The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Peep of Day, by Mrs. Favell Lee Bevan Mortimer.

LESSON.		PAGE.
1.	Of the body	7
2.	Of a mother’s care	10
3.	Of the soul	14
4.	Of the good angels	17
5.	Of the wicked angels	20
6.	The world, Part I	25
7.	The world, Part II	28
8.	The world, Part III	30
9.	Adam and Eve	35
10.	The first sin	37
11.	The Son of God	40
12.	The Virgin Mary	43
13.	The birth of Jesus	46
14.	The shepherds	47
15.	The wise men	49
16.	King Herod	50
17.	The temptation	52
18.	The twelve disciples	56
19.	The first miracle	59
20.	Several miracles	61
21.	The sinner and Simon	63
22.	The storm at sea	65
23.	Jairus’ daughter	67
24.	The loaves and fishes	69
25.	The kindness of Jesus	73
26.	The Lord’s Prayer	75
27.	Jesus foretells his death	77[4]
28.	Lazarus	79
29.	Jesus enters Jerusalem	83
30.	The Temple	85
31.	Judas	87
32.	The Last Supper, Part I	89
33.	The Last Supper, Part II	92
34.	The Last Supper, Part III	94
35.	The garden	97
36.	Peter’s denial	100
37.	Pontius Pilate	103
38.	Death of Judas	107
39.	The Cross, Part I	108
40.	The Cross, Part II	111
41.	The Cross, Part III	113
42.	The soldiers	115
43.	The grave	116
44.	The resurrection	119
45.	Mary Magdalene	121
46.	The two friends	123
47.	Thomas	128
48.	The dinner	130
49.	The ascension	134
50.	Peter in Prison	136
51.	John	142
52.	The Judgment Day	146

PREFACE.

This little work aims to be the very least of all;—not in size, but in the humility of its contents. It aims at the superlative degree of littleness; and in this point seeks to resemble the least watch ever made—the least picture ever painted—the tiniest flower that ever grew. It desires to be among books as the humming-bird among birds.

As soon as a child’s mind is capable of receiving systematic instruction, this humble work attempts to convey it.

From a very early period a pious mother will, by casual remarks, endeavor to lead her child to the knowledge of his Creator and Redeemer; and in due time she will impart systematic instruction. It may be at three years of age—it may not be till five—that the child is prepared to listen to these little lessons. But—sooner or later—he will give evidence of his immortality by willingly hearkening to discourse concerning the Invisible—the Eternal—the Infinite.

The simplicity of the language may seem unworthy of the sublimity of the subject treated of in these pages; and some may smile at the contrast;—but the little one will not smile—except with joy to hear of his Heavenly Father, and of his Incarnate Redeemer; for the merry inmates of the nursery are capable of tasting higher pleasures than toys and dainties can afford.

THE PEEP OF DAY.

LESSON I.
OF THE BODY.

Dear Children:—You have seen the sun in the sky. Who put the sun in the sky?—God.

Who holds up the sun that it does not fall?—It is God. God lives in heaven; heaven is much higher than the sun.

God made everything at first, and God takes care of everything. God made you, my little child, and God takes care of you always.

Put your hand before your mouth. What do you feel coming out of your mouth? It is your breath. You breathe every moment. When you are asleep, you breathe. You cannot help breathing.[8] But who gives you breath? God does everything. God gave you this little body, and he makes it live, and move, and breathe. There are bones in your body. God has made them strong and hard. There are some bones for your arms, and some bones for your legs. There is a bone for your back, and more bones for you sides.

God has covered your bones with flesh. Your flesh is soft and warm. In your flesh there is blood. God has put skin outside, and it covers your flesh and blood like a coat. Now all these things, the bones, and flesh, and blood, and skin, are called your body. How kind of God it was to give you a body. I hope that your body will not get hurt.

Will your bones break?—Yes, they would, if you were to fall down from a high place, or if a cart were to go over them.

If you were to be very sick, your flesh would waste away, and you would have scarcely anything left but skin and bones.

Did you ever see a child who had been sick a very long while? I have seen a sick baby. It had not round cheeks like yours, and a fat arm like this. The baby’s flesh was almost gone, and its little bones were only covered with skin. God has kept you strong and well.

If it were to fall into the fire, it would be burned up. If hot water were thrown upon it, it would be scalded. If it were to fall into deep water, and not be taken out very soon, it would be drowned. If a great knife were run through your body, the blood would come out. If a great box were to fall on your head, your head would be crushed. If you were to fall out of the window, your neck would be broken. If you were not to eat some food for a few days, your little body would be very sick, your breath would stop, and you would grow cold, and you would soon be dead.

You should try not to hurt yourself, but God only can keep your body from all harm, from fire and water, from wounds and bruises, and all kinds of sickness. Kneel down and say to God, “Pray keep my poor little body from getting hurt.” God will hear you, and go on taking care of you.

LESSON II.
OF A MOTHER’S CARE.

I have told you about your little body. Was your body always as big as it is now?—No. Once it was very small indeed.

Now you can take a little care of yourself, but then you could take no care at all. Can babies walk, or talk, or feed themselves, or dress themselves?—No.

Who was it?—Your dear mother; she took care of you then. She nursed you in her arms, and fed you, and took you out in the air, and washed you,[11] and dressed you. Do you love your mother?—Yes.

I know you do. But who gave you a mother? It was God who sent you to a kind mother.

A little while ago there was no such little creature as you. Then God made your little body, and he sent you to your mother, who loved you as soon as she saw you. It was God who made your mother love you so much, and made her so kind to you.

Your kind mother dressed your poor little body in neat clothes, and laid you in a cradle. When you cried she gave you food, and hushed you to sleep in her arms. She showed you pretty things to make you smile. She held you up, and showed you how to move your feet. She taught you to speak, and she often kissed you, and called you sweet names.

Is your mother kind to you still?—Yes, she is, though she is sometimes angry. But she wishes to make you good: that is why she is sometimes angry.

Your mother has sent you to this nice school, and she gives you supper when you go home. I know she will be kind to you as long as she lives.

But remember who gave you this mother. God sent you to a dear mother, instead of putting you in the fields, where no one would have seen you or taken care of you.

God thinks of you every moment. If he were to forget you, your breath would stop.

Do you ever thank your mother for her kindness?—Yes. You often say, “Thank you,” and sometimes you put your arms around her neck, and say, “I do love you so much, dear mother!” Will you not thank God who gave you a mother, and who keeps you alive? You should kneel down when you speak to God; then you should say, “O God, how good you have been to me! I thank you, and love you.”

LESSON III.
OF THE SOUL.

Has the dog got arms?—No, it has no arms, nor hands. But the dog has legs instead. Your skin is smooth, but the dog is covered with hair.

And so have you. But are its legs like yours?—No; the chicken has very thin, dark legs, and it has claws instead of feet.

Have you feathers on your skin? Have you wings? Is your mouth like a chicken’s beak? Has the chicken any teeth?—No; the chicken’s body is not at all like yours. Yet the chicken has a body—for it has flesh, and bones, and blood, and skin.

Has a fly got a body?—Yes, it has a black body, and six black legs, and two wings like glass. Its body is not at all like yours.

The reason is, they cannot think of God. They never heard of God. They cannot understand about God.

Have you got a soul?—Yes, in your body there is a soul which will never die. Your soul can think of God.

When God made your body, he put your soul inside. Are you glad of that? When God made the dogs, he put no soul like yours inside their bodies, and they cannot think of God.

Can I see your soul?—No; I cannot see it. No one can see it but God. He knows what you are thinking of now.

Which is the best, your soul or your body?—Your soul is a great deal the best. Why is your soul the best?—Your body can die, but your soul cannot die.

Shall I tell you what your body is made of?—Of dust. God made the dust into flesh and blood.

What is your soul made of?—Your soul, or spirit, is made of the breath of God.

That little dog will die some day. Its body will be thrown away. The dog will be quite gone when its body is dead. But when your body dies, your soul will be alive, and you will not be quite gone.

Where would you be put if you were dead?—Your body would be put in a hole in the ground, but your soul would not be in the hole. Even a baby has a soul, or spirit.

One day as I was walking in the streets, I saw a man carrying a box. Some people were walking behind, crying. There was a dead baby in the box. Was the soul of the baby in the box?—No; its soul was gone up to God.

Will you not thank God for giving you a spirit? Will you not ask Him to take your spirit to live with him when your body dies?

Say to God, “Pray, take my spirit to live with Thee when my body dies and turns into dust.”

Your body will decay; it will turn into dust; but your soul will live forever: it will never decay.

LESSON IV.
OF THE GOOD ANGELS.

Angels are spirits. They are bright like the sun, but they are not so bright as God, for he is brighter than the sun. The angels are always looking at God, and it is God that makes them shine so bright.

They sing sweet songs about God. They say, “How good God is! how wise! how great!”

There is no night in heaven, for the angels are never tired of singing, and they never wish to sleep. They are never sick, and they will never die.

They never weep; there are no tears upon their cheeks, but sweet smiles, for angels are always happy.

If the angels were naughty, they would be unhappy. Naughtiness always makes people unhappy. The angels are quite good. They love God very much, and mind all he says.

They have wings, and can fly very quickly. God sends them down here to take care of us. As soon as God tells an angel to go, he begins to fly. They are very strong, and can keep us from harm.

Should you like the angels to be near you at night? Do you know this pretty verse or hymn?

You must ask God to send the angels, for they never go, except when God sends them.

God is their Father. They have not two fathers, as you have. The angels are the children of God, and live in God’s house in heaven. When you mind what your father tells you, then you are like the angels who mind God.

The angels love us very much. They wish us to grow good, and to come to live with them in heaven. When a child is sorry for its naughtiness, and prays to God to forgive it, the angels are very much pleased.

When a little child who loves God falls sick, and is going to die, God says to the angels, “Go and fetch that little child’s soul up to heaven.” Then the angels fly down, the little darling shuts its eyes, it lays its head on its mothers bosom, its breath stops;—the child is dead. Where is its soul? The angels are carrying it up to heaven.

