keep alive our
faith, as well as to send us our: food.” f

Harriet related all this when she went home.
Charles was present; and Mrs. Allen‘said, “ You
see that God hears his people when they pray,
‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ ”

“T think it is only poor people who need to
pray that constantly. We have food in the house
for more days than one, or money to buy it,”
Charles observed.

“We have no certainty of keeping what we
have,”’ replied Mrs.. Allen. “If God pleased,
thieves might carry away all our property; or
‘fire might burn it; or an earthquake swallow

” “it; or we might be, like some of the rich people

* in the Crimea, obliged to flee away and leave it.”
~ “QO yes, mamma!” said Harriet; ‘ beauti-
ful houses were left there, with all the furniture
.and food; and their owners fled; perhaps some
of them might die of hunger and cold.”

“Tt is only through God’s protection that we
have not been called to suffer in this manner,”
said Mrs. Allen.

“Well, mamma,” said Charles, “I used to

- gay those words just because they were in the
_ prayer; now I know that I need to ask my daily
bread.” )

‘Indeed you do,” replied Mrs. Allen; “just

\



42 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

as truly as Widow Tenton does. We may be as
poor as she to-morrow.’

“T never thought of such a thing before,”
said both the children at once.

“ How is it that most people need to work in
order to get their daily bread, if God gives it?”
Charles inquired.

“Because that is the way in which God
chooses to bestow it,” replied hismother. “ He
said at the Fall, ‘ In the sweat of thy brow shalt
thou eat bread. 9

“But the rich, mamma?”

“When God has placed a man in a station
where he is not required to work, that alters the
case. But even he needs to offer that prayer, as
we saw before. Continuance of riches, or a
blessing upon industry, is equally God’s gift.”

“There was.a house at Hupatoria, I think,
mamma, where the French. found the inhabitants
had fled, and wine and cake, and fruit, and all
manner of fine things set upon the table,” said
Charles. .“I daresay the owners were very
rich in the morning and very poor at night.”

“Poor people!” said: Harriet; “ how fright-
ened they would be when they saw the ships of ,
war coming, and ,the soldiers landing. Per-.’
haps next. day they would have to-seek ihe

daily. bread.”



GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. 43

“Thus, you see,” said Mrs. Allen, ‘‘ we need
always to ask it from God; for we have no
security for it otherwise.”

“ But. you promised to tell us about the other
meaning of daily bread,” said Harriet.

-.“ What was the reply,” Mrs. Allen inquired,
“that our Saviour gave the Tempter when he
was desired to turn the stones into bread?”

Harriet replied, ‘‘ Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word which proceedeth out
of the mouth of God.”

And does not Christ call hhicaaelt bread?”

“Yes; the bread of God which came down
from heaven.”

“Thus, you see, we need spiritual food as well
as temporal. Our souls would starve without
it.” :

“ Indeed they would,. mamma; I never
thought of that in the Lord’s Prayer,” said
Harriet.

“ And yet it is more important than the bread
that perisheth. The rich man in the recmas had
the one, Lazarus had the other.”

“Poor Lazarus had only crumbs,” said
Charles.

“And yet the crumbs were enough for the
body; -but the rich man had nothing for the
soul.”



44 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

“T think,” said Harriet, “it is' the bent of .

the soul we should pray for most earnestly.”

“While the body is fed with the bread that

perisheth, the soul should be fed with sweet
thoughts of God’s loving-kindness and faithful-
ness. The gift comes with the Giver’s love.”

“T will tell you of what happened to a godly

old couple whom I knew in my young days,”
said Mrs, Allen. Willie R-—— had been a
farmer, but had been reduced to such poverty,
that he and his wife lived in a single room, and
were often in great straits. One day they had
no food, and no means of procuring any. - Old
Willie lay down in bed to sleep away, if possible,
the pain of hunger.

“ At: length his wife said to him, ‘Willie, my
man, it’s of no use lying there ; ‘go over the street
“to D , the butcher, and see if he’ll trust you
with a sheep’s head to make some broth.’

“The old man went. He told the butcher
that he Kad no money, but if he would trust
“him, he would pay for the sheep’ 8 head with the

first money he got.

“The butcher, being rather a hard man,
hesitated; and while he was considering, a
‘stranger entered the shop. Willie modestly’, .

stepped aside until the gentleman’ should be.
served; the gentleman bought a whole quarter





‘GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD., 45

of mutton, and tuming to Willie, said, ‘ Here,
honest man, take that home to your wife.’

“Willie, astonished, received the gift: he
saw it was from the Lord, and carried it home.

“But nobody could discover who the gentle-
man was—nobody had seen him before; he must
have been a perfect stranger, for every one who
frequented that little town was known to the
rest of the inhabitants, especially to such a char-
acter as the butcher. Willie never knew more
than that the Lord had sent him, and that was
enough for the godly old man. Mr. H be-
lieved that it was an angel.”

“ Could it be, mamma?”

“That supposition is not necessary. The
gentleman was passing at the time, and God
put it into his heart thus to relieve the want
of his servants. Miracles are not needlessly
wrought; and: there was no necessity for miracle
there. Our heavenly Father sent clothing to
them in a manner equally unexpected, when
they required it.”

“Oh, do tell us about that,” said Charles.” |
.{ Willie and his. wife were most diligent in
their attendance at church and prayer-meetings. —
The carefully-hoarded Sunday clothes were wear-
ing thin and threadbare; and as cold weather
_ approached, some young men made a subscrip-





46 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

tion to buy Willie a new suit. A tailor under-
took to make them. Willie was passing his |
shop one day, when the tailor asked him to step
in. ‘I have a suit to make, Mr. R » he
said, ‘for a man whose measure I don’t know
how to get; his figure is so like yours, I am
sure what fits you will fit him; will you let me
measure you?’ 7 ;

‘““¢ Many a time have I been measured for my-
self, but this is the first time I have been
measured for another body,’ was the reply.

“The clothes were made; ladies added new
linen, and some warm things for Mrs. R-—,
and, warmly and respectably dressed, they
appeared in their accustomed place in church.
He who clothes the lilies of the field had
clothed his servants.”





“Sia





CHAPTER VI.

‘FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.”

WILL never spike to William Somer-
>, ville again,” cried Charles, tears of
2,passion streaming down his face. ‘I
will never speak to him again; nor
help him with his lessons—the dunce’
I won n't ! ITwon’t!” And the little boy stamped
his foot in the wildness of his anger.

“Charles!” exclaimed Mrs. Allen, ‘“ what is
the matter? what is making you so wicked?”

“T am not wicked, mamma! It is he who is
wicked—to say such things before a soldier's
son!”

“Put away that passion, my child, and tell me
what has occasioned it,” said Mrs. Allen, gently
but gravely.

The boy tried to speak, but burst. into a fit of
sobbing, which prevented his utterance. ,

Mrs. Allen waited until the tempest was over,





ne



48 : FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS,

and then learned that, after the fashion of school-
boys, there had been a dispute in the school-yard
about the war, some of the boys-styling them-
selves “the peace party ;” that one of them had |
called soldiers murderers, and thereupon a mur-
mur of indignation had arisen among the others,
many of whom had relatives in the war; and
poor Charles especially felt it as an insult upon
the memory of his beloved father, and resented
- it accordingly.

“The other boys said it was shameful to greek
so before a soldier’s. orphan,” said Charles—
another sob, and another heaving in his breast.

“Tt was very rude and unfeeling,” said Mrs.

_ Allen, “but you must forgive it, my boy.”

“‘T can’t forgive it,.mamma, and there’s no
need to forgive it! I would have forgiven him
for speaking against myself; but a Russian
would not have spoken against my father.”

“Do you remember the prayer, Charles, ‘ For-
give us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ?”’ Zs

Charles was silent.

“ He who will not forgive cannot be forgiven,”
said Mrs. Allen.

“But you know, mainma, I never can love
him; that’s impossible ; and it is his own fault.”

ah He that hateth his brother is a murderer,”
said Mrs, Allen. ‘“ William Somerville spoke



AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS, 49

probably in heedlessness, not thinking of your
feelings; but if you cherish anger and resentment
against him, you are Ce breaking God’s
commandment.”
“ How can I help it, mamma?”
“Only by seeking the grace of God to enable
you to put away the sinful feeling.” — \
"Before bed-time came Charles’s wrath was
much softened, for he was not a stubborn boy,
yet he felt a little unwilling to say the Lord’s
Prayer, as he was accustomed to do, It was the
~ only form of prayer which the children used, for
“their mamma had taught them that prayer was
just asking from God such things as they needed;
and they prayed in their own simple language,
but always concluded with this form which
Jesus taught his disciples. Charles began it
hesitatingly, and when he came to the fifth peti-
tion he stopped; he could not go on. He con-
tinued to kneel, saying not a word; then tears
came, and a sore struggle; and at last he cried,
“Tord Jesus, take away my meee heart, and
teach me to forgive my enemies.” His heart was
beginning to melt. He had beguit to wish to do
God’s will; nay, more, he had prayed to be en-
abled to do it. The Holy Spirit had commenced
in his heart a contest against sin; when he does
_ , this, we may expect that he will give the victory.



AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. 51

“ Pardon; pardon for the evil temper .in
which you indulged yesterday. You committed
sin then, and sin can be blotted out only by the
blood of Jesus.”

“QO yes! It was wrong, very wrong. I see
it now. I was very ;BeRSIORAtS very wicked.
I hated William then.”

“He that hateth his brother is a murderer,”
Mrs. Allen repeated.

“Q mamma, a murderer! Yes; I felt
dreadfully wicked. Perhaps Cain just felt so
before he slew his brother!” And the little
boy laid his head on his mother’s lap, and wept.

“ Kneel doa Charles,” said Mrs: Allen, “and
‘let us pray.”

Mother and child kneeled down together, and
Mrs. Allen said—

“Q. Lord, this little boy has been very
naughty ; he has indulged wicked passions,
anger, resentment, hatred; he said he would not
forgive. Pardon his sin, O Lord; wash it away
in. the blood of Jesus; and give him grace to
forgive those who have offended him. . Give him
a clean heart, and renew within him a right
spirit; make him meek, and gentle, and loving;
make him like Christ, who, when he was reviled,
reviled not again. .O put thy Holy Spirit into
his heart.” $ :



50 FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS,

Charles dared not say, “ Forgive my debts, as
I forgive my debtors,” for he knew that until he
did forgive, that would be to pray that’ he
might not beforgiven; but he still asked of God,
“Lord, teach me to forgive’’—“ Lord, give me a
holy heart.” After this prayer, he went to bed.

