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The Baldwin Library





















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































TI:

ny ‘ible Stories «





—s ne 99OOOO0O 99499096 09909066 09990060 960660690090000006



© For the Y ounge

299O9$90 S999 0650 69909966 9969060699069000600000000

OR

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5 re Simplified
for the ¢ LITTLE FoL_ks





. With essons Drawn from

--oeoe nso

The ACTUAL SAYINGS of Childhood

SSRIS LOANS SOQ



BY REM. J. L. SOOY, A. M.

Mustrated by {78 Full-Page Engravings





P. W. ZIEGLER & CO.
PHILADELPHIA, PA., AND CHICAGO, ILLS.





Copyright, 1896.
REV. J. L. SOOY, A. M.





This volume is written for the little folks, ‘That the “Stories” contained in it might
be adapted to the capacity and comprehension of childhood, a studied szmplzcety of. style
is adopted. An attempt is made to gather the little ones together and talk wth them
and not zo them. The lessons drawn from the actual sayings of childhood, which follow
most of the “Stories,” will be found to be a special feature of the work. In my work
with children I have found, that, in order to interest them, we must come down to their
simple thoughts and ways of expressing trem. And just as children like children for
their play-companions, so do they like children’s ideas and sayings for their thought:
companions.

‘Two great inspiring facts have been present with me in writing this book. Furst,
that lasting impressions are those of our earliest years. How necessary, then, that those
impressions should be for the pure and right. The community is inundated with
reading matter, journals, magazines, romances, histories, philosophies, etc., and the ten-
dency is to neglect the Holy Word of God, as though its mission were ended, and
the mighty themes, of which it speaks, were obsolete. Whatever can be done, should |
be done to hold childhood to the sublime. precepts and teachings that carr ‘tesh and
living from the pen of inspiration. .

SECOND, Jeyond all others, this ts The Children’s Age. Never before was so much
attention and time and study given to the little ones. We hear of children’s picnics,
children’s socials, children’s meetings, children’s papers, children’s day, and so ca

nae :



a INTRODUCTION.

almost without end. And who dare say, that the increasing growth of the church
is not largely due to this? Did not the Master say, “Whoso shall receive une such
little child in my name, receiveth me?”

“¢ Reed my lambs,’ said Christ, our Shepherd ;
Place the food within their reach ;
And it may be that the children
You have led with trembling hand,
Will be found among His jewels
When you reach the better land. ”

A mother has well said: “The door of millennial glory has a child’s hand on the
latch.”

This volume was not written, therefore, to A/ease merely, but for the spiritual good
ot the children. If ¢hey are made better by it, then I am well paid. God grant that it
may be so, is the prayer of one who loves little children.

: jl. S.





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Se SIAR RY »

{x} ® © WOW BO BH BH HH HH HH HR HH HH HH
RESRR SS SIaAGES Ps

26.

27.
28.



TUGCE TT e CUTOUT OEE

>





Page.
The Crextion of Light, A . Frontispiece.
Adam and five Expelled from the Garden, . iar
Cain and Abel Offering Sacrifice, . : . 13
The Murder of Abel, . A : : : 15
The Flood, ? . . ; 7 . : 17
The Dove Leaving the Ack, . . . . 19
The Tower of Babel, . ; : ‘ . 21

Abraham Going into the Hand of Canaan, . 23
Abraham Entertains Three Strangers, . ‘ 25
Lot Fleeing from Sodom, . . 7 . 27
The Expulsion of Hagar, . . . eens
Hagar and Ishmael in the Widerness, . ° 33
Trial of Abraham’s Faith, . . I . 35
The Burial of Sarah, . 7 . . ‘ 39
Eliezer and Rebekah, . 7 : ; . 41
Isaac Welcomes Rebekah, . . . - 43

Isaac Blessing Jacob, . a . Gj Ry 45

Jacob’s Dream, “ eeiee . . 49
Jacob Tending the Flocks of Laban, . ‘ 51
Jacob’s Prayer, . . . eo 28) 53

The Angel Wrestling with Fob . . 55 |

The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau, 5 57
Joseph Sold into Egypt, ; aes » 59
Joseph Interpreting Pharaoh’s Dreams, . 61
Joseph Maketh Himself Known to his
Brethren, . ; . ' e e 65
Jacob Going down into Bayne . >» « 69
Moses in the Ark of Bulrushes, . . on 7k
Finding of Moses, . e e ’ e » 73

29.
30.
31.
32.

34
35.
36.
37:
38.
39:
40.

50.
5t.
52.

5M

Moses and Aaron before Pharoah, . °
The Plague of Murrain, 7 . . .
The Plague of Darkness, . . . .
Death of the First-Born in Egypt, ; 5

The Drowning of Pharaoh's i in the
Red Sea,

The Giving of the Law from Mount Sinal,
Moses Coming Down from the Mountain, .
Korah, Dathan and Abiram Swallowed up, .
Water from the Smitten Rock,

The Brazen Serpent, . . . . .
Balaam Stopped by an Angel, . . .
The Crossing of the Jordan Bg the Children
of Israel, : ‘ . .
The Angel ee pears to pane . . .
The Walls of Jericho Fall Down, . : .
Achan Stoned to Death, . . . .
- Joshua Commands the Sun to Stand Still, .
Sisera Slain by Jael, : R . . .
Deborah's Song of Triumph, . . .
Gideon Choosing his Soldiers, : " S

Gideon Surprising the Midianites, . 7

Jephthah’s Daughter rie out to Meet
her Father, : , . .

Jephthah’s Daughter and bee Companions, .
Samson Slaying the Lion, . 6 .

Samson Slaying the Philistines with the Jaw-

bone of an Ass, : : . ° 5
Samson Carrying off the Gates of Gaza, .
Samson and Delilah, . . 5 & .

Page.
75
77

79
81

83
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8
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55-
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ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Death of Samson, . . .

Naomi and her Daughters-in-Low, :

Boaz and Ruth, . : .

The Return of the Ark, .

Saul and David, . .

Michal Letting David Down cone fe
Window, . . . Sean . :

David Sparing Saul, . . - ¢

The Death of Saul, : . 3 .

The Death of Absalom, . .

David Mourning for Absalom,

Solomon, : : : 7

The Judgment cf Sclomon, . .

The Cedars Destined for the Temple,

The Queen of Sheba’s Visit to Solomon,

The Prophet of Bethel,

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son, :

Elijah Confounds the Prophets of Baal,

Elijah Nourished by an Angel,

Elijah Causes Fire from Heaven to Destroy
the Soldiers of Ahaziah, .

htijah’s Ascent in a Chariot of Fire,

The Famine in Samaria,

The Angel Destroying the
Sennacherib,

Cyrus Returning the Vessels for ne Pome
at Jerusalem, .

Rebuilding the Temple,

Artaxerxes Accords Liberty to the Israelites,

Ezra’s Prayer, Si

Nehemiah and His Companions View the
Ruins of Jerusalem,

The Law Read by Ezra,

Queen Vashti Refusing to obey t the Ondets
of Ahasuerus, .

Triumph of Mordecai,

Esther Confounding Haman,

Job Informed of His Ruin,

Job Seated on the Ash-Heap,

Isaiah, 7 ,
Isaiah’s Dream of the Destruction of
Babylon,

Isaiah’s Vision , of God’s Judgment on
Leviathan,

Jeremiah Dictating his Prophecies to Baruch,

Page.
133
135
137
143
145

147
149
I51I
153
155
157

173

177
179
I8r

Army of -

185

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189
Ig
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195
197

199
203
205
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209
213

215

217
219

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95-
96.

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99.

Ico.
IOI,
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104.
105.
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107.

II4.
. Jesus in the Synagogue,
116,
TI7.

118.

Ig.
120.
I2I,
122.
123.
124,
125.
126.
M1277
128.
129.
130.
I3I.
132.
. Jesus’ Visit to Mary and Martha, :
. Looking for the Return of the Prodigal Son,

Baruch, . . ‘ . :

Ezekiel Prophesying, . .

Ezekiel’s Vision of the Dry Rene

Daniel,

The Three Hebey Chitdren in ise Fiery
Furnace, . 2 s ° . .

Belshazzar’s Feast, . ; .

Daniel in the Lion’s Den,

Vision of the Prophet Daniel,

The Prophet Amos,

Jonah Cast up by the Whale,

Jonah Exhorts the Ninevites to Repentance,

Micah Exhorting Israel to Repentance,

Zechariab’s Vision of the Four Chariots,

The Annunciation, .

The Nativity, . .

The Wise Men Guided by ne Mere
Star, . z

The Flight into Bear

Massacre of the Innocents,

Jesus Questioning the Doctors, . .

Preaching of John the Baptist, . .

Christ Tempted by the Devil, : :

Marriage in Cana of Galilee,

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria, .

Jesus Preaching by the Sea of Ga: “lee,
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes,

Jesus Preaching to the Multitude, 7 .
Jesus Healing the Sick, : . .
Sermon on the Mount, . . .

Chris‘ Stilling the Tempest, . . . .

The Repentant Magdalene,
Raising of the Daughter of Jairus, ; ;
The Dumb Man Possessed, ome .
The Disciples Plucking Corn on the Seneun
jesus Walking on the Water, ‘

The Multitude Fed : . ; 5 :
The Transfiguration, . . . :
The Lunatic Healed, 7 : :
The Good Samaritan, f ‘ : :
Arrival of the Samaritan ai the Inn, . ‘
Tribute to Caesar, . . . : $

Page.
221
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26¢
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3c”

3a¥



135.

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I4l.
142.
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147.
148.
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150.
I5I.
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153,
154.
155.
156,

@ne Father Embracing the
Prodigal,

Lazarus and the Rich Man,

The Pharisee and Publican, .
Little Child.en Brought to Jesus,
Resurrection of Lazarus,
Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem,
Christ Cleansing the Temple,
The Widow’s Mite, .

The Last Supper,

Prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Olives,

The Agony inthe Garden, .

The Betrayal, . aetare °
Peter’s Denial Mt Se °
The Flagellation, . . .
The Crown of Thorns, . 3
Christ Insulted, : ae

Christ Presented by Pilate to the People,

{LLUSTRATIONS.

Returning

Christ Fainting under the Cross, .

Christ’s Arrival at Mount Calvary,

The Crucifixion, . . ‘
Lifting up the Cross, . °
Death of Christ, . ° e

°

Page.

315
319
321
323
327
329
331
333
337
339
341
343
345
349
351
353
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357
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361
363
365

357.

158.
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160,
161.
162.

163

164.
165.
166.
167.
168.
169.
170.
I7I.
172.
173.
174.
175.
176.
177.
178.

The Darkness which Followed the Death of
Our Lord,

Christ taken Down from the Cross,

The Burial of Jesus,

The Angel and the Woman at the apace
Journey to Emmaus,

The Ascension, : : ' 4 . .
Day of Pentecost, . . . . 2
The Apostles Preaching the eer . .
Peter and John Healing the Lame Man,
Martyrdom of St. Stephen,

Saul’s Conversion on the Road to Damascus,
St. Peter at the House of Cornelius, . .

Deliverance of St. Peter, 7 . . .
St. Paul in the Synagogue at Thessalonica,
Paul at Ephesus, . . . . .

Paul Menaced by the Jews, . ° . .
Paul’s Shipwreck, . . . . ° .

John on the Isle of Patmos, . . ° c
Death on the Pale Horse, . . . ‘
Babylon in Ruins, . . anes ° °
The Last Judgment, . ° ° . °
The New Jerusalem, . ° e ¢ *



Page

363
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41g







THE CREATION OF LIGHT.
SEE FRONTISPIECE.

HE first verse of the first book of the Bible tells us that, “In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” He creaded them;
that means He made them out of nothing. Inthe engraving
the artist shows us the creation of light. God just said, “ Let

there be light; and there was light.” When Lottie was a wee bit

of a girl she came running in to her mother one day with a handful
of roses, and asked, “ Ma, how did God make the roses?” But before



roses,’ and there were roses.” That is it. Nobody but God can create anything. We
make things; but we must have something to make them out of. But God had nothing ;
there was no shape, nor form, nor substance, nor anything; but God was. God is
eternal; that is, there was always a God. And God spoke and created all things by His
wonderful power.

