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LINE UPON LINE;
OR
A SECOND SERIES
OF? THE
EARLIEST RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION
THE
INFANT MIND IS CAPABLE OF RECEIVING
WITH
VERSES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE SUBJECTS.
BY THE AUTHOR
OF THE''PEEP OP DAY."
Line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little.-IsA. 28:10.
PUBLISHED BY THE
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY,
160 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK.








PREFACE.
THE design of this little work is to lead
children to understand, and to delight in the
Scriptures.
If adults meet with difficulties in the sacred
text, which commentaries often remove, children must necessarily meet with many more,
some of which this little book may clear up.
Since it is evident that commentaries would
not suit the volatile minds of children, however simply they might be written, some other
kind of help ought to be provided for them.
The best assistance would no doubt be afforded by the parent's voice: for no book can so
forcibly arrest the attention, or touch the
heart, as the remarks of a tender parent. But




iV                PREFACE.
where children do not enjoy this advantage, a
book may in some measure supply its place;
and where they do possess it, may recall to
mind parental instructions.
Many interesting histories have been omitted, because the writer feared to swell the size
of the work, and judged it better to relate the
principal events in detail than to give an
abridged account of all.
But it is intended that these omissions
should be supplied, (if the Lord will,) and
that shortly the history of Job should be published, and subsequently that of the Judges,
and of the kings of Israel and Judah.




CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE.
The Creation. Gen. 1..........  9
CHAPTER II.
The Fall of Man. Gen. 3,.........15
CHAPTER III.
Cain and Abel. Gen. 4.........20
CHAPTER IV.
The Flood. Gen. 6-9,..........24
CHAPTER V.
Abraham, or the Promised Land. Gen. 12: 1-9,. 30
CHAPTER VI.
Abraham, or the Promised Child. Gen. 15; 18: 1-22;
21:1-6,............    33
CHAPTER VII.
Abraham, or the Trial of Love. Gen. 22,... 36
CHAPTER VIII.
Jacob, or the Heavenly Dream. Gen. 23; 25; 27; 28, 41
CHAPTER IX.
Jacob, or the Long Journey. Gen. 29,...    47
CHAPTER X.
Jacob, or the Meeting. Gen. 31; 32; 33; 35: 1-7,   51
_*




yi                   CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI.
PAGE.
Joseph, or the Pit. Gen. 37: 1-24,..... 55
CHAPTER XII.
Joseph, or the Slave. Gen. 37: 24-35,....  60
CHAPTER XIII.
Joseph, or the Prisoner. Gen. 39,.....64
CHAPTER XIV.
Joseph, or the Butler and Baker. Gen. 40,...  68
CHAPTER XV.
Joseph, or the Release.  Gen. 41,......  73
CHAPTER XVI.
Joseph, or the Lord of Egypt.  Gen. 42,.... 78
CHAPTER XVII.
Joseph, or the Feast.  Gen. 43,....... 85
CHAPTER XVIII.
Joseph, or the forgiving Brother. Gen. 44; 45: 1-15, 94
CHAPTER XIX.
Joseph, or the long-lost Son. Gen. 45: 16 to end; 46;
47:1-12; 1,.........101
CHAPTER XX.
Moses, or the Basket of Bulrushes. Ex. 1; 2: 1-10, 110
CHAPTER XXI.
Moses, or the Pious Choice.  Ex. 2: 11-15,..    116
CHAPTER XXII.
Moses, or the Burning Bush. Ex. 2: 16 to end; 3; 4, 122
CHAPTER XXIII.
Moses, or the first Plagues of Egypt. Ex. 5; 6; 7;
8;  9: 1-12............  128




CONTENTS.                    vii
CHAPTER XXIV.
PAGE.
Moses, or the last Plagues. Ex. 9: 13 to end; 11;
12;  13,.............132
CHAPTER XXV.
Moses, or the Red Sea. Ex. 13:20 to end; 14; 15: 22, 142
CHAPTER XXVI.
Moses, or the Manna and the Rock. Ex. 16; 17: 1-7, 148
CHAPTER XXVII.
Moses, or Mount Sinai. Gen. 19; 20; 24; 31: 18,  154
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Moses, or the Golden Calf. Ex. 32,....   160
CHAPTER XXIX.
Moses, or the Tabernacle. Ex. 35; 36; 37,.. 167
CHAPTER XXX.
Moses, or the Priests. Ex. 38; 39; 40,...   173
CHAPTER XXXI.
Moses, or the Journeys of the Israelites,.... 178
CHAPTER XXXII.
Moses, or the Twelve Spies. Numb. 13; 14: 1-40,  181
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Moses, or the Sin of Moses and Aaron. Numbers
20: 1-13, 22-29,.......... 188
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Moses, or the Serpent of Brass. Numbers 21: 4-9,   193
CHAPTER XXXV.
Moses, or the Death of Moses. Deut. 32; 33; 34,   198
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Joshua, or Rahab. Jos. 2,...204




yiii                  CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
PAGE.
Joshua, or the River Jordan. Jos. 3; 4; 5:1, 11,12, 212
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Joshua, or the Walls of Jericho. Josh. 5: 13-15; 6, 217
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Joshua-his Death,........   224
A few principal Questions for Children who have read
this book,.........              231
Questions on the Chapters,.....  233
Verses of Scripture,......    250




LINE UPON LINE.
CHAPTER I.*
THE CREATION.
Gen. i.
MY dear children, —I know that you have heard
that God made the world.  Could a man  have
made the world?  No; a man  could  not make
such a world as this.
Men can make many things, such as boxes and
baskets. Perhaps you know a man who can make
a box. Suppose you were to shut him up in a
room, which was quite empty, and you were to say
to him, " You shall not come out till you have
made a box,"-would the man ever come out?
No-never.  A  man could not make a box, except he had something to make it of. He must
The teacher will generally find the proof of every statement,
either in the chapters of the Bible referred to at the beginning of
each chapter in this book, or in the notes affixed; but in the opening
of this work the proofs are often withheld, because they have already
been given in those parts of the " Peep of Day" in which the same
subjects are treated.




10               THE CREATION.
have some wood, or some tin, or some pasteboard,
or some other thing.  But God had nothing to
make the world of.  He only spoke, and it was
made.*
Making things of nothing, is called "creating."
No one can create anything, but God.t
Do you know why God is called the Creator?
It is because he created all things. There is only
one Creator. Angels cannot create things, nor
can men.  They could not create one drop of water, or one little fly. "
You know that God was six days in creating
the world. I will tell you what he did on each
day.
I.
On the first day, God said, " Let there be light;
and there was light.
II.
On the second day, God spoke again, and there
was water very high; that water is called the
clouds. There was also water very low. There
was nothing but water to be seen.  God filled
every place with air; but you know the air cannot
be seen.
III.
On the third day, God spoke, and the dry land
appeared from under the water; and the water ran' Things which are seen were not made of things that do appeaz. —
Heb. xi. 3.
t Thou hast created all things.-Rev. iv. 11.




THE CREATION.                 1
down into one deep place that God had prepared.*
God called the dry land Earth, and he called the
water Seas.  We walk upon the dry land.  We
cannot walk upon the sea. The sea is always rolling up and down; but it can never come out of
the great place where God has put it. God spoke,
and things grew out of the earth. Can you tell
me what things grew  out of the earth?  Grass,
and corn, and trees, and flowers.
IV.
On the fourth day God spoke, and the sun and
moon and stars were made.  God ordered the sun
to come every morning, and to go away in the evening,t because God did not choose that it should
be always light.  It is best that it should be dark
at night, when we are asleep. But God lets the
moon shine in the night, and the stars also; so
that if we go out in the night, we often have a little light.  There are more stars than we can count.
V.
On the fifth day, God began to make things
that are alive.  He spoke, and the water was filled
with fishes, and birds flew out of the waiter, and
perched upon the trees.
Vi.
On the sixth day, God spoke, and the beasts
came out of the earth: lions, sheep, cows, horses,
* Who shut the sea with doors, and brake up for it my decreed
place -J-ob. xxxviii. 8, 10.
t The sun knoweth his going down.-Ps. civ. 19.




12              THE CREATION.
and all kinds of beasts came out of the earth, as
well as all kinds of creeping things, such as bees,
ants, and worms, which creep upon the earth.
At last, God made a man. God said, " Let us
make man in our likeness."* To whom did God
speak? To his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ: his
Son was with him when he made the world. God
made man's body of the dust, and then breathed
into him. The man had a soul as well as a body.
So the man could think of God.  Afterwards God
made the woman of a piece of the flesh and bone
from the man's side, as you have heard before.
God gave all the other creatures to Adam and
Eve; and he blessed them, and put them into the
garden of Eden, and desired Adam to take care
of the garden.
When God had finished all his works, he saw
that they were very good. He was pleased with
the things he had made.  They were all very
beautiful. The light was glorious; the air was
sweet; the earth was lovely, clothed in green; the
sun and moon shone brightly in the heavens; the
birds, and beasts, and all the living creatures, were
good and happy, and Adam and Eve were the
best of all, for they could think of God, and
praise him.
VII.
You know there are seven days in the week.
Now, on the seventh day, God did not make any* In the beginning was the word; and the word was with God
and the word was God. All things were made by him-John i. 1. 3




THE CREATION.               13
thing; but he rested from all his works. He called the seventh day his own day, because he rested
on it. This is the reason people rest on the seventh day, and call it God's day. It is the sabbath
day. It is the great day for praising God.*
None of the creatures that God had made in the
six days could praise him with their tongues, except Adam and Eve.
Angels in heaven can praise God, and men upon earth.
My little children, do you ever praise God?
You have learned little hymns in his praise. Perhaps you know the hymn that begins,
"And now another day is gone,
I'll sing my Maker's praise."
Does God like to hear you praise him?  Yes;
when you think of him, and love him, while you
are praising him.
Angels always praise God with their hearts, and
so should we.
Let us now count the things that God made on
each day:First day, Light.
Second day, Air and Clouds.
Third day, Earth and Sea, and the things that
grow.
Fourth day, Sun, Moon, and Stars.
* I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and
praise, with a multitude that kept holy day.-Ps. xlii. 4.
Line upon Line.     2




14                THE CREATION.
Fifth day, Fishes and Birds.
Sixth day, Beasts and Creeping Things, and
Man.
Seventh day, Nothing; God rested.
All things the mighty Lord,
Created by his word;
And all his creatures are,
From worm to brightest star;
His wonders none can imitate,
Or out of nothing can create.
Were angels to unite
Their heavenly skill and might,
How vainly they would try
To make one little fly!
For life they never could bestow,
Nor cause the meanest flower to grow.
Angels so fair and strong
Unto the Lord belong;
From him their beauty came;'Tis he sustains their frame:
They could not live one single hour.
Unless supported by his power.
And this the angels know;
Around God's throne they bow,
And humbly they confess
Their own unworthiness;
And still the King of kings admire,
And praise him with their tongues of fire.
Far lower should I lie
Before the Lord most high;
For how can I compare
With angels strong and fair!
I who am made of sinful clay,
And like the grass must fade away 2




THE SIN OF ADAM.          15
CHAPTER II.
THE SIN OF ADAM.
Gen. iii.
You remember that God put Adam and Eve in
a pretty garden. There they lived very happily.
They never quarrelled with each other: they were
never sick nor in pain. Adam  worked in the
sweet garden; but not so hard as to tire himself.
His work was quite pleasant, for it was never too
hot nor too cold in that sweet garden; and there
were no weeds nor thistles growing in the ground.
You know there was one tree of which Adam
might not eat. The name of the tree was " The
tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
God had said, that if Adam ate of it, he should
die. Adam and Eve might eat of all the other
trees in the garden.
Do you not think that they had fruit enough
without eating of the tree of knowledge of good
and evil? They did not wish to eat of it, as God
had told them not.  They loved God. He was
their friend, and used to walk and talk with them
in the garden. Now you shall hear how Adam
and Eve grew wicked.
You know that there are a great many wicked
angels; one of them is called " Satan," and he is
the prince of the wicked angels. Satan knew that
if Adam and Eve grew wicked, they would die




16             THE SIN OF ADAM.
and go to hell.  Satan hated them, and wished to
make them  unhappy; so he thought, " I will try
and persuade them to eat that fruit which God has
told them not to eat." So Satan put on the body
of a serpent,* and came into the garden.
He saw Eve; he pretended to be kind, and said
to her, " WThy do you not eat of the fruit?"
But she said, " God has told us not to eat of
that fruit, and that if we do, we shall die."
But the serpent said, " No; you shall not die;
but this fruit will make you wise, like God."
The woman was afraid to eat; but she looked,
and thought the fruit nice; she looked again, and
thought it prelty;t and she thought " I should
like to eat it." So she took the fruit and gave
some to Adam.
Sad was that hour! no more happy days for
Adam  and Eve.  They were grown naughty;
they knew they had done wrong; they were afraid
of seeing God. Soon they heard his voice in the
garden; they went and hid themselves among the
thick trees. They wished they had some clothes
to cover them; but they had only some leaves
that they sewed together.
God called Adam, and said,' Adam, where art
thou?"
Then Adam  said, "I was afraid, because I was
naked, and I hid myself."
* That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth
the whole world.-Rev. xii. 9.
t And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was pleasant to the eyes, &c.-Gen. iii. 6.




THE SIN OF ADAM.           17
Then God said, " Who told you that you were
naked? have you eaten of that tree?"
Then Adam said, " The woman you gave me,
to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did
eat."
God said to the woman, " What is this that thou
hast done?"
And she said, " The serpent deceived me, and
I did eat."
God was angry with them all, but most of all
with th.e serpent.  God cursed him, and said,
" You shall always crawl on the ground, and eat
dust."
Then God said to the Woman, " You shall often
be sick, and Adam shall be your master, and you
must obey him."
And God said to Adam, " You shall work hard,
and dig the ground; thorns and thistles shall
grow; you shall have bread to eat; but you shall
be obliged to work so hard that drops of sweat
shall often stand upon your forehead; you shall
be sad while you live, and at last you shall die;
your body was made of dust, and it shall turn
into dust again."
What sad punishments these were! How sad
Adam and Eve must have felt when they heard
them  But this was not all; they were not allowed
to stay in the pretty garden. God drove them
out, and God would not let them come into the
garden again; so he desired an angel with a fiery
sword to stand ne-r it t vet (tod showed his pity
-4.




18               THE SIN OF ADAM.
by giving them clothes made of skins of beasts,
They had tried to make clothes of the leaves of
the trees, but God gave them better clothes.
Where do you think the souls of Adam  and
Eve must go when their bodies were dead? To
Satan?   That was what Satan hoped.  But the
blessed Lord Jesus had promised his Father to
come down and save Adam  and Eve, and their
children, from hell.
Adam  and Eve knew  that a child should one
day be born, who should save people from going to hell.* So they had some comfort in their
hearts, when they went out of the garden.
It was a long while before Jesus did make himself a little child, and did come into this world;
but at last he came, and died upon the cross.
My little children, was it not very kind in Jesus
to say that he would come and die for us?-ought
we not to love him very much?
How pleasant once was Adam's toil
In Eden's cool retreat!
But now he tills a thorny soil,
And faints beneath the heat.
How lovely once (how altered now f)
Were Adam's form and face!
Bright was that eye, and smooth that brow,
Now clouded by disgrace.
God said to the serpent, in the presence of Adam and Eve. " 
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Gen. iii. 15.




THE SIN OF ADAM.                19
His hair turns gray, his body stoops
Beneath the weight of years;
And Eve with pain and sickness droops,
And from her eyes flow tears.
Yet murmur not, 0 wretched pair,
Against the Lord Most High,
He made you happy, good, and fair,
And warn'd you not to die.
And now he kindly promises
To wash your sins away,
And let you taste of happiness
Which never shall decay.
This promise, too, will cost him dear;
(But, Oh! his love is great;)
His only Son must suffer here,
And die'midst scorn and hate.
A sweeter paradise is won,
Than you in Eden lost;
There God shines brighter than the sunm
Amidst his heavenly host.
A few more years of suffering past,
Your souls shall reach that shore;
Your bodies at the trumpet's blast,
Shall rise to die no more.




20              CAIN AND ABEL.
CHAPTER  III.
CAIN AND ABEL.
Gen. iv.
AFTER Adam and Eve were turned out of the
garden, they had two little children; their names
were Cain and Abel.
Cain was wicked like Satan; but Abel was
good; for though he was naughty, yet God had
given him his Holy Spirit, so that he loved God.
Abel was sorry for his sins, and asked God to forgive him;* and God did forgive him.
Cain and Abel were obliged to work hard like
Adam their father. Cain dug the ground, and
planted trees, and reaped corn. Abel took care of
sheep; he was a shepherd.
Now I will tell you how Cain and Abel behaved
to God.
God did not walk and talk with people then, as
he had done in the garden; but he did speak sometimes, and he allowed people to pray to him. You
know that Jesus had promised to die for Adam
and his children, and that was the reason that God
was so kind to them.
God wished them always to remember that Jesus had promised to die for them; so he taught
them a way of keeping it in their minds.
* All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.-Rom. iii.
23. (Byfaith) the elders obtained a good report.-Heb. xi. 2.




CAIN AND ABEL.               21
He told them to heap up stones, (this heap was
called an altar,) and then to put some wood upon
the altar; and to take a lamb, or a kid, and to
bind it with a rope to the altar; then to take a
knife and to kill the lamb; and then to burn it on
the altar. Doing this, was called " offering a sacrifice."
When people did this, God wished them  to
think how he would one day let his Son die for
their sins.*  When Jesus was nailed to the cross,
he was like a lamb tied to the altar.t
Abel brought lambs, and offered them up to
God; and Abel thought of God's promise, so God
was pleased with Abel, and with his sacrifice.
But Cain did not obey God, but brought some
fruit, instead of a lamb; and so God was angry
with Cain and did not like his sacrifice.
Then Cain was very angry, and hated Abel, because he was good, and because God loved him
best. Cain was envious of Abel.
Then God spoke to Cain, and said, " Why are
you angry? If you will love and serve me, I shall
be pleased with you; but if not, you shall be punished."
Still Cain went on in wickedness. Now hear
what he did at last.-One day he was talking with
Abel in a field, when he rose up and killed him.
Byfaith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than
Cain-Heb. xi. 4.
t Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world
John i. 29.




22            CAIN AND ABEL.
Abel's blood was spilt upon the ground. Abel
was the first man that ever died. So Cain began
by hating Abel, and ended by killing him though
he was his brother'
Soon Cain heard the voice of God calling him;
God said, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I know not," answered wicked Cain; "am 1
my brother's keeper?"
But God said, " I have seen your brother's blood
upon the ground; and you are cursed. You shall
leave your father and mother, and wander about
on the earth."
Cain said, " My punishment is greater than I
can bear. 0 let me not be killed!"
God said, "'You shall not be killed; but you
shall wander about from place to place."
So Cain went and lived a great way off, and
built houses for himself and his children. They
lived in wickedness; they were the children of
the devil, and cared not for God.
So Adam and Eve lost both their sons in one
day; for Cain went a great way off, and Abel died.
How they must have wept as they put dear Abel
in the ground! But they must have wept still
more to think that Cain was so wicked.
Why did they eat the fruit when Satan bade
them? If they had not eaten the fruit, they would
never have been unhappy: Cain would not have
been wicked, and Abel would not have died. But
God had pity on Adam and Eve, and gave them




CAIN AND ABEL.                23
another son, who was made good by God's Spirit:
he was called Seth.
The children of Seth feared God; and God loved them  and called them his children.
Cain was the babe the first on earth
Rejoic'd a mother's sight:
Now Eve laments the infant's birth,
Once hail'd with fond delight.
0 how could she foresee the day,
When she beheld her child,
As wrapt in slumbers soft he lay,
Or playfully he smiled!
But though so lovely to the view,
Evil lay hid within;
And Satan watch'd him, as he grew,
And fann'd the sparks of sin.
At length Cain shed his brother's blood
Then sought the deed to hide;
Now banish'd from his parents' God,
He wanders far and wide.
CHILD.
Guard me, 0 Lord from Satan's power,
For he walks to and fro,
And like a lion would devour
The souls of men below.
Pride, hate, and envy, are the chains,
By which he holds them fast;
Nor let them know what bitter pains
Their sins shall bring at last.




24               THE FLOOD.
CHAPTER IV.
THE FLOOD.
CAIN had a great many children; Seth had a
great many children.
At last Adam and Eve died, and Cain died, and
Seth died; but still there were a great many people in the world. Were the people good or wicked 
At first some were good, but at last they all
grew wicked, except one man: his name was
Noah.*  The spirit of God was in his heart, and
he loved God.
God was very angry with the wicked people,
and he determined to punish them.
God said to Noah,   I will make it rain so much
that all people shall be drowned, except you, and
your wife, and your children."
Then God told Noah to make a great ark.
What is an ark?  It is like a boat, or a ship.
Noah made a very great ark, which would swim
upon the top of the water, when God should drown
the wicked people.
Noah made the ark of wood.  Noah cut down
many trees, and cut boards, and fastened them together. He made one door in the ark, and one little window at the top.
Noah told the people that God was going to
Noah, a preacher of righteousness.-2 Peter. ii. 5.




THE FLOOD.                 25
drown the world and advised them to leave off
their wickedness.
But they would not mind. Still they went on
eating and drinking, and not thinking of God, nor
trying to please him.*
God did not choose that all the beasts. and birds,
and insects should be drowned; so he desired No
ah to get some birds of every sort, and some beasts
of every sort, and some insects of every sort, and
to bring them into the ark. God could make all
these animals go quietly in the ark. Noah put
corn, and fruit, and grass into the ark for them to
eat when they were in the ark.
So Noah got some birds of every sort; some
doves, some ravens, some eagles, some sparrows,
some larks, some goldfinches, and many others, and
they flew  in  at the window.  Noah got some
beasts of every kind, some sheep, some horses,
some dogs: and he got some insects of every kind;
some butterflies, some ants, some bees.
All these went into the ark; for God made them
gentle and obedient. Then Noah himself went in
with his wife, his three sons, and their wives.
How many people where there in the ark?-eight
people.  But Noah did not shut the door: God
shut the door, and Nqah knew that he must not
open it till God bade him.
Then it began to rain. It rained all day and
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in
marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood
oame and destroyed them all.-Luke xvii. 27.
Line upon Line.      3




26               TIHE FLOOD.
all night.  What did the wicked people think
now?  How they must have wished that they
had minded Noah! If they climbed trees, the water soon reached to the tops; if they went up high
mountains, as high as the clouds, the water rose
as high as they; for it rained forty days and forty nights. All beasts and birds, and men, and
children died, except those that were in the ark.
At last nothing was to be seen but water, and
the ark floating upon the top of the water. How
long did Noah live in the ark? Almost one whole
year.
A long while after it had left off raining, Noah
wished to know whether the waters were dried up.
He went among his birds, and chose a raven, and
let it out of the window.  A raven is a fierce bird.
It did not like the ark; though there were no
trees to be seen, nothing but water, yet the raven
would not go back to Noah, but went on flying
night and day over the water.
When Noah saw that the raven did not come
back, he went among his birds, and chose a dove.
A dove is a very gentle bird. Noah put it out at
the window; and when it saw nothing but water,
the dove came back to the ark. Noah knew when
his bird came back, (perhaps it pecked at the window,) and he put out his hand and pulled it in.
Noah waited seven days, then Noah sent the
dove out again; and this time the dove saw some
trees: yet the dove did not stay, but plucked off a




THE FLOOD.               27
leaf with its beak, and came back to Noah. Noah
must have loved his good little dove.
Noah waited seven days more, and then he sent
out the dove again, and this time it did not come
back.  Now Noah knew that the earth was dry,
but he waited in the ark till God told him to go
out.
At last God said, " Go out of the ark, you and
your wife, your three sons, and their wives, and
the birds, and the beasts, and the insects, and all
the creeping things."
When the door was open, the beasts came out.
How glad the sheep must have been to lie down
again upon the soft grass, and the goats to climb
the high hills!
WThen the window was open, the birds flew out.
How glad they must have been to perch again
among the trees!
Noah saw all the green hills and fields again;
but where were all the wicked people? he would
never see their faces again.
Noah remembered God's goodness in saving
him from being drowned.  He made a heap of
stones for an altar; he took some beasts and birds,
and offered a sacrifice to God. God was pleased
with this sacrifice.
Then God made a very kind promise to Noah.
He said,   I will never drown the world again.
When it rains, do not think there will be a flood.
Look up in the sky after the rain, and you will




28                   ^IE FLOOD.
see a bow. That shall be the sign that I remember my promise."
Have you seen a rainbow, dear children? How
large it is!   What beautiful colours it has!  It
puts us in mind of God's kind promise not to
drown the world any more.
You know  why God made this kind promise.
It was because the Lord Jesus had promised one
day to die for people's sins.
At last Jesus did come down and die: and one
day he will come again, and then he will burn the
world. I hope we shall then be saved as Noah
was; but if God should find us caring only for
eating and drinking, and playing, and not trying
to please him, we shall be burnt up.*
0 tell me how the nations passed
The day before the flood:
0! did they know it was the last.
And did they call on God?
In merriment
Their time is spent;
They sing and play,
And dance away;
They eat and drink,
And little think
They stand on endless ruin's brink.
Some rear the walls
Of sumptuous halls;
* Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be over.
charged with surfeiting, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so
that day come upon you unawares.-Luke xxi. 34.




THE FLOOD.                   29
Some join their hands
In marriage bands;
Some sell and buy;
All vainly try
To flee from God's all-seeing eye.
But God no more will silence keep;
He pours his wrath from high,
Unlocks the fountains of the deep,
And windows of the sky.
The clattering rain
Descends amain:
The rivers roar,
The torrents pour;
The waters rise
Till piteous cries
No more are heard beneath the skies.
At first, in flocks,
Men climb the rocks;
Nor fear to creep
Up mountains steep;
But waters flow
Where'er they go,
And wash them to the depths below.
Behold just Noah safely ride
Upon the mighty deep;
While all who once God's word defied.
Beneath the waters sleep.
CHILD.
Sudden as that tremendous day,
The judgment hour shall come;
Thousands shall then be swept away,
And meet an awful doom,
Let me not count these words a dream
And still refuse to hear;
3*




30              ABRAHAM, OR
However far the time may seem,
Each hour it draws more near.
When once the fire begins to burn,'Twill be too late to pray;
Now from my cry God will not turn
His gracious ear away.
CHAPTER V.
ABRAHAM) OR THE PROMISED LAND.
Gen. xii. 1-9.
NOAH'S sons had many children, and they had
many children, and at last there were a great many
people in the world. Were these people good or
bad?  They were bad. They did one very wicked thing.  They cut down trees, and made the
wood into little images, like dolls; then stuck
them up and kneeled down and prayed to the images and said, " These images are our gods; they
made us, and they gave us food to eat." These
images were called idols.
Most of the people in the world worshipped
idols, instead of the true God.  Sometimes the
idols were made of wood, sometimes of stone, or
silver, or gold,
How glad I am, my dear children, that your
mothers did not teach you to pray to idols!
When you first could speak, they told you about
the true God, and taught you to pray to him.




TILE PRIOISED LANR,                  "]
God looked down from heaven, and saw the people worshipping idols, and God was very angry.'
But he did not kill them all, because Jesus had
said he would die for the sins of men.t
Then  God  said, "I will choose one man, and
teach him to love me, and to be my servant."t
Now there was a man  called  Abraham.   His father and his friends worshipped  idols.  God said
to  Abraham, " Leave your own home and  your
own friends and go to a country which I will show
you, and I will bless you and take care of you.
Abraham did not know where God would tell
him to go,ll yet Abraham went because God told
him to go. Abraham was obedient.
Abraham had a wife, called Sarah, whom he loved very much. Sarah went with Abraham. Abraham took some sheep, and cows, and asses with
him, and some servants, who drove them and fed
them.
But where  could  Abraham   sleep  at night?
* The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness.
They are without excuse; because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God.-Rom. i. 18, 20, 21.
t I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles; that thou mayest be
my salvation unto the end of the earth.-Isa. xlix. 6.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.-Acts xvii. 30.
$ Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to
his foot.-Isa. xli. 2.
Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even
Terah, the father of Abraham, &c.; and they served other gods.-Josh
xxiv. 2.
Thou art the Lord, the God, who didst choose Abram.-Nehem
iu. 7.. (Abraham) went out not knowing whither he went.-Heb. xi. 8.




32               ABRAHAM, OR
There were very few houses to be seen; only
fields and trees. Abraham slept in a tent. He
made the tent with long sticks, and covered it over
with skins of beasts.
Abraham  could move his tent from  place to
place; for he had to travel a great many miles
over high hills and wide rivers. At last he came
to a beautiful country, full of trees and flowers
and grass and corn. This was the place that God
chose Abraham  should live in.  This place was
called Canaan.
Abraham  still lived in a tent.  Sometimes he
made a heap of stones, called an altar, and offered
sacrifices of beasts to God. Abraham never wor
shipped idols; but all the people in Canaan did.
God often spoke to Abraham, and said, " I will
bless you, and take care of you, and no one shall
hurt you."  God was pleased that Abraham had
left his own home when he told him; and God
called him his friend.*
Dear children: I hope that you will be like
Abraham, and that you will mind what God says
in the Bible. God has not told you to leave your
home; but he has told you to be good and gentle,
to speak the truth, and to love him, and he has
promised to take you to heaven.  If you obey
God, he will call you his friend.t  How pleasant
to be God's friend?
e (Abraham was called the friend of God.-James ii. 23.
t Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. —John
xv. 14.




THE PROMISED LAND.                33
Blest was the choice that Abraham made,
When he the voice of God obey'd,
And left his kindred dear.
What though he knew not where he went
And passed his days within a tent,
He knew that God was near.
And when he saw the heathen round,
Beneath each tree, upon each mound,
Before their idols, bend,
Could he enough his love express
For Him who promised still to bless,
And chose him for his friend?
The friend of God!-The angels fair
No sweeter name than this could bear,
However high their state;
Yet many a creature, made of clay,
Who will the Lord's commands obey,
Obtains this honour great.*
CHAPTER VI.
ABRAHAM, OR THE PROMISED CHILD.
Gen. xv.; xviii. 1-22; xxi. 1-6.
ABRAHAM and Sarah lived in a tent in the land
of Canaan.  They had no little child.  Abraham
was a very old man, and Sarah was a very old woman.  They  were  both  much older than your
grandfather and grandmother. Abraham was alYe are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.-John
xv. 14.




34               ABRAHAM, OR
most one hundred years old, and Sarah was almost
ninety.
One night God said to Abraham. " Come out
of your tent, and look up to the sky. What do
you see?"
The sky was full of stars, more than could be
counted.  And God said, "You shall have a great
many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and
they shall have more children, and they shall have
more c:iildren, till there are as many people as
there are stars in the sky: and they shall live in
the land of Canaan, and the wicked people shall
be turned out of it."
Now Abraham had not even one little child;
yet he believed that God would do as he had promised. It was very right in Abraham to believe
all that God said; for God always speaks the
truth, and keeps his word.
One day, Abraham was sitting in his tent. It
vas about twelve o'clock in the day, and it was
very hot indeed, but the tent was under a tree.
Abraham looked up, and he saw three men a little
way off. He ran to meet them, and bowed down,
and said to one of the men, " My lord, pray come
and rest yourself, and let me bring a little water
to wash your feet, and a little bread for you to eat,
and then you can go on your journey." And the
men said that they would rest themselves.
Who do you think these men were?  They
were angels, though they looked like men. They
had come from heaven with a message from God




THE PROMISED CHILD.          35
to Abraham.  For you know that God sends his
angels on messages to men. Angels are often near
us, though we cannot see them.
The angels sat outside the tent under the shade
of the tree.  Sarah was in the tent.  Abraham
said to Sarah, " Take some flour, and make some
cakes, and bake them very quickly."  Then Abraham ran to his cattle, and took a fat calf, and
said to one of his servants, " Kill it; and roast it
quickly."
When it was ready, Abraham  brought some
butter, and some milk, and the cakes and the calf,
and spread the dinner under the tree. The three
men began to eat, and Abraham stood by them.
While they were eating, they said to Abraham,
" Where is Sarah your wife?" And Abraham said,'She is in the tent."  Then one of the men said,; Sarah, you shall have a son."
Sarah heard what the angel said, and she could
not believe that she would really have a child now
she was very old: so she laughed to herself.
The angel said, " Why did Sarah laugh?  She
shall certainly have a son."  Then Sarah said, " I
did not laugh;" for she was afraid. But the angel said, " You did laugh."
Then the three men got up, and went on farther.
Abraham walked with them a little way, and then
came back to his tent.
Do you think that God remembered his promise.
The next year Sarah had a son.  His name was
Isaac. He was a good child, and God loved him.




