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- Permanent Link:
- https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00082998/00001
Material Information
- Title:
- The gospel primer
- Creator:
- Review and Herald Publishing Co ( Publisher )
- Place of Publication:
- Battle Creek Mich
- Publisher:
- Review and Herald Publishing Co.
- Publication Date:
- c1894
- Language:
- English
- Edition:
- 3rd ed.
- Physical Description:
- 96, [4] p. : ill. ; 21 cm.
Subjects
- Subjects / Keywords:
- Christian life -- Juvenile literature ( lcsh )
Bible stories, English -- Juvenile literature ( lcsh ) Publishers' advertisements -- 1894 ( rbgenr ) Readers -- 1894 ( rbgenr ) Textbooks -- 1894 ( rbgenr ) Bldn -- 1894
- Genre:
- Publishers' advertisements ( rbgenr )
Readers ( rbgenr ) Textbooks ( rbgenr )
- Spatial Coverage:
- United States -- Michigan -- Battle Creek
- Target Audience:
- juvenile ( marctarget )
Notes
- General Note:
- Apparently authored by W. O. Palmer and J. E. White.
- General Note:
- Publisher's advertisements follow text.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- University of Florida
- Holding Location:
- University of Florida
- Rights Management:
- This item is presumed to be in the public domain. The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not claim any copyright interest in this item. Users of this work have responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions may require permission of the copyright holder. The Smathers Libraries would like to learn more about this item and invite individuals or organizations to contact The Department of Special and Area Studies Collections (special@uflib.ufl.edu) with any additional information they can provide.
- Resource Identifier:
- 026791359 ( ALEPH )
ALH1033 ( NOTIS ) 226855141 ( OCLC )
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Tak
(GOSPEL PRIMER
Wy
Ah ‘Zz ie
ay
“And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.†2 Tim. 3:45.
THIRD EDITION,—THIRTIETH THOUSAND.
PUBLISHED BY THE
REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO.
BATTLE CREEK, MICH.
Copyrighted, 1894, by W. O. Palmer and J. E. White.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PREFACE.
HE design of the authors of this little book has been to present the
truths of the Gospel in the form of simple stories, such as children
and untrained minds can understand. And while the stories are easy, so
that children can read many of them, they have been made go as to in-
terest and instruct the older readers also.
As the children become interested in the beautiful pictures, and want
to know what they mean, it is hoped that the parents will take the time to
read the stories to them, and see that they understand them fully. And we
feel safe in the assurance that by doing this the parents will not only teach
heautiful lessons to the children, but will find thoughts for themselves that
will amply repay them for the time so employed.
LEARNING TO READ.
THE best plan for teaching reading is by the Word Method. Instead of
the tedious and laborious plan of learning the letters, and then combining
them to make words, the form of the word is learned without reference to
the individual letters with which it is made. In the first nine pages of this
Primer are given, with each letter, a ‘Slate Exercise.†‘I'o begin, take
some word which the pupil understands, such as ‘“‘man,’’ in the first exer-
cise. Let him see how the word looks, and then have him hunt for that
word in the lines above, and in the text of Scripture underneath, and on
some of the pages of the book where it occurs. ‘Then let him take slate or
paper and print the word over and over again. Follow up this line of work
and you will be surprised to see how soon he can read sentences. ‘This ex-
planation is only suggestive. ‘The teacher must vary the exercise to meet
the wants of the pupil.
CONTENTS.
A BCG, and Word Method -
Easy Lessons - -
The Creation = * . -
The Tower of Babel -
Water from the Rock -- -
Gathering Manna - -
Elijah and the Priests of Baal
The Handwriting on the Wall
Daniel in the Lion’s Den -
The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace
The Birth of Jesus - -
Jesus and the Doctors in the Temple
Turning Water into Wine -
The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Parable of the Sower -
The Wonderful Draught of Fishes
Christ Stilling the Tempest
Jesus Heals the Blind Beggar -.
Jesus Blessing Little Children
The Sabbath - - -
The Good Samaritan -
Jesus at Jacob’s Well - -
Peter’s Vision - -
Jesus Riding into Jerusalem -
The Ascension - -
Peter Delivered from Prison
The Lame Man Healed -
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
14
17
21
23
25
27
29
31
35
41
47
49
53
59
61
65
66
67
7a
75
77
79
83
85
84
89
93
94
man.
(SLATE, EXERCISE. )
the man for
first Adam is
“So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him.†Genesis 1:27.
is for Bethlehem, where Jesus
was born.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
was for is born
where Jesus
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem.†Matthew 2:1.
(5)
6 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
is for Cain, who killed his
brother.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Tae killed brother
“inl / j
mee = who his for
“And it came to pass, when they were in the field
Pp ) y )
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew
him.†Genesis 4:8.
is for Daniel, who was cast
into the lion’s den.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
cast. -~was-: lon
into den
“Then the king commanded, and they brought
Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions.†Daniel
6:16.
is for Elijah, who was taken
to heaven.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
heaven taken was
Foti ek : to; for>e2"is
“Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and
Horses Of Gres. Fy and Elijah went up by a whirl-
wind into heaven.†2 Kings 2:11.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 7
is for flood, that drowned
the world.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
flood world that
=| drowned for the
“And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters
upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the
breath of life.’ Genesis 6:17.
is for the giant Goliath, who
was slain by David.
—— , (SLATE BRECISE)
aA! qi 6 slain giant for
IN) J
S ¥ 5
lt Jk, David was
“And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail
because of him; thy servant will go and fight with
this Philistine.†1 Samuel 17 : 32.
is for Hannah, who gave her
son Samuel to the Lord.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Lord son gave
Samuel who
She “brought the child to Eli. Therefore also
I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he
shall be lent to the Lord.†1 Samuel 1: 25-28.
8 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
is for Isaac, the son of Abra-
ham.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Isaac -“s6n-- of
for is the
“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom
thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah;. and
offer him there for a burnt offering.†Genesis 22:2.
is for Jacob, to whom the
angels appeared in a
dream.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
dream angels the
whom Jacob
“And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder set up on
the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven ; and,
behold, the angels of God ascending and descending
on it.†Genesis 28: 12.
is for Korah, who was swal-
lowed up by the earth.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
earth up by the
who was is
“And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
them up.â€â€ Numbers 16: 32.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 9
is for Lazarus, whom Christ
raised from the dead.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Christ raised the
from dead
‘“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.†John 11: 43.
is for Methuselah, the old-
est man.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
‘man oldest
the 5. 4s for
“And all the days of Methuselah were nine hun-
dred sixty and nine years; and he died.†Genesis 5 : 27.
is for Nazareth, the home of
Jesus.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Jesus of home.
for the is
“And he came and dwelt in a city called Naza-
reth.†Matthew 2: 23.
Io THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
is for Olivet, the mount on
which Jesus prayed.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
mount for which
prayed on
“And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to
the Mount of Olives.†Luke 22: 39.
is for Pharaoh, who was
drowned in the Red Sea.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
drowned sea in
who was is
“And the waters returned, and covered the chariots,
and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh.†Ex-
odus 14: 28.
is for Queen of Sheba, who
visited Solomon.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Queen who for
visited Solomon
‘‘And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame
of Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, she came
to prove him with hard questions.†1 Kings 10:1.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. II
is for Rome, where Paul
was put in prison.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Paul put prison
where Rome
“And when we came to Rome, the centurion deliv-
ered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but
Paul was suffered to dwell by himself, with a soldier
that kept him.†Acts 28:16.
is for Sodom, the city de-
stroyed by fire.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
city destroyed by
for the fire
is for Troas, where Paul
preached all night.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
night all where
preached Paul
“When he... . had broken bread, and eaten, and
talked a long while, even till break of day, so he
departed.†Acts 20:11.
I2 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
SS!
the ark.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
ark for steadied
who is the
Sa | is for Uzzah, who steadied
\yr
“Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and
took hold of it; for the oxen shook: it. And. God
smote him there for his error.†2 Samuel 6:6, 7.
is for vine, which represents
Christ.
is for watchman, on the
walls of Zion.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Zion walls of
for the on
‘Watchman, what of the night? ‘The watchman
said, The morning cometh, and also the night.†|
Isaiah 21:11, 12.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. _ 13
is for Xerxes ( Ahasuerus ),
King of Persia.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Pérsia 1s =
king for
“Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus,
.... he made a feast unto all his princes... . of Me-
dia and Persia.†Esther 1:1-3.
is for the yoke of Christ.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Christ of for
yoke is the
“My yoke is easy, and my burden is‘ light.â€
Matthew 11: 30.
is for Zion, the home of the
blest.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Zion blest the
home of for
“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the
Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four
thousand.†Revelation 14:1.
The Word of God.
This is a Bi-ble. The Bi-ble is
= God’s word to us. We know what
man wants of us be-cause we hear his
words. God does not speak to us as man
speaks. God speaks to us in his word.
We must learn to read his word, if we wish
to know what he would have us to do.
The First Sin.
Ad-am sinned, and so he had to give
up his per-fect home that God gave to him.
All who live in this world have sinned.
The Bi-ble says, “All have sinned, and
come short of the glo-ry of God.â€
We also find in God’s word that “the
wages of sin is death.†“The soul that
sin-neth, it shall die.†All that God
speaks is true, so we know that we all
de-serve to die.
(14)
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. _ 15
God is Love.
The Bi-ble tells us that he that lov-eth
not, know-eth not God. We de- serve to
die be-cause we have sinned.
God loved us so much that he want-ed
to save us. There was on-ly one way that
we could be saved. God so loved the
world, that he gave his on-ly be-got-ten
Son, that we might have life.
Birth of Jesus.
Je-sus left his home in heay-en, and
came to live in the world to show us how
much God loved us. He also came to
show us how we should live. Je-sus came
as a babe, and grew up to be a man. All
this time he did no sin. The life of Je-sus
was a per-fect life, e-ven while he lived in
this sin-ful world. Je-sus o-beyed his Fa-
ther per-fect-ly, for he said, “I and my
Fa-ther are one.†We may be per-fect by
hav-ing our life hid with Christ in God.
16 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.,
Death of Jesus.
Je-sus lived a life with-out sin for us.
He died for us, al-so. Je-sus died on the
cross that we might have e-ter-nal life.
“He that hath the Son, hath life; and he
that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.â€
“We love him, be-cause he first loved
us.†We show our love for him by o-bey-
ing his word. “This is the love of God,
~ that we keep his com-mand-ments.†We
are kept from sin by his word in our hearts.
â€
Christ’s Second Coming.
When Je-sus went a-way and left us
here, he said, “I will come a-gain and re-
ceive you un-to my-self; that where I am,
there ye may be al-so.†If we want to go
where Je-sus is, we must love him. Be-fore
he went a-way, he said, “If ye love me,
keep my com-mand-ments.†“If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my
Fa-ther will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our home with him.â€
The Creation.
‘TExT.—‘‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.â€
Genesis I: 1,
Tip you ever see a man make a house? Did you
ever see your mamma make bread, or cakes, or pies ?
The man who made the house had boards and nails
out of which to make it, and he had saws and planes
and other tools to do the work with. Your mamma
had flour and water and everything else she needed
with which to make the bread and cakes and pies.
Everybody who.makes anything has something to
make it with.
But when God made the world he did not have
anything to make it out of. All he had to do was to
speak and it was done. ‘This is called creating. God
is the only one who can create, or make something
out of nothing; and this was just how this world was
made, about six thousand years ago.
It takes a man a long time to make a house, or a
wagon, or a steam engine; but it took God only six
days to make this world and all that was init. When
God first made the world,it did not look as it does now,
and it did not have any real shape. It was just a mix-
ture of mud and water; and it was all dark. Nothing
could live on the world as it was then. So God went
to work to make it beautiful, and to make the trees,
the flowers, the fishes, the birds, the animals, and man.
2 (17)
Toe Karte at CREATION.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 19
On the FIRST day the Lord made light. “And
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called
Night.â€
On the SECOND day he made the air we breathe,
and in which the birds fly. _
On the THIRD day he made the land, seas, and
rivers, and the grass, flowers, and trees.
On the FOURTH day he made the sun, moon,
and stars, to give light to the earth by day and night.
On the FIFTH day he made the fish that swim in
the water, and the birds that fly in the air.
On the SIXTH day he made man and all the ani-
mals that live on the land. And he gave them for
food the grain of the fields, the fruit of the trees, and
the vegetables of the garden.
On the SEVENTH day God rested “ from all the
work which he had made.†“And God saw every-
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.â€
God had made the earth, and everything that lives on
it, and grows on it, in six days, and took the Seventh
as a day of rest in which he could look over the work
he had made. ‘Then he blessed it and made it his holy
Sabbath. And when the Sabbath day comes, he wants
us to stop our work and play, and look at the beautiful
things that are around us, and remember that he made
them all for us. And when we are in danger of for-
getting the Sabbath, let us read Exodus 20: 8-11,
which tells us all about when he made it, why he
made it, and for whom he made it.
Tur ToOwER oF BABEL,
The Tower of Babel.
TExt.—‘‘ Let us build us a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto
heaven ; and let us make usa name.’’? Genesis 11:4.
Nor long after the flood the people began to be very
wicked. But all the time they remembered what their
fathers had told them about the flood which had come
on the whole earth, and they feared there might be an-
other. So they chose them a fine place on which to
build them a city, and a tower that should be so high
that no flood could cover it.
This would make them a great name in the earth,
and if a flood came, they could go to the top of the
tower and be safe. This was. very wicked, for God
had promised that he would never send a flood on the
earth as he had done before, and this showed that they
did not believe God. Then it was wicked to think they
could save themselves if God wanted to destroy them.
Before this time all men spoke the same language;
but when the tower had been built to a great height,
God sent his angels down to change the language.
The men working at the top would order one thing sent _
to them, and those at the bottom would send them some-
thing else. And so it was impossible to go on with
the work. ‘Then God sent the lightnings of heaven,
which broke off the top of the tower. In this way God
stopped the wicked work, and the people were scattered
over the earth, as God intended they should be.
(21)
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BRINGING WATER FROM THE Rock.
Water from the Rock.
TEext.—‘‘ And thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out
of it, that the people may drink.’ Exodus 17:6.
Very many years ago God led the children of Israel
from Egypt to the land of Canaan. A great while
before this he had promised that Canaan should be
their home, and now he was taking them to it. They
had many dangers to meet on this long journey, but
God went with them all the way and took care of them.
One day they came to a place called Rephidim,
and there was no water for them to drink. ‘They were
all very thirsty, for they had traveled all day without
coming to any water. But instead of trusting God
who had always helped them when they needed help,
and believing that he would give them water, they
began to be angry with Moses. They had no reason
to be angry with Moses, for he was only doing as the
Lord told him to do.
So Moses cried to the Lord, and asked what he
should do, for the people were so angry with him that
they were almost ready to kill him. And the Lord
told Moses to take his rod in his hand and go to a
great rock called Horeb, and strike the rock, and
water would flow from it. And when Moses did as the
Lord told him to do, the water flowed down in a great
stream, and the people had all they wanted. If you
will look at the picture you can see them dipping it up.
(23)
ISRAELITES GATHERING MANNA.
Gathering Manna.
TEXT.—‘‘I will rain bread from heaven for you.â€â€ Exodus 16: 4.
[rE children of Israel had been in cruel bondage
“1 Egypt for hundreds of years. ‘Then the Lord sent
Moses to lead them into the land of Canaan, which he
had promised should be their home. But, in going
to their new home, they had to pass through a wilder-
ness where there was no water, and nothing to eat.
And when the people did not know what to do
for water and bread, God made the water run out of
the rocks for them to drink, and rained bread from
heaven for them to eat. This bread was called manna.
“It was found on the ground every morning, and they
had to gather it early, because it melted in the sun.
Each day they gathered what they wanted for
that day, and no more, for, if they kept it over until
the next day, it would be wormy and smell bad. But
on the sixth day twice as much manna fell as did on
the other days, and the people gathered twice as much.
For the Seventh day was the Sabbath which God
had made at creation, and so on that day he did not let
any manna fall. And so every Sabbath they ate the
extra portion of manna that they had gathered on the
sixth day, and the Lord did not let it spoil on this day,
but kept it sweet and good. In this way God taught
them that the Sabbath which he made at creation was
still holy, and he wanted his people to keep it.
(25)
ELIAnu’s OFFERING.
Elijah and the Priests of Baal.
TEx?.—“ How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God,
follow him ; but if Baal, then follow him.’? 1 Kings 18:21.