In the morning, he went to his mother’s room
and said, ‘Mamma, I want to forgive William
Somerville. I have prayed to God about it.”

“T am glad of that,” replied his mamma;
“and remember you must watch as well as pray.”

“ How must I watch, mamma?”

“In all probability the wicked feeling will
return; Satan will try to bring it back. You
must watch against its coming, and instantly lift
up your heart to God to check it. You must
not repeat to yourself the words which offended
you; try never to think of them. And-do not
allow any sign of anger towards him to escape
you.”

“Oh, this is very difficult, mamma.’

“Yes, it is, my love; you cannot do it by
your own strength; you need to ask assistance
from God.”

“ Well, mamma, I will do so.’

“* And there is satnet bine more that you need
to ask, my boy.”

“What is that, mamma?”



52 FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS.

“Mamma, I think I do forgive,” said Charles, .
when they arose from prayer; ‘“ but I am afraid
of growing angry again when I see William.”

“You must watch and pray against that,”
replied Mrs. Allen.

When Charles went into the school-yard, one
of the boys came to him and said—‘ A number
of us are so angry with William Somerville for
insulting you, that we do not intend to speak to
him for a week.”

“Thank you,” replied Charles, “but I wish
you would not do that, for I have forgiven him.” |
“Have you? I thought you were never to

forgive him.”

“Ah! but that was a wicked idea. I am
sorry for it now.”

“T took you for a boy of spirit,” said his com-
panion.

This was hard to bear, and a sinful feeling

-flashed over Charles’s heart; but he lifted up
that heart to God, and God gave him grace to
say, ‘It is very easy to be angry, but very diffi-
cult to forgive—forgiveness requires the most
spirit.” —

“That’s true,’ said the boy; “we'll tell...
William, however, that if it had not been for you :
forgiving him, ‘we would have sent him to Co-
ventry.”





CHAPTER VII.

“LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US
FROM EVIL.” :

ma ge have said that Major Allen’s death
“w left his family poorly provided for,
f and rendered it necessary to adopt
immediately a much plainer style of
living than they had been accustomed
to, and to give up many comforts as
well as luxuries. Their father’s eldest brother,
Colonel Allen, was .a rich and gay man; his
family lived in summer at his mansion in the
country, and in winter at an elegant town resi-
dence. er
Harriet and Charles had visited their cousins
“ at Ashfield before the war broke out. There
were dogs, horses, carriages, flowers, fruit, boat-
ing, riding, driving, picnics, everything which
young folks are apt to consider the height of
enjoyment.






54 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,

But the fear and the love of God were not
there. There was no family worship, little
church-going, the Bible was never opened; and
cousin Louisa, in whose room Harriet slept,
laughed at her morning and evening prayers and
reading of the Scriptures. ,

The pleasure which they would have had in
this otherwise charming place was destroyed by
‘ gneers at their religion, and by the follies and
sinful passions in which the want of religion left
their cousins free to indulge.

When the news of Major Allen’s death arrived,
the Colonel said to his wife, ‘“‘ My brother could
not provide for his family. I think we must
take Harriet, and bring her up with our own
girls.”

“Ah! yes; she would really be a dear girl if
those silly methodistical notions were put out of
her little head,” said Mrs. Allen.

Poor Mrs. Allen, she did not know that it was
just what’ she called “silly methodistical notions”
that made Harriet “a dear girl,” when her own
children were envying, and striving, and quarrel-
ling. The love of God in the heart of a child is
the only thing certain to produce amiability of
disposition.

“A thousand pities that. my brother brought
up his family with those notions,” said the Colo-



BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. _ 55

nel. ‘They spoiled as brave and noble a fellow
as ever lived. But the child will get quit of
them when she is among our girls.”

So it was arranged that Harriet was to be
adopted into Colonel Allen’s family, and the
children were told of the plan.

Little Ada jumped for joy. ‘‘ Harriet dresses
my doll sé prettily, when Louisa won’t do it,” she
said.

“ Harriet manages to get everybody’s favour. .
I don’t like her,” said Louisa crossly.

“Tl have no not liking,” said the Colonel.
“¥ choose you to like your cousin, and be kind
to her too.”

Louisa pouted, and resolved that she never
would like “a cunning little thing, who stole
everybody’s heart from herself.”

Colonel Allen lost no time in paying a visit
of sympathy to his brother’s widow; and before
he left, he made’ the proposal relative to Harriet. .

Mrs. Allen informed Harriet of her uncle’s
offer.

‘““Dear mamma, are you going to send me
away from you?” she inquired, her lip quivering.

“Tt would be a severe trial to part with you,
my love, but I must consider what will be for
your good.” ;

“T enjoyed my visit to my uncle’s, mamma-—-



56 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,

that is, all the nice and beautiful things and
places—but I was not quite happy.there, not as
IT am at home.” 5

“ Your home ee be different in future, love;
" we’are poor now.’

“Ah, mamma, but you will be there, and

Ged wil be there.”
“God is everywhere.”
“‘ Nobody speaks of God or loves him at Ash-
field.”
Here Charles came running into the-room; he
heard only the word “ Ashfield.”
_ “Hurrah for Ashfield!” he cried. ‘“ Gussy
1s to teach me to drive the pony phaeton my own
. self the next sry I go. Gussy told me so before
he went away.”

Augustus had come with Colonel Allen, and
had. discoursed to Charles about ponies, and
phaetons, and dogs, until the Br pene head
was almost turned.

The door-bell rang, friends’ were annganged:
and Mrs. Allen and’ her daughter spoke no more
about Ashfield that day.

Next morning Harriet said, “Mamma, when I
repeated the Lord’s Prayer last night I thought
that, if I went to my uncle’s, I should have to
pray constantly, ‘ead menot into Heng aoa
but deliver me from evil.’ ”



BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 57

“How could you offer that prayer,’ Mrs.
Allen inquired, “if you went into temptation.”

“‘T do not quite understand, mamma.”

“To go into temptation is just to go to a place
where you know you will be tempted to do what
is wrong. It would not be sincere to pray that
God would keep you from it, and at the same
time to go into it.”

“No, indeed, mamma, it would not.”

“Your uncle and aunt think it right to bring
up their family in a way very different from that
in which your papa and I sought to train you,
my love. Many things which they allow, we
considered wrong. I think that with them you
would be exposed to much temptation—the
temptations of the gay world.” ti

“ And then, if I went into temptation, I~
could not pray, ‘ Deliver me from evil,’” said
Harriet. |

“We shall always be grateful to your uncle
and. aunt for their kindness in offering you so
many advantages,” said Mrs. Allen; “but I
think we must decline them, and be content with
what God has given us.” whi
“T fear uncle will be very angry,” said
_ Harriet. :

‘“‘T fear he will,” replied her mamma, “ and
, that grieves me, for I really love him; but we ~



58 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,

must seek the approbation of God first. How-

ever, you must remember that poverty has its
temptations too.”

“ What: temptations ?”

“You may be tempted to discontent when
you see your former companions better dressed
and having more indulgence than you. You
may féel cross if they look down upon you.”

“Then are we not going into that temptation,
mamma?”

““God has sent our poverty, therefore we may
safely seek his aid in overcoming its temptations ;
and they are not half so great as those to which |
you would be. exposed in fleeing from them.
When there are great dangers in one way, and
small dangers in the other, which would a wise
person choose ?”

“Why, the small dangers, of course.”

“Then let us pray that God would show us
our way clearly, and enable us to walk in it—that
he would ee us.not into kod bala but deliver
us from evil.

* ‘The result of consideration and prayer was,
that Colonel Allen’s offer of a‘wealthy and gay,
but godless home, was declined ; and the soldier’s.
family prepared to live as became their altered
circumstances, seeking God as their best portion. .

“ Mamma,” said Charles, when he came from ©



BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 59

school one day, “‘ what a dreadful thing has hap-
pened. Henry Downing has been caught a
ing!”

“Stealing!” cried Ska and Mrs. Allen
together.

“ Yes—like a common thief. A lot of us
were passing a fruiterer’s shop, and he called us
to see the beautiful things; we did give a look
at them, but he stayed behind, gazing; as we
went away, he said, ‘I wish I had some of that
feuit.’’” a

“ Ah! he was atte himself into tempta-
tion,” said Mrs. Allen.

sf Well, we walked on; and when we had got
a good way off, we looked back to see if he was
coming: he was running along the street’ at full
speed, and a man after him. The man caught
him, and we returned to see what was the mat-
ter. He was struggling and crying, but the
man held him fast, dragged him back to the
shop, and said he would put him in. prison.
His pockets were full of grapes and oranges.
We all begged so hard, that the man only sent
for his parents to take him home.”

“ That is a dreadful story,” said Mrs. Allen.

“Tt was with looking at the fruit, mamma,
that he longed for it.”

“ He went into temptation, and stayed in it,



60 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION.

and therefore God did not deliver him from
evil,” said Mrs. Allen.

“ Are we not sometimes tempted when we
cannot help it?” Harriet inquired.

“Yes, often,” replied her mother; “ but
answer me, what do we pray for in the sixth
petition ?”

Harriet replied, “ In the sixth petition, which
is ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil,’ we pray that God would either keep
us from being tempted to evil, or support and
deliver us when we are tempted.”

“To go into temptation is wicked,” said Mrs.
Allen; “but when others tempt us, or Satan
tempts us in a way we cannot avoid, then we
ought to seek God’s grace to enable us to over-
come the temptation. Christians must fight
against sin even to their lives’ end; but if they
trust in God, and seek the aid of his Spirit, he
will give them the victory. He will not always
keep them out of temptation, although they
ought to ask that; but he will most assuredly
make them more than conquerors through Him
who loved them: he will answer their prayer,
and ‘ Deliver them from evil.’ ”’













CHAPTER VIII.

CONCLUSION.

“‘ FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE
GLORY, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.”

great kingdom. He wanted the whole
world, and has just got a little coffin.”

So said Charles, coming into the
room with an air of great solemnity
and importance.

“There is but One whose kingdom is for
ever,” said Mrs, Allen ; “but One whose glory
is abiding.”

“That is just the conclusion of the Lord’s
Prayer,” said Harriet. “ Zhine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever.”

‘Some of the boys cheered when they heard
of the Czar’s death; that was a shame,” said
Charles.





62 FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM.

‘‘1t was too solemn a thing to cheer about,”
replied his mother. ‘‘ How vain is the pride of
man, when God stretches out his hand to humble
it!”

“What nonsense it is to want to be great,”
said Charles, “‘ for it always comes to that.”

“To what?” asked Harriet.

‘To death. See how he has toiled and fretted,
and now he is dead.”