The great work of creation took six days. ‘The first day, He created light; the
second day, the deep blue sky; the third day, the seas and dry land, andall plants and
herbs, and trees to give us their fruit or their wood; the fourth day, the sun, and moon,
and stars; the fifth day, the birds and fishes; the sixth day, beasts, and insects, and
creeping things; and last of all, man. And when all was finished, He planted the garden
of Eden, and put in it the first man and woman, the best of all that He had made. God
gave to the animals beautiful and useful bodies; but to man He gave a soulalso, which
could never die. God created man, holy and happy. Adam and Eve loved one another
and they loved God. —

SAVINGS OF CHILDHOOD: I once asked three little girls how we ought to feel toward
God, who created us and gave us such a beautiful world to live in; the first said, “ We
ought to think Him very zce”—she meant good, the second said, “ We, ought to be
very thankful ;” the third said, “We ought to do what He wants us to do.” And just
think our God is everywhere. A little girl cuce said, “//e 2s everywhere, without going
there.”



ADAM AND EVE EXPELLED FROM THE GARDEN,

x. OD gave Adam and Eve a beautiful home, because He loved them
so much. It was called the Garden of Eden. The word Eden
in Hebrew means pleasure; so the Garden of Eden might be
called the garden of pleasure. It was a very beautiful place.



; Here grew all kinds of delicious fruit-trees and beautiful flowers;
the little birds sang sweetly, end the animals all played together on
the green grass.

In the midst of the garden grew two trees: one was the Tree of
Life, and the other the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told them they must not
eat of this Tree of knowledge; He told them plainly that if they did eat of this tree, they
would die. And as Adam and Eve had everything that was needful for their use, there
was no reason why they should want this fruit. But there came a wicked spirit, called
Satan, who is the father of lies, and of all evil. He was envious, when he saw the man
ind his wife so happy; so he went into the garden, and appeared like a serpent, and
spoke to Eve, and tempted her to eat the fruit which God had forbidden. “Zive listeneé
to the tempter. She took the fruit and ate, and gave her husband some, and he ate also,
God saw all this, and He was very angry. Adam and Eve felt afraid. Why did they fear?
Because they knew they had sinned. Sin made them afraid.

One very hot day—so hot that I could not stay in my study—I took my books and
- found a cool, shady place beside a stream of water. I laid down on the soft grass; soon
I noticed the bugs in the grass were all running away from me; the birds jumped from
limb to limb and told each other “to look out for him;” the little tadpoles swam to the
other side of the stream; a red squirrel came from behind a.rock, and, as soonas he saw
me, away he’ scampered. I said to myself, what does all this mean? Surely my hands
and face are clean; I cannot be so ugly that everything is afraid of me; whet is the
matter? Then I thought, Szz ded zt.

In the Garden of Eden, before man sinned, the animals did not fight nor hurt one

another; they were not afraid of man; all was love and Lappiness. But sin came, thas
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12 . ADAM AND EVE EXPELLED FROM THE GARDEN.

caused all the unhappiness. Because our first parents were disobedient and took the
bad spirit for their master instead of the good God, God put them out of the garden,
and let them be weak and sickly, and die at last.

The picture shows an angel driving them out. It was a sad day for them and for us
But God pitied Adam and Eve, and us too. He gave them the promise of a future
Redeemer who should come into the world, and subdue Satan, and set them and their
children free. If we have faith in Jesus, we shall be saved, and live forever.

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD .:— Have you anything you did not receive from God?”
asked a teacher of her scholars. “No,” they all said but one. He replied, “ Yes.”
“What is that?” asked the teacher. “Sin,” said the boy. But if we repent of our
sins and pray for pardon, our Heavenly Father is willing to forgive and to receive us.

CAIN AND ABEL.

» of the Garden of Eden. After that they had children. Cain, the
Pep eldest son, was very wicked; but Abel loved and prayed to God,
and believed in Him.

Our first picture shows Cain and Abel in the act of offering
sacrifices to God. Both these sons were brought up to work—and



iS this was right. It is a great sin to be idle. Cain was a tiller of
the ground, what we call a farmer; Abel was a shepherd, and took care of sheep.
Now, God had commanded them to offer up a sacrifice to Him of the “first fruits; ”
that is, something of the very best they had. He wanted them to give it with a free
heart, and a willing, humble spirit. Abel offered a lamb. He sacrificed the lamb is
faith and true obedience. Cain offered a sacrifice too; he brought of the first-fruits of the
ground. But he did not confess his sins, nor ask for forgiveness. So God accepted
Abel and his sacrifice; but Cain and his sacrifice, God did not accept. He saw that
- Cain’s heart was envious and jealous of his good and gentle brother. Look at the
picture, and see how the smoke of Abel’s lamb ascends steadilv up to heaven, while that
of Cain is beaten down to the ground,



















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































14 CAIN AND ABEL,

When Cain found that the Lord had accepted Abel’s offering, and not his own, he
became very angry. Satan was in his heart. One day, when Cain and Abel were in
the field together, Cain struck Abel and killed him. Our second picture is

“THE MURDER OF ABEL.”

Caia thought nobody saw him kill his brother, but God saw him, and asked, “ Where
is Abel thy brother?” The cowardly, guilty man told a lie, and said, “I know not; am
I my brother’s keeper?”—as though it were possible to deceive the Almighty. But
God had seen Abel die, and He punished Cain, and drove him away, far from his father,
and mother, and brothers, and sisters; aad he was a vagabond and a wanderer in the
earth.

And now, dear children, we have seen who the first murderer was, Cain. But do you
suppose he became a murderer all at once? No; he came .to it by degrees; just as the
acorn grows into the oak. There was a day when Cain had the first feeling of hatred,
or anger, towards his brother. That fceling was the beginning. eart-murder is just
as bad, in the sight of God, as hand-n-»vder. ‘The Bible tells us, that ‘He who hateth
his brother is a murderer.”

If we indulge angry and hateful feelings, in our hearts, towards a person, shat
makes us murderers in God’s sight. ‘The reason is, that, if we let these feelings stay
there, and grow, they will soon make us real murderers.

SAVINGS OF CHILDHOOD.—A little boy seeing two nestling birds pecking at each’
- other, inquired of his elder brother what they were doing. “They are quarreling,” was
the reply. “‘ No,” replied the child, “that cannot be; they are brothers.” Dear children,
learn to love one another. Learn to “hold in” your temper. The old rule for holding
in was, ‘“Think twice before you speak once.” Another is, “If you are tempted to be
angry, say the Lord’s Prayer before you speak.” But the best rule of all is to keep
close to Jesus.













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE FLOOD.



[| S time went on, and men began to multiply, they greatly increased in sin.
4 The world got so wicked, that God saw nothing but evil when He looked
Ws down on it. Sothe Lord determined that He would bring a flood
of waters upon the earth to destroy every living thing. How
terribly wicked these people must have been, when.God saw that
» nothing else would suffice.
e/a)’ But in the midst of all this wickedness there was one holy
) man, named Noah. God promised to save him. He commanded
Noah to make an ark of gopher wood, and told him how long and how broad it was to be,
and how to build it. It was to be a great ship, and yet there have been larger ships builf
since, You have all heard about that mammoth steamer, the Great Eastern. She is
larger than Noah’s ark was.

Many years was the ark building; and all that time people laughed at Noah, for his
folly, when he told them what God had said. But Noah did as God told him, and when
the ark was finished, he stored it with food. And God sent him a pair of all sorts of ani-
mals that were in the world, and he pv’ them into the ark. Noah then entered the ark
with his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, his wife, and his sons’ wives and
“the Lord shut him in.”

Then it began to rain. What a fearful storm that was! For forty days and forty
nights it rained without stopping, so that even the highest hills were covered ; and all flesh
died, both man and beast. In the first picture the artist has drawn a high rock which
the waters have not yet fully covered. See how the mother lion is trying to save her
baby lion. See the people struggling to get on that rock. But even these were all
destroyed. But what about Noah? Was he safe? Yes: the ark floated spor the -
waters. It did not sink, because God kept it up. The storm could not upset it nor the
sea get into it, for God took care of it and all that was in it.

Now, dear children, why did God show Noah such grace? I will tell you. It

was because God saw that Noah was 7z¢hdeous—that means that he tried to be good ; and
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18 | THE FLOOD.

next, because he believed what God said to him. O, it does always pay to ubey our
Heavenly Father! Can you tell me, who is our Ark of Salvation? “Jesus.” Yes, that
is right. Outside of Him all is ruin and death. And to you who are yet outside is the
loving message given, “Come thou into the Ark.” O, come /o-day.

At length, when the rain was over, the ark rested upox a mountain called Ararat;
and Noah opened the window. All the ground was covered witn water. No green trees
or flowers, no living creature to be seen. ‘Then Noah sent out of the ark a raven and a'
dove. The raven flew about, and did not return to Noah. But the dove was not like
the raven; it would not feed upon the dead bodies, and there was ro resting-place for it,
so it flew back again, and Noah took it into the ark. After a week he sent her forth
again; this time she returned with an olive-leaf in her mouth. Noah was very glad
to see this leaf, for by it he knew that soon all would be dry and pleasant again.

“THE DOVE LEAVING THE ARK.”

After another week he sent out the dove again, but she returned no more.

Then God gave Noah the word to come forth from the ark. Noah’s first act, after he
eaine out, was to build an altar unto the Lord, and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving upon
it. God was pleased with his offerings, and made a promise to Noah. The Lord spoke
unto Noah, saying, ‘“‘ Behold I establish my covenant with you.” Do you know what a
covenant means? It is an agreement between two persois. So God made an agree-
ment with Noah that he would never destroy the world by a flood again. And God set
the rainbow in the clouds as a sign of His promise. Do you know that the rainbow is
an emblem of faithfulness? God said, “J we2ll look upon it, and [ will remember my
covenant.”

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—One little boy’s idea of the rainbow was, that it is “the
reflection of God’s smile.” Whenever my little readers look upon the bow, remember
God is looking upon it too, and never fear to put your trust in Him. God is very good
and kind.

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE TOWER OF (BABEL:




ferent places and built cities and houses; and they had many child.
ren, and the earth was soon full of people again. These people all
spoke the same language. Many of them were very wicked, and
the longer time went on the worse they grew. By degrees they




ON forgot God’s mercy to their forefathers in saving them from the
/ flood, and they became proud and self-willed. They sought to

make themselves great, not to please God; and in their pride, they
said, “Let us build us a city, and a tower whose top may reach into heaven; and let us
make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” ‘They
thought if they could build a tower whose top should reach to heaven, they could escape
if another flood came upon the earth.

The Lord let them go on for some time.in their ceaceit. .They worked hard, piling
story above story, until the tower was very high. Then the Lord came down to see the
city and the tower, which the children of men builded. God was angry with them,
because they forgot Him. So He confounded their speech—that is, made them to speak
different languages. ‘They could no longer understand each other; so they had to stop
building. This tower was called the Tower of Babel, or confusion, from the confusion of
tongues that prevented its being finished. ‘The wicked people were scattered abroad
upon the face of the earth.





















































































































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ABRAHAM GOING INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN.

Sr




2 about 300 years after the flood, and lived ina place called Ur, in
the country of the Chaldeans. ‘The people there were very wicked.
So God told him that if he would leave his home and go to a land
that He would show him, that He would bless him, and make his
name great, and that by-and-by the land should be given to his
children.

Abraham then had no children; but still he believed God, and
did just as God told him. He took with him those ‘te would go of his family—his
wife Sarah, and his nephew Lot. He took also all his cattle—great droves of cows, and
goats, and sheep, and camels,and asses. In the picture we see the servants driving the
flocks. Along the journey they camped out. They pitched their tents wherever the
land offered food for the cattle; there they would stay till all the grass was eaten up;
then take up their tents, and move to another place. ‘Thus they journeyed till they

‘came into the promised land.

Then the Lord appeared unto Abraham-again, and told him to look at the land, for
that was the place which his children should have for their own. But, children, don’t
you think there was a good deal to make Abraham doubt? ‘The country was full of
wicked men; Abraham did not own a bit of the land; and he had no child either.
Then, as soon as Abraham entered Canaan, “there was a famine.” But Abraham had
great faith; he was sure that all God says is right and true, and that So though
he did not Gas how, God would do as He had promised.

SAVINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—What is faith? A beautiful answer was given by 2
little Scotch girl. When her class at school was examined, she replied, “ Wazt a wee,
and dinna weary!” A child told me there are 3,600 promises in the Bible. Only
think of that, dear children. If you belong to Jesus all these promises belong
te you.





































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ABRAHAM ENTERTAINS THREE STRANGERS.

the heat of the day, he looked up, and saw three strangers standing
near. They were angels sent to Abraham, and bore tidings to make
; glad his heart. One of these three was the Lord Jesus. The
le J picture which represents the scene is a most beautif:i one.
had In those early days people were very hospitable. Abraham’s
kindness would allow no one to pass without offering him rest and
refreshment. So he ran to meet them, and bowed himself toward
the ground, as was the custom then, and said, “ My Lord, if now I have found favor in
thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee from thy servant; let a little water, I pray you,
be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will fetch a
morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore
are ye come to your servant.” So the men sat down, and Abraham ran into his tent to
Sarah his wife, and told her to make cakes quickly; then he ran to the field, and took a
calf, and killed and dressed it; and he brought the calf, and the cakes, and butter, and
milk, and gave them to the men under the tree; and they did eat, and Abraham stood
and waited upon them. When the meal was over, the angels asked of Abraham, where
was Sarah his wife. And Abraham said, “She is in the tent.” ‘Then the Lord, by the
mouth of the angels, told Abraham, He would soon give him and Sarah a son. When
Sarah, who was still in the tent, heard this, she laughed, and thought it could not be
true. ‘The Lord chided Sarah for thus doubting His word, and reminded her that with
Him nothing was impossible. After this the angels departed, and Abraham went with
them towards Sodom, “to bring them on their way.”



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LOT FLEEING FROM SODOM.




toward Sodom. He only went a short distance to show them the
way, as was the custom then. Then two of the angels went on
towards Sodom, but the Lord stayed with Abraham and told him
that He was angry with those two wicked cities, Sodom and
4 Gomorrah, and was come to destroy them. Abraham thought of
Lot right away; his kind heart was touched with fear, lest Lot
might be destroyed with the wicked people among whom he dwelt;
s0 he prayed God to save Sodom if fifty righteous people should be found therein. When
that prayerwas answered, then Abraham begged Him for the sake of forty; then for
thirty ; then for twenty ; until at last God promised that he would spare the cities if there
could be found only ten good men therein. Wasu’tit good of Abraham thus to plead for
Lot? We should-all remember our friends in prayer, and ask God to take care of them.

Just think, not even ten righteous men were found! Don’t you think they were
terribly wicked cities? Lot was the only good man there. All the rest laughed at him
because he tried to make them do better. One evening two strangers came into the city
where Lot lived. He was sitting at the gate of the city; and when he saw the angels,
he arose and bowed respectfully, and brought them to his house, and set supper before
them. The wicked Sodomites wanted to harm them ; Lot was the only person who would
take them in, and shelter them from the wicked people in the street.

After Lot took the angels into his house, they told him to gather together all the
members of his family, and to take them all with him out of the city, for the Lord was
going to destroy it. Lot had a wife and two daughters.at home—he told them; then he
went out and spoke to his married daughters, but their husbands would not believe Lot’s

warning, and he was obliged to leave them behind.
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LEZ
me





28 : LOT FLEEING FROM SODOM.

In the morning, the angels took hold of Lot, and his wife, and daughters, and led
them almost by force, away from their home, telling them, “Escape for thy life to the
_ mountain; stay not, look not behind thee.” ‘They were frightened, and begged not to
have to go so far as the wild mountains. Might they not go to the little city near at
hand? ‘Their wish was granted, and for Lot’s sake, this city was spared. Its name was
Zoar. In the picture, the artist shows us the city in flames. The walls are crumbling
in the terrible heat. Great clouds of smoke roll upward and fill the sky. See how
anxious Lot is! His face is lifted to heaven in prayer, while with his arms he urges his
daughters on. In this dreadful judgment Lot’s wife was disobedient to the commands of
the angels: “She looked back from behind her.” She did not like to leave Sodom.
Perhaps she thought of her married daughters in the city, or wanted to save her goods,
or more likely did not quite believe that God was going to burn the place; and so she
stood and looked, and the fiery rain fell upon her, “ and she became a pillar of salt.”

In the morning, Abraham rose very early, and went to look toward Sodom ss AllGa16,
the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.” But God had remembered
Abraham’s prayer for Lot, and kept him safely.

Here we see what an evil thing it is to sin against God. This was a terrible fire;
but, dear children, “the earth and all the works that are in it” will by-and-by be
burned up, on account of the wickedness which is in the world. God spares it for
awhile, but its end shall come. Pray, then, to God, that He would save you in that
hour, as He saved Lot from burning Sodom, “the Lord being merczful unto him.”

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—Sin will certainly be punished. A gentleman making
free with the Bible, said, in the presence of others: “I am seventy years of age, and
have never seen such a place as hell after all that has been said about it.” His little
grandson, about seven years of age, who had been listening to the conversation, said:
“ Grandpa, have you ever been dead yet?” But, if we are righteous, as Lot was, we
need have no fear. ‘T'wo little friends slept in bedrooms next to each other. One night

astorm came up. After repeating their prayers, and while being put to bed, they
expressed great fear of the lightning, which flashed very brightly. They were told not
to mind it, it would not hurt them if they were good. And now being left with the
doors open, one was heard to call to the other: “Nelly, do you suppose the lightning
will strike us if we say our prayers twice?” You see, she thought it was the sayzng
of the prayers that moves God. But, let us remember it is the heart God looks at. A
child six years old said: “ When we kneel down in the school-room to pray, it seems as



Od PEERING FROMASODOM: 29

if my heart talked.” That is what I want you to learn—che heart element in prayer.
I think Abraham must have prayed with a// his heart, when he asked God to save Lot.
Words are nothing, if the heart prays not. And, on the other hand, you can pray and
not speak a word. “I said in my heart,” and “ My heart crieth out,” is the language
of the Psalmist. -



, a a
‘ ZARA



THE EXPULSION OF HAGAR,

7B SIDES Sarah, his first wife, Abraham had another wife, named
Hagar, who was an Egyptian woman. Several of the patriarchs,
or good men of that period of the world, had more wives than one ;
God permitted this in that dark age; but it was not according to



His rule in the beginning of the world, and Christ, when he
ye @ came, forbade it. Now Hagar had a son named Ishmael, and
ad B Sarah had a son named Isaac. Ishmael was now almost grown
up, and he behaved very unkindly to his little brother Isaac, mocking and teasing
him when they were playing together. Sarah, with all the tenderness of a mother,
could not bear that her boy should be treated in this way; and so she begged
Abraham to send away Hagar and her son Ishmael. Now Abraham loved both his boys;
and he was grieved that they should quarrel, and that Sarah should ask him to punish
Hagar and Ishmael so severely. But God commanded Abraham to do this. Remem-
ber, children, God saw Ishmael teasing his little brother Isaac. It displeased God.
“ God,” says Matthew Henry, “takes notice what children do in their play, and will
reckon with them if they say or do amiss, though their parents do not.”

And so Abraham rose, in the morning, and called Hagar, and gave her a bottle of
water, and bread, and her son Ishmael, and sent them both away. Doré the artist, has
made the picture look like early morning. It is twilight—or just before the sun fully
appears.

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—A little neighbor asks, ‘‘ Does God always hear the
naughty words we speak in our play?” Yes; and He can read the ¢houghis that arise
in your hearts, when you feel naughty towards your little companions. Are you not
sorry to grieve your Heavenly Father? O, do go to Him and tell Him how sorry you
are, and ask Him not only to forgive, but to take it all away; ask Him earnestly.

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HAGAR AND ISHMAEL IN THE WILDERNESS.

* wandered about in that wild country; the water in the bottle
was soon gone, and there being no prospect of getting more, she
expected nothing less than the death of her child. It was
very hot, and Ishmael fainted, and his mother cast him under
a bush; and she went a “ good way off,” for she said, “ Let me not
<3 see the death of the child.” And she lifted up her voice and wept.
Our picture shows the stricken mother in agonizing prayer;
Ishmael lies on the ground, ready to die. And the poor boy cried aloud; “and God
heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said
unto her, what aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad
where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a
great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went,
and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.” And God was with Ishmaei,
and made him well, and he grew up and lived in the wilderness, and became an archer,




or hunter. -
SAYINGS OF CHILDHOoD.—A dear boy wants to know “if God opened a well for

Hagar and Ishmael just then, or was there one there all the time, and she did not
seeit?.”’ Well, children, I think God created it then and there. But, no matter which
is true; God can take care of us wherever we are. If even our friends forsake us,
let us never forget to trust in Him. A little fellow eight years old, who was without
a relative in the world, was asked by a lady, if he did not have any fears as to whether
he would get along in life. The child looked into her face and gravely replied: “ Don’t
you suppose God can take care of a little boy just as well as He can of 4 man.” Cer-,
tainly, noble little fellow. God is as careful of the smallest child, as He is of the oldest
or the greatest man. Only trust Him, and obey Him!

























































































































































































































TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH.

FTER Hagar and Ishmael were gone away, God spake to Abraham, and





4 said, “ 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, upon

: ‘%.¢2 one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” Don’t you think,
dear children, that was a strange command from God? But God
didn’t want to make Abraham unhappy. No, He only wished to
ioe try Abraham’s faith, to see if Abraham would be obedient, and if
yy he loved God more than his dear child.

) Abraham knew that God would not order him to do anything
wrong, and so this good man obeyed without a murmur. “Abraham rose up early in
the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac
his son, and clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up and went unto the place
of which God had told him.” The journey took three days. I sometimes wish that Moses
had given us some of the conversation between Abraham and Isaac during that never-to-
be-forgotten journey. And now they came near the spot and saw the mountain afar off,
where Isaac was to be offered. Leaving the ass and the two young men behind, the
father and his son went towards the mountain. In the picture you see the aged patriarch
toiling up the mountain, and before him Isaac, carrying the wood with which the
sacrifice is to be burnt.

Now Isaac had been taught by his good father to sacritice to God, as was the custom
in those days; and, on the way, he began to wonder where the sacrifice was, and very
innocently said: “ My father behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb fora
burnt-offering?” For Isaac did not yet know that he was to be the lamb. Oh, how
this must have touched Abraham’s heart! Isaac had been a good boy, and it was no

wonder, then, if he dearly loved him. But he could not make up his mind to tell him,
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36 TRIAL OF ABRAHAM’S FAITH.

and he only said,—still, perhaps, hoping that God would spare him in the end,—“ My
son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering ; so they went both of them
together.”

But Isaac soon knew he was to be the lamb, for his father built an altar, and put the
wood upon it, and bound Isaac, and laid him upon the altar, and took the knife to
slay his son. And Isaac did not complain or struggle. He was ready, like his father,
to do the will of God. He was about twenty years old. It does not appear that he
tried one moment to resist his good old father, who was one hundred and twenty years
of age. Oh, how God loves such obedient hearts !

But just as Abraham had the knife ready to slay his son, the angel of the Lord called
unto him out of heaven, and said, “ Abraham, Abraham, lay not thine hand upon the
lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing
thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.”

The trial was over. God had proved Abraham, and his faith had not failed. Then
Abraham looked, and saw a ram caught in a bush by the horns, and he offered the ram
for a burnt-offering, instead of Isaac. And the angel called again to Abraham, and said,
- “Because thou hast done this thing, blessing, I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will
multiply thee, and all the nations shall be blessed in thy seed.” Dear children, I love
to read this beautiful story. Don’t you? It always reminds me of the love of God, in
giving His only Son fora sacrifice for us. ‘The Lord Jesus Christ was the seed of
Abraham, who came to save sinners, and to be a blessing to all people. ‘God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.”

SAVINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—I asked a little hoy, was it not wrong for Abraham to
take a knife to slay Isaac? Would’nt it have been murder? His answer was, “ No;
for God could'nt tell him to do what was not right.” That is a good answer. God not
only would not, but could not, tell him todo wrong. All that God does is good and
right. When He sends us pain, or sickness, or sorrow, He does it wisely, for good, not
for evil; we cannot know why, but God knows; let us ask Him to make us obedient to
His will as Abraham and Isaac were. You know we are taught to pray that God’s
“will may be done on earth, as it isin heaven.” This means that we should obey
God as the angels do in heaven. A Sunday-school teacher once asked his class, how
the angels obey God. Different answers were given; but the best was that ofa little boy,
who said, “They obey wethout asking any questions.” That was a splendid answer.



TRIAL OF ABRAHAM’S FAITH. 37

One good way to learn to obey God, is to obey our parents. I have sometimes heard a

‘father call to his son, “John, here, I want you to go on an errand.” John is making
some bobtails for his kite. Instead of minding, at once, what his father tells him, he
keeps on with what he is doing, and says, “ Won’t it do by-and-by, when I get through
with fixing my kite?” Now that is not the way in which the angels obey. They do every-
thing that God tells them todo; and they do it at once, without stopping to ask questions.
God has a right to expect this kind of obedience from us. He expects.us to do every-
thing that He commands. He never does wrong Himself; and never commands
others to do wrong.





i THE BURIAL OF SARAH.

They had lived together many years. But at last, when she was
127 years old, Sarah died in Hebron, and Abraham and Isaac

foot of land, for he was a stranger there.



\ wept for her. Now in all that country Abraham did not own a

So he went to the prince to whom Hebron belonged, and
i\\ i begged to buy a field with trees in it, and a rock where there was a

NW deep cave that was called Machpelah. ‘The prince offered to give it
to him; but Abraham would not take it as a gift. He agreed fora price, and paid the
money for the burying-place. It was not in money like ours now; but in lumps of sil-
ver weighed out in balances, and each lump with a mark stamped on it—four hundred
ef them.

Abraham laid the body of Sarah in the cave of the fieldof Machpelah. It was usual
in those times and in that country to bury people in caves, which were like little cham-
bers cut out of the side of some hill. Abraham was buried there afterwards himself,
and so was Isaac, and Isaac’s son after him, in the cave of Machpelah. That cave has
been kept sacred ever since. ‘There is a building over it now, and no stranger is allowed
to go into it; but deep down there is a golden grating, and far within lie these holy men
and women of old. Abraham was very much grieved to lose his dear wife, with whom
he had lived happily so many years. In the picture wé see the good old man led ten-
derly away after the funeral is over, but still turning back with eager and sorrowful gaze
toward the sepulchre.

Dear children, it is very sad to see our dear friends die, and to see their bodies put into
the coffin, and laid in the grave; but if they loved God, and we too love Him, as Abraham
and Sarah did, we shall meet them again in heaven. This thought comforted Abraham.

SAVINGS OF CHILDHOoOD.—A father died, and as they bore him out of the house in
his coffin, a little girl asked her mother, “ When will they bring papa back?” ‘The
mother explained that her papa had gone to heaven; but, if good, they would go to live
with him. ‘The child exclaimed: ‘‘ Hadn’t we better be packing up and getting ready ?”

Little ones, are you ready?
38







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ELIEZER AND REBEKAH.,





4 BRAHAM was now one hundred and forty years old. Like a kind father,
ae u he wanted to see his son happy and doing well in life, and so he wished
ox bs X\ eA lived in Canaan who might have been found, but they did not
love and worship God; and Abraham wished to get a pious wife
for his son, and not an idolator. Now Abraham had a good and
as faithful servant named Eliezer, who had lived with him, and
Sarah, and Isaac, many years. Abraham called Eliezer, and
said, “ Go now to Mesopotamia, where I used to live, and find there a wife for my son
Isaac, and bring her here.” Eliezer gave his solemn word that he would go; and he
took ten of his master’s camels with provisions and presents, and journeyed many days.
One evening, when he had come into the neighborhood where Abraham bad told him
to go, he was tired and weary, and sat down beside a well. He did not know the people
who lived there, nor whom to choose for a wife for Isaac; but he prayed to God to send
out to him the damsel whom He would appoint to be Isaac’s wife. Scarcely had he
ended his prayer, when Rebekah, who was a relative of Abraham came out to draw
water. She was very sweet and pleasant-looking, and she was also kind-hearted, for she
not only gave water to the tired stranger, but also to the camels. The first picture
shows the first meeting between Eliezer and Rebekah. You must not wonder, children,
at Rebekah going to draw the water, for it was quite usual then, and in that country, for
persons of the first rank to be so employed. Industry is no disgrace to any rank, but
idleness always is.
Eliezer had asked God to show him, by this very sign, the wife whom he was to take
for Isaac, and now he felt quite sure that this was the right person; so he made himself

known to Rebekah, and presented her with bracelets and ear-rings. Then Rebekab.
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42 ELIEZER AND REBEKAH.

having learned who he was, ran and told her mother. Soon her brother Laban learned
the news; and he ran out to the stranger, and took him to the house of Bethuel, his
father, where he was welcomed and provided for. Then Eliezer told all about what he
had come for, and asked if Rebekah might go to Hebron, and marry Isaac: and they
were willing she should go, for they believed it was God’s will.

Then Rebekah said good-bye to her father and mother, and brothers and sisters, and
went with her nurse and her maids, upon camels, with Eliezer, to Hebron. Now it
happened that Isaac was walking in the field on the evening of their arrival; and seeing -
them coming, he went towards them. And Rebekah asked Eliezer who he was; and,
as is the custom of that country, she put a veil on her face as a token of modesty on
meeting Isaac; for nothing in a woman or little girl is so lovely as modesty of
behavior. In our second picture,

ISAAC WELCOMES REBEKAH.

He received he: with great joy. And Isaac loved her, and she became his wife;
and God blessed them, and twenty years after He gave them two sons, who were
named Esau and Jacob. Isaac and Rebekah were very proud of their boys, and loved
them dearly.































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ISAAC BLESSING JACOB.




OD gave two sons to Isaac and Rebekah. ‘Their names were Esau
and Jacob. When they. grew up, they were very unlike: Esau
was wild, ae high spirited, and oud of hunting in the field; but



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goats. Now to the elder Coen among the Hebrews, belonged
many benefits, among the rest he had honor paid him next to his parents ;
he had a double portion of the inheritance; and the Messiah, cr Jesus
Christ was to be born, in time, of his family—a blessing of the greatest
price. ‘But Esau did not care enough about all these blessings; he did not seem to get
anything by them, and he liked what he could get at once, betterthan what was a great
way off. —

One day, when he had been hunting, he came home very hot, and tired, and hungry.
Jacob was cooking pottage, or soup, in his tent, and, as the children say, “ Esau’s mouth
watered” for some of the savory mess; and he asked Jacob to give him this soup, for he
was very hungry. Jacob asked him to give him his birthright in exchange : and Esau,
who was wild and hasty, agreed to do so, almost without a second thought. And so
Jacob seizing the opportunity, made his bargain, and tricked poor Esau.

Jacob was a better man than Esau. But it was not right of him to trick Esau, and
take away his birthright, when he was hungry, and asked for bread. ‘This is a blot in
Jacob’s character; and it afterwards led to another, as one bad thing generally does.
Esau, however, deserved to lose his birthright, for he did not seem to set much value
upon it, when he sold it for a paltry meal of soup. It is very sad, and very wicked, to
care more for our bodies than our souls, as Esau did; to think more about what we shall

eat and drink, than about what we must do to be saved.
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46 ISAAC BLESSING JACOB.

A time was to come when Esau would be sorry for what he hau done. His
father was old and blind, and must now soon die; he called Esau, and told him to get
him some venison, and to dress it, and to bring it to him, that he might bless Esau,
Esau obeyed, and went out into the fields to hunt. When Rebekah heard Isaac speak
to Esau, she was not pleased, because she wished Isaac to bless Jacob, for God had said
Jacob should be greater than Esau. So she called her favorite Jacob, and told him to
get her two kids, that she might make savory meat for Isaac, and send it by the
hand of Jacob, in order that he might get his father’s blessing before Esau returned.
There was, however, one difficulty, which was, that Esau was rough, and his skin was
very hairy, but the skin of Jacob was smooth. In order, therefore, to deceive her husband,
Rebekah dressed Jacob in the clothing of Esau; she covered his hands and neck with
the skin of the kids, so that if Isaac felt them, he might believe that it was really Esau
who knelt before him.

In this way they deceived Isaac, who was nearly blind. Jacob did succeed in getting
the blessing. ‘The picture shows us the aged father, seated on one side of his couch, in
the act of blessing Jacob. Dear children, this was a very wicked deception on the part
of Jacob and his mother. We must obey God more than man, or woman, or father, or
mother. Jacob knew it was wicked to try to deceive his blind father, and he ought to
have told his mother so respectfully and meekly. He afterwards suffered for his wicked
act severely, and his descendants suffered for it too; for the consequences of sin reach
far into the future. Rebekah was punished also, for her dear Jacou was obliged to ga
away, and I do not think she ever saw her favorite child again.

Scarcely had Jacob received Isaac’s blessing, when Esau came in with his venison.
And when he found what had been done, he cried bitterly-and said, “‘ Bless me, even me
also, O my father! hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?” But his sorrow and
tears were unavailing. It was too late now, Isaac could not take back that which he
had already given; but he tried to comfort Esau by the promise of wealth, and many
other good things; but it was not the birthright that he had lost.

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—Some boys were asked if they recollected any instance in
Scripture of a bad bargain. To this, one little fellow replied: ‘Esau made a bad
bargain, when he sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.” Children, he always makes
a bad bargain, who, to gain this world, loses his soul. “I think Jacob did a mean
thing,” says one boy. SodolI. “ Why did you not pocket some of those pears?” said
one bows another, “nobody was there to see you.” “Yes there was; I was there to see



ISAAC BLESSING JACOB. AT

m,sel’, and I never wish to see myself do a mean thing.’ Whenever you tell a lie, or
deceive, or do a mean thing, as Jacob did, your conscience troubles you. Do you know
what your conscience is? A Sunday-schocl teacher one day asked her scholars that
question. Several of the children answered, one saying one thing, and another another,
nntil a little timid child spoke out: “It is Jesus whispering in our hearts.” ‘That is it;
semmember, whenever you are tempted to do wrong, that it is Jesus telling you not to.























JACOB’S DREAM.

. . yk SAU eee es ‘ : :
GR a: Se was very angry on account oi the loss of his birthright. He

hated his brother so much, that he thought, “ My father will die

Le EO soon, and then I will slay my brother Jacob.” When Rebekah knew
p oes rae <4 that Esau hated Jacob, and wanted to kill him, she was very anxious
(\ about her favorite child. Wherefore she now told Jacob to go away
from home; and she also persuaded his father to let him go and

~ visit her brother, Laban, whom she had not seen since the day of
“ her marriage; and Isaac blessed Jacob, and bade him choose one



of Laban’s daughters for a wife.

So Jacob set out on a long journey alone; he had no one to speak to, no plac
wherein to rest at night. He went on till night came. ‘Then he was in a dismal place
But he said his prayers; then put some stones into a heap for a pillow, and laid down
and fell asleep. God gave him a beautiful dream that night. In the engraving we have
a picttire of his dream. He saw a ladder set on the earth, and its top reached to heaven,
and holy angels were going up and down upon it. At the top stood the Lord, and He
spoke to Jacob and told him that He was going to give his children all the land he saw —
North, South, East, and West; and that He would take care of him, and, in time, bring
him safe home again. When Jacob awoke, he felt very happy, and said, “ Surely the
Lord is in this place, and I knew it not ;” and he was afraid also and said, ‘‘ How dread-
ful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of |
Heaven !”

And as we ought to remember the mercies of God at all times, he set up a stone there
as an altar, and poured oil upon it, and called the name of the place Bethel, which means
“the house of God.” ‘Then he made a solemn vow, that if God would take care of him
on his way, and give him food and clothes, he would make a gift to God all his life of a
tithe, or tenth part of all he had—which meant, that if he had ten lambs he would offer
one of them in sacrifice. Children will you make Jacob’s resolve? Good neonle love #

do like Jacob, and give God their tenth.
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JACOB TENDING THE FLOCKS OF LABAN.

e

a TER his wonderful dream at Bethel, Jacob weit on, and came to Padan-
¥ aram. He came toa field, andawell. ‘There he stopped; and there were



flocks of sheep resting near it, waiting for water, attended by their
shepherds. Jacob very civilly asked the shepherds if they knew
Laban. ‘They told him that they did—that he was well, and that
Rachel, his daughter, was then coming with her father’s sheep to
get water for them.