“THE prophet Elijah lived in the time of Ahab, who
was a wicked king of Israel; for he had made an
image, and called it Baal, and made all the people
worship it, instead of the true God. So Elijah had
Ahab call together the people and the priests of Baal.
And Elijah said, ‘How long will ye serve a false
God? We will prove to-day which is the true God.â€
So he told the priests of Baal to build an altar,
and put wood on it, and put the flesh of a young
bullock on the wood. ‘Then they prayed to their god
all day, and they cut themselves with knives as they
prayed, but their god could do nothing.
Then Elijah got ready to see what his God would
do. He built an altar of twelve stones, and put wood
and the flesh of a young bullock on it, just as the
priests of Baal had done. Then he made a great
trench all around the altar, and had twelve barrels of
water poured on the altar, so that it ran down into the
trench and filled it full. Then he prayed to the Lord, ©
and asked him to show which was the true God. And
fire came down from heaven and burned up the bullock,
and the wood, and the stones of the altar, and dried up
the water in the trench. Then the people believed,
and said, ‘The Lord, he is the God.â€
(27)
HANDWRITING ON THE WALL.
The Handwriting on the Wall.
TEXT.—‘‘In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and
‘wrote... . upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace.’? Daniel 5:5.
~ YELSHAZZAR was king in Babylon at the time
of this story. He was a wicked king, and served “ gods
of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron; of wood, and of
stone.†One day Belshazzar made a feast, and invited
a thousand of the great men of his kingdom to it. In
the midst of this feast, when the king was mocking
the God of heaven, he saw a man’s hand, writing on
the wall of his palace, and he was very much afraid.
But the king could not read the writing, and so
he called in the wise men, and offered great rewards
to the man who could read the writing and tell what
it meant. But none could do it.
Now the queen remembered Daniel, and told the
king to send for him, and he would read the writing,
and tell him what it meant. So Daniel was sent for
at once, and you can see him in the picture, standing
before the king. When Daniel saw the writing, God
told him what it meant. And Daniel explained to
the king that the writing was from the God that he
served, and that it was sent to tell the king that he
was a wicked man, and that he should be king no longer.
And what do you think happened? That very
night a great army of the king’s enemies came into
Babylon, killed the king, and made the city their home.
(29)
Ua
lL IN THR DEN OF LIONS.
DANIE
Daniel in the Lions’ Den.
TExtT.—‘‘Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and
cast him into the den of lions.’ Daniel 6:16.
“THERE lived in the city of Babylon, more than two
thousand, four hundred years ago, a man by the name
of Daniel’ This man was a Jew, and his real home
was in Jerusalem, many hundreds of miles away. ‘The
Jews had been very wicked, and, to punish them, the
Lord had let the armies of Babylon come up and con-
quer them, and take them captive to Babylon, where
they were kept as slaves. .
But Daniel loved God, and was not wicked like
many of the other Jews, and. the Lord gave him wis-
dom, so that the king of Babylon made him the head
ruler in his kingdom. ‘The other rulers were very
angry at this, because they did not like to have a
captive Jew rule over them. So they watched Daniel
very closely, and set spies to see if they could find him
doing anything that was wrong. If they could they
would tell the king, and have Daniel put down from
his high position. But God took care of him, so that
they could not find anything bad to tell the king.
Then they tried to injure him on account of his
religion. Daniel loved and served the true God who
made the world and all that isin it. But the wicked
people in Babylon had idols, and different kinds of
(31)
DANIEL PRAYING, AND THE RULERS WATCHING BELOW.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 33
beasts for their gods. So these wicked rulers went to
the king, and got him to make a decree that for thirty
days no one should pray. to any God, nor ask a favor
of any man but the king. He who should disobey this
command was to be cast alive into a den of lions.
But this made no difference to Daniel, for, three
times every day, he went into his room, and prayed to
his God, with his windows open, just as he used to do
before the king made the wicked decree. In the pic-
ture on the opposite page you see him kneeling and
praying to his God, while the wicked rulers are stand-
ing below watching, and listening to the prayer of
Daniel. And when they heard him praying, as they
expected he would, they told the king, and asked that
Daniel be cast into the den of lions, according to the
decree.
The king loved Daniel, and was very sorry when
he saw how the wicked rulers had tried to destroy him.
But the decree once made had to be carried out, and
that night Daniel was cast into the den of fierce and
hungry lions. But God took care of him, and sent a
strong angel to shut the mouths of the lions, so that
they could not hurt him. And Daniel was just as safe
among those lions as he would have been in his own
house. Now turn back a leaf and you will see Daniel
sitting among the lions, who want to kill him and
eat him, but they cannot, for the angel of God will not
let them.
But the king could not sleep all that night, for
3
34 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
fear that Daniel would be killed. The next morning
early he went to the den, and was very glad to find
him alive and not even hurt. The king had him taken
out of the den at once, and told every one that Daniel’s
God had kept the lions from hurting him.
Then the wicked rulers said it was not Daniel’s
God who had kept him, but the lions were not hungry.
So the king said, If that is the reason Daniel was
not hurt by the lions, they will not hurt you if you
are cast into the den. We will try it and see if they
are hungry. So he had them all taken and cast into
the den. But the gods of these men were only idols,
- and could not take care of them as the angel -of the
Lord had taken care of Daniel, and the lions caught
them as they were thrown into their den, and brake
their bones and killed them before they could get to
the bottom. ‘This proved to all the people how Daniel
had been kept from death, and who the only true God
was.
God always takes care of those who love him and
obey him here, and although he does not always send
an angel to help them out of every trouble, he is near
those who suffer for doing as he has told them to do.
He knows all about every trouble we have, and if we
bear it patiently, for Jesus’ sake, we will have a
greater reward for it by and by. Let us remember
what Jesus said, “ Blessed are they which are perse-
cuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the king-
dom of heaven.â€
The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace.
TEext.—‘ Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’’ Daniel 3:18.
WEEN Daniel was taken as a prisoner to Babylon,
there were taken with him three others, who were his
special friends. ‘These men loved and served the Lord,
who gave them great wisdom. And the king of Baby-
lon made them rulers in his kingdom, and gave them
the new names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
The king and the people of Babylon did not serve
the true God, but made images, and worshiped them.
Don’t you think it was very foolish to worship images
that men made? Do youthink such gods could help
them if they were in trouble? But the king had heard
about the wonderful God of Daniel and his friends,
and wanted to show that the gods he could make were
better than their God.
So he made a great image of gold, almost one
hundred feet high, and then set a day when all his
rulers and captains must come and worship it.
When the day came, the king had a band of music
ready, near the image, and not far off a great fiery
furnace. ‘Then his herald cried with a loud voice, and
told all the people who had come together at the king’s
command, that when they heard the band of music
begin to play, they must all fall down and worship the
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THE THREE HEBREWS BEFORE THE KING.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 37
image. And if any did not do so, they were to be
thrown into the furnace of fire and burned up.
The king knew that some of his rulers, whom he
had compelled to come that day, were Jews. And he
knew they did not believe in any god he could make.
And he thought that by threatening to burn them to
death he could make them worship his god. ,
Then the king commanded the band to play; and
when the people heard it, all but three men fell down
and worshiped the image. But God had said they
must not worship any image, or any god but the God
who made the earth, whose home is in heaven. If you
would like to read where he says this in the Bible, you
will find it in Exodus 20:4, 5. And Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego would rather be burnt up in
the furnace than to disobey God.
When the king learned that these three Jews
would not worship his image, he was very angry, and
ordered them brought to him, and told them they could
have one more chance to live. He would have the
band of music play again, and if they would then
worship his image they might live; “but if ye worship -
not ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands?†‘This meant that the
king thought he was more powerful than the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; and if he cast
them into the furnace, the God of heaven whom they
served could not save them.
IN THE FIERY FURNACE.
‘THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 39
The three Hebrews did not wait till the band
should play for the king to find out what they would
do, but they answered, ““O Nebuchadnezzar, we are —
not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so,
our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of
thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto
thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which thou hast set up.â€
In the picture, at the beginning of this story, you
can see the king sitting in his chair, and the three
Hebrews standing before him, giving their wonderful
answer to the king. You can also see the great image
in the middle of the picture, near the top, and the
people bowing down all aroundit. The band of music
is near the king and the three Hebrews, and the fiery
furnace at the left, near the top.
When the king heard the answer of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego, he was filled with fury, and
commanded they should heat the furnace seven times
hotter than usual. “And he commanded the most
mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the
burning fiery furnace.â€
And what do you think happened? . The fire was
so hot that it killed the men who threw them into the
furnace. But it did not burn the Hebrews, for a
mighty angel from heaven came down and went into
the furnace with them. ‘Then there were four in the
40 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
furnace, and they walked around in the fire, perfectly
safe, and their clothes even were not burned. The
king and all that were with him could see the four
men walking in the fire, and they were astonished.
And the king commanded them to come forth.
In the second picture that goes with this story,
you can see the four men in the fire, and, lying near
them, are the men who were killed by the fire when
they threw the three Hebrews into it. At the right
you can see the king looking with wonder, and his
soldiers and rulers are standing near him.
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego walked
out of the furnace, and the king and his rulers gathered
around them, and they found that there “was not an
hair of their head singed, neither were their coats
- changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.â€
Then the king was forced to say that the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was stronger than
he and all his gods, and able to take care of those who
trusted in him. This was the lesson God wanted to
teach the Babylonians.
The lesson this teaches us is, that no matter who
tells us to disobey God, and do what he has told us we
should not, we must refuse to do it, even if we suffer
for it. And if we suffer for doing just as God has
commanded, we can remember that he knows it all,
and his mighty angels are by our side, even though
we cannot see them. And by and by he will give us
a great reward for all we have done and borne for him.
The Birth of Jesus.
TEext.—‘‘ Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.’? Luke 2:10, 11.
YEARS and years ago, before either you or I was
born, there came to this earth the most beautiful babe
the sun ever shone upon. Mary, his mother, called
him Jesus, for God had told her to do so. About this
same time there were three wise men living in the
East, hundreds of miles from the place where Jesus
was born. ‘These wise men had long studied the
Word of God, and from the prophecies had learned
that it was time for the coming of this babe that should
be called Emanuel, meaning God with us. These
wise men were not Jews, but were men who believed
in God, and loved him, and praised him as they saw
his wonderful works—the sun, the moon, the stars,
and this beautiful earth. :
These wise men were looking for a sign which
would show them where to go to find Jesus when he
should be born, and one night they saw a star that was
much brighter than any star they had ever seen before.
They were very glad when they saw it, and started to
go where it was. And as they went toward it, the star
moved before them, and they followed it on that long
journey, for they wanted to find and worship Jesus.
When they came to Jerusalem, they went to the
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THE WISE MEN PRESENTING GIFTS TO JESUS.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 43
king and asked him, “ Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and
are come to worship him.†But the king did not know,
for he had not studied the prophets, and was not look-
ing for the Saviour. So he called to him all the wise
men, and asked if they knew where the Christ was to
be born, and they told him, ‘‘In Bethlehem.â€
Then he called the wise men to him again, and
asked them ‘‘ what time the star appeared.†‘Then he
gent them to Bethlehem to search further for the child,
and told them to bring him word if they found him.
As they came out from before the king, lo, shining
brightly in the sky, was the star that had guided them
all the way from the East to Jerusalem. And oh! how
glad they were, for it gave them fresh courage in their
search. And so, following on after the star, they came
to a place where it stood still over a stable; and they,
wondering much, entered in. And what do you think
they saw? Why there, cuddled up so cozy and warm,
in a manger, lay the little babe, with his mother watch-
ing beside him.
Don’t you think their hear ts were filled with joy
to God, who had fulfilled his promise made so long be-
fore? Yes, indeed, and they fell on their knees before
the Infant Jesus, and worshiped him as you see in
the picture at the beginning of this story. And then,
‘opening their pack of treasures, they gave precious
gifts of gold and costly myrrh, and then thanked God
again and again for this blessed chance of seeing Jesus.
FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.
THE GOSPEL, PRIMER. 45
Tired out with their journey, they sought their
rest, and, in their sleep, the dear Lord gave them a
dream, telling them not to go back to Jerusalem, but
to go home by another road. For, if the king at Jeru-
salem found out where Jesus was, he would seek to
kill him. For he, as well as the wise men, thought
that Jesus would be their earthly king. But, instead
of this, Jesus has said, “ My kingdom is not of this
world.â€
So the wise men returned to their homes in the
East without again seeing the king. When the king,
whose name was Herod, found that the wise men had
gone home without seeing him, he was very angry,
and sent his soldiers to kill all the children in Beth-
lehem under two years of age. In that way the king
thought he would surely kill the Infant Jesus. But
a power greater than Herod’s was guarding this babe,
and Joseph had a dream in which God told him to
‘take the young child and his mother, and flee into
Egypt.â€
And so, when king Herod’s wicked soldiers came
to kill all the little children of Bethlehem, they did
not kill Jesus, as he expected they would. In the
picture you can see Joseph and Mary and the Infant
Jesus, going on that long journey to escape the wicked
king. But by and by Herod died, and the Lord told
them to go back to the land of Israel. And, ina dream,
they were told to go to Nazareth, and there Jesus lived
until he became a man.
JESUS AMONG THE Docrors.
Jesus and the Doctors in the Temple.
TExt.—‘‘ They found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.� Luke 2: 46.
OncE every year all the Jews went up to Jerusalem
to the feast of the Passover. When Jesus was twelve
years old, his parents took him with them on one of
these journeys. When the feast was over, they joined
the company of those going the same way, and, think-
ing Jesus was somewhere in the crowd, they forgot him
for a whole day. They spent the time in talking and
visiting with those who were around them, and did not
miss Jesus till the night came. Then they searched
diligently for him, but could not find him.
The next day they went sorrowfully back to Jeru-
salem, and hunted for him three days before they found
him. On the third day, as they came near the temple,
they saw many people hastening to it. They went into
the temple with the rest, hoping they might find Jesus
there. And, as soon as they came in, they were aston-
ished to hear the voice of the Child Jesus, answering
the hardest questions that could be asked by the doc-
tors of the law, and asking them questions which they
could not answer.
All the time the crowds of people were hurrying to
the temple, to see and hear the Child who had more
wisdom and knowledge of the Word of God than the
learned doctors. These doctors, and scribes, who were
(47)
48 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
questioning Jesus, had made the Scriptures their life
study; but they found that this Child could teach
them many things they never knew.
And when the mother of Jesus could get to him,
she said, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?
behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.â€
Jesus answered, “‘ Wist ye not that I must be about my
Father’s business?†He said this to his parents so
that they should not forget, that, while he treated them
with respect, and acted the part of a dutiful. son, yet
he was the Son of God, and had a wonderful work to do.
This story teaches us that we must never forget
Jesus, or lose him for one moment. If we do,it may
take days of sorrowful searching to find him again.
CITY OF JERUSALEM.
Turning Water into Wine.
TEXT.—‘‘Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And
they filled them up to the brim.†John 2:7.
“HERE was to be a wedding at Cana, a town of
Galilee, only a little way from the home of Jesus. ‘The
persons to be married were relatives of Jesus, and so
he was present at the feast as one of the guests. He
had been away from his home and friends for some
time. Joseph was dead, and his mother Mary was all
alone. For over thirty years Jesus had been to her
such a kind, loving, dutiful son, that she missed him
greatly, and his absence had made her very sorrowful.
At this marriage feast was the first time she had
met him for about two months, and he was still the
same loving son. And yet there was a difference; for
now there was a gentle dignity in all his actions, and
there were several young men with him who obeyed
him, and called him master. And the heart of Mary
was made glad as she saw the love these young disci-
ples had for Jesus, and as they told of what they had
seen and heard, which proved to them that he was the
Messiah. Mary felt sure that Jesus was the Messiah,
the Son of God; but there had always been a question
in her heart if such a wonderful thing could really be
so. And so the words of these young disciples were
very precious to her, and she was anxious that Jesus
should do something to show to all that this was true.
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TURNING WATER INTO WINE,
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 51
After the wedding ceremony had taken place, they
all sat down to the supper. In those times they always
had wine at such suppers. But the wine was not the
kind that makes people drunk and wicked, but was
just the pure juice of the grape, which would not
harm any one. ‘They had ways of preparing it that
made it very clear and nice to drink. But before the
supper was over they had used up all they had, and did
not know how to get any more.