“Tf he had got all the world, it would have
been of no use to him now,” said Mrs. Allen.

“Frank Watson said we might just as well
be beggars as kings, for, by-and-by, we should
all be alike,’’ said Charles.

“That was not so wise a speech as it seemed,”
Mrs. Allen replied; “‘ but we ought to strive to
glorify God, and promote Ais kingdom with what
he gives us. His kingdom is the only one that
shall be for ever.

“Tt is sad to think that poor worms of the
dust try to take the crown from Christ, when
angels and archangels worship him, and speed
through the universe to do his bidding. TZhey
know that the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory are the Lord’s, and they delight to ascribe
them to him.”

“God’s redeemed children love to do so too,
I think,” said Harriet.



FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM. 63

“They do. ‘To praise God is their sweetest,
noblest work. By-and-by they shall have done
with prayer, much as they love zé now.

“The song which they sing is—‘ Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb
for ever.”

“And the four beasts said ‘ Amen.’ I wish
all the world were saying ‘ Amen’ to that song,”
said Harriet.

“All the world wll say ‘ Amen’ to it, and
sing it too, my love; for John heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne, and the
living creatures, and the elders; and the num-
ber of them was ten thousand times ten thou-
sand, and thousands of thousands. And every
creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and
under the earth; and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, heard he singing that noble
song.”

“Oh, if we should all be there, singing it too,
with dear papa and the holy angels, how happy
should we be!” Harriet exclaimed.

‘Let us learn to lisp it on earth, and then we
shall sing it in heaven. It was for God’s glory
that we were created; let us seek that glory as
our chief end now, and so we shall ascribe glory
to him for ever,” said Mrs. Allen.



64 FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM.

“ Ts it not terrible, mamma, that so few kings
and great. people who manage kingdoms, remem-
ber that God is their King?” said Harriet.

“Tt is indeed. But they must know: they
must either kiss the Son before he be angry, and
his wrath be kindled; or else, as the vessels of a
potter, they must be broken to shivers. Let us
pray that owr country may acknowledge Christ
to be King before we be destroyed ; and let us
pray that he may reign as King in our own
hearts; for there is a little kingdom there that
needs to be subdued by his grace as much as any
great kingdom of the world. There are rebels
in our hearts against Christ’s kingdom.”

“JT do want all my rebellion destroyed,
mamma,”

“Seek his almighty grace, then, to conquer
the foes there. He will give it, for his is the
kingdom, and he will subdue all things unto
himself. When the battle is ended, the con-
querors—the redeemed—shall join the innu-
merable multitude around the throne, and say,
‘We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
which art, and wast, and art to come; because
thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and
hast reigned; for thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen!’”















ee










xml version 1.0 encoding UTF-8
REPORT xmlns http:www.fcla.edudlsmddaitss xmlns:xsi http:www.w3.org2001XMLSchema-instance xsi:schemaLocation http:www.fcla.edudlsmddaitssdaitssReport.xsd
INGEST IEID EH4I93DMP_YY91KT INGEST_TIME 2011-07-01T14:05:54Z PACKAGE UF00028192_00001
AGREEMENT_INFO ACCOUNT UF PROJECT UFDC
FILES




prepa tea eaee hs ob


The Baldwin Library



—s2 dba

STORIES ON THE LORD’S PRAYER.

tg pete











STORIES

on

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

** Though earthly parents pass away,
Be Thou our everlasting stay ;
And for His sake the cross that bore,
Make us Thy children evermore.”

LONDON:
T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW;
EDINBURGH ; AND NEW YORK.

1875.







STORIES ON

THE LORD’S PRAYER.



CHAPTER I.
‘OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.”

HE regiment was under orders to
proceed to the seat of war. The em-
barkation was to take place on the
following day. Major Allen assembled
his family for worship in the evening,
as usual; but their hearts were very sad, for next
day their dear father was to leave them; and
though the troops were going out in great spirits,
yet it was certain that some would never return
to country and home. Very solemnly the Major
opened the great Bible; and as he did so, a tear
trickled down the cheek of his wife. He read
the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel; and




6 OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.

soon there was sobbing which could not be re-
strained. His own voice faltered several times ;
but he was a soldier, accustomed to self-command,
and he went on bravely to the end.

When they kneeled down, oh! how fervently
he prayed; how he besought the Lord to keep
his dear ones, and to be a Father to them; to
preserve them from the evils that are in the
world, and to prepare them for his heavenly
kingdom. He asked to be brought safely back,
if that were God’s holy pleasure; but added,
“Nevertheless, O Father, not my will, but thine
be done!”

He was obliged to be short, for his manly spirit
was giving way, and the young ones were almost
choked with weeping. He committed each to
their Father in heaven; and the promise was in
his heart, though he could not trust his lips to
utter it, ““ Leave thy fatherless children, I: will ~
preserve them alive.” His last words to them
in the morning were, ‘‘Remember your Father
in heaven; cleave to him as his children.”

The drums beat; the bugles sounded; the
troops formed in order, and then the sun shone
brightly upon as gallant a regiment as ever passed
along the streets of The band played,
the arms glittered; the horses pranced; crowds
cheered them as they moved along; and from


OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. i

the opened windows handkerchiefs were waved.
They went forward to the sound of music and
applause; who could have fancied that the noisy
display was nearly breaking many a heart!

That evening the children of Major Allen were
sitting with their mamma around the parlour
fire; baby had fallen asleep upon her knee, and
none seemed disposed for noisy play. Harriet
had been looking very thoughtful, and at length
she said, “‘ Mamma, I have been thinking all day
of the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Our
Father who art in heaven.’ ”

Charles was sitting on a stool at his sister’s
feet, and half hiding his face in her frock, he
added, ‘I think a great many children will say
that prayer to-night.”

“T hope so, dear,” said Mrs. Allen; “but I
fear that not ali the children who repeat the
words of that prayer, do really feel towards God
the true spirit of filial love and reverence when
they say, ‘Our Father.’ ”

“Ts he not the Father of all?” Charles in-
quired.

“In one sense he is,” replied his mamma.
“He is the Creator of all, and the Preserver of
all, and his kindness is shown in wonderfully
providing for many fatherless children who do
not know their benefactor; but I should like him
8 OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.

to be the Father of my children in a higher sense
than this.”

“T never before thought much of the meaning
of that part of the prayer,” said Charles.

“That is too often the case, my boy,” replied
his mamma. ‘ We say words, and call it prayer,
when we do not pray in our hearts; we speak
to God, and do it as if we were speaking into
the air.”

“Mamma,” said Harriet, “I have often tried
to feel the presence of God in prayer ; but once
or twice when I did so, I was terrified—he is so
great, so holy.”

“‘ Yes, my child, he is too great, too holy for a
sinful being to approach, except through Christ.
We must go to him by the Mediator, or else we
shall find him a consuming fire.”

“ But I am never afraid of papa,” said Charles.

“ Never, dear? think again.”

“OQ yes, mamma, when I have been naughty,
and must be punished.”

“That is just the reason why we are afraid of
God. We have been naughty, and deserve to be
punished.”

“Then when I say ‘ Our Father’ to-night, I
must think, ‘Our Father in Christ,’ must I,
mamma?” said Henry.

“ Ask God to be your Father through Christ,
OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. 9

to wash away your sins in his blood, and to give
you the Spirit of adoption, whereby to cry ‘ Abba,
Father,’” replied Mrs. Allen.

Just then nurse came for baby and Emily.
After Mrs. Allen had kissed little Emily, and
said good-night, the child still lingered and hung
round her mamma. At length, looking up
thoughtfully, she said, ‘“‘When papa said good-
night, he always said, ‘ God bless you, my child.’
Mamma, kiss me, and say, ‘God bless you,’ for
papa.”

Mamma’s lip trembled, but she caught up the
little thing fondly, and uttered a heartfelt prayer
for a blessing on her child. Emily was carried
off saying, “Emmy will go now and pray God
to bless papa and mamma.”

Mrs. Allen felt deeply the child’s simple
words.

After Emily was gone, Charles said, ‘‘ Mamma,
would God never have been our Father, if Jesus
had not died for us?”

“God can be our Father and friend only
through Jesus,” replied mamma; “but it was
because he loved us with a father’s love that he
gave Jesus to die for us. Our salvation is the
fruit of his love.”

“Then we never need be afraid of him?” said
Harriet.
10 OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.

“We may justly be afraid if we do not go to
him in hzs own appointed way,” replied mamma;
“but if we plead before him the merit of Christ,
we may go with confidence.”

“T want to love him as I love my father,’’ said
Harriet.

“ Ask him, for Christ’s sake to put that love
into your heart,” said Mrs. Allen. “He has
promised that ‘ whosoever cometh to him he will
in no wise cast out;’ all are freely invited.”

“ Oh, how I wish to be in Christ,” said
Harriet.

“Go to him, then, my love, and tell him so—
he will not cast you out.”

“Christ my Saviour—God my Father—what.
happiness!” said Harriet.

“But, mamma,” interrupted Charles, “ God
cannot be to me all that my father is.”

“In what respect, love?” ,

“Why, you know, I walk with my father and
talk to him, and he teaches me so many nice
things.”

“ Does not the Bible tell us of any one walking
with God?”

“Yes, yes; Enoch. But that was not the
walking I mean. Enoch did not see God, and
talk with him.”

“ God is invisible,” said Mrs. Allen; “but he
OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. ll

is as certainly near you now as ever your father
was; and when we ‘walk by faith, we see him
who is invisible.’ ”’

“That is what I so often strive to do,” said
Harriet, ‘to feel that God is near me.”

“ But, then, talking, mamma,” said Ghatles,.

‘Do God’s people never sibel to him?”

““Q yes! in prayer.”

“Surely. In prayer the ghilaien of God pour
out their very hearts to him; they hold with him
sweeter fellowship than the most loving child
ever held with its father.”

“ And then,’ said Harriet, a tear trembling
in her eye, “our heavenly Father can never be
called away from us. When papa is eee we
can still be with Him.”

“¢ Besides,’ added their mother, “ our heayonly
Father has power to preserve and to bless his
children im all circumstances; -he is almighty as
well as all-wise.”

‘“‘Hiven papa. himself must depend on him,”
said Harriet.

“Yes, my love; we are all in hishand. Let .

us live by faith on him,” said Mrs. Allen.
Harriet clasped her hands, and said, “ Dear

mamma, how I pity the soldiers’ families who have

not learned to say, ‘Our Father in heaven.’ ”
“Perhaps God may enable us to teach some
12 OUR FATHER WHO-ART IN HEAVEN.

of them to look up to him, now that their earthly
parent is gone,” said Mrs. Allen.