How happy the child is now! Its pain is over; it is grown quite good; it is bright like an angel. It holds a harp in its hand, and begins to sing a sweet song of praise to God. Its little body is put into a grave, and turns into dust. One day God will make its body alive again.

Dear children, will you pray to God to send his angels to fetch your souls when you die?

LESSON V.
OF THE WICKED ANGELS.

A very long while ago God made the angels. How many angels did he make? No one could tell how many. There were more than could be counted. They were all good and happy.

But some of the angels grew bad. They left off loving God, and grew proud, and disobedient.

Would God let them stay in heaven after they were bad? No; he cast them out, and put them in chains and darkness.

One of these bad angels was called Satan. He is the chief, or prince of the bad angels. He is called the devil.

The devil is very wicked, and hates God. He can never go back to heaven again, but he comes here where we live, and he brings the other devils with him.

We cannot see Satan, because he is a spirit, but he is always walking about, and trying to make people naughty.

Satan loves mischief; he does not wish to be good. It pleases Satan to see people in pain and in tears; but it pleases him best to see them naughty, because then he thinks that they will come and live with him in his dark place. He wishes that there should be a great many people in hell, so he tries[22] to make us do wicked things, and keep us from praying to God.

I cannot tell you how very bad Satan is. He is very cruel, for he likes to give pain. He is a liar and teaches people to tell lies. He is proud, and wishes people to mind him more than God. He is envious, and cannot bear to see people happy.

The devil hopes very much that you will come and live with him when you die. He knows that if you are bad like him, you will live with him. So he tries to make you like himself. When you are in a passion, you are like the devil. When you say, “I don’t care,” you are like the devil. When you think yourself good, you are proud like the devil.

Can God keep you from minding the devil? Yes; he can: for God is a great deal stronger than Satan. Besides this, God is always near you, for God is everywhere. Now Satan cannot be everywhere at the same time. It is true that Satan has a great many angels who go where he tells them; and that Satan and his angels come near you very often. But God is always with you; he is before you and behind you, and on every side of you; he is about your bed when you sleep, and about your path when you walk. Therefore you need not be afraid of Satan; only ask God to help you, and he will do so.

Satan is much stronger than you are; but God is stronger than all. If anybody were to come to hurt you when you were alone, you would be frightened; but if you saw your father coming you would run to him, and you would not be frightened any more. Now God is our father; he can keep Satan from hurting you. Pray to him, and say, “O dear father, keep me from being wicked like the devil, and from going to hell.”

LESSON VI.
THE WORLD.—PART I.
Genesis i. 1-10

This large place we live in is called the world. It is very beautiful. If we look up we see the blue sky, if we look down we see the green grass. The sky is like a curtain spread over our heads, the grass like a carpet under our feet, and the bright sun is like a candle to give us light. It was very kind of God to make such a beautiful world, and let us live in it.

God was in heaven, and all his bright angels around him, when he began to make the world. God’s Son was with him—for God always has a Son, just like himself.

His Son’s name is Jesus Christ. He is as good and as great as God his Father. The Father and[26] the Son are God: they always lived together, and they love each other exceedingly. The Father and the Son are one God, and they made the world.

How did God make the world?—By speaking. First of all, God made the light. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. No one can make things by speaking but God: God made things of nothing. He only spoke, and the light came.

Then God made the air. You cannot see the air, but you can feel it. The air is everywhere. You can sometimes hear the noise it makes, for you hear the wind blow, and the wind is air.

Next God put some water up very high. The clouds are full of water, and sometimes the water comes down, and we call it rain.

God made a large deep place, and filled it with water. God spoke to the water, and it rushed into the deep place. God called this water the sea.

The sea is very large, and it is always moving up and down, and tossing itself; but it cannot get out of the large deep place in which God has put it; for God said, “Stay there.”

God made some dry land for us to walk upon: we call it ground. We could not walk upon the sea[27] nor build houses on the sea: but the ground is hard, and firm, and dry.

LESSON VII.
THE WORLD.—PART II.
Genesis i. 11-19.

When God made the dry land, there was nothing on it: it was bare. So God spake, and things grew out of the ground.

Trees came out of it; they were covered with green leaves of different shapes. Some were called oak trees, and some were called elm trees, and some beech trees. And some bore nice fruit, such as plum trees, apple trees, orange trees and fig trees.

Vegetables grew out of the earth; potatoes and beans, cabbages and lettuces: they are called vegetables.

Corn came out of it. Some corn is called wheat, and some corn is called barley, and some is called oats. The ears of corn bend down when they are ripe, and look yellow like gold.

God made the soft green grass to spring up, and flowers to grow among the grass: flowers of all colors, and of the sweetest smell. The yellow buttercup, the white lily, the blue violet, and the rose, the most beautiful of all flowers.

The world looked very beautiful when it was covered with grass and trees. But only God and the angels saw its beauty.

Afterward God placed the sun in the sky, and bade it shine all day, and go from one end of the world to the other. God made the moon to shine at night, and he covered the sky with stars.

You never saw anything so bright as the sun. It is very large indeed, only it looks small, because it is a great way off. It cannot fall, for God holds it up. God makes it move across the sky. Did you ever hear this pretty verse about the sun?—

The moon does not shine as brightly as the sun, for God lets it be dark at night, that we may rest and sleep soundly.

Who could count the stars?—No one but God. He knows their names and their number too. When we look at the moon and stars, let us think, How great God is! Yet he cares for the little birds, and loves little children.

LESSON VIII.
THE WORLD.—PART III.
Genesis i. 20-25.

God had made a great many things, but none of these things were alive. At last he made some[31] living things. He spoke, and the water was filled with fishes, more than could be counted.

Some were very small, and some were very large. Have you heard of the great whale? It is a fish as long as a church. Fishes are cold, and they have no feet, and they cannot sing, nor speak.

God made some creatures, more beautiful than fish, to fly about in the air. The birds:—they perched upon the trees, and sang among the branches.

Birds have wings, and are covered with feathers of all colors. The robin has a red breast; the goldfinch has some yellow feathers; and the jay some blue ones: but the peacock is the most beautiful of birds. It has a little tuft upon its head, and a long train that sweeps behind; sometimes it spreads out its feathers, and they look like a large fan. The thrush, the blackbird and the linnet can sing sweetly: but there is one bird that can sing more sweetly still—it is the nightingale. At night, when all the other birds have left off singing, the nightingale may be heard in the woods.

Some birds swim upon the water; such as geese, and ducks, and the beautiful swan, with its long neck and its feathers like the snow.

Some birds are very tall. The ostrich is as tall[32] as a man. It cannot fly like other birds, but it can run very fast indeed.

The eagle builds its nest in a very high place. Its wings are very strong, and it can fly as high as the clouds.

The gentlest of the birds is the dove. It cannot sing, but it sits alone and moans softly, as if it were sad.

I cannot tell you the names of all the birds, but you can think of the names of some other kinds.

There is another sort of living creatures, called insects. God made them come out of the earth, and not out of the water, like fishes. Insects are small, and creep upon the earth; such as ants. Some insects can fly also; such as bees and butterflies. The bee sucks the juice of flowers, and makes wax and honey. How gay are the wings of the butterfly! they are covered with little feathers, too small to be seen.

At last God made the beasts. They came out of the earth when God spoke. Beasts walk upon the earth; the most of them have four legs. You know the names of a great many sorts of beasts. Sheep and cows, dogs and cats, are beasts. But there are many other sorts besides: the squirrel that jumps[33] from bough to bough, the rabbit that lives in a hole underground, and the goat that climbs the high hills; the stag with his beautiful horns, the lion with his yellow hair, the tiger, whose skin is marked with stripes. The elephant is the largest of beasts, the lion is the strongest, the dog is the most sensible, the stag is the most beautiful, but the lamb is the gentlest. The dove is the gentlest of the birds, and the lamb is the gentlest of the beasts.

Now God had filled the world with living creatures, and they were all good; even lions and tigers were good and harmless. I have told you of four sorts of living creatures:

All these creatures have bodies, but they have not souls like you. They can move and breathe. God feeds them every day, and keeps them alive. The Lord is good to them all.

LESSON IX.
ADAM AND EVE.
Genesis i., 26, to the end of Chap. ii.

God took some of the dust of the ground, and made the body of a man; then he breathed on it, and gave it a soul; so the man could understand about God. Adam was quite good like God. Adam loved God very much.

God put him in a very pretty garden, full of trees covered with fruit. This garden was called the garden of Eden. God showed Adam all the beasts and birds, and let Adam give them what names he pleased. He said to Adam, I give you all the fishes, and insects, and birds, and beasts; you are their master. So Adam was king over all things on the earth.

God said to Adam, You may eat of the fruit that grows on the trees in the garden. Still God did not let him be idle, but told him to take care of the garden. You see how very kind God was to Adam.

But Adam had no friend to be with him; for the beasts and birds could not talk to Adam. Then God said he would make a woman, to be a friend to Adam. So God made Adam fall fast asleep. God took a piece of bone and flesh out of his side, and made it into a woman. When Adam woke, he saw her. He knew that she was made of his flesh and bone, and he loved her very much. Her name was “woman,” and afterwards her name was Eve.

You have heard of all the things God made. They were all beautiful: and all the living things were quite happy; there was no pain, and no sighing, and no sin in all the world.

God had been six days in making the world. And when he had finished it, he rested on the seventh day, and made no more things.

The angels saw the world that God had made: they were pleased, and sang a sweet song of praise to God. Jesus Christ the Son of God was pleased, for he loved Adam and Eve.

How did I know about the world being made? It is written in the Bible, which is God’s own book.

1. Light. 2. Air. 3. Clouds. 4. Sea. 5. Dry land. 6. Things that grow out of the earth. 7. Sun, moon, and stars. 8. Living creatures.

LESSON X.
THE FIRST SIN.
Genesis iii.

Adam and Eve were very happy in the garden of Eden. They talked to each other, and walked together, and they never quarreled, and they praised God for all his kindness to them.

God used to talk with them sometimes. They were pleased to hear his voice, for they were not afraid of him.