When Mary knew this, she thought it would be a
good time for Jesus to show the divine power that was
given him, and so she said to him, “They have no
wine.†In doing this she really asked him to use his
wonderful power and supply the want. Standing by
the entrance to the building were six stone waterpots,
and Jesus told the servants to fill them with water.
When they had been filled, he told them to draw out
and serve to the guests. And the astonishment of the
servants was very great when they drew out the beau-
tiful wine, instead of the water which they had just
put in.
In the picture you can see them pouring out the
nice wine, and everybody is looking on with surprise.
And when it was served to the guests, they said it was
-inuch better than the wine they had been drinking.
And when they were told how it had been made, they
all tried to find the One who could do such wonderful
things, but Jesus had gone quietly away, and they
could not find him. Then they found the young dis-
52 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
ciples who had come with Jesus, and asked them about
him. They told the people how Jesus came to be
baptized by John the Baptist, and what John had said
of him. ‘They told also that the Holy Spirit of God
had come down upon him in the form of a dove, as he
came up out of the water, and the voice of God had
come from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.†And many that heard
believed that this must be the Christ for whom they
had been looking and waiting.
This miracle teaches us several lessons. Sin may
be pleasant now, but it will be very bitter by and by;
but the gifts that Jesus gives are always good and fresh
to the end. The water that was poured into the stone
pots was a symbol of baptism, and the wine was a sym-
bol of his blood which was shed to cleanse the sins of
the world. Jesus made enough wine to supply the
wants of everybody at the feast; and so he has shed
his blood for everybody, and the wonderful supply is
great enough to cleanse the sins of all who will come
to him. All he asks is for us to come to him, and
he will cleanse us from all our sins.
And if Christ would in such a way look after the
wants of his friends at the feast, how much more will
he look after our wants every hour of our lives. He
places around us his love and mercy, and we only have
to reach up and let him take hold of our hands and lead
us, and we will be safe. Will we let him take care of
us all the time?
The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter.
TEXT.—‘‘ My little daughter lieth at the point of death; I pray thee,
come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed.’’ Mark 5 : 23.
One day Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee, at Caper-
naum. A great many people had heard of his coming,
and had come to meet him. Among those who came
was a ruler of the synagogue, or Jewish church. The
name of this man was Jairus, and he came to beg Jesus
to come and see his little daughter, who was very sick.
The best doctors had done all they could, and now
said they could do no more, and the little girl must die.
Jairus was a rich man, and he had spared no money in
trying to save the life of his daughter. But we know
that we cannot buy life or health with money. God
alone can give life.
Jesus was always ready to help all who came to
him for help, and he went at once with the sorrowful
father. And although it was only a short distance to
the home of this ruler, it took a long time to get there,
for the people crowded around Jesus, and wanted him
to speak to them, and make them well. Among them
was a woman who had been sick twelve years, and had
spent all her money trying to be made well. She had
heard of this wonderful Jesus, and she thought, If I
can touch but the hem of his robe, I shall be made well.
So she struggled through the crowd that surrounded .
Jesus, and, stooping down, touched his garment, and,
(53)
JESUS RAISING JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 55
- oh, how wonderful, she felt the healing power of the
Saviour coursing through her veins, and she knew that
she had been made well.
With gratitude in her heart she tried to get out of
the throng, but Jesus stopped, and said, ‘‘ Who touched |
me?†All were surprised to hear him ask that ques- :
tion, for he was being pressed on all sides by the eager |
people who surrounded him. But Jesus said, “Some- |
body hath touched me; for I perceive that virtue is
gone out of me.†Jesus could tell whether it was the
touch of faith, or of the careless crowd. You can see |
the people in the picture, crowding around Jesus to be
healed.
‘The woman, seeing that she was found out, came
and told Jesus the story of her suffering and belief,
and Jesus said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy
faith hath made thee whole; goin peace.†‘This was
to show to the people that it was her faith that had
made her whole, and not the mere act of touching his
garment.
Jairus had watched closely the working of this
miracle, and now felt more sure than ever that Jesus
~ would heal his child. But just then a servant came
and said, “Thy daughter is dead.†Jesus heard the
words which seemed to take away all hope from the
sorrowing father, and said to him, “‘ Fear not; believe
only, and she shall be made whole.†Jairus took fresh —
hope from this, and they hurried on to his house, and
to the room -where the dead child was lying. Jesus had .
JEsuS HEALING TH Sick.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 57
the room cleared of all that were in it, except the par-
ents of the child, and his disciples, ‘Cand took her by
the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.†And she
arose at once, and was as well and strong as ever.
When Jesus came to that house, it was full of weeping
and sorrow, but he brought life and joy, and gave the
little girl to her father and mother again.
THE SEA OF GALILEE.
Jesus FEEDING THE Five THOUSAND.
jesus Feeds the Five Thousand.
TExtT.—‘‘ When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company
come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these
may eat?� John 6:5.
oJ ESUS went one time across the Sea of Galilee, into
a desert place, near Bethsaida. And a great many
people came tt him to hear the wonderful things that
Christ could teach them. They brought their sick
friends with them, so that Jesus might heal them. As
Jesus saw their needs, his great heart of pity went out
for them, and he made all the sick people well. And
he taught them all day.
As the evening came on, he looked over that great
company of men, women, and little children, and
thought of how they were to be fed. Many of them
had come a great distance, from cities and villages, and
it would not do to send them away hungry, for they
would faint by the way. You see these people were so
anxious to be with Jesus that they forgot about their
food, and there would have been much suffering if he
had not supplied them.
So Jesus called Philip to him, and asked him where
they could buy bread for the people. He asked this
question to try Philip’s faith, for Jesus knew what he
would do. But the disciples answered, “Send them
away, that they may go into the villages, and buy
themselves bread.†But Jesus said, “Give ye them
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60 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
to eat.†But all the food they could find was five
loaves and two fishes, that a little boy had brought.
Then Jesus told his disciples to have the people
sit down in small.companies, on the nice soft grass, as
you see them in the picture. Then Jesus took the
food, and, looking up to heaven, he gave thanks to
God before any of the people had eaten any of it, thus
teaching us to give thanks to God for his gifts and
blessings to us. ‘Then he brake the loaves and fishes,
and gave to his disciples to give to the people. The
five loaves and two fishes had so increased, that after the °
whole company of more than five thousand people had
had all they wanted to eat, they took up twelve bas-
kets of food that was left, which was twelve times as
much as there was before he fed the multitude.
In telling the disciples to “Gather up the frag-
ments that remain, that nothing be lost,†he teaches
that we should never waste even a crumb, for the bird-
ies will be glad of the crumbs that fall from our tables.
And it is as much of a sin for us to be wasteful, as it is
to refuse to give a poor, starving man a piece of bread.
This miracle teaches us that God will take care of us
if we will trust in him. But we must have faith in
all his words and promises. He says that God clothes
the beautiful lilies; and notices every sparrow that
falls to the ground; and “ye are of more value than
many sparrows.†If our Father so clothes the lilies, -
and cares for the little sparrows, will he not care for us
if we trust him?
Parable of the Sower.
TEX?T.—“ And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went forth to sow.’? Matthew 1 323,
JESUS often spoke to the people in parables. One
time, as he was teaching by the Sea of Galilee, both the
sowers and reapers were at work in plain sight. One
was sowing the seed, and the other was harvesting, as
you see in the picture. Jesus took this scene to illus-
trate what he wanted to teach them, and he told them
of a sower that went out to sow. And, as he scattered
the seed, some of it fell along the roadside, and the
birds came and ate it up. Some of the seed fell on
ground that was all covered with stones, and there was
not much earth for it to grow in; and here it sprang
up quickly, and grew very fast. But when the sun be-
gan to shine hot, it dried up, for there was not much
soil for it to take root in. And some seed fell among
thorns, and the thorns*grew and choked it out, and it
could not bear fruit. But the rest of the seed fell on
good ground, and bore good fruit.
Jesus has told us what this parable means. Sow-
ing the seed is telling the people about the goodness
of God, and what they must do to be saved. These
good words are the seeds. Our hearts and our lives are
the soil. Sometimes we are delighted to hear the good
words of truth, but when we go home to begin our
, (61)
—— — ——SSSSS=x
THE SOWER.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. - 63
work or our play, we forget all about it, and that is the
seed by the wayside. Then, some of us are very glad
for the truth that is spoken to us, and intend to be
good; but temptations come, and we do not like to do
the things which Jesus wants us to do, and we yield to
the temptations. This represents the seed that falls
into stony ground, which withers up so quickly. And
then there are others who receive the words of truth,
and try to obey, but they do not let the truth take
from them all the naughty thoughts and words and
deeds, and forget to watch for new ones that come in,
so that they, too, may be cast out. And when they do
in this way, Satan comes in and chokes all the good
that has come to them. ‘This is the seed that fell
among thorns.
But there are some hearts that are good soil for
the good words, and thoughts, and truths that Jesus has
to give us; and the weeds are all out, and the soil well
watered, so that the seed that is planted in it will grow
and bring forth good fruit. Let us be like the good
ground. Let us take Jesus into our hearts, and he will
be as a well of water springing up there unto everlast-
ing life. We cannot make the good seed grow and
bear fruit ourselves. But if we will give up our own
wishes and ways, and take in Jesus, he will water the
good ground, and make the good seed grow, and then
our hearts will be like the good ground in the parable,
which brought forth fruit, “some thirty-fold, some
sixty, and some an hundred.â€
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THE WONDERFUL DRAUGHT OF FISHES.
The Wonderful Draught of Fishes.
TEXT.— “But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the
shore ; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.’ John 21: 4.
“THE weary fishermen had toiled all night on the
waters, and had taken no fish in their nets. As the
morning dawns, they see Jesus on the shore. The peo-
ple are already gathering around Jesus, and they
crowd:so closely upon him that he hardly has stand-
ing room. So he asks Peter to take him in his boat, so
he can have room to speak to the people on the shore.
After Jesus had finished speaking, he told Peter
to go farther from the shore, where the water was deep,
and let down his net. But Peter was discouraged, and
forgot that Jesus had all power, and could make his
work successful. So Peter said, We have fished all
night, and caught no fish, but if you say so we will try
again. So they let down the net, and when they
tried to draw it in, it was so full of fish that they had
to call for help to get them into the boat. Then Peter
threw himself down at the feet of Jesus, and said, ‘“ De-
part from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.†But
all the time he was clinging to the feet of Jesus for
fear he would leave him. ‘Then Jesus told them to
leave their nets and follow him, and he would make
- them fishers of men. And they became the disciples
of Jesus.
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Christ Stilling the Tempest.
TEXxT.—“‘ Lord, save us; we perish.’? Matthew 8:25.
JESUS had been teaching the people on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee. He was very weary, and so
went with his disciples into a boat, to go to the other
side of the sea. When they started the sky was clear,
but soon a fearful storm arose.
The disciples were good sailors, and worked hard
to keep from sinking. But soon the boat began to leak
and fill with water; and they could do no more to save
‘themselves. Then they thought of Jesus who had
done so many wonderful things, and the lightning
showed him to them, asleep on the pillow in the boat.
They awoke him with the cry, Save, Lord, or we
perish! And Jesus arose, and stretched out his hands, -
and said, “Peace be still,†and the storm ceased, and
the waves were quiet, and the danger was past.
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Jesus Heals the Blind Beggar.
TEXT.—‘‘ Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed
mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash; and I
went and washed, and I received sight.’â€. John 9:10, 11.
One Sabbath day, after Jesus had been teaching
in the Temple, he saw a blind beggar sitting by the
side of, the street. Jesus was sorry for him, because
he could not see the beautiful trees, and the flowers,
and the green grass. He had always been blind, and
so had never seen his parents and friends.
When Jesus came close to the man, he spat upon
the ground, and took some of the dust he had made
moist, and put it on the blind eyes, and told the man
to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. Jesus could:
have opened his eyes without sending him to wash in
the pool; but he wanted him to show that he believed
he would see if he did just as Jesus told him. To be-
lieve in Jesus, and trust that he will do just as he has
promised, is called faith.
At"the bottom of the picture you can see the blind
man standing in the pool, washing his eyes. As soon
as he had done this his eyes were opened, and he could
see as well as you and I can.
When he went home, all by himself, without any
one to lead him, his parents and neighbors were very
much surprised. In the morning, when he left home,
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THE BLIND BEGGAR.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 69
he was blind, and now he could see. Some did not
believe it was the blind* beggar at all, but thought it
was some one who looked like him; “but he said, I
am he.â€
) ‘Then they all wanted to know how he had received
his sight; and he told them all about it, as you will
see by reading the text at the beginning of this story.
And when they found out that it was Jesus who had
done this wonderful thing, they said to him who had
been blind, ‘‘ Where is he? He said, I know not.â€
You see he was so glad because he could see, that he
almost forgot Jesus. Do you ever forget Jesus? He
made this beautiful world we live in. And, although
we cannot see him, he sees us all the time, and takes
care of us. He is ready now to help us, if we will be-
lieve in him, and do just as he tells us, as the blind
man did.
Jesus did not use any medicine in healing the
blind man. Doctors try to cure people now by giving
them medicine. Sometimes they get well and some-
times they do not. Jesus healed the sick, and the
blind, and the lame, by the power of God. ‘The power
of God made man in the first place, and it can heal
him when he is sick. All Jesus had to do was to say
to the sick, ‘‘ Be well,†and the power of God healed
them at once. ‘To heal in this way is called a miracle. _
His neighbors were so surprised at this miracle
that they took him who had been blind to the Phari-
sees and Elders of Israel. These men claimed to be
70 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
good men who understood the Bible and could teach
others how to be good. But they were proud, and
were really so wicked at heart that they afterward
killed Jesus.
These men tried to make the man who was healed
believe that Jesus was wicked because he had healed
him on the Sabbath. But he believed in him all the
more, and said, ‘If this man were not of God, he could
do nothing.†‘Then these Pharisees and Elders were
so angry that “they cast him out†of their church
and would not let him come there any more.
When Jesus knew that he had. been cast out, he
went to him and told him that he was the Son of God,
the Saviour of the world. “And he said, Lord, I be-
lieve. And he worshiped him.†ee.
RUINS OF THE POOL OF SILOAM.
Jesus Blessing Little Children.
TExt.—‘‘And they brought young children to him, that he should
touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.†Mark
10:13.
WHEN Jesus was here on earth, he had such a
winning face that the children loved him. ‘They |
would stretch out their hands and smile at him, for
the looks of his face showed that he had a loving
heart. Jesus loves every one; and whenever he saw
the sick, or those in trouble, his great heart went out
to them in pity. And he would forgive and help
them when they would let him. So it is now; if we
will let him he will come into our lives, and dwell in
our hearts. By so doing we will, like him, love and
be loved by all. And we will search out and bring
help to the lonely and the sick, and thus bring com-
fort to their hearts as well as to our own.
One time, after Jesus had been teaching the people
all day, he went a little way from his disciples to rest,
for he was very weary. While he was resting, several
mothers found him, and brought their children to him,
that he might lay his hands on them and bless them.
In those times it was a common thing for the Jews to
lay their hands on those they prayed for, or blessed,
and in this way they were given to God.
When the disciples saw the mothers bringing
their children to Jesus, they hastened to meet them,
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Jesus BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN,
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 73
and told them that Jesus was resting, and they must
not go to him. When Jesus saw how sorry they -were,,
he said, ‘‘ Suffer little children to come unto me, and
forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.†-
Christ loves little children because they are innocent
and pure, and he loves purity. He had been a child
himself, and had made sacred the age of childhood by
passing through it himself.
‘Then Jesus took the little ones in his arms, and,
laying his hands on their heads, as you see in the
picture, he blessed them, and prayed overthem. And
they leaned against him, and listened to his words,
and were very happy. Did you know that we .can
listen to his words now if we want to, aud that we can
talk to him, and he will hear us, and answer us? Well,
we can when we pray, for that is talking to Jesus. And
~ then we can go to the Bible, which is God’s Word, and
there he will speak to us the véry words he spoke to
those little children so many, many years ago.
After Jesus had blessed the children, he said to his
- disciples, ‘Verily I say unto you, except ye be con-
verted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter
the kingdom of heaven.†‘This was to teach them that
they must have faith as a little child. And it teaches
us that we must have pure and simple faith in Jesus,
and trust everything to him. And we must take all
our cares and troubles to him in prayer, for he has
said that he will take care of them all if we will bring
them to him.
Tore DISCIPLES PLUCKING CoRN.
The Sabbath.
TEext.—‘' Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath
days?� Luke 6:2.