“Qh, how delightful that would be!” re-
sponded her daughter.

Mrs. Allen had to conduct family worship
herself that evening. That was a severe trial, it
reminded her so forcibly that she was now the
only earthly head of the house; but she was
enabled to go through it with tolerable calm-
ness.

The children learned that night the ¢rue mean-
ing of the words, “‘ Our Father who art in heaven,”
—its full blessedness can be known only in eter-
nity.

Next morning Mrs. Allen had severe headache,
and Harriet carried her breakfast into her bed-
room. Harriet had toasted her mamma’s bread
herself, a béautiful thin slice, of a light brown,
and very crisp; and she was sadly. disappointed
to see it scarcely tasted. She ran to bring some
greengage jelly, but even that.did not tempt her
mamma to eat. Harriet thought that sorrow had
taken away her appetite, and to comfort her she
said, “Mamma, I had some sweet thoughts this
morning. I had been dreaming terrible things
about my father in battle, and awoke in great
distress, when I seemed to hear the words, ‘ Our
Father, who art in heaven.’. Then I thought, if
OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. 13

God is our Father, may we not trust him? I
felt sure, mamma, that God would do for my
dear papa, and for all of us, exactly what is best.
Then love.to God came into my heart, and I was
very happy.”

“Yes, my love,” replied Mrs. Allen, “it is

only in trusting God that we can have peace.
There is a blessed promise coupled with a com-
mand: ‘ Be careful for nothing; but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God. And
the peace of God, which passeth all understand-
ing, shall keep your heart. and mind through
Christ Jesus.’ ”

“Well, then, dear mamma, try to be happy,”
said her daughter, kissing her. ‘“ God is papa’s
Father in heaven as well as ours.”

Mrs. Allen did not speak, she wept; but her
tears were not quite tears of sorrow; there was
comfort in them.

“Mamma, dear mamma, I love God now,”

- Harriet continued.

“And I submit to our Father’s will,” said
Mrs. Allen.

The Spirit of adoption had produced both
love, and. submission, and trust. Mother and
adishece had learned to say, “ Our Bathe who
art in heaven.”




CHAPTER. II.

“ HALLOWED BE THY NAME.”

for some days. A strange feeling
always passed over him as the hour
approached when the well-known
ring might be expected; and if there
was no ring at all, or if another letter was
handed in, or a mere newspaper, it was some
time before his sadness passed away.

This morning he had been standing at the
door about twenty minutes, wondering why all
the clocks and watches were so slow, and what
could possibly have stopped the postman. - At
length the familiar figure turned the corner of
the street—he had four doors to ring at. Charles
could not bear the suspense; he darted off,.
caught the man as he was pulling the bell of
No. 1, and the beating of his heart would scarcely
suffer him to speak.


HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 15

Posty smiled, peeped into his bundle, and
drew forth—a foreign letter.in papa’s own hand.
With hop, step, and jump, Charlie bounded back
to his own door, nearly knocked over Emily and
the housemaid, who stood in the lobby, and
bounced into mamma’s room with such energy
as to frighten her. He held up the letter above
his head, for he was quite out of breath; the
colour mounted into Mrs. Allen’s cheeks, and
she thankfully took the letter, opened it, and
ascertained that all was well. , ¥

Charles, in his eagerness, asked question after _
question before his mother had time to read half
a page; Emily and Harriet came in to hear the
news.

“Papa is well; he writes from Malta, after a
good voyage,” said Mrs. Allen. “ And now,
children, you must go away till I read my letter.
I will tell you all about it at breakfast.”’

“ Any tisses for Emmy?” inquired the little
girl, 1

“T will tell you at breakfast, eee. and
' give you them then,” said her mariima.

The children had been trained to instant
obedience; and although eager to hear all the
letter at once, they left the room, happy to know
that papa had got safely to Malta. “ But papa
has to sail a long way after that,” said Charles.
16 HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

“Not out of the sight of our Father who is in
heaven,” replied Harriet.

The breakfast bell rang. ‘Come, we shall
hear all now,” cried Charles, galloping to the
dining-room.

“Mamma must have one cup of tea before she
reads aloud,” said Harriet.

“ Have you had your porridge, Charlie?
Mrs. Allen inquired, after the blessing was
asked. o

““O yes, mamma! long ago; in time to watch
Master Posty.”

“Then, I suppose, you are not in particular
haste for your tea?”

“ Not a bit of haste, mamma.”

“Then read aloud this part of your papa’s
letter,” said Mrs. Allen.

Charles put on an air of great importance, and
read a nice account of the departure from Eng-
land, and of the voyage to Gibraltar, where the
vessel touched. ‘‘I sent a short letter to you
from Gibraltar,” said papa, “‘ merely to tell you
that we were well. We were received most cor-
dially by the officers of the —th, took in various
articles which we needed, and joined in a prayer-
meeting in the evening. It was very pleasant to
pray for all the dear ones at home; and I hoped
that at the same hour my children were seeking
HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 17

the blessing of their Father in heaven. I trust
they remember my parting words about Him.”

“‘ Now, Harriet,” said Mrs. Allen, ‘‘ do you read
the rest of the letter. Here is your tea, Charlie.”

“OQ mamma, I don’t care a bit about tea;
but I can’t get on with the writing so fast as J
wish. Please, Harriet, read fast.”

“ As fast as I can,” replied Harriet, who then
read the account of the voyage from Gibraltar
to Malta. There was a description of this island,
made famous by the shipwreck of St. Paul,

=‘ But, alas!”” Major Allen observed, “some of
the military’ who are here at present seem to
have very little acquaintance with the writings
of the Apostle, or with any other part of the
sacred-volume. I am dreadfully shocked by the
profanity which abounds. The first petition of
the Lord’s Prayer seems unknown.”

“Repeat the first petition, Charlie,” said
mamma.

“ Hallowed be thy name,” said Charlie, care-
lessly.

“ Charlie!”’ said mamma, “ those are sacred
words, never to be repeated but with reverence.
God’s words must be hallowed as well as his
name. Restrain your eagerness, my dear boy,
and try to profit as well as to satisfy your curi-

osity.—Harriet, read on.”’
2
18 HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

““T heard a private using shocking language,
which I cannot write ;—the meaning was, a wish
that God would send him to everlasting destruc-
tion. I stopped, and looking at him, asked: ‘ Is
that a sincere prayer, my friend? Do you wish
God to do what you have asked him to do?’ He
seemed confused, and did not reply. Perhaps
this simple word may be blessed. It is most
painful, for one who loves and reverences our
Father in heaven, to hear the disrespect with
which his name is treated.”

We need not repeat the rest of the letter.
Major Allen was"to sail for the Crimea on the
following day. He meant to distribute a num-
ber of tracts, “'The Swearer’s Prayer ” among
them, and some New Testaments, with which he
had been intrusted by Colonel A , before he
left the island.

By-and-by Captain Hardy called, and kindly
inquired after the Major. He remarked, “It is
well my friend was not shipwrecked on the
island, like St. Paul. Clever fellows, those old
Jews and Romans, to get on shore, as they all
did, on boards and broken pieces of the ship.”

Mrs. Allen looked grave, and inquired: ‘“ Have
you read Mr. Smith’s book on the shipwreck,
Captain Hardy?”

“ No, I have not,” was the reply.


HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 19

“Tt isvery remarkable. All the details given
in the inspired narrative agree so exactly with
present reality. Bays, rocks, currents, prevail-
ing winds, &., are given with the minuteness
of a scientific description.”

‘“ Ah, indeed!” said the Captain, carelessly.

When their visitor was gone, Charles re-
marked, ‘I think the Captain forgot the first
petition in talking about St. Paul.”

“YT greatly regretted it,” said Mrs. Allen.
“Those who believe that the Bible is the very
word of God, all dictated by his Spirit, ought to
take care how they use it.”

“It is a very terrible threat,” said Harriet :
“©The Lord will not hold him guiltless that
taketh.his name in vain.’ ”

“Very terrible, my love; and it is said:
“Thou hast exalted thy word above all thy
name;’ therefore, to take his word in vain is
equally offensive with so treating his name.”

“J think,” said Harriet, “ those who love God
must hallow his name.”

“Tam sorry to say, my love, that many who
seem to be really the children of God do use
very lightly the words of God.”

““ How can it be, mamma?”

“We are so fallen by sin,” replied Mrs. Allen,
‘‘that even after our hearts are renewed—after
20 HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

we are born again—our eyes are not opened fully
at once; it is only by little and little that we are
taught what God requires of us.”

“The words of Scripture often come so
readily,” said Harriet, “that it is difficult’ to
help using them when we ought not.”

“Let us beseech our Father, then, to enable
us to set a watch upon the door of our lips, for
you know St. James tells us how difficult it is
to bridle the tongue.”






CHAPTER III.
“mHY KINGDOM COME.”

AMMA,” said Charles, “ when Christ’s
“y kingdom comes, will there be. no



_, more war?”
s" “No more war, my love! Men
shall beat their swords into plough-
shares and their spears into pruning-
: hooks. There shall be nothing to
hurt nor to destroy in all God’s holy mountain.”

“Oh, I wish the time would come! is not it
very, very long?” cried the little boy.

“Jt will come. Let us pray and labour for
its coming.”

“ Labour, mamma ?”’

“Yes; let us labour for the spread of the
gospel.”

“Ts it that which will bring the kingdom?”

‘Yes; when the knowledge of the Lord shall
cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, then
the world shall be obedient to Christ.” -
°

22 THY KINGDOM COME.

“Then I am afraid it will not be soon, there
is so much to do yet,” said Harriet.

“There is much to do; and yet it may be
soon,” replied mamma. “The Word of God
has been wonderfully spread among the nations.
If he were to pour out his Spirit, even now they
might be seen flocking to the feet of Jesus, to
learn and to obey.”

It was the hour for the evening post. The
door-bell rang; the children now always flew to
the lobby at this summons.

“ Hurrah! hurrah !—from the Crimea!” cried
Charlie, who had snatched the letter, and now
bore it triumphantly to his mamma. “ Well,
mamma, all well?”

‘* All well,” replied Mrs. Allen, as she glanced
over it; “and now be quiet until I read.”

Charlie did not speak again, but he thought
mamma the slowest reader in the world; and he
pulled to pieces all the bits of paper he could
find, twitched a button off his surtout, kicked
about his slippers, and was almost in a fever of
fidgets before she was done.

