born lazy. Some learn to be industrious with less effort, but all have
to be taught to work. God means that we should work. Have you ever
thought that God could feed us without our labor if He chose to do so?
He could rain down our food from heaven, just the same as He gave manna
to the Children of Israel, while they were journeying to the promised
land. He could not only feed us, but He could also clothe us from
heaven. I am sure that if God gave us our clothing from heaven, He would
not make such foolish fashions as wicked people over in Paris invent,
and which all the rest of the world seem to think they have to imitate.
Not only our food and clothing, but God could also have made it
necessary that there should be no preachers. Instead of giving us His
Word in the Bible, and then asking us to go into all the world and to
preach it to all creatures, He might have used the stars at night, just
the same as the printer uses the different kinds of type and prints the
letters and words upon the page; so God could have used the stars in
order to write His law upon the heavens in a universal language that
would be known by all peoples, and so at night, and even in the daytime,
people could look up into the heavens and read God's law. Thus it would
have been unnecessary ever to have printed Bibles, or to send preachers
to preach. The cost of building churches and supporting ministers would
thus have been unnecessary, but God does not do things in that way. Lazy
people might desire that things were arranged in this way, but God has
seen fit to make it very different.
But why do you think that God means that you and I should learn to work?
There are two or three good reasons which I can think of. We are so
constituted that no one can be in good health for any considerable
period without physical exertion, and so you see that if we want to be
well--and no one can be happy who is not well--it is necessary that we
should learn to work. You will always find that lazy people who eat a
great deal suffer many physical ailments. They are always complaining,
and I think you will always find that they really are sick, but they
could be well if they would only go to work as God meant they should.
Then there is another reason. An idle man is always a dissatisfied man.
A boy or girl with nothing to do is sure to be unhappy. If we desire to
be happy and contented we must learn to work.
But there is also another reason. Our spiritual well-being also renders
it necessary that you and I should have something to do. Work is really
one of God's greatest blessings, and we are told that those who are idle
tempt Satan to tempt them. I do not believe that an idle person can be a
good Christian. An idler is of no use either in the world or in the
church. God can make no use of him, and Satan must surely despise him
also.
So if you desire to be delivered from sickness and to remain well and
strong, if you desire to be contented and happy, if you desire to be
good and useful, if you desire to be helpful in the great purpose for
which God has created you and placed you upon this earth, you must learn
to work, and the best time to learn to work is when we are young. We are
to learn to labor with our hands, with our minds, always remembering
that whatsoever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God.
Now let us all join in singing,
"Work, for the night is coming."
QUESTIONS.--Did God assign some work to Adam when
he was first created? What was he to do in the
Garden? Why does God place the kernel of nuts
inside of a shell? Do vegetables and grain grow
without being planted? Will weeds grow without
being planted? Why did God place the metals, and
coal and oil down below the surface of the ground?
Are we naturally industrious or lazy? Could God
clothe and feed us without our labor? Why does He
not do it? How could God have printed His law so
that it would not be necessary to have Bibles and
preachers? Are idle people healthy and contented?
Why not? Whom do idle people tempt? Can an idle
person be a good Christian? When is it easiest to
learn to work? What should we always remember in
our work?
BANKS.
GATHERED AND GUARDED TREASURES.
SUGGESTIONS:--Objects for use: A child's bank and
a metal kettle of any kind to show how people used
to place their money in boxes, kettles, etc., and
then bury them in the ground.
Use the methods suggested in the preceding
sermons. Examine the chapter on "Suggestions to
Parents" and introduce new features from Sunday to
Sunday. Children like variety.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS: What is this I hold in my hand? (Voices: "Bank,
penny bank, money bank.") Yes, you are right, this is a bank, and I
suppose many of you, perhaps all of you either now, or at some past time
have had such a place to deposit your money.
[Illustration: A Penny Bank.]
In the time of Christ the children did not have little banks like these.