36                 ABRAHAM, OR
Abraham and Sarah were much pleased with their
little son.
So you see that God kept his promise. He had
said that Abraham and Sarah should have a little
son, and he gave them  a son.  It was right in
Abraham to believe God's promise, and God too
was pleased with Abraham for believing what he
said.*   Sarah  did  not believe at first: but she
believed afterwards;t and God was pleased with
her too.
My little children, you should believe all God's
promises.  What has God promised?  To give
you the Holy Spirit if you ask him. Do you believe his promise?  Then pray to God to give
you the Spirit.  He will keep his promise; you
may be sure that he will.
CHAPTER VII.
ABRAHAM, OR THE TRIAL OF LOVE.
Gen. xxii.
AT last, Isaac grew up to be a man. He lived
in a tent as Abraham  and Sarah did.  They all
three loved God, and loved each other very much.
It was a happy little family.' (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded
that what he had promised, he was able to perform: and therefore it
was imputed to him for righteousness.-Rom. iv. 20 —2.
t Heb. xi. 11.




THE TRIAL OF LOVE.          37
Now you know that Abraham had a great many
things.  He had cows and asses, sheep and goats,
tents and servants, silver and gold. But he had
one thing that he loved more than these. What
was that? His son, his dear son Isaac. He loved him more than anything else he had.
Yet there was one Being whom Abraham loved
even better still.  Who was that?  God.  Why
ought Abraham  to love God better than all?
Because God had given him all he had.
At last, God said he would try Abraham, to see
whether he loved him more than anything in the
world: more even than he loved his son Isaac.
You have heard how Abraham used to burn
lambs upon altars.  Now God said to Abraham,
Take your dear son Isaac, and offer him up on
an altar in a place that I will show.
Was not this a very hard thing for Abraham to
do?  But Abraham  wished to do all God told
him; because Abraham loved God so much. So
Abraham cut down some wood to burn; he put
the wood Apon an ass, and he told two of his servants and Isaac to come with him. He left Sarah
in the tent at home. They all four walked on for
three days; at last they saw a high hill a great
way off.
Abraham knew that was the place where he was
to build the altar; so he said to his servants,
I Stay here with the ass, while Isaac and I go and
worship God on the top of the hill."  He took
the wood off the ass, and bound it round Isaac
Line upon Line.    4




38              ABRAHAM, OR
with a rope. Then he took some fire in one of his
hands, and a knife in the other, and Abraham and
Isaac walked up the hill together.
Isaac did not know that his father was going to
offer him as a sacrifice; he thought that his father
would offer a lamb. So he said, "Father." Abraham answered,' Here am I, my son." And Isaac
said, " Here is fire and wood; but where is the
lamb "  "My son," said Abraham, " God will
find a lamb;" but Abraham did not tell Isaac that
he was to be the lamb.
At last they came to the top of the hill. Then
Abraham took stones, and built an altar; and he
took the wood off Isaac's back, and laid it on the
altar. Now the time was come, when Isaac must
know who was to be the lamb. The rope that had
bound the wood was fastened round the hands and
feet of Isaac, and he was laid upon the wood like
a lamb.
Then Abraham took the knife, and lifted up his
hand to kill Isaac, when he heard a voice calling,
" Abraham, Abraham."  It was an angcl speaking
from heaven. The angel said,' Do not kill your
son or hurt him at all; for now God knows that
you love him. because you have given him your
only son.
How glad was Abraham to untie the rope that
bound Isaac, and to find that he need not kill him.
Abraham saw a ram caught in the bushes by
the horns; and he went and took it, and offered it
up as a sacrifice instead of Isaac. Abraham thanked




THE TRIAL OF LOVE.            39
God very much for having given him back his
son, and the angel called to him out of heaven
again, and said, " God is much pleased with you
for having given up your son; and God will bless
you and all your children and grandchildren, and
their children, and one of your children's children
shall make all people happy."*
Whom did the angel mean?  He meant that
Jesus would one day be a child, and make people
happy, and take them to heaven.  A very long
while afterwards, you know that Mary had a child,
who was the Son of God.
When the angel had done speaking, Abraham
and Isaac went down the hill together: there was
no wood now on Isaac's back. Abraham now was
very glad.
They found the servants where they had left
them with the ass; then they all went back together
to Sarah.
Are you quite sure that Abraham loved God?
How do you know that he did? Because he obeyed God, and was ready to kill his son when God
told him.'t
Ought you to love God better than everything? Yes, you ought to love God best.
Why?  Because God gave you everything.
And now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He
saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And thyseed which
is Christ. Gal. iii. 16.
t He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it Is that
loveth me.-John xiv. 21.




40                 ABRAHAM, OR
That is one reason why you ought to love him
best.
You love your father and mother very much:
but you ought to love God better still. You ought
to love God much better than you do your play,
or your pretty things, or nice things to eat.
Now, if you love God best you will do what he
tells you.
You will not tell lies, for God tells you not;
you will not fall in passions, and call people names:
but you will try and please God. Then you will
be like Abraham.
Ah! well may Abraham love the God
Who promised him the land;
A thousand precious gifts bestowed,
His warmest love demand.
His cattle cover o'er the plain,
With gold his stores are fill'd;
His servants from a numerous train
Prepared the sword to wield.
One gift, more precious than the rest,
Does most his heart engage;
With a fair son is Abraham blest,
The solace of his age.
Does he this son more fondly love
Than his all-bounteous God?
This point the Lord would fully prove,
So bids him shed his blood.
See Abraham labouring up the hill,
With Isaac by his side;
The sorrows which his bosom fill,
He strives awhile to hide.




THE TRIAL OF LOVE               41
And now the fatal altar's built,
And Abraham lifts the knife;
O! must his darling's blood be spilt
In the fair morn of life'
But hark! an angel stays his hand,
And bids him spare his son!
For he has done God's great command,
And faith and love has shown.
CHILD.
Like Abraham I am richly blest;
0! let me grateful be,
And ever love that God the best
Who gave so much to me.
O! let me his commands obey
With dutiful delight;
And, when he takes those gifts away,
Think all he does is right.
My God has done far more for me
Than can be e'er repaid;
His only son on Calvary
For me atonement made.
CHAPTER VIII.
JACOB, OR THE HEAVENLY DREAM.
Gen. xxiil. xxv. xxvii. xxviii.
ABRAHAM and Sarah were very, very old.  At
last Sarah died, and Abraham wished to bury her,
but he had not a piece of ground in Canaan to
4*




42                   JACOB, OR
bury her in, so he gave some of his silver to the
people in Canaan, and bought a field.
The field was full of trees, and there was a cave
in it. Abraham took the dead body of Sarah, and
put it in the cave. At last Abraham died, and
Isaac his son buried him in the same cave where
Sarah lay.
Abraham will rise again out of that cave at the
last day, and live with God in heaven. Abraham
did  not wish to have Canaan for his land; he
wanted to live with God in heaven, which is a better country than Canaan.*
Abraham's spirit is not dead: it is with God
now;t and at the last day his body will live too,
and you will see him; and if you love God as
Abraham did, you will sit down with Abraham in
heaven.S
Isaac married a good woman, called Rebekah.
She lived in the tent where Sarah used to live.
Isaac and Rebekah had two little sons.  They
were called Esau and Jacob.  They were twins;
that is, they were the same age; but they were
quite unlike each other. Their faces were unlike,
and their hearts were unlike. Esau was wicked
* He looked for a city, which hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God.
Now they (the patriarchs) desired a better country, that is a heavenly.-Heb. xi. 10,16.
t Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush,
when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, &c.; for he is not a God
of the dead but of the living; for all live unto him.-Luke xx. 37. 38.
X Many shall come from the east and from the west, and shall sit
down with Abraham, &c., in the kingdom of heaven.-Matt. viii II.




THE HEAVENLY DREAM.           43
from a child; but Jacob was good, and loved God.
When Esau was a man he became a hunter.  He
had a bow and arrows; and he used to go into the
woods, and shoot birds and stags; he used to bring
them home, and dress them for dinner; and he
used to give some of his nice meat to his father
Isaac.
It was not wrong in Esau to hunt, and to cook
the meat: but his heart was wicked: he did not
care for God; and he loved meat and drink more
than God.*
Jacob was a shepherd: he staid at home near
his tent with his father and mother, and his sheep
and goats.  He loved God, and prayed to God
very often.
I am sorry to tell you that Isaac loved wicked
Esau better than he loved good Jacob. Shall I
tell you why   Because Esau brought him  nice
meat.  That was a very bad reason for loving
him best.
But Rebekah loved Jacob, and God loved Jacob, and God did not love Esau.t  Do you think
that Esau and Jacob loved one another?
They did not; Jacob sometimes behaved unkindly to Esau; and Esau hated Jacob, and wished to kill him. One day Esau said, " My father
will soon die; and then I will kill my brother Jacob."
Lest there be any profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of
meat sold his birth-right.-IHeb. xii. 16.
t Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Rom. ix. 13.




44                JACOB, OR
Rebekah heard that Esau meant to kill Jacob
some day; so she was frightened, and called Jacob,
and said to him. " Your brother Esau means to
kill you. This is what you must do: go to your
uncle, who lives a great way off, and stay with
him.  Soon Esau will leave off being angry; then
I will send for you home."
Jacob did as his mother advised. He took leave
of his father Isaac, and Isaac blessed him before
he went. Jacob did not ask his father to give him
anything. He took no servant with him, no sheep,
nor goats-not even an ass to ride upon.  He
only took a stick in his hand,* and he set out on
his journey: Jacob felt very sad. He was a poor
stranger, and he was going to a far country, which
he had never seen.
Should not you feel very sad, if you were to
leave your father and mother, and to go alone into
a country a great way off?
He had no tent, nor house to sleep in by the
way; so when night came, he took some stones
for a pillow, and lay down to sleep on the ground.
There were bears and wolves in that country; but
God took care of him.  God knew how sad he
was; and God made him  dream  the sweetest
dream that you ever heard.
In his sleep Jacob saw a great many steps reaching up to the sky; and on the steps beautiful
angels; some going up, and some coming down:
and at the top he saw God himself. Then Jacob
* With my staffl passed over this Jordan.-Gen. xxxii. 10.




THE HEAVENLY DREAM.          45
heard a voice, and God spoke to him, and said,
" I am the God of Abraham and of Isaac, and I
will take care of you where ever you go: and I
will bring you home again; and your children
shall live in this land of Canaan, where you are
sleeping."
Then Jacob awaked out of his sleep, but now
his heart was glad; he knew that God and his angels were watching over him. He wished never
to forget the place where he had this sweet dream:
so he took the stones, which had been his pillow,
and made them into a heap. " Now," he thought,
"I shall be able to find the place, when God lets
me come back to Canaan, as he has promised."
He could not offer a sacrifice upon the stones, because he had no lambs, but he poured some oil
upon them,* and he prayed to the Lord, and said,
" If God will take care of me, and give me bread
to eat, and clothes to wear, and bring me home
again, he shall be my God, and this stone shall be
God's house.
Jacob felt sure that God would take care of him,
and bring him home again, because he had promised that he would.
God takes care of you, my dear children. He
sends his angels down from heaven to watch over
you, as they did over Jacob.
On the bare ground the traveller lies,
The stones his pillow are;
* Jacob poured oil upon the top of the pillar.-Gen. xxvii. 1.




46                     JACOB, OR
While slumbers close his weary eyes,
God sends a vision fair.
See on that wondrous airy way
What troops of angels move!
Their brightness turns the night to day,
Their faces beam with love.
And where the steps are lost in light
On heaven's glorious coast,
There stands the Lord, more wondrous bright,
Than that angelic host.
Like rushing waters loud and soft,*
Sounds the Almighty's voice,
Uttering sweet Fromises, which oft
Made Abraham's heart rejoice.
" Thy children shall this land possess,
(In number like the dust,)
And ONE all families shall bless,
Who place in him their trust.
"And I myself will go with thee,
Where'er thy footsteps roam;
Once more thy joyful eyes shall see
Thine own beloved home."
Sweet consolation thus is given
A wanderer's heart to cheer!
This house of God, this gate of heaven,
Shall be to memory dear.
CHILD.
And well I know that angels fair
E'en now from heaven descend,
I heard the noise of thy wings, like the noise of great water., as
the voioe of the Almighty.-Ezek. i. 24.




THIE LONG JOURNEY.                47
That day and night they fill the air,
And from all harm defend.*
And well I know that angels fair
E'en now to heaven ascend,
And blest departed spirits beart
To their Almighty Friend.
And angels too shall guard my way,
If I the Lord revere;
In life and death, by night and day,
They still shall hover near.S
CHAPTER IX.
JACOB, OR THE LONG JOURNEY.
Gen. xxix.
THEN Jacob  went on  his journey.  He travelled for a great many days. At last he came to
a place where there was a great deal of grass.
In that place there was a well, and there was a
great stone upon the top of the well. A great
many sheep were round the well; and some men
were  with  the  sheep.   These  men  were shepherds. There was very little water in that country  where Jacob was.  He must have been glad
to have seen a well:
Are they not all ministering spirts, sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation ~-Heb. i. 14.
t The beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's
bosom.-Luke xvi. 22.
i The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them thattear him,
and delivereth them.-Ps. xxxiv. 7.




48                 JACOB, OR
Jacob said to the shepherds, " Do you know a
man called Laban?" —(that was the name of
Jacob's uncle.)
Yes," said they, " we do."
Then Jacob said, " Is he well?"
The shepherds answered, "He is well; and
here is his daaghter Rachael coming with the
sheep.'
Jacob was very glad to hear this, for Rachael
was Jacob's cousin. He ran to her and kissed her,
afld he sobbed and wept.
Why did Jacob cry?
I think he cried for joy; for people sometimes
cry for joy. Jacob had not seen a friend a long
while, and he was glad to see his cousin.
Rachael did not know who Jacob was, till he
said, "I am  your cousin, and am  come from  a
great way off."
Then Rachael ran, and said to her father Laban, " My cousin Jacob is come; I found him sitting by a well."
Then Laban was glad, and ran out to meet
Jacob, and kissed him, and said, " You must come
home to my house: I am your uncle."
Jacob told Laban that he would take care of his
sheep; and so Jacob was Laban's servant. Jacob
was a good shepherd, and sat up to guard the
sheep at night from lions and bears. He cared
not for the heat by day, nor the cold by night.*
I In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and
my sleep departed from mine eyes.-Gen. xxxi. 40.




THE LONG JOURNEY.             49
Laban had two daughters; one was called Leah,
and the other Rachel; and Laban gave them to
Jacob to be his wives. So Jacob had two wives.
People must not have two wives now; but then
they might have two wives, and even more than
two.
God gave Jacob a great many little children. I
will not tell you their names, because they were so
many. Jacob lived a long while in some tents
with his wives and his little children. He took
care of Laban's sheep; but Laban gave him some
sheep and goats of his own. Jacob had plenty of
bread to eat and raiment to wear, as God had
promised: for God always keeps his promises.
But Jacob could not forget his father and mother, and Canaan, where he had lived when he was
a little boy. He knew that God had promised to
give the land of Canaan to Abraham's, and Isaac's,
and to his own children;* and he wished to live
here again.
I will now write down the names of the good
men who first lived in Canaan; and I will write
down the names of their wives.
Abraham, -Sarah.
I
Isaac,- Rebeka.
I
Jacob,- Leah and Rachel.
By faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
kimn of the same promise.- Heb. xi. 9.
Line upon Line.    5




50                   JACOB, OR
The Lord has been poor Jacob's guide
Across the pathless desert wide,
And led him where his kindred dwell:
Lo! now he rests beside a well;
Its mouth is cover'd by a stone:
Around, the flocks are lying down.
For other flocks the shepherds stay,
Before they roll the stone away;
Jacob inquires their country's name;
It is the land whence Abraham came;
Behold fair Rachel leads her sheep,Why does the wanderer rise and weep.
In stranger lands his feet have stray'd
And now he weeps to see the maid,
Who of his mother's race is sprung,
Who speaks his own dear native tongue,
Who knows the God that he reveres;From gladness flow the wanderer's tears.
Now wjpe those tears, and weep no more
For thee rich blessings lie in store;
The Lord is with thee, as he said,
Raiment provides, and daily bread;
With flocks and herds thy fields abound,
And lovely children sport around.
Nor will the Lord his promise break;
He ne'er will leave thee, nor forsake,
His power from harm will guard thy head,
And Canaan's land thy feet shall tread;
O Jacob's God! the faithful, true,
Be thou my God, and bless me too.




THE MEETING.               51
CHAPTER X
JACOB, OR THE MEETING.
Gen. xxxi. xxxii. xxxiii. xxxv. 1-7.
AT last Jacob said to Laban his uncle, " I have
been your servant a long while, and now I want to
go home."  But Laban would not let Jacob go
away; and he behaved very unkindly to Jacob;
so that Jacob wished more and more to go home.
Once, while Jacob was taking care of the sheep
in the field, he fell asleep, and he had a dream,
and in his dream he heard God say to him. " Go
home to your father, and I will be with you."
When Jacob awoke, he sent a servant to fetch
Rachel and Leah, for he wanted to speak to them;
and he said to them, " God has spoken to me in
a dream, and has told me to return home to my
father."
Then Rachel and Leah said, "we will go with
you.'
Then Jacob packed up all his things-his tents
and his clothes and his furniture, and all he had.
He put his things on the backs of his camels and
asses. He placed his wives and his eleven children on camels too. He told his servants to drive
all his sheep, cows, goats, and asses and camels.
So they all set out.
Laban did not see Jacob go away; for Jacob's
tents were not close to the place where Laban




52               JACOB, OR
lived. At last Laban heard that.lacob was gone:
then he was angry, and he went after Jacob, and
he begged Jacob to come back; but Jacob would
go back to Canaan.
Jacob was pleased to go back to Canaan; but
there was one thing that frightened him.  He
remembered that Esau had once said he would kill
him; he was afraid lest he should now come and
kill him and his children.
Soon Jacob heard that Esau was coming with
four hundred men. Jacob now thought that Esau
was coming to kill him. So he began to pray to
God, and said, " 0 God, thou hast been very kind
to me, and given me a great many things-do not
let Esau come and hurt me, and kill my wives
and my little children.  Thou didst promise to
take care of me." God heard Jacob's prayer.
Jacob thought to himself, " I will send a present to show Esau that I wish to behave kindly to
him."  So he took a great many goats, and sheep,
and cows, and asses, and camels, and told his servants to drive them on before, and to tell Esau
that he had sent them as a present. Jacob prayed
to God all through that night.
In the morning Jacob looked up and saw Esau
coming, and four hundred men with him. Jacob
did not run away; but he went up to Esau, and
as he walked, he stopped seven times, and bowed
down to the ground.
And what was it Esau did?
He ran and put his arms round Jacob's neck and




THE MEETING.             53
kissed him, and they both wept.  God had made
Esau's heart more kind.
How glad Jacob was to find that his brother
was grown kind! Jacob had prayed to God to
make him kind, and God had heard his prayer.
Esau looked up, and saw Rachel and Leah and
the little children; and Esau said, " Who are
these?"
And Jacob said, " These are my children, that
God has been so kind as to give me."
Then Rachel and Leah bowed themselves to
the ground, and the maids bowed themselves, and
all the children bowed, even the youngest, who
was quite a little child   He was Rachel's child,
and his name was Joseph.
lThen Esau said to Jacob,' I met a great
many sheep, and cows, and goats-why did you
send them on before you?"
Jacob said, " They were for a present for you."
Esau answered, " I have enough, my brother;
keep what you have for yourself."
" Pray take my present," said Jacob, " for God
has given me a great deal." And Jacob begged
Esau so much to take it that at last he took it.
TEsau said to Jacob, " Let us take our journey
together: land I will go on first."
But Jacob said,' I cannot go as fast as you do,
for I have many little children with me, and young
lambs and goats; and if one day we were to drive
them too fast, they would die.  So Jacob would
not go with Esau.
5*




54                JACOB, OR
Then Esau went home to his own house, which
was a great way off; for Esau did not live in Canaan. But Jacob stayed in the land of Canaan,
for he wished to live there.
You see that God had let Jacob come back to
Canaan, as he had promised. Jacob did not forget the sweet dream I told you of. He went to
that very place once more: he had made a heap
of stones to mark the place; so he could find
it again.  There he built an altar, and offered sacrifices to God, who had been so kind to him. God
had given him food and clothes, as he had promised: and he had given him many more things
besides; for God had given him wives and children, and servants and cattle; and God had made
his brother kind to him, and had let him come
back to Canaan.  Jacob loved God very much.
and thanked him for his kindness.
Has not God been very kind to you, my dear
children? Tell me what things he has given. Can
you think of ten *or twelve things he has given
you?  Food, clothes, &c. &c.  Sometimes people have been unkind to you, and God has made
them grow kind.  How much you ought to love
God!
The Lord who all things did create,
Doth still his wonders show;
See Esau's heart once filled with hate,
With sudden love o'erflow.
An humble staff poor Jacob bore,
When first he left the land;




THE MEETING.                    55
But now behold his plenteous store,
And, his sweet infant band.
Long since the voice of God he heard.
Foretelling days of peace;
Now God fulfils his gracious word,
And bids his troubles cease.
Let every knee before Him bow,
Who can all wonders do;
All hearcts can change, all gifts bestow.
Make every word come true.
CHILD.
Sweet promises are made to me
If I serve God in truth;
Thy wonders great, 0 let me see,
Guide of my tender youth;
If any hate or wish me ill,
Lord fill their hearts with love,
And feed, and clothe, and bless me still;Then waft my soul above.
CHAPTER XI.
JOSEPH, OR  THE  PIT.
Gen. xxxvii. 1-24.
JACOB  saw  his  old  father, Isaac, again; and
then Isaac died, and Jacob and Esau buried him
in that same cave where Abraham  and Sarah had
been put: they will rise together at the last day:




56               JOSEPH, OR
for Isaac wished to live in a country that is better
than Canaan, that is, in heaven.
Esau, you know did not live in the land of Canaan; but Jacob chose to live in Canaan, with
his children and his cattle.
All the sons were grown up to be men, when
Benjamin was still a little baby. Joseph was next
youngest to Benjamin. He was a big boy, and he
was the best of all the children. The ten eldest
were wicked men.  They used to take care of the
sheep and goats; and when Joseph was with
them, they grieved him  by their wicked behaviour; they were also very unkind to him, and always spoke roughly to him. Jacob loved Joseph
the best; and this made the others envious.  They
hated him, because he was the pet and the darling.
Jacob loved Joseph too much.  He gave him
-:very pretty coat made of many colours, yellow,
blue, green, pink, red, purple; and Joseph used to
wear it.
It is Satan that makes people envious.  We
should pray to God to keep us from being envious.
You will hear what wicked things these brothers did, because they were envious of dear, good
Joseph.
One night Joseph had a very strange dream.
He thought he was in a field of corn with all his
brothers, and they were making up large bundles
of corn. called sheaves.  He thought that each of




THE PIT.               57
his brothers made a sheaf, and that all his brothers'
sheaves bowed down to his sheaf. Joseph thought
this a very strange dream, and he told it to his
brothers.
But when they heard it they were very angry,
and said, " We suppose you mean that we shall
bow down to you, though you are the youngest."
And so they hated him more than they had done
before.
Soon after Joseph had another strange dream.
He thought he saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars
in the sky, and that they bowed down to him.
This dream was more strange than the other; and
he told it to his father as well as to his brothers.
His father was surprised, and said, " Does the
sun mean me, and the moon your mother, and the
stars your brothers, and shall we bow down to
you?"
Yet Jacob thought that God had sent the dream
to Joseph, and would make it come true; but the
brothers were more and more angry.
Now Joseph's brethren had a great many sheep
and goats to take care of: and there was not
enough of grass for them all, round the tents; so
they took their flocks a great way off, that they
might eat fresh grass.  Joseph staid at home with
his old father; and Benjamin staid at home because
he was quite a little child.
At last Jacob wished to know how his sons
were; so he said to Joseph, " Go and see your




58               JOSEPH, OR
brothers, and come back and tell me how they are
and how the flocks are."
Joseph was always ready to do what his father
wished: so he set out on his way.-He took no
ass to ride upon, and no servant; but, putting on
his pretty coat, he wished his dear father good-bye.
He little thought how long it would be before he
should see again that dear father's face.
Joseph went a great way, but could not find
his brothers. At last a man saw him, and said,
"Whom are you looking for 2"
And Joseph answered, "I am looking for my
brothers-can you tell me where they are feeding
their flocks i"
Then the man told him which way they were
gone.
Joseph took a great deal of pains to find his
brothers.
Now the brothers saw Joseph coming when he
was very far off. They knew that it was Joseph:
and they said to each other, " Here this dreamer
comes, let us kill him, and throw him into a deep
hole, and tell our father that a lion or a bear has
eaten him up."
So when Joseph came up to them, they seized
hold of him. He came to them full of love and
kindness; but they looked fiercely upon him;
and he was indeed like a gentle lamb in the midst
of lions and tigers. He was like the Lord Jesus
when the wicked Jews seized him in the garden.
The brothers were going to kill him, when one




THE PIT.                 59
of the brothers, named Reuben, said, " Do not kill
him, but only throw him into a pit." This brother was a little kinder than the rest, and meant
to take him out of the pit, and bring him back to
Jacob.  The brothers  agreed not to kill him.
But first they took off his pretty coat.
0 how bitterly he cried when he saw what they
were going to do to him! how he begged them to
spare him, and to let him return to his father!but they would not hear;* for their hearts were
harder than stone.
They threw him into the deep, dark pit; and
there he lay hungry  and thirsty and wearywithout one drop of water to quench his thirst.
How it must have grieved Joseph to think that he
should not return to his dear father; and his father perhaps would think that he was dead!
The wicked brothers cared not for his groans,
but they sat down and began to eat their dinner.
God saw them from his throne in heaven, and
was much displeased.
We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the
anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear.
-Gen. xlii. 21.




60               JOSEPH, OR
CHAPTER XII.
JOSEPH, OR THE SLAVE.
Gen. xxxvii. 24-35.
WHILE the brothers were eating their dinner,
they looked up and saw some people coming along.
As the people came nearer, they saw camels and
men riding on them.  I will tell you who these
men were.
They lived in a country a great way off, and
had been to some hills where very sweet things
grew, called spice and balm. They had plucked
these sweet things and had put them in large bundles on the backs of their camels.  They were
going to carry them to a country a great way off,
and to sell them for money.
This was their way of getting their living, and
it was a good way; yet they were wicked men, as
you will see.
One of the brothers, called Judah, said, " Let
us sell Joseph to those men; for it would be better
to sell him than to kill him: we shall get some
money if we sell him; and it would be very cruel
to kill Joseph, as he is our brother."
Yet was it not very cruel to sell Joseph? This
brother was not really kind.  The other brothers
said that they thought it was a good plan to sell
Joseph.  So they called to the men, and asked
them if they would buy a young boy.




THE SLAVE.              61
And the men said, " Yes." This was wicked.
"How much will you give us for him?" said
-the brothers.
" We will give you twenty pieces of silver,"
said the men.
Then Joseph's brothers pulled Joseph out of the
pit.  Perhaps he thought that they were going to
let him return to his father.
Ah! poor Joseph! He soon found that his
brothers were not going to be kind. The men
and the camels were waiting outside the pit. The
men paid the money to the brothers; and then
took Joseph and carried him away with them.
When Joseph was gone, the brothers said,
"What shall we tell our father when he asks us
where Joseph is?-we will not say we have seen
Joseph, but we will say we have found his coat on
the ground."
Then the brothers killed one of their young
goats, and dipped the pretty coat in the blood.
" We will show our father this bloody coat," said
they. So they carried the coat home, all covered
with blood, and the money for which they had
sold Joseph.
Do you think they were happy in their hearts?
O no!  The wicked cannot be happy.  God had
written down their wickedness in his book.
Poor Joseph with the wicked men was not so
unhappy as they: for God was his friend.  Old
Jacob had been thinking of his sons while they
were gone.  How glad he must have been when
Line upon Line.     6




62                JOSEPH, OR
he heard the bleating of their sheep, and knew
they were come home! He must have looked to
see whether Joseph was with them. But no. His
sons came up to him. In their hands they held a
bloody coat.  They showed it to Jacob, and said,
" We have found this-Do you think it is your
son's coat or not 2"
Jacob knew that coat, and said, " It is my son's
coat; a lion or bear has eaten him up, and has torn
Joseph to pieces."
How Jacob wept for his darling child!  How
sorry he was that he had sent him alone to seek
his brothers! The wicked brothers tried to comfort Jacob, and said,' Do not weep so much," but
Jacob would not hear.' No; I shall die; and then I shall be with Joseph, for I shall never be happy any more."
How sad it was for this old man, leaning on his
stick, his hair grey, and his face full of sadness,
while he thought that his dear boy was eaten up
by the lion or the bear! His little Benjamin was
a comfort to him. Jacob would never let him go
away, nor would he trust him with his brothers,
though he did not know how wicked they had
been.
These brothers first had envied Joseph; then
they had told a lie to hide their sin.
Children sometimes try to hide their faults by
telling lies, and so they make God more angry
than he was before. My dear children, remember




THE SLAVE.                     63
that God always sees you; and that he hates liars,
and will not let them live with him in glory.
What anguish once poor Joseph felt,
When he before his brethren knelt,
And loud for mercy cried!*
Refusing still to hear his pray'r,
In blood they dipp'd his garment fair,
And sought their guilt to hide.
Now by the heathen-stranger band,
Away from his dear native land,
The weeping youth is borne:
His father shall feel bitter pangs,
When he shall hear some lion's fangs
Those tender lambs have torn.
A precious load the camels bear
Of balm, and myrrh, and spices rare,
Which scatter sweetness round:
But sweeter than the sweetest spice,
True piety beyond all price
In Joseph's heart is found.
Blessings shall rest upon his head
Where'er his wandering steps are led,
For he to God is dear;
And this same God shall with him go,
With heav'nly comforts soothe his wo,
And chase away his fear.
* We saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we
would not hear.-Gen. xlii. 21.