At length mamma said, “There has been
much privation—much suffering; but God has
preserved your father; let us be very thankful.
He is greatly grieved by the suffering of the men; .’
but cheered by the anxiety displayed by many
THY KINGDOM COME. 23

for religious instruction, and’ by the thankfulness
with which Bibles and good books are received.
While some of the officers strive to heighten
their spirits by steeple-chases and folly, others
meet for prayer and reading; and very pleasant
it is, in that foreign land, and with death all
around them, to go to their Father’s throne, and
seek his protection and blessing. While the
battle of the Alma was being fought, Christians
in Constantinople were praying for the troops.
This was a curious coincidence, one very strength-
ening to faith.

“Your father says, ‘I was taking a solitary
stroll one evening, when I heard voices issuing
from the brushwood near me; a piece of rock
concealed the speakers. I stopped to listen,
and as I listened I wept. holding a prayer-meeting; one was offering up
fervent supplications for Divine strength to en-
able them to bear their privations without mur-
muring, and to glorify God in the midst of them,
by spreading the knowledge of his name among
those who knew him not. He prayed for the
officers commanding—for their country—for their
Queen; and, with quivering voice, he besought
blessings upon those whom they had left behind
—their dear ones and their homes. He prayed,
‘too, for their enemies—for the poor Russians,
24 THY KINGDOM COME.

who know not the way of salvation, but trust in
saints and images. And then he prayed that the
kingdom of Christ might come, and his name be
known among all nations; that righteousness and
peace might reign on the earth; and that all who
were kneeling there might be members of the
spiritual kingdom, and heirs of everlasting life,
so that, if they should fall in battle, it might be
only to go and be for ever with the Lord.

“*T am quite sure,’ continued Major Allen,
‘that this war will be the means of greatly
increasing true religion. There is great thought-
fulness and desire of religious knowledge among
many who were formerly quite careless; and the
Scriptures, in various languages, are thankfully
received by Turks, Russians, Tartars, Arabs,
French, &c. Peace will grow out of this war;
Christ’s kingdom of peace will be advanced by
it. Let my children pray, ‘‘ Thy kingdom come.”
A. blessed kingdom it will be.’ ”’

There was a bit of the letter which Mrs. Allen
could not read aloud; so she gave it to Harriet and
Charles to read by themselves. It was as follows :

“And now, my own dear wife, although I
trust that your prayers for me will be heard,
yet, if I fall in battle or by disease, do not be
unreasonably cast down. I am the soldier not
merely of an earthly sovereign, but of the King
THY KINGDOM COME. 25

of kings—my life, my all is his—at his own
good and wise disposal. He will be with me to
the last. I have no fear, for Christ has died for
me, and I shall live through him and with him
for ever. All my confidence is in his finished
work, so that in life or in death I am safe.
Bring up our children as subjects of his king-
dom; and fear not for the things that are
coming upon the earth: for though nation rise
up against nation, and there be wars and rumours
of wars, and famines, and pestilences, and earth-
quakes in divers places, yet his kingdom shall
come; the earth shall be filled with his glory—
all flesh shall see his great salvation. Let these
things comfort your heart, as they comfort mine,
and pray, pray continually, ‘Thy kingdom come.’”

There was little more talking that evening ,;
all were silent and thoughtful; and they did
pray very fervently the prayer which Jesus dic-
tated, and of which their father reminded them.

Next evening, as they sat around the table,
with the gas-light streaming cheerfully down
upon books and work, and the fire stirred up
and blazing, Harriet sighed and said, “ Oh,
mamma, how I wish that dear papa had some
of these comforts. Perhaps he is cold and
hungry.” And the little girl laid her head upon
her mother’s lap and wept.
26 THY KINGDOM COME.

Mrs. Allen’s lip quivered, and tears streamed
down her face; but she said, “Our Father in
heaven is taking care of him, my child; all we
can do is to pray for him. He will be comforted
when he gets the nice things we have sent tc
him.”

“© that the kingdom were come!” exclaimed
Harriet.

“Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,’ added
Mrs. Allen.

“Tet us talk about the kingdom, mamma,”
said Harriet, drying her tears.

_ “Shall we read about it?” inquired mamma.
-“O yes, do!”

Mrs. Allen then turned to Isaiah, and read:
““«The wilderness and the solitary place shall
be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom
as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and
rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency
of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory
of the Lord, and the excellency of our God......
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and
the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: then
shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness
shall waters break out, and streams in the
desert.’ ”’
THY KINGDOM COME. 27

“Please, mamma,” said Harriet, “ repeat that

verse you are so fond of about the chamber.”

-“¢ Come, my people, enter into thy chambers,
and shut thy doors about thee for a little season,
until the indignation be overpast. For, behold,
the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.’
There is exquisite tenderness in this invitation,”
said Mrs. Allen. _

‘What is meant by entering into their cham-
bers, mamma?”

“T think entering into their chambers and
shutting their doors means separation from the
world, its follies and vanities, to hold communion
with Christ in the ways which he has appointed,”
said Mrs. Allen. ‘Christ is our refuge, our
hiding-place; in him we have light in the
midst of darkness; and united to him, trusting
in his promises, we have peace and safety even
in the midst of the storm.”

“ T think,” said Charlie, “ Christ is everything.”

“ Kverything to those who believe in him, my
boy. We can be safe and happy nowhere else
than in him.”

“T know the meaning now of ‘Thy kingdom
come,’ ”’ said Charles. ,

“And yet, Charles, we shall never know it
fully until we get to the kingdom of heaven.”




CHAPTER IV.

‘(THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN.”



*§ not the will of God always done,
mamma?” Harriet inquired. ‘ For
it is said, ‘He doeth according to his
will in the armies of heaven, and
among the inhabitants of the earth.”

““ Nothing can happen contrary to
the will of God,” Mrs. Allen replied.

‘* And yet, mamma, we are directed to pray
that it may be done on earth as it is done in
heaven: does not that imply that God’s will is
not done on earth ?”

“ God rules and over-rules all things that are
done on earth, and yet his will is not done here
as it is done in heaven. Wicked men are con-
stantly fighting against him, and trying to oppose
his will; and it is only because he is wiser and
stronger than they, that he makes their very re-
bellion subserve his purposes.”
THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH. 29

“Then that petition is just a prayer that all
men may do God’s will wellingly,—is it ?”

“Tt is; and when that is accomplished, the
earth will be as happy as heaven.”

“ Ah!” said Harriet, ‘war is the fruit of
ambition, and covetousness, and hatred.”

“‘ True, dear; therefore when men do the will
of God by restraining those evil passions, he will
make wars to cease unto the end of the earth.”

“Then I think the Bible Society is the true
Peace Society,” said Harriet.

“Tt is indeed. Peace which does not flow
from holiness, produces evils as great as war
does.”

‘‘ What evils come from peace, mamma?”

“‘Indolence, sordid money-getting, luxury,
self-indulgence, contempt of the poor. There are
many vices which war cures, as a surgeon cures
by cutting.”

“Then it is the will of God that there should
be war, mamma ?”’

“War is God’s scourge; his terrible judgment
upon sinful nations. It is their punishment
brought out of their sins. If they will sin, he
wills that their sins shall bring misery—the pain
before the cure.”

‘‘T wonder, mamma, that people do not see
that the way to be happy is to do God’s will.”
30 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH,

“ Satan blinds them; they love sin, and refuse
to see that it is the cause of misery. It is only
the renewed heart that can choose to walk in
the way of God’s commandments.”

“Do you think that people whose hearts are
renewed are happier in this world than sinners?”
Harriet inquired.

“YT have no doubt of it. People are happy
just in proportion as they are holy.”

‘And yet God’s people sometimes seem to
have more trials than others.”

“Trials are often the greatest blessings; suf-
fering people are often the happiest people,” said
Mrs. Allen.

“T think we cannot judge of happiness from
the outward appearance,” said Harriet.

“Indeed we cannot,” said her mamma. ‘“ Few
people have more outward means of happiness
than Mr. Williamson.”

* And yet, O mamma! how miserable he is
fretting, and scolding, and repining; something
always appears to go wrong with him.”

“He is not content with God’s will, my love,
he is always wanting something which God has
not seen fit to give.”

“ And yet, his beautiful house and grounds,
and hot-houses, and carriages, and horses. I
think he has everything but a contented mind.”


AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN. 31

“‘ T was greatly pleased, the other day, with the
story of old Betty,” said Mrs. Allen. “ She was
bedridden and asthmatic, but happy. She re-
marked: ‘ When I was well, I used to hear God
saying, “ Betty, do this,” or, ‘‘ Betty, do that ;”
and I went and did it as well as I could: now I
hear him say, ‘‘ Betty, lie still and cough;”’ and
I just do that too.’”

“Old Betty was doing God’s will,” said Harriet.

‘She was doing it on earth then, and was
preparing to do it in heaven for ever,”’ replied
Mrs. Allen.

Charlie had been -listening attentively to this
conversation. He now remarked: “I do not
think we can always know what God’s will is,
mamma.”

“God has given us a perfect rule of duty,”
replied Mrs. Allen. ‘ When we are doubtful
what our conduct ought to be, I think you know
whither we ought to go for direction.”

“To the Bible, mamma, of course; that is,
about great things; but it surely does not tell
us the will of God about little things. I wanted
to walk in the town instead of the country this
morning; I think I could not have found in the
Bible which I ought to do.”

“T am quite sure you could have done x0,
Charlie.”
X
32 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH,

“ Could have found in the Bible where my
morning walk should be? Oh, mamma!”

“Yes, my boy. Where did your mother de-
sire you to walk?”

“Tn the country.”

“Then the Bible says, ‘Children, obey your
parents.’ Now, although it says nothing about
walking in the country, yet it tells you to do
what your mother desires, and she desired you to
take a country walk.”

“T did not think of that sort of way of find-
ing out, mamma.”

Charles, who was now looking grave, said,
“ Mamma, when I won Cousin James’s two great
marbles that he was so fond of, and saw him
sorry, I ought to have given them back. The
Bible does not say anything about marbles; but
it says, ‘Be kindly affectioned one to another,
with brotherly love, in honour preferring one
another.’ I will go and give him them back to-
morrow.”

“Do so, my dear boy,” replied Mrs. Allen;
“and do not again play at marbles to win them.
Play for amusement, if you like, but not for
gain.”

“ Really, mamma, how strange to think of
even playing according to God’s will!” Charles
exclaimed.
AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN. 35

““ Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do,
do all to the glory of God,” Mrs. Allen replied.
“The healthful plays of children would be far
happier if they remembered God’s will.and God’s
law in all of them.”

When Charles arose in the morning, he opened
his box to look at the two great marbles. They
were very fine ones to a little boy’s eye. “I
won them in fair play,” he said. “I did not
cheat one bit. James has no right to expect
them back. I'll just keep them, I think.”