Even the big people did not have banks where they could deposit their
money. When they had jewels or money they would place them in a box, or
a copper kettle, and bury them in the earth. They would hide them away
from other people, and thus seek to secure them for themselves. In that
period of the world, there were many thieves and robbers; Palestine was
often invaded by hostile armies; there were occasional earthquakes,
which destroyed whole cities, and so the people used to bury their money
for safe keeping. After burying it, sometimes they were killed in war,
or perhaps died suddenly, before they had time to tell anybody where
they had concealed their money, and on this account all over that land
there were buried treasures, or "hid treasures" as they are called, and
to-day if you were to go to Palestine you would see many people digging
here and there everywhere to find money or treasures that have been
hidden away for long centuries. Even in the time of Job people must have
dug for treasures, as they are doing in Palestine to-day, for Job says
of the miserable and unhappy, that they often "long for death, and dig
for it, more than for hid treasures." (Job iii: 21.)
It is altogether right for you to economize and save your pennies. I
hope every boy and girl will have a little bank, but while you are
learning to save, you should also learn to give to every good cause, to
give in Sunday-school and to give for the support of the Church, for
missions, and to give to assist the aged and the poor, and to contribute
something for those who are in poverty and in distress. If you simply
learn to save, or hoard up money, and do not learn at the same time to
give, you will become what people call "a miser," and that word means
miserable. Misers are always miserable, not because they do not already
have sufficient, but because there is so much more that they desire.
They always wish for more.
[Illustration: Hiding Treasures in the Earth.]
But while you are learning to save money and to gather treasures here
upon the earth, you must not forget that the Bible says, that we are to
lay up for ourselves "treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." It says,
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you." God means that first of all you and I
shall give our hearts to Him, and then afterward, in all our getting, we
should constantly remember that we are only stewards of God--that is,
that all the money and everything else we possess in this world belongs
to God. He simply permits us to have it and to use it in His name, and
we must honor and reverence Him by giving to help on every good work.
Now, after we have given our hearts to God, and have become followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to lay up our treasures in heaven by
living right, by seeking to be good, and by doing good to others. We are
to lose no opportunity to do that which will be a blessing to those
about us.
One of the boys or girls said this was a penny bank. That name is very
suggestive. A bank is a place where you deposit money. Now, if you have
a bank like this, do you only put into it silver dollars, five-dollar
bills, ten-dollar gold pieces? If each boy who is here were to wait
until he had a ten-dollar gold piece, or a five-dollar bill, or until he
had come into possession of a silver dollar before he placed any money
in his bank, I am sure his bank would always remain empty. The way to
fill a bank is to put pennies in it--to save each cent and each
five-cent piece. To-day a penny, and to-morrow a few pennies, and so on
through the week, and through the year, and at the end of the year you
will find that you have saved quite a goodly sum.
Now, there are some people who want to lay up treasures in heaven, but
they do not want to lay it up there, little by little. They prefer to
wait until some opportunity comes when they can do a great deal of good
at one time. But the person who does not do good every day and every
hour, little by little, will never have any treasure in heaven. It is
the pennies that make the dollars; it is the "many mites that make the
muckle." It is the constant doing of little things, for the glory of God
and the good of others, that makes a man great. Great men are great in
little things, and if you desire to be great men and great women, you
must always use the little opportunities, and use them well. Lay up
treasure in heaven, each and every day, just the same as, day after day,
you would save your pennies, and thus fill your banks. If you want a
large treasure in heaven you must constantly be engaged in laying up
your treasure there. Never lose an opportunity to do good, and in this
way you will have an abundant treasure in heaven.
QUESTIONS.--Where do people put money for safe
keeping? Is it only silver and gold which is put
into a bank? Do thieves ever break into banks? Can
any treasure be laid up in the earth where it is
absolutely safe? Where does the Bible tell us we
are also to lay up treasure? When boys and girls
are obedient, is that laying up treasure in
heaven? Does being great in little things make a
great man or a great woman? Should boys and girls
learn to save their money? What would they be
called if they spent all their money? What would
they be called if they hoarded up all they could
get? Should we always use all our money in the
fear of God?
After the conclusion of the services and after
"driving home from church", introduce some other
interesting features so as to make the day
sacredly impressive.
[Illustration]
THE CHART.
AVOIDING THE DANGERS.