WHEN Jesus was on the earth, the Jews had become
so particular about the keeping of the Sabbath, that
they found fault with the Saviour for healing the sick
on that day. But Jesus told them it was right to do
good on the Sabbath.
One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples ‘passed
through a field of corn. In those days they did not
have any Indian corn as we have; but wheat or any
grain like that, was called corn. The disciples were
very hungry, for they had been with Jesus for a long
time without eating. So, as they passed through the
field, they picked off the heads of grain, and, rubbing
them in their hands, shelled out the kernels, and ate
them. And this was all they had to eat that Sabbath.
But there were people following Jesus who were
always watching for something to find fault with, and
they complained to Jesus that his disciples were break-
ing the Sabbath. You can see them in the picture,
pointing at the disciples, who are eating the grain.
Jesus knew that those who were finding fault were
not good at heart, and he told them that he was Lord
of the Sabbath day, and it was right for them to eat
what was necessary on the Sabbath, even if they had to
pick it and eat it as they were doing that day.
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THE Goop SAMARITAN.
The Good Samaritan.
TEXT.—“ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbor as thyself.’ Luke 10:27.
“THERE was once a man who*came to Jcsus who
was a student of God’s Word. And he began to ask
him questions, to see if he would say anything that
was not as God said. And he said, ‘“ Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?†Jesus in answer
asked, “ What is written in the law?†If you will
read the text at the beginning of this story, you will
find in it the answer that the man gave to Jesus. Jesus
told him that his answer was right, and said, “ This do
and thou shalt live.â€
But he wanted Jesus to believe that he was a good
man, and so asked, “Who is my neighbor?†The
man expected that Jesus would answer that the Jews,
and them alone, were his neighbors. ‘The word nezgh-
bor really means, one who is near. It means any one
who either lives, or sits, or walks near you. Jesus gave
an answer to the man that he did not expect. He an-
swered by telling the following story:
There was once a Jew who went from the city of
Jerusalem to the city of Jericho. As he was going
along the way down the mountain, he fell among
thieves. Thieves are those who take things which be-
long to others. The thieves of our story took the
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78 ‘THE GOSPEL, PRIMER.
clothes and all the money from the poor Jew, and beat
him so that he was almost dead, and then they left him
alone to die.
After awhile a Jewish priest came along the road,
and, seeing the man, passed by on the other side, for
fear he would have to do something for him. And a lit-
tle while after a Levite, who claimed to be a very good
man, passed along, and he stopped and looked at the
man, but he would not help him.
But by and by a Samaritan came riding along.
Now, the Jews hated the Samaritans, and would not
speak to them, or have anything todo with them. But
this Samaritan did not pass by this suffering man be-
cause he was a Jew, but he went to him, and bound
up his cuts and bruises, and poured some soothing oil
on them. Then he lifted him up and put him on his
own beast he had been riding, and carried him along
with him till he came to an inn. He took care of him
all that night, and in the morning left some money
with the keeper of the inn, and told him to take good
care of the man till he got well, and if it cost any
more, he would pay it when he came back that way.
Now, which do you think was the neighbor to the
poor Jew? Was it the priest, or the Levite, or the
Samaritan? Ithink the Samaritan was the true neigh-
bor. And we learn from this story that we should do
good to even our enemies, when they are sick or in
trouble. For Jesus said, “If thine enemy hunger, feed
him. If he thirst, give him drink.â€
Jesus at Jacob’s Well.
TExt.—‘‘ There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water ; Jesus saith
unto her,Give me to drink.’? John 4:4.
JESUS was on his way to Galilee, and his path led
through the country of Samaria. It was about noon
when he and his disciples reached the lovely valley of
Shechem. In this valley was the city of Sychar, and
outside the gates of the city was a well which ‘had been
given to the people by a*good man by the name of
Jacob. Jesus was footsore and tired, and when he came
to this well he sat down to rest,as you see in the picture.
‘The Jews and Samaritans hated each other; and
their hatred was so strong that they would not eat to-
gether, nor even accept the offer of a cup of cold water.
As Jesus sat by the well, a woman of Samaria came to
draw water. And all the time she was filling her jar
she did not seem to notice Jesus, for he was a Jew;
but as she turned to go,he asked her for a drink.
Instead of giving him a drink, she asked him how
it was that he would speak to her, since the Jews hated
the Samaritans as they did. ‘Jesus answered and
said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who
it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst
have asked of him, and he would have given thee living
water.â€
The woman did not understand what he meant,
and so she asked again who he was. He did not tell
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JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. SI
her at once, but said, “‘ Whosoever drinketh of this
water shall thirst again ; but whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the
water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.â€
Jesus now had her respect, and she saw that it was
not the water in the well that he spoke of, for she and
all her friends drank of that water, and still they were
thirsty again andagain. You see Jesus meant that all
who take him into their hearts will have a fountain
from which flows kindness and love to all.
_ Jesus now spoke of other things, and asked for her
husband. She told him she had no husband. Then
Jesus opened up to her page after page of the history
of her life; and she with fear and awe said, “Sir, I
perceive that thou art a prophet.†She was glad of
this, for her heart was often very sad. You see she
had been very naughty, and did not like to talk about
it, and so she tried to have Jesus talk about other things.
You know how you feel when your mamma wants to
talk with you when you have been naughty ; you would
so much rather talk of something else. And that was
the way it was with this woman; she wanted to forget
it. So she asked him if it was so that they must go
to Jerusalem to worship. Jesus told her that the time
was near when it would make no difference where they
worshiped. It is the spirit in which we come to
God, and not the place, that makes it pleasing to him.
As Jesus talked to her she remembered what the
6
82 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
prophecies said in regard to the Messiah who was to
come, and she said, “I know that the Messiah cometh,
which is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell
us all things.†Jesus then told her that he was the
Christ. The woman believed him at once; and how
glad she was. She did not doubt, and ask for a sign
to prove that it was so, as the Jews did, but she felt
sure it was so. And although she was a sinner, she
was more true at heart than many others who thought
they were much better. And she forgot that she had
come to draw water. And she went back to her home,
telling all she met that she had seen the Christ.
The disciples returned while Jesus was talking
with the woman, and were surprised, but feared to ask
any questions. Jesus had not taken a drink of the
water yet, although he was weary and thirsty, for the
saving of a soul was more to him than eating or drink-
ing. He pitied all who were in sorrow or sin, and did
all he could forthem. He felt very sorry for these poor
Samaritans, who were looking and longing for the
coming of the Saviour.
As the woman went back to her home she told all
she met of the glad news. And many of the people
went out to see if it was so. When they saw Jesus
they asked him many questions, and were so glad to
receive his answers to things they wanted to under-
stand; and they begged him to stay longer with them.
Jesus stayed with them two whole days, and they gath-
ered and listened to him, and many believed in him.
Peter’s Vision.
TEXxt.—‘‘ Peter went up upon the housetop to pray.†Acts 10: 9.
ans apostle Peter
ii was a Jew, and he
| preached to Jews
only; but the Lord
wanted him to tell
everybody about
———— Jesus. One day
~ Peter went up on
the housetop to pray. ‘The tops of the houses in that
country were flat as you see in the picture.
By and by Peter became hungry, and while wait-
ing for the food to be prepared, he had a vision. A
great sheet was let down from heaven, and it was filled
with all kinds of animals. And a voice said, “ Rise,
Peter, kill, and eat.†But Peter said, ‘I have never
eaten anything that is common or unclean,†for the
law of the Jews ‘said that some of the beasts in the
sheet were not fit to eat. ‘The voice answered, ‘‘ What
God hath cleansed tat call not thou.common.â€
Peter wondered what this meant, and just then
three men came and asked him to go to Cesarea, and
preach to people who were not Jews. So Peter went
with them, for he knew that the vision meant that he
should preach Christ to everyone.
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JESUS RIDING INTO JERUSALEM.
Jesus Riding into Jerusalem.
TEXT.—“ Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh ia
the name of the Lord.� Matthew 21 29.
JESUS had never allowed the people to treat him as
aking. He had always said, ‘“ My kingdom is not of
this world.†He had come to the earth to save sinners,
and not to be a king in Jerusalem. Before he came to
the earth he was King in Heaven, and that was so
much better than being a King on the earth. And al-
though he would not come to this earth to be a king,
he loved us so well that he came to suffer and die for us.
But now the time had come when his work here was
nearly done, and he was ready to die for the sins of the
world. Andas he came up to Jerusalem to observe his
last Passover, he allowed his disciples, and those who
joined them, to treat him as if he were a king coming
to take the throne of Israel. And, although Jesus had
always refused worldly honor, yet now he wanted the
attention of the people drawn to him in every way pos-
sible. Salvation depended upon his death; and the
better he was known now, the more would his death
and resurrection be known. And this would make peo-
ple study the Scriptures to see if this was the Messiah.
So the people took off their outer garments and
spread them in the way, and cut down the branches of
the beautiful palms, and waved them as the tokens of
victory, and thousands joined in shouting, “Hosanna
to the Son of David.â€
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THE ASCENSION.
The Ascension.
Text.—‘‘And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he
was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.’’ Acts 1:9.
JESUS had now finished his work as a man here on
this earth. The devil had tempted him in every way
in which he can tempt us; but Jesus did not commit
-even one little sin. He was as poor as the poorest
man that ever lived on the earth. And he finally
suffered and died on the cross.
This was to teach the poorest, that God will save
the poor man as well as the rich man, for Christ was
poor. And when we are tempted in any way, we
must remember that Christ was tempted in just that
way, for the Bible says he was tempted in all points,
just as we are. And. if we suffer for doing as God has
told us to do, we know that Jesus has suffered more
than we can. We must also remember that Jesus has
said, “‘Lo, I am with you always.†And if we are
poor, or are tempted, or suffer for Jesus, we can be glad
to know that Jesus is with us all through our trouble,
and is bearing it with us.
Well, Jesus was having a last talk with his disci-
ples. He told them that when he went away, he would
send his Holy Spirit to lead and guide them. When
he had told them this he was taken up from them into
heaven. And while they were looking up toward
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88 : THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
heaven, where Jesus had gone, two angels came and
stood beside them, to comfort them for the loss of the
dear Jesus who had been with them for so long. And
the angels said to the disciples, “Ye men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven.â€
This was a blessed promise, and it is as good to
us now as it was to them then. ‘The promise was that
“this same Jesus’? whom they had known and loved
so long, is to come to this earth again. And those
who love him when he comes, will see him come just
as the disciples saw him when he went away, for the
Bible says so.
And when he comes the next time he will gather
together all who have been good on the earth, and then
he will go back to heaven again and take them with
him. Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for
us, so that when it is time for him to come to this
earth again, to get all who love him, he will havea
place ready for them. He says, “I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also.â€
We all want a place in that beautiful city that
Jesus went to prepare, but if we have it, we must love
and serve him here. If we do he willsay, ‘‘ Well done,
good and faithful servant.â€
Peter Delivered from Prison.
Text.—‘ And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a
light shined in the prison ; and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him
up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.â€
Acts 12:7.
VV ISHING to please the Jews, king Herod began to
imprison the believers in Christ, and to rob their
homes. He took James and cut off his head, and, see-
ing that it pleased the Jews, took Peter and cast him
into prison. When James was killed, there was great
sorrow in the church; and when Peter was thrown
into prison, they all began to fast and pray. King
Herod intended to kill Peter in public, for the people
did not like it because they did not see the death of
James.
And so he intended to put Peter to death in a way
that would please the people, and at the same time
make the Christians afraid to preach Christ. The day
on which Peter was to be killed had been finally set.
But the Christians were praying to God for Peter, and
tu. angels of God were with him, guarding him, so
that no harm should come to him.
To prevent Peter from escaping from the prison,
Herod sent a guard of soldiers to watch, him, and he
was securely chained to two soldiers, so that he could
not move without their knowing it. The doors of the
prison were securely locked, and the wicked king was
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THe ANGEL DELIVERING PETER FROM PRISON.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. gi
sure that it was not possible for him to get away. And
to make the soldiers watch him very closely, they were
told that they would lose their lives if he escaped.
But Peter would not try to escape; for he, like all
others who are obeying Jesus, felt that if the Lord
wanted him to be in prison, that was the very place he
wanted to be. And if the Lord did not want him to be
there, it would be very easy for the Lord to take him
out. So Peter slept between the two soldiers to whom
he was chained, and had no fear in the matter at all.
God would not let the enemies of his truth tri-
umph, and so he sent a strong angel to that prison to
lead Peter out of it. And although his cell was cut
out of solid rock, and the strong gates were securely
barred, the angel passed through them without any
trouble. And a bright light shone in that prison cell,
and the angel awoke Peter, and told him to arise
quickly, and get ready to go from the prison. Then
the angel led him out as easily as he had come in, and
taking him through a number of streets of the city,
until Peter knew where he was, he left him to find his
way homealone. And he went to the very place where
they were gathered together that very night, praying
for him. How glad they were to see him, and to know
that their prayers for him had been answered.
And do we realize that the angels of God are
around us, guarding us and keeping us every day?
There is no harm that can come to us unless the Lord
permits it for our good.
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PETER HEALING THE LAME MAN.
The Lame Man Healed.
TEXT.—‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.â€
Acts 3:6.
JESUS did many miracles when he was on earth.
And he gave this same power to his disciples; for he
told them that “ greater works than these shall ye do.â€
- And after Jesus went back to heaven, his disciples
healed the sick, and the lame, and the blind, just as
Jesus did when he was with them.
One day Peter and John went up to the temple,
and as they were going in, a lame beggar asked them
to give him something. This poor lame man had
heard of Jesus a long time before, and had got some of
his friends to carry him to the temple, so that Jesus
might heal him as he was healing so many others.
But when he got there he was a little too late, for
Jesus had just been put to death. How disappointed
he must have been !
Now when Peter saw him he told him he did not
have any money, but he would give him what he had.
And then, in the name of Jesus, he told the lame man
to rise up and walk. And so the poor man’s faith that
Jesus could heal him was not lost, for he was made
well at once, and he was so glad that he went into
the temple with Peter, walking, and leaping, and
praising God.
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A Lirtie CHInp SHALL LEAD THEM.
A Little Child Shall Lead Them.
TEXT.—‘‘ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together ; and a little child shall lead them.†Isaiah 11: 6.
VV HEN God made this world, it was very beautiful.
It did not have the rough mountains, and barren
deserts, and swamps full of disease. No, it was all
perfect, for God said it was “very good.†Everything
that grew out of the ground was good, and there were
no thistles, nor briars, nor weeds. The beasts and
birds were not as they are now. ‘The great lions and
tigers were gentle and kind, like the kittens and dogs
you love to play with.
But when man sinned and became wicked, God
could not bless the earth any more, but made the
thistles grow where the roses had grown before, and
briars came up in the place of the beautiful vines.
And then the flood came, and great earthquakes, which
tore up the beautiful earth, and made the rough mount-
ains. All these things were to show to men how bad
sin is, and that it made them worse, and the earth
which was made for them.
The animals, too, were changed. Before sin came
they loved man, and were glad to obey him. But
when Adam sinned and did not obey God, then the
animals ceased to love and obey him. ‘They were
changed, and have become fierce and wild, and the
(95)
96 ‘THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
strong animals will kill the weak ones, and even man
is not safe where they are. So this earth is not good
and beautiful as it was when God made it, and man is
not good and happy and well, but is wicked and sad.
But this will not be so always. God has promised
that he will make this earth all over new, and it will
be good and beautiful again, as it was before Adam
sinned. The wicked people will be burned up, and
then those who have loved the dear Saviour, and whose
sins have all been forgiven, will come back to the
earth to live. And then everything will be good and
happy again, as-it was when the earth was first made.
And Jesus is making a wonderful city in heaven,
and in it he is making beautiful homes for us. Jesus
has told us about these homes in John 14:2, 3. This
beautiful city is called the New Jerusalem, and Jesus
will bring it down from heaven to the new earth, and
it will be our home forever. How large do you think
this city will be? If you will read the twenty-first
chapter of Revelation, you will learn all about it, and
how it will come down from heaven tothe earth. And
you will find that the city is one thousand, five hun-
dred miles around it. There is no city in the world
so large as this one.
And then all will be peace and happiness every-
where; and the animals will love and obey man, and
the little child will play with the lions and savage
tigers, and all will be joyful together, as you see in
the picture.
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Full Text |
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(GOSPEL PRIMER
Wy
Ah ‘Zz ie
ay
“And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.†2 Tim. 3:45.
THIRD EDITION,—THIRTIETH THOUSAND.