There was one thing that God had told them not to do. There was a tree in the middle of the garden. Some beautiful fruit grew upon it; but God said to Adam and Eve, You must not eat of the fruit of that tree; for if you eat of it, you shall die. Adam and Eve liked to obey God, and they did not wish to eat of this fruit.

You know that the wicked angel, Satan, hates God, and he hated Adam and Eve. He wished to make them naughty, that they might go to hell and be burned in his fire. So he thought he would ask them to eat of that fruit. He went into the garden, and looked like a serpent. He saw Eve alone near the tree. He said to her, Why do you not eat of this fruit?

Eve answered, No, I will not; we must not eat of that fruit. If we do, God has said we shall die. Then the serpent said, You shall not die; the fruit will make you wise.

Eve looked at the fruit, and thought it seemed nice and pretty, and she picked some and ate it; and she gave some to Adam, and he ate it.

It was very wicked of them to eat this fruit. Now they were grown naughty, and did not love God.

Soon they heard God speaking in the garden; then they were frightened, and they went and hid themselves among the trees. But God saw them; for he can see everywhere.

God said to Adam, Have you eaten of the fruit that I told you not eat? And Adam said, It was this woman who asked me to eat some.

And God said to Eve, What is this that thou hast done? And Eve said, The serpent asked me to eat.

God was very angry with the serpent, and said he should be punished forever and ever.

God said to Adam and Eve, You shall die. I made your bodies of dust, and they will turn to dust again.

God would not let them stay in the sweet garden. He made them go out. He would not let them come back. He told one of his bright angels to stand before the gate with a sword of fire and to keep Adam and Eve out of the garden.

LESSON XI.
THE SON OF GOD.
Genesis iii. 14-15.

It was not so pleasant outside of the garden. A great many weeds and thistles grew outside; but in the garden there were only pretty flowers and sweet fruits.

Adam was forced to dig the ground till he was hot and tired, for he could not always find fruit upon the trees.

Now Adam felt pain in his body sometimes; and his hair became gray, and at last he was quite old.

Eve was very often sick and weak, and tears ran down her cheeks. Poor Adam and Eve! if you had obeyed God you would have been happy forever.

Adam and Eve knew that they must die at last. God gave them some little children; and Adam and Eve knew that their children must die too. God had told them that their bodies were made of dust, and that they must turn to dust again.

But there was something more sad still. They were grown wicked. They did not love praising[41] God, as they once had done, but they liked doing many naughty things. They were grown like Satan; so Satan hoped that when their bodies were put into the ground, their spirits would be with him; for Satan knew that the wicked could not live with God in heaven.

And they would have gone to hell, and all their children too, had not God taken pity upon them. God, who is very kind, had found out a way to save them.

To his Son, a long, long while before, God had said, Adam and Eve and all their children must go to hell for their wickedness, unless you die instead of them. My beloved Son, I will send you; you shall have a body; you shall go and live in the world, and you shall obey me, and you shall die for Adam and his children.

The Son said to his Father, I will come: I will do all that you desire me to do. It is my delight to obey you.

How kind it was of the Father to spare his dear Son, whom he loved so very much! How kind it was of the Son to leave his throne of light, his bright angels, and his dear Father, and to take a body and to die!

You know that we are some of Adam’s children’s children. It was for us that Jesus came to die. We are wicked, and we should go to hell, if Jesus had not promised to die for us. We ought to love the Father and the Son, because they had pity on us.

“We thank thee, O Son, for thy tender love, in coming down to bleed and die.”

All the time the Son waited in heaven he thought of what he promised to do; but he would not go and be a man till his Father pleased to send him.

LESSON XII.
THE VIRGIN MARY.
Luke, i. 26-55.

God told Adam and Eve that he would send his Son down some day to die for them. But Adam and Eve did not love God; for they were grown wicked.

Yes; he could: for there is the Holy Spirit in heaven, and the Holy Spirit could come into them and make them good.

You know, my little children, we are wicked, and God can make us good with his Holy Spirit. If God puts his Holy Spirit in us, we shall not go to hell, and live with Satan.

I hope you will ask God to give you his Holy[44] Spirit. Say to God, O give me thy Holy Spirit, to make me good!

Adam had a great many children and grandchildren, and they had more children; at last the world was full of people—more people than you could count.

After Adam and Eve had been dead a long while, and when the world was full of people, God said to his Son, Now, my beloved Son, go down into the world.

But God chose that his Son should be a little baby at first—because everybody is a little baby at first.

God sent his Son to be the baby of a poor woman. This woman’s name was Mary. Mary had no little children. She was a good woman and loved God. God’s Holy Spirit was in her, and made her meek and gentle.

One day an angel came to her. When Mary saw the bright angel, she was frightened: but the angel said, “Fear not, Mary; God loves you. He will send you a baby, that shall be the Son of God. You shall call his name Jesus. He will come to save people from Satan.”

Mary was much surprised at what the angel said. She thought she was not good enough to have such a baby as the Lord Jesus.

When the angel was gone back to heaven, Mary[45] sang a sweet song of praise to God for his goodness.

Mary called her baby her Saviour, for she knew that he would save her from hell.

LESSON XIII.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
Luke, ii. 1-7.

Now before Mary’s baby was born, a great king said that everybody must have their names written down. So Mary and Joseph left their house, and went a great way off. At last they came to a town called Bethlehem.

It was night. Where could they sleep? They went to an inn, and said, Do let us in. We have come from a great way off.

What could poor Mary do? Must she sleep in the street? Mary said she would sleep in the stable, if the master would let her.

So Mary and Joseph went into the stable. There were cows and asses in the stable.

While Mary was in the stable, God sent her the little baby he had promised her. She knew he was the Son of God, though he looked like other little babies.

She wrapped him in some long clothes, called[47] swaddling clothes; but she had no cradle for him to sleep in, and she could not lay him on the ground, lest the beasts should tread upon him; so she put him in the manger, and she sat by him to take care of him.

This baby had not a naughty heart, as other babies have. Jesus had no sin, but was quite meek and lowly. Yet other babies have cradles and soft pillows, while Jesus lay in a manger.

I will tell you a verse to say to your little baby brother when you rock his cradle:

LESSON XIV.
THE SHEPHERDS.
Luke, ii. 8-20.

There were some fields near Bethlehem. On the night when Jesus was born, some shepherds were sitting by their sheep in those fields. Why did they sit up at night? To keep their sheep from the[48] wolves and lions which walk about at night. There are no lions where we live, but near Bethlehem there were some.

These shepherds saw a great light. A beautiful angel came from heaven. The poor shepherds were afraid; but the angel said, Fear not, I have sweet news to tell you. God has sent his own Son from heaven to save you from hell. He is a baby now, lying in a manger. Go to Bethlehem, and you will find him.

When the angel had done speaking, hundreds and hundreds of bright angels filled the sky, and began singing and praising God for having sent his Son to save men.

Did they stay with their sheep? No; they said, Let us go and see the Son of God.

They ran to Bethlehem, and went to the stable of the inn. There was a babe in the manger; Mary and Joseph were sitting by. The shepherds said, This is the Son of God. Angels have spoken to us to-night, and told us where to find him.

All the people in Bethlehem were much surprised when the shepherds told them about the angels and the Son of God.

LESSON XV.
THE WISE MEN.
Matthew ii.

There were some wise and rich men. They lived a great way from Bethlehem. They knew that God had sent his Son to be a babe but they did not know where to find him; so God put a beautiful star in the sky, and God made it move toward the[50] place where Jesus was. So the wise men left their houses, and set out on a long journey; but first they said, Let us bring some presents for the Son of God: for he is a king. They took some gold, and some sweet-smelling stuff to burn. They looked at the star as they went. At last it stopped over a house in Bethlehem. The wise men were very glad indeed. They longed to see the Son of God. They went in, and there they saw Mary and her child Jesus: they fell down, and began to praise him, and to call him the Son of God, and the King.

They took out their presents, and gave them to him. Mary was poor; but now she had some money to buy things for her little baby.

LESSON XVI.
KING HEROD.
Matthew, ii. Luke, ii. 51, 52.

There was a very wicked king called Herod. He lived a little way from Bethlehem. He heard that a babe was born in Bethlehem, and that some people said that the babe was a king.

Now Herod did not like that there should be any other king besides himself. Herod did not[51] like that even the Son of God should be king. So Herod said, I will kill this babe that is called a king.

Herod knew that this babe was in Bethlehem; but there were many babes in Bethlehem, and Herod did not know which was the babe that was called a king.

Some people knew which it was; but they loved Jesus, and they would not tell Herod. A very wicked thought came into Herod’s mind. He thought, I will kill all the babes in Bethlehem. Do you think God would let Herod kill his Son? No. God knew what Herod meant to do. God sent one of his bright angels to speak to Joseph when he was asleep.

The angel said, A wicked king wants to kill the baby. Get up, Joseph; take Mary and the baby a great way off. So Joseph got up quickly; he took his ass, he put Mary on it, and she held the baby. It was dark when they set off. Nobody saw them go.

The next morning some men came with swords. Herod had sent them. They were come to kill all the babies. They opened every door, and said, Is there a baby here? Then they snatched it from its mother, and killed it, and the poor mother cried bitterly. Had you walked down the streets, you would[52] have heard nothing but women weeping and crying out, My pretty babe is dead; I shall never see it more!

No: he was gone far away. His Father, God, had sent him away. Herod could not kill him, for God would not let him die so soon.

At last King Herod died. Then God sent an angel to speak to Joseph when he was asleep. The angel said, Joseph, go back to your own country; Herod is dead. So Joseph took the ass, and Mary, and the sweet child, Jesus, and they all came back to their own country.

Joseph was a carpenter. Jesus lived with Joseph and Mary, and minded all they said. He was a wise child, and loved to think of God. God his Father loved him, and everybody loved him, because he was so meek and kind. The older he grew the more they loved him.

LESSON XVII.
THE TEMPTATION.
Matthew iv. 1-11.

At last Jesus grew to be a man. He knew that he must go from place to place, and teach people about God.

But first he went into a place by himself—called a wilderness. He had no house to sleep in there, no friend to speak to, no food to eat. In the night it was cold, in the day very hot.