SUGGESTIONS:--Objects: A geography, or detached
maps will serve to show that the portions of the
earth which are under the water are quite like the
portions of the earth which are above the water.
Islands are only mountain summits or elevations.
"Drive to church", have the ushers show different
real or imaginary persons to seats, have the
little sermon and service precede the reading of
the following object sermon.
[Illustration: Outline Map of the United States.]
MY LITTLE MEN AND WOMEN: We are all travelers. Now when a traveler
starts out upon a journey he always desires to have in his possession
one of these things which I hold in my hand. I know you will recognize
it at once, and say that it is a map. This map tells you the name of the
country; it shows you where there are mountains, where there are rivers,
where there are valleys, where there are cities, and shows you the
entire United States of America. In traveling through a strange country,
if you do not have a map, you might be lost upon the mountains, or your
journey would be obstructed by the rivers which you could not cross, and
in various ways you would find it absolutely necessary to have a map.
Now, when a traveler goes out upon the sea, it is just as necessary that
he should have a map, or what the sailors call a chart, as it is for the
traveler upon the land. The chart which the sea captain has, shows the
mountains and the valleys and the rivers which are in the sea; for these
exist in the sea, as well as upon the land. The rocks, against which
ships are sometimes dashed to pieces, are simply the tops of high
mountains that come very near to the surface of the sea; and the captain
without a chart, not knowing where they are, is likely to run against
them with his ship. The islands are simply the tops of these mountains,
that rise higher above the water, and form a place of abode for man; and
we call them islands, because they are very much smaller than the great
continents on which you and I live.
A chart of the sea always locates the dangerous places. They show where
other ships have been foundered, and oftentimes where hundreds and
thousands of lives have been lost. It also shows what are really rivers
in the sea, or great currents, one of which we call the Gulf Stream.
When a ship is crossing the Gulf Stream the motion or current of this
water might carry it many hundreds of miles out of its course, and if
the captain had no chart he would not be able to allow for this
distance, which the ship is being carried, either north or south.
Now, you and I are travelers in this world. We are out upon a great
voyage, and it is necessary that we should have a chart, and therefore
God has given us the Bible, which you and I can use greatly to our
advantage. In the Bible, God has pointed out the dangers which lie like
the hidden rocks under the surface of the sea. In the commandments God
marks out the great dangers which beset you and me. There is the rock of
Idolatry. Whole nations of the earth have been wrecked on this rock.
Then there is another, Profanity, swearing: Oh! how many boys and men
are ruined because they do not observe how God has marked this
dangerous rock, against which no one can run without danger of losing
his immortal soul. Then there is Sabbath breaking, another rock; and
there is reverence due to parents; and God marks another, "Thou shalt
not kill"; and then there are others, against stealing, against bearing
false witness, against covetousness. All these dangerous rocks God has
marked in the Bible, in order that you and I may not run against them,
and thus be shipwrecked in our voyage to the haven of everlasting rest.
[Illustration: Rocks and Mountains at the Bottom of the Sea.]
God also marks the influences which you and I must come in contact with.
Every boy who goes to school feels the influence of other boys, some of
whom are very bad. If he permits himself to be moved by these things he
will go wrong, just the same as the ship that is crossing the Gulf
Stream is carried out of its course. So the Bible warns us against bad
company.
Now the chart which the sea captain has, indicates also the ports of
safety. It shows the location of these different ports, and the
direction the captain must take in order to reach them. So the Bible
shows us where you and I can find refuge in the day of storm, and in the
day of trial, and in the day of sickness, and in the day of distress. To
the sea captain, out upon the great ocean, there are ten thousand
directions which are sure to end in shipwreck. There is only one safe
way to go, in order to reach his desired port in safety.
Now what would you think of a captain out upon the seas who folded up
his chart and laid it carefully away, and never looked at it, never
studied it, never sought to know what is on the chart? Do you not see
how he would go upon the rocks? His ship would go down to the bottom of
the sea, just as surely as if he had no chart on board his ship. It is
important that he should have his chart in constant use. So it is
important, not only that we should have the Bible, but that we should
use the Bible, that we should read it, that we should study it, that we
should know what it says. I trust that each and all of you not only have
a Bible, but that you study it daily, and that you seek to avoid the
dangers which God has pointed out, and that you desire to know the will
of God concerning you.