64               JOSEPH, OR
CHAPTER XIII.
JOSEPH, OR THE PRISONER.
Gen. xxxix.
THE men who had bought Joseph, took him to
a country a great way off. It was called Egypt.
When they got to Egypt they tried to sell him,
as if he had been a horse or a cow.  In some
countries men are sold, and are called slaves.
Poor Joseph was sold as a slave.  Do you not
hope that a kind man bought him    A And it was
a kind man that bought him.  There was a very
rich man who knew the king, and he bought Joseph to be his slave.  His name was Potiphar.
He took Joseph home with him.  He did not send
him to work in the field; but he made him a servant in the house. So Joseph had not very hard
work to do.
Joseph tried to be a good servant. Though he
wished very much to be with his father, he did not
waste his time in fretting, but took great pains to
please his master. When his master told him to
do anything, he did it so well that his master was
quite pleased with him. It was God that made
Joseph able to do his work so well; and Joseph's




THE PRISONER.               65
master knew that it was God that helped him to
do things well.* I suppose that Joseph had told
him; for his master did not know the true God.
but worshipped idols.
His master liked him better every day. At
last, his master said to Joseph, " I can trust you
so well that I will give you the charge of the
other servants when 1 am out. Take care of the
house, and all the things in it, of the garden and
of the fields; for I can trust you."
So Joseph had the care of everything, and all
the other servants minded what he said: and he
might do what he liked when his master was out.
But Joseph behaved the same as if his master
were watching him; for he knew the eye of God
was always upon him.  There are many children
who behave ill as soon as their parents go out of
the room: such children do not fear God.
Though Joseph had the care of nice things to
eat, and beautiful things to wear, he only took
what his master allowed him to take.  He was always busy-sometimes in the house, and sometimes in the field: and God made the things grow
well in the field, and the work to go on right in
the house.
So that Potiphar had no trouble himself, but
found that Joseph would manage all for him.
So Joseph had now all he could wish for; but
he could not forget his father, and his little baby' And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the
Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.-Gen. xxxix, 3.
6*




66                 JOSEPH, OR
brother Benjamin.  As for his mother, Rachel,
you know that she had died some time before.
Now you shall hear what a sad thing happened
to Joseph.
Potiphar had a very wicked wife. She wished
Joseph to be turned out of the house: for Joseph
had found out how bad she was; so she did not
like to see Joseph.
This wicked woman said to Potiphar, " Your
slave, Joseph, that you think so good, is very
wicked, and when you are out he behaves very ill."
Then she told Potiphar of bad things that she
said Joseph had done.
Potiphar was so foolish as to believe her, and
he fell into a great rage, and said,; Joseph shall
be put into prison."
So some men took Joseph, and brought him to
the prison, which was in Potiphar's house.
Were you ever in a prison, my dear child?  It
is a dark place, with very little windows, and bars
of iron before the windows, and iron gates and
bolts.
Joseph was put in prison; and his feet were
hurt by great iron chains, which were fastened
round them.*
There were a great many men in the prison.
and most of them had done very bad things, but
Joseph had done nothing wrong. God still loved' Joseph was sold for a servant, whose feet they hurt with fetters
PIs. cv. 17, 18.




TIE PRISONER.                67
Joseph, and he could make him happy even in a
prison.
There was a man who kept the keys of the prison, and took care of the prisoners; he was called
the keeper of the prison. Sometimes keepers are
very unkind; but God put it into the keeper's
heart to love Joseph. Joseph had a very sweet
countenance or look, and he behaved well to the
keeper, and minded all he said.
At last, the keeper took the chains off Joseph's
feet, and allowed him to walk about the prison, and
take care of the prisoners. The keeper found that
he could trust him, and that Joseph managed things
well. It was God who made Joseph do everything
so well; for God was Joseph's friend, and was always watching over him to comfort him.
Joseph hoped that God would some day let him
get out of prison.
See Joseph in a prison cast,
In darkness under ground
His feet within the stocks made fast,
With iron fetters bound;
Can this be he (now clad in raiment vile)
Who lately shar'd a father's tend'rest smile I
But in the prison shines a light,
Which none but Joseph sees;
The promises of God are bright,
And give his spirit ease;
The day shall come, when he with honour crown'd
Shall see his brethren bending low around.
Yes, God shall clear his innocence,
And make it fully known,




6(8                 JOSEPH, OR
Yes, God shall send and draw him thence,
And raise him to a throne;
But first, like gold, his patience must be tried,
And (as by fire) his heart be purified.*
CHAPTER XIV.
JOSEPH, OR THE BUTLER AND BAKER.
Gen. xl.
THE prison, you remember, was in the house of
Potiphar.  One day, Potiphar brought two men to
Joseph, and said to Joseph, " Take great care that
these men do not get out of prison.  I give them
under your charge." So you see Potiphar thought
Joseph could be trusted: perhaps he had found out
that Joseph  was not so bad as he had  once
thought; still he did not let Joseph out of prison.
I will tell you who these men were that Potiphar brought to Joseph. They were the servants
of the king of Egypt. The king of Egypt had a
great many servants to wait on him.  One of his
servants used to bring him wine in a cup to drink.
This servant was called his butler.  Another man
used to bake things for his dinner, and bring then
to the king. He was called the baker.
The butler and the baker had both offended the
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of
gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto
praise, and honour, and glory, ~&c.-1 Peter, i. 7.




THE BUTLER AND BAKER.        69
king: I do not know what they had done, but they
had made the king so angry that he had said they
should be shut up in prison.
So the king had said to Potiphar, the great captain,' Put these men in the prison."
Then Potiphar brought them to Joseph, and told
him to keep them safe. Joseph shut them up in a
room together, and gave them bread and water
every day, and took great care of them.
One morning when Joseph came to see them, he
observed that they looked very sad indeed. So
Joseph said to them, " Why do you look so very
sad?"
Then they answered, " We have each had a very
strange dream to-night, and we think our dreams
have some meaning, but we cannot find it out 
and there is nobody in the prison who can tell us."
Then Joseph said, "But my God knows all
things: he could tell me the meaning. Only tell
me your dreams."
The butler told his dream the first. He said,
I thought I saw a tree such as grapes grow upon
-a vine. It had three branches, but no grapes.
While I was looking, I saw little buds, and they
turned into grapes, and they grew ripe. I picked
the grapes, and squeezed them into a cup, and
made wine, and then brought the cup to the king
for him to drink, as I used to do."
This was the butler's dream, and God told Joseph the meaning of it.
" You saw  three  branches," said  Joseph;
7




70               JOSEPH, OR
"something will happen to you in three days.
The king will send for you to be his butler again."
When the baker heard this pleasant meaning, he
thought that his dream would be pleasant too: so
he began to tell it.  The baker said, " I dreamt
that I was carrying three white baskets on my head,
the one on the top of the other.  In the baskets
there were baked meats, and birds came and picked the meat out of the top basket."
The baker thought that Joseph would say,' "In
three days you shall be baker again to the king."
But this dream had a sad meaning.
" Something will happen to you in three days,"
said Joseph. " The king will send for you, and
will hang you upon a tree, and the birds will pick
your flesh off your bones."
So while the butler was pleased with what Joseph had told him, the poor baker was very sorry,
because he knew that he must die.
Joseph had one little favour to ask of the butler.
You can guess what it was. " When you are with
the king of Egypt," said Joseph, "giving him his
wine, will you tell him about me?  Tell him how
I am shut up in prison, and cannot get out. I once
lived in a land a great way off, and I was stolen
away, and now I am shut up in this prison, though
I have done nothing wicked to deserve it. Beg
the king to let me out."
You see Joseph did not tell of his brothers'
wickedness in having sold him.
In three days the king sent some men to the




THE BUTLER AND BAKER.          71
prison to fetch the butler and the baker.  It was
the king's birth-day, and he had made a feast for
his servants, and he had thought of the butler and
baker, and had said, " Let the butler come back
to me, and let the baker be hanged; I will not forgive him."  So now both the butler and the bakei
knew that Joseph had told them the truth.
Did the butler remember Joseph when he was
with the king? No, he forgot him. I suppose he
was thinking of the fine things he saw, of eating
and drinking, of money and clothes, and forgot
that poor Joseph was in a prison. The butler was
unkind, and worse than unkind; he was ungrateful. Joseph had been kind to him, yet he was not
kind in return; therefore I call him ungrateful.
Many children are ungrateful to their parents, who
were kind to them when they were little; and all
people are ungrateful to God, who has given his
Son to die for them.
Poor Joseph waited in vain. No one came to
let him out of prison. One day passed, and then
another: summer came, and then winter, but Joseph was still shut up. Yet God had not forgotten him.  Why did God make him wait so long?
That he might learn to be patient. My dear child,
if God lets you be sick a long while, it is to make
you patient. You should think to yourself, " God
will make me well when he thinks best: but per.
haps he means to take me to heaven instead."
And has the butler, then, forgot
Poor Joseph's last request;




^ 2                   JOSEPH, OR
Nor of the tender pity thought,
Shown to him when distrest.
Why does he not of Joseph speak,
When he the cup presents,
Implore the king his bonds to break,
And show his innocence.
Content, within the palace gay,
He lives on princely fare;
While Joseph mourns the light of day,
And breathes the prison air.
But while the butler I accuse
Of hateful selfishness,
0 let me not in pride refuse
My own sins to confess.
Have I remembered all the good
My parents have bestowed,
And in their woes done all I could
To ease their heavy load?
And have I not ungrateful been
Unto the God of love,
And often griev'd him by my sin,
And with his Spirit strove.*
Yet Jesus, since he left the grave,
To sit upon his throne,
Still intercedes with God to save
Us, who in prison groan.t
Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.-Eph. iv. 30
t He is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto Go:!
by him; seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.-Heb
ii. 25.




THE RELEASE.              73
CHAPTER XV.
JOSEPH, OR THE RELEASE.
I HAVE told you of the great king of Egypt.
He was the king of the country where Joseph was.
His name was Pharaoh.  He had a great many
servants, as I told you. He sat upon a throne,
wore beautiful clothes, a chain of gold round his
neck, a ring upon his hand, and a crown of gold
upon his head. He lived in a fine house, and rode
out in a chariot drawn by many horses; and as
he passed by, people bowed down to the ground.
One night, this great king had two very strange
dreams. I will tell you what they were.
He thought he was standing by a river, and that
seven fat cows came out of the river, and began
to eat the grass that grew near. This was a pleasant sight; but, soon after, he saw seven very thin
cows, (more ugly than any cows he had ever seen.)
come out of the river; and they ate up the seven
fat cows; and yet, after they had eaten them, they
looked as thin as they did before. Then the king
awoke.
But soon he fell asleep, and dreamt that he saw
a stalk of corn with seven fine ears growing on it.
While he was looking, he saw another stalk with
seven very bad ears of corn on it: and these bad
ears ate up the seven good ears.
These were Pharaoh's two dreams. He thought
Line upon Line.   7




74                JOSEPH, OR
them very strange, and longed to know the meaning of them. In the morning he told his servants
to find some people who said they could tell the
meaning of dreams. A great many men came who
pretended to be wise; but they could not tell the
king the meaning of his dreams. The king was
very unhappy, but what could he do?
At last the butler thought of Joseph. He had
not thought of him for a long while, and now he felt
sorry. He said to the king, " I do remember my
faults this day. You know, 0 king, that you were
once angry with me and with your baker, and you
shut us up in prison, in the house of the captain
Potiphar. While we were in prison, the baker and
I each had a dream, and a young man, a servant,
told us the meaning of our dreams, and said that
the baker would be hanged, and that I should be
let out of prison; and so it was, the baker was
hanged, and you sent for me back to be your butler, just as the young man had said." Then Pharaoh told his servants to fetch this young man out
of prison.
So the servants came to the prison, and said to
the keeper, " We are come to fetch Joseph; the
king wants to speak to him."
Joseph must have been glad to hear this. He
saw that God had heard his prayer. Joseph was
dressed in very poor clothes, not fit for a king to
see. So the servants gave him neat clothes, and
brought him to the king.
It was a long, long while, since Joseph had felt




THE RELEASE.              75
the sweet air blow upon his face, and since he had
seen the green fields. I think he must have look
ed pale and sick.
He came into the king's fine house, and stood
before him. The king said, " I hear that you can
tell the meaning of dreams."' It is not I myself," said Joseph, "that can tell
the meaning, but my God can, and I know that he
will tell the meaning of your dreams."   Then
Pharaoh told Joseph his two dreams-the dream
about the seven cows, and the dream about the
seven ears.
When he had done speaking, Joseph answered,
"Both your dreams have the same meaning. This
is what is going to happen. The next seven years
a great deal of corn will grow in the fields; but
afterwards hardly any corn will grow in the fields
for seven years. The seven fat cow smeant the
seven years, when much corn would grow; and the
seven thin cows meant the seven years when very
little corn would grow. God sent you these dreams,
that you might know what is going to happen."
Now what could the king do? First there would
be a great deal of corn, then scarcely any. Could
you, my little child, advise theking what to do?
Joseph gave him some advice.  He said, ";Save
up some of the corn, when there is so much, that
you may have some, when there is none growing
in the fields. You should look for a very wise
man, who will save up the corn, and put it in large




76               JOSEPH, OR
barns; or the people will die when no corn grows
in the fields."
Pharaoh was much pleased with Joseph for
telling him the meaning of his dreams; he believed what Joseph said, and so did all Pharaoh's servants. And the king Pharaoh said to his servants,;' Where can I find so wise a man as Joseph?
He shall save up the corn."  a
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, " You are so
very wise that you shall help me to manage all the
people in the land. Every one shall mind you as
they do me, and you shall be the greatest person
next to me."
Then Pharaoh took the ring off his hand, and
put it on Joseph's hand; and he gave him beautiful clothes like his own, and a gold chain to wear
round his neck.  He gave him a fine chariot to
ride in, and desired people to bow down when
they saw him.
So Joseph was made a great Lord; but he
would not be idle. He went about all the country
in his chariot to get corn, and he built large barns
everywhere, and filled them with corn, and so he
did for seven years. He did not spend his time
eating and drinking, but was always doing good
to people.
He was very glad he was let out of prison, and
he thanked God very much.  He was not happy
because he wore fine clothes: but he was glad to
be able to do good to people, by saving up corn.
He married a wife, and he had two little boys; yet




THE RELEASE.                  77
still he thought of his dear old father, and hoped
that he should one day see him  again; and he
thought of little Benjamin, and hoped his brothers
had not killed him, nor put him in a pit, and he
hoped that his brothers were sorry for their wickedness.  He did not feel angry with his brothers.
Joseph knew  that it was God who had let them
sell him for a slave, and that God had let them do
it that he might save up corn in Egypt.
It is God that makes all things happen;* and
God has wise reasons for all he does.  If he lets
us be sick, it is for some good reason.  One day
we shall know  why God let us be sick, or let
wicked people hurt us, or take away our things.t
You know why God let wicked people kill the
Lord Jesus. It was that he might die instead of
us. and save us from hell.
Behold him in a chariot riding,
Who lately in a prison lay;
The king, to him all pow'r confiding,
Deck'd him with gold and white array.
Now hear the servants loud proclaiming,
"Bow low the knee before his carl"
While ev'ry mouth is Joseph naming"My Lord Zaph-nath paaneah."
Through all the land he goes exploring,
Gath'ring the precious fruits of earth;
Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it --
Amos iii. 6.
t What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know here after
— John xiii 7.




78                 JOSEPH, OR
In spacious barns the harvest storing,
Against the dreadful days of dearth.
How well is Joseph's faith rewarded,
Which made him long in patience wait;
God has at length relief afforded,
And rais'd him to his glorious state.
And God will every soul deliver
That puts his trust in him alone;
And wipe away his tears for ever,
And raise him to a heav'nly throne!
CHAPTER XVI.
JOSEPH, OR THE LORD OF EGYPT.
Gen. xlii.
You have heard, my dear children, how Joseph
was made almost as great as the king. A great
deal of corn grew in the fields next year and the
year after, and for seven years after the king's
dream.  But then scarcely any corn grew.  The
poor people came to king Pharaoh, and said,'  We
have nothing to eat, and we shall die."  Then
Pharaoh said, "Go to Joseph; he can help you."
So the people went to Joseph and he opened his
large barns full of corn, and sold the corn to the
people.  They brought money, and large bags or
sacks.  Joseph took the money and filled the sacks
with  corn.  A  great many people came to buy
corn. Some from a long way off; but Joseph had
enough corn for all.




THE LORD OF EGYPT.          79
Among the people who came there were ten men
who had come from a far country. Each of them
had an ass, and on the ass a sack, and in their
hands they brought money. Who do you think
these were? They were Joseph's brothers. When
Joseph saw them he remembered them, though he
had not seen them for twenty years. He knew
those cruel brothers, who had sold him for twenty
pieces of silver. If he pleased he might have
punished them.  He might have told his servants
to kill them. Do you think Joseph will punish his
brothers, or do you think he will be kind to them?
Now you shall hear how he behaved to them.
The brothers thought Joseph was a great lord,
and they did not know that they had seen him
before; for he wore fine clothes, and he was grown
to be a man, and he had another name, which the
king had given him.
So when the ten brothers saw him they bowed
upon the ground before him.  Then Joseph remembered his dream about the sheaves bowing
down to his sheaf, and he saw that God had made
it come true.
Joseph felt ready to forgive his brothers; but
he wished first to see whether they where sorry
for their wickedness, and whether they loved their
father and little Benjamin; Joseph did not tell
them who he was.  He even pretended to be
unkind.  He spoke to them in a rough voice, and
said, " Where do you come from?"




80                JOSEPH, OR
" From  the land of Canaan," they said, " to
buy food."
But Joseph said he did not believe they spoke
truth. " You come," he said, " to see what a bad
land this is, with no corn growing in it, and you
mean to bring some king with soldiers to fight
us.": No, indeed," said Joseph's brothers,' we do
not.  We are ten poor brothers and we are corme
to buy food."
But Joseph said he would not believe what
they said.
Joseph's brothers answered, " We are all brothers, and once there were twelve of us, but one
is dead, and the youngest is with our father, who
is an old man." They tried to make Joseph believe what they said, but he would not; that is,
he pretended not to believe them.
At last Joseph said, " I must see your youngest
brother.  I shall send one of you to fetch him,
and I shall keep the rest in prison, till he comes
back with the youngest brother."
The brothers were much frightened when they
heard this; for they knew their father would not
choose to part with Benjamin, lest he should be
killed. So not one of the brothers said he would
go and fetch Benjamin.
Joseph put them all in prison, and kept them
shut up together for three days.  While they
were shut up,'they had time to think of their
wickedness to Joseph.




THE LORD OF EGYPT.         81
When people are shut up they have time to
think and to pray. I hope, dear children, when
you are shut up, as a punishment, that you pray
to God to make you good. The brothers were
very much frightened; they did not know what
Joseph was going to do with them.
At last Joseph came to them in the prison, and
said,  This is what you must do, and then you
shall live; for I fear God."
How glad and surprised the brothers must have
been when they heard him say he feared God! for
the other people worshipped idols.
Joseph said, " I will only keep one of you shut
up in the prison, all the rest of you may go back,
and take corn home with you; but when you
come again, you must bring your youngest brother with you; or I shall think you have not
spoken truth; but, if you do bring him, I will
believe you."
The brothers were glad to think they might go
back, yet it made them sad to hear that one of them
would be kept in prison. They remembered their
wickedness to Joseph, and they said one to another,
"It was very wicked in us to treat him as we did.
How he begged us to spare him, and we would not;
and now God is punishing us for it."
Joseph heard what they said, and it made the
tears run down his cheeks; so that he was obliged
to go out of the room to weep. He did not like to
see them unhappy; but you know he wanted to
find out whether they were kind to Benjamin, and




82              JOSEPH, OR
whether they loved their old father, and whether
they were sorry for all they had done.
When Joseph came back, he took one of the
brothers, called Simeon, and said that he would keep
him in prison till the others brought their youngest
brother with them. So Joseph had Simeon bound
with ropes, or chains, while the other brothers
stood round.
Then they must have remembered how once
poor Joseph had been bound, and sold for a slave.
Simeon was left alone in the prison, and he did
not know whether his brothers would ever come
back, and whether he would ever be let out.
Before the brothers set off to go home, Joseph
said to his servants, "When you fill those men's
sacks with corn, put back into their sacks the
money that they paid me for it, and give them
also some food by the way." Joseph wished his
poor brothers to have something to eat by the way.
And the servant did as Joseph told him; but
Joseph's brethren did not know what the servant
had done.
How  glad these brothers where to get away
from Egypt, and to come back to their father, and
to their little children, who had scarcely anything
left to eat!
When they were come home, they told their
father all that had happened.' There was a great
lord," they said,' who sold corn to the people; and
he spoke very roughly to us, and said that we were
not come to buy corn, but that we only wanted to




THE LORD OF EGYPT.          83
see the land, that we might bring men to fight the
poor hungry people that lived there. He called us'spies.' We told him that we were not spies, but
were twelve brothers;-that one was dead, and
that one was with our father in the land of Canaan.
But that lord would not believe us, and told us we
must bring our youngest brother with us; and he
took Simeon, and shut him up in prison, and said
that he would not let him out till we came back
with Benjamin."
Poor old Jacob was very sad when he heard all
this. Then the brothers began to open their sacks
of corn, and they were quite surprised to find their
money at the top of their sacks; but they were not
pleased; they thought that some one had put the
money there to get them in disgrace, and that
when they went back to Egypt, they should be
punished for stealing; so they were very much
frightened.
They had not stolen this money; but they were
thieves, for they once had stolen Joseph, and sold
him for twenty pieces of silver. God knew that
they were thieves.
They were more afraid than ever of going back
to Egypt, and seeing the great lord; yet they
wished very much to go, for they had only bought
a little corn, and they wanted more: and they knew
that poor Simeon would remain in prison till they
went back to Egypt.
How could they persuade Jacob to let Benjamin
go? For Jacob said, " No, I cannot trust Benjamin




84                  JOSEPH, OR
vith you, lest some harm should happen to him.
You have taken away two of my children, Joseph
and Simeon, and you would not bring Benjamin
back if I were to let him go. If any evil were to
happen to him, you would bring down my gray
hairs with sorrow to the grave." Jacob felt that
it would break his heart to lose Benjamin, he
loved him so very much.
So the brothers were obliged to stay in Canaan 
for they knew it would be of no use to go to Egypt,
except Benjamin went with them. What trouble
they now were in!  God was punishing them for
their wickedness.
Famine had spread on ev'ry side,
And thousands flock'd from distant lands
To Joseph, who their need supplied
From stores as countless as the sands.
Amongst the rest a troop appear'd,Full well were they to Joseph. known;
Their cruel looks he once had fear'd,
When in the pit they cast him down.
Those features he could recollect,
Though worn by care, and scorch'd by heat;
But little did those men suspect
They bent around their brother's seat.
The youthful bloom had left his cheek;
Grave and majestic was his air;
A language strange they heard him speak,
And splendid garments saw him wear.
He spoke to them in tone severe,
And made them all their hist'ry tell,




THE FEAST.                     85
And glad was he no tale to hear
Of wo and death that had befel.
Yet Joseph would his name conceal,
Nor his own tender love express;
Until he saw his brothers feel
Sorrow for their past wickedness.
But while he caus'd them grief and pain,
Compassion fill'd his gentle heart;
His tears he could not long restrain,
But stepp'd aside, and wept apart.
CHILD.
Thus my dear Saviour felt for me,
Before I lov'd him as my friend;Did then each tear with pity see,
To ev'ry sigh and groan attend.*
CHAPTER XVII.
JOSEPH, OR  THE  FEAST.
Gen. xliii.
As the brothers could not persuade old Jacob to
let Benjamin go with them, they were obliged to
stay in Canaan. Soon they had eaten up all their
corn, and  none  grew   in  their fields, and what
could they do for food?' It is said of rebellious Israel, "In all their affliction he was afflict.
ed — Isa. lxiii. 9.
God also says to Israel, " I have loved thee with an everlasting love.'
— Jer. xxxi. 3.
Line upon Line.         8




88               JOSEPH, OR
Jacob saw how hungry they were, and ot last
he said, " Go again, buy us a little food."
Then they said, " We cannot go without Benjamin, for the man who sold corn said we should
not see him, unless we brought our youngest brother. If you will let Benjamin come with us,
then we will go."
Jacob was very unhappy when he heard this,
and he said, " Why did you tell the man you had
a brother? it was behaving very unkindly to me
to tell him."
Then the brothers answered, " The man asked
us so many questions. He said to us, " Is your
father alive? Have you another brother? Could
we think that he would say,' Bring your youngest brother?"
Still Jacob did not like to let Benjamin go.
One of the brothers (called Judah) said, " I will
take care of Benjamin, if you will let him go. I
promise to bring him back to you; and if I do
not, I will take all the blame.  For we and our
little children shall die, if you do not let him
come."
Jacob saw it was of no use to refuse any more,
or they would all die, and Benjamin'too. So he
gave Benjamin into the care of Judah.
But Jacob was afraid of the man being unkind
to them, and of his saying they had stolen the
money.  So he said to them, " Bring the man a
present."




'HE FEAST.              87
What could they bring?  They had gardens
with fruit and flowers growing in them.
" Pick some nuts and almonds off your trees,"
said Jacob, "and take a little of that sweet stuff
called balm and myrrh; and take some spices, and
a little honey, and take them with you as a present to the man."
The man was very rich, and did not want anything, but the present would show that they wished
to please him.
"Besides," said Jacob, "take the money back
that you found in your sacks-take more money
in your hands to buy more corn, and take Benjamin, and go to the man."
Jacob's heart was full of pain when he said
this.
Then he began to pray to God.  " May God
give you mercy before the man, and send home
Simeon and Benjamin."
This was Jacob's prayer.
" Now," said he, " if I must lose my children, I
must lose them."
When Jacob wished his dear Benjamin goodbye, he thought of how he once had parted with
his Joseph, the day he sent him to look for his
brothers, when he put on his pretty coat, but
never returned.
Now  Jacob feared that he should never see
Benjamin again.
The brothers took the present, the sweet present,
with them, and they each took some money in




88                JOSEPH, OR
their hands, and they took their asses, and their
empty sacks; and Judah took care of Benjamin.
So they parted from their old father, and their
wives, and their little children, and they set out on
their journey.
They all felt very sad that day. The brothers
were frightened.  They were afraid they should
be taken up as thieves when they got to Egypt.
At last they came to Egypt.  They went to
the place where Joseph was selling the corn, and
he saw them. He looked to see whether Benjamin
was with them.  How pleased he was to see him!
Benjamin was a baby when Joseph had seen
him last, yet Joseph knew that it was Benjamin.
As soon as he saw his brothers, he called his
chief servant, who managed his house, and said to
him. "Take those ten men to my house, and get
a great dinner ready, for they must dine with me
to day."
The brothers did not hear what Joseph said to
the servant. The servant came to them, and told
them to come with him.  So they came, and he
brought them to Joseph's own house-a fine large
house. Yet the brothers were not pleased, but
very much frightened.
" Ah! " said they to each other, " we are going
to be put in prison: and we shall be kept in
Egypt, to work hard, we and our asses."
They thought of their poor father, and of what
he would do.
When they got to the door of the house, they




THE FEAST.              89
came up to the servant, and said, " 0 sir, we came
here once before to buy a little food, and we paid
money for it; but when we got home we opened
our sacks, and found the money in them, and here
we have brought it back; and we have brought
more money to buy more corn.  We cannot tell
who put the money in our sacks."
It was quite right in the brothers to bring back
the money; but once they had stolen money.
Now they were speaking truth, but once they had
told lies.
The servant answered them very kindly, and
said, " Fear not, God is your Father-God gave
you that money, and put the money in your
sacks.'
You see the servant knew about God.  Who
could have taught him about God?  The people
in Egypt worshipped idols.  It must have been
Joseph who had taught his servant.
How  happy the brothers were now!  They
soon found that they were not going to be put into
a prison, but that they were to dine in a fine
house. What could make the man grow so kind?
They did not know the reason.
While they were waiting, the servant went and
brought poor Simeon out of prison. He had been
shut up a long while. I hope when he was in prison, that he had thought of his having once put
Joseph in the pit.
The servant told them that dinner would not be
ready till twelve o'clock: and while they were
8*




90               JOSEPH, OR
waiting, he brought them water to wash their feet,
and he gave some food to their poor, tired, and
hungry asses.
The brothers said, " Let us get our present
ready, while we are waiting for the lord to come
in."
So they went out, and got ready the balm and
spices, the honey, and nuts, and almonds.
At last Joseph came in from selling the corn,
and the brothers came into the house, and brought
the present in their hand, and they bowed down
upon the ground. The eleven brothers bowed
down, as the eleven sheaves had done in the dream.
This time Joseph spoke very kindly to them.
He asked them how they were; but most of all
he wanted to know how his dear father was.' Is your father well?" he asked. "You said
you had an old father. Is he yet alive?"
They said, " Yes, our father is well, and he is
alive;" and as they spoke, they bowed down their
heads to the ground.
Then Joseph looked for Benjamin, and when he
saw him, he longed to throw his arms round his
neck, and kiss him, but he would not do it yet.
H-e only said,' Is this your younger brother that
you told me of?'
And then he made this little prayer, " God he
gracious to thee, my son."
When Joseph had said this, he felt the tears
coming into his eyes, and he could not help crying; so he went quickly out of the room, and shut




THE FEAST.              91
himself up in his own room, and there he cried by
himself.  He was a very tender-hearted man, and
he loved this young brother very much.
One reason why he loved him was, that Benjamin was the son of his own mother, Rachel, while
all the others had another mother, Leah; for Jacob, you know. had two wives.
Now the dinner was ready; so Joseph would
not stay in his room; but first he washed his face,
that no one might see that he had been crying,
and then he tried to look cheerful, and he said to
his servants, " Put the dinner on the table."
In the room  where they were to dine, there
were three tables.  One was for Joseph's servants,
another was for Joseph himself, (for he always
dined at a table by himself,) and the other table
was for the eleven brothers.
Joseph told them where to sit: he made the eldest sit first, and then the second, just according
to their age, and he made Benjamin sit last. The
brothers were surprised at Joseph's knowing which
was eldest and which was second, for it is hard to
tell how old a grown up man is; but Joseph knew
them better than they thought he did.
Now they all sat down to dinner.  It was long
since they had eaten such a dinner, and they had
made a great journey, and were tired, and hungry,
and thirsty.  Joseph sent them nice things from
his table; but he sent five times as much to Benjamin as to any of the others.
Were the brothers envious of Benjamin, because




92                  JOSEPH, OR
Joseph sent him the most? No, they were not.
Once they had been envious of Joseph-but now
they were not envious.  They ate and drank, and
they were merry.
Joseph could see them ai —and it was a pleasant sight to him.  Once they had eaten their dinner, while he lay in the pit, and they had given
him none. Yet he would not treat them so, but
would return good for evil.
You remember how kindly Jesus behaved to
people who were unkind to him.  God is kind to
us though we do many things to offend him. If
a child is unkind to you, should you be unkind
too?  If your brother has a cake, and will not
give you  any-if you afterwards have a cake,
should you give him some, or should you not?
Oh! you should do as Joseph did, and be kind to
those who have been unkind to you.
Ah! what has caused this sudden change
In him, who lately seem'd so strange,
And on his brothers frown'd 
And now their very beasts are fed,
For them a princely table's spread,
With sumptuous dainties crown'd.
Young Benjamin is with them now,
And Joseph has unbent his brow,
And on his brothers smil'd:
For much he hopes that envious rage
No more those brother's hearts engage
Against a favourite child.




THE FEAST. 
What tenderness fills Joseph's breast!
He sees the babe* whom he caress'd,
His own dear mother's son:
His lips with blessings overflow,
And larger messes help to show
Which is the favour'd one.
But while he this distinction makes,
No hateful jealousy awakes,
But all the gladness share.
A little more will Joseph prove
The strength and fervour of his love,
And then his own declare.
CHILD.
Can I another bear to see
Preferr'd and honour'd above me,
And feel no inward pain.
Then in my heart will Jesus dwell,
For these kind feelings please him well,
And shall his love obtain.t
But no such flowers by nature grow
Within the human heart below,
Since Adam's shameful fall.S
Then, if I would my Saviour please,
I must, upon my bended knees,
For his sweet Spirit call.~'When Joseph was sold into Egypt, it is supposed that Eenjamin
was still an infant.
t Jesus answered and said unto him, " If any man love me he will
keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we wil. come unto
him, and make our abode with him."-John xiv. 23.
Live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."
-2 Cor. xiii. 11.
X In me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing. —Rom
vii. 16.
~ The fruit of the Spirit is love.-Gal. v. 22.