PUBLISHED BY THE
REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO.
BATTLE CREEK, MICH.
Copyrighted, 1894, by W. O. Palmer and J. E. White.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PREFACE.
HE design of the authors of this little book has been to present the
truths of the Gospel in the form of simple stories, such as children
and untrained minds can understand. And while the stories are easy, so
that children can read many of them, they have been made go as to in-
terest and instruct the older readers also.
As the children become interested in the beautiful pictures, and want
to know what they mean, it is hoped that the parents will take the time to
read the stories to them, and see that they understand them fully. And we
feel safe in the assurance that by doing this the parents will not only teach
heautiful lessons to the children, but will find thoughts for themselves that
will amply repay them for the time so employed.
LEARNING TO READ.
THE best plan for teaching reading is by the Word Method. Instead of
the tedious and laborious plan of learning the letters, and then combining
them to make words, the form of the word is learned without reference to
the individual letters with which it is made. In the first nine pages of this
Primer are given, with each letter, a ‘Slate Exercise.†‘I'o begin, take
some word which the pupil understands, such as ‘“‘man,’’ in the first exer-
cise. Let him see how the word looks, and then have him hunt for that
word in the lines above, and in the text of Scripture underneath, and on
some of the pages of the book where it occurs. ‘Then let him take slate or
paper and print the word over and over again. Follow up this line of work
and you will be surprised to see how soon he can read sentences. ‘This ex-
planation is only suggestive. ‘The teacher must vary the exercise to meet
the wants of the pupil.
CONTENTS.
A BCG, and Word Method -
Easy Lessons - -
The Creation = * . -
The Tower of Babel -
Water from the Rock -- -
Gathering Manna - -
Elijah and the Priests of Baal
The Handwriting on the Wall
Daniel in the Lion’s Den -
The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace
The Birth of Jesus - -
Jesus and the Doctors in the Temple
Turning Water into Wine -
The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Parable of the Sower -
The Wonderful Draught of Fishes
Christ Stilling the Tempest
Jesus Heals the Blind Beggar -.
Jesus Blessing Little Children
The Sabbath - - -
The Good Samaritan -
Jesus at Jacob’s Well - -
Peter’s Vision - -
Jesus Riding into Jerusalem -
The Ascension - -
Peter Delivered from Prison
The Lame Man Healed -
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
14
17
21
23
25
27
29
31
35
41
47
49
53
59
61
65
66
67
7a
75
77
79
83
85
84
89
93
94
man.
(SLATE, EXERCISE. )
the man for
first Adam is
“So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him.†Genesis 1:27.
is for Bethlehem, where Jesus
was born.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
was for is born
where Jesus
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem.†Matthew 2:1.
(5)
6 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
is for Cain, who killed his
brother.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Tae killed brother
“inl / j
mee = who his for
“And it came to pass, when they were in the field
Pp ) y )
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew
him.†Genesis 4:8.
is for Daniel, who was cast
into the lion’s den.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
cast. -~was-: lon
into den
“Then the king commanded, and they brought
Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions.†Daniel
6:16.
is for Elijah, who was taken
to heaven.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
heaven taken was
Foti ek : to; for>e2"is
“Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and
Horses Of Gres. Fy and Elijah went up by a whirl-
wind into heaven.†2 Kings 2:11.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 7
is for flood, that drowned
the world.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
flood world that
=| drowned for the
“And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters
upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the
breath of life.’ Genesis 6:17.
is for the giant Goliath, who
was slain by David.
—— , (SLATE BRECISE)
aA! qi 6 slain giant for
IN) J
S ¥ 5
lt Jk, David was
“And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail
because of him; thy servant will go and fight with
this Philistine.†1 Samuel 17 : 32.
is for Hannah, who gave her
son Samuel to the Lord.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Lord son gave
Samuel who
She “brought the child to Eli. Therefore also
I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he
shall be lent to the Lord.†1 Samuel 1: 25-28.
8 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
is for Isaac, the son of Abra-
ham.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Isaac -“s6n-- of
for is the
“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom
thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah;. and
offer him there for a burnt offering.†Genesis 22:2.
is for Jacob, to whom the
angels appeared in a
dream.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
dream angels the
whom Jacob
“And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder set up on
the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven ; and,
behold, the angels of God ascending and descending
on it.†Genesis 28: 12.
is for Korah, who was swal-
lowed up by the earth.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
earth up by the
who was is
“And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
them up.â€â€ Numbers 16: 32.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 9
is for Lazarus, whom Christ
raised from the dead.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Christ raised the
from dead
‘“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.†John 11: 43.
is for Methuselah, the old-
est man.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
‘man oldest
the 5. 4s for
“And all the days of Methuselah were nine hun-
dred sixty and nine years; and he died.†Genesis 5 : 27.
is for Nazareth, the home of
Jesus.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Jesus of home.
for the is
“And he came and dwelt in a city called Naza-
reth.†Matthew 2: 23.
Io THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
is for Olivet, the mount on
which Jesus prayed.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
mount for which
prayed on
“And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to
the Mount of Olives.†Luke 22: 39.
is for Pharaoh, who was
drowned in the Red Sea.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
drowned sea in
who was is
“And the waters returned, and covered the chariots,
and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh.†Ex-
odus 14: 28.
is for Queen of Sheba, who
visited Solomon.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Queen who for
visited Solomon
‘‘And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame
of Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, she came
to prove him with hard questions.†1 Kings 10:1.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. II
is for Rome, where Paul
was put in prison.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Paul put prison
where Rome
“And when we came to Rome, the centurion deliv-
ered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but
Paul was suffered to dwell by himself, with a soldier
that kept him.†Acts 28:16.
is for Sodom, the city de-
stroyed by fire.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
city destroyed by
for the fire
is for Troas, where Paul
preached all night.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
night all where
preached Paul
“When he... . had broken bread, and eaten, and
talked a long while, even till break of day, so he
departed.†Acts 20:11.
I2 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
SS!
the ark.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
ark for steadied
who is the
Sa | is for Uzzah, who steadied
\yr
“Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and
took hold of it; for the oxen shook: it. And. God
smote him there for his error.†2 Samuel 6:6, 7.
is for vine, which represents
Christ.
is for watchman, on the
walls of Zion.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Zion walls of
for the on
‘Watchman, what of the night? ‘The watchman
said, The morning cometh, and also the night.†|
Isaiah 21:11, 12.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. _ 13
is for Xerxes ( Ahasuerus ),
King of Persia.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Pérsia 1s =
king for
“Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus,
.... he made a feast unto all his princes... . of Me-
dia and Persia.†Esther 1:1-3.
is for the yoke of Christ.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Christ of for
yoke is the
“My yoke is easy, and my burden is‘ light.â€
Matthew 11: 30.
is for Zion, the home of the
blest.
(SLATE EXERCISE. )
Zion blest the
home of for
“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the
Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four
thousand.†Revelation 14:1.
The Word of God.
This is a Bi-ble. The Bi-ble is
= God’s word to us. We know what
man wants of us be-cause we hear his
words. God does not speak to us as man
speaks. God speaks to us in his word.
We must learn to read his word, if we wish
to know what he would have us to do.
The First Sin.
Ad-am sinned, and so he had to give
up his per-fect home that God gave to him.
All who live in this world have sinned.
The Bi-ble says, “All have sinned, and
come short of the glo-ry of God.â€
We also find in God’s word that “the
wages of sin is death.†“The soul that
sin-neth, it shall die.†All that God
speaks is true, so we know that we all
de-serve to die.
(14)
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. _ 15
God is Love.
The Bi-ble tells us that he that lov-eth
not, know-eth not God. We de- serve to
die be-cause we have sinned.
God loved us so much that he want-ed
to save us. There was on-ly one way that
we could be saved. God so loved the
world, that he gave his on-ly be-got-ten
Son, that we might have life.
Birth of Jesus.
Je-sus left his home in heay-en, and
came to live in the world to show us how
much God loved us. He also came to
show us how we should live. Je-sus came
as a babe, and grew up to be a man. All
this time he did no sin. The life of Je-sus
was a per-fect life, e-ven while he lived in
this sin-ful world. Je-sus o-beyed his Fa-
ther per-fect-ly, for he said, “I and my
Fa-ther are one.†We may be per-fect by
hav-ing our life hid with Christ in God.
16 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.,
Death of Jesus.
Je-sus lived a life with-out sin for us.
He died for us, al-so. Je-sus died on the
cross that we might have e-ter-nal life.
“He that hath the Son, hath life; and he
that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.â€
“We love him, be-cause he first loved
us.†We show our love for him by o-bey-
ing his word. “This is the love of God,
~ that we keep his com-mand-ments.†We
are kept from sin by his word in our hearts.
â€
Christ’s Second Coming.
When Je-sus went a-way and left us
here, he said, “I will come a-gain and re-
ceive you un-to my-self; that where I am,
there ye may be al-so.†If we want to go
where Je-sus is, we must love him. Be-fore
he went a-way, he said, “If ye love me,
keep my com-mand-ments.†“If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my
Fa-ther will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our home with him.â€
The Creation.
‘TExT.—‘‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.â€
Genesis I: 1,
Tip you ever see a man make a house? Did you
ever see your mamma make bread, or cakes, or pies ?
The man who made the house had boards and nails
out of which to make it, and he had saws and planes
and other tools to do the work with. Your mamma
had flour and water and everything else she needed
with which to make the bread and cakes and pies.
Everybody who.makes anything has something to
make it with.
But when God made the world he did not have
anything to make it out of. All he had to do was to
speak and it was done. ‘This is called creating. God
is the only one who can create, or make something
out of nothing; and this was just how this world was
made, about six thousand years ago.
It takes a man a long time to make a house, or a
wagon, or a steam engine; but it took God only six
days to make this world and all that was init. When
God first made the world,it did not look as it does now,
and it did not have any real shape. It was just a mix-
ture of mud and water; and it was all dark. Nothing
could live on the world as it was then. So God went
to work to make it beautiful, and to make the trees,
the flowers, the fishes, the birds, the animals, and man.
2 (17)
Toe Karte at CREATION.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 19
On the FIRST day the Lord made light. “And
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called
Night.â€
On the SECOND day he made the air we breathe,
and in which the birds fly. _
On the THIRD day he made the land, seas, and
rivers, and the grass, flowers, and trees.
On the FOURTH day he made the sun, moon,
and stars, to give light to the earth by day and night.
On the FIFTH day he made the fish that swim in
the water, and the birds that fly in the air.
On the SIXTH day he made man and all the ani-
mals that live on the land. And he gave them for
food the grain of the fields, the fruit of the trees, and
the vegetables of the garden.
On the SEVENTH day God rested “ from all the
work which he had made.†“And God saw every-
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.â€
God had made the earth, and everything that lives on
it, and grows on it, in six days, and took the Seventh
as a day of rest in which he could look over the work
he had made. ‘Then he blessed it and made it his holy
Sabbath. And when the Sabbath day comes, he wants
us to stop our work and play, and look at the beautiful
things that are around us, and remember that he made
them all for us. And when we are in danger of for-
getting the Sabbath, let us read Exodus 20: 8-11,
which tells us all about when he made it, why he
made it, and for whom he made it.
Tur ToOwER oF BABEL,
The Tower of Babel.
TExt.—‘‘ Let us build us a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto
heaven ; and let us make usa name.’’? Genesis 11:4.
Nor long after the flood the people began to be very
wicked. But all the time they remembered what their
fathers had told them about the flood which had come
on the whole earth, and they feared there might be an-
other. So they chose them a fine place on which to
build them a city, and a tower that should be so high
that no flood could cover it.
This would make them a great name in the earth,
and if a flood came, they could go to the top of the
tower and be safe. This was. very wicked, for God
had promised that he would never send a flood on the
earth as he had done before, and this showed that they
did not believe God. Then it was wicked to think they
could save themselves if God wanted to destroy them.
Before this time all men spoke the same language;
but when the tower had been built to a great height,
God sent his angels down to change the language.
The men working at the top would order one thing sent _
to them, and those at the bottom would send them some-
thing else. And so it was impossible to go on with
the work. ‘Then God sent the lightnings of heaven,
which broke off the top of the tower. In this way God
stopped the wicked work, and the people were scattered
over the earth, as God intended they should be.
(21)
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BRINGING WATER FROM THE Rock.
Water from the Rock.
TEext.—‘‘ And thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out
of it, that the people may drink.’ Exodus 17:6.
Very many years ago God led the children of Israel
from Egypt to the land of Canaan. A great while
before this he had promised that Canaan should be
their home, and now he was taking them to it. They
had many dangers to meet on this long journey, but
God went with them all the way and took care of them.
One day they came to a place called Rephidim,
and there was no water for them to drink. ‘They were
all very thirsty, for they had traveled all day without
coming to any water. But instead of trusting God
who had always helped them when they needed help,
and believing that he would give them water, they
began to be angry with Moses. They had no reason
to be angry with Moses, for he was only doing as the
Lord told him to do.
So Moses cried to the Lord, and asked what he
should do, for the people were so angry with him that
they were almost ready to kill him. And the Lord
told Moses to take his rod in his hand and go to a
great rock called Horeb, and strike the rock, and
water would flow from it. And when Moses did as the
Lord told him to do, the water flowed down in a great
stream, and the people had all they wanted. If you
will look at the picture you can see them dipping it up.
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ISRAELITES GATHERING MANNA.
Gathering Manna.
TEXT.—‘‘I will rain bread from heaven for you.â€â€ Exodus 16: 4.
[rE children of Israel had been in cruel bondage
“1 Egypt for hundreds of years. ‘Then the Lord sent
Moses to lead them into the land of Canaan, which he
had promised should be their home. But, in going
to their new home, they had to pass through a wilder-
ness where there was no water, and nothing to eat.
And when the people did not know what to do
for water and bread, God made the water run out of
the rocks for them to drink, and rained bread from
heaven for them to eat. This bread was called manna.
“It was found on the ground every morning, and they
had to gather it early, because it melted in the sun.
Each day they gathered what they wanted for
that day, and no more, for, if they kept it over until
the next day, it would be wormy and smell bad. But
on the sixth day twice as much manna fell as did on
the other days, and the people gathered twice as much.
For the Seventh day was the Sabbath which God
had made at creation, and so on that day he did not let
any manna fall. And so every Sabbath they ate the
extra portion of manna that they had gathered on the
sixth day, and the Lord did not let it spoil on this day,
but kept it sweet and good. In this way God taught
them that the Sabbath which he made at creation was
still holy, and he wanted his people to keep it.
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ELIAnu’s OFFERING.
Elijah and the Priests of Baal.
TEx?.—“ How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God,
follow him ; but if Baal, then follow him.’? 1 Kings 18:21.
“THE prophet Elijah lived in the time of Ahab, who
was a wicked king of Israel; for he had made an
image, and called it Baal, and made all the people
worship it, instead of the true God. So Elijah had
Ahab call together the people and the priests of Baal.
And Elijah said, ‘How long will ye serve a false
God? We will prove to-day which is the true God.â€
So he told the priests of Baal to build an altar,
and put wood on it, and put the flesh of a young
bullock on the wood. ‘Then they prayed to their god
all day, and they cut themselves with knives as they
prayed, but their god could do nothing.
Then Elijah got ready to see what his God would
do. He built an altar of twelve stones, and put wood
and the flesh of a young bullock on it, just as the
priests of Baal had done. Then he made a great
trench all around the altar, and had twelve barrels of
water poured on the altar, so that it ran down into the
trench and filled it full. Then he prayed to the Lord, ©
and asked him to show which was the true God. And
fire came down from heaven and burned up the bullock,
and the wood, and the stones of the altar, and dried up
the water in the trench. Then the people believed,
and said, ‘The Lord, he is the God.â€
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HANDWRITING ON THE WALL.
The Handwriting on the Wall.
TEXT.—‘‘In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and
‘wrote... . upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace.’? Daniel 5:5.
~ YELSHAZZAR was king in Babylon at the time
of this story. He was a wicked king, and served “ gods
of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron; of wood, and of
stone.†One day Belshazzar made a feast, and invited
a thousand of the great men of his kingdom to it. In
the midst of this feast, when the king was mocking
the God of heaven, he saw a man’s hand, writing on
the wall of his palace, and he was very much afraid.
But the king could not read the writing, and so
he called in the wise men, and offered great rewards
to the man who could read the writing and tell what
it meant. But none could do it.