There were no men, but there were lions, wolves and bears. At night they roared and howled; but Jesus trusted in his Father.

He ate nothing for forty days and forty nights, God kept him alive. When Jesus was alone, then he spoke in his heart to his dear Father.

Not a man, not a bright angel, not God; it was Satan. I do not know how he looked. He was come to tempt Jesus to do wickedly, and not to mind God his Father. Satan knew that Jesus was hungry. He said to him, Turn these stones into bread! but Jesus would not, for God had promised to feed him himself.

After that, Satan took Jesus to the top of a great building, that was much higher than a church. It is dreadful to be on the top of a very high place; it makes one tremble to look down from the top.

Satan said to Jesus, Throw yourself down from this place; your Father will send his angels to keep you from being hurt, for you know that he has promised to take care of you.

Would Jesus have done right had he thrown himself down? No: Jesus knew that his Father would be displeased if he threw himself down; and Jesus always did the things that pleased his Father.

Then Satan took him to the top of a very high hill. He showed him the 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.

Adam and Eve minded Satan, and disobeyed God; but Jesus did all his Father had told him. Adam was disobedient, Jesus was obedient.

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.

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.

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.

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[58] 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.

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.[60] 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.

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.

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.

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[64] 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.

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.

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[65] 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[66] 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Then he took the children in his arms, and put his hands upon them, and prayed to his Father, and blessed them.

Jesus loves meek and gentle children. They are Jesus’ lambs. Jesus is their shepherd, and he will take them to heaven when they die.

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 will you ask him for? Will you ask him to give you bread, and clothes, and a house to live in?

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.

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.”

LESSON XXVII.
JESUS FORETELLS HIS DEATH.
Matthew, xvi. 21 to end.

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.

Most of the people who wished to kill Jesus, lived in a great town called Jerusalem.

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.

The wicked people were angry with Jesus, and said, God is not your Father. But Jesus said, He is my Father, and I came down from heaven, where he lives, and I shall go back to him some day.

At last the people took up stones to throw at him: but Jesus did not choose to die yet, so he easily got away and went to a place where they could not find him.

LESSON XXVIII.
LAZARUS.
John, xi. 1-17.

Jesus staid with his disciples in a place by himself. The wicked people, who wanted to kill him, could not find him, but Jesus’ friends knew where he was.

One of his friends was called Lazarus. Lazarus had two sisters; their names were Martha and Mary. These three all lived together. They all three loved Jesus, and Jesus loved them. Jesus used often to come and see them, and sit in the house and talk to them. Martha liked to make a fine dinner when Jesus came, but Mary liked to sit and listen to his sweet words.

Martha and Mary loved their brother Lazarus very much indeed. They knew that Jesus could make Lazarus well; so they sent a man to tell Jesus that Lazarus was sick.

The man went a great way to look for Jesus. Lazarus grew worse and worse. At last he died. His friends wrapped white cloths round his face, and his arms and his legs, and put him in a great hole, and rolled a stone before it.

Four days passed, and at last Jesus came. Martha and Mary did not think that Jesus would make Lazarus alive again, for he had been dead so long; so they sat upon the ground and cried.

When Martha heard that Jesus was on the road a little way off, she came to Jesus and said, If you had been here, my brother had not died; and even now you could make him alive.

Yes, said Martha, I know he will rise again at the last day, when all the dead people rise.

Martha was afraid that Jesus would not choose to make Lazarus alive soon; but she knew that he was able to do it.

Martha went back to the house, and found Mary still sitting on the ground, and a great many friends round her.

Martha whispered in her ear, and told her that Jesus wanted to speak to her. So Martha and Mary went together, and found Jesus waiting for them in the road.

Mary’s friends went with her, and they cried; and Mary cried very much indeed: and when she saw Jesus she fell down at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died.

Jesus was very sorry to see her so unhappy, and to see so many people crying: he felt very sad indeed, and he sighed very deeply. Jesus does not like to see anyone in trouble, he is so kind.

Martha and Mary and their friends said, Come and see; and they showed him the way.

At last they came to the grave. It was a hole, and a very large stone was before the hole.

Martha thought that Jesus was going to look at Lazarus lying dead; and she said, Do not go in: his flesh has a bad smell by this time. He has been dead four days. But Jesus told her to believe that he could make him alive.

Then Jesus lifted up his eyes to his Father in heaven, and thanked him for helping him to do wonderful things.

A great many people were standing by, looking at Jesus, and wondering what he would do.

Lazarus heard, though he was dead; for the dead hear the voice of Jesus. He got up and walked to the door of the hole. His hands were tied with cloths, and his feet wrapped round with cloths, and a cloth was over his face.

How pleased Martha and Mary must have been to see his face again! How they must have thanked the Lord Jesus for his kindness!

The people who saw all this were surprised, and said, Jesus must be the Son of God.

LESSON XXIX.
JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM.
Matthew, xxi. 1-11, 14-17.

Which was the greatest miracle that Jesus ever did? It was making Lazarus alive again; because he had been dead four days.

Many of the wicked people who hated Jesus heard of it; but they only hated him the more. They said, We must kill him soon, or everyone will believe that he is the Son of God.

Jesus knew that they wanted to kill him, and so he went again and hid himself in a place they did not know of. They looked for him, but they could not find him.

But could Jesus always stay in that little quiet place, where he was hid with his disciples? No. He came down to die for us. He only waited till the time came for him to die. Then he said to his disciples, We must go to Jerusalem, and I shall be laughed at, and beaten, and killed; but I shall come out of my grave after three days.

The disciples did not like to hear this; but they chose to go with Jesus wherever he went.

Jesus walked fast along the road; at last he came near Jerusalem. Then he stopped and said to his[84] disciples, I shall ride into Jerusalem upon an ass. Jesus had no ass of his own; he always walked from place to place. But Jesus could put it into a man’s heart to lend him one.

He said to two of his disciples, Go along the road a little way, and you will see an ass and a young ass tied, and a man standing near; bring the ass and the young one to me, for I know that the man will let them come.

So the two disciples went: when they had gone a little way they saw an ass tied up, and a young one. They began to untie the ass; but a man standing near said, Why do you untie the ass?

The two disciples brought the two asses to Jesus. They took off some of their clothes, and put them on the young ass, and Jesus sat upon it.

A great many people came out of Jerusalem to see Jesus, for they had heard of his making Lazarus alive again. The people began to praise Jesus, and call him king. They took off some of their clothes, and laid them down upon the road for the ass to tread upon; and they picked branches off the trees that grew near, and laid them too on the road.

So Jesus came to the great town of Jerusalem: all the people came into the streets to look at him, and even the little children began to praise him, and to call him King. The proud men, that hated Jesus, were very angry at hearing all these praises. They did not like to hear Jesus praised. They came to him and said, Why do you let these children call you king?

But Jesus liked to hear the children sing his praise, and he would not tell them to be silent.

LESSON XXX.
THE TEMPLE.
Luke, xix. 47, 48; xx. 19, 20; xxi. 37, 38.

There was a large place in Jerusalem, like a great church, called the Temple. It was white outside, and very beautiful. The doors were open all day, and people used to go in to pray to God. It was God’s house: Jesus used often to be there with his disciples. Poor blind and lame people came to him there, and Jesus cured them all, and talked to them about his Father.

The little children sang his praises in the Temple. All day long Jesus taught the people about God, and they listened to what he said, and liked to hear him.

The wicked and proud men came to the Temple to laugh at Jesus, and to speak rudely to him; but he bore all as meekly as a lamb.

At night he left the Temple, and went out of the town to a high hill, where he prayed to God alone in the dark.

The wicked men longed to catch Jesus to kill him. They said to each other, How can we get him? the people will not let us take hold of him if they see us, or we would go to the Temple to catch him. If we could find him alone in the dark, then we would put ropes on him, and take him to the judge. This is what the wicked people said to each other as they sat together.

LESSON XXXI.
JUDAS.
John, xii. 6. Matthew, xxvi. 3, 4, 14-16.

Peter loved Jesus, and John loved him, and all the rest loved him, but one; his name was Judas. He did not love Jesus, but only pretended to love him. He was like the devil.

Did Jesus know how wicked Judas was? Yes, he saw into his heart; but the disciples thought Judas was good; for Judas used to kiss the Lord Jesus, and speak kindly to him, and talk about God like the rest.

But Judas loved something; he loved money. He wanted to get a great deal of money.

He was covetous, and he was a thief. The disciples had a bag, and when they had money they put it in the bag; and all the disciples put their money in the same bag. But there was very little money in the bag, for they were very poor. Judas used to take care of the bag, and he used to steal some of the money out of it, and keep it for himself; but no one found him out, or thought he was a thief, except Jesus, and he knew it well.

One day, when the proud men were sitting together, Judas came in. Judas said to them, You want to find Jesus when he is alone: will you give me some money, and I will show you where he goes at night?

Judas went back to Jesus, but he did not tell the disciples what he had done. Jesus knew what he had been doing; for Jesus could see all his thoughts, and he knew all that Judas did, both in the day and in the night. Yet Jesus did not tell Judas that he knew his wicked plans.

LESSON XXXII.
THE LAST SUPPER—PART I.
Luke, xxii. 7-14. John, xiii. 1-17.

Jesus said to his disciples, I am going soon to be killed, but before I die I shall eat a supper with you in Jerusalem.

Then Jesus said to Peter and John, Go and get the supper ready; but they said, Where shall we get it ready? For Jesus had no house in Jerusalem: but Jesus knew how to find a room.

So Jesus said to Peter and John, Go into Jerusalem, and you will meet a man carrying a jug; go[90] after him: he will go into a house. The master of the house will lend me a room. Tell him that I am going to die, and that I want to eat a supper with my disciples.

They followed him. He went into a house. Peter and John went in after him, and they said to the master of the house, Jesus wants a room to eat supper in with his disciples before he dies.

Then the master took them up stairs, and showed them a large room, with a table in it, and seats all round the table, and a jug, and a basin to wash their feet in, and a cup and dishes.

Then Peter and John got some bread and wine and other things, and made the supper ready; and they went back and told Jesus (who was a little way in the country) that supper was ready. So Jesus and all his disciples came to the house in the evening; they went up stairs, and they all sat down.