94                 JOSEPH, OR
CHAPTER XVIII
JOSEPH, Ok THE FORGIVING BROTHER.
Gen. xliv.; xlv. 1-15.
THE brothers spent a happy day with Joseph.
They did not go home that day, but waited to set
out on the morrow.
You know that they had come to buy corn, and
they had brought empty sacks with them. Joseph
called his servant, and said to him secretly, " Fill
the sacks of those eleven men with corn, and put
their money that they have given me for the corn
back into their sacks. And put my silver cup into
the sack of the youngest."
The servant filled the sacks with corn, and put
the money into them. And he put the silver cup
into Benjamin's sack: and then he gave the sacks
to the brothers. They did not know that the servant had put money or a cup into them.
The next morning, as soon as it was light, the
brothers rose up, took their asses and their sacks,
and set off, to return home to their father. How
glad they were to get away safely-not one left
behind!
What a pleasant history they thought they
should have to tell their father! How much surprised he would be to hear of the great lord's kindness, and how glad he would be to see Benjamin
again!




THE FORGIVING BROTHER.         95
But soon was all their joy turned into grief.
They had gone but a little way, when some one
called them.  It was Joseph's servant; he came
running after them.
What has made you," said he, " behave so ill
to my lord, after all his kindness to you? Why
have you stolen his silver cup, out of which he
drinks?"
The brothers were much surprised to hear that
the cup was stolen.
Why should you think," said they,' that we
have taken it? we would not do such a wicked
thing. Did we not bring back the money, when
we thought it had been put in our sacks by mistake?  And now would we steal a silver cup out
of your lord's house?  None of us have taken it.
If one of us have taken it, let him die, and let all
the rest be slaves to your lord."
They said this, because they were quite sure that
none of them had taken it.
" No," said the servant, " it shall not be so; the
one who has taken the cup shall not be killed; he
shall only be a slave to my lord, and the others
shall not be slaves; they shall all go home."
Then the servants told them to open their sacks;
so the eldest brother took down his sack; the servant looked in among the corn, but could find no
cup. Then the second opened his sack, but there
was no cup hid in it. The third showed his, and
each brother showed his in his turn. At last Ben



96               JOSEPH, OR
jamin showed his. How much were they all sur
prised when they found the silver cup in it!
You know that Benjamin had not stolen it. You
know that the servant had put it in the sack when
he filled it with corn.
The servant said to Benjamin, " You must come
back with me to my lord." He was going to take
him for a slave, and never let him return home;
but he said that his brothers might go home.
And would they go and leave Benjamin behind?
" No," said they, " we will go back with Benjamin."
You see that they loved Benjamin, and they
would not leave him alone ill his distress.
They put their sacks again on their asses, and
followed the servant to Joseph's house. Their
hearts were bursting with grief, and they cried as
they went.
Joseph was in his house, waiting for them.
Joseph was very glad to see them all come back
with Benjamin, and to see them crying so much
lest Benjamin should be kept to be a slave. Now
Joseph saw that they loved Benjamin very much.
When they saw Joseph, they fell on their faces
on the ground.
Joseph spoke to them as if he was angry, and
said, "What is this wicked thing that you have
done?"
Do you remember that Judah had promised to
take care of Benjamin? So Judah began to beg
Joseph to forgive Benjamin.




THE FORGIVING BROTHER.         97
Judah knew that it would be of no use to say
that Benjamin had not taken the cup, so he only
Degged Joseph to take pity on them.' God is punishing us for our sins," said Judah,
and we can say nothing: we must all be your
slaves.
" No," said Joseph, "not all, only he who stole
the cup; he shall be my slave; let the others go
back to their father."
Joseph wanted to see whether the brothers
would go back, and leave poor Benjamin to be a
slave.
Judah then came nearer to Joseph, and began
to beg for Benjamin with all his heart.
" Let me speak a word to my lord," said he,'' and do not be angry with me, for I am as afraid
of you as I am of the king.  When we first came
to buy corn, you asked us if we had a father and
a brother, and we said, Yes;.we had an old father,
and a little brother that he loved very much indeed; and then you said that we must bring our
brother to show you. Then we said we could not,
because our father could not part with him; but
you said we must bring him. So when we went
back to our father, we told him what you had said,
but he would not let Benjamin go.' No,' said he,' I had a dear child that I think was eaten up by a
lion or a bear; if I let Benjamin go, perhaps some
harm will happen to him, and then I shall die of
grief, and these gray hairs will go down with sorrow to the grave.'
Line upon Line.     9




98                JOSEPH, OR
Then 1 promised my father that I would take
care of Benjamin.  I cannot go home without
him.  If I were to go back without Benjamin, we
should see our father die. Let me be your slave
instead of Benjamin, and let him go home to his
father: for I could not bear to see my father die
of grief."
Was it not kind in Judah to say this?
Now Joseph saw that Judah did indeed love
Benjamin and his old father.
Now Joseph would tell his brothers who he was,
and would tell them that he had forgiven them.
Joseph felt ready to burst into tears, yet he did
not go out of the room to weep as he lad done before; but he said to all his servants, "Go out of
the room," and Joseph was left alone with his brothers.  He cried so loud, that all his servants heard
him though they were not in the room.
At last he said,'' I am Joseph. Is my father
yet alive."
Were his brothers pleased?  No, they were
frightened;-they could not speak, and they dared
not come near him.
Joseph did not wish to frighten them; he longed
to put his arms round them and kiss them.
He saw that they were unhappy at the thoughts
of their wickedness in having sold him; so he tried
to comfort them.
"Do not grieve because you sold me," said Joseph; " God let you do it, that I might save corn
to feed your children. I wish you all to come and




THE FORGIVING BROTEIR.          99
live with me here. You must bring my old father
with you, and your children and I will feed you
all. Look at me and you will see that I am indeed
your own brother Joseph.  It is my mouth that
speaks to you. Go and tell my father what fine
things I have in Egypt, and bring him here to live
with me."
This was the loving way in which Joseph spoke.
Then he threw his arms around Benjamin's neck,
and wept as he kissed him; and Benjamin wept
too upon Joseph's neck. Afterwards Joseph kissed all his brothers, and wept as he kissed each:
and then his brothers no more felt afraid of him,
but began to talk to him. They saw Joseph had
quite forgiven them, and that he loved them with
all his heart. They could not have expected such
kindness, and it made them the more sorry for their
own wickedness.
You see that Joseph did not make his brothers
happy till he found that they were really sorry, and
had left off their wickedness.
How like is Joseph to Jesus Christ, who forgives
us all our sins when we are really sorry!  You
remember how he forgave that poor woman, who
washed his feet with her tears, and wiped them
with the hairs of her head. She was sorry for all
her sins, and Christ forgave her. My dear child,
if you are sorry for your sins, Christ will forgive
you*
Repent therefcre, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out."-Acts iii. 19




100                 JOSEPH, OR
" Let him with whom the cup is found,
His blood to Joseph pay;
And let the rest as slaves be bound,
And here for ever stay."
These words the guiltless brethren said,
And on the ground each sack was spread.
"Not so," the servant straight replied,
"For this no blood shall flow!
But he who dar'd the cup to hide,
Shall into slavery go."
They searched the sacks that lay around,
In Benjamin's the cup is found.
How bitterly the brothers grieve!
What anguish they express!
Dear Benjamin they will not leave
Alone in his distress,
But with him to the city go,
And there unfold their tale of wo.
Now for the youth hear Judah plead!
" Long since, a favourite son
My father lost; his heart would bleed
To lose this youngest one.
Such grief would bring him to the grave:
Let me instead become a slave."
What generous love! Can this be he,
Whose heart was once like stone,
And Joseph's pangs unmov'd could see
When in the pit cast down.
What transport now sweet Joseph feels
His name no longer he conceals.
Strangers may not the scene behold
When Joseph says, with tears,
"I am the brother whom ye sold;Yet calm your rising fears."




THE LONG LOST SON.              101
And while each shares his fond embrace,
The voice of weeping fills the place.
With anguish sore their hearts must melt
WVho Joseph's kindness share,
To think they had so basely dealt
With such a brother rare:
While each forgiving word they hear
Must make their crimes more black appear,
CIILD.
Yet one there is more lovely far
Than aught on earth can be,
One brighter than the morning star, —
Yes;-one who died for me;
And oft have I his grace refus'd,
His name forgot, his love abus'd.
The more I of his goodness know,
The deeper is my shame,
That I so little love should show
To his most blessed name.
How great my wonder then will be,
When his bright face in heaven I see!
CHAPTER XIX.
JOSEPH, OR THE LONG LOST SON.
Gen. xlv. 16 to end; xlvi.; xlvii. 1-1'2; 1.
BEFORE Joseph told his brothers who he was,
he had sent the servants out of the room; yet he
hlad sobbed so loud that the servants had heard.
9*




102              JOSEPH, OR
and soon they knew the reason why Joseph had
sent them out.  The servants were glad to hear'
that Joseph had found his brothers. Joseph had
not told the people of Egypt of his brother's wickedness.
Pharaoh, the king, heard of the brothers being
found: and he too was glad, for he loved Joseph.
He called Joseph, and said to him, " Your brothers must come and live near you, and you must
send for your old father, and for all the little children; and they shall have the best food in all the
land to eat.  We will give them houses, fields, and
gardens, and they shall live together.  We must
send wagons to bring the little children, their mothers, and your old father: but they need not
bring their things, for we will give them everything
they want."
You see how kind the king was.
Joseph got wagons with some beasts to draw
them, and he gave his brothers some food to eat
as they travelled home.  He also made them some
handsome presents, for Joseph was very rich. He
gave them each two suits of clothes; but to Benjamin he gave five suits of clothes, besides a great
deal of money.  He sent a present to his father;
ten asses that carried all kinds of good things; and
ten asses more that carried a great deal of bread
and meat for his father to eat by the way.
When all the things were ready, Joseph told his
brothers to go to Canaan, and to come back quickly. He gave them one piece of advice before they




THE LONG LOST SON.          103
went.  " Take care," he said, "that you do not
quarrel by the way."
They must have had a pleasant journey.
Old Jacob had been longing to see them, much
fearing lest Benjamin should not come back safely.
At last they came, and he saw that not one was
missing.
They told him quickly the joyful news.' Joseph is alive: and he is the great lord that sells
corn in the land of Egypt."
Perhaps you think Jacob was delighted; but
no, he would not believe them.
"No," said he, " my son has long been dead."
"But we have seen him," said they.
"It cannot be true," said Jacob.
Then the brothers told him what Joseph had
said, " He desires us all to come and live with him,
and he sends for you."
Still Jacob could not believe them.
" Only come and see the wagons he has sent,
and then you will believe us," said they.
So they took old Jacob to see the wagons, and
when he saw them he did believe; and then he was
glad.
"It is enough," said old Jacob.   Joseph, my
son, is yet alive; I will go and see him before I
die."
The brothers told their wives and their children
that they must leave Canaan, and take a long journey.  They got into their wagons, and set out




104               JOSEPH, OR
Jacob was lame* and old, and he rode in a wagon, but the brothers were strong enough to walk.
And they took their sheep and cows, and goats, and
camels, and asses with them, and all their things.
They had to travel a very long way.  No doubt
the little children were much pleased, for children
are fond of making journeys.
At last they all came into the land of Egypt.
Long before they came to Joseph's house, they
saw a fine chariot coming towards them. It was
Joseph's. It stopped, and Joseph got out of it.
Old Jacob stepped out of his wagon. His hair
was gray, his legs were weak, and he could hardly
walk. Joseph was a fine and glorious lord. He
ran to meet his father, and threw his arms around
his neck; and then he wept for a long while.
The last time Joseph had kissed his father was,
when he was a boy dressed in his pretty coat, and
was going to look for his brothers to see how they
did.  How many sad days had Jacob spent since
that time, in thinking of him!  And now at last
had found him again.
The brothers did not feel envious now, when
they saw Jacob and Joseph folded in each other's
arms.
"Now," said old Jacob, " let me die since I have
seen your face. Joseph, once more."
Then Joseph said to his father and brothers,
I will go and tell Pharaoh that you are come."
So Joseph went to Pharaoh the king, and said,
* (Jacob) halted upon his thigh. —Gen. xxxii. 31.




THE LONG LOST SON.          105' My father, and brothers, and their flocks, and all
that they have, are come."
And then he brought five of his brothers, and
showed them to Pharaoh.  And Pharaoh said to
them, "What is your employment?"
" We are shepherds; but there is no grass in
Canaan for our sheep.  Will you give us some
fields where we can feed them?"
Pharaoh said that he would give them a great
many fields, and that they might live there altogether, with their children and their flocks.
Joseph wished them to live all together, because
the people in Egypt worshipped idols.
Joseph wished the king to see his dear old father:
so he brought him in to the king. The king treated him with great respect, because Jacob was a
very old man. Even kings should pay respect to
old men.
Should not children pay great respect to an old
man? When they see a grey-headed old man, they
should be ready to wait upon him, and to do what
he bids them.
Old Jacob lifted up his hands over Pharaoh's
head, and prayed God to show him kindness. This
was called blessing him. Jacob blessed Pharaoh,
because he had been very good to his dear Joseph.
Jacob must have loved Pharaoh very much.
Pharaoh said to Jacob,' How old are you?"
Jacob said,' I am one hundred and thirty years
old, but I am not as old as my fathers were; and
my life has been full of troubles."




106               JOSEPH, OR
Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again, and went
away to the place Pharaoh had given him to live
in. There he lived, with all his children round
him. Joseph did not live with him, but he often
came to see him.
Jacob at last fell sick, and knew that he soon
should die. He sent for all his sons, that he might
bless them before he died. Jacob had been lame
a long while, and now he was almost blind, and
very weak, and sick.
When his sons came, he sat upon the bed, and
called them one by one, that he might give a blessing to each. After he had blessed them, he said,
" I am soon going to die; bury me in the cave in
Canaan where Abraham my grandfather is buried,
and Isaac my father." He said a great deal more,
and at last he gathered up his feet into the bed, and
died.
His spirit went to God, and he is still with him
in heaven. His body will rise from the cave at the
last day.
Joseph fell upon his father's face when he was
dead, and wept upon him, and kissed him. Those
gray hairs had not gone down in sorrow to the
grave, for God had comforted Jacob before he
died.
Joseph took his father's body to Canaan, to put
it in the cave were Abraham and Isaac were. All
the brothers went with Joseph, and a great many
servants, and chariots, and horses.  Afterwards
they came back to Egypt.




THE LONG LOST SON.          107
A very sad thought came into the minds of the
brothers. They said to each other, " Perhaps Joseph has only been so kind to us to please his
father; perhaps he has not really forgiven us;
and now perhaps he will punish us."  So they
sent a servant to Joseph, and told the servant to
say to Joseph, " Your father, before he died, told
us to beg you to forgive us our great wickedness.
So pray forgive us."
When Joseph heard this message, he began to
weep.  Why did he weep?  Becaiuse he was sorry that his brothers should think he could be so
unkind to them. Soon the brothers came and fell
down before him and seemed much afraid. Joseph
said, "Fear not: it was wrong in you to sell me,
yet God made it turn out for good; because when
I was in Egypt I saved the corn, and so you were
kept from dying of hunger. I will still feed you
and your little children." He spoke very kindly
to them, and comforted them.
Joseph lived to be a very old man, and at last
he died.
This is the history of Joseph. He is now in
heaven with his dear Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph
forgave his brothers, and Christ has forgiven him;
for Joseph committed sins, though they are not
written down in the Bible.
You have heard the history of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. God loved them all three. Abraham
was the grandfather, Isaac the father, and Jacob
the son.




i 0                    JOSEPH, OR
God  had promised  the land  of Canaan to the
children  of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: that is,
to  their  great-great-grandchildren.   God   would
not forget that promise. But he had made them
a better promise than that: he had promised them
that Jesus Christ should one day be born into the
world, and should save them   from   their  sins.*
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobt often thought of that
promise. 
At last Christ did come, and now Christ is in
heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well
as Abel, Noah, and  Joseph, and  all good  men,
whose sins Christ has forgiven.~
Oh, my dear children, may you be with them
one day!
Full twenty years are pass'd away,
Yet Jacob still laments the day
He lost his dearest one.
Nor evermore can hope to see
That face of innocence and glee
Until this life is done.
The Scripture preached before the gospel unto Abraha. —Gal.
iii. 8.
t Jacob's dying ejaculation was, " I have waited for thy salvation,
O Lord."-Gen. xlix. 18.
t These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but
having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced
them.-Heb. xi. 13
Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God
to confirm the promises made unto theffathers.-Rom. xv. 8.
~ Ye are come unto mount Sion... to the general assembly ant.
church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven... to
the spirits of just men made perfect.-Heb. xii. 22, 23.




THE LONG LOST SON.                109
Though nought can give his spirit ease,
One infant, cherish'd on his knees,
Has sooth'd his bitter wo.
To part with him he gave consent —
Now trembles lest some accident
Has laid his darling low.
How vain are all his fond alarms
Again he clasps him in his arms,
And gazes on his face.
And hark! he hears a strange report
That Joseph lives, and in a court
Maintains the highest place.
Yet can he not the news believe
Until his aged eyes perceive
The things that Joseph sent.
Then Joseph's words to him are told:
He cries " I shall his face behold,
And I shall die content."
Mothers, and babes, and maidens fair,
A joyful, numerous train, prepare
With Jacob to proceed.
These in the wagons safely ride,
While men and striplings, by their side
The flocks and cattle lead.
Now Canaan's mountains disappear, —
Lo! Joseph's chariot's drawing near,
Which princely honours deck:
Before his father, Joseph bows,
His arms around him fondly throws,
And weeps upon his neck.
Another name sweet Joseph bears,
Another garb indeed he wears,
His heart no change has known;
Lih. upon Line.       10




110                 MOSES, OR
True piety his youth adorn'd
When by his cruel brothers scorn'd,
And in the pit cast down:
And still his father's God he fears,
His aged father still reveres
And sinful ways abhors:
And by his words and actions shows,
With love his heart still overflows
For God's most holy laws.
CHILD.
In early youth I would begin,
As Joseph did, to flee from sin,
And God's commands obey:
And though, awhile, I may be sad,
My God at length will make me glad
In heaven's eternal day.
CHAPTER XX.
MOSES, OR  THE  BASKET  OF  BULRUSHES.
Exod. iii. 11-10.
You have heard how  Joseph and his brothers
lived happily in Egypt for a long while. At last
they grew old and died, but they left a great many
children; and their children had a great many children; till at last there were hundreds and thousands of people.  These people were the grandchildren of Jacob, and his great-grandchildren and.their children.




THE BASKET OF BULRUSHES.        111
Did you know that Jacob had two names?
His other name was Israel. It was a name that
God had given him.
All the sons of Jacob were called the children
of Israel, or the children of Jacob, and the grandchildren of Jacob were called by this same name,
" children of Israel."  There were some men, and
some women, and some children, and all of them
together were called " children of Israel."
The grown-up people were called "children of
Israel."
They did not live in Canaan, you remember;
they had left Canaan, because no corn grew there
for a long while; they lived in Egypt, and took
care of their sheep.  While the good king Pharaoh
lived, they were very happy. At last he died, and
there was another king of Egypt: he was called
Pharaoh.  You shall hear what he did, and then
you shall tell me whether you think he was good.
He knew that the children of Israel had come
from a great way off, and he said, " there are so
many of them, perhaps they may some day fight
against me with swords, and kill me and my servants. I will make them work hard, and I will try
to kill them with hard work."
So he desired that they should make a great
many bricks, and build very high walls. He sent
some of his men to make them work hard.
The children of Israel were used to taking care
of sheep, and that is a pleasant employment. Shepherds lead their flocks to the green fields, and by




112              MOSES, OR
the side of the quiet waters, and they sit under the
shade of a tree when the sun is hot.  Is not this
pleasant  But now the children of Israel were
obliged to dig up the clay, and to make bricks, and
to dry them in the sun; and if they did not make
a great number of bricks, the men whom Pharaoh
had sent, beat them. So now they were very unhappy: they often sighed, and groaned, and shed
tears.
Yet all this hard work did not kill them; so the
king thought of another plan.   He said Let every
boy-baby be thrown into the river." He did not
order the girl-babies to be drowned, because they
would not be able to fight.with swords when they
grew up.
Whenever the king heard that one of the children of Israel had a little boy-baby, he sent his men
to throw it into the river.
There was a very good woman, who had a little
boy-baby; she was one of the children of Israel.
This woman knew that God would take care of
her child, and she prayed to God to take care of
it. She hid her baby, so that Pharaoh's men
could not find it. I do not know where she put it,
but God taught her to hide it in a very safe place.
When the baby was three months old, she found
that she could not hide him any more. What
should she do with her baby?
You have heard of the great river of Egypt.
Close by the river there grew a great many reeds
and bulrushes, whch are like very high thick grass




