most beautiful things in the world, gardens and houses, ships and
carriages, and fine clothes and feasts. He said, Look at these fine
things. I will give them all to you. You shall have all the world for
your own; only kneel down and call me God.
But Jesus said, I will pray to my Father, and not to you.
Jesus loved his Father better than all the things in the world.
Adam and Eve minded Satan, and disobeyed God; but Jesus did all his
Father had told him. Adam was disobedient, Jesus was obedient.
Then Satan went away, and angels came from heaven and fed Jesus.
Satan goes about, trying to make children naughty. A lion could only
eat your body, but Satan wants to have your soul and body in hell.
Satan hates you. He is your enemy. But God is stronger than Satan. Say
to God, Keep me from minding Satan, and God will keep you.
Upon that mountain’s height
Two mighty princes stand;
Jesus the Prince of Light,
Satan at his right hand.
Below them lies the prospect fair
Of all earth holds of rich or rare.
Tables are seen around,
Spread with delicious meats;
Gardens where fruits abound,
And thousand tempting sweets:
Silver and gold and precious stones,
Chariots and palaces and thrones.
Satan did once prevail
On Eve to disobey:
And now why should he fail
To tempt the Lord astray?
For Eve abundant food possess’d,
While Christ with hunger is distress’d.
In vain the tempter tries
The Saviour to deceive,
For Jesus left the skies
Our misery to relieve:
His Father dear he sought to please,
Nor wish’d for earthly joy and ease.
He had seen brighter things,
And sweeter joys had known,
Where angels touch the strings
Around his Father’s throne.
And shall he from that throne descend
Before the evil one to bend?
No! He will hunger bear,
And suffer sharpest pain,
Till God shall hear his prayer,
And his weak life sustain.
And lo! ashamed the tempter flies,
And angels feed him from the skies.
LESSON XVIII.
THE TWELVE DISCIPLES.
MARK, i. 16-20.
WHEN Jesus was a man, he began to teach people about his Father. Jesus
used to preach.
Where did he preach?
Sometimes he preached to people in a place like a church; sometimes
he preached in the fields; sometimes he sat on the top of a hill and
preached; and sometimes he sat in a ship, and the people stood by the
edge of the water to hear him. Jesus did not always live in the same
place: he used to walk about from one place to another.
Did Jesus walk about alone? No; he had twelve friends always with him.
He called them his twelve disciples.
How many are twelve? Let us count the little children in this room.
Here are twelve. Jesus had just so many disciples.
One was called Peter, and another John, and another James, and another
Thomas. I will not tell you the names of all, lest you should forget
them.
Peter was a fisherman. He had a little ship, and he used to catch fish
in the day and in the night. James and John had another little ship,
and they used to catch fish.
One day Jesus passed by their ships, and Jesus saw Peter and his
brother Andrew throwing a net into the sea to catch fish, and Jesus
said to them, Come with me. And Peter and Andrew left their nets, and
their ships, and went with Jesus.
And Jesus went a little further, and he saw James and John sitting in
their ship, mending the holes in their nets, and Jesus said to them,
Come with me; and they left their nets and went with Jesus.
Jesus called what people he pleased to come with him.
Shall I tell you why Jesus chose to have twelve friends always with
him? What do you think was the reason?
Jesus wished to teach them about God his Father, that they might teach
other people about him. They liked being with him, and listening to his
words. Would you have liked to be always with Jesus?
When Jesus was alone with his disciples, he used to tell them secrets
about God and heaven. They loved him very much indeed; they called him
Master, and Lord. Jesus loved them still more than they loved him, and
he called them his friends.
Jesus used to give them part of his things. But Jesus had no house to
live in, and he had very little money. Sometimes Jesus and his friends
were very much tired with walking far, and sometimes they were very
hungry and thirsty. But kind people often asked them to come into their
houses, and gave them food. Other people laughed at Jesus, and called
him names.
Were the disciples good?—They were bad like us; but Jesus put his
Spirit into them, and made them better. The disciples were not quite
good like Jesus; they often quarreled with each other, and sometimes
they were unkind to poor people.
How happy they who shared the bread
Of Jesus here below!
From place to place he traveled,
And they with him did go.
What though they never had a place
Where safely to abide,
They saw their loving Master’s face,
And followed by his side.
They heard him preach from hills and ships
Of things to men unknown;
But sweeter words dropped from his lips
When they were all alone;
For then he would the things explain
They could not understand,
That heav’nly wisdom they might gain,
And teach it through the land.