After they had been a little while at supper, Jesus got up and took a towel, and tied it round his waist; and he took a jug and poured water into a basin, and he began to wash his disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel round his waist.

Peter thought it was too kind of Jesus to wash his feet, as if he were a servant; but Jesus was not proud, but loved to be kind to his disciples.

Then Jesus said to Peter, If I wash you not, you cannot be mine; but I have made you clean already. Jesus had made Peter’s heart clean.

All the disciples had clean hearts, except Judas, and his heart was full of wickedness; Satan was in it. Yet Jesus washed Judas’ feet. He was kind even to wicked Judas, who hated him.

When Jesus had washed all the disciples’ feet he sat down again, and began to talk to them.

He said, Do you know what I have done to you? I have washed your feet, though I am your Lord and Master. I wish to teach you to be as kind to each other as I have been to you.

LESSON XXXIII.
THE LAST SUPPER—PART II.
John, xiii. 21-30.

You know the wicked thing that Judas meant to do. Jesus knew that he would bring the wicked people to take him and kill him. Jesus had been very kind to Judas, and Jesus was sorry that he was so wicked.

As Jesus was sitting at supper, and all the twelve disciples sitting round, he said, One of you will give me to the wicked men to be killed! one of you, my disciples.

All the disciples were very sorry, and Peter said, Is it I? and John said, Is it I? and each of them said, Is it I? but Jesus did not tell them which.

Now John was leaning his head on Jesus’ bosom, and Peter whispered to John and said, Do ask the Lord which it is that will show the wicked people where he is?

For there was a dish of sauce on the table, and Jesus dipped his bread in it, and as he dipped it one of the disciples put his hand in the dish too. Which was it?

Judas: he dipped his bread in the dish with Jesus. So John knew which it was that was so wicked.

He went to the wicked people, to bring them to Jesus in the dark. But the disciples thought he was going to buy something at a shop, or to give money to the poor.

LESSON XXXIV.
THE LAST SUPPER—PART III.
Matthew, xxvi. 26-36. John, xiv. 1-4; xviii. 1-3.

After supper Jesus took some bread and broke it in little bits, and gave a piece to each of the disciples, and said, This is my body: I am going to die: eat this, and think of me.

Then Jesus poured some wine into a cup, and told them all to drink out of it. He said, This is my blood; I shall soon bleed and die; drink this, and think of me.

Jesus said, I shall not eat supper with you again[95] before I die. I am going to my Father; I must leave you, but I shall come back again.

Afterward Jesus got up from the table and went down stairs into the street, and the disciples followed him. It was dark; but Jesus talked to them as they went along. He said, I am going to die to-night, and you will all leave me.

But Peter said, I will not leave you; I will go to prison with you; I will die with you; but I will never leave you.

Jesus said to him, Yes, you will, Peter; you will say that you do not know me; you will say that you are not my friend. This night, Peter, you will say so, before the cock crows. (For cocks crow in the morning when it is light.)

Jesus talked sweetly to his disciples. He said, Do not be sorry because I am going away. I shall go back to my Father, and I shall soon come back to you. When I am in heaven, I shall get ready a place in heaven for you. I command you to love one another, and I will send the Holy Spirit to comfort you.

At last Jesus came to a garden. He had often been to that garden with his disciples, and wicked Judas knew the place.

You will soon hear how he came to the garden, and how he brought the servants of the wicked men with him. For these wicked men meant to send their servants to catch Jesus.

LESSON XXXV.
THE GARDEN.
Matthew, xxvi. 30-57. John, xviii. 1-12.

When Jesus was come to the garden, he told all his disciples to stop in one place till he came back, except three that he took with him.

Peter, James, and John. He took them further on in the garden, and then said to them, I feel very sad indeed. I am going to pray. Do you stay here. Do not go to sleep, but pray while I am praying.

Then Jesus went a little way off by himself, and fell upon the ground, and began to pray to his Father to help him. He ended his prayer by saying, O Father, do thou what thou wilt, not what I will.

He prayed very earnestly, and he felt so unhappy that the blood came out of his skin, and fell on the ground. Then he got up and went back to Peter, and James, and John, but he found them asleep. He waked them, and told them to pray.

Then he went back and prayed again to his Father, to help him in his great sorrow; then he came back to his disciples, but they had fallen asleep again.

Then Jesus prayed again, and his Father sent an angel from heaven to comfort him. I do not know what the angel said, but I know the angel loved him, and could speak sweet words to him, and tell him how his Father loved him. The angel did not stay long; he soon went back to God.

Then Jesus came again to his disciples, and found them still asleep. But Jesus waked them and told them to get up; for Judas is near.

While Jesus was saying this, a great many people were seen walking in the garden. These were the servants of the proud men in Jerusalem. They had swords, and sticks, and lanterns in their hands. And Judas went before them to show them where Jesus was. But Judas came up slily to Jesus, and gave him a kiss, pretending to love him.

Jesus knew what Judas was doing, and he said, Friend, why do you come here? and why do you kiss me?

Jesus did not run away, but he went up to the wicked men, and said, Whom are you looking for?

When he said that, God made all the wicked people fall upon their backs upon the ground. Then Jesus could have run away; but he chose to stay, that he might die for sinners.

The wicked people soon got up; God let them get up; but Jesus said to them, If you want to have me, you must let my disciples go away.

It was kind of Jesus to think of them, and they were frightened and glad to get away; they did not wish to stay to die with Jesus.

But Peter took a sword and cut off one of the wicked men’s ears. Peter wished to fight; but Jesus said, Put up your sword. If I were to pray now to my Father, he would send thousands of angels to help me. Then Jesus touched the man’s ear, and made it well.

Because he chose to die to save us. Had the angels come, and taken Jesus back to heaven, then we should all have gone to hell.

Peter and all the rest of the disciples ran away, and left Jesus quite alone with the wicked men. They took ropes, and tied his hands and feet, and they led him away into Jerusalem; and he went along meekly as a lamb.

LESSON XXXVI.
PETER’S DENIAL.
Matthew, xxvi. 57 to end.

The wicked proud men, who hated Jesus, had sat up all night. They had sent their servants with some soldiers to fetch Jesus. They were in a fine house seated on seats round the room, talking together, and longing for Jesus to be brought.

They said one to another, We will have him killed when he comes—we will take him to the judge.

At last Jesus came in with the wicked servants. The proud men were glad to see him. They made him stand up in the midst of the large room. Then they spoke roughly. Are you the Son of God? they said.

And Jesus said, Yes, I am; and one day you will see me coming in the clouds with the angels.

Do you hear what he says? they cried out. He calls himself the Son of God! He must be taken to the judge to be killed.

At last Peter thought, I will go and look for Jesus; I should like to see what the wicked men are doing to him.

So Peter came to Jerusalem, and into the fine house. He came into the hall first: the wicked servants were sitting round a fire in the hall; a door was open, and through the door Peter could see Jesus. There he was, standing before the wicked men. Peter hoped that nobody would know that he was one of Jesus’ disciples, lest he should be killed. But as Peter was sitting by the fire, warming himself, a maid said to him, You are one of the disciples of Jesus.

Then Peter was frightened, and said, No, I am not; I do not know the man you speak of.

Then Peter got up, and went outside the door; but another maid said to him, I am sure you are one of the disciples of Jesus.

Peter said, I am not. So Peter went back again to the fire, and began talking with the servants.

But some of them remembered having seen Peter in the garden, and they came to Peter and said, We are certain that you are one of the disciples. I saw you in the garden, said one.

While Peter was speaking so wickedly he heard a cock crow. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said, and he looked at Jesus, and Jesus turned round his face and looked at Peter. It was such a look! Jesus did not speak, but his look seemed to say, Is this Peter, my friend, who said he would die with me? Is this his love for me? Does he say he does not know me?

Peter felt very sorry; he felt as if his heart would break, and he went out of the house, and began to cry very much indeed. For Peter did really love Jesus; only Satan had tempted him to be so wicked as to say he did not know him.

If Peter had prayed in the garden instead of going to sleep, he would have behaved better. But Christ had often prayed for Peter, that Satan might not get his soul at last.

LESSON XXXVII.
PONTIUS PILATE.
John, xviii. 22 to end. Matthew, xxvi. 67, 68. John, xix. 1-16.

All night long, Jesus stood in the great room; he heard all Peter said, and that must have grieved him. The wicked people were like lions and tigers, and Jesus like a lamb. They looked at him as if they hated him.

The judge was not up yet, for it was night; so the wicked people were forced to wait till the morning.

That night the servants came round Jesus and beat him, and pushed him, and laughed at him, and even spat in his face.

When the morning came, the wicked people said, Now we will bring him to the judge.

The judge sat upon a high seat in the hall. His name was Pontius Pilate. The judge did not know Jesus. The judge said, What has he done?

Then Pilate said to Jesus, Are you a king? And Jesus said, Yes, I am. But Pilate thought that he looked very good, and he did not want to punish him.

Pilate said, No, I will beat him, and that will be enough. So Pilate gave Jesus to some soldiers, who took him into a house and beat him with knotted ropes, (this way of beating is called scourging,) and all the blood ran down his back. Then the cruel soldiers laughed at him because he said he was a king. They took off his own clothes, and put some fine clothes on him such as kings wear, purple and red.

Then they said, We must put a crown on his head. So they took prickly thorns, sharp like pins, and twisted them together, and made a crown, and put it on his head.

They said He must have a scepter, (for kings hold something called a scepter in their hands), so[105] they put a reed in his hand for a scepter; then they took it from him, and beat him on the head: and they knelt down to him laughing, and said, O king! O king!

Pilate saw the soldiers tormenting him, and he brought Jesus into the street, where the wicked people were, and he showed Jesus to them, and said, Look at your king.

Pilate hoped they would be sorry to see him so ill-used; blood upon his forehead from the thorns, and his back scourged, and dressed in fine clothes to mock him: but the wicked people were cruel like tigers.

Said they, Crucify him! Crucify him! All the people cried out, Crucify him! though Jesus had always been so kind to them.

