Chapter III: Preface (2)

Boys and girls who find themselves inclined to disobey their father or mother, to be disrespectful to those who are older than they, to do wrong on the Sabbath, to remain away from the Sunday-school and church, and to enjoy the beautiful spring-day, by strolling through the fields or wandering through the woods, do so, not alone because the day is pleasant or because of the opportunities from which others turn away, but because there is wickedness in their hearts. So when boys quarrel and fight, or steal, or do any other thing that is wrong, it is not so much the influences by which they are surrounded, the temptation from without, but the wickedness and the evil and the sinfulness which there is in the human heart, eating its way out through their heart into their lives, and deforming their lives, which otherwise would be upright, honorable and manly and Christ-like. I trust that when you are tempted to do wrong you will recognize the fact that there is evil in your heart, and that you will go to Jesus and earnestly pray Him to take away this evil out of your heart, and to give you a new, clean heart. Just the same as with these apples, if you had the privilege of choosing, I am sure you would prefer the large one, which has not been spoiled because of the destructive worm inside, so I trust you will choose to have the good heart, which God can give you, rather than the heart that has wickedness and sin within. If you will go to God in prayer and ask Him, He will give you a good heart, a true heart, one that has no sin and no wickedness within.

Questions.--Which is nicer, a big, red apple or a
little stunted one? What prevented the little
apple from growing big and beautiful? When did the
little worm get into the apple? If it had not been
for the worm in the apple, would the apple have
grown large and well formed? What causes boys and
girls to desire to do wrong? Who tempted Adam and
Eve to do wrong? Did they listen? Did they believe
God or did they believe Satan? Are boys and girls
still tempted to do wrong? Are they likely to
yield to temptation? To whom should we go when we
are tempted to do wrong? Who alone can cleanse our
hearts from sin? Should we always go and ask God
for strength when we are tempted? Which would you
choose, a good heart or a wicked heart?

Suggest to the children (or better still select
one or have them select one) to procure for next
Sunday some weeds that grow by the wayside and
also a few cut flowers or potted plants.

After "driving home" from church and after putting
the horses away, which little action gives the
children a few moments' diversion, then other
methods contained in the chapter of "Suggestions
to Parents" can be selected according to the age,
intelligence and interest of the children. After
this, refreshments or whatever is best suited to
the thought of the parents and the conditions of
the household may be introduced.

WAYSIDE WEEDS AND GARDEN FLOWERS.

NEGLECTED VERSUS CHRISTIAN CHILDREN.

SUGGESTIONS TO PARENTS:--The objects to be used
to-day are a bouquet of flowers or some potted
plants and a bunch of weeds that grow by the
wayside. These will illustrate the difference
between neglected, untaught and undisciplined
children, and the children of a well trained
household. Make the lesson impressive, so that the
children will appreciate that the restrictions and
discipline which are imposed upon them are all for
their own good--that without these careful
attentions they would grow up like the children in
the slums. The neglected character of the clothing
of undisciplined and uncared for children is only
indicative of the minds and hearts and character
of these children.

Arrange the chairs, "drive to church"; let the
ushers show the different real or imaginary
persons to seats. Then let the hymn, prayer or
"opening service" precede the "preaching" of the
object sermon of last Sunday or the regular sermon
at the morning church service by one or more of
the children, after which a hymn may be sung, and
the parent gather the children close so they can
see the pictures, and read the following sermon on
"Wayside Weeds and Garden Flowers." During the
reading, or before, or after, let the children
gain the impressive lessons from the colored
picture which so beautifully illustrates the
sermon.

THE land of Palestine, in which Jesus lived, has always been noted for its flowers. They grow everywhere in great abundance, and oftentimes in very great perfection and beauty. One time, when Jesus was preaching on the mountain, He used the flowers which were growing on the side of the mountain, to preach an object sermon to the multitudes about Him. He said, "Consider the lilies of the field; how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these." (Matt. vi: 28, 29.) Let us to-day take the same object lesson, to set forth to our minds a clearer understanding of some truths, which are very important to every father and mother, as well as every boy and girl.

As you see, I have here two bouquets. This, which I now hold in my hand, is indeed very beautiful. Here are some lovely roses, some tulips, some peonies. Here is a dahlia and heliotrope. Here are some tube roses, and a great variety of other flowers, which together constitute a very beautiful bouquet.

Now, here is another bouquet. I see you smile, but indeed it is a bouquet. I spent a great deal of time gathering these flowers, at which you laugh. I sought them in such places as would afford the best varieties of these several kinds.