Now the queen remembered Daniel, and told the
king to send for him, and he would read the writing,
and tell him what it meant. So Daniel was sent for
at once, and you can see him in the picture, standing
before the king. When Daniel saw the writing, God
told him what it meant. And Daniel explained to
the king that the writing was from the God that he
served, and that it was sent to tell the king that he
was a wicked man, and that he should be king no longer.
And what do you think happened? That very
night a great army of the king’s enemies came into
Babylon, killed the king, and made the city their home.
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Ua
lL IN THR DEN OF LIONS.
DANIE
Daniel in the Lions’ Den.
TExtT.—‘‘Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and
cast him into the den of lions.’ Daniel 6:16.
“THERE lived in the city of Babylon, more than two
thousand, four hundred years ago, a man by the name
of Daniel’ This man was a Jew, and his real home
was in Jerusalem, many hundreds of miles away. ‘The
Jews had been very wicked, and, to punish them, the
Lord had let the armies of Babylon come up and con-
quer them, and take them captive to Babylon, where
they were kept as slaves. .
But Daniel loved God, and was not wicked like
many of the other Jews, and. the Lord gave him wis-
dom, so that the king of Babylon made him the head
ruler in his kingdom. ‘The other rulers were very
angry at this, because they did not like to have a
captive Jew rule over them. So they watched Daniel
very closely, and set spies to see if they could find him
doing anything that was wrong. If they could they
would tell the king, and have Daniel put down from
his high position. But God took care of him, so that
they could not find anything bad to tell the king.
Then they tried to injure him on account of his
religion. Daniel loved and served the true God who
made the world and all that isin it. But the wicked
people in Babylon had idols, and different kinds of
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DANIEL PRAYING, AND THE RULERS WATCHING BELOW.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 33
beasts for their gods. So these wicked rulers went to
the king, and got him to make a decree that for thirty
days no one should pray. to any God, nor ask a favor
of any man but the king. He who should disobey this
command was to be cast alive into a den of lions.
But this made no difference to Daniel, for, three
times every day, he went into his room, and prayed to
his God, with his windows open, just as he used to do
before the king made the wicked decree. In the pic-
ture on the opposite page you see him kneeling and
praying to his God, while the wicked rulers are stand-
ing below watching, and listening to the prayer of
Daniel. And when they heard him praying, as they
expected he would, they told the king, and asked that
Daniel be cast into the den of lions, according to the
decree.
The king loved Daniel, and was very sorry when
he saw how the wicked rulers had tried to destroy him.
But the decree once made had to be carried out, and
that night Daniel was cast into the den of fierce and
hungry lions. But God took care of him, and sent a
strong angel to shut the mouths of the lions, so that
they could not hurt him. And Daniel was just as safe
among those lions as he would have been in his own
house. Now turn back a leaf and you will see Daniel
sitting among the lions, who want to kill him and
eat him, but they cannot, for the angel of God will not
let them.
But the king could not sleep all that night, for
3
34 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
fear that Daniel would be killed. The next morning
early he went to the den, and was very glad to find
him alive and not even hurt. The king had him taken
out of the den at once, and told every one that Daniel’s
God had kept the lions from hurting him.
Then the wicked rulers said it was not Daniel’s
God who had kept him, but the lions were not hungry.
So the king said, If that is the reason Daniel was
not hurt by the lions, they will not hurt you if you
are cast into the den. We will try it and see if they
are hungry. So he had them all taken and cast into
the den. But the gods of these men were only idols,
- and could not take care of them as the angel -of the
Lord had taken care of Daniel, and the lions caught
them as they were thrown into their den, and brake
their bones and killed them before they could get to
the bottom. ‘This proved to all the people how Daniel
had been kept from death, and who the only true God
was.
God always takes care of those who love him and
obey him here, and although he does not always send
an angel to help them out of every trouble, he is near
those who suffer for doing as he has told them to do.
He knows all about every trouble we have, and if we
bear it patiently, for Jesus’ sake, we will have a
greater reward for it by and by. Let us remember
what Jesus said, “ Blessed are they which are perse-
cuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the king-
dom of heaven.â€
The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace.
TEext.—‘ Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’’ Daniel 3:18.
WEEN Daniel was taken as a prisoner to Babylon,
there were taken with him three others, who were his
special friends. ‘These men loved and served the Lord,
who gave them great wisdom. And the king of Baby-
lon made them rulers in his kingdom, and gave them
the new names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
The king and the people of Babylon did not serve
the true God, but made images, and worshiped them.
Don’t you think it was very foolish to worship images
that men made? Do youthink such gods could help
them if they were in trouble? But the king had heard
about the wonderful God of Daniel and his friends,
and wanted to show that the gods he could make were
better than their God.
So he made a great image of gold, almost one
hundred feet high, and then set a day when all his
rulers and captains must come and worship it.
When the day came, the king had a band of music
ready, near the image, and not far off a great fiery
furnace. ‘Then his herald cried with a loud voice, and
told all the people who had come together at the king’s
command, that when they heard the band of music
begin to play, they must all fall down and worship the
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THE THREE HEBREWS BEFORE THE KING.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 37
image. And if any did not do so, they were to be
thrown into the furnace of fire and burned up.
The king knew that some of his rulers, whom he
had compelled to come that day, were Jews. And he
knew they did not believe in any god he could make.
And he thought that by threatening to burn them to
death he could make them worship his god. ,
Then the king commanded the band to play; and
when the people heard it, all but three men fell down
and worshiped the image. But God had said they
must not worship any image, or any god but the God
who made the earth, whose home is in heaven. If you
would like to read where he says this in the Bible, you
will find it in Exodus 20:4, 5. And Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego would rather be burnt up in
the furnace than to disobey God.
When the king learned that these three Jews
would not worship his image, he was very angry, and
ordered them brought to him, and told them they could
have one more chance to live. He would have the
band of music play again, and if they would then
worship his image they might live; “but if ye worship -
not ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands?†‘This meant that the
king thought he was more powerful than the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; and if he cast
them into the furnace, the God of heaven whom they
served could not save them.
IN THE FIERY FURNACE.
‘THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 39
The three Hebrews did not wait till the band
should play for the king to find out what they would
do, but they answered, ““O Nebuchadnezzar, we are —
not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so,
our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of
thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto
thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which thou hast set up.â€
In the picture, at the beginning of this story, you
can see the king sitting in his chair, and the three
Hebrews standing before him, giving their wonderful
answer to the king. You can also see the great image
in the middle of the picture, near the top, and the
people bowing down all aroundit. The band of music
is near the king and the three Hebrews, and the fiery
furnace at the left, near the top.
When the king heard the answer of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego, he was filled with fury, and
commanded they should heat the furnace seven times
hotter than usual. “And he commanded the most
mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the
burning fiery furnace.â€
And what do you think happened? . The fire was
so hot that it killed the men who threw them into the
furnace. But it did not burn the Hebrews, for a
mighty angel from heaven came down and went into
the furnace with them. ‘Then there were four in the
40 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
furnace, and they walked around in the fire, perfectly
safe, and their clothes even were not burned. The
king and all that were with him could see the four
men walking in the fire, and they were astonished.
And the king commanded them to come forth.
In the second picture that goes with this story,
you can see the four men in the fire, and, lying near
them, are the men who were killed by the fire when
they threw the three Hebrews into it. At the right
you can see the king looking with wonder, and his
soldiers and rulers are standing near him.
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego walked
out of the furnace, and the king and his rulers gathered
around them, and they found that there “was not an
hair of their head singed, neither were their coats
- changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.â€
Then the king was forced to say that the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was stronger than
he and all his gods, and able to take care of those who
trusted in him. This was the lesson God wanted to
teach the Babylonians.
The lesson this teaches us is, that no matter who
tells us to disobey God, and do what he has told us we
should not, we must refuse to do it, even if we suffer
for it. And if we suffer for doing just as God has
commanded, we can remember that he knows it all,
and his mighty angels are by our side, even though
we cannot see them. And by and by he will give us
a great reward for all we have done and borne for him.
The Birth of Jesus.
TEext.—‘‘ Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.’? Luke 2:10, 11.
YEARS and years ago, before either you or I was
born, there came to this earth the most beautiful babe
the sun ever shone upon. Mary, his mother, called
him Jesus, for God had told her to do so. About this
same time there were three wise men living in the
East, hundreds of miles from the place where Jesus
was born. ‘These wise men had long studied the
Word of God, and from the prophecies had learned
that it was time for the coming of this babe that should
be called Emanuel, meaning God with us. These
wise men were not Jews, but were men who believed
in God, and loved him, and praised him as they saw
his wonderful works—the sun, the moon, the stars,
and this beautiful earth. :
These wise men were looking for a sign which
would show them where to go to find Jesus when he
should be born, and one night they saw a star that was
much brighter than any star they had ever seen before.
They were very glad when they saw it, and started to
go where it was. And as they went toward it, the star
moved before them, and they followed it on that long
journey, for they wanted to find and worship Jesus.
When they came to Jerusalem, they went to the
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THE WISE MEN PRESENTING GIFTS TO JESUS.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 43
king and asked him, “ Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and
are come to worship him.†But the king did not know,
for he had not studied the prophets, and was not look-
ing for the Saviour. So he called to him all the wise
men, and asked if they knew where the Christ was to
be born, and they told him, ‘‘In Bethlehem.â€
Then he called the wise men to him again, and
asked them ‘‘ what time the star appeared.†‘Then he
gent them to Bethlehem to search further for the child,
and told them to bring him word if they found him.
As they came out from before the king, lo, shining
brightly in the sky, was the star that had guided them
all the way from the East to Jerusalem. And oh! how
glad they were, for it gave them fresh courage in their
search. And so, following on after the star, they came
to a place where it stood still over a stable; and they,
wondering much, entered in. And what do you think
they saw? Why there, cuddled up so cozy and warm,
in a manger, lay the little babe, with his mother watch-
ing beside him.
Don’t you think their hear ts were filled with joy
to God, who had fulfilled his promise made so long be-
fore? Yes, indeed, and they fell on their knees before
the Infant Jesus, and worshiped him as you see in
the picture at the beginning of this story. And then,
‘opening their pack of treasures, they gave precious
gifts of gold and costly myrrh, and then thanked God
again and again for this blessed chance of seeing Jesus.
FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.
THE GOSPEL, PRIMER. 45
Tired out with their journey, they sought their
rest, and, in their sleep, the dear Lord gave them a
dream, telling them not to go back to Jerusalem, but
to go home by another road. For, if the king at Jeru-
salem found out where Jesus was, he would seek to
kill him. For he, as well as the wise men, thought
that Jesus would be their earthly king. But, instead
of this, Jesus has said, “ My kingdom is not of this
world.â€
So the wise men returned to their homes in the
East without again seeing the king. When the king,
whose name was Herod, found that the wise men had
gone home without seeing him, he was very angry,
and sent his soldiers to kill all the children in Beth-
lehem under two years of age. In that way the king
thought he would surely kill the Infant Jesus. But
a power greater than Herod’s was guarding this babe,
and Joseph had a dream in which God told him to
‘take the young child and his mother, and flee into
Egypt.â€
And so, when king Herod’s wicked soldiers came
to kill all the little children of Bethlehem, they did
not kill Jesus, as he expected they would. In the
picture you can see Joseph and Mary and the Infant
Jesus, going on that long journey to escape the wicked
king. But by and by Herod died, and the Lord told
them to go back to the land of Israel. And, ina dream,
they were told to go to Nazareth, and there Jesus lived
until he became a man.
JESUS AMONG THE Docrors.
Jesus and the Doctors in the Temple.
TExt.—‘‘ They found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.� Luke 2: 46.
OncE every year all the Jews went up to Jerusalem
to the feast of the Passover. When Jesus was twelve
years old, his parents took him with them on one of
these journeys. When the feast was over, they joined
the company of those going the same way, and, think-
ing Jesus was somewhere in the crowd, they forgot him
for a whole day. They spent the time in talking and
visiting with those who were around them, and did not
miss Jesus till the night came. Then they searched
diligently for him, but could not find him.
The next day they went sorrowfully back to Jeru-
salem, and hunted for him three days before they found
him. On the third day, as they came near the temple,
they saw many people hastening to it. They went into
the temple with the rest, hoping they might find Jesus
there. And, as soon as they came in, they were aston-
ished to hear the voice of the Child Jesus, answering
the hardest questions that could be asked by the doc-
tors of the law, and asking them questions which they
could not answer.
All the time the crowds of people were hurrying to
the temple, to see and hear the Child who had more
wisdom and knowledge of the Word of God than the
learned doctors. These doctors, and scribes, who were
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48 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
questioning Jesus, had made the Scriptures their life
study; but they found that this Child could teach
them many things they never knew.
And when the mother of Jesus could get to him,
she said, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?
behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.â€
Jesus answered, “‘ Wist ye not that I must be about my
Father’s business?†He said this to his parents so
that they should not forget, that, while he treated them
with respect, and acted the part of a dutiful. son, yet
he was the Son of God, and had a wonderful work to do.
This story teaches us that we must never forget
Jesus, or lose him for one moment. If we do,it may
take days of sorrowful searching to find him again.
CITY OF JERUSALEM.
Turning Water into Wine.
TEXT.—‘‘Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And
they filled them up to the brim.†John 2:7.
“HERE was to be a wedding at Cana, a town of
Galilee, only a little way from the home of Jesus. ‘The
persons to be married were relatives of Jesus, and so
he was present at the feast as one of the guests. He
had been away from his home and friends for some
time. Joseph was dead, and his mother Mary was all
alone. For over thirty years Jesus had been to her
such a kind, loving, dutiful son, that she missed him
greatly, and his absence had made her very sorrowful.
At this marriage feast was the first time she had
met him for about two months, and he was still the
same loving son. And yet there was a difference; for
now there was a gentle dignity in all his actions, and
there were several young men with him who obeyed
him, and called him master. And the heart of Mary
was made glad as she saw the love these young disci-
ples had for Jesus, and as they told of what they had
seen and heard, which proved to them that he was the
Messiah. Mary felt sure that Jesus was the Messiah,
the Son of God; but there had always been a question
in her heart if such a wonderful thing could really be
so. And so the words of these young disciples were
very precious to her, and she was anxious that Jesus
should do something to show to all that this was true.
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TURNING WATER INTO WINE,
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 51
After the wedding ceremony had taken place, they
all sat down to the supper. In those times they always
had wine at such suppers. But the wine was not the
kind that makes people drunk and wicked, but was
just the pure juice of the grape, which would not
harm any one. ‘They had ways of preparing it that
made it very clear and nice to drink. But before the
supper was over they had used up all they had, and did
not know how to get any more.
When Mary knew this, she thought it would be a
good time for Jesus to show the divine power that was
given him, and so she said to him, “They have no
wine.†In doing this she really asked him to use his
wonderful power and supply the want. Standing by
the entrance to the building were six stone waterpots,
and Jesus told the servants to fill them with water.
When they had been filled, he told them to draw out
and serve to the guests. And the astonishment of the
servants was very great when they drew out the beau-
tiful wine, instead of the water which they had just
put in.
In the picture you can see them pouring out the
nice wine, and everybody is looking on with surprise.
And when it was served to the guests, they said it was
-inuch better than the wine they had been drinking.
And when they were told how it had been made, they
all tried to find the One who could do such wonderful
things, but Jesus had gone quietly away, and they
could not find him. Then they found the young dis-
52 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
ciples who had come with Jesus, and asked them about
him. They told the people how Jesus came to be
baptized by John the Baptist, and what John had said
of him. ‘They told also that the Holy Spirit of God
had come down upon him in the form of a dove, as he
came up out of the water, and the voice of God had
come from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.†And many that heard
believed that this must be the Christ for whom they
had been looking and waiting.
This miracle teaches us several lessons. Sin may
be pleasant now, but it will be very bitter by and by;
but the gifts that Jesus gives are always good and fresh
to the end. The water that was poured into the stone
pots was a symbol of baptism, and the wine was a sym-
bol of his blood which was shed to cleanse the sins of
the world. Jesus made enough wine to supply the
wants of everybody at the feast; and so he has shed
his blood for everybody, and the wonderful supply is
great enough to cleanse the sins of all who will come
to him. All he asks is for us to come to him, and
he will cleanse us from all our sins.
And if Christ would in such a way look after the
wants of his friends at the feast, how much more will
he look after our wants every hour of our lives. He
places around us his love and mercy, and we only have
to reach up and let him take hold of our hands and lead
us, and we will be safe. Will we let him take care of
us all the time?
The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter.