CHILD.
’Tis true I can not here below
With thee, my Saviour, dwell;
To heaven I one day hope to go,
And there to know thee well.
LESSON XIX.
THE FIRST MIRACLE.
JOHN, ii. 1-11.
I TOLD you that some people used to ask Jesus to come into their
houses. I shall now tell you of a man who did ask Jesus. This man gave
a feast, and Jesus came to the feast. Mary, the mother of Jesus, came;
and the disciples came. There were a great many more people besides at
the feast.
There was some wine for the people to drink: but there was so little,
that very soon it was all gone.
Jesus knew that the wine was gone. Could not Jesus give the people more
wine?—Yes; for he made the world and all things in it.
There were some large stone jars in the room. Jesus said to the
servants, Fill the jars with water, and they filled them quite full.
Then Jesus said, Take some, and give it to the master to drink. The
servants did so; but Jesus had turned the water into wine.
When the master had tasted it, he said, What nice wine this is! Where
did it come from?
The servants told him how Jesus had told them to fill the jars with
water. Then all the people at the feast knew that Jesus had turned the
water into wine.
This was the first wonder that Jesus did; it was called a miracle.
Why did Jesus do miracles? To show people that he was the Son of God.
The disciples now felt quite sure that Jesus was the Son of God.
Once Jesus to a marriage went;
The numerous guests surround the board,
When lo! they find the wine is spent;—
This—Mary hears, and tells the Lord.
Before the guests’ astonished eyes
Christ makes his heavenly glory shine;
The thing desired he soon supplies.
And changes water into wine.
How ready does our Lord appear
Our fond desires to satisfy!
And all that we can wish for here
He is well able to supply.
LESSON XX.
SEVERAL MIRACLES.
LUKE, vi. 11-16.
AFTER Jesus had turned the water into wine, he did a great many
wonders. He made blind people see, and deaf people hear, and dumb
people speak, and lame people walk.
When Jesus came to a place, all the sick people crowded round him.
Jesus did not send them away because they disturbed him, but he cured
them all—yes—every one.
This was the way in which he cured one blind man. He said, See! and the
man could see that moment.
This was the way in which he cured a man who was deaf and dumb. Jesus
put his fingers into his ears, and touched his tongue, and looked up to
his Father in heaven, and said, Be opened! and immediately the string
of his tongue was loosed, and he could speak plainly.
Once Jesus saw a poor sick man lying on a bed, and Jesus said to him,
Should you like to be made well? The poor man said he wished very much
to be made well. Then Jesus said, Get up, carry your bed, and walk. The
man tried to get up, and he found that he could; for Jesus gave him
strength.
One day Jesus was in a place like a church; he was preaching; when he
saw a poor woman whose back was bent, so that she could not lift up her
head. Jesus said, Woman, I have made you well; and then Jesus touched
her with his hands, and her back grew straight, and she began to praise
God.
Sometimes Jesus made dead people alive again. That was more wonderful
than making sick people well.
Once Jesus was walking on the road. A great many people were walking
after him, for people liked to see him do wonders, and to hear him
talk. They met some men carrying a dead man to put him in the ground.
A poor old woman came after, crying very much. She was the mother of
the dead man. He was her only son. Jesus was very sorry to see her cry.
He came up to her and said, Do not cry, and then he touched the coffin.
There was no top to it; the dead man was lying in it.
Jesus said, Get up, young man. He sat up and began to speak. Then Jesus
said to his mother, Here is your son.
All the people were surprised, and said, This must be the Son of God.
He can make dead people live again.
LESSON XXI.
THE SINNER AND SIMON.
LUKE, vii. 36 to end.
WHY did Jesus come into the world?—To save us from hell.
But why did God say that people must go to hell?—Because everybody was
naughty.
Jesus can forgive people their naughtiness, and make them good. But
Jesus will not forgive people who are not sorry. I will tell you of a
proud man who was not sorry, and of a poor woman who was sorry.
A rich proud man asked Jesus to come and dine with him. Why did he ask
Jesus? he did not love him;—he only asked him, that he might hear him
talk: but Jesus said he would come.
The proud man treated Jesus very unkindly. He gave him no water to wash
his feet, put no sweet ointment upon them, gave him no kiss.
A poor woman, who had been very naughty, saw Jesus go into the rich
man’s house. She came up behind Jesus, and began to cry for all her
naughtiness. She knew Jesus could forgive her, and she loved Jesus.