Now, boys and girls, I want to ask you where these flowers grew? I will hold up this beautiful bouquet and ask the question. I know what will be your answer; you will say that I bought it from a man who keeps a hot-house, or that I gathered them in some flower garden which was very carefully tended; and such, indeed, is the case.

Now, I will hold up this other bouquet. Can you tell me where I gathered these? I did not think that you would have much difficulty in determining. I gathered them along the roadside, in the fields and in the woods. These flowers are what the farmer calls "weeds." Here is a rose with a single leaf that grew in a neglected corner, along the outskirts of a woods. It is a genuine rose, but it is by no means pretty, or at all to be compared with those in the other bouquet.

I will tell you why there is such a difference in the appearance of these two bouquets. One grew in the garden, where it was protected by a fence from being tramped upon. The weeds that grew about it were all pulled out of the ground, and the stalk upon which this flower grew was given a fair chance, so that it might grow successfully. The roots of the plants were carefully nourished, and whenever there was not sufficient rain the flowers were all watered, and thus the plants and flowers grew to their greatest perfection and beauty.

Now, these other flowers which I gathered in the fields and along the roadside and in the woods, have had a hard time of it. In their growth they had to contend with other weeds. They have been tramped upon by the cattle. They have been scorched by the sun. And year after year they have grown in these neglected quarters with great difficulty, consequently they are stunted and have never attained any perfection or beauty.

Do you know that these very beautiful flowers in this bouquet at one time grew just the same as the flowers in the other bouquet? But they were removed from the roadside, and from the fields and from the woods, and placed by themselves where they could be properly cared for and cultivated, and they grew more beautiful from year to year, until we have this present satisfactory result.

Boys and girls are very much like flowers. Those who are neglected, who are permitted to walk the streets, to stroll along the roads and over the fields, to go along the streams fishing on Sunday, instead of being in Sunday-school and in church, those who are permitted to run out at nights and play with all kinds of company--these are the boys and girls who are like the flowers which grow by the roadside. Nothing very beautiful, or very good, or very perfect can reasonably be expected from them.

This beautiful bouquet represents those boys and girls who have Christian fathers and mothers, who surround them by influences which are well calculated to make them pure in thought and upright in life, so that they may grow up to be good Christian men and women. These flowers represent the boys and girls who grow up in the Sunday-school and in the Church, who give their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, and grow up into His likeness, and into His image, and into His stature, and become noble Christian men and women.

When parents permit their children to run wild, they cannot expect them to grow up Christians. It is only by culture and education and Christian influences that they can be improved, so as to become honorable and upright.

Nearly all the products of the field have been improved by cultivation, just the same as these flowers have been improved. Wheat in its native state, as it may still be found in France and Italy along the shores of the Mediterranean, was a stunted and straggling plant, with a small and inferior seed, but after long years of patient and continued cultivation, it has grown to its present plump and prolific proportions. All the beautiful fruits which now grow in our orchards were at one time unsightly and undesirable. The apple was small and sour, and unpalatable; but by pruning and grafting and fertilizing, it has grown to be not only beautiful to the eye, but delicious to the taste. The acrid and unwholesome berries, which formerly grew on the mountain ash, have been developed into the sweet and juicy pear. By cultivation, the acrid and bitter sloe has grown into the beautiful plum. The same is also true of the potato, the turnip and the cabbage.

Boys and girls can only be developed into useful men and women by the influence of the week-day and Sunday-school, the Christian home and the Church, by reading and studying the Bible and other good books.

When you are restricted or corrected by your parents, you may oftentimes feel very much irritated and may feel rebellious, and may think that you do not have as many privileges or as much freedom as some of the other boys and girls whom you know. But you must remember that all this is done by your parents for your good, and later on in life you will see the value of it all and be very grateful to your parents for what they have done for you.

When I was a boy, in the little village where I lived they organized a cannon company of six or eight boys, who were to accompany the men who went to other villages to listen to political speeches before elections, and then to march in a torch-light procession. I was at that time a boy about twelve years old. I was asked to join. The boys were all to wear red blouses and red caps, and to my thought just then, nothing in the world was so much to be desired as the torch-light procession and the red blouse and cap, and to be permitted to march behind the drum and the fife, hauling the little cannon after us.

I shall never forget how I cried and how ugly I felt toward my father when he would not let me be one of the cannon boys and wear a red blouse and a red cap. He said that at night I ought to be at home and in bed, and not be exposed to possible bad influences, the danger of catching cold and of other bad results which he could clearly see, but which I, at that time, thought were only imaginary.