He shall not be our king, the people said. There was a very great noise in the street, from the people all speaking at once.

Then Pilate thought he would please the wicked people, and he said, Take him and crucify him. Then the people were glad. But first the soldiers took the fine clothes off Jesus, and put his own clothes on him again.

How wicked it was of Pilate to let him be crucified! Pilate thought Jesus was good, yet he let him be killed to please the people.

LESSON XXXVIII.
DEATH OF JUDAS.
Matthew, xxvii. 3-5.

Where was Judas all this while? The wicked people had given him the money, thirty pieces of silver: but Judas could not be happy.

Judas felt that he could not like the money: he could not bear to keep it, because he had done such a wicked thing to get it. So Judas went to look for the wicked men. They had been sitting up all night talking against Jesus: but now they were in God’s house—the Temple.

Judas brought the thirty pieces of silver in his hands, and threw them down on the floor near the wicked men. Judas said, I have done a very wicked thing.

They picked up the pieces of silver from the floor, and went and bought a field with the money.

He went out to the field to kill himself. He did not go and ask Jesus to forgive him, but went and hanged himself. I suppose he tied a rope around his neck, and fastened the rope to a tree. Afterward he fell down from the tree, and his body burst, and his blood was poured out on the ground. O what a horrible sight it must have been! But it was more horrible to think where Judas’ soul was gone. It was gone to hell—to Satan.

It was very wicked of Judas to hang himself, instead of praying to God to forgive him.

Judas is in the wicked place now; and Jesus will judge him at the last day, and say, Depart, you cursed!

LESSON XXXIX.
THE CROSS—PART I.
Luke, xxiii. 26-34.

The wicked people were very glad when Pilate said Jesus was to be crucified. They made a cross of two great pieces of wood like boards, and made Jesus carry it. They took him out of Jerusalem[109] into the country. The wicked people came with him.

Jesus was so weak that he could hardly walk, and the cross was so heavy that he could not carry it. He would have dropped down on the way, if a man had not helped him to carry the cross.

Some women, who loved him very much, came crying after him. Jesus heard them crying, and he turned round and spoke very kindly to them.

He said, Do not cry for me; cry for yourselves, and for your children. Why did Jesus tell them to cry for themselves? Ah! Jesus knew how God would one day punish the people in Jerusalem for their wickedness.

At last Jesus came to the top of a hill. Then the soldiers made Jesus lie upon his cross, and they put nails in his hands, and nails in his feet. So they nailed him to the cross. Then the soldiers made a hole in the ground, and stuck the cross in it.

They had taken off Jesus’ clothes; and when he was on the cross four soldiers tore the clothes in four pieces, and each took a piece: but when they looked at his coat they said, We will not tear it, because there is no seam in it; then one of the soldiers[110] took it for his own. So the wicked people took everything away from Jesus.

No, he was meek as a lamb. He prayed to his Father while he was upon the cross; he could not lift up his hands, but he could speak to God. He prayed for these wicked people, and said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

LESSON XL.
THE CROSS—PART II.
Luke, xxiii. 35-43.

Pontius Pilate wrote these words on the top of Jesus’ cross: This is the King of the Jews.

All the wicked people laughed when they read these words; they shook their heads, and pouted their lips at Jesus, and said, If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.

The wicked people said, If God loved him, he would not leave him to die on the cross.

There was a cross on each side of Jesus, and a thief nailed upon each cross. One of these thieves[112] laughed at Jesus; he said, Why do you not save us, if you are the son of God?

The thief who was sorry said to the other thief, We have been naughty, we deserve to be crucified; but Jesus is quite good. Then he spoke to Jesus, and said, Remember me when you come to be king.

And Jesus said, You shall be with me in heaven to-day. So Christ heard the poor thief’s prayer; for Jesus died that he might save all who believed that he was the Son of God.

LESSON XLI.
THE CROSS—PART III.
John, xix. 25-30. Matthew, xxvii. 45-54.

Jesus’ mother, Mary, stood near the cross. She came to see her son die. She was very sorry; she felt her heart full of pain at the sight.

She loved her dear, good son, who had been kind to her ever since he was a baby, and had never done one thing wrong, and she knew he was the Son of God. Jesus was sorry to see his mother’s grief.

John had come to the cross, and he was standing near Mary. Jesus wished John to take care of his mother, now that he was going to leave her. So he said to his mother, Behold thy son. And he said to John, Behold thy mother. John knew what[114] Jesus meant, and he took Mary to be his mother, and made her live with him. Jesus loved his mother, and thought of her when he was dying.

Jesus was full of pain, and it was very hot. He said, I thirst! and the soldiers took a sponge, and dipped it in vinegar, and put it on a reed and gave it to Jesus.

Jesus just tasted the vinegar, and said, It is finished! and then he died. His spirit went to his Father, but his body hung upon the cross.

It was three o’clock in the afternoon when Jesus died. He had been nailed to the cross all the day. Before Jesus died, God had made it very dark, to show he was angry with the wicked people. And God made the earth shake, and the people were frightened; and when Jesus was dead, some of them said, This must have been the Son of God.

LESSON XLII.
THE SOLDIERS.
John, xix. 32-37.

At last the soldiers came to see if Jesus and the two thieves were dead, that they might bury them before night. The soldiers looked at one thief, and they saw that he was not dead; so they broke his legs, and that killed him. Then they looked at the other thief, and they saw he was not dead; so they broke his legs. Then they looked at Jesus, and they saw he was dead, so they did not break his legs: but one of the soldiers took a long stick with a sharp point at the end, called a spear, and put it in his side; and out of his side blood and water came flowing upon the ground. John was standing near, and he saw the blood poured out. Do you remember how Jesus, at supper the night[116] before, had poured wine in a cup, and said, This is my blood, which is shed for sinners?

The spear made a hole in Jesus’ side. There was a hole in his side, and a hole in each hand, and a hole in each foot; and his forehead was pricked with thorns, and his eyes had shed many tears, and blood had come from his skin. All this he suffered for us, that God might forgive us our sins.

LESSON XLIII.
THE GRAVE.
John, xix. 38 to end. Luke, xxiii. 55, 56. Matthew, xxvii. 60.

There was one rich man who loved Jesus; his name was Joseph (not Mary’s husband, this was another Joseph); he had a garden, and in the garden he had made a grave: perhaps he meant to be buried there himself when he came to die.

But now Joseph thought, I should like to put the Lord Jesus in my grave. It was a very nice grave, and no one had ever been put there yet.

So Joseph went to Pontius Pilate, and said, I[117] want the dead body of Jesus: may I take it down from the cross, and keep it myself?

Then Joseph was glad. He bought some nice white clean linen. What do you think that was for? To wrap Jesus in. And he bought some spices (sweet-smelling things that grow out of the ground), and he brought some men with him, and they took the nails out of Jesus’ hands and feet, and, took his body down from the cross. Then Joseph wrapped a cloth round his head, and another cloth round his waist, and he put sweet spices on him; and then some men carried him along to Joseph’s garden.

In the garden there was a high place called a rock, and a hole in the rock, like a hole in a wall; and they walked into this large dark hole, and they laid Jesus down quite alone. Now he was at rest; he felt no pain, no sorrow: the wicked people were not near; and there lay the Lord in his quiet grave. The men took a very large stone and stopped up the hole, so that nobody could get in. No beast, no bird, could touch the Lord Jesus. There were trees and flowers near him in this sweet garden, and there were angels there watching over him, though no one could see them.

They had been looking at him on the cross. How they must have cried when they saw him bleed, and heard him cry out to God!

The poor women had seen the men take him down from the cross. They had followed the men into the garden; they had seen him put so carefully in his grave.

They said to each other, Let us get more spices, and make sweet ointment to put on the Lord Jesus.

Joseph had put some spices, but they wanted to put more. So they went home and made nice ointment.

LESSON XLIV.
THE RESURRECTION.
Mark, xvi. 1-6. Luke, xxiv. 3-10. Matthew, xxviii. 9, 10.

One morning very early, when Jesus had been dead only two days, the poor women came into the garden. It was not quite light yet, for the sun was just rising.

As the women walked along with their ointment they said to each other, How shall we get into the grave? The men put a large stone before it; the stone is so big, we cannot roll it away. The women did not know what to do.

At last they came to the grave, but the stone was rolled away. The women were quite surprised. Then they were afraid some wicked people had rolled it away, and stolen the body of Jesus. This made them very sad; they looked into the grave, and saw that Jesus was not there. Soon they saw two beautiful angels standing by them. Their faces were bright like the sun, their clothes whiter than snow.

The women trembled when they saw the angels; but the angels spoke sweetly and kindly to them, saying, Do not be afraid; we know that you are[120] looking for Jesus. He is not here now; he is alive. Do you not remember how he said he would come to life again, after he had been crucified?

Come, said the angels, and look at the place where Jesus lay. Run quickly, and tell his disciples that Jesus is alive, and that they shall see him very soon.

The women were very glad indeed; they ran as quickly as they could to tell the disciples. But as they were running, whom do you think they saw? Jesus himself! He did not look as he once had looked; no tears were on his cheeks; they were all wiped away. He was not weak and faint as when he had carried his cross. He never could be sick any more; nor could he ever die again.

How much pleased the women were to see him! They knelt down on the ground, and held his feet that he might not go away, and they called him their Lord and their God. Yet still they felt a little afraid; but Jesus told them not to be afraid. Jesus said: Go, tell my brothers that I shall soon see them again.

His disciples. He had forgiven them for having run away when the wicked men took him.

The poor women ran, as Jesus had told them, to the disciples, and said, We have seen angels; we[121] have seen the Lord Jesus! He is walking about, and you will see him soon. But the disciples would not believe the women.

LESSON XLV.
MARY MAGDALENE.
John, xx. 1-19.

I have told you of two Marys; Mary the mother of Jesus, and another Mary, the sister of Lazarus. But there was another still, called Mary Magdalene. She came very early to the grave, before the other women came. She looked into the grave, but saw no angels; so she came running back, and told Peter and John that Jesus was not in his grave. I am afraid, said Mary Magdalene, that some wicked people have taken him away, and that we shall not be able to find him.