Fe -.electrochemica:f........................... 
~~~~iii:-ii                                                                           wil~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bb,"








THE BASKET OF BULRUSHES.        113
She took some bulrushes, and made them  into a
large basket. She wished to make a basket into
which the water could not come; so she got some
pitch, and covered the basket with pitch. Then she
put her little baby inside, and took the basket in her
arms. No one could tell what was in the basket.
She went to the river side, and laid the basket
among the great rushes, close by the water. She
knew that God would not let the child be killed,
and so she left it, trusting in Him.
She had a little girl much older than the baby.
This little girl was the baby's sister.  She stood
a great way off, to see what would become of her
baby-brother. Soon she saw some ladies walking
by the river-side.  One of these ladies was king
Pharaoh's daughter.  She was a princess.  The
other ladies were her maids, and they were going
with the princess to some place where she could
bathe; (for Egypt is a very hot country, and people bathe in hot countries.)
The princess was looking at the rushes, when
she saw  something  very strange peeping  out
amongst them.  When she saw it, she said to one
of her maids, " Go and see what that is." So the
maid went, and found the basket. She took it up
and brought it to the princess.  The princess
opened the basket, and saw a sweet babe. It was
fair and lovely.*
It began to weep. Poor infant I it was used to
lie in its mother's arms, but now there was no one
(Moses) was exceeding fai.-Acts vii. 20.
10*




114                MOSES, OR
to feed it or to comfort it.  The princess pitied the
child. She had heard of how her father had desired that every baby should be thrown into the
river, and she said, "I suppose this is the baby
of one of the children of Israel." She did not wish
it to be thrown into the river.
The baby's sister had come nearer, and had seen
what the princess had done.  She saw that the
princess pitied it; so she said, " If you want a nurse,
I could find you one who would nurse the child for
you."  The princess said,: Go."
Whom did she call? The baby's mother. When
she was come, the princess said to her, " Take
this child, and nurso it for me, and I will give you
wages."
How glad the mother was to take care of it!
She saw that God had heard her prayers, and
saved her child from being drowned.
The mother could teach it about God as soon as
he could understand. But she was not allowed to
keep it always. When it was a big child, the princess sent for it to come and live with her, and she
called it her son.  She gave it a name.  " I shall
call it'Moses,'   she said; which means, "drawn
out," for he was drawn out of the water.
The princess lived in a fine house, and had a
great many servants.  Moses had beautiful clothes,
nice things to eat, and servants to wait upon him.
lie had no hard work to do: yet he was not idle,
but learned a great many things.  The princess
told wise men to teach him.




THE BASKET OF BULRUSHES.            115
He knew the names of the stars; the names of
the beasts, birds, and plants. He learned about
all these things, and grew very wise. One thing
these wise men could not teach him-even about
God, for they worshipped idols. Yet Moses did
know about God, for his father and mother knew
the true God, and, when he was little, Moses lived
with them. Of all the things Moses knew this was
the best.  He was wiser than all the men in Egypt,
for he knew the true God.
He was brave as well as wise, and the people in
Egypt praised him, and paid him  respect.  Was
Moses happy?  No; and I will tell you why in
the next lesson.
" My child I can no longer hide thee:
So to my God alone confide thee."
Thus spake a mother, broken-hearted
As from her darling child she parted.
Once more with tenderness embracing
And in an ark the infant placing,
She to the river's side conveyed it,
And'mong the flags in secret laid it.
The princess near her course is bending,
A train of maids her steps attending.
She cries, "What is it lying yonder?"
Then views the curious ark with wonder.
Within it lies a little creature,
Of fairest form and lovely feature;
Behold, the Hebrew babe is weeping,
It needs a mother's tender keeping.
With pity mov'd, great Pharaoh's daughter
Resolves to save the child from slaughter;




116                 MOSES, OR
To her kind heart its tears endear it.
And now she seeks a nurse to rear it.
A little maid has watched her brother;
She runs and tells the baby's mother,
Whom for its nurse the princess choose,
Nor she the office sweet refuses,
Oh! who can tell the mother's pleasure,
Again to find her infant treasure!
Again beneath her roof behold it,
Again within her arms enfold it
Nor will she lose this precious season
To teach him many a holy lesson;
But use her every fond endeavour
To make him serve the Lord for ever.
Soon in a palace gay residing,
And in a heathen court abiding,
And every earthly good possessing,
He chiefly craves a heavenly blessing.
CHAPTER XXI.
MOSES, OR THE PIOUS CHOICE.
Exod. ii. 11-15.
I HAVE told you how very hard the poor chil.
dren of Israel worked, in making bricks. When
Moses was grown to be a man, this thought came
into his mind;-" I live in a fine house, and am as
great as a prince.  I have no work to do; but my




THE PIOUS CHOICE.          117
poor cousins, the children of Israel, they are working like slaves. Cruel men are beating them.
Cannot I help them?"  This thought made him
sad.
Do you remember the promise God made to
Abraham  about his great-great-grandchildren?
These children of Israel were the great-greatgrandchildren of Abraham.
Abraham's child was called Isaac: Abraham's
grandchild  was Jacob; and  Abraham's greatgrandchildren, were Joseph and his brothers.
Now Joseph's children were Abraham's great-greatgrandchildren. and their children were his greatgreat-great-grandchildren. The children of Israel
called Abraham their great-great-great-grandfather; only they had never seen him; he died
before they were born.
You, my little child, have a great-great-grandfather. I do not know what his name was, but I
know he has been dead a long while. If he were
alive he would call you his great-great-grandchild.
I am now going to tell you about these greatgreat-grandchildren of Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, and about their children, and their children; and I shall always call them the children
of Israel."
What promise had God made to Abraham about
them?  He had said that they should live in the
land of Canaan-that sweet land, full of hills and
rivers, grass and flowers, sheep and cows, milk
and honey.  God had said to Abraham, " I will




118              MOSES, OR
give this land to your children." Not to Isaac,
but to his great-great-great-great-grandchildren
and to their children, and to their children.
Moses had heard of this promise; perhaps his
mother told him of it. He had heard how he had
been saved from being drowned when he was a
little baby, and he believed that God would let
him bring the children of Israel into Canaan. He
wished to save them from being slaves among the
wicked people of Egypt, and to make them happy
in that pleasant land of Canaan. It was kind in
Moses to wish to help the poor children of Israel.
Moses left the king's fine house and all his fine
things, and he went to the place where the poor
Israelites were working hard. (The children of
Israel were sometimes called Israelites.)
He wished to see whether they remembered
God's promise to Abraham, and whether they
wished to go to Canaan.
When Moses came to the place in Egypt where
the children of Israel were working, how sad was
the sight he saw! They were labouring in the
heat of the sun.  They worked from morning to
night.  They dug up the clay to make bricks:
that was hard work. When they made the bricks,
they put them in heaps to dry in the sun. Then
they carried them to build the great walls for
Pharaoh.
They were forced to make a great many bricks,
and the cruel men that Pharaoh had sent, beat




THE PIOUS CHOICE.           119
them when they were tired. They groaned and
cried, but still they were made to do their tasks.
For the men set them a task; not such a little
task as you have to do, but a great task. The
men said, " You must make so many bricks." I
do not know how many they told them to make,
but a great many. If they did not do their task,
the men would beat them.
It is a sad thing to be a slave. Did you ever
hear this hymn?" I was not born a little slave
To labour in the sun,
And wish I were but in my grave,
And all my labour done."
Moses was very sorry to see how the poor children of Israel were treated.
One day he saw one of the task-masters (the
cruel men were called task-masters) beating one of
the children of Israel.  Moses could not bear to
see the poor slaves treated so cruelly.  Moses
looked to see whether there were any more taskmasters near;-he saw no one.  So he killed the
task-master, and then dug a hole in the ground,
and covered it over with the earth.
Do you think it was wrong in Moses to kill the
task-master? It is very wicked to kill people, for
God has commanded people not to kill each other.
But God may have people killed if he chooses.
Moses had been sent by God to kill this wicked
man, that he might show the poor Israelites that




120                   MOSES, OR
he was come from  God to make them  happy.  So
it was not wrong in Moses to kill the man, because
God had sent him to do it.*
One of the Israelites saw him, and soon king
Pharaoh heard of it, and Pharaoh was very angry
and tried to find Moses, that he might have him
killed.  So Moses was obliged to go into a country
a great way off where the king could not find him.
I will tell you another time what happened to
Moses in that country.  God loved  Moses and
took care of him wherever he went.
Moses might have lived always in a fine house,
aud ridden in a chariot, and had many servants;
but you see how much he loved the poor children
of Israel.  Do you not think that he was like the
Lord Jesus, who left his throne in heaven to save
us from going to hell?
Moses wished to please God more than to be
called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.t   He knew
that God loved the children of Israel, and he knew
that God would one day help him  to take them
into Canaan.* 
"In vain for me are tables spread
With costly meats and wine,
In vain upon a silken bed
At noon-day I recline;For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that
God by his hand would deliver them.-Acts vii. 25.
I By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction
woith the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures ot
Egypt.-Heb. xi. 24-26.




THE PIOUS CHOICE.               121
" In vain on prancing coursers mount,
In warlike chariots ride;
Treasures of gold and silver count,
In palaces abide;"In vain am I for learning famed,
For courage and for strength;
And, son of Pharaoh's daughter named
May wear a crown at length;
"In slavery my brethren groan,
And eat their bread with tears;
Beneath a cruel master's frown
They spend their bitter years.
"Yet God our father Abraham bless'd,
And promis'd to bestow
Upon his seed a land of rest,
Where milk and honey flow.
"! willingly would I forsake
This court and palace fair,
The glorious work to undertake
Of leading Israel there.
" 0! happy day when we should see
The hills our fathers trod,
And, as our numerous family,
Worship our fathers' God."
Lane upon Line. 
IiI




122               MOSES, OR
CHAPTER XXIL
MOSES, OR THE BURNING BUSH.
Exod. ii. 16, to end; iii.; iv.
MosES was grieved to leave the poor children
of Israel groaning in Egypt; but he was. forced to
hide himself from Pharaoh.
He took nothing with him on his journey;-no
servant, no ass! But God was with him. Though
he could not see him, Moses knew he was near
him, and this was his comfort.
At last Moses came to a place where there was
much grass, and a great many sheep. Here, also,
there was a well, and Moses sat down by the side
of it; for he had taken a long journey.
He had no house, no bed, and no friend.  He
was like Jesus, who had nowhere to lay his head.
But you will see that God will take care of him.
Soon there came seven girls to the well.  They
were sisters, and they took care of their father's
sheep.  They brought their sheep with them to
give them water. First they let down some pails,
or buckets, into the well, and then poured the water
into some great troughs that stood near. And the
sheep drank out of the troughs. While they were
doing this, some shepherds came to the well, and
tried to drive them away, that their own sheep
might drink water out of the troughs; but the poor
girls had filled the troughs with water, and it would




THE BURNING BUSH.           123
have been very unfair to have taken the water from
their sheep. But the men were stronger than they
were, and often behaved in this way to them.
Moses did not like to see weak people ill treated 
and he was very strong; so he stood up, and would
not let the shepherds send the girls away, but helped
them to draw water for their sheep.
The poor girls thought that Moses was very
kind, because he was only a stranger, and yet he
had helped them.
When they came home to their father, he said,
l How is it that you are come home so soon today "  And they said, " A stranger was by the
well, and he would not let the shepherds drive us
away, and he drew water for our sheep."
Then the father answered, " Where is the man?
Call him, and ask him to come and eat bread with
us."  So the girls called Moses, and asked him  to
come to their house.
It was God who put it into the man's heart to be
kind to Moses.
The old father asked Moses to live with him and
his daughters; and Moses said he would. Moses
took care of the old father's sheep, and he married
one of the seven girls. Then the old father was
called Moses' father-in-law; because he was the
father of his wife.
Moses had once been a fine prince, and had
ridden in a chariot; but now he led his sheep to
eat grass among the green hills.
There was one thing that must have made Moses




124               MOSES, OR
sad. What was that? He knew that the children
of Israel were still groaning at their hard work.
Could he be happy while they were so miserable?
You know that he could not, because Moses loved
those poor people.
The children of Israel were indeed working hard.
King Pharaoh had died; but there was another
king Pharaoh as wicked as he had been.
At last the children of Israel cried to God to help
them, and God heard their prayers; and he remembered the promise made to Abraham, and he determined to save them. Now you shall hear what
God did to help them.
One day Moses was with the old father's sheep,
among the high hills.  He was quite alone.  He
looked up, and saw a bush on fire. He went on
looking, and the bush was still burning, but was
not more burnt away than at first. This surprised
him very much, and he said, " I will go and look
at the bush, and see why it is not burnt up."
He was just going up to it, when he heard some
one speaking to him. The voice came out of the
bush.  Whose voice could it be? it was the voice
of God, who said to him, "Moses, Moses I"
He answered, " Here am I."
Then God said, " Come not near this place, for I
am here.  I have heard the children of Israel crying to me in their trouble, and I remember that I
promised Abraham that his children should live in
Canaan, and I am going to send them to Canaan,




THE BURNING BUSH.            125
Moses, you must go to Pharaoh, and tell him to
let them go."'
Was not this a hard thing for Moses to do? But
God said, "I will be with you and help you."
Then Moses said,' But perhaps the children of
Israel will not choose to come out of Egypt. They
will say,'We will not go with you, Moses; you
are not speaking the truth; God has not really
spoken to you.'  What shall I do then?" said
Moses.
Then God said that he would teach him  to do
wonderful things.  God said, " VWhat do you hold
in your hand?"
Now Moses had a long stick in his hand, called
a rod. He used to help his sheep to get out of
holes with his rod, and when he climbed high hills,
he leaned upon his rod.  So when God said,
" What do you hold in your hand?"  Moses answered, " A rod."
"Throw it upon the ground," said the Lord.
And Moses did so, and it was turned into a serpent.  Moses was afraid of the serpent, and began to run away from it.
Then God said, " Take hold of it by the tail."
So Moses took hold of it, and it was turned again
into a rod.
God said to Moses, " When you go to Egypt,
do this wonderful thing before the children of
Israel, to show them that I have sent you; but if
they will not believe you, do this thing, too, that I
11*




126               MOSES OR
will show you.  Put your hand into your bosom."
So Moses put in his hand, and then he drew it
out, and it was leprous, that is, it was all covered
over with white spots.  What a frightful sight
this was!
Then God said,' Put your hand in again;" and
he put it in, and pulled it out again, and then it
was as well as it was before.
Then God said to Moses, " If the children of
Israel will not believe that I have really spoken
to you, let them see you do this wonder."
"But," said Moses,' I cannot speak well; I do
not know what words to say."
Then God told Moses that Aaron, his brother,
should go with him, and speak for him.  You
have not heard of Aaron  before.  He could
speak well, and he was a good man, and loved
God.*
Moses went back to his father-in-law, and told
him that he must go back to Egypt, and he took
his wife, and his two little sons with him upon an
ass.
As Moses was going to Egypt he met his brother Aaron, and Aaron was glad to see him and
kissed him. Then Moses and Aaron went together
to the land of Egypt.
They found the poor Israelites at their hard
work, crying and groaning. Aaron said to them,' God has sent us to tell Pharaoh to let you go to
Aaron, the saint of the Lord.-Ps. cvi. 16.




THE BURNING BUSH              127
the land of Canaan." Then Aaron did the wonders that God had shown Moses when he spoke to
him from the bush.  You know  what wonders I
mean.
Did the people of Israel believe what Aaron
said? Did they wish to go to the land of Canaan? Yes, they did; and they thanked God for
having heard their prayers.
I have often told you my dear child, that God
bears people's prayers.  I hope that you, my dear
child, will always pray to him when you are unhappy.
The children of Israel did believe, and they said,
" We will go " and they bowed their heads, and
thanked the Lord for his goodness.
But Moses could not take them  out of Egypt
till Pharaoh had given him leave.
Moses no more in courts abides,'Midst noisy mirth and strife;
Within a stranger's tent he hides
From those that seek his life;
The stranger's daughter for a wife obtains,
And in that distant land he long remains.
Unable Israel to redeem,
Now patiently he waits;
Watching his flock beside the stream,
On God he meditates;
On His great love to Abraham of old,
And on the glorious things to him foretold.
Lo! In the desert God appears,
Cloth'd in a robe of flame



128                MOSES, OR
Bids Moses dry his brethren's tears,
And liberty proclaim.
A court he once forsook to serve his God,
Soon Egypt's king shall tremble at his rod.
CHAPTER XXIII.
MOSES, OR THE FIRST PLAGUES.
Ex. v.; vi.; vii.; viii.; ix. 1-12.
THE next day Moses and Aaron, and some of
the children of Israel with them, went in to speak
to king Pharaoh.  He was a proud and wicked
man, and he worshipped idols.
It was Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh.  IHe said,
" The Lord God desires you to let the children of
Israel go."
Do you think Pharaoh did let them go?  No;
he spoke proudly, and said, " Who is the Lord,
that I should obey his voice? I know not the
Lord, neither will I let Israel go."  This was his
proud answer.
He was now more unkind than before to the
children of Israel, and ordered the task-masters to
make them work harder; so that the children of
Israel cried still more bitterly.
As Moses and Aaron came  out from  king
Pharaoh they saw some of the children of Israel
waiting for them.  These men said to Moses and
Aaron, " You have only done us harm by asking




THE FIRST PLAGUES.         129
Pharaoh to let us go.  He makes us work harder
than ever."
It was ungrateful in the children of Israel to
speak in this manner to Moses, who had tried to
help them. Moses was very meek and gentle, and
he did not answer angrily but he went and prayed
to God, and asked God what he must do now.
God told him to go in to king Pharaoh, and to
show him the wonder of the serpent. So Moses and
Aaron went in.  Moses said to Aaron, " Take
this rod and throw it on the ground;" and Aaron
threw it down, and it became a live serpent; then
afterwards it was turned into a rod again.
Would Pharaoh now say he would let Israel
go'  No, he would not; his heart was very hard,
and he cared for nothing.
So God told Moses to do another wonderful
thing, and I will tell you what it was.
Moses and Aaron went early in the morning
down to the side of the river, and waited there till
Pharaoh came: for he came there very often to
bathe.  Then they said to him, "Because you
would not do as God desired, and let Israel go, now
you shall see what God can do."
Then Aaron took the rod, and lifted it up over
the waters: and, in a moment the water was turned
into blood.
When Pharaoh saw this wonder, did he say that
he would let the people go? No, his heart was
very hard, and he would not obey God. Pharaoh




130               MOSES, OR
turned back, and went into his house, and would
not obey God,
The people of Egypt had nothing to drink, for
all the water in the ponds was turned into blood.
and all the water in jugs, and basins, and cups, was
turned into blood. The fish in the river died, and
a very bad smell came from the river. The people
dug holes in the ground to get water.  The water
was blood for a whole week.
As Pharaoh would not mind, God sent him another plague.
Aaron stretched out the rod, and frogs came running out of the river, and out of the ponds, hundreds and hundreds of frogs.  They ran into the
streets, and into the houses, and into the bed-rooms,
and into the beds; they went into kitchens, and got
among the food;-they went even into Pharaoh's
house and into his bed.
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and
said to them," Pray to God to take away the
frogs.  I will tell the children of Israel to go."
Moses went and prayed to God, and God made
all the frogs die, so that the people swept the dead
frogs into heaps, and these heaps had a very bad
smell.
But still Pharaoh said, " I will not let the people go."
So God sent another plague.
Aaron stretched out the rod, and turned all the
dust into nasty little insects, that crawled over men




THE FIRST PLAGUES.           131
and over the beasts; but Pharaoh would not mind
this plague.
Then God sent swarms of flies, that came in at
the windows, and spoiled everything, in doors and
out of doors. But no flies came near the children
of Israel.
Then Pharaoh said,' I will let the children of
Israel go, if God will take away the flies."  Then
Moses prayed to God, and God took all the flies
away, and did not even leave one. Then Pharaoh
said, " I will not let the people go."
So another plague was sent.
The beasts fell very sick-the horses, and asses,
the camels, the cows, and the sheep-and a great
many of them died.  Yet Pharaoh would not let
the people go.
Afterwards God made a great many boils come
upon all the men, and women, and children, but not
upon the children of Israel, only upon Pharaoh's
people.  They were so sick that they could not
stand: yet Pharaoh would not mind, for his heart
grew harder and harder.
I have now told you of six plagues.  Try and
remember what they were.
1. Water turned into blood.
2. Frogs.
3. Small insects.
4. Flies.
5. Death of the beasts.
6. Boils.,




132               MOSES, OR
I shall soon tell you of some more plagues that
God sent to Pharaoh.
God was much stronger than Pharaoh, and was
able to make him do what he commanded him to do.
Was it not very wicked in Pharaoh not to mind
God? and was it not very foolish in Pharaoh not
to mind so great a God?
God will punish everybody who does not obey
his commands.
My dear children, God has given you many corn
mands. He has told you not to tell lies, not to fall
into passions, not to be unkind. I hope you will
try to obey God's commands. For if you think in
your heart as Pharaoh did, " Who is the Lord that
I should obey his voice?"-will not God be very
angry with you?
CHAPTER XXIV.
MOSES, OR THE LAST PLAGUES.
Ex. ix. 13.; x.; xi.; xii.
ONE morning, Moses and Aaron rose up very
early and came to Pharaoh and said to him,' Tomorrow God is going to rain great hailstones from
the sky,-such hailstones as were never seen in
Egypt before.  They will kill all men and beasts
that are out of doors. Therefore you must keep
your cows, and horses, and asses, in the stables, or
they will be killed."




THE LAST PLAGUES.           133
A great many of the men of Egypt heard Moses and Aaron say this. Some of them believed
their words. They kept their beasts in their stables, and told their servants to keep in doors. But
some of the men who heard did not believe, and
let their beasts remain in the fields, and their servants with them.
The next day Moses stretched out his rod towards the sky, and God sent thunder and hail, and
fire which ran along the ground. It was a most
dreadful storm. Such a storm was never seen before.  The noise of the hailstones and of the
thunder must have made every one tremble who
heard it.  But how glad those must have been
who were in their houses!  Many beasts and
men were killed, the grass and corn were burned
up by the fire, and the trees were broken. Yet
there was no hail where the children of Israel
were.
This storm frightened Pharaoh, and he sent for
Moses and Aaron, and said, " I have sinned; only
pray the Lord to send no more thunder and hail,
and I will let the children of Israel go."
Moses said, " I will go out of the city, and I
will stretch out my hands to God, and he will not
send any more thunder and hail: but still I know
you will not obey God yet."
So Moses went out of the city, for he did not
fear the storm.  Then he stretched out his hands,
and God made the hail and thunder stop, and he
made the rain leave off.
Line upon Line.    12




134               MOSES, OR
Did Pharaoh let Israel go? No; when he saw
that the storm was over, he would not. All Pharaoh's servants were wicked too; for they did not
wish him to let the Israelites go.
Then Moses and Aaron went to king Pharaoh
again, and said, " God will now send locusts into
your country."
What are locusts?  They are insects about the
size of a child's thumb. Thousands of them fly
close together in the air, and they perch upon the
trees, and eat up all the leaves and fruit.
Pharaoh and his servants were very angry when
they heard that the locusts were coming, and they
spoke roughly to Moses and Aaron, and drove
them out of the house.
Moses stretched out the rod, and God made the
wind blow very hard, and next day the wind blew
a great number of locusts into Egypt.  The locusts made the sky look black as the wind blew
them  along; but they did not stay in the air.
they perched on the trees, and ate up the fruit that
the hail had left-they covered the grass and ate
it up, and they even came into the houses.
Pharaoh and his servants thought that they
should soon have nothing to eat. Pharaoh sent
quickly for Moses and Aaron.  " I have sinned."
he said, " against the Lord, and against you. Only
forgive me this once, and pray to God to take
away the locusts, and I will let Israel go."
So Moses prayed to the Lord.  God sent another wind, and it blew the locusts away, and they




THE LAST PLAGUES.            135
fell into the sea, and there was not one locust left
in Egypt.
But Pharaoh still said, " I will not let Israel go.''
How sad it must have been to have walked in
the fields after the locusts had been there! It was
the pleasant spring, but it looked like winter.
There were no leaves on the trees, there was no
tender grass, all was bare as in winter. What
misery had Pharaoh's wickedness brought upon.
the land!
The next time Moses did not tell Pharaoh what
God was going to do.  Moses stretched out his
rod towards heaven, and in one moment God made
it dark. It was darker than ever it is at night.
There was not the least light, except where the
children of Israel lived;-there it was quite light.
The people of Egypt were very much frightened.
They were doing their work, or eating, or walking,
when all at once this darkness came on. They
stopped, and sat down in the place where they
were, and never moved, night nor day. Now they
had time to think of all their wickedness.
It was dark for three days and three nights: and
then it grew light.
But was Pharaoh sorry for his wickedness?
No; his heart was harder than ever.  He said to
Moses, " Get away, you shall never see my face
again. If you come in to me any more, you shall
die."
Then Moses said, " You shall see my face no
more."




136               MOSES, OR
God spoke to Moses again, and said,  I am go.
ing to send another plague. At night I shall come
into every house in Egypt, and kill the eldest son
of every person. But this is what I desire the
children of Israel to do. Let each man take a
lamb, a lamb without spot, and kill it, and eat it
that night with his family; and let him take the
blood of the lamb, and put the blood outside the
door, and when I pass I shall see the blood, and I
will not kill the eldest son in that house. Let the
people in the house stand round the table while
they eat the lamb. Let them all be dressed ready
for a journey.
So all the children of Israel killed young lambs,
roasted them, and ate them at night. They stood
round their tables with their staves in their hands.
They ate some bread with the lamb, and some bitter herbs. They did not forget to put some blood
on the posts of the door, for then they knew they
were safe.
The men of Egypt went to bed that night as
usual, but in the middle of the night the eldest son
in each house died. No one saw God's angel enter
in, but yet he did come. No bars nor bolts could
keep him out; but when he saw the blood on the.
door, then he passed over the house.
What a dreadful cry the fathers and mothers
made in Egypt when they found their eldest sons
were dead! They rushed out of their houses weeping.  " Our darling son is dead," said one.  "And
so is mine," said another.  "And mine."  "And




THE LAST PLAGUES.            137
mine."   There never was such dreadful crying
heard in Egypt before.
Even Pharaoh's eldest son was killed, as well as
the sons of poor people. Pharaoh rose up at night,
and called for Moses and Aaron, but it was dark,
so that they did not see his face.
"Go," said Pharaoh,   a and take the children of
Israel with you; they may take their sheep and
cows with them, and all that they have."
And all the men of Egypt begged the children
df Israel to go away as fast as possible, for they
were afraid that God would kill them all."
Then the Israelites said to the women of Egypt,' Do give us some gold and silver before we go."*
And they said, " We will give you what you
want; only go."
The Israelites had done a great deal of work in
Egypt, and it was right they should have some
money given to them.
So they gave them a great manyj beautiful things
to take with them.
The Israelites went away in a great hurry. They
took their things just as they were. They put
bread in their bags-they drove their sheep, cows,
camels and asses, before them, and so they set out
in the night.
There was a great crowd of people. More people than live in any great town, except London.
No little child could have counted them.
The word " borrow" might equally well be translated " ask for,"
according to the testimony of the best commentators.
12*




1 38              MOSES, OR
So at last they came out of Egypt, where they
had been slaves so long. God had remembered
his promise to Abraham, and Abraham's children
were on their way to the land of Canaan.
God said to Moses, " They must never forget
my kindness in bringing them out of Egypt. They
must eat a lamb every year, as they have done tonight. Eating the lamb shall be called eating the
Feast of the Passover."  Why was this supper
called the Passover?  Because God passed over
the doors where the blood was seen.
Of whom does the lamb that each family killed,
make you think?  Of Jesus.
That lamb's blood saved the eldest son in the
family from being killed: and Jesus' blood saves
all people who love him from being punished in
hell.  How kind it was in Jesus to shed his blood
for us! We ought never to forget his kindness.
Now count how many plagues God had sent to
Pharaoh, and the people of Egypt.
1. Water turned into blood.
2. Frogs.
3. Small insects from the dust.
4. Flies.
5. Death of the beasts.
6. Boils.
7. Hail and thunder.
8. Locusts.
9. Darkness.
10. Death of the eldest sons




THE LAST PLAGUES.                 139
What dreadful plagues these were!  But there
will be much worse plagues in hell.
I hope, dear children, that you will obey God,
and not make him  angry with you.  You know
why God does not send us such dreadful plagues
now.  Jesus is praying for us, and God is waiting,
that we may repent.*
PLAGUE 1.
How crimson now that mighty flood,
That late like silver shone;
How dreadful too those draughts of blood,
In troughs of wood and stone!
PLAGUE 2.
What troops of frogs the room infest,
And mount the royal bed,
Defile the food for Pharaoh drest,
The bak'd meats, and the bread!
PLAGUE 3.
The dust that lay so thick around,
Now stirs and seems alive;
On men and beasts vile insects bound,
And constant torment give.
PLAGUE 4.
What swarms of odious flies appear,
And settle on the walls;
Their hateful buzz the king can hear
Within his palace halls.
PLAGUE 5.
The flocks and herds now droop and die,
Beneath the murrain's power:
Upon the open fields they lie,
While vultures fierce devour.
God is long-suffering to us-ward. not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.-2 Pet. iii. 9.




140                  MOSES, OR
PLAGUE 6.
See pain is mark'd on every brow:
Hear moans from every breast;
A painful boil has laid each low,
And robbed his flesh of rest.
PLAGUE 7.
Now loud the mighty thunderings sound;
Torrents of hail-stones fall:
While streams of fire along the ground
The stoutest hearts appal.
PLAGUE 8.
Driven before the eastern breeze,
A cloud obscures the air:
The locusts cover o'er the trees,
And leave the branches bare.
PLAGUE 9.
Lo, sudden darkness spreads around,
And every face conceals;
None leaves the spot where he is found;
O'er all such horrors steals.
PLAGUE 10.
Ten thousand doors wide open fly,
Though daylight long has fled;
Ten thousand frenzied parents cry
" My first born son is dead.'
At length our God the victory gains
O'er Pharaoh's stubborn heart;
At length poor Israel leave obtains
From Egypt to depart.
CHILD.'Tis vain against that God to strive,
WVho heaven and earth commands;




THE RED SEA.                141
How can a feeble sinner live,
Who falls into his hands I
0 Lord! this stubborn pride remove,
That would resist thy will,
And make me with a child-like love,
Obey thy precepts still.
CHAPTER XXV.
MOSES, OR THE RED SEA.
Ex. xiii. 20; xiv.; xv. 22.
THE children of Israel had begun their journey
to Canaan. But they had to travel a long way before they could reach that pleasant place.  How
would they find their way?
God himself showed them  the way.  He went
before them in a dark cloud. The cloud moved,
and they moved after it. But a black cloud could
not be seen at night, so at night God made the cloud
shine like fire. In the day the cloud was a shade
from the sun, and in the night the fire gave light to
the Israelites.* When the cloud or the fire stopped,
then Moses desired all the people to set up their
tents on the ground.  This was called " encamping."
And as soon as the cloud moved, the people' e spreads a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night
-Up., c. 39.




142                MOSES, OK
folded up their tents, and placed them on the backs
of their camels and asses, and went on their journey.
The children of Israel went very fast till they
came to the sea-side.  Then the cloud stopped,
and they set up their tents close by the sea. This
sea was called the Red Sea. Perhaps you think
that-the water of this sea was red like blood: but
the water was like other water, though it was called
the Red Sea.
They had not been long in their tents, before
they heard a great noise: it was a noise of wheels,
and a noise of horses. They looked, and saw, a
great way off, Pharaoh and a number of soldiers
in chariots, and on horses.  Pharaoh had been
sorry that he had let them go, and he was coming
after them to bring them back.
The Israelites were very  much  frightened.
What could they do? They could not get over the
sea, for they had no ships: yet, if they staid where
they were, Pharaoh and his men would soon overtake them, and fight against them, and Pharaoh's
men could fight far better than they could. What
could they do?  They cried to God to help them.
This was right; but they did something else that
was not right; they began to speak angrily to Moses. "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt?
We would rather have died there than come here:
for we shall certainly be killed."
It was ungrateful to say this to Moses: but he
answered them meekly. " Do not be afraid: God




THE RED SEA.             143
will fight for you, and you,shall never see the
faces of Pharaoh and his men again.
Then Moses went and prayed to God: for Moses knew that God would save the children of Israel.
Then God said to Moses, " Lift up your rod
over the sea, and I will make a dry path for the
Israelites to walk upon."
So Moses lifted up his rod, and the waters
obeyed him; and part of the waters were lifted up
on one side, and part on the other, and seemed like
two walls of water, while a dry path was seen between.
The Israelites walked in the path. and all their
cattle with them.  It was the evening when they
began to cross the sea, and they were walking
across all the night: yet it was not dark.
I will tell you why it was not dark. You know
that the cloud in the sky shone brightly in the
night, and gave light to the Israelites. But God
did not choose that Pharaoh should see the light;
so God made the bright cloud to move backward;
and it stood in the sky between the Israelites and
Pharaoh: the bright side was turned towards the
Israelites, and the dark side towards Pharaoh, so
the Israelites saw a bright light: but the armies of
Pharaoh were in the dark, and they could not go
fast because it was so dark: but the Israelites
walked quickly along the dry path, and by the
morning they got to the land that was on the other
side of the sea. They had not yet got to Canaan,




1 44               MOSES, OR
but they had got over the sea, and they were on
their journey to Canaan.
Now I will tell you whether Pharaoh and his
men got over the sea or not.  When they came to
the edge of the sea, they saw a dry path through
the sea, and the walls of water on each side: so
they went along the dry path.  When they had
gone about half way across the sea, and were
hoping soon to overtake the Israelites, God looked at them through his cloud.  Pharaoh and his
men heard dreadful noises, and they were very
much frightened.  It was God who made them
afraid.
They could not make their chariots go on, and
they thought that God was going to help the
Israelites to kill them: so they said to each other,
"Let us turn back."
Ah! it was now too late; God was going to
destroy those wicked men: they drove as fast as
they could, that they might get out of the waterl
but it was too late; for the walls of water fell dowi
and covered them all, and they lay like stones at
the bottom of the sea.
This was the end of Pharaoh and of his wicked
servants.  The Israelites had got safely over to
the other side of the sea. As soon as they got
over, God had desired Moses to lift up his rod, and
to make the walls of water fall down and cover the
dry path. Moses had done as God told him; and
so Pharaoh and his men, who were in the middle
of the sea, had been drowned.




THE RED SEA.             145
In the morning the Israelites heard no sound of
chariot-wheels coming after them, but they saw
some of the dead bodies of Pharaoh's men lying
on the edge of the sea: for the sea, which moves
up and down, had tossed them upon the land.
Now the Israelites saw that the cruel men could
hurt them no more: God had punished them for
their wickedness, and had saved the poor children
of Abraham as he had promised.
This was a happy morning for the Israelites.