She had brought a box of ointment with her: she stooped down, and her
tears fell upon Jesus’ feet, and with her tears she washed them: she
wiped them with her long hair, and then poured the sweet ointment upon
them, and kissed them.
[Illustration: JESUS AND THE DOCTORS.]
The rich man looked at the woman very angrily; he knew she had been
very naughty, and he was angry at seeing Jesus so kind to her.
But Jesus said to the proud man, This woman has been very naughty: but
I have forgiven her, and she loves me very much. She loves me a great
deal more than you do. You gave me no water for my feet; but she has
washed my feet with her tears. You gave me no kiss; but she has kissed
my feet ever since I came in. You gave me no ointment; but she has
poured very sweet ointment upon my feet.
Then Jesus spoke kindly to the woman, and said to her, Your sins are
forgiven.
So Jesus comforted this poor woman, but the proud man and his friends
grew still more angry.
Jesus will forgive your sins if you are sorry, and if you ask him; but
if you think yourself good, he will not forgive you; for Jesus cannot
bear proud people. Though you are but a little child, you have done a
great many wrong things; and you do not deserve to go to heaven. Oh, I
hope Jesus will forgive you! I hope the Holy Spirit will come into
your heart, and make you feel very sorry for your sins. Then Jesus will
forgive you, and you will love him, as this poor woman did.
LESSON XXII.
THE STORM AT SEA.
LUKE, viii. 22-25.
JESUS often went into a ship with his disciples. Peter had a ship of
his own, and John had another ship, and they liked to lend their ships
to Jesus.
Once they were all in a ship when the wind blew very hard and the water
moved up and down, and came over the ship. The disciples were afraid
that they should be drowned.
Jesus had fallen asleep, and was lying on a pillow. The noise of the
wind and of the water had not awakened him.
His disciples ran to him and cried, O Master! do you not care for us?
will you let us die?
Then Jesus got up and said to the wind, Wind be still! and he said
to the water, Be still! The wind left off blowing, and the water was
smooth and quiet.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, Why are you afraid? Why did you not
believe that I would take care of you?
Jesus knew that they were tossed about, and he would have kept them
safe, though he was asleep.
The disciples said to one another, Jesus is the Son of God; even the
wind and the water obey him.
The disciples, with Jesus their Lord,
At sea in a vessel were toss’d;
The winds loudly blew, the waves roar’d;
They fear’d that they all should be lost.
The waters rush’d into the ship:
For Jesus all eagerly look:
He lies on a pillow asleep—
Had he his disciples forsook?
Not so; while he slept he still thought
Of them, and their bitter distress:
His merciful eye slumbers not,
But watches his children to bless.
He rises his work to perform:
The wind and the waters obey:
Soon hush’d is the terrible storm,
The hurricane passes away.
How ready is Jesus to save!
How strong is his arm to protect!
His mercy we ever will crave;
And deliv’rance will ever expect.
LESSON XXIII.
JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER.
LUKE, viii. 41 to end.
A RICH man came to Jesus and fell down at his feet and said, I have one
little girl, and she is very sick; pray come and make her well. Jesus
went with the rich man.
When they were near the house, some servants came out and said, The
little girl is just dead; no one can make her well now.
But Jesus said, Do not be afraid; I can make her well.
Jesus said to the father and mother of the little girl, Come with me
into the house. Peter, James, and John, you may come in, but no one
else.
So they went up into the room where the little girl was lying in bed. A
great many people were in the room, playing sad music, and singing sad
songs, and crying, because the child was dead. But Jesus said, Leave
off crying. The girl is only sleeping: she is not dead. Jesus said she
was asleep, because he meant to make her alive so soon again. But the
people laughed at Jesus, and said, She is dead, and they would not
believe that he could make her alive again.
Jesus said, These people must be put out of the room. So he sent them
out, and shut the door; but he let the father and mother, and Peter,
and James, and John, stay in the room. He took the little girl’s hand,
and said, Arise! At first she sat up, and then she rose up out of bed,
and walked about the room. She was twelve years old. Jesus then said,
Bring her something to eat.
The father and mother were much surprised at what had happened.
Hark! ’tis a father crying,
And this is what he saith:
“My little daughter’s lying
Just at the point of death.”
The Saviour soon consented
To come and heal the maid;
Nor was he e’en prevented
By hearing she was dead.