So Peter and John began to run as fast as they could, but John ran the fastest, and he came first to the grave. He stooped down and peeped in, and he saw the clothes lying in the grave.

Soon after Peter came, and he went down into the grave, and he saw the clothes neatly folded, and the cloth that was round Jesus’ head lying in a[122] place by itself. Then John went in, too; and John thought of what Jesus had said about being alive again.

Then Peter and John came out of the grave, and went to their own house; but they saw no angels, nor did they see Jesus.

She was standing crying outside the grave: she was quite alone; for Peter and John were gone home.

At last she stooped down and looked into the grave, and she saw a beautiful sight—two angels, one sitting where Jesus’ head had been, and one where his feet had been!

The angels said to Mary, Why do you cry? but still she went on crying, and said, Some people have taken away the Lord Jesus, and I cannot find him!

She did not know who it was that spoke; she thought perhaps it was the gardener. If you have taken him, said she, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away.

The man said, Mary! She knew that voice, and[123] turning round she looked, and saw that it was Jesus. How glad she was to see her Lord and Master, whom she loved! But Jesus could not stay with her. He told her to go and tell his dear disciples that he was alive. I am soon going up to my Father in heaven; but I shall see my disciples first.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples. They were all crying, but they would not believe what Mary said.

Mary was glad that she had gone to look for Jesus. She was the first of all the people who saw Jesus after he was alive again.

LESSON XLVI.
THE TWO FRIENDS.
Luke, xxiv. 13-48.

It was early in the morning that the women went to look for Jesus. In the evening two good men were taking a walk together in the country. As they walked they talked about Jesus. They had not seen him since he was alive again: they did not know he was alive. They talked about his dying on the cross. It made them very sad to speak[124] about it. At last a man came and spoke to them; they thought he was a stranger, yet he seemed to be a kind man.

Yes, said these good men, we are talking of something sad. Did you never hear of Jesus? What wonderful things he did, how he cured the blind, and dumb, and sick; and how he taught people about God? And all the people loved him; but at last he was crucified. We thought he had been the Son of God: but now we are afraid he was not, for he is dead, and we are afraid that we shall never see him again.

The kind stranger was sorry to see these good men cry. He began to talk to them, and to tell them that Jesus was the Son of God, and that he had been crucified to save men, and that he would rise again, and go back to his Father.

This kind stranger said a great deal more. He knew all the verses in the Bible, and told these men a great many things they did not know. They liked to listen to the stranger, they did not feel so sad while he was talking.

At last these men came to their own house: it was in the country. The stranger seemed as if he was going on: but the good men said to him,[125] Pray stay at our house; it is getting dark. Come and sup with us, and sleep here: pray, pray come in.

The men went into a room where there was a supper. They all three sat down together around the table. The stranger took some bread and broke it, and began to pray to God; and then the two men found out who the stranger was.

It is the Lord! they cried; and so it was. They looked towards him, but they could see him no more. He opened not the door, but yet he was gone.

Then the men thought of all that Jesus had said. How sweetly he talked to us! they said; did we not feel our hearts quite warm, while he talked to us? they said; did we not feel our hearts quite warm, while he was speaking about the Bible, and telling us the meaning?

Do you think these men went to bed that night? O no! they could not sleep. Let us go, said they, and tell the disciples about our seeing Jesus. So they left the supper, and set out in the night. They walked quickly, and soon came to Jerusalem.

The disciples were all shut up in a room together. They had locked the doors to prevent the wicked people getting in: but they let these good men come in. The disciples were at supper.

We have seen Jesus! said these good men. He has walked with us, and talked with us; but we did not know him till he sat down with us at supper, and broke some bread, and gave thanks to his Father. The disciples said, Some women have seen him, and Peter has seen him.

But while they were eating supper and talking about Jesus, they looked and saw Jesus standing in the middle of the room. Though the door was locked, yet he had come in.

How do you think the disciples felt? They were frightened: they could not believe that it was indeed Jesus himself.

Jesus spoke kindly to them. Why are you afraid? he said. Look at my hands and feet. It is I myself. Then Jesus showed his disciples the marks that the nails had made in his hands and feet, and the hole that the spear had made in his side.

Then the disciples saw that it was their own dear Master. They were glad, very glad, to see him: they had been crying ever since they had lost him. They saw that he had forgiven them for having run away. He said nothing to them about it: he had even forgiven Peter. He knew that Peter loved him, and that he was very sorry.

The disciples were so much surprised to see Jesus, that they could hardly believe that he was[127] alive. Jesus knew that they did not quite believe; so he said, Have you anything to eat? Then the disciples gave him a piece of fish and some honey from their supper; and Jesus took them and began to eat, that the disciples might see that he was really alive.

Then afterward he talked to them, and told them why he had died, and that he was going back to his Father to pray for them.

That was a pleasant night for the poor disciples. It was not like that sad night when Jesus was so sorrowful in the garden. His sorrows were over, and he never would feel pain any more.

LESSON XLVII.
THOMAS.
John, xx. 24 to end.

You have heard how the disciples saw Jesus in the evening. One of the disciples was not there when Jesus came. His name was Thomas. I do not know why he was not there.

When the disciples saw Thomas next, they said to him, We have seen Jesus. On Sunday night we saw him. He came into the room as we were sitting together, and he spoke to us. We are sure it was Jesus himself, because he showed us the marks of the nails in his hands and feet, and the hole in his side where the spear went in.

But Thomas would not believe the disciples. He said, I do not think you saw Jesus himself. He died upon the cross. I never will believe, except I put my fingers into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into the hole in his side.

It was very wrong of Thomas to speak in this[129] way. He should have remembered that Jesus had promised to be alive again.

Jesus heard Thomas speak, though Thomas could not see him. But Jesus was always with the disciples and heard all they said, because he is God.

Next Sunday evening the disciples were in a room together. Thomas was there too. The doors were locked to keep the wicked people out; but the disciples knew that Jesus could come in. And he did come. They saw him standing in the middle of the room. He spoke kindly to them, and said, Peace be unto you!

Then he spoke to Thomas. Come, said he to Thomas, here are my hands; put your finger in the marks: and here is the hole in my side; put your hand in it.

Now Thomas knew that Jesus had heard him speak so naughtily, and he felt ashamed and sorry. He saw it was Jesus himself, and he cried out, My Lord and my God!

Then Jesus said to Thomas, Now you have seen, you believe. Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.

Jesus quite forgave Thomas for what he had said, because Thomas really loved Jesus.

LESSON XLVIII.
THE DINNER.
John, xxi. 1-19.

Jesus told his disciples to go a great way into the country, and he said, I will come and see you again. So the disciples went away from Jerusalem, and they went into the country. They came to the place where they had once lived, by the water side. They had some ships on the water, and they used to catch fish when they were in the ships.

One night Peter said to the disciples, I shall go and fish; and the disciples said, We will go with you. So they got into a ship, and all night long they tried to catch fish, but they could not catch any.

In the morning they were tired and hungry. They looked up, and saw a man standing near the water side. They did not know who the man was.

The man said, Let down your net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find some fish.

They did as the man told them, and they caught such a number of fishes in the net, that they could hardly lift it out of the water.

Peter was very glad, and he jumped into the water, and swam first to Jesus. The other disciples came soon after in their little ship, with their nets and their fishes. Jesus knew that they were tired and hungry. By the water side there was a fire, and some fish on the fire, and some bread. How kind it was of Jesus to give some food to his poor hungry disciples!

Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fishes that you have caught. So Peter went and took up the net and found it full of great fishes: one hundred and fifty-three.

This was a great miracle that Jesus had done. Then said Jesus to the disciples, Come and dine. So they all sat down to dine together. Then Jesus took the bread, and gave some to each; and he took the fish, and gave some of it to each.

Now the disciples were quite sure that it was Jesus who was feeding them. This was the way they used to dine together before Jesus had died. Now he was alive, they dined together again: but they knew he was not going to stay long with them.

Then Jesus said, Feed my lambs, (that is, Teach other people to love me. Go and tell people about my dying for them).

You, my little children, are Christ’s lambs, and I feed you when I talk to you about Christ. I feed your souls, and the food is the love of Jesus.

Peter did love Jesus, and Jesus knew he did. Yet Jesus said again, Do you love me? Peter said again, Lord, you know I love you. Then Jesus said, Feed my sheep.

Peter was afraid Jesus did not believe him, and this made him sorry. He said, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.

Do you love Jesus, my little children? What would you answer if Jesus said to you, Do you love me? Could you say to Jesus, Look into my heart, and you will see that I love you? If you do really love him, you will hate lies and passions, and you will try to be kind and gentle, and to please Jesus all the day.

Why did Jesus ask Peter so often whether he loved him? Why did he ask him three times over?

Peter had said he did not know Jesus three times over. So Jesus wanted to hear him say he loved him three times over.

Then Jesus told Peter what would happen to him when he was old. Jesus said to Peter, When you were young, you walked about where you liked; but when you are old some men will take you, and stretch out your hands, and carry you where you do not like to go.

Jesus meant that Peter would be crucified; men[134] would stretch out his hands on a cross, and nail him as they had done Jesus. Wicked people would crucify Peter because he loved Jesus; but Peter would never say again that he did not know Jesus.

Peter was not proud now as he used to be. And Peter would pray to God to keep him from sin.

LESSON XLIX.
THE ASCENSION.
Matthew, xxviii. 16 to end. Luke, xxiv. 46 to end. Acts, i. 4-14.

Jesus used to come and see his disciples after he was made alive again; but he did not live always with them, as he once had done.

He told them he was soon going up to his Father. When I am gone, you must tell people about me. You must tell the people who crucified me, that I will forgive them if they are sorry. The Holy Spirit will come down from heaven, for my Father has promised to send him down soon: Wait at Jerusalem till he come. I will always be with you, though you do not see me. Some day I shall come back again.

The disciples asked Jesus when he would come back; but Jesus would not tell them when.