When Jacob saw Rachel, he ran and rolled away the great
stone which covered the well, and “watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother.”
Jacob was very glad to see Rachel—she was his cousin; he kissed her, and told her who
he was; and she ran and told her father. Then Laban went out to meet him, and was
glad to see him, and asked him to stay in his house.

Jacob lived many years with Laban, and kept his sheep. In the engraving, Jacob is
seen tending the flocks of Laban, which are gathered near a well, from which Rachel is
returning with her pitcher. After fourteen years, Jacob married Rachel, whom he loved
very much. And God blessed Jacob and gave him many children, and great possessions -
of sheep, and oxen, and goats, and camels.



































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































JACOB’S PRAYER,








Canaan. So, twenty years after he had fled from the face of his

angry brother, he gathered together his wives, and their children,

and their maids, and his cattle, and all his possessions, and started.

é As he journeyed toward Canaan, he saw some angels coming to
meet him. They were sent by God to comfort Jacob, and to tell him
that God was there, to bless and keep him.

Now Jacob had great need of this encouragement, for he had to pass
by the way in which he might meet with his brother Esau. He was afraid because he
thought Esau might still be angry with him. ‘Then Jacob sent his servants to tell his
brother that he had lived many years with Laban, and was now coming home, and that
he was very rich, and he very humbly begged Esau to be kind and friendly tohim. But
when the servants returned they told Jacob that Esau was coming out to meet him, and
“four hundred men with him.” Then Jacob was very much afraid, for he thought, that
perhaps Esau was still angry with him, and was coming to kill him and all his family.

He, therefore, divided the people and flocks into two bands, so that if Esau fell upon
one the other might have time to escape. He put his wife and children in the hind-
most band, that their lives might be safe. He then thought that he would send
presents to his brother to gain his good will; he ordered servants to go, one after
another, with droves of cattle of various kinds, five hundred and eighty animals in all,
which they were told to tell Esau were sent as presents to him. After this, Jacob sent
his wives and children over the river Jabbok, he himself remaining on its north bank,
where ke spent the night i in earnest prayer.

Our first picture gives this night scene—Jacob bowed on his knees by the river and
lifting up his hands in prayer. Jacob knew he had no power to help and save himself;

only God could save him, so he went and prayed to Him. ‘These are the arguments he
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54 JACOB'S PRAYER.

used with God: 1. God’s promises to him; 2. God’s great goodness to him; 3. His own
obedience to God’s directions. Dear children, do you use these pleas when you pray ?
The first and second will apply to you. Will the third? Are you obedzent to God’s
will? We have one strong argument in prayer, namely, for Jesus’ sake.

Like Jacob, when we are sorry and afraid, we should go to God, who alone can
protect and help us. You must not think that Jacob prayed for a great many
things that long night. He prayed only for what troubled him at that moment. He
was afraid of his brother; and he asked God to take care of him. Let uslearn to tell
God just what we need at the time.

How long do you think Jacob prayed? Yes, a// night. Suppose Jacob had prayed
one hour; and then said: “There is no use praying longer, I don’t get any answer?”
But Jacob held on. And after the midnight hour, there appeared to him one, who,
though in human form, yet possessed more than human power, and wrestled with him.
Jacob knew who He was—that He was the Angel of the Covenant—Jehovah—and he
asked for a blessing from Him.

The second engraving represents

“THE ANGEL WRESTLING WITH JACOB.”

At length this divine wrestler put Jacob’s thigh out of joint, and then said, “ Let me go:
for the day breaketh,” but Jacob still clung to him, demanding a blessing. And the Lord
blessed Jacob, and gave him the new name of Lsrael, which means a prince with God.
From that time the descendants of Jacob are called Israelites. Jacob called the pace
Peniel, or the face of God; because he had there seen God face to face.

Jacob felt now eer and happy, and, when he saw Esau coming, he had no fear.
He went to meet him, and, after the custom of the East, he bowed himself to the ground
seven times. And he now had no need to fear; for, in answer to Jacob’s prayer, God had
filled the heart of Esau with brotherly love and tenderness. When he saw Jacob bowing
down before him, Esau ran to meet him, and embraced, and fell on his neck, and kissed
him. ‘The third engraving gives this scene—

“THE RECONCILIATION OF JACOB AND ESAU.”

They both wept, for they thought of their past hatred and unkindness to one another;
but now they wished to live in peace and brotherly love.





















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































56 THE RECONCILIATION OF JACOB AND ESAU.

Next Jacob’s family all came, and bowed themselves also ; and then Jacob offered his
presents to his brother. Esau refused to take them at first, but Jacob urged him, and so
he took them. And after they had talked together, and Esau had seen the wives, and
children, and possessions of his brother, they blessed each other and parted. Esau
returned to Mount Seir, where he dwelt, and Jacob went to Succoth. This was a happy
end to all their anger and disputings.

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD.—A little Irish boy, in school, was asked, “What is recon-
ciliation ?” He answered, “Second friendship.” Esau and Jacob were now reconciled—
they were friends again. Jacob’s prayer did it! Children don’t forget to pray. A Bal-
timore policeman found a little boy wandering about one of the wharves of the city at
ten o’clock at night, and took him to the station-house. The little fellow was faiz-haired
and rosy-cheeked, and could speak German only. He had lost his hat. A comfortable
bed was made for him on one of the settees. He laid down, but remembering himself,
he said, in his native tongue, “I have not prayed yet.” Then while three reporters and
two policemen reverently bowed their heads, the little hands were clasped, and in childish
accent, the “ Now I lay me down to sleep” was said. Dear little ones, if you should
sometimes forget to pray, do as the little girl did, who, after her doll was quietly in bed,
went to it and said: “ You must get right up for you forgot to say your prayers.”



























































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JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT.






OW appears a new character on the scene. Among the many beau
tiful histories contained in the Bible, none has a more wonderful
2 charm than the history of Joseph. -Tens of thousands of little
‘“\ children have been made better and wiser by hearing the story of
= “Joseph and his brethren.”

Jacob had twelve sons. The best of all his sons was named
aes Joseph. Jacob loved him very much, and gave him a striped coat
of many colors. This roused the jealousy and ill will of Joseph’s brothers, and they
hated Joseph, and were very unkind to him. Some of the brothers did wrong, and Joseph
told his father. This made them dislike him still more. Then one night, God sent a
wonderful dream to Joseph. He thought he was binding sheaves in the field, and the
sheaves of his brothers all bowed to his sheaf. Soon after, he dreamed again that the
sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed before him. ‘These dreams, his brothers and father
explained as meaning that they were to bow to him, and his brothers only envied and
hated him still more, while his father blamed him for telling such dreams, but kept them
in his memory, to see what would come to pass.

Now Jacob’s sons, though rich, were compelled to work. One day, when Joseph
was seventeen years old, ten of the brothers were out tending their father’s flocks, and
remained so long that Jacob became uneasy, and sent Joseph to see what had become of
them. So off he started in his many-colored coat. When he came in sight of his
brothers, Satan entered into their hearts, and they began to plan to killhim. But
Reuben, a little braver and less cruel than the rest, said, “Let us not kill him, but cast
him into this pit.” I think Reuben intended to také Joseph out when they went away,
and bring him home safely to his father. So when Joseph came to them, his cruel
brothers seized him, and tore off his coat of many colors, and threw him into the pit;

‘but the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
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60 | JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT.

Reuben, meantime, went away, thinking Joseph was safe; and the rest of the
brethren sat down together and ate bread. While these cruel brothers were eating,
they looked up, and saw a great many people coming towards them. ‘The people were
Ishmaelites, and they had camels, which carried the spices they were going to take to
Egypt to sell. When Judah, another brother, who did net want to have him killed, saw
the Ishmaelites, he proposed to his brothers to sell Joseph to them, for Judah loved
money. And his brethren agreed to this.. So Joseph was taken out of the pit and sold
for twenty pieces of silver. In the picture you see the Ishmaelites taking Joseph away
with them.

Then the brothers killed a kid, and dipped Joseph’s beautiful coat in the blood, and
carried it home to their father, to make him suppose that a wild beast had torn his dear
boy to pieces and devoured him. Jacob believed this and wept, and rent his clothes, and
refused to be comforted. Dear children, don’t you think these sons must have been
very hard-hearted to make their father suffer thus?





JOSEPH INTERPRETING PHARAOH'S DREAMS.

Yo?
{ OSEPH was sold by the Ishmaelites to Potiphar, who was a captain
of the guard to Pharaoh, king of that country. He was a good





youth and feared God; he was not idle, nor deceitful, nor disrespect-
ful, nor dishonest ; he was very careful of his master’s things; and
God so blessed Joseph, that Potiphar took a great liking to him,
and made him head servant over all his house.

But Potiphar’s wife was a very wicked woman, and she tried
to tempt Joseph to sin; and, when he refused to listen to her,
she was angry, as all bad people are when they cannot persuade
the good to join them. So she made up a story that Joseph had behaved ill. Potiphar
believed the story; he never took the trouble to find out the truth, but cast him into
prison for what he had not done. Joseph went to prison; but God was with him there.
He can keep His people wherever they are; and He blessed Joseph, and made the keeper
of the prison love him, and soon Joseph was put in charge of all the other prisoners.



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62 JOSEPH INTERPRETING *PHARAOH’S DREAM.

Dear children, try to deserve to be trusted, wherever you are. God is everywhere;
and, as He was present with Joseph, alike in the pit, and in Potiphar’s house, and in the
prison, He will be present with each of you if you truly seek after Him. If you always
recollect that God sees you, you will do the same when no one is with you as if all the
* world were watching; and that is the way to be true and just in all your dealings. If
you are good only when you are looked at, you are not like Joseph, but are only doing
service outwardly. Do just the same when your parents are absent as you would when
they are present.

While Joseph was in charge of the prisoners, two grand people came in as prisoners.
One was Pharaoh’s chief butler who supplied him with wine; and the other was his chietr
baker, who supplied him with bread. And they were placed, by the captain of the
guard, under Joseph’s care. One morning when Joseph came to see them, he found
them looking sad and unhappy, and he asked them, “Why look ye so sad to-day?” They
told him they had been dreaming, and were anxious to know what their dreams meant.
Now the Egyptians used to think a great deal of dreams; most dreams, however, have
no meaning, but these had, and God put it into Joseph’s heart to understand them. Then
Joseph asked to know their dreams. ‘The chief butler said his was about a vine, and
that it had three bunches of grapes, and that he was squeezing the juice into the king’s
cup as he used to do. Joseph told him that this meant that in three days he should
really hand Pharaoh the cup again; and all the reward Joseph asked for his services
was that the butler, when free, would kindly tell the king about him, and get him set
free. "Then the baker told his dream. He said he dreamed that he had three white
baskets on his head; and that in the one at the top he had baked meats for the king,
but the birds came down and ate them up. Joseph told him that his dream meant that
in three days he would be hanged, and that the vultures and ravens would eat his flesh.
And the words of Joseph came to pass exactly as he had foretold. The butler was
restored his place, and the baker was hanged. But did the butler remember Joseph,
and ask the king to take him out of prison? No; when he was happy and safe himself,
he thought no more about Joseph.

‘Two years more passed away, and still poor Joseph was 1n prison, ‘Then Pharaoh,
king of Egypt, had two wonderful dreams. He thought he stood by the river Nile, and
saw seven fat kine come out of it, and feed in a meadow. Soon after hesaw seven.
other kine come out, lean and starved; and they ate up the seven fat ones. ‘Then

Pharaoh awoke. He went to sleep again, and again he had a dream; and then beheld,



JOSEPH INTERPRETING PHARAOH’S DREAM. 63

in a dream, seven very fine ears of corn growing upon one stalk; and soon after seven -
thin, empty ears sprang up beside them, and the bad ears devoured the seven good ones;
and the king awoke.