He found the people weeping
Because her breath was gone;
And when he said, “She’s sleeping,”
They laughed him to scorn.
The Lord no sinful mocker
Would suffer to remain;
Then by the hand he took her,
And bade her rise again.
Ah! see the maid arising
According to his word;
Does not the deed surprising
Show Jesus to be Lord?
See in their fond embraces
The parents clasp the maid;
Ashamed are now the faces
That mocked at what he said.
LESSON XXIV.
THE LOAVES AND FISHES.
MATTHEW, xiv. 13-22.
ONCE Jesus went into the wilderness with his disciples, and a great
many people came after him; then Jesus preached to the people, and told
them about his Father, and how he himself had come down from heaven to
save them from Satan. They listened to him from morning till night.
When it was getting dark, the disciples came to Jesus and said, Will
you not send the people home, for it is late?
But Jesus knew that the people had had nothing to eat all day, and he
did not like to send them home tired and hungry. So he said to his
disciples, Cannot you feed them?
No, said they; we have only five loaves and two small fishes, and see
how many people there are!
But Jesus said, Make them sit down on the grass, and bring the loaves
and fishes to me. So the disciples made them all sit down.
There were a great many people, as many as would fill ten churches—five
thousand men, besides women and little children. How tired the little
children must have been! it was time for them to have their supper and
go to bed. We shall hear how Jesus fed all these people.
They sat down on the green grass. Jesus took the loaves and fishes;
first he lifted up his eyes to his Father, and thanked him for the
food, and then he took a piece of bread and gave it to Peter, and said,
Feed all those people sitting there; and he gave another piece to John,
and said, Feed those people; and he gave a piece of bread and fish to
each of the disciples, and told each to feed some people.
One little piece of bread would not be enough for all the children in
this room; but Jesus made the bread enough for all the people. Everyone
had enough, and they threw upon the grass a great many little pieces.
But Jesus said to his disciples, Take some baskets, and pick up the
crumbs; and they filled twelve baskets full of little bits of bread.
Then Jesus told the people to go home.
What a wonder Jesus had done! Yet you know that he feeds you, my little
children, and all the people in the world.
How does he feed you?—He gives you bread.
Of what is bread made?—Of flour.
Of what is flour made?—Of corn.
Who makes corn?—God makes the corn.
Of what does he make it?—Of nothing. God makes things of nothing. Jesus
is God, and makes the corn grow; so you see that Jesus feeds you. If
he did not make corn grow in the fields we should die. But he will not
forget us. He even remembers the little birds. They are too silly to
plow, or to sow corn, or to reap or to put corn into barns, yet God
does not let them starve. The birds cry to God, and he hears them, and
lets them find food. Now God loves us much better than he loves the
little birds, because we have souls; so he will certainly hear us when
we pray to him.
If your mother had no bread in her cottage, and if she could get no
money to buy some, yet God would hear her, if she loved him. He would
not let her starve. Will you not ask God for bread every day, and say,
Give me this day my daily bread?
We ought to thank God for the food we eat: before we eat breakfast, or
dinner, or supper, we should say, I thank thee, O Lord, for this nice
food.
Behold where on the green hill spread,
Close by the water-side,
The hungry multitudes are fed,
At peaceful eventide.
Upon the grass they sit at ease,
In rows of ten times ten,
Women with children on their knees,
Besides five thousand men.
In list’ning they had spent the day;
Their homes far distant lie:
They would have fainted by the way
Without this kind supply.
The Lord, whose words they came to hear
Has pity on their need,
He loves the weary heart to cheer,
The hungry poor to feed.
He gives them of his little store
By his disciples’ hands:
Though little, he can make it more,
For all things he commands.
’Tis he provides the beasts with food,
To him the ravens cry:
He watches over us for good,
And does our need supply.
He once himself did hunger bear,
For forty days alone:
And still the hungry are his care;
He hears them when they groan.
LESSON XXV.
THE KINDNESS OF JESUS.
MATTHEW, xv. 21-28. MARK, x. 13-16.
I TOLD you that the disciples were sometimes unkind; but Jesus was
always kind. Once a poor woman came crying after Jesus, saying, O Lord,
I have a little daughter who is very sick. Jesus did not answer her at
first, and the disciples were unkind, and wished her to be sent away.
She cried so loud, they said to Jesus, Do send her away.
The poor woman fell down at Jesus’ feet, and said, Lord, help me! And
Jesus had pity on the woman, and said, I will do what you wish.