They thanked God for his goodness in saving
them, and they sang together a beautiful song of
praise.
The song began with these words: " I will sing
unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously:
the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the
sea." This sea was called the " Red Sea."
The women made sweet music, and sang these
same words.  Moses' sister Miriam, who had
watched him when a baby, played the music, and
the women sang with her.
How pleasant it must have been to have seen
the poor Israelites singing and rejoicing! A little
while before they had been working hard in the
sun, they had been beaten by cruel men, and had
cried and groaned: now they were slaves no more,
but they were on their way to a sweet land, where
they might live happily.
Dear children, there is a sweeter land than Canaan. I hope we shall live there some day. Ought
iot we to praise God for telling us how we may
Line upon Line.   3




146                    MOSES, OR
get to that sweet land?   God will help you, dear
children, to get there, if you ask him very often.
Satan, you know, is trying to get your souls: but
God is stronger than Satan. God did not let Pharaoh hurt the  Israelites, and God can prevent Satan hurting you.*
In deepest gloom of darkest night,
Between two walls of wondrous height,
Pharaoh, with all his men of might,
Poor Israel's host pursue.
The wind is high-the path is dry,
Horsemen and chariots swiftly fly:
"We'll overtake," they loudly cry,
" And kill that slavish crew."*
But sudden-drag their chariot-wheels,
A sudden horror o'er them steals,
While God on high his wrath reveals
From yonder fiery cloud.
The lightnings play-the thunders roar,
The skies a mighty torrent pour:.
Were e'er such lightnings known before,
Or thunderings so loud.
The sound, the sight, o'erwhelm with fright,
Horsemen and chariots take to flight.
"Does not their God for Israel fight V"
The horsemen trembling cry.
* The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. —
Rom. xvi. 20.
t The enemy said, I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy
them.-Ex. xv. 9.
X The 77th Psalm refers to the passage across the Red Sea, and thus
describes the storm attending Pharaoh's destruction: "The clouds
poured aot water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows went
abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings
lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook."




THE RED SEA.                    147
But while with furious speed they go,
God makes the western wind to blow,*
And o'er their heads the waters flow:
Like stones the horsemen lie.
Beneath the deep their bodies sleepAnd they shall rise to wail and weep,
And God upon their heads shall heap
Hailstones and coals of fire.
What piercing cries shall rend the skies,
When all who were God's enemies,
Shall meet the Judge's angry eyes,
Flashing with terrors dire!
How vain to try fronm him to fly,
Who made the sea, the earth and sky,
Whose arm can reach the mountains high,
And deepest pits beneath!t
How vain to try from him to fly,
Who can all secret things descry,
Whose power no angels dare defy,
Whose word can blast with death!
* Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them.-Ex. xv,
10. As it was by an eastern wind that the sea was made to go back,
(Ex. xiv 21,) it is evident that it was by a western wind it was made
to overwhelm the enemy: which fact is proved by the circumstance
of the dead bodies of the Egyptians being washed upon the eastern
shore the following morning.-Ex. xiv. 30.
t Though they dig into hell, thence shall my hand take them:
though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down; and
though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search, and
take them out thence.-Amos ix. 2, 3.




148                   MOSES, OR
CHAPTER XXVI.
MOSES, OR THE MANNA AND THE ROCK.
Ex. xvi.; xvii. 1-7.
THE children of Israel were very glad that they
had got away from their cruel masters. Now they
had no hard work to do, and they had a kind master, even Moses.  Ought they not to have been
good and happy?
They were now in a very large wilderness.  I
will tell you what sort of a place this wilderness
was.  There were no men nor houses in it; but
there were lions and bears, who roared and howled;* and there were serpents which bite, and scorpions which sting; there were no rivers nor brooks,
but there were high hills, and dark pits. There
were scarcely any fruit-trees or corn-fields, so that
there was very little to eat:t and the Israelites
could not sow corn, nor plant fruit-trees, because
they were travelling.  What could the  poor Israelites do for food?
There was such a number of people that they
wanted a great deal of food to feed them. They
* The waste-howling wilderness.-Deut. xxxii. 10.
t That great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents and
scorpions, and drought, where there was no water.-Deut. viii. 15.
Where is the Lord that led us through the wilderness, through a land
of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of
death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man
dwelt?-Jer. ii. 6.




THE MANNA AND THE ROCK.       149
had taken a little bread with them in their bags,
when they had left Egypt; but they ate it up very
soon.
What ought they to do now? They ought to
pray to God. He loved them, and would not let
them starve. But these naughty Israelites began
to grumble. They went to Moses and Aaron, and
said, "We wish we had died in Egypt. At least
we there had bread and meat, as much as we could
eat: but now we shall be starved. You have only
brought us out of Egypt to kill us."
How ungrateful they were to Moses and to
God!
Yet Moses did not answer roughly. He knew
that God heard their wicked words: and God did
hear them. God called to Moses, and said, "I
have heard them, and I will feed them."
Did they deserve to be fed?  O no! How do
you think God would feed them? He would rain
down bread from heaven. Was not this kind?
Next morning the children of Israel, when they
looked out at their tent doors, saw the ground was
white. They looked to see what made the ground
white, and they saw little round white things on
the ground. They said to each other, " What
can this be? We never saw anything like it before."
Then Moses said, " This is the bread that God
has sent you from heaven; gather it, and take it
to your tents."
So all the men got jugs, and baskets, and gath13*




150                  MOSES, OR
ered the manna for themselves, for their wives,
and for their little children: and there was enough
for them all: not too much, nor too little, but just
enough.  They tasted it, and found it was as sweet
as honey, and they called it " manna."
Then they took it home,and their wives cooked
it for dinner: they crumbled it, and baked it, and
made it into cakes.* They had manna for breakfast, for dinner, and for supper; nothing but manna. It was very nice, and wholesome. It was
more fit for angels than for men to eat, because it
came from heaven,  and did not grow  out of the
ground, as corn does. God sent it very early, before it was light, and every one was obliged to get
up early to gather it, because, when the sun was
hot it melted away, so that if the Israelites did not
get up soon, they had no food.
Moses said to them, " Do not save any of the
manna, for God will send you some every day. If
it is all gone at night, do not be afraid: trust God.
He will send you more.
But some of the people chose to save some of
the manna.  They were disobedient and ungrateful. They looked at their manna next morning,
but it was full of worms.  They could not eat it,' And the people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills,
or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it.Num. xi. 8.
t Ie had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given
them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels' food.-Ps. lxxviii
24, 25.




THE MANNA AND THE ROCK.        151
but were obliged to throw it away. How foolish
it is not to mind what God says 
Soon afterwards the people had no water to
drink. There was no river in the wilderness, and
very few wells, or ponds.  Do you think God
would let them die of thirst?
These naughty Israelites thought God would.
So they went to Moses, and spoke very angrily.
" Why did you bring us up out of Egypt 
You mean to kill us, and. our little children, and
our cattle with thirst."
They were so very angry, that Moses thought
they would soon throw great stones at him and
kill him., Yet Moses did not answer, but began to
pray to God, " What shall I do for these people?"
said Moses.
Then God said to Moses, "Take your rod, and
go up a hill, and let some of the people go with
you.  Then, when you are come to a high place
close by a rock, strike the rock, and water shall
come out."
So Moses took some people with him, and struck
the rock, and water came running out.
A rock is a hard dry place, yet God made water
come out of it. The water came running down.
The people at the bottom of the hill saw the water
running down like a river, and flowing upon the
dry ground.
What a pleasant sight for the thirsty people!
Their mouths were dry, and their tongues were
stiff, their throats burning; but now they might




152                 MOSES, OR
stoop down and drink, or they might fill their jugs
with water.  The poor cows, and sheep, and ass
es, ran to the water to drink.
You see how  kind God had been to them  in
their distress. Ought they not to trust him always-and to feel sure that he would help them?
God is very kind to you, dear children. You
ought never to murmur like the Israelites, but to
thank and praise God.
Israel must cross the desert wild,
Where craggy rocks on rocks are piled;
No waters flow,
No flowers grow
Upon that barren ground.
The pits are deep,
The scorpions creep,
And wild beasts howl around.
But Israel need no evil fear,
For Israel's God is ever near.
His cloud by day
Points out the way,
And shades them from the heat:
In robes of light
God shines at night,
And guides their wandering feet.
What though no golden ears of corn
The barren wilderness adorn,
Yet angels bread
From heaven is shed,
Like dew upon the ground:
Ten thousands eat
This manna sweet,
And still enough is found.




THE MANNA AND THE ROCK.              153
What though no river winds its way
Where travellers may their thirst allay,
At Moses' touch
The waters gush
Fast from the rock they stream;
And rush, and roar,
As down they pour,
And like a river seem.
CHILD.
They say this world's a vale of tears,
(Although so pleasant it appears,)
That all on earth
Is little worth,
And cannot make us blest:
That pleasures fly,
Friends droop and die,
And sickness breaks our rest.
So let them say, for well I know,
From God the sweetest pleasures flow,
And he could be
A friend to me,
Should all besides depart:
In sickness soothe
My pillow smooth,
And cheer my fainting heart.
While through this world my footsteps stray,
This blessed God shall be my stay,
My manna sweet,
My shade from heat,
My light in deepest gloom'
His love shall flow
Where'er I go,
Until I reach the tomb.




154               MOSES OR
CHAPTER XXVII.
MOSES, OR  MOUNT SINAI.
Gen. xix.; xx.; xxiv.; xxxi. 18.
THE Israelites went on travelling through the
wilderness. The wilderness was very large, and
it would be a long while before they could get to
Canaan.
They soon came to a very high mountain. It
was called Mount Sinai.  It was the same mountain where Moses had seen the bush on fire when
he was keeping his sheep. Now he had brought
the children of Israel to that very place where God
first had spoken to him.
The Israelites placed their tents near the bottom
of the mountain; for the cloud had stopped, and
so the Israelites knew that they ought to wait in
that place.
God told Moses to come up to the top of the
mountain, for he had something to say to him.
So Moses went up. Then God said to him, "You
see how kind I have been to the children of Israel
in bringing them  out of Egypt: go down and
ask them whether they will do what I desire them;
for if they will, they shall always be my own dear
people."
So Moses went down and asked them if they
would obey God.  And they said, " Yes, we will
do all that the Lord tells us."




MOUNT SINAI.           155
Then Moses went up to the top of the mountain
again, and told God what the people had said.
"They say we will do all that you command
them."
Then God said, " I am now going to let the people hear my voice, and they shall see me speaking to you Moses. Go down and tell them to get
ready."
So Moses went down and said, " In three days
you will hear God's voice, and see him in a cloud
at the top of the mount.  Get ready and wash
your clothes."
So the people washed their clothes, that they
might all stand in clean white clothes before the
Lord. Moses desired men to put rails all round
the mount, that no one might go up the mount, or
even touch it. No, even the sheep must not eat
the grass upon that mount, for it was the mount
of God.
In three days, early in the morning, the people
heard a loud voice, and they all trembled. Moses
desired them to come out of their tents, and to look
upon God.
What a dreadful sight they saw! The mountain was shaking and moving up and down. On
the top a great fire was seen, and a thick cloud,
and such a smoke went up, as filled the sky with
blackness and darkness. There were thunders
and lightnings, and a sound came out of the fire.
It was like the sound of a trumpet, and every moment it grew louder and louder. Even Moses




156               MOSES, OR
himself was frightened, and said, " I tremble, and
am afraid."*
The Lord said to Moses, " Come up to me on
the top of the mount."
So Moses went up, and all the people saw him
go.  He went upon the shaking mount, and into
the midst of the smoke.
When Moses came up, God said to him, (but
God did not speak very loud,) " Go tell the people
not to come up after you, for they must not come
up this mountain."
And Moses said, " I have put rails round the
mount."
But still God said, " Go and tell them not to
come near," for God knew how bold and disobedient the people were.
So Moses went down and said, " Do not dare
to touch the mountain or you will be killed."
Then God spoke very loud indeed, so that all
the people heard; and as they heard, they trembled. Could you have seen that mountain, you
would not wonder that they trembled as they stood
round it.
What did God say in that loud voice?  You
have often heard the words at church. These are
the words that God said: "I am the Lord thy
God, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage, (or from the place
where you were slaves.)
* And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "1 exceedingly fear
and quake.' -Heb. xii. 21.




MOUNT SINAI.             157
I. Thou snail have no other gods before me.
II. Thou shalt not make images, and worship
them, (such things are called idols.)
III. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain.
IV. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,
because in it God rested from his works.
V. Honour thy father and thy mother.
VI. Thou shalt not kill.
VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery, (that is,
a man must not take away another man's wife nor
must a woman go away from  hler husband, and
have another husband.)
VIII. Thou shalt not steal.
IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbor, (that is, no one may tell lies of other
people.)
X. Thou shalt not covet," (or wish for other
people's things.)
This was what God said on the mount, and then
he said no more.
The people were glad when God had left off
speaking, for they could not bear the sound of that
terrible voice; but while he was speaking, they had
gone farther and farther away.
Soon they came to Moses, and they said to him,
"Ask God never to let us hear his voice again,
it frightens us so much.  We wish God to tell
everything to you, Moses, and you can tell us what
he says."
So Moses went up again to the dark cloud at the
Line upon Line.   14




158              MOSES, OR
top of the mount, and told God what the people
had said. " They do not wish to hear thee speak
to them again," said Moses.
And God said they have done well in not wishing to hear my voice. I shall speak to you, and
you shall tell them; and O that they would obey
me, and that I might bless them always!"*
You see that God wished the people to be good
and happy; but he knew that they did not love
him in their hearts.
Moses did really love God. God talked to him
a great deal. God told Moses to come up to him
quite alone, and to stay with him at the top of the
mountain; and so Moses stayed with God forty
days and forty nights, and all that time he neither
ate bread nor drank water; but God kept him alive,
and talked to him out of the thick cloud.
At the end of the time God gave Moses a book.
What kind of book?  It was not made of paper
like the books you have seen.  It was made of
stone. It had only two leaves, and on those leaves
very little writing. God had made this stone book,
and God had written in it with his own finger.
You would like to know what was written in it.
God had written in it all the words he had spoken
in the loud voice from the cloud. The ten things
God had told the Israelites, are called the Ten
Commandments.
He had written them down that Moses might' Deut. v. 22-29.




MOUNT SINAI.               159
read them to the children of Israel, so that they
might never forget God's commandments.
Neither ought we to forget God's commandments. They are written upin some churches, that
we may read them.   Did you ever see them?
I should like you, my dear children, to learn these
commandments; and I will tell you the meaning
of them over again.
One of these commandments was, " Thou shalt
have no other gods but me."  God wished the
Israelites to love him better than any thing else.
But they did not. We shall hear of their wickedness.  We ought to love God better than everything else; for there is no one so kind and so good
as God.
0 God, how terrible wert thou,
When from the mountain's burning brow
Thy voice was heard!
Thunders and lightnings with thee came,
And thickest smoke and raging flame
Around appeared.
Well might each heart with terror thrill,
As loud-more loud-and louder still
The trumpet grew.
Well might a thousand lips implore
To hear thine awful voice no more,
Lest death ensue.
And yet the voice they could not bear
Is heard above,-by angels fair,
With great delight;
When Adam dwelt in Eden's ground,
He heard that voice, nor did the sound
His soul affright.




160                 MOSES, OR
But when thy law he disobey'd,
For fear of thee-in deepest shade
He hid his head.
Thy thunderings' roar, and lightnings' blaze,
Would thus no righteous soul amaze,
Nor fill with dread.
And Israel too had broke thy lawSo trembled when they heard and saw
Thy dreadful power:
The God who made the thunders roll,
They knew could plunge each sinful soul
Where flames devour.
And have I not deserved to die.
How shall I dare to venture nigh
Thine awful throne!
My sins would fill my soul with dread,
Did not the blood that Jesus shed,
For all atone.
CHAPTER XXVIII
MOSES, OR THE GOLDEN CALF.
Ex. xxxii.
MOSES stayed in the mount forty days and forty
nights. How did the Israelites behave when he
was gone?
At first they behaved well, but at last they grew
tired  of waiting-they grew  impatient.   They
wanted to go on to Canaan quickly, but the cloud
stopped at the top of the mountain, and they were




THE GOLDEN CALF.          16I
not allowed to go on unless it moved, and unless
Moses told them to move: and now Moses was
on the top of the mountain, they began to think
he would never come back; so they went to
Aaron, and said to him, "Make us some gods to
go before us, for we do not know what is become
of Moses."
How wicked a thing to ask! But you know
they had lived in Egypt, where they had seen
people worship idols, and they had learned to do
the same.
Aaron was afraid that they would kill him, if he
did not make an image to please them. So he said,
" Bring me your gold earrings."  And tfie people
brought him their golden earrings.
How did they get so many golden things?
The women of Egypt had given them gold before they set out on their journey.
Aaron melted all the earrings in the fire; then,
when the gold was soft, he took a knife and cut it
into an image. He made it in the shape of a calf.
The people in Egypt worshipped calves.
As soon as the Israelites saw it they began to
praise it, and say, " This is he who brought us out
of Egypt."  Then Aaron put it on a high place.
and built an altar before it, and said that they
would have a great feast the next day.
The next day they rose up early.  They spent
the day in worshipping the calf. They took their
lambs and goats, and offered them on the altar of
14*




162               MOSES, OR
sacrifices to the calf, and then rose up to sing ana
dance, all the while praising the calf.
You remember that they had promised a little
while ago always to obey God, but they did not
keep their promise. One of the ten commandments was, " Thou shalt not make an image, and
bow down to it." How soon they broke that commandment 
Moses was at the top of the mountain talking
with God.  He did not know what they were doing, but God knew: and he said to Moses, " Go
down; the people you brought out of Egypt have
made a golden calf, and are worshipping it. I am
very angry with them, and I will kill them all;
but I will save you, Moses, and your children."
Moses was grieved to hear that the Lord was
angry, and he entreated God to forgive the people.  " Remember," he said, " how  you have
brought them out of Egypt, and how you promised Abraham that you would bless his children."
And the Lord heard Moses' prayer; and determined that he would not kill them all. How kind
Moses was to pray for the people;  How kind
God was to say that he would not kill all the people!
Then Moses went quickly down the mount, with
the book of stone in his hand.  When he had almost come to the bottom of the mount, he heard
the noise of singing, and he knew that it was the
Israelites praising their calf. At last he came to
the tents, and he saw the calf, and the people danc.




THE GOLDEN CALF.           163
sng round it, like mad or drunken people. It was
a dreadful sight for Moses to see.  He grew more
angry still, and he threw down the stone book
upon the ground, and broke it into pieces.  The
Israelites had broken God's laws, and Moses broke
the book in his anger and his grief. Moses would
not give that stone book to these wicked people.
Do you not think the people must have been
afraid when they saw Moses again?
They had thought they should never have seen
him again: but he had caught them in their wickedness.
He took the calf-(and no one tried to hinder
him)-he threw it again in the fire: then afterwards he ground it into powder, and threw it into
some water, and made the Israelites drink that
bitter water.
Moses was very angry with Aaron for having
made the calf.  Moses said to him, " Why did
you let the people be so wicked?"
Aaron said, "do not be angry with me: the
people chose to be wicked, and they asked me to
make the calf; I did it to please them."
This was a bad excuse. It was very wicked in
Aaron to make the calf.  We should not do wicked things, even when people ask us. 
Moses told some of the men to take swords,
and to kill a great many people; and they killed
three thousand men with swords. And God made
a great many other people fall very ill.
These were the punishments that God sent to




164               MOSES, OR
the wicked Israelites. They deserved to be killed
for worshipping the golden calf; but God listened
to Moses' prayer, and did not kill them all.
You have heard how the stone book was broken.
God did not make a new one himself, but he told
Moses to make a book of stone, and then God
wrote the ten commandments in it, as he had done
in the other book.
God called Moses up into the mountain again,
and then God wrote the ten commandments in the
stone book. God told Moses to stay alone with
him on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
God talked to Moses as friends talk to one another.
He did not speak in that loud voice which had
frightened the Israelites, nor did he make it thunder, and lighten, and smoke when he talked to
Moses.  Moses liked being with God upon the
mountain.  Why was not Moses afraid of God 
Because God's Spirit was in him.  Dear children,
you will love God like a father, if God's holy Spirit
is in you. God let Moses see some of his glorious brightness; but God would not let him see
his face, because Moses would have died had he
seen God's face. The angels and the people in
heaven* see God's face, but men upon earth could
not bear such brightness.
I will tell you soon what God said to Moses
when he was alone with him on the mountain.
Moses ate no bread, and drank no water, while
he was alone with God.
* They shall see his face.-Rev. xxii. 4.




THE GOLDEN CALF.            165
At last Moses came down again to the people,
with the stone book in his hand. This time the
Israelites were not worshipping an image; they
came up to Moses to speak to him; but when they
looked at his face, they were afraid to come near
him; even Aaron, Moses' brother, was afraid.
What could the reason be?
The reason was, Moses' face shone like the sun,
and they could not bear such brightness. And
what had made his face shine?
He had been talking with God and looking upon
his glory, and this had made his face so bright.
For God is brighter than the sun, and the angels
who look upon God are bright like him.
When Moses knew why the people could not
come near him, he took a thick veil, and covered
his face, and then he called them, for he wanted
to tell them what God had said to him.
Then Aaron and the people came to him, and
now they could look at him. Moses kept the veil
on his face all the time he talked to them.
I hope, dear children, that your faces will one
day shine bright in heaven.* If you love God
now, I am sure one day you will see him in heaven,
and then you will be like the angels.
Is that the conqueror's cry,
Or voice of those that fly?
It is the merry sound
Of those that dance around
Some frightful idol god.
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma.
ment —Daniel xii. 3.




166                   MOSES, OR
The feast was lately spread;Their cheeks with wine are red; —
They fling their robes away,
And sing, and dance, and play,
And praise their idol god.
Can this the people be,
From Egypt just set free?
Have they so soon forgot
The wonders for them wrought
By their own fathers' God?
O conduct mean and base!
Foolish, ungrateful race!
How can they thus reward
The goodness of the Lord,
And serve an idol god?
While I thus Israel blame,
Let me not do the same;
O ne'er would I be found
Amidst the giddy round
Of those who serve not God.
Whilst I remain on earth,
In dance, and song, and mirth,
My days I would not spend,
For fear I should offend
My own All-gracious God.




THE TABERNACLE.            167
CHAPTER XXIX.
MOSES, OR THE TABERNACLE.
Ex. xxxv.; xxxvi.; xvii.
MOSES had been with God upon the mount a
great many days. I have not told you what God
was teaching him, but now you shall hear. God
was showing him how to make a beautiful house.
Whose house was it to be?  The house of
God.  God did not need a house, for his throne
is in the sky; but he was so kind as to say that
he would let the Israelites make him a house in
the wilderness.
When Moses came down from the mount, he
called all the people round him. He wanted to
speak to them.  He wore his veil over his face
while he spoke.
He said first, " God desires you to do no work
an the sabbath day, but to worship him, and he is
going to have a beautiful house made, where you
can come and pray to him.  Who will bring me
things with which to make the house?
Had the children of Israel any beautiful things
that they could bring to Moses?
You remember that the women of Egypt had
given them a great deal of gold, and silver, and
cloth and linen. They had made a calf with some
of their gold, but they had a great deal more beside.




168               MOSES, OR
But do you think they would give these things
to God?-or would they say, " We cannot spare
our things; we mean to make fine clothes, and to
make our tents look pretty inside?" Do you think
they would part with their pretty things?  Yes
they would.  They all went to their tents after
Moses had spoken to them.  They opened their
boxes and their baskets, and they took out gold
and silver rings and earrings, and they took out
beautiful pieces of cloth; some were blue, some
were purple, and some were scarlet; and a great
deal of fine white linen, and skins of sheep and
goats, and beautiful kinds of wood.   They
brought all these things to Moses.  What a large
heap there must have been!
Some of the rich men had beautiful shining
stones, and sweet spices, and oil: and they brought
them to Moses.
Moses was pleased to see that the people would
give their things to God, and most of all he was
glad that they liked to give them. They did not
feel sorry when they gave them, but they were
glad that they had something to give.  If we feel
sorry when we give things, God is not pleased.*
Who was to make the beautiful house? It was
very hard to make such a beautiful house as God
would choose to have.
Moses called the children of Israel, and said,
" God has got two men very clever in cutting
stones, in carving wood, and in making all kinds
* God loveth a cheerful giver.-2 Cor. ix. 7




THE TABERNACLE.            169
of curious things, and he has told me their
names."
Then Moses called these two men, and he gave
them  all the beautiful things, and said,  Now
begin to make the house, and I shall tell you what
you shall make."  And Moses called every one to
help them: and he told the two clever men to
teach the others.
It is God who makes people clever: so that
when people can make beautiful things, they
should not be proud: but they should thank
God.
So all the people began to work. The women
spun blue, and purple, and scarlet thread and
worsted. The men made the thread into linen and
cloth: they cut the wood with saws and hammers 
they melted the gold and silver in the fire, and then
made altars, and candlesticks, and shovels, and
tongs, and basins, and many other things.  They
worked hard for many months till all the things
were finished.
I will now tell you what sort of a house God
had told Moses to make.
It was not a house made of bricks nor stone;
because this house would be moved from one place
to another: so it was not fastened to the ground,
but it was made like a tent and it could be moved
very easily.
You never saw so large a tent as this was. It
was as big as a very large room. It was called
" The Tabernacle."
Line upon Line.  15




170                 MlOSES, OR
There were a great many boards that were placed upright on the ground, and close together*
These boards were the walls of the house; but
there were no boards at the top; curtains were
thrown over the house to cover the top.  There
was no door to the house, but a curtain  hung
down in front, and that curtain was instead of a
door.
There was no floor to the house: green grass
was the only floor.
The house was very beautiful; for the boards
were covered with gold, and the curtains were
blue, purple, and scarlet, and there were five posts
of gold in front, over which a curtain hung down
for the door, of which I told you before.
The house had two rooms inside.  The first
room was the largest. I will tell you about the
beautiful things that were placed in it.
In the first room there were three very beautiful
things.
1. In the middle an altar of gold; but no lamps
were burned upon it, only sweet spices, which made
the tabernacle smell most sweet. The burning spices were called " incense."
2. On one side there was a golden table, and on
the table twelve loaves.  They  were called the
shew-bread, or holy bread. There was fresh bread
put there every sabbath-day.' The mode of joining the boards may be explained to some children. Rings were placed in the boards, and long poles were run
through these rings.




TIE TABERNACLE.            171
3. On the other side there was a golden candlestick with seven lamps.  There was no window
in the tabernacle, but these lamps made it light.
This room was very beautiful and sweet, but
there was another room still more beautiful.
It was the inner room, on the other side of the
curtain.  There was a curtain between the big
room and the little room. This curtain was instead of a door. It was called " The Veil."
In the little room there was a golden box, with
golden angels on the top.  This box was called
" The Ark." Inside the box the book of stone was
placed. But what made this room so glorious was,
that God used to come down.in his cloud, and fill
this little room with his brightness.
The cloud rested between the golden angels on
the top of the box.
The top of the box was called the mercy seat,
because God sat there, and God is full of love and
mercy.  This little room was called "The Holy
of Holies."
It had no window in it, and no candle, but yet it
was light.  The glory of God made it light, for
God, you know, is brighter than the sun. What
a sweet place this little room must have been! It
makes me think of heaven, for there God lives, and
there he shines.  But heaven is not a little place.
It is a very large place, and it will hold all the people who have loved God on earth, besides all the
angels.
I will not tell you any more about the tabernacle




172                   MOSES, OR
now: but I will write down the names of the things
in the tabernacle. Can you remember what they
were?
In the first room,
1. The golden altar.
2. The table of shew-bread.
3. The golden candlestick.
In the little room, or Holy of Holies, the Ark.
Where the angels' golden wings
O'er the ark together meet,
Sat enthroned the King of kings,
On his glorious mercy-seat.
Curtains 411 around were spread.
Shutting out the light of day:
Neither lamp nor candle shed,
In its stead their feeble ray.
Yet there shone a fairer light
Than this earth could e'er afford;
Can the sun be counted bright,
When compared with the Lord?'Tis his face makes heaven so fair;
With fond rapture angels gaze,
Sweetest smiles for ever wear,
Joyful songs for ever raise.
The bright sun shall cease to shine,
Lamps and candles shall expire;
But the glorious face divine
Still shall bless the heavenly choir.*
Soon shall earthly pleasures die,
Like the candle's feeble flame;
God can brighter joys supply,
Through eternal years the same.
A band of singers. The heavenly choir are saints and angela.




THE PRIESTS.             173
CHAPTER XXX.
MOSES) OR THE PRIESTS.
Ex. xxxviii.; xxxix.; xl.
I HAVE now told you what kind of a place the
tabernacle was.  I am now going to tell you of
some things that were placed outside of it. You
know that houses often have a garden round them.
The tabernacle had no garden round it, but there
was a large piece of ground near it, called the
court: and there were posts round the court.
These posts were placed at a little distance from
each other, and curtains were hung between the
posts: so there was a wall of curtains round the
tabernacle.
In this court there were two things, of which I
shall speak to you.
1. A brass altar.
This altar was very large.  It was not like the
little altar of gold inside the tabernacle.  This altar was not for the burning of spices, but for the
burning of beasts, such as sheep, goats, bulls, and
calves.  You know that God had desired people
to offer beasts to him  as sacrifices.  Do you remember the reason?  What promise had Jesus
made to his Father a long, long while before? He
had promised to die for men. God wished people
always to remember this promise, so he told them
to kill beasts, and to sprinkle their blood, and to
15*




174                MOSES, OR
burn their bodies.  Abel, Noah, and Abraham
offered sacrifices.
This brass altar was for the sacrifices.
The lamb was to be killed, and its blood would
flow all round the altar, and the smoke of the burning would go up to the sky.
2. A brass basin was placed in the court. It
was very large, and it was filled with water for people to wash in. I shall soon tell you who washed
in this basin.
Who was to offer the sacrifices? Aaron. God
said that Aaron should be the'High  Priest."
Aaron was to offer the sacrifices, to burn the incense, and to light the lamps of the candlestick.
God said that Aaron might go into the little
room, the Holy of Holies; God would not allow
any person but Aaron to go in there, and he only
allowed him  to go in once every year.  Aaron
might lift up the veil, and see the cloud upon the
mercy-seat.  Moses might go in as well as Aaron:
and God promised to speak to him in that little
room.*
I am glad, my dear children, that there is a
brighter place where we may go one day, and hear
God speak to us.
God desired  Moses to have  some beautiful
clothes made for Aaron to wear. The two clever
men, of whom  I told you before, knew how to
make them.
* There will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from
above the mercy-seat.-Ex. xxv. 22. Also Numb. vii. 89.




THE PRIESTS.             175
These were the clothes Aaron was to wear.
1. He was to wear a white dress with long
sleeves.
2. A robe of blue.  He was to wear this over
the white dress. Little golden bells were hung
round the edge of it: and they would sound sweetly as Aaron moved along.
3. An ephod made of white linen, worked all
over with purple, scarlet, and gold. Aaron was to
wear the ephod over the blue robe.
4. A band round his waist called a girdle.  It
was made of white linen, and was worked with
purple, scarlet thread, and with gold wire.
5. A breastplate.  Aaron was to wear this in
front. It was made of linen, covered with twelve
shining stones.  It was to be fastened to Aaron's
shoulders by gold chains.
6. A mitre.  Aaron was to wear a high white
cap upon his head, called a mitre. A piece of gold
was on the mitre, and on the gold was written,
" Holiness to the Lord." Aaron ought to be holy
because he was to offer sacrifices to God.
Aaron was to wear no shoes upon his feet: but
he was often to wash his feet and his hands in the
brass basin.
Aaron had four sons. God said that they should
help him to offer sacrifices. Aaron's sons were to
wear white clothes, but not the same beautiful
clothes as Aaron.   They  were  to be called
"Priests," and Aaron was to be called "High
Priest."




176              MOSES, OR
It was a long while before the tabernacle was
made.  Though all the people worked very hard,
yet the things were not finished for almost a year.
At last God desired Moses to set up the tabernacle.
Moses set up the boards for the walls of the tabernacle, and covered the top with curtains: and he
placed the ark in the Holy of Holies: and he put
the table, and the candlestick, and the golden altar,
in the largest room: and he set up the posts, and
the curtains, all round the court: and he put the
brass altar and basin in it. Then Moses poured
sweet oil upon all the things: this pouring oil
was called " anointing."
Then Moses put upon  Aaron his beautiful
clothes, and put the white clothes upon Aaron's
sons: and he poured sweet oil upon their heads,
and anointed them.
Then God came down in his cloud, and his
brightness filled the whole place: and so God
showed that he would have it for his house.
Was it not pleasant for the Israelites to think
that God lived in a house in the midst of them?
The cloud could be seen outside the tabernacle as
well as inside: and in the night it shone like fire.
How kind it was in God to let the people see some
of his brightness! God wished them to be very
good, and to obey all he said. God is very near
us, too, though we cannot see him; but we hope
to see him some day.
What place is much more beautiful than the tab



THE PRIESTS.                177
ernacle was?  Heaven.  If we get to heaven, we
shall be much more glorious than Aaron was, and
we shall see God's face for ever and ever, and so
we shall be quite happy.
THE HIGH PRIEST'S DRESS.
1. The white coat, with long sleeves.
2. The blue robe.
3. The ephod.
4. The girdle.
5. The breast-plate.
6. The mitre.
How fair was Aaron to the view,
When in his splendid garments drest,
He wore his robe of heavenly blue
Above his long and snowy vest.
His ephod and his girdle white
Were wrought with purple, gold, and red:
Upon his breast shone jewels bright,
A costly mitre on his head.
No priest like him dwells now on earth,
But there is one beyond the sky;
Ah! who can set his glories forth,
Or who with him in beauty vie?
O fairer than the sons of men,*
O fairest of the hosts above,t
What tongue can tell, what eye hath seen,
The glories of the God of love.
thou art fairer than the children of men.-Ps. xlv. 2
r Who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord I-Ps,