Now these two dreams troubled the mind of the king. He called all his wise men,
and asked them to interpret them. But they had no heavenly wisdom, and God did not
enable them te explain the dreams. But when the butler heard Pharaoh and the wise
men talking together about the dreams, he told Pharaoh about Joseph, who had inter-
preted a dream for him, and recommended him to try what the young man could do.
Pharaoh sent at once for Joseph; and when Joseph had washed and shaved and
dressed himself neatly, he stood before the king. ‘Then the king told his dreams, and
asked Joseph to interpret them. Our picture shows Joseph in the presence: of Pharaoh.
Joseph knew that all the wisdom he had, God gave to him, so he said to Pharaoh, “ It is
not in me, God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” And God taught Joseph rightly
to interpret the dreams. He said, “The seven fat kine, and the seven good ears of corn,
are seven years of great fruitfulness; and the seven thin kine, and the seven bad ears,
are seven years of famine. Seven years are coming of great plenty in the land of Egypt,
and then seven years of famine will begin, when there will be no corn.” Joseph then
told Pharaoh that he ought to find some wise man, who would lay up one-fifth part of
the corn in the plentiful years, and perhaps buy more, and keep in store, till the years
of want, so that the people might not starve.

Then the king believed what he said, and he thought that none could be found like
Joseph—so full of wisdom; and he appointed him ruler, next to himself, over all the
land of Egypt; and he clothed him finely, and put a ring on his finger, and a gold
chain round his neck; and he made him to ride in a fine chariot, and the people bowed
to him in respect, as we do to great men, when we approach them. And Pharaoh gave
him a name of distinction, as our kings make dukes and lords; and he found him a
wife to be his companion and comforter. And Joseph set to work to buy the corn that
was over and above what the people wanted to eat in the years of plenty, that he might
store it up against the years when the corn would not grow. ;

And God blessed Joseph in all that he did, and made him the father of two sons,
whom Joseph named Manasseh and Ephraim (which names mean forgetting and fruit-

ful); for Joseph said, “The Lord hath made me /ovgeé all my toil, and hath made me
fruztful in the land of my captivity.”



JOSEPH MAKETH HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN.

HE years of famine at length began to come, as Joseph had said.
‘There was no corn to reap; all was dry and dead; and the poor
people cried for food. And Pharaoh said, “ Go unto Joseph; and
what he saith to you, do.”. And Joseph opened the store-houses, ,
and sold corn to the Egyptians. The famine was not only in
Egypt, but in all the countries round about; it reached Canaan
also ; and Jacob and his sons had no bread. So when Jacob heard
that there was corn in Egypt, he sent his ten eldest sons to buy

gome; but Benjamin stayed with his father, for after the loss of Joseph, Jacob could not
bear his youngest son to leave him; and he would not send him on the long journey,



for he said, “‘ Perhaps some mischief might befall him on the way.”

The ten brothers went to Egypt; and came ard stood before Joseph, and bowed to the
ground. Joseph knew them, for they still looked like shepherds : but they did not know
him, for he had grown from a youth to a man, and was dressed like an Egyptian lord.
Although Joseph remembered his brothers at once, he behaved toward them like a
stranger, and spoke harshly to them. He acted as if he thought they were enemies, come
to see if Egypt could be conquered when it was so bare of food. They told him who they
were; that they were all one man’s sons, and one brother they had lost; the other was left
with his father, who could not bear to part with him. Joseph acted as though he would,
not believe this, and said he must keep one of them in prison, while he sent the rest
back to fetch their youngest brother, or else he could not believe them. ,

The brothers were much distressed to hear this. Now their consciences began to
trouble them, and they recollected how they had used Joseph; and they talked to one
another, and said, “ We are verily guilty concerning our brother.” Joseph heard them,
and could hardly bear it; he turned aside and wept; but still he kept te his plan. “He

took from them Simeon, and Trund hx; before their eyes.” ‘Then he commanded ther
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56 JOSEPH MAKETH HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN.

sacks to be filled with corn, and the money they had paid for it to be put into the sacks
also; and he let them go, When they found this out as they went home they were
much afraid; and when they came home and told their father what had happened, and
he saw the money, Jacob was more afraid still. He said, “My son shall not go with
you. Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not; and ye
will take Benjamin away; all these things are against me.” Reuben answered, “‘ Give
him to me, I will bring him to thee again.” But Jacob would not let him go.

In a short time they had eaten all the corn they had brought from Egypt. Jacob
desired them to go down and buy food again in Egypt, for they knew not where else it
could be obtained. But they answered, ‘We must not, we dare not go without Benja-
min; for the man solemnly commanded us to bring him.” Then, with great difficulty,
Tudah got his father to intrust Benjamin to his care. Jacob sent presents to Joseph, anu
he sent back the money found in the sacks, for hé knew it did not belea% to him—and
good people are always honest ;' and he prayed God to bless them.

They went, and again bowed themselves before Joseph. Only think of -Joseph’s
heart being so full when he saw Benjamin, that he could not stay with him for his tears,
and went away into his chamber to weep! It was love and thankfulness that made him
weep. ‘Then Joseph washed away his tears and went to them again. ‘Then he ordered
a feast to be made, and Joseph sent messes to all his brothers; but Benjamin’s mess
was five times larger than any of the others; and “they drank and were merry with
him.” Still Joseph wished to make further trial of the good and evil that was in the
hearts of his brethren. Hewanted to see if they still were envious of the one their
father.loved best; so he made his steward hide his cup in Benjamin’s sack of corn, and
then go after them, and pretend to think they had stolen it. The servant obeyed, and
in the morning he sent them all away. ‘Then the servant ran after them, and overtook
them, and charged them with having stolen the cup. But they said they had stolen
nothing, and that he might search their sacks. The search was made; and lo, the cup
was found in Benjamin’s sack. ‘They were all shocked; and the steward said Benjamin
must go back and be punished. Then the brothers rent their clothes, and went back
again to Joseph, and fell down before him. Joseph made believe he was very angry
Then Judah stood up and told him how much their old father loved his youngest son,
and he would be sure to die if the lad did not come home safe. ,And Judah begged to
stay and be a slave in Egypt, instead of his brother Benjamin, for he said if mischief
befall the lad, his father would die, and that he could not bear to see.



JOSEPH MAKETH HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN. 67

Don’t you think this was kind and good on the part of Judah? Joseph was touched
to the heart; he could no longer refrain from making himself known to his brethren.
So he sent away all his servants and officers, and allowed no one else to be present while
he made himself known, for he could not keep from weeping; indeed, he sobbed
aloud, so that the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard him. Onur picture
gives the scene. ‘Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom
yesold into Egypt; is my father yet alive?” His brothers could not answer, they were
so frightened ; but he‘would not let them be afraid; he spoke very gently to them again,
and told them not to grieve for what had gone before, for God had turned it all to
good, and made him be the means of saving all their lives, by storing up the corn in
Egypt. 7
Then he fell upon their necks, and kissed them, and wept upon them; and they all
talked long and happily together. The Egyptians heard what had happened, and went
to tell Pharaoh, saying, “‘Joseph’s brethren are come.” And it pleased Pharaoh well,
and he sent a present to Jacob, and wagons to bring him and all his family to Egypt.
Then Joseph gave clothes, and money, and food, to his brothers, and sent them away,
to tell Jacob, their father, that Joseph was still alive, and was a great and powerful man;
and they were to fetch old Jacob, their father, and their wives, and their children, and all
they had, and come to live with Joseph in Egypt, where he would take care of them.
Dear children, let us learn, like Joseph, to return good for evil. “If thine enemy hun-
ger, feed him.”





JACOB GOING DOWN INTO EGYPT.




“Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of
Egypt.” Then Jacob’s heart fainted within him, for he could
scarcely believe the good news. But when they told him all the
words of Joseph, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had
sent to carry him into Egypt, Jacob’s spirit revived again, and
he said, “It is enough: Joseph, my son, is yet alive. I will go
and see him before I die.”

Then Jacob and his sons began their journey to Egypt. The engraving shows the
old man riding on his favorite camel, with his children and grand-children following—
in all, seventy persons. On the way, at Beersheba, God spoke to Jacob in the night,
and promised to be with him in Egypt, and to bring his descendants out from thence,
and to make them a great nation. And when Jacob came near to Gosken, he sent
Judah forward, to tell Joseph of his arrival.

As soon as Joseph heard the good news, he had his chariot brought out, and he went
to meet his father ; and he fell upon his neck, and wept there for a good while. Oh! the
joy of meeting again, after.so many long years. They had much to tell one another;
all the wonderful things God had done; all their past sorrows and fears; and all their
joy now. ‘They had not forgotten the love of former years. The old man could only
exclaim, ‘“‘ Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art still alive.”
So Jacob lived all the rest of his life in Egypt, and was happy with his son Joseph.

Dear children, be good to your fathers and mothers. You see Joseph did not neglect
his good old father because he was ‘“‘a plain man,” while he himself was become a great
man in the land of Egypt.

SAVINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—A little girl had been taught to pray especially for her
father. He had been suddenly taken to heaven. Kneeling at her evening devotion,
her voice faltered, and as her eyes met her mother’s, she sobbed, “O, mother I cannot
leave him ad/ out. Let me say, thank God I had a dear father once, soI can keep him
in my prayers.” Let us remember to thank God for dear fathers and mothers. I
know not what you may think of Joseph; but of all the characters of sacred history, I
love Joseph best, because he is most like Jen pure, and forgiving, and loving.































































































MOSES IN THE ARK OF BULRUSHES.



ANY years had passed away. Joseph was dead, and all his brothers.

A new king was reigning who did not know Joseph; he was very
cruel, and made the children of Israel work very hard to make
bricks and build towns for him. By so doing, he kept them very
poor, for they had no time to labor for themselves, and he tried to
wear them out with slavery, that he might lessen their numbers.
“But the more he afflicted: them, the more they multiplied and
grew.”

So the wicked king thought upon another plan to destroy them. He ordered, that
whenever a little boy was born to the children of Israel, he should be thrown into the river
Nile and drowned. Pharaoh was afraid that, in time of war, the Israelites would fight
him, and become his masters, instead of his slaves.

There was a woman of the family of Levi, who loved God; and her husband, too,
was a good man. The man’s name was Amram, and the woman’s name was Jochebed.
God gave them a beautiful little boy. For three months, the mother hid her child, that
he might not be drowned; but when he grew older and larger, she could not hide him
any longer. What must be done? ‘The Holy Spirit taught Jochebed what to do. She
made for Moses, a little ark, or cradle, of strong rushes; and she put pitch and clay on
the outside to keep the water from getting through. ‘Then, early in the morning, while
the infant was still sleeping, she took him and laid him in his little cradle, among the
high grass and reeds, by the side of the river, leaving his sister Miriam to watch near
him. Jochebed knew that God could keep her little boy, if she could not, and she told
all her sorrow to Him.

In the first picture, the artist shows the angels hovering over the sleeping darling.
The merciful God heard that mother’s prayer. Soon Miriam saw some people coming;
who were they? They were ladies; one was the cruel king’s daughter, and the others

were her maids; and they walked along by the river. for the princess was going to bathe.
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Fe MOSES IN THE. ARK -OF BULRUSHES:

They did not see Miriam; she was a little way off, but she could see theni, and heard all
they said. When Pharaoh’s daughter saw the ark among the reeds, she seut her maid
to fetch it. .

In the secend picture,

“THE FINDING OF MOSES,”

the moment selected by the artist is when the ark of buirushes is being drawn to shore
by one of the attendants, while the princess stands under the downy plumes of her two
fan-bearers, giving directions in regard to the child. When the little cradle was opened,
the baby was crying. "That made the princess pity him, for she was not cruel, like her
father, and she said, ‘“‘ It is one of the Hebrew children.”

When Miriam heard the kind lady speak, she went forward, and said to the princess;
“Shall I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for thee?’? And Pharaoh’s
daughter said ““Gc How Miriam’s little heart throbbed for joy as she ran to her
mother. O mother, O mother! the princess has found our baby, and she has sent me to
call a nurse, and I have come for you. O mother, do come quickly! And the mother went
and Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “‘ Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I
will give thee thy wages.” Surely Jochebed felt that her faith in God was richly
rewarded. She brought him home, and nursed him, and he grew; and when he was a
little older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter again. ‘The princess loved the child
and she said, ‘‘ He shall be my son, and I will name him Moses (or, drawn out), because
I drew him out of the water.”