TEXT.—‘‘ My little daughter lieth at the point of death; I pray thee,
come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed.’’ Mark 5 : 23.
One day Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee, at Caper-
naum. A great many people had heard of his coming,
and had come to meet him. Among those who came
was a ruler of the synagogue, or Jewish church. The
name of this man was Jairus, and he came to beg Jesus
to come and see his little daughter, who was very sick.
The best doctors had done all they could, and now
said they could do no more, and the little girl must die.
Jairus was a rich man, and he had spared no money in
trying to save the life of his daughter. But we know
that we cannot buy life or health with money. God
alone can give life.
Jesus was always ready to help all who came to
him for help, and he went at once with the sorrowful
father. And although it was only a short distance to
the home of this ruler, it took a long time to get there,
for the people crowded around Jesus, and wanted him
to speak to them, and make them well. Among them
was a woman who had been sick twelve years, and had
spent all her money trying to be made well. She had
heard of this wonderful Jesus, and she thought, If I
can touch but the hem of his robe, I shall be made well.
So she struggled through the crowd that surrounded .
Jesus, and, stooping down, touched his garment, and,
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JESUS RAISING JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 55
- oh, how wonderful, she felt the healing power of the
Saviour coursing through her veins, and she knew that
she had been made well.
With gratitude in her heart she tried to get out of
the throng, but Jesus stopped, and said, ‘‘ Who touched |
me?†All were surprised to hear him ask that ques- :
tion, for he was being pressed on all sides by the eager |
people who surrounded him. But Jesus said, “Some- |
body hath touched me; for I perceive that virtue is
gone out of me.†Jesus could tell whether it was the
touch of faith, or of the careless crowd. You can see |
the people in the picture, crowding around Jesus to be
healed.
‘The woman, seeing that she was found out, came
and told Jesus the story of her suffering and belief,
and Jesus said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy
faith hath made thee whole; goin peace.†‘This was
to show to the people that it was her faith that had
made her whole, and not the mere act of touching his
garment.
Jairus had watched closely the working of this
miracle, and now felt more sure than ever that Jesus
~ would heal his child. But just then a servant came
and said, “Thy daughter is dead.†Jesus heard the
words which seemed to take away all hope from the
sorrowing father, and said to him, “‘ Fear not; believe
only, and she shall be made whole.†Jairus took fresh —
hope from this, and they hurried on to his house, and
to the room -where the dead child was lying. Jesus had .
JEsuS HEALING TH Sick.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 57
the room cleared of all that were in it, except the par-
ents of the child, and his disciples, ‘Cand took her by
the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.†And she
arose at once, and was as well and strong as ever.
When Jesus came to that house, it was full of weeping
and sorrow, but he brought life and joy, and gave the
little girl to her father and mother again.
THE SEA OF GALILEE.
Jesus FEEDING THE Five THOUSAND.
jesus Feeds the Five Thousand.
TExtT.—‘‘ When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company
come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these
may eat?� John 6:5.
oJ ESUS went one time across the Sea of Galilee, into
a desert place, near Bethsaida. And a great many
people came tt him to hear the wonderful things that
Christ could teach them. They brought their sick
friends with them, so that Jesus might heal them. As
Jesus saw their needs, his great heart of pity went out
for them, and he made all the sick people well. And
he taught them all day.
As the evening came on, he looked over that great
company of men, women, and little children, and
thought of how they were to be fed. Many of them
had come a great distance, from cities and villages, and
it would not do to send them away hungry, for they
would faint by the way. You see these people were so
anxious to be with Jesus that they forgot about their
food, and there would have been much suffering if he
had not supplied them.
So Jesus called Philip to him, and asked him where
they could buy bread for the people. He asked this
question to try Philip’s faith, for Jesus knew what he
would do. But the disciples answered, “Send them
away, that they may go into the villages, and buy
themselves bread.†But Jesus said, “Give ye them
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60 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
to eat.†But all the food they could find was five
loaves and two fishes, that a little boy had brought.
Then Jesus told his disciples to have the people
sit down in small.companies, on the nice soft grass, as
you see them in the picture. Then Jesus took the
food, and, looking up to heaven, he gave thanks to
God before any of the people had eaten any of it, thus
teaching us to give thanks to God for his gifts and
blessings to us. ‘Then he brake the loaves and fishes,
and gave to his disciples to give to the people. The
five loaves and two fishes had so increased, that after the °
whole company of more than five thousand people had
had all they wanted to eat, they took up twelve bas-
kets of food that was left, which was twelve times as
much as there was before he fed the multitude.
In telling the disciples to “Gather up the frag-
ments that remain, that nothing be lost,†he teaches
that we should never waste even a crumb, for the bird-
ies will be glad of the crumbs that fall from our tables.
And it is as much of a sin for us to be wasteful, as it is
to refuse to give a poor, starving man a piece of bread.
This miracle teaches us that God will take care of us
if we will trust in him. But we must have faith in
all his words and promises. He says that God clothes
the beautiful lilies; and notices every sparrow that
falls to the ground; and “ye are of more value than
many sparrows.†If our Father so clothes the lilies, -
and cares for the little sparrows, will he not care for us
if we trust him?
Parable of the Sower.
TEX?T.—“ And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went forth to sow.’? Matthew 1 323,
JESUS often spoke to the people in parables. One
time, as he was teaching by the Sea of Galilee, both the
sowers and reapers were at work in plain sight. One
was sowing the seed, and the other was harvesting, as
you see in the picture. Jesus took this scene to illus-
trate what he wanted to teach them, and he told them
of a sower that went out to sow. And, as he scattered
the seed, some of it fell along the roadside, and the
birds came and ate it up. Some of the seed fell on
ground that was all covered with stones, and there was
not much earth for it to grow in; and here it sprang
up quickly, and grew very fast. But when the sun be-
gan to shine hot, it dried up, for there was not much
soil for it to take root in. And some seed fell among
thorns, and the thorns*grew and choked it out, and it
could not bear fruit. But the rest of the seed fell on
good ground, and bore good fruit.
Jesus has told us what this parable means. Sow-
ing the seed is telling the people about the goodness
of God, and what they must do to be saved. These
good words are the seeds. Our hearts and our lives are
the soil. Sometimes we are delighted to hear the good
words of truth, but when we go home to begin our
, (61)
—— — ——SSSSS=x
THE SOWER.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. - 63
work or our play, we forget all about it, and that is the
seed by the wayside. Then, some of us are very glad
for the truth that is spoken to us, and intend to be
good; but temptations come, and we do not like to do
the things which Jesus wants us to do, and we yield to
the temptations. This represents the seed that falls
into stony ground, which withers up so quickly. And
then there are others who receive the words of truth,
and try to obey, but they do not let the truth take
from them all the naughty thoughts and words and
deeds, and forget to watch for new ones that come in,
so that they, too, may be cast out. And when they do
in this way, Satan comes in and chokes all the good
that has come to them. ‘This is the seed that fell
among thorns.
But there are some hearts that are good soil for
the good words, and thoughts, and truths that Jesus has
to give us; and the weeds are all out, and the soil well
watered, so that the seed that is planted in it will grow
and bring forth good fruit. Let us be like the good
ground. Let us take Jesus into our hearts, and he will
be as a well of water springing up there unto everlast-
ing life. We cannot make the good seed grow and
bear fruit ourselves. But if we will give up our own
wishes and ways, and take in Jesus, he will water the
good ground, and make the good seed grow, and then
our hearts will be like the good ground in the parable,
which brought forth fruit, “some thirty-fold, some
sixty, and some an hundred.â€
a
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THE WONDERFUL DRAUGHT OF FISHES.
The Wonderful Draught of Fishes.
TEXT.— “But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the
shore ; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.’ John 21: 4.
“THE weary fishermen had toiled all night on the
waters, and had taken no fish in their nets. As the
morning dawns, they see Jesus on the shore. The peo-
ple are already gathering around Jesus, and they
crowd:so closely upon him that he hardly has stand-
ing room. So he asks Peter to take him in his boat, so
he can have room to speak to the people on the shore.
After Jesus had finished speaking, he told Peter
to go farther from the shore, where the water was deep,
and let down his net. But Peter was discouraged, and
forgot that Jesus had all power, and could make his
work successful. So Peter said, We have fished all
night, and caught no fish, but if you say so we will try
again. So they let down the net, and when they
tried to draw it in, it was so full of fish that they had
to call for help to get them into the boat. Then Peter
threw himself down at the feet of Jesus, and said, ‘“ De-
part from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.†But
all the time he was clinging to the feet of Jesus for
fear he would leave him. ‘Then Jesus told them to
leave their nets and follow him, and he would make
- them fishers of men. And they became the disciples
of Jesus.
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Christ Stilling the Tempest.
TEXxT.—“‘ Lord, save us; we perish.’? Matthew 8:25.
JESUS had been teaching the people on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee. He was very weary, and so
went with his disciples into a boat, to go to the other
side of the sea. When they started the sky was clear,
but soon a fearful storm arose.
The disciples were good sailors, and worked hard
to keep from sinking. But soon the boat began to leak
and fill with water; and they could do no more to save
‘themselves. Then they thought of Jesus who had
done so many wonderful things, and the lightning
showed him to them, asleep on the pillow in the boat.
They awoke him with the cry, Save, Lord, or we
perish! And Jesus arose, and stretched out his hands, -
and said, “Peace be still,†and the storm ceased, and
the waves were quiet, and the danger was past.
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Jesus Heals the Blind Beggar.
TEXT.—‘‘ Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed
mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash; and I
went and washed, and I received sight.’â€. John 9:10, 11.
One Sabbath day, after Jesus had been teaching
in the Temple, he saw a blind beggar sitting by the
side of, the street. Jesus was sorry for him, because
he could not see the beautiful trees, and the flowers,
and the green grass. He had always been blind, and
so had never seen his parents and friends.
When Jesus came close to the man, he spat upon
the ground, and took some of the dust he had made
moist, and put it on the blind eyes, and told the man
to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. Jesus could:
have opened his eyes without sending him to wash in
the pool; but he wanted him to show that he believed
he would see if he did just as Jesus told him. To be-
lieve in Jesus, and trust that he will do just as he has
promised, is called faith.
At"the bottom of the picture you can see the blind
man standing in the pool, washing his eyes. As soon
as he had done this his eyes were opened, and he could
see as well as you and I can.
When he went home, all by himself, without any
one to lead him, his parents and neighbors were very
much surprised. In the morning, when he left home,
(67)
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THE BLIND BEGGAR.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 69
he was blind, and now he could see. Some did not
believe it was the blind* beggar at all, but thought it
was some one who looked like him; “but he said, I
am he.â€
) ‘Then they all wanted to know how he had received
his sight; and he told them all about it, as you will
see by reading the text at the beginning of this story.
And when they found out that it was Jesus who had
done this wonderful thing, they said to him who had
been blind, ‘‘ Where is he? He said, I know not.â€
You see he was so glad because he could see, that he
almost forgot Jesus. Do you ever forget Jesus? He
made this beautiful world we live in. And, although
we cannot see him, he sees us all the time, and takes
care of us. He is ready now to help us, if we will be-
lieve in him, and do just as he tells us, as the blind
man did.
Jesus did not use any medicine in healing the
blind man. Doctors try to cure people now by giving
them medicine. Sometimes they get well and some-
times they do not. Jesus healed the sick, and the
blind, and the lame, by the power of God. ‘The power
of God made man in the first place, and it can heal
him when he is sick. All Jesus had to do was to say
to the sick, ‘‘ Be well,†and the power of God healed
them at once. ‘To heal in this way is called a miracle. _
His neighbors were so surprised at this miracle
that they took him who had been blind to the Phari-
sees and Elders of Israel. These men claimed to be
70 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
good men who understood the Bible and could teach
others how to be good. But they were proud, and
were really so wicked at heart that they afterward
killed Jesus.
These men tried to make the man who was healed
believe that Jesus was wicked because he had healed
him on the Sabbath. But he believed in him all the
more, and said, ‘If this man were not of God, he could
do nothing.†‘Then these Pharisees and Elders were
so angry that “they cast him out†of their church
and would not let him come there any more.
When Jesus knew that he had. been cast out, he
went to him and told him that he was the Son of God,
the Saviour of the world. “And he said, Lord, I be-
lieve. And he worshiped him.†ee.
RUINS OF THE POOL OF SILOAM.
Jesus Blessing Little Children.
TExt.—‘‘And they brought young children to him, that he should
touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.†Mark
10:13.
WHEN Jesus was here on earth, he had such a
winning face that the children loved him. ‘They |
would stretch out their hands and smile at him, for
the looks of his face showed that he had a loving
heart. Jesus loves every one; and whenever he saw
the sick, or those in trouble, his great heart went out
to them in pity. And he would forgive and help
them when they would let him. So it is now; if we
will let him he will come into our lives, and dwell in
our hearts. By so doing we will, like him, love and
be loved by all. And we will search out and bring
help to the lonely and the sick, and thus bring com-
fort to their hearts as well as to our own.
One time, after Jesus had been teaching the people
all day, he went a little way from his disciples to rest,
for he was very weary. While he was resting, several
mothers found him, and brought their children to him,
that he might lay his hands on them and bless them.
In those times it was a common thing for the Jews to
lay their hands on those they prayed for, or blessed,
and in this way they were given to God.
When the disciples saw the mothers bringing
their children to Jesus, they hastened to meet them,
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Jesus BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN,
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 73
and told them that Jesus was resting, and they must
not go to him. When Jesus saw how sorry they -were,,
he said, ‘‘ Suffer little children to come unto me, and
forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.†-
Christ loves little children because they are innocent
and pure, and he loves purity. He had been a child
himself, and had made sacred the age of childhood by
passing through it himself.
‘Then Jesus took the little ones in his arms, and,
laying his hands on their heads, as you see in the
picture, he blessed them, and prayed overthem. And
they leaned against him, and listened to his words,
and were very happy. Did you know that we .can
listen to his words now if we want to, aud that we can
talk to him, and he will hear us, and answer us? Well,
we can when we pray, for that is talking to Jesus. And
~ then we can go to the Bible, which is God’s Word, and
there he will speak to us the véry words he spoke to
those little children so many, many years ago.
After Jesus had blessed the children, he said to his
- disciples, ‘Verily I say unto you, except ye be con-
verted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter
the kingdom of heaven.†‘This was to teach them that
they must have faith as a little child. And it teaches
us that we must have pure and simple faith in Jesus,
and trust everything to him. And we must take all
our cares and troubles to him in prayer, for he has
said that he will take care of them all if we will bring
them to him.
Tore DISCIPLES PLUCKING CoRN.
The Sabbath.
TEext.—‘' Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath
days?� Luke 6:2.
WHEN Jesus was on the earth, the Jews had become
so particular about the keeping of the Sabbath, that
they found fault with the Saviour for healing the sick
on that day. But Jesus told them it was right to do
good on the Sabbath.
One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples ‘passed
through a field of corn. In those days they did not
have any Indian corn as we have; but wheat or any
grain like that, was called corn. The disciples were
very hungry, for they had been with Jesus for a long
time without eating. So, as they passed through the
field, they picked off the heads of grain, and, rubbing
them in their hands, shelled out the kernels, and ate
them. And this was all they had to eat that Sabbath.
But there were people following Jesus who were
always watching for something to find fault with, and
they complained to Jesus that his disciples were break-
ing the Sabbath. You can see them in the picture,
pointing at the disciples, who are eating the grain.
Jesus knew that those who were finding fault were
not good at heart, and he told them that he was Lord
of the Sabbath day, and it was right for them to eat
what was necessary on the Sabbath, even if they had to
pick it and eat it as they were doing that day.
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.
THE Goop SAMARITAN.
The Good Samaritan.
TEXT.—“ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbor as thyself.’ Luke 10:27.
“THERE was once a man who*came to Jcsus who
was a student of God’s Word. And he began to ask
him questions, to see if he would say anything that
was not as God said. And he said, ‘“ Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?†Jesus in answer
asked, “ What is written in the law?†If you will
read the text at the beginning of this story, you will
find in it the answer that the man gave to Jesus. Jesus
told him that his answer was right, and said, “ This do
and thou shalt live.â€
But he wanted Jesus to believe that he was a good
man, and so asked, “Who is my neighbor?†The
man expected that Jesus would answer that the Jews,
and them alone, were his neighbors. ‘The word nezgh-
bor really means, one who is near. It means any one
who either lives, or sits, or walks near you. Jesus gave
an answer to the man that he did not expect. He an-
swered by telling the following story:
There was once a Jew who went from the city of
Jerusalem to the city of Jericho. As he was going
along the way down the mountain, he fell among
thieves. Thieves are those who take things which be-
long to others. The thieves of our story took the
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78 ‘THE GOSPEL, PRIMER.
clothes and all the money from the poor Jew, and beat
him so that he was almost dead, and then they left him
alone to die.