llXXIx. 6.




178                MOSES OR
0! may I thy sweet image wear,
When from the tomb my flesh shall rise,
And on the fairest of the fair
Forever fix my loving eyes!
CHAPTER XXXI.
MOSES, OR THE JOURNEY OF THE ISRAELITES.
Now the Israelites had a place in which to wor
ship God, and to offer sacrifices.
Every morning the priests offered up a lamb on
the brass altar,* and burned incense on the golden
altar in the tabernacle.t And every evening they
offered another lamb, and burned some more incense.
God sent some fire down from  heaven to burn
the sacrifices with, and the priests never let the
fire go out; and the priests always kept the lamps
burning in the tabernacle. Every sabbath-day the
priests placed some fresh bread on the golden table; and when they put the fresh bread on it, they
took away the old bread, and ate it themselves.~
The people went into the great court of the tabernacle to worship God, and to see the lamb killed
and burned on the altar. Afterwards they saw Aaron go into the tabernacle to burn incense. The
people stood in the court while Aaron was in the
* Exodus xxix. 38-41.     t Exodus xxx. 7, 8.
Leviticus ix. 24.       ~ Leviticus xxiv. 5-9.




THE JOURNEY OF THE ISRAELITES.    17P,abernacle praying for them. They waited till he
came out again to bless them.  He lifted up his
hands and said, " The Lord bless thee, and keep
thee.",*
Who prays for us in heaven?  Who will come
one day, and bless us?
The Lord Jesus Christ. He is our High Priest.
While the people had been making the tabernacle, they had stayed in one place near the great
mount, Sinai; but soon after it was finished, the
cloud of God moved.  Then the priests blew two
silver trumpets.
Why did they blow these trumpets?
To tell the people that they were to move to
another place.
Then the people packed up their tents and furniture, and put them on the backs of their camels
and asses.
Then the priests went into the tabernacle, and
covered all the things in it with blue cloth.  No
one might look while they were covering the things.
Then they gave them to some men to carry upon
their shoulders:t but the priests covered the ark
with the beautiful veil, and they carried it theniselves.t There were two long golden sticks fastened to it, the priests held the ends of the sticks,
and so they carried it.
Then the priests desired some men to carry the
curtains,-and the posts, and the boards of the taberNumbers vi. 23. to end. t Luke 1. 9, 10, 22. Numbers iv. 5-15.
t The priests (the sons of Levi) which bare the ark.-Dent xxxi. a




180                MOSES, OR
nacle.*  The priests went first f with tne ark, and
all the people followed them, and God in the cloud
showed them the way.
When the cloud stopped, the priests and the people stopped, and set up the tabernacle and the
tents.$
In this manner the Israelites travelled all through
the wilderness.
What a happy people they were, to have such a
God to show them the way to Canaan!  They
ought always to have been praising Him for his
goodness.  He fed them  with manna, and gave
them water from the rock; and he had promised to
bring them  to a sweet land.  Besides all this, he
had promised to send his Son to die for them; and
the lambs were killed, you know, to make them remember that promise.
I hope we shall not forget how Jesus died upon
the cross.  And I hope we shall get to that sweet
land, called heaven. God wishes us to get there,
and Jesus Christ is praying for us.
While Israel in the desert stray,
They feel God's tender care;For heavenly blessings day by day
Are shed upon them there.
At earliest dawn they gather bread,
New fallen from the skies;
And next the holy courts they tread
And view the sacrifice.' Numbers v. 23-33. t Numbers x. 33. X Numbers ix. lb to end




THE TWELVE SPIES.               181
It is for them the spotless lamb
Is to the altar led!
It is for them the purple stream
Is on the altar shed.
And Aaron lifts for them a prayer,
As he the incense burns;
Filling with odours sweet the air,
To bless them he returns.
Those days are past: Aaron no more
For Israel intercedes;
The skies no more sweet manna pour,
The lamb no longer bleeds.
But we partake of heavenly bread,
In God's sweet word of grace:
For us the heavenly Lamb has bled;
For us a Saviour prays.
O that we may more grateful be
Than Israel was of old,
And sweeter days we yet shall see
Within God's heavenly fold.
CHAPTER XXXII.
MOSES, OR THE TWELVE SPIES.
Numbers xiii.: xiv. 1-40.
AT last the Israelites came quite near the land
of Canaan.
They could see the tops of the high hills that
were in, Canaan, and they wished to know what
sort of a land it was, and what sort of people lived
in it.
Line upon Line.      16




182               MOSES, Olt
So the Israelites came to Moses and said, " We
wish to send some men to look at the land, and we
wish them to come back and tell us what kind of
a land it is."
Would Moses send some men?
Moses waited to know  whether God would
like some men to go.
Soon God said to Moses, " Send twelve men
into Canaan to see the land." So Moses called
twelve of the children of Israel, and said to them,
" Go into Canaan, and walk up among the high
mountains, and look at the land: see whether there
are many people living in the land, and what kind
of people they are; whether they are strong or
weak: see whether there are many trees, and
much corn and grass in the land; and bring back
some fruit, to show us the kind of fruit that grows
in the land."
So the twelve men set out on their journey.
These men were called the twelve spies. They
walked up and down the hills, and by the side of
the water.  They saw sweet gardens, and some
fields covered with sheep, and some fields full of
corn, and trees laden with fruit, and they saw holes
in the trees, which the bees had filled with honey,
so that honey dropped to the ground.  They
saw large towns with high walls around them, and
they saw many strong men and some of them were
giants.
At last they came to a brook or pond. A vine
* Deut. i. 22.




THE TWELVE SPIES           189
grew  by it, and on the vine there were ripe
grapes-one of the bunches was very, very large.
They said, " Let us bring it back, to show to the
children of Israel." One man could not carry this
bunch by himself. So they took a staff or stick,
and fastened the bunch of grapes to the staff, and
one man held one end of the staff and another held
the other.  The rest of the men picked figs and
other fruit and carried them back to the tents.
The spies were forty days looking at the land
of Canaan.
When they came back, the people saw the beautiful bunch of grapes. There were no such grapes
in the wilderness.  The spies then said, " The
land of Canaan is a fine land, full of milk and
honey: but we cannot get into it, for the people
live in great towns with high walls: they are very
strong, and some of them are giants, and when we
saw them, we felt as if we were as little as grasshoppers."
Then the children of Israel were very much
frightened, and they began to murmur and to weep.'" Ah!" said the people, " we shall be killed if
we try to get in."
It was wicked to say this, because God had promised to help the Israelites to get into Canaan.
It is wicked not to believe what God says.
Two of the spies were very good men; their
names were Joshua and Caleb.  They did not
wish to frighten the people; and Caleb stood up




184               MOSES, OR
and said, " Let us go into the land, for we can conquer the people that are in it."
But the ten other spies said, " No, we cannot,
because the people of Canaan are stronger than
we."
These ten spies were very wicked men, because
they knew that God had promised to help the Israelites to conquer the men of Canaan, and they
ought to have told the people to trust in God.
The Israelites cried all night long, and they
were angry with Moses and Aaron for bringing
them out of Egypt, and said, " 0 that we had died
in Egypt, or in the wilderness! The people of
Canaan will kill us with their swords, and they
will kill our wives and our little children."
They spoke in this way all night long, instead
of praying to God to help them.
At last they said, " Let us go back into Egypt."
They knew that Moses would not take them
back. So they said, " We can make another man
captain over us, and he will take us back to
Egypt."
Moses and Aaron heard these wicked words:
they were full of grief, and they fell down on the
ground upon their faces.
What had grieved Moses and Aaron?
They were grieved to see the people so wicked.
Then Joshua and Caleb stood up and said to
the people, " we have seen the land, and it is a
very beautiful land; and if we trust in God, he
will help us to fight; but the people of Canaan




THE TWELVE SPIES.           185
have no God to help them; therefore we ought not
to be afraid of them."
The children of Israel would not listen to Joshua
and Caleb, but were going to kill them with stones,
when God shone brightly upon the tabernacle, so
that the people saw that he was angry.
Moses was lying on his face on the ground, but
God spoke to him, and said, " How long will this
people provoke me?  I will kill them  with a
plague."
Then Moses prayed to God for the people.
" 0 pardon this people," he said, " their great
sin. Thou hast forgiven them many times, and
thy mercy is very great."
God heard Moses' prayer, and said, " I have
pardoned them.  I will not kill them all now, but
they shall not come into Canaan;-only their children shall come in. They shall stay in the wilderness forty years, and they shall all die in it,
and when their children are grown up, they shall
go into the land of Canaan. But there are two
of the men who shall go into Canaan,-they are
Caleb and Joshua."
Moses told the children of Israel what God had
said, and when the people heard it, they were very
unhappy, and they murmured.
The ten wicked spies soon ^fell sick and died,
but Joshua and Caleb lived still.
How sad it was for the people to think that they
should never see that sweet land of Canaan, but
should die in the wilderness  Yet they deserved
16*




186                   MOSES, OR
to die, because they had not believed what God
had said.
God has promised to give us his Spirit if we ask
him, and to take us to heaven.  Do you believe
this promise, dear children?  Then you will ask
God for his Spirit. But if you do not care about
heaven, then you will not pray to God for his Spirit.  Then God will be angry, and at last he will
say that you shall never get to heaven.*
" Is that fair Canaan's coast 7
Are those her mountains high V"
Cry Israel's eager host,
As in the camp they lie.
" Let's send a little band
Of brave and faithful men,
To search the pleasant land,
And bring us word again."
The chosen band departs:
What scenes before them rise,
To charm their anxious hearts,
And their astonished eyes!
They climb the mountain's side,
Whence cooling waters flow:
They cross the valleys wide,
Where golden harvests grow;
Pass through the woods, where bees
Sip honey from each flower,t
And in the hollow trees
Hide their delicious store;
Let us therefore labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fall
after the same example of unbelief.-Heb. iv. 11.
t All they of the land came to a wood, and there was honey upon
the ground.-Samuel xiv. 25.




THE TWELVE SPIES.                187
View gardens where the vine
And olive tree are seen,
The sheep and lowing kine
Amidst the pastures green.
But while the beauteous land
They view with great delight,
They see where cities stand
With walls of wondrous height,
And towers tall and strong,
And gates of iron and brass:
And'midst the countless throng,
Some who the rest surpass:
Men of enormous size,
Who wield the sword and spear,
And in whose sight the spies
Like grasshoppers appear.
But why should such a sight
Fill Israel with dismay 1
Their God for them shall fight,
And they shall win the day:For idols are adored
By Canaan's wicked race,
And cups of blood are poured
Before each idol's face,*
And helpless babies bleed
Amongst the thickest trees,
And every wicked deed
Is done, those gods to please,t
CHILD.
There is a land more fair
Than any land below,
Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer.-Psalm xvi. 4.
t Every abomination to the Iord, which he hateth, have they done
auto their gods.-Leviticus xii. 31.




188                 MOSES, OR
And I would enter there,
In spite of every foe.
Then let me now begin
To strive with all my might
To overcome all sin,*
However hard the fight.
The Lord will give me strength,
And fill my soul with grace,
And I shall reach at length
His heavenly dwelling-place.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
MOSES, OR THE SIN OF MOSES AND AARON.
Numbers xx. 1-13, 22-29.
THE children of Israel lived in the wilderness a
great many years. They moved about from place
to place.
At last they came to a place where there was no
water.
How do you think they behaved?  Did they
pray to God, or did they murmur?
They murmured against Moses and Aaron, as
they always did when they were unhappy.
They said, "O  that we had died before this
time!  Why did you bring us out of Egyyt into
this wilderness? Here there are no figs, no grapes,
* If ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live.-Romans viii. 13.




THE SIN OF MOSES AND AARON.     189
no kind of nice fruit, and now there is no water to
drink."
They forgot that it was because of their own
wickedness that they were still in the wilderness;
for if they had obeyed God, they would then have
been sitting under their own trees, eating their own
fruit in Canaan.
Mdses and Aaron were very much grieved to
aear them murmur, and they went away from the
people, and fell on their faces before the tabernacle; and soon God spoke to them.
He said " Take the rod and call the people, and
go to the rock and speak to it, and water shall
come out of the rock, and then the people and the
beasts shall drink."
So Moses took the rod, (the rod was kept near
the ark.) Then Moses and Aaron called the people together, and told them to look at what they
were going to do.
Moses and Aaron felt very angry with the people, and they said, " Hear now, ye rebels! (which
means grumblers,) must we fetch water for you
out of this rock?"
Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the
rock twice with his rod; and the water came flowing out in streams, and the people and the cattle
began to drink.
Do you think that Moses and Aaron had behaved right?  Had God told them to strike the
rock?
God had said, "speak to the rock."




21'0-    MOSES, OR
Was it right to speak so impatiently, and to say,
"Must we fetch water for you, rebels?"
Moses and Aaron had been in a passion. God
was displeased with them.
Do you think that God will punish them? God
loved Moses and Aaron; yet he would punish
them when they did wrong.  He would forgive
them and take them to heaven, but he would give
them some punishment.*  You shall hear what
the punishment should be.
Soon afterwards, God said to Moses and Aaron,
"Because you have done this, you shall not go
into Canaan; you shall die in the wilderness."
What a great punishment this was! Moses had
often longed to see that sweet land of Canaan; he
had often wished to see the Israelites happy in
their own houses and gardens; he had longed to
see the place where Abraham had built altars and
worshipped God; but now he must die in the wilderness.  He prayed to God to excuse him this
punishment, but God would not. God said " Ask
me no more to do this."  Then Moses knew that
he must bear this punishment t
Moses was the meekest man in all the world.
The Israelites had often spoken ungratefully to
him, and he had made no answer. Yet at last he
himself fell into a passion.
You see how much God hates passion.  God
* Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest ven
geance )f their inventions.-Psalm xcix. 8.
t Deuteronomy iii. 23-26.




THE SIN OF MOSES AND AARON.      191
wishes us to be very meek, like the Lord Jesus
Christ, who never spoke an angry word.
Are you meek, my dear child?  Can you bear
to be pushed, and slapped, and not push and slap
again?  If a child takes your place, can you ask
him gently to let you have it; and if he will not,
can you take another quietly?  When children
call you rude names, can you be gentle, and not
call them rude names too? A meek child can do
all these things. God can make you very meek,
my dear child.  Will you pray to God to make
you meek, like Jesus?  Moses, too, was very
meek, though he fell into a passion once.
Was it unkind in God to punish Moses and Aaron?
God cannot be unkind, but he will punish people for disobedience. God wished to show the
Israelites that he would not allow any person to be
disobedient, not even Moses.
At last the time came for Aaron to die: for God
chose Aaron to die first. God said to Moses, "Go
up to the top of the hill with Aaron, and take Aaron's eldest son with you; and Aaron will die on
the top, and you must put his clothes upon his
son."  God chose Aaron's son to be high priest
instead of Aaron, so he was to wear Aaron's clothes.
So Aaron put on his beautiful high p'riest's
clothes; his blue robe with golden bells, and his
shining ephod over it, his shining breastplate, and
his white mitre, with the golden writing upon it.
Then Aaron walked with Moses and his son to the




192                 MOSES, 0o
top of the hill, and all the people looked at them
as they were walking up.  Aaron knew  that he
should never walk down that hill, but still he
obeyed God, and bore his punishment meekly.
When they were come to the top, Moses took
the beautiful clothes off his brother Aaron, and put
them upon Aaron's son.
Moses parted from his brother Aaron on the top
of that hill: for there Aaron died. Moses and the
son left him dead upon the top, and came down
the hill together. Then the people saw that Aaron was dead, and that there was another high
priest.
Aaron's soul went up to heaven, for God had
forgiven him. If he had not spoken so angrily,
he would have lived to see the land of Canaan.
Moses knew  that he should die very soon: but
God did not choose him to die yet.
The mountain steep see Aaron climb,
While two alone his journey share.
How bright his splendid garments shine!
What charming fragrance fills the air!
How sweetly sounds each golden bell,
Oft heard within the holy place!
Listen! It is the priest's farewell:Israel no more shall see his face.
The aged priest shall ne'er return,
Ne'er lift his holy hands to bless,
Nor trim the lamp nor incense burn,
Nor Israel's sins with blood confess.
Upon the mountain's height he stands:
And Moses now, with pious care,




THE SERPENT OF BRASS.             193
Loosens the breastplate's golden bands,
And strips him of his garments fair.
Then Aaron yields the breath he drew,
And sleeps upon that mountain's brow;
His girdle bright, and robe of blue,
Adorn young Eleazer now.
It is for sin that Aaron dies;
O had he still obeyed his God,
Nor let his hasty passion rise,
Sweet Canaan's fields he should have trod.
But though a sinful priest must die,
That none may on his prayers depend:
Our sinless Priest still lives on high,
And his fair days shall never end.
His glorious robes he ever wears,
Still lifts his holy hands to bless;
Like incense sweet presents our prayers,
Perfum'd in his own righteousness.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
MOSES, OR THE SERPENT OF BRASS.
Numbers xxi. 4-9.
THE children of Israel travelled in the wilderness a great many years.  Sometimes when they
were close to Canaan, the cloud moved the other
way and the Israelites were obliged to go on travelling in the wilderness. This made them very
unhappy, for they longed very much to get into
Line upon Line.      17




194               MOSES, OR
the sweet land of Canaan. If they had not behaved so ill in the wilderness, they would soon
have got to Canaan: but God punished them by
not letting them get in.
How do you think they bore their punishment?
You know that they were always ready to murmur. They spoke against God and against Moses.
They said, "Why have you brought us out of
Egypt?  We shall die in the wilderness.  There
is no bread, nor any water here, and we do not
like this manna."
Was the manna nice food?  It was fit for
angels, spotless, white, and sweet as honey; it
came down from heaven and did not grow out of
the ground, as corn does. Yet these ungrateful
Israelites said that they hated it, and were tired
of eating it.
God sent them a dreadful punishment this time.
You know that there were wild beasts and horrible
serpents and scorpions in the wilderness; but God
took care of the Israelites, so that they were not
hurt by them; but now God sent serpents, whose
mouths burned like fire.  These serpents came
rushing among the tents.  The Israelites could
not get away from them. If the Israelites climbed up
a high place, the serpents could climb after them
and they could get through the smallest places.
Many, many of the Israelites were bitten by
these serpents. After they had been bitten they
grew sick, and were full of pain, and got worse
and worse, till at last they died. There was no




THE SERPENT OF BRASS.        195
medicine could cure these bites; no plaster would
make them  well; every person who was bitten
was sure to die.
The Israelites came to Moses, and said, " We
have sinned: we have spoken against the Lord,
and against you; pray to the Lord that he take
the serpents from  us."  For the serpents were
still among the tents.
Did Moses pray to God for the people? or did
he say, " You deserved to be punished, and I will
not help you?"  Moses was kind and forgiving,
and he prayed for the people.
The Lord heard Moses' prayer, and he did more
than Moses asked, for God not only called away
the serpents, but he told him how to cure the people who were bitten by the serpents.
What do you think God told Moses to do?
Did he tell Moses to give them some medicine, or
to put a plaster to the bites? You will be surprised to hear the strange things that God told Moses to do.
He said,  Take some brass, and make it into
the image of a serpent, and put it on a pole, and
tell the people who are bitten to look at it; and
those who look shall be made well."
Was not this a strange way of making them
well?
Moses believed God.  He took some brass, and
made it soft in the fire; and then made it like one
of the fiery serpents, and put it on a pole, and lifted it up, where every one could see it, and called




196               MOSES, OR
to the sick people to look quickly at the serpent,
and be made well.
The people who were bitten could crawl to the
door of their tents, and lift up their dying eyes
towards the serpent. After they had looked, their
pain went away; they felt well and strong: they
could walk and praise God.
Did all the people who were sick look at the serpent? I do not know. Perhaps-some said,' How
should looking at a serpent make us well?" If
there were any such people, they must have died.
But I hope that all looked at the serpent.
And now dear children, do you know that a serpent has bitten us? A serpent has bitten our
souls.  What serpent do I mean?  The old serpent, the devil.  He has bitten our souls; that is,
he has made us naughty.  You have heard how
he made Adam and Eve naughty in the garden of
Eden.  We are naughty too, because we are
Adam's children. Who can make our souls well of
this bite 2  Who can make us good?  If we are
not made good, our souls will die; they will go to
hell. Jesus can make us good by sending his Spirit
into our hearts.
The serpent of brass was lifted on a pole,-Jesus was lifted up on the cross:-now we must
look at Jesus. What do I mean by looking at Jesus? I do not mean looking at him with our eyes:
it would not make us good to see Jesus on the cross.
A great many wicked people saw him die, and were
not made good.  The " looking" I mean is tbink



THE SERPENT OF BRASS.             197
ing of him, and loving him.  When you think of
Jesus having died for you, and when you love him
for it, then you look at him with your soul.
I hope, dear children, that you will all think of
Jesus, and that God will send his Holy Spirit into
your hearts, and make you good, and let you live
forever in heaven.
Hear a poor Israelite complain,
" Oh, can no med'cine then be found
To ease my agonising pain;
No balm to heal my festering wound!"
This earth no med'cine can supply,
No balm to heal the serpent's bite:
But lift once more thy dying eye,
And thou shalt live, poor Israelite.
He looks on high, and sees a pole,
Round which a brazen serpent coils;
No more his eyes with anguish roll,
No more his blood with fever boils.
Nor does the sight heal one alone:
A thousand dying sufferers gaze,
And every shriek, and every groan,
Are turn'd to joyful songs of praise.
CHILD.
This history seems to me a glass,
In which I can my Saviour see,
As Moses rear'd that form of brass,
So Christ was lifted on the tree.
Full well I know the reason why
Upon that tree my Saviour hung;
lIe saw us at the point to die,
Wounded by Satan's lying tongue.
17*




198                  MOSES, OR
He saw the serpent's poisonous fangs
Make pride to swell, and rage to burn,
Fill us with envy's gnawing pangs,
And spotless hearts to devils turn.
He saw-he pitied-and he bore
Our sins upon the bloody tree;
He bade us look, that evermore
From sin and death we might be free.
0 Lord!'tis not withfleshly eyes
That I am bid on thee to gaze;
My inward eyes can pierce the skies,
Those inward eyes to thee I raise.
If on thy death I meditate,
And pardon for thy sake entreat,
My soul's disease will soon abate,
And groans be changed to praises sweet.
CHAPTER XXXV.
MIOSES) OR THE  DEATH OF MOSES.
Deut. xxxi. xxxii. xxxiii. xxxiv.
THE time was almost come for Moses to die.
The Israelites were very soon to go into Canaan,
but Moses was not to go there with them.
Moses had written a great many books while he
had been in the wilderness: and now he had almost finished them. Should you like to know what
Moses had written about in these books?
He had written about how God made the world,
how Adam ate the fruit, how Cain killed Abel. Ho




THE DEATH OF. MOSES.         199
had written about Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob; he had written about sweet Joseph
and his wicked brethren: he had written about
himself, how he had been saved from the water
when he was a baby.  He had written about the
ten plagues, and the ten commandments, and the
tabernacle; he had written about his own sin.
All I have told you Moses had written down in
five books; they have all been copied in other
books, and we can read all Moses wrote, for it is
in the Bible.
But how did Moses know all these things? He
was not born when God made the world.  How
could he write about things he never saw? Could
anybody have told him how God made the world?
No one was born when God'made the world: no
one but God could tell him, and God did tell him
God spake to Moses by his Spirit: while Moses was writing with his pen, God was putting
thoughts in his mind; so he always knew what to
write.
Moses did not write in such books as you have
seen. His paper was rolled up like a piece of
cloth in the shop.  He wrote five rolls; and these
he called his books. If you had read in Moses'
book, you must have unrolled it as you read it.
When Moses had done writing his books, he
called the priests, and told them to take care of his
books.  Moses said to them, "You must read
these books to all the Israelites, to the men, the




200                 MOSES, OR
women, and the little children, that they may know
how to please God."
Moses knew that he must soon leave the Israelites. He wished very much that some good man
should take care of them after he was dead; for
he loved them very much, though they had behaved so ill to him.  So Moses begged God to give
them  to the care of some good man;* and God
heard his prayer, and said to Moses, " I have
found a man, who will take care of the children ol
Israel after you are dead."
Who  do you think this man was?  It was
Joshua, one of the good spies; he had helped Moses to do God's work for forty years t so that
Moses had taught him a great deal. Moses was
very glad that Joshua would take care of the Israelites when he was dead.
Moses called Joshua, and said to him, "G od
will let you take the children of Israel into Canaan: you must be very brave, for you will have
to fight against the wicked people; but God will
help you: so do not be afraid.  God will never
leave you, nor forsake you.
Moses wished to speak to the people before he
died, and advise them to be good; so Moses called
all the people together, and told them he was
going to die.  "I am  very old," said he; "I am
* And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, "Let the Lord, the God
of the spirit of all flesh, set a man over the congregation," &c. Num
bers xxvii. 15, 16.' Joshua was Moses' Minister, when God spake from Mount Sinai,
forty years before his death. Ex. xxiv. 13.




THE DEATH OF MOSES.         201
a hundred and twenty years old this day.  I offended God, and I must not go into the land of Canaan; but Joshua will take you there.  Remember to obey God, and to love him, and he will always bless you: but if you worship idols, and are
wicked, God will punish you."
God told Moses to teach the people a song, that
they might sing it after he was dead. This song
was about God's kindness to the children of Israel.
My dear children, you learn pretty songs or
hymns about God.  Do you know why you are
taught to repeat them? It is to help you to think
of God, that you may love him. Some children
repeat their hymns as soon as they awake in the
morning.
After Moses had taught the people the song, he
blessed them, and then he left them for ever.
God said to Moses, " Go up that high mountain
alone. I cannot let you go into Canaan, but I
will let you see the beautiful land of Canaan from
the top of that mountain."
Moses was glad that he might see Canaan,
though he might not go in.  So Moses went up
the mountain quite alone.  He was very old, yet
he was not weak; he could walk as well as when
he was young, and he could see as well; for his
eyes were not dim — he read, and wrote, and saw
things far off. God had not let him grow weak
or blind.
I think the Israelites must have felt very sad
when they saw Moses go up that mountain all




202               MOSES, OR
alone, and when they knew they should see him no
more.
I hope they felt sorry for having behaved so ill
to him, and for having so provoked him at the
rock.  What a kind friend Moses had been to
them!
When Moses was at the top of the hill, he looked and saw the land of Canaan a great way off
It was a beautiful land, and full of green hills, and
rivers, of fields ripe with corn, and of trees laden
with fruit. Moses was glad that the children of
Israel would live in such a sweet land, where they
might worship God.
When Moses had looked at the land, he died.
No friend was near to close his eyes, or to hear
his last sigh: no brother's hand was there to wrap
him in his grave-clothes, or to cover him with the
green earth.
Would God leave Moses' body to be eaten by
the wild beasts, to be picked by the birds of the air?
No; God himself buried Moses, not upon the top
of the hill but in some secret place under the hill.
No one knows where Moses lies, but the angels,
who carried his soul to God: they know, for they
watch over God's dear children in  the dust.
When the last trumpet sounds, Moses will rise
from that grave, and shine like the stars in the
sky.
Thus Moses died.  He was the only man to
whom  God talked as to a friend: God spoke to
Moses face to face, as friends talk to each other.




THE DEATH OF MOSES.          203
I shall tell you no more of Moses; but you will
see him in heaven if you go there. You remember
that he might have been a prince in the land of
Egypt. King Pharaoh's daughter saved him from
the water, and she gave him fine things, and called
him her son. But Moses wished to help the poor
children of Israel, and he did not choose to be a
prince in Egypt.
Was it not much better that Moses should help
the poor children of Israel, than that he should be
rich and grand 
You see that God loved Moses, and made him
his friend, and took him to heaven when he died.
Now my dear children I hope you will be like
Moses.  I hope that when you are grown up, you
will not try to get fine things, but that you will
try to help poor people, and teach them about God.
Think, dear children, how kind Jesus has been to
you.  He left heaven that he might save us, and
that we might know God.
"0 beauteous land! of cooling streams,
And mountains crowned with flowers;
How oft have I, in pleasant dreams,
Worshipp'd within thy bowers!
"I love the land where Abraham rear'd
The altars to his God;
And where the Lord has oft appear'd,
Where angels' feet have trod;
"I see from far a joyful morn
Dawn on that land of rest;




204.MOSES, OR
For there a Saviour shall be born,
To make all nations blest.*
" Though now I die at God's command,
This hope sustains my heart;
And to a fairer, purer land
I joyfully depart."
What though no earthly friend was near,
To close the prophet's eyes;
No children laid him in his bier,
With loving tears and sighs.A heavenly train his soul convey'd
To mansions of the blest,
His precious body gently laid
Where none should break his rest.
No eye has seen the grassy bed,
Where now the prophet lies;
But when the trump shall wake the dead,
How glorious shall he rise!
CHAPTER XXXVI.
JOSHUA, OR RAHAB.
Joshua ii.
THE Israelites were now come close to the land
of Canaan.  They  were sorry  that Moses was
dead; but Joshua was now to take care of them
instead of Moses. Joshua was to tell them what
HIad ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote
of me.-John v. 46.




JOSHUA OR RAHAB.           205
to do.  God would speak to Joshua, and Joshua
would tell them what God said.
The Israelites would soon have to fight a great
deal.  Whom would they have to fight against'?
The wicked people who lived in Canaan.  God
chose that they should be killed to punish them
for their wickedness, and God chose that the Israelites should live in their land instead of them.
There was a great river that rolled between the
wilderness and Canaan.  The Israelites would be
obliged to cross the river before they could get into Canaan.  The Israelites could see the green
hills of Canaan on the otjer side of the river, and
they saw a great town also, with high walls all
round it. This town was called Jericho. It was
in Canaan, and wicked people lived in it. The Israelites knew that they would soon have to fight
against the people who lived in this town.
Joshua told two of the Israelites to go to the
town, and to look at it, and to come back, and tell
him about the town, and about the people who
lived in it. These men were called'spies,' because
they were sent to spy, or to look at the town.
Joshua did not wish the people of Jericho to
know when these two spies came into the town,
lest the wicked people should kill them. So they
went to the town when it was almost dark. The
spies got over the river: there was one place in
the river where the water was not very deep, and
where people could get over. This was called a
ford.
Line upon Line.  18




20 ^5         JOSHUA, OR RAIHAB.
The gate of Jericho used to be shut when it was
dark; but the spies came just befbre the gate was
shut. They went to the house of a woman named
Rahab, who kept an inn.  Her house was built
upon the wall of Jericho.  The spies hoped that
nobody had seen them  come into Jericho; but
some people had seen them, and these people went
and told the king of Jericho that two Israelites
were in Rahab's house.  The king of Jericho
knew that the Israelites meant to come and fight
against him; so he wanted to kill these two spies,
and he sent some men to Rahab's house to brine
them to him.
What could the poor spies do? where could they
go?  But God took care of them. IeI put it into
Rahab's heart to be kind to them.  Rahab had taken the spies, when they first came. to the top of
her house to hide them. The roof of her house
was not slanting like the roof of this house; it was
flat like the floor.  On the roof of Rahab's house
there were a great many stalls of flax.  What
is flax?  Flax is a plant; and the stalks of flax
are made into thread.  Rahab had spread these
stalks upon the roof of her house to dry them.
When the spies had climbed up the stairs to the
top of the house, she told them  to lie down; and
she covered them all over with the stalks, so that
nobody could see them.
The men who were come to bring the spies to
the king of Jericho, could not find them in Rahab's




JOSHUA, OR RAHAB.          207
house; so they went to look for them outside the
city, among the hills, and by the river-side.
When the king of Jericho's men were gone, Rahab crept up the stairs to speak to the spies.  It
was night, so she could talk to them on the roof
without being seen.  The men came from under
the heaps of flax. Rahab had been taught to worship idols; but you will see that she now believed
in the true God, and not in idols. She had a great
favour to ask of the spies. She was very much
afraid lest, when the Israelites should come over
the river to fight against Jericho, they should kill
her and her friends; so now she begged the spies
to promise to save her, and those she loved.
Poor Rahab said, " I know that God will let the
people of Israel come and live in Canaan. Everybody is very much frightened lest you should kill
them.  We have heard how your God helped you
to pass through the Red Sea.  I know that your
God is the only true God.  Now promise that
when you come to this town, you will not kill me,
and my father, and mother, and brothers, and sisters.  I have been kind to you, and will you bo
kind to me "
Do you think that the spies would promise to
save Rahab and her friends? 0 yes! How kind
she had been to them in hiding them! Besides
this, Rahab feared God. The spies promised that
they would not let her be killed, or her father, or
mother, or brothers, or sisters.
How glad Rahab must have been when they




208           JOSHUA, OR RAHAB.
made her this promise! There was one thing the
spies desired her not to do; that was, not to tell
anybody about their having been to Jericho. The
spies said, " If you will not tell anybody about our
having come here, we promise to save your life.
and the life of your father, and mother, and brothers, and sisters."
Then Rahab helped the spies to get out of the
town.  Could the spies go out at the gates    It
was night, and the gates were shut. If the spies
waited till the morning, the people of Jericho
would see them going out, and would kill them.
But Rahab found a way of letting the spies go.
Her house was built on the wall of Jericho, one
of the windows in her house looked towards the
green hills outside of Jericho. This window was
high; so Rahab took a rope, and tied the rope
round one of the men, and let him down from the
window; and then she tied the rope round the
other man, and let him down.
When the men were standing on the ground outside the wall of Jericho, they called to Rahab, who
was looking out of the window, and they said,
"Take that red rope, and bind it to your window;
bring your father, and mother, and brothers, and
sisters, into your house.  If they stay in it with
you, we promise that they shall not be killed when
the Israelites come to fight against this town; but
if you or any of your relations are walking in the
streets when we come, then, perhaps, you or they
may be killed. Neither may you tell any other




JOSHUA, OR RAHAB.         209
person about our having come here: you must
keep it a secret."  When the spies had said this,
they went away, and they hid themselves among
the hills for three days, lest the men of Jericho
should be watching by the river to kill them. At
the end of three days they got over the river, and
came back to Joshua, and told him all that had
happened. Joshua was glad to hear that the people of Jericho were so much frightened, and he
felt sure that God would help him to conquer all
the people in Canaan.
The spies told Joshua about Rahab. They said,
"You will know which house is Rahab's, because
she has bound a red rope to the window." Joshua
desired that nobody would kill the people in the
house with the red rope on the window.
Do you think that Rahab forgot to bind the red
ronre on her window?  0 no! she bound it there.
and she brought her father, and mother, and brothers, and sisters, into her house; and she did not
tell any of the wicked people of Jericho about the
spies. Nobody knew why she bound a red rope to
her window.
Do you think that Rahab felt frightened now?
Could she not trust the spies? Would they break
their word? How Rahab must have thanked God
for promising to save her, when the people of Jericho would be killed!
My dear children, is there a day coming when a
great many wicked people will be killed and burned in the fire?  You have heard of the judgment