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOoD:—A kind woman, one cold winter day, tried to open a
door in the third story of a wretched house, when she heard a feeble voice say,
“Pull the string up high!” She looked up and saw a string, which, on being pulled,
lifted a latch, and she opened the door upon two half-naked children all alone and
looking very cold and pitiful. ‘Do you take care of yourselves, little ones?” asked the
woman. ‘God takes care of us,” said the oldest. ‘‘ And what do you eat?” “When
Granny comes home, she fetches us something. Granny says God has got enough.
Granny calls us ‘God’s sparrows,’ and we say ‘Our Father,’ and ‘ Daily bread,’ every
day. Godis our Father.” Tears came to the good woman’s eyes as they ought to
in ours, and those two “little sparrows,” perched in that cold upper chamber, may well
teach us some sweet lessons of faith and trust. Dear little ones, you are under the care
of the God of little Moses. You are not too small for God to see you. ‘Then love and
trust Him.

















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MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHARAGH.




AY) OW when Moses was grown up he did not live with the king’s
daughter any longer. The king had grown angry with him because
he cared for his own people, the Israelites, and he had to flee
away and keep sheep in. the wilderness. And there he saw a
great wonder. One day, as he sat beside the desert, keeping his
sheep, he was surprised to see a bush not far off sparkling with
light, as though it were on fire; but, although it appeared to be
in flames, the leaves did not fall off, nor was the bush consumed.
And God’s voice spoke to him out of the bush, and told him that the troubles of the
children of Israel were to come to an end. God would save them from the cruel
Egyptians; and Moses himself was to go and lead them out, and, bring them to the
good land that God had promised that Abraham’s children should have for their own.
Moses was to go and tell the king of Egypt that it was God’s will that they should go.
Moses was afraid at first, but God promised to keep him. He said to Moses, “ Aaron
thy brother may go with thee; he can speak well; and I will teach you both what you
shall do.” So Moses and Aaron went together to Paaraoh, and told him that the great
God had commanded him to let the Israelites go, that they might serve Him. But the
haughty king answered that he did not know the Lord, neither would he let the people
go. God now gave Moses and Aaron power to do wonders, and to work miracles before
Pharaoh. They went into the presence of the king. In the engraving, the artist shows
Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh. You see the king surrounded by his wise men, his
guard and perhaps many others looking on; there stand Moses and Aaron, eighty
years old, asking that a great army of slaves may go away to worship their God.
Pharaoh wants a sign to convince him that these messengers come from God. Aaron
threw down his rod and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh called his wise men, and told
them to try to do the same; and they did so with their enchantments. Had they power
to work miracles? No; perhaps God suffered their rods to become serpents that he
might work a greater miracle, or perhaps they might have learned to tame serpents, so

as to make them look like rods in their hands; and then thev might have thrown them
74












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76 MOSES ‘AND AARON. BEFORE PHARAOH.

down as Aaron did, and thus pretended to work a miracle. But God made Aaron’s rod
swallow up their rods. What must have been their amazement when they saw that!
They had been accustomed to worship serpents, but what need for them to worship
serpents any more, when this wonderful God of the Israelites could make out of a stick,
one capable of swallowing theirs! Think, too, what a feeble, powerless bit of wood that
shepherd’s rod was; yet when God used it, what a power it became! So, what a feeble
thing the hand of a little child is, but as soon as you put it on God’s side, so He can use
it, what a power it may become!

Still Pharaoh did not care for all this, nor did he obey the command to let Israel go;
and then God said, He would punish Pharaoh. He determined to afflict Egypt with
great plagues. First, the Lord commanded Moses to stretch out his rod over the river
Nile; Moses did so, and all the waters in the river turned into blood; and when Moses
held out his rod again it turned back into pure water. But Pharaoh did not mind, and
would not let the people go. Then God told Moses again to stretch out his hand over the
river; and there caine up such numbers of frogs that they covered the land, and crawled
over the tables and into the beds, and even into the ovens of the Egyptians. Pharaoh
could not bear to have these frogs everywhere, and said, if they would but go away he

would let the children of Israel go. Then Moses asked God to take the frogs away, and all
the frogs died; but Pharaoh still continued disobedient and would not let the people

go,—and God sent a third plague.

He ordered Moses to turn all the dust in the land into lice; and the lice covered the
people and the animals. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he refused to listen.
Then very dreadful swarms of stinging flies came and covered theland. Nothing was to
be seén for flies; and Pharaoh, in his terror, made a half promise that he would let the
Israelites go a short distance, if the swarms of flies were taken away; but as soon as
they were gone, Pharaoh hardened his heart, and would not let them go.

Then the Lord sent a fifth plague, and brought a dreadful disease, called murrain,,
upon the cattle of Egypt, and the horses, and asses, the camels, and the sheep, and all
the animals that were useful to the Egyptians grew sick and died. In the next engray-
ing the artist shows this

“PLAGUE OF MURRAIN,”
the camels falling down dead, and their masters leaving them in despair. But still

_ Pharaoh remained unmoved. ‘Then Moses took ashes out of the furnace, and threw
them up toward heaven, at God’s command, and they became dust, and brought sore boils



















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78 MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHARAOH.

upon men and beasts. The wicked Egyptian magicians suffered so much pain from
these boils, that they were not able to stand, or to go to Pharaoh when he sent for them.
But still the king would not attend to God’s command.

The next day, God sent a terrible storm, thunder and lightning, and rain and hail—
such big hailstones as killed the men and cattle that were out in the fields, and light-
ning that struck them, and wind that broke every tree in the field, No wonder that
Pharaoh was frightened and begged that the storm might cease, and said that then he
would let the Israelites go. So Moses prayed to God, and it was all stillagain. But
when the rain was over, Pharaoh was again disobedient, and said, ‘“‘ I will not let the people
go.” ‘Then God said unto Moses—“ Stretch forth thine hand over the land of Egypt
for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat. every herb of the
field that the hail hath left.” And locusts came; and they were so many that the land
was darkened by them, and they ate everything which the hail had not destroyed. ‘The
king again sent for Moses and Aaron, and begged them to pray for him. And they did
pray, and God heard them; but when the plague was taken away, wicked Pharaoh
again said, ‘I will not let the people go.”

Then God sent a new and very dreadful plague over the land of Egypt; this was a
thick darkness, that lasted for three days. ‘There was no light from the sun nor moon
nor stars. And the people could not see to move from their places all the time. Our
next engraving is a picture of this

‘““PLAGUE OF DARKNESS.”

Pharaoh again called Moses, and said, “ You may go; only let your cattle be
stayed.” But Moses said, “ No, we must take all our possessions with us; we will go
with our wives, and our little children, our sons, and our daughters, our flocks, and all that
we have.” ‘Then Pharaoh was angry, and dtove Moses away, and told him never to come
before him again. Moses said, “ Thou hast spoken well; I will see thy face again no
more ;” and he went away from the king.

Dear Children, in the next talk we will see how God compelled Pharaoh to obey.

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—A little four-year old boy prayed: “O Lord bless George,
and make him a good boy; and don’t let him be naughty again, he sticks to it so.”
How natural it is for us to stick to our naughty ways. ‘That was the way with
wicked Pharaoh. He hadachance to obey, and keep off these awful plagues if he would.
God sent him message after message; He waited for him, urged him, warned him; but
he would not obey. And it was just because he wouldn't. Dear children, I waut you































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































30 MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHARAOH.

‘ shall learn from this the folly of daring God. Be sure that God and you are always on
the same side—that is, that He is for you, instead of agaznst you. In the midst of all
the plagues God’s people were quite safe. None of the plagues came near their dwell-
ings, or in the land of Goshen, where they dwelt. No harm can come to those whe trust

in Him.



DEATH OF THE FIRST-BORN IN EGYPT.

4 FER the nine sad plagues that had come ypon the Egyptians thete was |
aN ¥4 still to be one plague more, the last and worst. This was called the death

of the first-born, and was tenfold more terrible than «ny that had
preceded it. Moses told his countrymen that the angel of the
Lord would pass at midnight over all the houses, and that he would



slay the first-born in every Egyptian house. No one would be
;\ spared: Pharaoh’s oldest son, the young prince, and the very
poorest person’s son. They had. killed the little Israelite babies,
and now their babies should be killed.

But did God kill the first-born of the Israelites too? No; He told them what they
must do, if they believed His words, and wished to escape. ‘They were to take a lamb,
without spot or blemish, and kill it in the evening; and they were to sprinkle the blood
of the lamb upon the lintel, and upon the two door-posts; and afterward they were to
toast the lamb whole, and eat it. Where the mark of the blood was, the angel would
pass over and do no one any hurt; but the people would be blest and set free, because
they believed God, and did as He bade them.

The Israelites listened to Moses, and did as he had told them. whey ate their
lambs, and packed up their goods ready for a journey. And lo! while they were
waiting, there came a terrible shout and cry from the Egyptians, for the destroying
angel had killed the first-born in every house. Even the first-born of their cattle died
too, because the Egyptians used to worship them. In the picture, the artist shows the
destroying angel passing through in the night; in his hand is a drawn sword.

But were the believing, obedient Israelites safe? Yes, wherever there was the blood,
the little ones were safe. Dear children, The Lord Jesus Christ is like the lamb uf the

























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































32 DEATH .OF THE, FIRST-BORN IN EGYPT.

Israelites. He was slain as the paschal lamb was, and His blood was shed upon the
cross. Why? To save our souls. The blood of the lamb in Egypt was sprinklec
upon the doors ; the blood of Jesus must be sprinkled upon our hearts.

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—A little boy on his father’s knee said, ‘‘ Pa, is your soul
insured?” “ Why do you ask that, my son?” The boy. replied: “I heard Uncle
George say that you had your house insured, and your life insured; but he did uot
believe you had thought of your soul, and he was afraid you would lose it.” Dear little
one, have you got your soul zzsured? Is the blood sprinkled upon it? Now suppose
that in one Israelitish house there kad lived a little boy who did not want the blood
sprinkled on his door! ‘‘ What is the use?” he says; ‘‘God knows where we live, and
He can take care of us just as well without that, and it will look so queer, all the
Egyptians will be asking us what we do it for!” How foolish that boy would have
been! The destroying angel would have killed him too. We must not be ashamed of
the blood. Or, suppose in one house, there lived a little girl who wanted to have
her dolly dressed. Mamma explains to her about the lamb and the blood on the door,
and that it must be attended to at once, but the child insists that it will do just as well
‘ to-morrow, the dolly must be dressed first. Don’t you see, that to-morrow would have
been too late?” Don’t put off giving your hearts to Jesus Now! God says, “ Now is
the day of salvation,” and God requires exact obedience. It was not the blood on the
door that saved the babies of the Israelites, but it was obedzence to God.





THE DROWNING OF PHARACH AND HIS ARMY IN THE RED SEA.

gp

~ |) HARAOH was at last convinced that it was in vain to fight
against God. When the destroying angel came to his palace and
- killed his eldest son, the king was so frightened that he called
Y. for Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, ‘‘ Rise up, and get
= 2) you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of
R +843 Israel; and go, serve the Lord as ye have said. Also take your
hog flocks and your herds as you have said, and be gone; and

“i bless me also.” And the Egyptians were so anxious to send the

Israelites away, that they helped them to pack up, and gave them rich presents to take with













84 THE DROWNING OF PHARAOH AND HIS ARMY IN THE RED SEA.

them. And now the children of Israel set off to leave Egypt. There were, 600,000
men, atid many women and children, and very much cattle. They were going through
a wild and dreary wilderness, and so God came in a pillar of cioud by day, and of fire
by night, to show them the way they should go. ‘Thus they journeyed safe and happy
under God’s keeping, untii they came to a very narrow pass on the borders of the Red

Sea; and they encamped there.

But when Pharaoh heard the Israelites were gone, he was sorry he had let them go;
and he got all his chariots and horsemen together, and went after the children of Israel
to bring them back again. When the Israelites saw him coming, they were sore afraid,
and began to blame Moses, and said, “ Why hast thou brought us out here to die? It
would have been better to stay in Egypt, and serve the Egyptians, than to die in the
wilderness.” ' But God spoke to Moses, and told him not to fear. "They had only to
stand still and see how God would save them. And God Himself showed that He was
with them, for the pillar of cloud went behind them, instead of -before, and made it dark
to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to the Israelites, so that the Egyptians
could not get near them all night.