The poor woman was glad to hear this, and she went home, and found that
her daughter was quite well.
Another time the disciples were unkind to some little children. Some
poor women brought their children to Jesus, but the disciples were
standing round, and they would not let the women come near. Go away,
they said; you must not bring the babies here to trouble us. But Jesus
heard them speak, and was very angry with the disciples. Jesus would
not let the children go away.
He said to the disciples, Suffer them to come to me; do not send them
away.
Then he took the children in his arms, and put his hands upon them, and
prayed to his Father, and blessed them.
O happy little children, to be taken into the arms of Jesus.
Jesus loves meek and gentle children. They are Jesus’ lambs. Jesus is
their shepherd, and he will take them to heaven when they die.
Young children once to Jesus came,
His blessing to entreat;
And I may humbly do the same
Before his mercy-seat.
For when their feeble hands were spread,
And bent each humble knee,
“Forbid them not,” the Saviour said;
And so he says to me.
If babes so many years ago
His tender pity drew,
He will not surely let me go
Without a blessing, too.
Then while his favor to implore
My little hands are spread,
Do thou thy sacred blessing pour
Dear Jesus, on my head.
LESSON XXVI.
THE LORD’S PRAYER.
WHEN Jesus was in the world, he loved to think of his Father in heaven.
He liked to be alone, that he might pray to his Father: sometimes the
tears ran down his cheeks while he prayed. One night Jesus prayed all
night alone upon the top of a high hill.
Sometimes Jesus prayed to his Father while his disciples stood near and
listened.
Once when Jesus had been praying with them they said, Lord, teach us to
pray. Then Jesus taught them a little prayer.
It was this: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name; thy
kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven: give us
this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive
them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, forever and ever. Amen.
I know, little children, that you say this prayer night and morning.
Your mothers taught you to say it. But did you know who said it first?
It was Jesus, the Lord: so it is called “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is a
very beautiful prayer, for Jesus said it; but it is hard for children
to understand it.
What is the meaning of “Hallowed be thy name?” Let God’s name be
praised.
What are “trespasses?” Trespasses are sins.
Ask God to forgive your sins, or your trespasses.
Do you ever pray to God when you are alone?
You may pray to him in any PLACE—in the house or in the garden.
You may pray to him at any TIME—in the night or in the middle of the
day.
You may ask him for anything you want, just as you ask your father.
What will you ask him for? Will you ask him to give you bread, and
clothes, and a house to live in?
Yes, ask him for these things, but most of all—ask him for his Holy
Spirit.
It is better to have the Holy Spirit than to have all the toys, all the
money, all the flowers, all the birds, all the beautiful things in the
world.
Why is it better?
Because the Holy Spirit will make you love God, as the angels do, and
will make you live forever and ever.
Will you say this little prayer to God?—“O my Father, pray give me thy
Holy Spirit, for Christ’s sake.”
Our Father, seated in the sky,
Thy holy name be praised still:
Be thou obeyed as King most high,
Let men, like angels, do thy will.
Do thou our daily bread supply:
Forgive our sins as we forgive:
Yet help us still from sin to fly:
Great, glorious King, forever live!
LESSON XXVII.
JESUS FORETELLS HIS DEATH.
MATTHEW, xvi. 21 to end.
JESUS knew everything that would happen, and he knew that he must soon
die.
He used to tell his secrets to his disciples; so he took them into
a place by themselves, and said, I soon shall leave you: the wicked
people will take me, and bind me with ropes, and beat me, and laugh at
me, and nail me on a cross; but I shall soon be alive again.
The disciples could not bear to hear Jesus talk of dying, for they
loved him very much. They all looked very sad, and Peter said, You
shall not die; but Jesus said, I must die to save men, and to please my
Father.
The Father had desired Jesus to die, and he would not disobey his
Father.
Most of the people who wished to kill Jesus, lived in a great town
called Jerusalem.
Jesus used to go to Jerusalem very often, and he used to preach there.
Why did some people hate Jesus?—Because he told them of their
wickedness.
He used to say to them, You do not love God, who is my Father, but you
are proud and vain. You wish to kill me. You tell lies. You are unkind
to poor people. You pretend to love God, but while you are saying your
prayers, you are thinking how good you are. Your hearts are full of
wickedness. You are the children of the devil.
Jesus wished them to turn from their wickedness. It grieved him to see
how they hated his Father, and that they would not turn from their
wicked ways.