One day Jesus and his disciples walked together to the top of a hill. Jesus began to pray with his disciples, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was doing this he was taken up to heaven, and a cloud hid him at last from the eyes of his disciples. They still looked up, and saw the cloud go higher and higher till they could see it no more. But still they went on looking. Then they heard some persons speaking to them; they looked to see who it was, and they saw two angels standing by them. The angels were dressed in white shining clothes. They said, Why do you look so long at the sky? Jesus will come some day again. So the disciples went back to Jerusalem, to wait for the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps you think they were very unhappy, now Jesus was gone? No, they were not. They knew he was gone to get a place in heaven ready for them, and that they should live with him forever; and this made them glad.

LESSON L.
PETER IN PRISON.
Acts, ii. xii. 1-23.

And he did send the Holy Spirit, as he had promised. Then the disciples began to speak of Jesus to all the wicked people.

They said to them, You have crucified the Son of God. He is alive, and is gone up to sit on his Fathers throne; but he will forgive you, and give you the Holy Spirit.

Some of the wicked people were sorry for what they had done to Jesus, and begged God to forgive[137] them; and some of the wicked people were not sorry, but tried to kill the disciples.

A wicked king cut off the head of James with a sword, and then shut up Peter in prison, meaning to kill him soon.

Some soldiers took Peter, and put chains on his hands, and chains on his feet, and they locked the door of the prison. Men sat at the door, that no one might get in.

Peters friends were very unhappy because he was in prison; but they could not take him out. Yet there was one thing they could do; they could pray to God to save Peter, and so they did. Peter’s friends sat up at night and prayed to God.

The wicked king said, To-morrow I shall have Peter killed. But God would not let Peter be killed. So God told one of his beautiful angels to go and let Peter out of the prison. The angel could go into the prison without opening the doors.

It was night when the angel came. Peter was asleep. On each side of him there was a soldier, and Peter was chained to them both. You would not like to sleep in a prison with soldiers near you,[138] and chains on your hands; but Peter knew that God loved him, and that he was safe.

The angel touched Peter on the side, and lifted him up, and the chains fell off Peter’s hands.

He told Peter to put on his clothes; and Peter did so. Then the angel said, Follow me. So the angel walked first, and Peter followed him. They went through the prison; but the men at the doors did not see Peter go out, for God made them sleep. Peter was quite surprised; he thought he was dreaming, and that he did not see a real angel.

At last Peter came to a great iron gate. It was fast locked; but the angel took no key to open it. It opened of itself, and let Peter and the angel go through.

Now they were in the street. Still the angel went on, and Peter came after him; but they did not speak a word.

All the people were asleep, and did not know that a bright angel was walking in the street. The angel only walked down one street, and then he went back to heaven, and left Peter standing alone in the street, in the dark.

Peter stood some time thinking to himself, What a wonderful thing has happened! I was shut up in prison; but God has sent his angel to let me out. The king meant to kill me to-morrow, but now I shall not be killed.

I know that Peter thanked God for his kindness. Peter did not stay all night in the street. He went to the house of a good woman whom he knew, and he knocked at the door.

This good woman had heard how the king would kill Peter to-morrow; so she and her friends were praying for Peter, and while they were praying they heard a knock: it was a strange thing to hear a knock in the night; but they never guessed who it was.

A maid named Rhoda went to the door, but she was afraid to open it, lest it should be some of the wicked people come to kill the poor woman and her friends; so she stopped at the door without opening it, to hear who it was: but when she heard Peter speak, how much pleased she was! she knew his voice. She did not say, Are you Peter? She was sure it was Peter. She was so much surprised that she forgot to open the door; but ran back to[140] her mistress and the rest of the disciples, and said, Peter is standing before the gate; but they said, No, it cannot be Peter; he is shut up in prison.

The maid said, It is Peter; I am sure it is. While they were talking, Peter was standing outside, and he went on knocking, because nobody opened the door. Soon his friends ran and opened the door, and when they saw Peter they were quite surprised.

Then Peter made a sign with his hand to make them all quiet, that he might tell them how he got out of prison.

God sent an angel, said Peter, who brought me out of the prison. Go and tell all my friends what has happened, for I must go away. So Peter went and hid himself in a place where the wicked king could not find him.

What do you think the soldiers said when they could not find Peter in the morning?

They were much frightened: they saw his chains, but not Peter. They found the gates locked; they could not think how Peter got out of prison.

So the king sent for Peter. This was the day when Peter was to be killed. All the wicked people in Jerusalem were expecting to see him. The king’s servants said, Where is Peter? Bring him out.

The servants went and told the king that Peter was not in prison. The king was very angry; he said, Bring the soldiers to me. They must have fallen asleep.

When the soldiers came, they could not tell the king how Peter had got away. For God had made them sleep when the angel fetched Peter. The king was in a great rage, and said, The soldiers must be killed.

What a wicked king this was! He loved to do wickedness. He was very proud, and hated God and God’s people. He fell into passions, and only cared to please himself. At last God sent an angel to kill him, and worms ate up his flesh until he died.

God sends angels to punish the wicked, and to help people who love him as Peter did.

LESSON LI.
JOHN.
Rev. i. 9-19; iv. 1-5; xxii.

Almost all the twelve disciples were killed by wicked men at last. When Peter was old, some wicked men crucified him, because he loved Jesus. Now he is in heaven with Jesus, clothed in a white robe, and all his tears wiped away. His dear Lord Jesus is always near him, and this makes him happy.

John lived till he was very, very old, indeed. A wicked king caught him, and put him into a country far away from his friends: there was water all round, so that he could not get away.

No; God was with him, and John loved to think of the Father, and of his Son Jesus.

It was Sunday, and John was thinking of God, when he heard a voice behind him, like the noise of a trumpet, very loud indeed. He turned round to see who it was; and whom do you think he saw?

The Lord Jesus come down from heaven, all glorious and shining! When John saw him, he could not speak or stand; he was afraid, and he fell down on the ground, as if he were dead. But Jesus touched him with his hand and said, Fear not; I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore. Then Jesus took John up into heaven, and an angel showed him most beautiful things.

John saw a throne on which God sat. There was a rainbow round the throne. There were a great many seats, and men sitting on them, clothed in white, with crowns of gold on their heads. The men took off their crowns, and threw them down before the throne and praised Jesus, the Lamb of God.

John saw a great many angels, more than he could count, standing round the throne, singing praises to the Lamb.

But of all the things John saw in heaven, there was nothing so glorious as God himself.

In heaven there is no sun, nor moon, nor candle, nor lamp. Yet it is always light, because God shines more brightly than the sun. The music of harps and sweet singing are always to be heard; for all the angels can sing the praises of God.

John wondered at the things he saw and heard; and he fell down at the feet of the angel who had shown them to him.

But the angel said, You must not worship me; I am only a servant of God: you must worship God.

Then the angel went on speaking and said, Jesus will soon come down from heaven to judge the world. He will open the gates of heaven to let those people in who mind God’s word; but those who tell lies, and do wicked things, shall be shut out.

I hope that when you die your spirit will go to Jesus, and that when Jesus comes again, he will bring you with him.

John wrote down in a book the things he had seen in heaven. All that John wrote is in the Bible. At last John died, and his soul went to God. He[145] is with Jesus now in heaven. He is now playing on a golden harp, and singing with the angels. But when Jesus comes again in the clouds, John will come with him.

LESSON LII.
THE JUDGMENT DAY.
I. Thess. iv. 15-17. Rev. xx. 11 to end.

Little children, do you know when he will come? Shall I tell you when Jesus will come? You would like to know; but I cannot tell you when: I do not know. The angels do not know what day it will be. No one knows but God. There will be many wicked people in the world then, and some good people. An angel will blow a great trumpet, and Jesus will say to the people who are dead, Come out of your graves.

The bodies of all the dead people will come out of their graves. Those who love Christ will be like the angels, and will fly up into the air. If you are alive when Jesus comes, he will catch you up in the air to meet him.

As soon as you see Jesus you will be like him, all shining and glorious. Jesus will be king over the whole world, and make all people happy.

At last Jesus will sit upon a white throne, and everybody will stand round his throne. He will open some books, in which he has written down all the naughty things people have done. God has[147] seen all the naughty things you have done. He can see in the dark as well as in the light, and knows all your naughty thoughts. He will read everything out of his books before the angels that stand around. Yet God will forgive some people, because Christ died upon the cross.

Those who love Jesus with all their hearts. He has written down their names in another book, called The Book of Life. He will forgive their sins, wipe away their tears, and let them live with him forever.

Ask him to give you his Holy Spirit. Then you will love Jesus, and hate to do wickedly.

This is what God will do to those who do not love him—God will bind them in chains, and put them in a lake of fire. There they will gnash their teeth, and weep and wail forever.

God will put Satan in the same place, and all the devils. Satan is the father of the wicked, and he and his children shall be tormented forever. They shall not have one drop of water to cool their burning tongues. Many people in hell will say, How I wish I had listened to the words of my teachers! But I would not mind; and now it is too late. I[148] never can come out of this dreadful place. How foolish I have been! Once God would have heard my prayers, but now I weep and wail in vain.

Remember Satan goes about as a cunning serpent, trying to make you disobey God; but Christ will keep you from wickedness, if you pray to him.

One day God will burn up this world we live in. It is dreadful to see a house on fire. Did you ever see one? But how dreadful it will be to see this great world and all the houses and trees burning! The noise will be terrible: the heat will be very great. The wicked will not be able to get away. They will be cast into the lake of fire. The world will not burn forever; God will make another world, much better than this.

If you are God’s child, you will not be frightened when the world is burning, for you will be safe with Jesus, praising him for having loved and saved you.

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Transcriber’s Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Page 15, “canot” changed to “cannot” (cannot think of God)

Page 49, “dressinig” changed to “dressing” (babe a-dressing)

Page 64, repeated word “been” removed from text (has been very naughty)

Page 69, “arisinig” changed to “arising” (the maid arising)

Page 88, “wil” changed to “will” (I will show you where)

Page 119, “the” changed to “they” (they saw the angels)

Page 124, “crucifid” changed to “crucified” (crucified to save men)

Page 145, repeated word “to” removed from text (Singing to harps of)

Page 148, “prasing” changed to “praising” (praising him for having)

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