Then the Lord commanded the people to go on. But where could they go? ‘The
great sea was before them; there is no bridge across it; they have no boats. High
mountains shut them in, on either side. What are they todo? God says go forward!
what, right into the sea? Yesright into the sea. God knew how to find a way for
them to escape. He told Moses to stretch his rod over the sea. And then there was a
great wonder. ‘The waters of the sea parted, and piled up on each side of them like
great walls of glass, or ice; and right in between there was a broad road open for them
through the midst of the sea. The Israelites walked through, all of them on dry
ground; not one was drowned, for God held back the waters till they were all gone
over safely.

Pharaoh and his army followed them, or tried to. They were probably about half
way through, when the Lord looked angrily at them through the pillar of cloud. ‘Their
chariot wheels dragged so heavily that they said, “The Lord fighteth for them against
us.” ‘That was just what God said He would do! And then the Lord told Moses to
stretch his rod over the sea, and the waters came back again upon the Egyptians, and
every one of them was drowned. The artist gives us this picture. You can see the
children of Israel all safe on the distant hill; while Pharaoh and his hosts are all being
- drowned in thie sea,



THE DROWNING OF PHARAOH AND HIS ARMY IN THE RED SEA. 85

In the morning, the Israelites saw their enemies lying dead upon the shore; the
Egyptians could hurt them no more now. ‘The children of Israel thanked God, and
sang praises to Him; and Miriam and the women danced for joy. :

DoINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—Dear children, when God is on our side, we need not fear!
‘There were two little boys. One was crossing a stream of water on a board; the little
fellow was afraid till he heard a voice that he knew, say: “Father sees you,” then he
was afraid no more; he was sure that father would take care of him. ‘The other boy
had taken some fruit that he had been forbidden to touch; he heard the same words,
knew the voice, but was greatly frightened. What made the difference? It is very
plain ; the fathers voice is always a comfort to the child whose conscience is at rest, but a
terror to the child who is sinning. So the pillar of cloud was a comfort to the Israelites,
who loved and obeyed God, but was “darkness” to the Egyptians who did wrong.
Some naturalists desired to obtain the wild flowers that grew on the side of a dangerous
gorge in the Scotch Highlands. They offered a boy a liberal sum if he would descend
by a rope and get them. He looked at the money, thought of the danger, and replied,
“Twill of my father will hold the rope.” ‘With unshrinking nerves, he let his father put
the rope about him, lower him into the abyss, and suspend him there while he filled his
little basket with the coveted flowers. What a lesson of faith for us, dear children!
We need not fear to go where we are held securely by our Heavenly Father’s hand.
The waters of the Red Sea cannot drown us, and the fires of the furnace cannot burn
us if Jesus keep us there!





THE GIVING OF THE LAW FROM MOUNT SINAI.



¢ LL the children of Israel are uc.. safely out of Egypt. They begin to travel
e into the wilderness. ‘They have made three days’ journey; and, at last a
BN \": great mountain appears iu sight. They move on till they come
toit. At the foot of the mountain the procession halts. The
people pitch their tents, and rest there. That is Mount Sinai.
On the top of that mountain God told Moses that He would come
i} down and meet him, and give him a law, to show the Israelites,
and all other people, what he wanted them to do. And God told
Moses to set bounds round the bottom of the mountain, so that nobody should come and
touch it; and the people were to pray, and wait. round it for the holy and awful thing
that was to happen. And God told Moses to come up to tke top of the mountain, when
he should hear a trumpet giving a long, loud sound.

Then there came on the hill-top a dark, black cloud, and the mountain shook and
quaked, and there were lightnings, and thunder, and voices, so that all the people
trembled. ‘The engraving gives us the scene. It was a fearful thing to see the moun-
tain smoking, and the fire and lightning coming out of the thick darkness. Why was
it so fearful? Because the holy, powerful God has come down upon the mountain; God
who cannot look upon sin; and who has power to punish all those who disobey Him.

Then the sound of the trumpet was heard. It was an angel’s trumpet; the same
that shall be heard at the last day, when the graves are opened, and the dead come
forth.. Moses heard the trumpet. He goes up the mountain. The people all watch
him, as he travels up, higher and higher. Now he enters the cloud and they see him
no more. Moses is on the top of the mountain talking with God. There God gave him
His great law of the Ten Commandments. ‘They were the very same Ten Command-
ments you read in the Bible. And God means us all to obey the Commandments, just
as much as He meant the Israelites to obey them. They are His words, and must be
kept.

Afterwards God gave these Ten Commandments to Moses, written upon two tables,
or blocks of stone—written with God’s own finger. In our second picture we see

“MOSES COMING DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN,”

where he has been with God a second time. ‘The people are looking at him; his face is
86















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































88 THE GIVING OF THE LAW FROM MOUNT SINAL

bright and shining; and they fear to come near him. What made Moses’ face shine?
The bright glory of God which rested upon him while He talked to him in the moun-
tain, When Moses saw that it was painful for the people to look at him, he took a veil,
and covered his face, and then spoke to them. He told them all the commands of God,
and showed them the new tables. He told them God told him to make a chest to keep
the tables of stonein. It was to be made of wood, with gold all over it; and two figures
of cherubims were to be one on each side. "This chest was to be called the Ark of the Cov-
enant. And it was to be put into a square room, inside a tent, that was to be made with
curtains and carried about with the Israelites. It was to be called the Tabernacle. And
this was to be avery holy place. And Moses asked them to bring their gold, and
silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and skins of animals, and beautiful
stones; these things were to help to make the tabernacle, ana all which was to be in it.

The people were glad to bring their riches for the service of God; and many of them
were very busy and industrious in the work of God. It is very pleasant, as well as right,
to work for God. All have talents; all can do something. Little children, too, can do
something. I have no doubt the little Israelitish children helped their mothers to spin
the goats’ hair, and to carry the wood and stones to help their fathers. Did you ever
hear of the little girl who said; “If I can’t take a bouquet of a hundred-leaf roses to the -
teacher I won’t take anything at all?” How foolish in her! Another little one brought
a spray of red clover, because she had no other flowers, and the teacher was so pleased
that she wore them in her belt all day.

SAYINGS OF CHILDHOOD :—A very bright little fellow says, “ All the Ten Command-
ments have zo¢s in them. Why don’t God tell them what to do ?” Well, God had to teach
the Israelites in somewhat the same way your parents teach you. Your mother and father
say to you, “Don’t come to the table with dirty hands,” “Don’t come into the house
with mud on your shoes,” ‘“ Don’t speak saucy words.” When they have'told you these
things many times, and they say, ‘‘ Now be good children;” you know everything they
mean; do you not? Now can you tell me how to write the Ten Commandments in one
word? Love. Yes; love God and love our neighbors. If we love God, what will we
not do? Wot have any other gods, nor worship any other gods ; nor take God’s name tn
vain; nor break the Sabbath day. If we love everybody what will we not want to do ?
Not disobey father or mother; not kill; not comnit adultery; not steal; not tell wickea
stories about each other ; not covet. 'Then, to love is to do God’s way.















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































KORAH, DATHAN, AND ABIRAM SWALLOWED UP.





OD, wheu he gave the Ten Commandments upon Mount Sinai,
chose that Aaron, and his sons, should be His priests. Now a
priest was one who offered up sacrifices to God, and burned incense
to Him; and when the smoke of the incense went up it was just as
our prayers rise up to Godin heaven. Once there were some other
Levites, named Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who became jealous of the
; power given by God to Moses and Aaron; they said they had as much
right as Aaron had to be priests, and to offer sacrifices. ‘They persuaded, also, 250 men
to come and get censers, and offer incense to the Lord as if they had been priests. Moses
fell on his face when he heard this, and asked God to help him; and on the next day,
God told all the people to go away from the tabernacle of Korah and his friends.

All the people moved away, and God allowed these three wicked men to put fire
into their censers, and to stand at their tent doors, with their wives and children. And
Moses told the people that God would now show them which were the priests that He
had chosen. As Moses spoke, the ground shook, the earth opened, and swallowed up
Korah, and Dathan, and Abiram, and all that they had. All went down alive into the
great pit, and the ground closed again and shut them in.

In the engraving the artist gives us a picture of this dreadful scene. Not only did
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram perish, but God sent out a dreadful fire, which burnt up the
250 wicked men that offered incense. But although the people were dreadfully fright-
ened at this awful sight, and fled away, still they were not humbled nor sorry for their
sins; but they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and accused them of having killed
their friends and companions.

SAVINGS OF CHILDHOOD:—I want you to remember, from this talk, that it is a
dreadful thing to offend God! A little boy came to his father one day, and said, “O
papa, / have made up with God!” “ Why, my son,” said his father, “I hope you had
not fallen out with God—had you!” “Yes, papa, I had. I was very bad and offended
Him, and He was angry with me. But I felt real sorry, and asked Him to forgive me,
and He did; and now I am so happy because Ive made up with Him!” O, children,

it is awful to offend the great God who is almighty to save or to destroy forever.
; 90 ieee



















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































WATER FROM THE SMITTEN ROCK.






¢ SUPPOSE you know that the Israelites were now in a dreary wilder:
ness. All around were great rocks, all parched with the hot sun
Rat shining on them. ‘There was no water to drink, and the people
iy S de, got very hot and thirsty; then they began to murmur. They forgot
e° their kind God who so often fed them from heaven, and did not pray
to Him. They grew angry, and said, “Is the Lord among us or
~. no?” That was the way they tempted God.

But God bore with them; and He told Moses to take his rod and go to the bare
rock, and strike it. And when Moses struck the rock God made a beautiful, clear
spring of water come gushing out of it, so that all the people, and all their cattle, and
sheep, and camels, could drink and have plenty. The picture shows Moses smiting
the rock, and the water flowing down in a clear, fresh stream. How glad everybody
seems that there is plenty of water! Don’t you think that was good in God? It was
God’s power that did this miracle; not Moses, nor the rod, but God alone, could bring
water out of the rock.

The apostle Paul says, “ This rock was Christ.” He does not mean Christ himself,
but that it resembles Christ—for from Him flows all true happiness, as refreshing to
the soul of man as the streams of water were, flowing from the rock, to the Israelites in
the wilderness.

DOINGS OF CHILDHOOD :— Learn from this talk not to murmur. I read of a child
who murmured about water, just as the Israelites did; not because she had not plenty
of it to drink, but she wished God had made it so it could not drown anybody, then she
could go on the Jake in a boat, and her mother would not be afraid of her drowning.

























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































-THE BRAZEN SERPENT.

HE children of Israel seemed never to trust God but just at the
moment when they saw His miracles. That was very wicked;
for He had promised to take care of them, and. they ought to
have believed His word. Their sin of murmuring was so great

that we read, ‘““The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and

they bit them, sothat many died ;” that is He sent serpents, whose
bite was like fire, making a similar wound for pain with that which



burning coal would make. Where could they flee? ‘The serpents
were everywhere. Then the people repented and prayed. And the Lord told Moses,
“Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every-
one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live.’ So Moses made a serpent of
brass and set it upon a pole; and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man,
when he /ooked upon the brazen serpent, he /zved.

Dear children, suppose we had been among that vast company in the wilderness ; we
might have been wandering around, when suddenly we felt the bite of the serpent.
Alas! the poison is spreading through our bodies. As we fall, sick and faint, there
comes one to us, and says, “Look on that serpent of brass on the pole yonder—look
and you shalllive!” With great effort we turn our eyes to the object pointed out to us.
O joy! we are healed. That is what the artist has brought out in the picture—some
are looking and some are not. None lived but those who looked ; in other words, obeyed
God’s commands. If there were any in the camp who thought they would get well
without looking at the serpent, they were among those who died.

Now, my little friends, we have all been bitten with sin, and that means death. But,
listen! ‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of
man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlast-
ing life.” Blessed tidings! If there are any little children who think they can go to
heaven withont new hearts they are mistaken; God has made only one:cure for sii,
and the bire of s‘n is deadly until we “ look to Jesus.”

4,



x

Lee