After awhile a Jewish priest came along the road,
and, seeing the man, passed by on the other side, for
fear he would have to do something for him. And a lit-
tle while after a Levite, who claimed to be a very good
man, passed along, and he stopped and looked at the
man, but he would not help him.
But by and by a Samaritan came riding along.
Now, the Jews hated the Samaritans, and would not
speak to them, or have anything todo with them. But
this Samaritan did not pass by this suffering man be-
cause he was a Jew, but he went to him, and bound
up his cuts and bruises, and poured some soothing oil
on them. Then he lifted him up and put him on his
own beast he had been riding, and carried him along
with him till he came to an inn. He took care of him
all that night, and in the morning left some money
with the keeper of the inn, and told him to take good
care of the man till he got well, and if it cost any
more, he would pay it when he came back that way.
Now, which do you think was the neighbor to the
poor Jew? Was it the priest, or the Levite, or the
Samaritan? Ithink the Samaritan was the true neigh-
bor. And we learn from this story that we should do
good to even our enemies, when they are sick or in
trouble. For Jesus said, “If thine enemy hunger, feed
him. If he thirst, give him drink.â€
Jesus at Jacob’s Well.
TExt.—‘‘ There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water ; Jesus saith
unto her,Give me to drink.’? John 4:4.
JESUS was on his way to Galilee, and his path led
through the country of Samaria. It was about noon
when he and his disciples reached the lovely valley of
Shechem. In this valley was the city of Sychar, and
outside the gates of the city was a well which ‘had been
given to the people by a*good man by the name of
Jacob. Jesus was footsore and tired, and when he came
to this well he sat down to rest,as you see in the picture.
‘The Jews and Samaritans hated each other; and
their hatred was so strong that they would not eat to-
gether, nor even accept the offer of a cup of cold water.
As Jesus sat by the well, a woman of Samaria came to
draw water. And all the time she was filling her jar
she did not seem to notice Jesus, for he was a Jew;
but as she turned to go,he asked her for a drink.
Instead of giving him a drink, she asked him how
it was that he would speak to her, since the Jews hated
the Samaritans as they did. ‘Jesus answered and
said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who
it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst
have asked of him, and he would have given thee living
water.â€
The woman did not understand what he meant,
and so she asked again who he was. He did not tell
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JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. SI
her at once, but said, “‘ Whosoever drinketh of this
water shall thirst again ; but whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the
water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.â€
Jesus now had her respect, and she saw that it was
not the water in the well that he spoke of, for she and
all her friends drank of that water, and still they were
thirsty again andagain. You see Jesus meant that all
who take him into their hearts will have a fountain
from which flows kindness and love to all.
_ Jesus now spoke of other things, and asked for her
husband. She told him she had no husband. Then
Jesus opened up to her page after page of the history
of her life; and she with fear and awe said, “Sir, I
perceive that thou art a prophet.†She was glad of
this, for her heart was often very sad. You see she
had been very naughty, and did not like to talk about
it, and so she tried to have Jesus talk about other things.
You know how you feel when your mamma wants to
talk with you when you have been naughty ; you would
so much rather talk of something else. And that was
the way it was with this woman; she wanted to forget
it. So she asked him if it was so that they must go
to Jerusalem to worship. Jesus told her that the time
was near when it would make no difference where they
worshiped. It is the spirit in which we come to
God, and not the place, that makes it pleasing to him.
As Jesus talked to her she remembered what the
6
82 THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
prophecies said in regard to the Messiah who was to
come, and she said, “I know that the Messiah cometh,
which is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell
us all things.†Jesus then told her that he was the
Christ. The woman believed him at once; and how
glad she was. She did not doubt, and ask for a sign
to prove that it was so, as the Jews did, but she felt
sure it was so. And although she was a sinner, she
was more true at heart than many others who thought
they were much better. And she forgot that she had
come to draw water. And she went back to her home,
telling all she met that she had seen the Christ.
The disciples returned while Jesus was talking
with the woman, and were surprised, but feared to ask
any questions. Jesus had not taken a drink of the
water yet, although he was weary and thirsty, for the
saving of a soul was more to him than eating or drink-
ing. He pitied all who were in sorrow or sin, and did
all he could forthem. He felt very sorry for these poor
Samaritans, who were looking and longing for the
coming of the Saviour.
As the woman went back to her home she told all
she met of the glad news. And many of the people
went out to see if it was so. When they saw Jesus
they asked him many questions, and were so glad to
receive his answers to things they wanted to under-
stand; and they begged him to stay longer with them.
Jesus stayed with them two whole days, and they gath-
ered and listened to him, and many believed in him.
Peter’s Vision.
TEXxt.—‘‘ Peter went up upon the housetop to pray.†Acts 10: 9.
ans apostle Peter
ii was a Jew, and he
| preached to Jews
only; but the Lord
wanted him to tell
everybody about
———— Jesus. One day
~ Peter went up on
the housetop to pray. ‘The tops of the houses in that
country were flat as you see in the picture.
By and by Peter became hungry, and while wait-
ing for the food to be prepared, he had a vision. A
great sheet was let down from heaven, and it was filled
with all kinds of animals. And a voice said, “ Rise,
Peter, kill, and eat.†But Peter said, ‘I have never
eaten anything that is common or unclean,†for the
law of the Jews ‘said that some of the beasts in the
sheet were not fit to eat. ‘The voice answered, ‘‘ What
God hath cleansed tat call not thou.common.â€
Peter wondered what this meant, and just then
three men came and asked him to go to Cesarea, and
preach to people who were not Jews. So Peter went
with them, for he knew that the vision meant that he
should preach Christ to everyone.
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JESUS RIDING INTO JERUSALEM.
Jesus Riding into Jerusalem.
TEXT.—“ Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh ia
the name of the Lord.� Matthew 21 29.
JESUS had never allowed the people to treat him as
aking. He had always said, ‘“ My kingdom is not of
this world.†He had come to the earth to save sinners,
and not to be a king in Jerusalem. Before he came to
the earth he was King in Heaven, and that was so
much better than being a King on the earth. And al-
though he would not come to this earth to be a king,
he loved us so well that he came to suffer and die for us.
But now the time had come when his work here was
nearly done, and he was ready to die for the sins of the
world. Andas he came up to Jerusalem to observe his
last Passover, he allowed his disciples, and those who
joined them, to treat him as if he were a king coming
to take the throne of Israel. And, although Jesus had
always refused worldly honor, yet now he wanted the
attention of the people drawn to him in every way pos-
sible. Salvation depended upon his death; and the
better he was known now, the more would his death
and resurrection be known. And this would make peo-
ple study the Scriptures to see if this was the Messiah.
So the people took off their outer garments and
spread them in the way, and cut down the branches of
the beautiful palms, and waved them as the tokens of
victory, and thousands joined in shouting, “Hosanna
to the Son of David.â€
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THE ASCENSION.
The Ascension.
Text.—‘‘And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he
was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.’’ Acts 1:9.
JESUS had now finished his work as a man here on
this earth. The devil had tempted him in every way
in which he can tempt us; but Jesus did not commit
-even one little sin. He was as poor as the poorest
man that ever lived on the earth. And he finally
suffered and died on the cross.
This was to teach the poorest, that God will save
the poor man as well as the rich man, for Christ was
poor. And when we are tempted in any way, we
must remember that Christ was tempted in just that
way, for the Bible says he was tempted in all points,
just as we are. And. if we suffer for doing as God has
told us to do, we know that Jesus has suffered more
than we can. We must also remember that Jesus has
said, “‘Lo, I am with you always.†And if we are
poor, or are tempted, or suffer for Jesus, we can be glad
to know that Jesus is with us all through our trouble,
and is bearing it with us.
Well, Jesus was having a last talk with his disci-
ples. He told them that when he went away, he would
send his Holy Spirit to lead and guide them. When
he had told them this he was taken up from them into
heaven. And while they were looking up toward
(87)
88 : THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
heaven, where Jesus had gone, two angels came and
stood beside them, to comfort them for the loss of the
dear Jesus who had been with them for so long. And
the angels said to the disciples, “Ye men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven.â€
This was a blessed promise, and it is as good to
us now as it was to them then. ‘The promise was that
“this same Jesus’? whom they had known and loved
so long, is to come to this earth again. And those
who love him when he comes, will see him come just
as the disciples saw him when he went away, for the
Bible says so.
And when he comes the next time he will gather
together all who have been good on the earth, and then
he will go back to heaven again and take them with
him. Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for
us, so that when it is time for him to come to this
earth again, to get all who love him, he will havea
place ready for them. He says, “I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also.â€
We all want a place in that beautiful city that
Jesus went to prepare, but if we have it, we must love
and serve him here. If we do he willsay, ‘‘ Well done,
good and faithful servant.â€
Peter Delivered from Prison.
Text.—‘ And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a
light shined in the prison ; and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him
up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.â€
Acts 12:7.
VV ISHING to please the Jews, king Herod began to
imprison the believers in Christ, and to rob their
homes. He took James and cut off his head, and, see-
ing that it pleased the Jews, took Peter and cast him
into prison. When James was killed, there was great
sorrow in the church; and when Peter was thrown
into prison, they all began to fast and pray. King
Herod intended to kill Peter in public, for the people
did not like it because they did not see the death of
James.
And so he intended to put Peter to death in a way
that would please the people, and at the same time
make the Christians afraid to preach Christ. The day
on which Peter was to be killed had been finally set.
But the Christians were praying to God for Peter, and
tu. angels of God were with him, guarding him, so
that no harm should come to him.
To prevent Peter from escaping from the prison,
Herod sent a guard of soldiers to watch, him, and he
was securely chained to two soldiers, so that he could
not move without their knowing it. The doors of the
prison were securely locked, and the wicked king was
(89)
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THe ANGEL DELIVERING PETER FROM PRISON.
THE GOSPEL PRIMER. gi
sure that it was not possible for him to get away. And
to make the soldiers watch him very closely, they were
told that they would lose their lives if he escaped.
But Peter would not try to escape; for he, like all
others who are obeying Jesus, felt that if the Lord
wanted him to be in prison, that was the very place he
wanted to be. And if the Lord did not want him to be
there, it would be very easy for the Lord to take him
out. So Peter slept between the two soldiers to whom
he was chained, and had no fear in the matter at all.
God would not let the enemies of his truth tri-
umph, and so he sent a strong angel to that prison to
lead Peter out of it. And although his cell was cut
out of solid rock, and the strong gates were securely
barred, the angel passed through them without any
trouble. And a bright light shone in that prison cell,
and the angel awoke Peter, and told him to arise
quickly, and get ready to go from the prison. Then
the angel led him out as easily as he had come in, and
taking him through a number of streets of the city,
until Peter knew where he was, he left him to find his
way homealone. And he went to the very place where
they were gathered together that very night, praying
for him. How glad they were to see him, and to know
that their prayers for him had been answered.
And do we realize that the angels of God are
around us, guarding us and keeping us every day?
There is no harm that can come to us unless the Lord
permits it for our good.
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‘i . re ;
PETER HEALING THE LAME MAN.
The Lame Man Healed.
TEXT.—‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.â€
Acts 3:6.
JESUS did many miracles when he was on earth.
And he gave this same power to his disciples; for he
told them that “ greater works than these shall ye do.â€
- And after Jesus went back to heaven, his disciples
healed the sick, and the lame, and the blind, just as
Jesus did when he was with them.
One day Peter and John went up to the temple,
and as they were going in, a lame beggar asked them
to give him something. This poor lame man had
heard of Jesus a long time before, and had got some of
his friends to carry him to the temple, so that Jesus
might heal him as he was healing so many others.
But when he got there he was a little too late, for
Jesus had just been put to death. How disappointed
he must have been !
Now when Peter saw him he told him he did not
have any money, but he would give him what he had.
And then, in the name of Jesus, he told the lame man
to rise up and walk. And so the poor man’s faith that
Jesus could heal him was not lost, for he was made
well at once, and he was so glad that he went into
the temple with Peter, walking, and leaping, and
praising God.
(93)
A Lirtie CHInp SHALL LEAD THEM.
A Little Child Shall Lead Them.
TEXT.—‘‘ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together ; and a little child shall lead them.†Isaiah 11: 6.
VV HEN God made this world, it was very beautiful.
It did not have the rough mountains, and barren
deserts, and swamps full of disease. No, it was all
perfect, for God said it was “very good.†Everything
that grew out of the ground was good, and there were
no thistles, nor briars, nor weeds. The beasts and
birds were not as they are now. ‘The great lions and
tigers were gentle and kind, like the kittens and dogs
you love to play with.
But when man sinned and became wicked, God
could not bless the earth any more, but made the
thistles grow where the roses had grown before, and
briars came up in the place of the beautiful vines.
And then the flood came, and great earthquakes, which
tore up the beautiful earth, and made the rough mount-
ains. All these things were to show to men how bad
sin is, and that it made them worse, and the earth
which was made for them.
The animals, too, were changed. Before sin came
they loved man, and were glad to obey him. But
when Adam sinned and did not obey God, then the
animals ceased to love and obey him. ‘They were
changed, and have become fierce and wild, and the
(95)
96 ‘THE GOSPEL PRIMER.
strong animals will kill the weak ones, and even man
is not safe where they are. So this earth is not good
and beautiful as it was when God made it, and man is
not good and happy and well, but is wicked and sad.
But this will not be so always. God has promised
that he will make this earth all over new, and it will
be good and beautiful again, as it was before Adam
sinned. The wicked people will be burned up, and
then those who have loved the dear Saviour, and whose
sins have all been forgiven, will come back to the
earth to live. And then everything will be good and
happy again, as-it was when the earth was first made.
And Jesus is making a wonderful city in heaven,
and in it he is making beautiful homes for us. Jesus
has told us about these homes in John 14:2, 3. This
beautiful city is called the New Jerusalem, and Jesus
will bring it down from heaven to the new earth, and
it will be our home forever. How large do you think
this city will be? If you will read the twenty-first
chapter of Revelation, you will learn all about it, and
how it will come down from heaven tothe earth. And
you will find that the city is one thousand, five hun-
dred miles around it. There is no city in the world
so large as this one.
And then all will be peace and happiness every-
where; and the animals will love and obey man, and
the little child will play with the lions and savage
tigers, and all will be joyful together, as you see in
the picture.
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GREAT CONTROVERSY between Christ and Satan during the Christian Dis-
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author. This volume presents the most wonderful and intensely interesting
history that has ever been written of the great conflict between Christianity
and the powers of dark ness, as illustrated in the lives of Christian martyrs and
reformers on the one hand, and wicked men and persecuting powers on the
other. Beginning with our Lord’s great prophecy given while viewing Jerusa-
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plan of redemption devised for his salvation. This volume traces the great
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HERE AND HEREAFTER, or Man’s Nature and Destiny, The State of the
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U. Smith. A thorough canvass of the great question of a future existence,
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any possible bearing upon these points, is taken up and carefully explained,
thus giving the most comprehensive view of the subject that has yet been pre-
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.— The most complete and comprehensive work on
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from the period of infancy, it points out the most successful way of preparing
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Many of the problems that perplex parents are cleared up in this book, and
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STEPS TO CHRIST.—This little work by Mrs. E. G. White presents in a
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converts, it also contains a wealth of counsel and encouragement for those who
are laboring with the difficulties that beset a growing experience. 157 pages.
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MINISTRATION OF ANGELS, and the Origin, History, and Destiny of Satan.
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FACTS FOR THE TIMES.— Containing historical extracts, candid admissions
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THE SAINTS’ INHERITANCE.—The reader will here find a very interesting
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The signs of power and greatness that mark the handiwork of God in the
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which he works in the lives of those who submit to his will. The confirma-
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LIFE OF CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES,— A series of eight pamphlets,
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and the teachings and labors of Peter and Paul. Here are 788 pages of most
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SATAN?’S FIRST LIE; or Man in Death. A very fascinating poem of 36 pages
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MATTHEW XXIY.—This is a verse-by-verse explanation of our Lord’s Great
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THE CHARIOTS OF FIRE AND IRON; or, The Modern Railroad System,
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THE REJECTED ORDINANCE, A convincing argument to show that our
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