When I grew to be a man, I saw that my father was right, and later when at intervals I journeyed back to my boyhood home and visited the cemetery, I frequently placed one elbow on the tomb-stone of my father and the other elbow on the tomb-stone of my mother, and with my face buried in my hands thanked God that He had given me Christian parents who were wise and judicious enough not to let me have my own way in all things when I was a boy, but who had restricted me and guided me wisely and well.

So, boys and girls, it will be with you when you have grown to the estate of manhood and womanhood. You will be, oh, so thankful again and again that father and mother have oftentimes denied you things which you have most desired to have.

Questions.--Which are the prettier, flowers which
are neglected by the roadside, or those which are
cultivated in the garden? Are boys and girls like
flowers? Which boys and girls are the best, those
who are neglected and not taught, or those who are
cared for and carefully trained? Is it more
pleasant for boys and girls to have their own way
in everything, or would they prefer to be taught
and trained by their parents? Which kind of
flowers are the heathen boys and girls like? Can
wild flowers be made more beautiful by care and
cultivation? Can the boys and girls in heathen
lands be made like Christian boys and girls? What
is necessary to effect this change? How can Bibles
and missionaries be sent to them? Did the writer
of this book want to have his own way when he was
a boy? What did he want to be? What kind of a cap
and blouse did he want to wear? When he became a
man, was he thankful to his father for not
allowing him to have his own way at that time?
Will all good boys and girls, when they become men
and women, be thankful to their parents for right
training?

NUTS.

GOD MEANS THAT WE MUST WORK.

SUGGESTION:--The objects used are some nuts of
various kinds.

If the parent has not already familiarized himself
with the different methods of entertainment in
connection with the reading of the object sermon
to the children, he would do well to turn to the
chapter on "Suggestions to Parents" on page 17 and
introduce some one or more of the play ideas which
have accomplished so much of pleasure and profit
in many homes.

Arrange chairs and "drive to church," let the
audience, both real and imaginary be shown to
seats, and after the opening service let one of
the children in his or her own way present the
lessons remembered from the sermon of last Sunday,
or recast what was said by the pastor in his
morning sermon. After the collection and singing,
let the children "drive home" and let refreshments
or some one of the Scriptural entertainments
previously suggested round out the pleasure and
profit of Sunday afternoon.

NOW, boys and girls, I have here some hickory nuts, walnuts, butternuts, chestnuts, and filberts, or hazel nuts as they are sometimes called, and I want to tell you something that I suppose God means to teach us by these nuts.

Many people remember that when Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden, God told them that "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" (Gen. iii: 19), and also that God drove them out of the garden to "till the ground from whence man was taken." (Gen. iii: 23.) On this account some people suppose that if Adam and Eve had not sinned it would never have been necessary for us to work, but that is a mistake. If you turn to the second chapter of Genesis, in the fifteenth verse, you will find that it says, "The Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." So you see that Adam was required to work, even before the fall. Of course his work was not as severe as it was after he was driven out of Eden and his labor brought him a richer fruitage.

Now, what do these nuts teach us? I think that most all boys and girls like to eat hickory nuts and butternuts, and chestnuts and filberts, and indeed all kinds of nuts. But did you ever stop to think that God has made it necessary that we should crack the shell before we can eat the kernel that is inside? God has purposed to teach us that labor is necessary before we can eat even of that which He gives us, so on the outside of this desired food he places the shell, in some instances hard and difficult to be broken, in order to teach us that labor is necessary before we can eat of His gifts.

Now the same thing is true with regard to the grain that grows in the field. No one ever saw potatoes grow without being planted and cultivated. Rye and oats and wheat do not grow wild. Weeds will grow without being sown or planted, but grain and vegetables not only have to be planted, but have to be taken care of. Possibly you might think that my statement was not wholly correct, because we go out into the orchard and gather apples and pears and peaches, and other kinds of fruit which have no hard shells on them, and which do not have to be planted in the spring of the year. But do you know that we could not gather this kind of rich fruit from the trees unless trees of these kinds had been cultivated for long centuries, grafted and developed so as to produce the rich fruit which is now placed upon our tables? So you see that even this has cost labor, and if we were to neglect the trees in the orchard, it would only be a few years until they would produce only a very small variety of fruit, and even that would be sour and have an unpleasant taste.

But God means to teach us this lesson also in another way. Man has found it very necessary to use the different kinds of metals, iron and copper, silver and gold. God has not laid these metals on top of the ground, but has made it necessary that we should dig down into the earth and secure these metals at the cost of a great deal of labor. The same is also true with regard to the coal and the oil, and all the rich mineral products which God has blessed us. None of them can be secured without labor.

We are all naturally lazy. I have oftentimes thought that we are all 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.