Charles said his prayers: he always finished
with the Lord’s Prayer. When he said, ‘ Thy
will be done,” a qualm came over his heart, for
he thought of the marbles, and his clever ex-
cuses for keeping them vanished. The little boy
was in trouble. At last he prayed, “ Show me
thy will, O Lord; and make me willing to do it.”

He opened his Bible to read his chapter. The
first words he saw were, “ Take heed and beware
of covetousness.” ‘I am afraid I am covetous,
and not kindly affectioned,’ he said. ‘“ Lord,
take away my wicked heart—thy will be done.”

Charles returned the marbles to his cousin
that morning. James was surprised and happy,
and Charles felt merry and light-hearted all day.
The cousins resolved never to play at marbles
again, except for love.

3
=

34 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH,

“What a happy place heaven must be, where
God’s will is always done,” said Charles. “It
has made me so happy to do it in one little
thing !”

Dear boy, he had soon to learn to bear God’s
will, as well as to do it.

There had been a letter from Major Allen so
lately, that another was not expected at present,
and consequently the postman was not watched
as he was when news were looked for. The
Major had won honour, and escaped scathless at
the battle of the Alma, and hitherto he had been
unhurt before Sebastopol. The postman rang,
and Harriet, looking down stairs, saw Mary
coming up with a black-edged letter on a little
silver tray. Her heart beat very quickly, and
with a strange feeling she followed the girl into
her mamma’s room. As Mrs. Allen took the
letter, she became deadly pale. Trembling vio-
lently, she tore it open; a minute afterwards she
had fainted. Harriet screamed, and sprang to
where her mother had fallen; her scream brought
back the servant, and others were quickly called.
As the women were lifting Mrs. Allen into bed,
the little girl, distracted between fear for her
‘mother and dread of the news which had s0 .
affected her, picked up the open letter, and saw
that it contained the intelligence of her father’s
AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN. 35

death. She threw herself upon the bed, and
burst into a paroxysm of sobbing and tears.
Mrs. Allen had by this time recovered conscious-
ness; she lifted up her eyes to heaven, and said,
“ Rather, thy will be done.”

“Mamma, dear mamma!” sobbed Harriet—
it was all that she could say. Mrs. Allen drew
her daughter towards her, and the child wept
upon her mother’s breast.

I need not tell how the younger children were
informed, nor what bitter grief was in the house
that day. Their dear minister called to console
and to pray with them. “ The will of the Lord
be done” —‘“‘ Good is the will of the Lord,” were
Mrs. Allen’s frequent expressions. She never
once murmured at that holy-will, but lay like a
stricken deer, with bleeding submissive heart.

“Emmy not ask for pa’s big tisses to-night,”
said the weeping little girl, as nurse carried her
to her mother at bed-time. Mamma’s kisses
were mingled with tears; but Emmy, patting
her mother’s cheek, whispered, “ Don’t c’y,
mamma! Pa gone to heaven—mamma and
Emmy go too some day.”

The bitterness of childish grief soon passes
away, and in a few days mamma was able to talk
with the children about their loss and hers.

“T think,” said Harriet, “ papa had an idea
36 THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH.

that he would die, he was so careful to tell us .
about our Father in heaven, and to teach us to -
trust in him. He willbe our Father, dear
mamma; I am quite sure of that.”

ab a, though,” said Charles, his lip quiver-
ing—“ TI wish I had had both.”

“We must not wish what God has denied,”
said Mrs. Allen. ‘“ He is trying whether we will.
say, ‘Thy will be done.’”

“In heaven,” said Harriet, “‘ they will never
need to say “Thy will be nore in the same man-
ner as we have to say it now.’ .

“No,” replied her mamma; “there is no su/-
fering of God’s will there, only doing it with joy
for ever; because the people who dwell there
have no sin.” Then she added, musingly, “ Per-
fect in happiness, because perfect in holiness ;
doing always, bearing no more !”


q CHAPTER V.

“QIVE US THIS DAY OUR. DAILY BREAD.”

» WING: to several circumstances, which
** we need not mention, the death of
A Major Allen had left his family in
comparative poverty. Mrs. Allen

PL . _ thought it right to inform her eldest
”, daughter of this, that her mind
might be accommodated to her prospects.

“We must take a small house,” said Mrs.
_ Allen, “and practise economy in all things. J
‘care little for. worldly matters, now that your
dear father cannot share them; but I grieve to
think of my children being reduced.”

“Don’t grieve, dear mamma,” replied Harriet;
“our Father in heaven will give us.all things
that are really good for us. Iam quite sure of
that. We must now pray, ‘Give us this- ay

our daily bread.’”
~~ We must, my love; ‘and remember that
daily bread includes other things than food.”



38 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

“What things, mamma—clothing ?”

Yes, and more also; but I will explain it to
you plist Charles is here.”

Harriet looked at her mother’s pale, sad
countenance, and thought with a sigh, “ Ah,
dear mamma wants other things than food and
raiment—she wants consolation.”

’ An excellent, but very poor widow, named
Renton, had been employed by Mrs. Allen to do
some knitting, She had carried it home during .
the time of deep sorrow, when the servants
would not disturb their mistress, and conse-
quently she was not paid. This morning the
nurse was directed to take the money to her
house; and Mrs. Allen told Harriet that she
“might go with Mary. The good woman was
much affected when she saw the child in her
deep mourning. ;

“Tt is a great sorrow that the Lord hath
sent,” she said; “but he is faithful to his
promise, ‘A father of the fatherless, and a
judge of the widdw, is he in his holy habita-
tion.’ ”.

Harriet turned away her head to hide the
tears which were rolling down her cheeks, and .
the old woman proceeded ; “Seek him as your ts

Father, my dear—your Father in heaven; give |

him your heart, and he will give you all good
’ GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. 39

things. J can testify that ‘they who seek the
Lord shall not want any good thing.’.”

Harriet glanced round upon the small, nearly
empty room, and she thought that some people
would say the old woman wanted every good
thing. It was a cold winter day; and there was
nothing in the grate but a few smouldering
ashes; a little deal table, two old chairs, a
wooden chest, and a very poor-looking bed in a
recess, were all the furniture. Yet all was
clean, and the Bible was open upon the table,
which was drawn close to the fire-place;' and
there was not that miserable appearance which |
some poor dwellings have' with twice as much to
make them comfortable.

“The nurse gave widow Renton the money for
her knitting, saying that Mrs. Allen greatly
regretted that in the time of her severe trouble
it had been neglected.

“Tt is’ not. long, it isnot long,” said the old
‘woman, ‘‘A- thousand thanks for it now. I
knew the Lord would provide ; the daily, bread
has never failed |”

This was said with so much fervour that the
nurse looked as if she expected some explana-

._ tion.

“Thad nothing in the house this morning,”
Mrs. Renton said; “no food, no more coal than
40 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR. DAILY BREAD.

you see, and no money to -buy them with. But
T prayed: to the Lord for my daily iaebst and T
knew that he would send it; for he said, ‘ ote
shall be given thee, thy water shall be sure.’ It
has often been so with me.’
“T think you are contented with bts little,”
said the nurse.
“T know I deserve nothing,” replied the
widow, “therefore I am both eee and
‘thankful for whatever my Father sends me.’
“Had you enough yesterday 2?” the: nurse
inquired.
“Yes; I had a penny,’ was the reply. a
“A penny enough !” he
“Yes; I had four meals out of it.” (ea gaes
fe ows did you make them?” . : ;
“T bought four farthing biscuits. I took one ~
for my breakfast, one for my dinner, one for my
tea, and one for my supper; and with all my |
heart I gave thanks for them. I trusted to have
at least another penny to-day; and God has
given me provision for a long time to come. I
have never wanted my daily bread.”
“ Have you never been afraid of wanting it? a
asked the nurse.
“Sometimes,” she replied; “ my faith jus
nearly failed; but what I have received in
answer’ to earnest supplication and tears has
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. 41

- been doubly sweet. He needs to keep alive our
faith, as well as to send us our: food.” f

Harriet related all this when she went home.
Charles was present; and Mrs. Allen‘said, “ You
see that God hears his people when they pray,
‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ ”

“T think it is only poor people who need to
pray that constantly. We have food in the house
for more days than one, or money to buy it,”
Charles observed.

“We have no certainty of keeping what we
have,”’ replied Mrs.. Allen. “If God pleased,
thieves might carry away all our property; or
‘fire might burn it; or an earthquake swallow

” “it; or we might be, like some of the rich people

* in the Crimea, obliged to flee away and leave it.”
~ “QO yes, mamma!” said Harriet; ‘ beauti-
ful houses were left there, with all the furniture
.and food; and their owners fled; perhaps some
of them might die of hunger and cold.”

“Tt is only through God’s protection that we
have not been called to suffer in this manner,”
said Mrs. Allen.

“Well, mamma,” said Charles, “I used to

- gay those words just because they were in the
_ prayer; now I know that I need to ask my daily
bread.” )

‘Indeed you do,” replied Mrs. Allen; “just

\
42 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

as truly as Widow Tenton does. We may be as
poor as she to-morrow.’

“T never thought of such a thing before,”
said both the children at once.

“ How is it that most people need to work in
order to get their daily bread, if God gives it?”
Charles inquired.

“Because that is the way in which God
chooses to bestow it,” replied hismother. “ He
said at the Fall, ‘ In the sweat of thy brow shalt
thou eat bread. 9

“But the rich, mamma?”

“When God has placed a man in a station
where he is not required to work, that alters the
case. But even he needs to offer that prayer, as
we saw before. Continuance of riches, or a
blessing upon industry, is equally God’s gift.”

“There was.a house at Hupatoria, I think,
mamma, where the French. found the inhabitants
had fled, and wine and cake, and fruit, and all
manner of fine things set upon the table,” said
Charles. .“I daresay the owners were very
rich in the morning and very poor at night.”

“Poor people!” said: Harriet; “ how fright-
ened they would be when they saw the ships of ,
war coming, and ,the soldiers landing. Per-.’
haps next. day they would have to-seek ihe

daily. bread.”
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. 43

“Thus, you see,” said Mrs. Allen, ‘‘ we need
always to ask it from God; for we have no
security for it otherwise.”

“ But. you promised to tell us about the other
meaning of daily bread,” said Harriet.

-.“ What was the reply,” Mrs. Allen inquired,
“that our Saviour gave the Tempter when he
was desired to turn the stones into bread?”

Harriet replied, ‘‘ Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word which proceedeth out
of the mouth of God.”

And does not Christ call hhicaaelt bread?”