QUESTIONS.--What should a traveler always have in
a strange country? What must a sea captain always
carry with him on his ship? What does the chart
show? Are we travelers? To what country are we
journeying? Has God given us a chart to show the
dangers to which we are exposed in our voyage or
journey? Should we read the Bible every day? What
are two principal parts of the Bible? Do you know
how many books there are in the Old Testament? Do
you know how many books there are in the New
Testament? Do you know who was the first man? Who
was the first woman? Who was the first murderer?
Who built the ark? Who had the coat of many
colors? Who led the Children of Israel out of
Egypt? Who was put in the lion's den?
After the entire service has been completed and
after the "drive home from church", chairs can be
arranged with their backs toward each other, set a
little way apart, with a shawl, blanket, or even a
sheet, thrown over them so as to form a little
tent. A number of tents can be made to illustrate
the Children of Israel camping in the wilderness.
They were travelers tenting by the way, who forgot
about their chart and fell into sin, and God had
to turn them back in the wilderness for forty
years of wandering. All this suggests important
lessons to the parents.
A series of tents can be arranged like the one
shown in the picture below (see also pages 209 and
271) and then, with one child in each tent the
questions can be asked. When a child fails to give
the correct answer, he moves down to the last tent
in the row, the other children move up, and the
question is passed to the child next in order, the
same as in a "spelling-bee" and other progressive
plays. Questions like those given on this page and
on pages =25= and =26= can be used; also questions
such as are found in the chapter on "Suggestions
to Parents," especially from paragraphs 50 onward.
[Illustration: The Children of Israel Camping in the Wilderness.]
THE ANCHOR.
HOPE THAT LAYS HOLD OF CHRIST.
SUGGESTIONS:--Object: Anchor of any kind. One cut
from paste-board would answer. During the week the
little ones might be interested to cut out both
anchor and the chain, using paste-board.
Before reading the following sermon, "drive to
church" and after the audience has been shown to
seats, begin the service with singing, have the
regular prayer and have one of the children preach
over the sermon at the church in the morning or
the object sermon of last Sunday.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS: I want to talk to you to-day about a very
important subject. The Bible speaks of hope, and says, "Which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which
entereth into that within the veil." (Hebrews vi: 19.)
[Illustration: The Anchor.]
I suppose most of you have been on board a ship or large boat. Very near
the bow, or front end of the boat, you have doubtless noticed a chain,
at the end of which was an anchor, made in the form of this one which I
hold in my hand. Now, I would not care to go out to sea on any ship
which did not have an anchor on board. In crossing the Atlantic you may
sometimes be out for days and weeks, and sometimes even for months, and
have no need of using the anchor. But all the time, while the weather is
pleasant and everything is moving along prosperously, the fact that the
anchor is on board the ship and that it can be used in time of danger,
gives a sense of security to all the passengers. If it were not there
you would constantly fear, lest the storms or fog might come when your
ship was near land or dangerous rocks or shoals, and then your ship
might be lost with its many hundreds of lives on board, simply because
it had no anchor.
Every man and woman, and every boy and girl, needs to have hope as an
anchor to his soul. We should have faith in God, and then at times when
all is well, when we are prosperous and blest, and everything goes along
like the ship in pleasant weather, we will constantly have peace and
rest in our minds and hearts, because we know that our hope is staid on
God, and that though the world be removed, yet God will not disappoint
us.
Some people seem to think that religion is a good thing to have when
they get sick, or when adversity or sorrow or great affliction comes.
But the fact is that religion is a necessary thing at all times. We need
it when we are well and strong, as well as when we are sick and weak. We
need religion in this world to live by, as well as to die by, as well as
for our salvation in the world to come.
The anchor is very serviceable indeed in time of storm. Often it has to
be used in order to secure the ship and save the lives of all who are on
board. If it were not for the anchor the ship might be thrust upon the
rocks, or it might be dashed to pieces by the waves that break upon the
coast. The anchor is oftentimes very serviceable. So it is with the
religion of the Lord Jesus Christ. When trials and perplexities and
adversities come, as they do in every life, then it is that this anchor
is a source of very great blessing, because it saves from shipwreck,
occasioned by unbelief and the perplexities into which those are cast
who have no hope, or trust in God.
[Illustration: Anchor Laying Hold of the Rocks.]
To be serviceable the anchor must take hold of something. If it simply
drags along it will not hold the ship; but the ship may go to pieces on
the rocks, even though it has an anchor, which has already been cast
over. Now in time of sorrow and perplexity or distress every one throws
out an anchor. That is, he tries to take hold of something which will
sustain him and keep him, just the same as a boy who falls into the
water would grab after a board. They say that a drowning man will even
grasp after a straw in order to help to support his body, so that he may
save his life. So every one in perplexity reaches out to lay hold of
something. But the text which I quoted in the beginning says that this
hope which we have as an anchor to the soul lays hold of something, and
that something is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is like the ship whose
anchor goes down, far below the waves, deep down out of sight, and lays
hold of the rocks which form the foundation of the earth. So the faith
of the Christian is staid, not on things which are seen, but on the
things which are not seen. As the text expresses it, it lays hold of
those things "which entereth into that which is within the veil." That
is, this figure refers to the Temple at Jerusalem, where the Holy of
Holies was concealed from the rest of the Temple by a large curtain or
veil, and no one was permitted to go into this Holy of Holies except the
High Priest, and he but once a year. But when you and I have the faith
of the Christian, although we may not be able to enter into the great
mystery of God's grace and mercy, yet our faith lays hold of that which
is beyond our understanding, and beyond our possibility to see or fully
to comprehend, and thus our faith lays hold of that which is "within the
veil." With our understanding, you and I cannot enter into the mysteries
of God, but by faith we can enter into them. I trust that every boy and
girl here will have that faith in God, which will be as an anchor to his
soul, sure and steadfast, entering within the veil at all times.
I will tell you how this anchor of faith and hope can be of service to
you. There are times when you see other boys and girls who have many
more comforts and luxuries and possessions than you have. You may even
be discouraged sometimes because you think your lot in life is more than
usually hard and difficult.
When I myself was a boy, my father died, and only three years later my
mother died. I was left an orphan and without a home. I had to become an
errand boy in a store, and for a number of years I had a hard struggle.
I was a Christian boy, and I had this anchor of faith and hope. I
trusted in God that He would make all of these things to work out
eventually for my good. I could not at that time understand how. It was
beyond my understanding, but later on in life I found how all the trials
and struggles of my earlier years had worked together for my good. I
understood that passage of Scripture which says: "All things work
together for good to them that love God." (Romans viii: 28.)
So, when you see others who have it easier and who have more comforts
and luxuries than you have, if you have this hope which the text speaks
of as "laying hold within the veil" be sure that in God's own good time,
in His infinite wisdom and love, He will work out for you also the
blessing and the good which you can only hope for, but which at the
present time you can neither see nor understand.
QUESTIONS.--What does every ship carry? Would a
ship be safe without an anchor? When the anchor is
let down into the deep water, must it take hold of
something? When is the anchor used? If a ship did
not have an anchor in time of storm along the
rocky coast, would it be safe? Do men and women,
boys and girls, also need an anchor? Can we have
peace and happiness without hope? Is religion
necessary only when we are in trouble? On what
does hope lay hold? Can we see the things on which
the Christian's faith lays hold? Can we always
understand God's providences? Did the writer of
this book have trials when he was a boy? Could he
understand them then? Did he understand them later
on in life? Do all boys and girls have trials? If
received in the proper spirit, will they always
work out for their good?
HUSKS.
THE DISAPPOINTED PLEASURE-SEEKER.
SUGGESTION:--If the children can obtain some of
the pods which are called "husks" in the
Scripture, which can be had in some towns and
cities, and which the children usually call
"Johnny-bread" they will be able to taste the
husks which the prodigal fed to the swine and
which he himself desired to eat. If these cannot
be had, the pods from the sweet locust tree will
be serviceable.