“Yes; the bread of God which came down
from heaven.”

“Thus, you see, we need spiritual food as well
as temporal. Our souls would starve without
it.” :

“ Indeed they would,. mamma; I never
thought of that in the Lord’s Prayer,” said
Harriet.

“ And yet it is more important than the bread
that perisheth. The rich man in the recmas had
the one, Lazarus had the other.”

“Poor Lazarus had only crumbs,” said
Charles.

“And yet the crumbs were enough for the
body; -but the rich man had nothing for the
soul.”
44 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

“T think,” said Harriet, “it is' the bent of .

the soul we should pray for most earnestly.”

“While the body is fed with the bread that

perisheth, the soul should be fed with sweet
thoughts of God’s loving-kindness and faithful-
ness. The gift comes with the Giver’s love.”

“T will tell you of what happened to a godly

old couple whom I knew in my young days,”
said Mrs, Allen. Willie R-—— had been a
farmer, but had been reduced to such poverty,
that he and his wife lived in a single room, and
were often in great straits. One day they had
no food, and no means of procuring any. - Old
Willie lay down in bed to sleep away, if possible,
the pain of hunger.

“ At: length his wife said to him, ‘Willie, my
man, it’s of no use lying there ; ‘go over the street
“to D , the butcher, and see if he’ll trust you
with a sheep’s head to make some broth.’

“The old man went. He told the butcher
that he Kad no money, but if he would trust
“him, he would pay for the sheep’ 8 head with the

first money he got.

“The butcher, being rather a hard man,
hesitated; and while he was considering, a
‘stranger entered the shop. Willie modestly’, .

stepped aside until the gentleman’ should be.
served; the gentleman bought a whole quarter


‘GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD., 45

of mutton, and tuming to Willie, said, ‘ Here,
honest man, take that home to your wife.’

“Willie, astonished, received the gift: he
saw it was from the Lord, and carried it home.

“But nobody could discover who the gentle-
man was—nobody had seen him before; he must
have been a perfect stranger, for every one who
frequented that little town was known to the
rest of the inhabitants, especially to such a char-
acter as the butcher. Willie never knew more
than that the Lord had sent him, and that was
enough for the godly old man. Mr. H be-
lieved that it was an angel.”

“ Could it be, mamma?”

“That supposition is not necessary. The
gentleman was passing at the time, and God
put it into his heart thus to relieve the want
of his servants. Miracles are not needlessly
wrought; and: there was no necessity for miracle
there. Our heavenly Father sent clothing to
them in a manner equally unexpected, when
they required it.”

“Oh, do tell us about that,” said Charles.” |
.{ Willie and his. wife were most diligent in
their attendance at church and prayer-meetings. —
The carefully-hoarded Sunday clothes were wear-
ing thin and threadbare; and as cold weather
_ approached, some young men made a subscrip-


46 GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.

tion to buy Willie a new suit. A tailor under-
took to make them. Willie was passing his |
shop one day, when the tailor asked him to step
in. ‘I have a suit to make, Mr. R » he
said, ‘for a man whose measure I don’t know
how to get; his figure is so like yours, I am
sure what fits you will fit him; will you let me
measure you?’ 7 ;

‘““¢ Many a time have I been measured for my-
self, but this is the first time I have been
measured for another body,’ was the reply.

“The clothes were made; ladies added new
linen, and some warm things for Mrs. R-—,
and, warmly and respectably dressed, they
appeared in their accustomed place in church.
He who clothes the lilies of the field had
clothed his servants.”





“Sia


CHAPTER VI.

‘FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.”

WILL never spike to William Somer-
>, ville again,” cried Charles, tears of
2,passion streaming down his face. ‘I
will never speak to him again; nor
help him with his lessons—the dunce’
I won n't ! ITwon’t!” And the little boy stamped
his foot in the wildness of his anger.

“Charles!” exclaimed Mrs. Allen, ‘“ what is
the matter? what is making you so wicked?”

“T am not wicked, mamma! It is he who is
wicked—to say such things before a soldier's
son!”

“Put away that passion, my child, and tell me
what has occasioned it,” said Mrs. Allen, gently
but gravely.

The boy tried to speak, but burst. into a fit of
sobbing, which prevented his utterance. ,

Mrs. Allen waited until the tempest was over,





ne
48 : FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS,

and then learned that, after the fashion of school-
boys, there had been a dispute in the school-yard
about the war, some of the boys-styling them-
selves “the peace party ;” that one of them had |
called soldiers murderers, and thereupon a mur-
mur of indignation had arisen among the others,
many of whom had relatives in the war; and
poor Charles especially felt it as an insult upon
the memory of his beloved father, and resented
- it accordingly.

“The other boys said it was shameful to greek
so before a soldier’s. orphan,” said Charles—
another sob, and another heaving in his breast.

“Tt was very rude and unfeeling,” said Mrs.

_ Allen, “but you must forgive it, my boy.”

“‘T can’t forgive it,.mamma, and there’s no
need to forgive it! I would have forgiven him
for speaking against myself; but a Russian
would not have spoken against my father.”

“Do you remember the prayer, Charles, ‘ For-
give us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ?”’ Zs

Charles was silent.

“ He who will not forgive cannot be forgiven,”
said Mrs. Allen.

“But you know, mainma, I never can love
him; that’s impossible ; and it is his own fault.”

ah He that hateth his brother is a murderer,”
said Mrs, Allen. ‘“ William Somerville spoke
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS, 49

probably in heedlessness, not thinking of your
feelings; but if you cherish anger and resentment
against him, you are Ce breaking God’s
commandment.”
“ How can I help it, mamma?”
“Only by seeking the grace of God to enable
you to put away the sinful feeling.” — \
"Before bed-time came Charles’s wrath was
much softened, for he was not a stubborn boy,
yet he felt a little unwilling to say the Lord’s
Prayer, as he was accustomed to do, It was the
~ only form of prayer which the children used, for
“their mamma had taught them that prayer was
just asking from God such things as they needed;
and they prayed in their own simple language,
but always concluded with this form which
Jesus taught his disciples. Charles began it
hesitatingly, and when he came to the fifth peti-
tion he stopped; he could not go on. He con-
tinued to kneel, saying not a word; then tears
came, and a sore struggle; and at last he cried,
“Tord Jesus, take away my meee heart, and
teach me to forgive my enemies.” His heart was
beginning to melt. He had beguit to wish to do
God’s will; nay, more, he had prayed to be en-
abled to do it. The Holy Spirit had commenced
in his heart a contest against sin; when he does
_ , this, we may expect that he will give the victory.
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. 51

“ Pardon; pardon for the evil temper .in
which you indulged yesterday. You committed
sin then, and sin can be blotted out only by the
blood of Jesus.”

“QO yes! It was wrong, very wrong. I see
it now. I was very ;BeRSIORAtS very wicked.
I hated William then.”

“He that hateth his brother is a murderer,”
Mrs. Allen repeated.

“Q mamma, a murderer! Yes; I felt
dreadfully wicked. Perhaps Cain just felt so
before he slew his brother!” And the little
boy laid his head on his mother’s lap, and wept.

“ Kneel doa Charles,” said Mrs: Allen, “and
‘let us pray.”

Mother and child kneeled down together, and
Mrs. Allen said—

“Q. Lord, this little boy has been very
naughty ; he has indulged wicked passions,
anger, resentment, hatred; he said he would not
forgive. Pardon his sin, O Lord; wash it away
in. the blood of Jesus; and give him grace to
forgive those who have offended him. . Give him
a clean heart, and renew within him a right
spirit; make him meek, and gentle, and loving;
make him like Christ, who, when he was reviled,
reviled not again. .O put thy Holy Spirit into
his heart.” $ :
50 FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS,

Charles dared not say, “ Forgive my debts, as
I forgive my debtors,” for he knew that until he
did forgive, that would be to pray that’ he
might not beforgiven; but he still asked of God,
“Lord, teach me to forgive’’—“ Lord, give me a
holy heart.” After this prayer, he went to bed.

In the morning, he went to his mother’s room
and said, ‘Mamma, I want to forgive William
Somerville. I have prayed to God about it.”

“T am glad of that,” replied his mamma;
“and remember you must watch as well as pray.”

“ How must I watch, mamma?”

“In all probability the wicked feeling will
return; Satan will try to bring it back. You
must watch against its coming, and instantly lift
up your heart to God to check it. You must
not repeat to yourself the words which offended
you; try never to think of them. And-do not
allow any sign of anger towards him to escape
you.”

“Oh, this is very difficult, mamma.’

“Yes, it is, my love; you cannot do it by
your own strength; you need to ask assistance
from God.”

“ Well, mamma, I will do so.’

“* And there is satnet bine more that you need
to ask, my boy.”

“What is that, mamma?”
52 FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS.

“Mamma, I think I do forgive,” said Charles, .
when they arose from prayer; ‘“ but I am afraid
of growing angry again when I see William.”

“You must watch and pray against that,”
replied Mrs. Allen.

When Charles went into the school-yard, one
of the boys came to him and said—‘ A number
of us are so angry with William Somerville for
insulting you, that we do not intend to speak to
him for a week.”

“Thank you,” replied Charles, “but I wish
you would not do that, for I have forgiven him.” |
“Have you? I thought you were never to

forgive him.”

“Ah! but that was a wicked idea. I am
sorry for it now.”

“T took you for a boy of spirit,” said his com-
panion.

This was hard to bear, and a sinful feeling

-flashed over Charles’s heart; but he lifted up
that heart to God, and God gave him grace to
say, ‘It is very easy to be angry, but very diffi-
cult to forgive—forgiveness requires the most
spirit.” —

“That’s true,’ said the boy; “we'll tell...
William, however, that if it had not been for you :
forgiving him, ‘we would have sent him to Co-
ventry.”


CHAPTER VII.

“LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US
FROM EVIL.” :

ma ge have said that Major Allen’s death
“w left his family poorly provided for,
f and rendered it necessary to adopt
immediately a much plainer style of
living than they had been accustomed
to, and to give up many comforts as
well as luxuries. Their father’s eldest brother,
Colonel Allen, was .a rich and gay man; his
family lived in summer at his mansion in the
country, and in winter at an elegant town resi-
dence. er
Harriet and Charles had visited their cousins
“ at Ashfield before the war broke out. There
were dogs, horses, carriages, flowers, fruit, boat-
ing, riding, driving, picnics, everything which
young folks are apt to consider the height of
enjoyment.



54 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,

But the fear and the love of God were not
there. There was no family worship, little
church-going, the Bible was never opened; and
cousin Louisa, in whose room Harriet slept,
laughed at her morning and evening prayers and
reading of the Scriptures. ,

The pleasure which they would have had in
this otherwise charming place was destroyed by
‘ gneers at their religion, and by the follies and
sinful passions in which the want of religion left
their cousins free to indulge.

When the news of Major Allen’s death arrived,
the Colonel said to his wife, ‘“‘ My brother could
not provide for his family. I think we must
take Harriet, and bring her up with our own
girls.”

“Ah! yes; she would really be a dear girl if
those silly methodistical notions were put out of
her little head,” said Mrs. Allen.

Poor Mrs. Allen, she did not know that it was
just what’ she called “silly methodistical notions”
that made Harriet “a dear girl,” when her own
children were envying, and striving, and quarrel-
ling. The love of God in the heart of a child is
the only thing certain to produce amiability of
disposition.

“A thousand pities that. my brother brought
up his family with those notions,” said the Colo-
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. _ 55

nel. ‘They spoiled as brave and noble a fellow
as ever lived. But the child will get quit of
them when she is among our girls.”

So it was arranged that Harriet was to be
adopted into Colonel Allen’s family, and the
children were told of the plan.

Little Ada jumped for joy. ‘‘ Harriet dresses
my doll sé prettily, when Louisa won’t do it,” she
said.

“ Harriet manages to get everybody’s favour. .
I don’t like her,” said Louisa crossly.

“Tl have no not liking,” said the Colonel.
“¥ choose you to like your cousin, and be kind
to her too.”

Louisa pouted, and resolved that she never
would like “a cunning little thing, who stole
everybody’s heart from herself.”

Colonel Allen lost no time in paying a visit
of sympathy to his brother’s widow; and before
he left, he made’ the proposal relative to Harriet. .

Mrs. Allen informed Harriet of her uncle’s
offer.

‘““Dear mamma, are you going to send me
away from you?” she inquired, her lip quivering.

“Tt would be a severe trial to part with you,
my love, but I must consider what will be for
your good.” ;

“T enjoyed my visit to my uncle’s, mamma-—-
56 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,

that is, all the nice and beautiful things and
places—but I was not quite happy.there, not as
IT am at home.” 5

“ Your home ee be different in future, love;
" we’are poor now.’

“Ah, mamma, but you will be there, and

Ged wil be there.”
“God is everywhere.”
“‘ Nobody speaks of God or loves him at Ash-
field.”
Here Charles came running into the-room; he
heard only the word “ Ashfield.”
_ “Hurrah for Ashfield!” he cried. ‘“ Gussy
1s to teach me to drive the pony phaeton my own
. self the next sry I go. Gussy told me so before
he went away.”

Augustus had come with Colonel Allen, and
had. discoursed to Charles about ponies, and
phaetons, and dogs, until the Br pene head
was almost turned.

The door-bell rang, friends’ were annganged:
and Mrs. Allen and’ her daughter spoke no more
about Ashfield that day.

Next morning Harriet said, “Mamma, when I
repeated the Lord’s Prayer last night I thought
that, if I went to my uncle’s, I should have to
pray constantly, ‘ead menot into Heng aoa
but deliver me from evil.’ ”
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 57

“How could you offer that prayer,’ Mrs.
Allen inquired, “if you went into temptation.”

“‘T do not quite understand, mamma.”

“To go into temptation is just to go to a place
where you know you will be tempted to do what
is wrong. It would not be sincere to pray that
God would keep you from it, and at the same
time to go into it.”

“No, indeed, mamma, it would not.”

“Your uncle and aunt think it right to bring
up their family in a way very different from that
in which your papa and I sought to train you,
my love. Many things which they allow, we
considered wrong. I think that with them you
would be exposed to much temptation—the
temptations of the gay world.” ti

“ And then, if I went into temptation, I~
could not pray, ‘ Deliver me from evil,’” said
Harriet. |

“We shall always be grateful to your uncle
and. aunt for their kindness in offering you so
many advantages,” said Mrs. Allen; “but I
think we must decline them, and be content with
what God has given us.” whi
“T fear uncle will be very angry,” said
_ Harriet. :

‘“‘T fear he will,” replied her mamma, “ and
, that grieves me, for I really love him; but we ~
58 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,

must seek the approbation of God first. How-

ever, you must remember that poverty has its
temptations too.”

“ What: temptations ?”

“You may be tempted to discontent when
you see your former companions better dressed
and having more indulgence than you. You
may féel cross if they look down upon you.”

“Then are we not going into that temptation,
mamma?”

““God has sent our poverty, therefore we may
safely seek his aid in overcoming its temptations ;
and they are not half so great as those to which |
you would be. exposed in fleeing from them.
When there are great dangers in one way, and
small dangers in the other, which would a wise
person choose ?”

“Why, the small dangers, of course.”

“Then let us pray that God would show us
our way clearly, and enable us to walk in it—that
he would ee us.not into kod bala but deliver
us from evil.

* ‘The result of consideration and prayer was,
that Colonel Allen’s offer of a‘wealthy and gay,
but godless home, was declined ; and the soldier’s.
family prepared to live as became their altered
circumstances, seeking God as their best portion. .

“ Mamma,” said Charles, when he came from ©
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 59

school one day, “‘ what a dreadful thing has hap-
pened. Henry Downing has been caught a
ing!”

“Stealing!” cried Ska and Mrs. Allen
together.

“ Yes—like a common thief. A lot of us
were passing a fruiterer’s shop, and he called us
to see the beautiful things; we did give a look
at them, but he stayed behind, gazing; as we
went away, he said, ‘I wish I had some of that
feuit.’’” a

“ Ah! he was atte himself into tempta-
tion,” said Mrs. Allen.

sf Well, we walked on; and when we had got
a good way off, we looked back to see if he was
coming: he was running along the street’ at full
speed, and a man after him. The man caught
him, and we returned to see what was the mat-
ter. He was struggling and crying, but the
man held him fast, dragged him back to the
shop, and said he would put him in. prison.
His pockets were full of grapes and oranges.
We all begged so hard, that the man only sent
for his parents to take him home.”

“ That is a dreadful story,” said Mrs. Allen.

“Tt was with looking at the fruit, mamma,
that he longed for it.”

“ He went into temptation, and stayed in it,
60 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION.

and therefore God did not deliver him from
evil,” said Mrs. Allen.

“ Are we not sometimes tempted when we
cannot help it?” Harriet inquired.

“Yes, often,” replied her mother; “ but
answer me, what do we pray for in the sixth
petition ?”

Harriet replied, “ In the sixth petition, which
is ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil,’ we pray that God would either keep
us from being tempted to evil, or support and
deliver us when we are tempted.”

“To go into temptation is wicked,” said Mrs.
Allen; “but when others tempt us, or Satan
tempts us in a way we cannot avoid, then we
ought to seek God’s grace to enable us to over-
come the temptation. Christians must fight
against sin even to their lives’ end; but if they
trust in God, and seek the aid of his Spirit, he
will give them the victory. He will not always
keep them out of temptation, although they
ought to ask that; but he will most assuredly
make them more than conquerors through Him
who loved them: he will answer their prayer,
and ‘ Deliver them from evil.’ ”’










CHAPTER VIII.

CONCLUSION.

“‘ FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE
GLORY, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.”

great kingdom. He wanted the whole
world, and has just got a little coffin.”

So said Charles, coming into the
room with an air of great solemnity
and importance.

“There is but One whose kingdom is for
ever,” said Mrs, Allen ; “but One whose glory
is abiding.”

“That is just the conclusion of the Lord’s
Prayer,” said Harriet. “ Zhine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever.”

‘Some of the boys cheered when they heard
of the Czar’s death; that was a shame,” said
Charles.


62 FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM.

‘‘1t was too solemn a thing to cheer about,”
replied his mother. ‘‘ How vain is the pride of
man, when God stretches out his hand to humble
it!”

“What nonsense it is to want to be great,”
said Charles, “‘ for it always comes to that.”

“To what?” asked Harriet.

‘To death. See how he has toiled and fretted,
and now he is dead.”

“Tf he had got all the world, it would have
been of no use to him now,” said Mrs. Allen.

“Frank Watson said we might just as well
be beggars as kings, for, by-and-by, we should
all be alike,’’ said Charles.

“That was not so wise a speech as it seemed,”
Mrs. Allen replied; “‘ but we ought to strive to
glorify God, and promote Ais kingdom with what
he gives us. His kingdom is the only one that
shall be for ever.

“Tt is sad to think that poor worms of the
dust try to take the crown from Christ, when
angels and archangels worship him, and speed
through the universe to do his bidding. TZhey
know that the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory are the Lord’s, and they delight to ascribe
them to him.”

“God’s redeemed children love to do so too,
I think,” said Harriet.
FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM. 63

“They do. ‘To praise God is their sweetest,
noblest work. By-and-by they shall have done
with prayer, much as they love zé now.

“The song which they sing is—‘ Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb
for ever.”

“And the four beasts said ‘ Amen.’ I wish
all the world were saying ‘ Amen’ to that song,”
said Harriet.

“All the world wll say ‘ Amen’ to it, and
sing it too, my love; for John heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne, and the
living creatures, and the elders; and the num-
ber of them was ten thousand times ten thou-
sand, and thousands of thousands. And every
creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and
under the earth; and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, heard he singing that noble
song.”

“Oh, if we should all be there, singing it too,
with dear papa and the holy angels, how happy
should we be!” Harriet exclaimed.

‘Let us learn to lisp it on earth, and then we
shall sing it in heaven. It was for God’s glory
that we were created; let us seek that glory as
our chief end now, and so we shall ascribe glory
to him for ever,” said Mrs. Allen.
64 FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM.

“ Ts it not terrible, mamma, that so few kings
and great. people who manage kingdoms, remem-
ber that God is their King?” said Harriet.

“Tt is indeed. But they must know: they
must either kiss the Son before he be angry, and
his wrath be kindled; or else, as the vessels of a
potter, they must be broken to shivers. Let us
pray that owr country may acknowledge Christ
to be King before we be destroyed ; and let us
pray that he may reign as King in our own
hearts; for there is a little kingdom there that
needs to be subdued by his grace as much as any
great kingdom of the world. There are rebels
in our hearts against Christ’s kingdom.”

“JT do want all my rebellion destroyed,
mamma,”

“Seek his almighty grace, then, to conquer
the foes there. He will give it, for his is the
kingdom, and he will subdue all things unto
himself. When the battle is ended, the con-
querors—the redeemed—shall join the innu-
merable multitude around the throne, and say,
‘We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
which art, and wast, and art to come; because
thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and
hast reigned; for thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen!’”









ee