18*




210             JOSHUA, OR RAHAB
day. Do you not hope that God will save you in
that day?  Then do as Rahab did.  Ask God to
promise to save you. Ile will save you if you ask
him. If you are really afraid of God, as Rahab
was, you will not do wicked things to make him
angry; but you will often pray to him to make
you good  and to forgive you for Jesus Christ's
sake.
God will hear you, and he will remember his
promise in the judgment-day, and he will not let
you be hurt.
With softest step and troubled air,
In silence Rahab climbs the stair
Screen'd by darkness of the skies
Upon the roof, with Israel's spies,
She trembling stands; before them falls,
And earnestly for mercy calls.
" 0 people, whom the Lord has led,
Your deeds have fill'd the earth with dread;
We've heard how once you crossed the sea,
And how you made two nations flee.
What pangs of terror then we felt!
How did the hearts of warriors melt!
Against your God what can we do?
The only God, the great, the trueYour armies soon will tread this shore,
0 now for mercy I implore!"
Thus Rahab pours her humble prayer;
Nor do the spies refuse to swear
Their kind deliverer's life to spare.
Htow gratefully poor Rahab hastes
To bind a cord around their waists,




JOSHUA, OR RAmIAB.                 211
The spies observe its scarlet hue,
And choose it for their token true;
Gently to earth they both descend,
Then cry, " Let Rahab now attend;
This cord unto your window bind,
So you and those you love shall find
Beneath that roof a safe retreat,
When all besides destruction meet."
flow gladly Rahab binds the thread
Which shall from danger shield her head!
How quickly bids her kindred come,
And find a refuge in her home!
CHILD.
Is there no thread that I may bind,
And in the judgment mercy find I
Ah! yes, the blood that Jesus shed,
Was imag'd by that scarlet thread,
0! may this blood my soul adorn,
In the tremendous judgment morn.
Let none mistake me while I sing:
I speak not of an earthly thing;
This blood is sprinkled upon all
Who on their dying Saviour call;
By angels shall the mark be seen;
That sign from death their souls shall screen *
And I would join in Rahab's prayer,
And cry, " 0 God, my kindred spare!
My father, who protects my youth,
0 let him know, thy power and truth;
~ Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.
Elect...... unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesuts
Christ. — Peter i. 2
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together his tlect from  lhe four wiinds. —Malt.
xxiv. 31




212                JOSHUA, OR
And her who nursed my infancy,
And those who share her love with me,
Within some secret chamber hide,
When thousands fall on every side."*
CHAPTER XXXVII.
JOSHUA, OR THE RIVER JORDAN.
Joshua iii. iv. v. 1, 11, 12.
THE  people of Israel were now  close to Canaan; but a deep river ran between the wilderness
and Canaan.  It was called the river Jordan.
How were the Israelites to get over it?
Could they go over in boats?
How could wood be got to make boats for so
many people?
Could they  make a bridge?  The people in
Canaan would have shot arrows at the Israelites
while they were making a bridge.
Could they swim over?
How could the children and the women swim?
and how could they take their tents over?
God could help them to get over.  How  had
they got over the Red Sea?
You shall hear what God told Joshua to do.
Joshua rose up early in the morning, and he said
* Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers; hide thyself
as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Isaiah xxvi. 20.




THE RIVER JORDAN.           213
lo the people, "Look and see where the priests
take the ark, and do you follow them, but do not
go too near."
Then Joshua said to the priests, " Take up the
ark, and walk on."
The ark (which was a golden box) was covered
with a blue cloth, that none might see it, or see the
golden angels on the top.  Two long sticks were
run through little rings joined in the ark, and the
priests held the ends of the sticks.
The priests took up the ark when Joshua bade
them.  They went to the edge of the water, not
knowing what they were to do.  They were dressed in white, and their feet were bare.
Joshua called to them, and desired them  to
stand still. Then he spoke to all the people.
"Now," he said, " you will see a great wonder that
God is going to do; when the priests put their
feet in the water, a dry path shall be made."
All the people were come out of their tents, they
had got all their things ready for their journey, and
were looking at the priests.
Then Joshua desired the priests to put their feet
into the water.
As soon as they touched it, the water stood up
like a wall on each side, and there was a dry path
made through the river.  The priests walked
along, till they came to the middle of the river;
then they stopped, and Joshua said to the people,
" Now do you pass over Jordan."
While the people were crossing, the priests stood




214               JOSHUA, OR
quite still in the middle of the river.  At last. all
the people had got over into the land of Canaan,
except twelve men that Joshua had desired to stay
on the other side.
Why had Joshua desired them to stay?
Joshua said to them, " See where the priests are
standing: there are great stones lying near them;
take up twelve great stones, and bring them over
with you into Canaan." These twelve men walked through the dry path; each took up a great
stone in his arms, and carried it to the other side.
Then Joshua said to them, " Put the twelve stones
by the side of the river in Canaan."
Why do you think the stones were to be put
there?
it was that people might never forget this great
wonder of making a path in Jordan.  God knew,
that a long time afterwards, little children would
see the twelve stones, and would say to their fathers, " What are these stones for?"
Then their fathers would say, " These stones
were once at the bottom of the water: but God
made a path for us, and we have put the stones
here, to keep God's kindness in our minds."
God is pleased that children should wish to
know the meaning of what they see. God wishes
little children to know about his goodness, and the
wonders he has done.
All the time the twelve men were walking
through with the stones, the priests were standing
still in the river.




THE RIVER JORDAN.          215
At last Joshua said to the priests, "~.ome up
out of Jordan:" so the priests came up out of the
river. As soon as the priests put their feet on the
dry land in Canaan, the water rolled back again,
and the river looked as it had done before.
How happy the Israelites must now have been.
They had wandered forty years in the wilderness,
but at last they were safely arrived in Canaan.
God had been very good to them, and he would
help them to fight against the wicked people of
Canaan.
Why did God desire that the people in Canaan
should be killed? Because they went on worshipping idols, and doing a great many wicked things,
so God chose to punish them.
The king of Jericho saw the Israelites come
over the river.  He could look at them  over his
high walls. He was very much frightened, and so
were all the people in Jericho. Only Rahab was
not frightened: she knew she was safe: she believed in the true God.
The priests put down the ark; all the Israelites
set up their tents, and waited outside Jericho.
Rahab's red cord could be seen upon her window
on the wall.
So the Israelites knew which was her house, and
Joshua told them not to hurt the people who were
in it.
The gates of Jericho were kept fast shut, that
the Israelites might not get in: no one in Jericho




216                  JOSHUA, OR
went out, and no one came in, but every body
kept inside the town.
Those wicked people would never again walk
by the river side: the day of their death was very
near.  Ah! why did not they turn to God before
it was too late?
My dear children, the day  of judgment will
come to us all at last. Now is the time to be sorry for our sins, and ask God for his Holy Spirit.
if children will go on telling lies, quarrelling, and
fighting, being bold and disobedient, they will come
to a sad end.
But I hope, dear children, that you will love
God, and that you will be saved.
The priests just dip their feet
In Jordan's rapid stream:
The waters quick retreat
Like walls of silver seem;
0! why do Jordan's waters fly,
And leave the stoney channel dry?
The priests in Jordan stay,
While Israel's mighty host
With haste pursue their way
To Canaan's pleasant coast.
What power restrains the flowing tide,
While in the deep the priests abide?
Full long the white rob'd band
Wait in the depths below;
But,when they reach the land,
Once more the waters flow:
What hand has broke the unseen chain,
That did the wxaters' force restrain 2




THE WALLS OF JERICHO.             217
It is the Lord restrains
The rapid river's tide;
It is the Lord unchains
The walls on either side;
It is the Lord who thus would mark
His love to those who bear his ark.
CHILD.
O bless me, Lord, like those
Who in the river stood;
A way for me unclose,
Through this world's dangerous flood;
And lead me with thy numerous host
From lowest depths to heaven's high coast.*
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
JOSHUA, OR THE WALLS OF JERICHO.
Joshua v. 13-15. vi.
THE children of Israel had placed their tents all
round the city of Jericho, but they waited till God
told them what to do. They could not get through
the strong gates, unless God helped them.
Joshua was the captain of the Israelites. He
was a very brave man.  He trusted in God to help
him, and that made him brave.
I will now tell you a very wonderful thing that
happened to Joshua while he was on the outside
of Jericho.
~ I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea.-Ps
Lk viii 22.
Line upon Line.      19




218                JOSHUA, OR
One day he looked up, and he saw a man standing before him a little way off. The man looked
as if he was a soldier, and he held a sword in his
hand. Joshua knew that this man was not one of
the Israelites; but he could not tell who he was.
Joshua went up to the man and said; " Are you
come to help us to fight? or are you come to help
the people of Jericho?"
Then the man answered,  I am  come as captain of the army of the Lord."
Now Joshua knew who this man was. Can you
tell who he was 
He was greater than a man, greater than an
angel. He was the Lord from heaven, even Jesus
Christ.
Jesus did not become a little baby for a long
while afterwards: but he always lived in heaven
with his Father, and sometimes looked like a man,
and came down upon the earth.*
Was it not very kind in the Lord Jesus to come
down from heaven and to speak to Joshua?
When Joshua knew who the man was, he fell
down with his face upon the ground, and worshipped him, saying, " What will my Lord say to
his servant?"
Joshua called himself God's servant.
Then the great captain of God's army said,
* And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.-Dan. iii. 25.
Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.Mic. v. 2




THE WALLS OF JERICHO.        219
"Take your shoe off your foot, because this is
holy ground."
Then Joshua took it off, and waited to know
what the Lord would say to him.
Why was the ground holy? Because God was
there. You know the priests wore no shoes when
they walked in God's house.
The Lord told Joshua how  he was to fight
against Jericho.
Such a way of fighting was never known before.
You shall soon hear what the Lord told Joshua
to do.
When the Lord was gone back to heaven,
Joshua called the priests, and all the people of Israel, and showed them what they must do. Joshua
told some of the priests to take up the ark.
Then he called seven more priests, and said,
"Each of you must take a ram's horn, and blow
with it, like a trumpet, and walk before the ark.
(You know that a ram is a sheep, and that it has
crooked horns.) Then Joshua called all the soldiers,
and told them to go before the priests, and he told
the rest of the people that had no swords or spears,
(that is, the women and children,) to walk behind
the priests.
Where were they all to walk?  Joshua desired
them to walk round the city of Jericho. The soldiers with their swords and spears went first; next
came seven priests dressed in their white clothes,
blowing with the rams' horns.  Then came the




220             JOSHUA, OR
priests carrying the ark, and behind them all the
people that had no swords or spears.
You never saw such a great number of people
walking along.
Before they set out, Joshua told them not to
make any shoutings, but to wait till he said,
"Shout."
What is shouting?  Calling out loud. Soldiers
shout when they have conquered. The Israelites
were not to shout till Joshua told them.
They all walked once round Jericho.
The people of Jericho heard the trumpets blowing, and they saw the men with swords and spears.
I dare say they thought the Israelites were
going to shoot their arrows over the walls, and try
and beat down the walls. How much frightened
they must have been! Rahab took care to keep
in her house, with all her dear friends.  The Israelites walked once round, and then Joshua brought
them back to their tents.
Are you not surprised to hear this? What was
the use of walking round?  You will hear what
happened in the end.
The next day, Joshua made the people and the
priests walk round once more, and then brought
them  home.  Then, next day after, they went
round again; and the next day, and the next day.
Six days, one after the other, they walked round
Jericho, and came home to their tents again, without having fought.
The Israelites behaved well in doing as Joshua




THE WALLS OF JERICHO          221
told them, instead of asking why they must walk
round without fighting.
Do you not think that the people of Jericho began to laugh at the Israelites, and to think that
they would never get into the city 2
At last, after six days, Joshua told the Israelites
to get up very early in the morning, as soon as it
was light. He told them to walk all round as before; but when they had walked round, he did not
tell them to go back to their tents, but to walk
round again. That day they walked round seven
times: they spent the whole day in walking round
and round the city of Jericho.
When they had just finished walking round the
seventh time, Joshua said to the people, "Now,
when the priests blow again with the trumpets, you
may shout; for God has given you the city. You
will soon get in; you must kill all the people except Rahab and her friends that are in her house;
you will find many beautiful things in Jericho: but
you must not keep anything to yourselves; but
you must bring the cups of gold, and silver, and
brass, and iron, to the Lord; and you must not
keep anything for yourselves. Bring all you find
to the house of the Lord; for God has cursed Jericho, and everything in it."
When Joshua had done speaking, the priests
blew again with the trumpets, and the people gave
a great shout. At the same moment, the walls of
Jericho fell down.  How horrible was the crash
19-"




222              JOSHUA, OR
of those great walls! Now the men of Jericno
saw that the day was come when they must die.
The two spies ran quickly to Rahab's house,
and brought her out, and her father, and mother,
and brothers, and sisters, and led them  to a safe
place near the tents of the Israelites.  Rahab and
her friends brought all their things with them out
of the house: so they could make tents, and live
together. 0 happy Rahab!  Now she could learn
more about the, true God; she could see God's
priests offering sacrifices on the altar, and could
hear how her sins might be forgiven by the blood
of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who would come into
the world.
But what happened to the people in Jericho?
They were all killed; the men, the women, and
the children-even the sheep, and cows, and all
the beasts, were killed; not one was left alive.
The Israelites killed them with their swords.
Then they set fire to the houses, and burnt them
all up; but the cups and basins, made of gold, and
silver, and brass, and iron, they brought to the
priests for God's house. What would the priests
do with the basins? They would put in them the
blood of the sheep and goats that they sacrificed
on the altar.
All the other people in Canaan heard about Jericho, and they were more frightened than before.
They said, " What a great captain Joshua is!"
But you know who was the captain that fought
for Joshua.  Who was it threw down the walls?




THE WALLS OF JERICHO.           223
Was it not the man whom Joshua had seen.  He
was a captain over thousands of angels, that filled
the air, and obeyed all he said. The angels are
stronger than men; and Jesus is their captain, and
he is God himself. He can break down walls, and
he can build them up; he can kill, and he can
make alive; he can shut us up in hell, and he can
lift us up to heaven.
Which do you wish him to do for you, my dear
children? Let us pray to him to save us when the
world is burnt up; as he saved Rahab when Jericho was burnt up.
The trumpets seem to sound in vailn;
For still the walls upright remain,
Can those within,
Who hear the din,
Once apprehend
How all will end A
The seventh time the priests walk round;
The walls no more resist the sound,
They totter now,
They crack, they bow:
Their sudden fall
All hearts appal.
Some take to arms, some flee away;
God is more swift and strong than they;
And vain is might,
And vain is flight;
For God pursues,
And all subdues.
CHILD.
A trump shall sound, ('twill be the last,)
And loud shall be that trumpet's blast;




224              JOSHUA, HIS DEATH.
The dead shall wake,
The mountains quake,
The sea shall roar,
The fire devour.
God yet prolongs the day of grace,
That all may turn, and seek his face.*
Still parents teach;
Still pastors preach;
And still I may
For mercy pray.
But should I this sweet season lose,
And God's repeated calls refuse,
I fear to think
Where I should sink
When that loud blast
Should sound at last.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
JOSHUA, HIS DEATH.
You have heard what the Israelites did to Jericho.  There were a great many  other cities in
Canaan besides Jericho.   The Israelites fought
against the other cities of Canaan.
All the people in Canaan heard of it, and were
much afraid of Joshua; but still they took their
swords and spears, and fought against him.
* The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is long-suflering to us-ward: not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.-2 Peter
il. 9.




JOSIHUA, HIS DEATH.            225
And who do you think conquered? God always
helped the Israelites; so they always conquered.
They went all through Canaan.  First they went
to one city, and killed the people in it;  then
they went to another city, and killed the people in
it; so they went to hundreds of cities, till they had
killed almost all the people in Canaan. God did
not make the walls of the other cities to fall down,
like the walls of Jericho; but the Israelites were
obliged to fight very hard before they could get in.
At last Joshua said to the children of Israel,
" Now the people of Canaan are dead, I will give
you places to live in." So he gave to each of the
Israelites a house, full of nice and beautiful things,
and a garden, and a field, and a well of water.
Now  the Israelites rested.   They  sat down
under the fig-trees and vines in their own gardens,
and ate the figs and grapes that grew on them, and
they drank water out of the wells in their gardens.
Did the Israelites build their own houses? No;
they lived in the houses of the people of Canaan.
The wicked people had built the houses, and they
had dug the wells, and planted the trees in the
gardens:* but God had taken them  away from
these wicked people, and had given them to the
Israelites.
Might God give them  to whom  he pleased?
Yes: God made everything and everything beTo give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not;
houses full of good things, which thou filledst not; and wells digged,
which thou diggedst not; vineyards and olive-trees, which thou plant- dst not.-Deut. vi. 10, 11.




226          JOSHUA, HIS DEATH.
longs to God; and he may give things to whom
he pleases. Sometimes he takes his things away
from wicked people.
When the Israelites sat in their gardens, they
ought to have thought to themselves, " How kind
in God to give us so much! How much we ought
to love him!"  Has not God given you a great
many things, my dear child?  Ought not you to
love him very much?
Why did God give so many things to the Israelites? Were the Israelites good? No; they were
naughty.  Then why was God so kind to them?
You remember the promise God had made to
Abraham.  God had said that he would give
Canaan to his children's children. And did God
keep his word? 0 yes! he remembered his promise, and he brought the Israelites into Canaan.*
So the reason God was so kind to the Israelites
was, because he had promised Abraham he would
be kind to his children.
There was one thing which Joshua did not forget
to do; that was to place the tabernacle in Canaan.
He set it up in the middle of Canaan, at a place
called Shiloh. Now the Israelites would not be
obliged to move it about any more.
Joshua told them all to come up and worship
God in the tabernacle; but some lived so far off
that they could not come often. So they came
only sometimes to the tabernacle.
* When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land,
which he sware unto thy fathers.-Dent. vi. 10.




JOSHUA, HIS DEATH.         227
God desired the Israelites not to worship the
idols that the wicked people in Canaan had made.
The Israelites would find their idols in the fields
and gardens; and some of these idols were made of
silver and gold; but the Israelites were not to keep
them, even if they were pretty images: they were
not to take the idols into their houses: but they
were to burn them in the fire; because God hated
these idols.*
At last Joshua grew very old; and he knew that
he must die.  So he called a great many of the
Israelites together, that he might speak to them
before he died.
Joshua stood near a great oak-tree while he
spoke.  He said to the Israelites, "I am  soon
going to die.  Whom will you worship after I am
dead?  Will you worship idols, or will you worship God who has been so kind to you?"
Now which do you think the Israelites chose to
worship? They all said, " We will worship God."
Then Joshua said, " If you choose to worship
God, you must not worship idols too."
Then they answered " We will serve God."
"Now," said Joshua, "you have promised to
serve God only.  You must keep your promise."
Then Joshua took a book and wrote down what
the people had said. Afterwards Joshua took a
great stone, and put it under the oak, and said,
"See this stone; I have put it here, to make you
remember your promise always."
* Delt. vii. 25, 26.




228            JOSHUA, HIS DEATH.
Then Joshua told all the people to go home.
Very  soon afterwards Joshua died.  He was
more than a hundred years old when he died.
Did the Israelites keep their promise  Did
they worship idols, or did they not?
At first they did not worship idols. But at last
they grew  tired of serving God, and began to
worship idols, and to do other wicked things.
My dear children, your parents have not taught
you to worship idols, but you have done other
naughty things.  Have you never been disobedient, nor told lies, nor fallen into passions?
What can you do to please God?*  Speak the
truth, obey your parents, and be very kind to each
other.  These are things that please God.
Do you not wish to please God, who has been
so kind to you, and has given you food, and clothes,
and a house, and kind friends, and a body, and a
soul, and who has even given his Son to die for
you?  Ask God to make you love him, and wish
to please him.
The Israelites no more
Dwell in the wilderness;
Their wanderings are o'er
Blest Canaan they possess;
And, shaded from the heat,
Beneath the spreading vine,
They eat the finest wheat,
And drink the choicest wine.J
* Ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God.'Thes. iv. 1.
t Amongst the provisions of Canaan is enumerated " the fat of the




JOSHUA, HIS DEATH.                  220
The Lord could not forget
How he did condescend,
His wondrous love to set
On Abraham, his friend;t
And how he promised,
That with a mighty hand
His children should be led
To Canaan's pleasant land.t
And God has brought him there
By his own arm alone;
O let them never dare
To worship gods of stone.
If'midst the thickest trees
To idols they shall bend,
At length the Lord will cease
His people to defend.
CHILD.
The Lord will bless me too,
If I serve him alone,
His mercies, like the dew,
Shall still be poured down;
But Satan stands by me,
And seems an angel bright,t
And promises that he
Will fill me with delight.
kidneys of wheat:" and it is added, " thou didst drink the pure blood
of the grape."-Deut. xxxii. 14.
* Because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after
them.-Deut. iv. 37.
t And he said unto Abraham Know of a surety, that thy seed shall
be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them....
And also that nation whom they serve will I judge; and afterwards
shall they come out with great substance.-Deut. xv. 13, 14.
I Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.-l Cor,
xi. 14.
Line upon Line.         20




230              JOSHUA, HIS DEATH.
O, if I now attend
To Satan's promise fair,
I shall to hell descend,
And Satan's torments share.
My God deserves my love,
And he deserves the whole;
Then to his house above
He'll take my happy soul.




QUESTIONS.                  231
A FEW PRINCIPAL QUESTIONS
FOR THE EXAMINATION
Of Children who have finished reading this Book.
1. What promise did the Lord Jesus make to his Father
a long while before Adam and Eve had sinned?
2. How used people to offer sacrifices?
3. Why did God desire people to offer sacrifices 
4. Why did Cain kill Abel'?
5. Why did God drown the world'
6. Whom did God save when the world was drowned?
7. Whom did God desire to leave his own country, and
go to a land that he would show him?
8. What land did God promise to give to Abraham's children's children?
9. What was the name of Abraham's son' 
10. What were the names of Isaac's two sons?
11. How many sons had Jacob?
12. What cruel thing did Joseph's brothers do to him?
13. Why did the king of Egypt make Joseph a great
lord?
14. How did Joseph save people from starving, when
scarcely any corn grew in the fields?
15. Where did Joseph ask his brothers to come and live?
16. What was Jacob's other name'
17. Who were the Israelites'
18. Who desired the babies cf the Israelites to be
drowned'
19. Who found Moses in the river, and called him her
own son?
20. When Moses was grown up, where did he wish to
take the Israelites'
21. Where did God desire Moses to go, when he spoke
to him in the burning bush'




232                  QUESTIONS.
22. Why did God send ten plagues to king Pharaoh 7
23. On the night that the eldest sons were killed, what
did the Israelites eat, and what did they sprinkle on their
doors 2
24. What was the name of that supper?
25. How were Pharaoh and his servants killed?
26. How did the Israelites know which way to go to Canaan.
27. How were they fed in the wilderness?
28. What words did God speak very loud from Mount
Sinai?
29. When Moses was alone with God on Mount Sinai,
what did God desire him to make 
30. Who was to be the high priest 
31. What was the ark of God?
32. Why did the Israelites send twelve spies into Canaan?
33. Why did the Israelites say they would go back into
Egypt.
34. What punishment did God give the Israelites for
murmuring at what the spies had said?
35. Why ought the Israelites not to have been afraid of
the strong men in Canaan?
36. How did Moses and Aaron offend God?
37. Whom  did God desire to take care of the Israelites
after Moses was dead?
38. What was the first city in Canaan that the Israelites
conquered?
39. Why did God bring the Israelites into Canaan?
40. Why did God desire the Israelites to kill the people
of Canaan 




QUESTIONS ON THE CHAPTERS.
I.
Why is God called the Creator?
Can men or angels create things.
What did God create on the first day?
On the second day?
On the third day?
On the fourth day?
On the fifth day?
On the sixth day?
What was the last thing God made?
What did God do on the seventh day?
Which of the creatures can praise God?
II.
Of what tree was Adam forbidden to eat?
Who asked Eve to eat of it?
Why did Eve eat some?
To whom did Eve give some of the fruit 
What punishment did God give to the serpent?
What punishment did he give to Eve'
What punishment did he give to Adam'
Why did not God allow Adam and Eve to stay in the
garden of Eden?
What had the Son of God promised to his Father I
III.
What were the names of the two eldest sons of Adanm
and Eve?
Had Adam's children naughty hearts?
20*




234               QUESTIONS ON
How did God make Abel good?
What used Cain to do?
What used Abel to do?
How did people offer sacrifices?
What was the heap of stones called, on which the lamb
or kid was burnt?
Why did God desire people to offer sacrifices?
Why did God like Abel's sacrifice better than Cain s 1
Why did Cain kill Abel?
How did Cain answer God when he asked him where
Abel was?
What punishment did God give to Cain?
What was the name of Adam's youngest son?
IV.
Why did God determine to drown the world 
How was Noah saved?
Did God let the wicked people know that the world was
soon to be drowned?
What birds did Noah send out of the ark to see whether
the earth was dry?
What promise did God make Noah?
Of what should the rainbow make us think when we
see it?
V.
Whom did most of the people in the world pray to I
Whom did God choose to be his servant and friend I
What was the name of Abraham's wife?
In what did Abraham sleep when he travelled I
To what land did God take Abraham?
What kind of people lived in Canaan?
Why was God pleased with Abraham?
What did God call him 1
Might you be God's friend I




THE CHAPTERS.                  235
VI.
How many grandchildren and great-grandchildren did
God promise to give Abraham?
Why did three angels come to Abraham's tent'
How did Abraham treat them'
How soon did they say that Abraham and Sarah should
have a son'
Did Sarah believe at first'
Did God keep his promise?
What was the son's name.
Why was God pleased with Abraham.
VII.
Why did God tell Abraham to offer up his son as a saorifice'
Would Abraham do as God told him'
What did Isaac say to his father as he walked up the
Rill 1
What was it Abraham did when he was on the top of
the hill' 
How was Abraham hindered from killing Isaac?
Why ought we to love God better than every one else I
VIII.
Who buried Sarah'
Where was she buried'
Who was Isaac's wife'
What were the names of Isaac's children t
What were their employments'
Did they love God?
Why did Jacob leave his home and go to a country a great
way offS?
What dream did he have as he slept on the ground'
When Jacob woke what did he do' and what did he say
to God'




236                QUESTIONS ON
IX.
Who was Rachel?
Where did Jacob first see her 2
What was the name of Jacob's uncle?
What did Jacob do for Laban?
Who were Jacob's wives?
Had Jacob any sheep and goats of his own?
Why did Jacob wish to live in Canaan again?
X.
Who told Jacob to go home to his father?
What was Jacob afraid of when he was on his way
home?
What was it Jacob did when he was afraid?
How did Esau behave to Jacob when he met him 3
Did Jacob ever go again to the place where he had seen
the angels?
What kind things had God done for Jacob since he had
last been there?
XI.
How many sons had Jacob?
Which was the best?
Which did Jacob love the best?
Why did not Joseph's brothers love him?
What did Jacob give to Joseph?
What two dreams did Joseph have?
Why did these dreams make the brothers angry with
Joseph?
Why did Jacob send Joseph to his brothers when they
were keeping sheep?
Where did the brothers throw him?
XII.
Who passed by Joseph's brothers while they were eating
near the pit?




THE CHAPTERS.                 237
What did Judah advise the brothers to do with Joseph?
For how much did they sell him?
What did the brothers do with Joseph's coat?
Why did they dip it in blood.
What did Jacob think when he saw it?
How do wicked people try to hide their faults?
XIII.
Where was Joseph taken by the men who bought him
of his brothrers.
To whom did they sell Joseph?
How did Potiphar treat Joseph 1
Who spoke against Joseph to Potiphar'
How did Potiphar punish Joseph?
How did the keeper treat Joseph?
XIV.
What two men did Potiphar place under Joseph's care 
What made them look sad one morning when Joseph
came in?
What was the butler's dream 1
What was the meaning of it?
What was the baker's dream?
What was the meaning of it?
What was it Joseph asked the butler to do for him?
Did the butler remember Joseph?
What is it "to be ungrateful "
Who begs for us in heaven?
XV.
What two dreams did Pharaoh king of Egypt have one
night 
Who advised him to send for Joseph?
Why was Joseph able to tell him the meaning of the
dreams'
What was the meaning of the dreams?




238               QUESTIONS ON
What did Joseph advise the king to do, to prevent the
people from being starved when no corn should grow 7
Why did Pharaoh make Joseph ruler over the people?
XVI.
When no corn grew in the fields, to whom did the people
go for corn 2
Did Joseph know his brothers again when he saw them?
Did they know him 2
Why did not they know him again?
How did Joseph's dream about the sheaves come true 2
Why did Joseph speak unkindly to his brothers.
What did he say they were come to see?
Where did he keep them for three days 2
Whom did Joseph desire them to bring with them the next
time they came'
Which of the brothers did Joseph keep in prison while
the others went to fetch Benjamin?
What did Joseph desire his servants to put into his
brother's sacks with the corn 2
Why were the brothers frightened when they found the
money in their sacks?
Why would not Jacob let Benjamin go with his brothers
to Egypt?
XVII.
Who promised Jacob to take care of Benjamin, if Jacob
would let him go into Egypt?
What did Jacob advise his sons to take with them?
When the brothers were come to Egypt, where did Joseph's servant bring them?
Why were the brothers so much frightened?
Who told them at last who had put the money in the
sacks?
When Joseph came into the house, how did the brothers show their respect for him?




THE CHAPTERS.                239
What did Joseph say when he saw Benjamin t
Why did Joseph cry 1
Who sat at each of the three tables.
To which of the brothers was Joseph the most kind I
Were the brothers envious of Benjamin 2
Whom was Joseph like to, when he was kind to his unkind brothers?
XVIII.
What did Joseph's servant ask the brothers whether they
had stolen?
What did the servant say should be done to that one who
had stolen it?
In whose sack was it found 1
Who had put it in Benjamin's sack?
Did the servant allow Benjamin's brothers to go home to
their father?
Why did the brothers return to Joseph with Benjamin?
Why was Joseph pleased to see that they came back with
Benjamin?
What did Judah ask Joseph to do, instead of keeping
Benjamin 2
Why did Joseph then tell his brothers who he was?
Why were they frightened at hearing he was Joseph?
How did Joseph behave to them?
XIX.
Whom did Pharaoh invite to live in Egypt?
Why was not Jacob pleased when he first heard that Joseph was alive?
What made Jacob believe at last that Joseph was alive?
How did the little children make such a long journey into
Egypt?
Who met Jacob on his coming into Egypt?
To whom did Joseph show his old father?
How did Pharaoh behave to Jacob?




240                QUESTIONS ON
Where did Jacob and his sons live 1
Where did Jacob desire his sons to bury him?
What were the brothers afraid of after Jacob was dead?
Was Joseph as kind after Jacob's death as he had been
before?
What was the name of Joseph's father?
And of Jacob's father?
And of Isaac's father?
What was the name of Abraham's wife?
Of Isaac's wife?
Of Jacob's wives?
How many sons had Jacob?
What promises had God make to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob?
XX.
What was Jacob's other name?
What name was given to all the children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Jacob?
When the Pharaoh, who loved Joseph, was dead, who
was the king of Egypt?
Why did that Pharaoh make the children of Israel work
so very hard in making bricks?
What did he desire to be done to the boy-babies of the
children of Israel 2
What was it that one of the women did with her baby 2
When she could no longer hide it, where did she put it?
Who watched to see what would become of the baby 1
Who found the baby?
What did the princess call it 2
Whom did she hire to be his nurse?
Whose son was Moses called?
Was Moses rich and great?
What promise had God made to Abraham  about his
children's children?




THE CHAPTERS.                 241
XXI.
When Moses was grown up, where did he go?
Where did Moses wish to lead the children of Israel i
What did Moses find them doing.
Who were the taskmasters 3
What did Moses do to one of these cruel men 1
Was it right in Moses to kill him.
Did anybody see Moses kill him.
Why did Moses go into a country a great way off?
What might Moses have been if he had chosen it 3
Why did he choose rather to help the children of Israel i
Who once left his throne in heaven to save us from Satan 3
XXII.
When Moses ran away from Egypt, where did he at
length rest himself 
What kindness did Moses show to seven girls 
What kindness did their father show to him?
How used Moses employ himself?
What wonderful sight did he see while he was leading
his sheep 3
Where did God tell Moses to go 3
Why did God determine to bring the children of Israel
into Canaan 3
What two wonderful things did God make Moses able
to do 3
Why did God make Moses able to do those wonderful
things 3
Who did God tell Moses should speak for him when he
got to Egypt.
When Moses and Aaron were come to Egypt, what did
they say to the children of Israel 3
Did the Israelites believe that God had really spoken to
Moses 3
Did the children of Israel wish to go to Canaan?
Line upon Line.       21




242                QUESTIONS ON
XXIII.
When Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh to let Israel go
to Canaan, what did Pharaoh answer?
What was the first thing Moses and Aaron did to show
Pharaoh that God had sent them?
Why did God turn the water into blood?
Repeat the six plagues I have told you of.
XXIV.
When the dreadful storm came, how did some people
escape being hurt?
What are locusts?
When the three days' darkness came, where was it light?
When Pharaoh wished the plagues to be taken away,
who asked God to take them away?
What was the last plague?
Why did the Israelites mark their doors with blood?
What were they doing when Pharaoh sent them away?
Why did God desire the Israelites to eat a lamb in the
night every year?
What was that supper called?
Why was it called the Passover?
Why was the lamb of the Passover like Jesus?
Can you repeat the ten plagues?
Is there any place where there are worse plagues than
those ten plagues?
XXV.
How did the Israelites know which was the way to Canaan?
Who tried to overtake the Israelites after they had left
Egypt?
How did they cross the Red Sea?
Why could the Israelites see their way clearly in the
night?
Why could not Pharaoh and his men see well also?




THE CHAPTERS.                243
Why were Pharaoh and his men frightened when they
were in the middle of the sea?
What became of Pharaoh and his men?
What did the sea toss up the next morning on the side of
the sea where the Israelites were?
How did the Israelites show that they were thankful to
God for saving them?
Who wishes to keep our souls from going to heaven?
XXVI.
What sort of a place was the wilderness?
How did the Israelites behave when they had nothing to
eat?
How did God feed them?
Why were the Israelites obliged to pick up the manna
very early?
What became of the manna if it was kept to the next
day?
How did the Israelites behave when they had nothing to
drink?
How did God give them water?
XXVII.
Whom did God desire to come up the mountain, that he
might speak to him?
Why were rails put round the mountain?
What was seen upon the mountain when God came down
upon it?
What words did the people hear God speak in a very loud
voice?
Why did the people wish never to hear that voice again 1
How long did Moses stay on the top of the mountain,
alone with God?
What did God give to Moses when he had done talking
with him?
What did the Israelites do when they were tired of waiting
for Moses?




244                 QUESTIONS ON
Wno made the calf?
Who toll Moses what the Israelites were doing?
Who begged God not to kill them?
Why did Moses throw down the tables of stone 1
What did Moses do with the calf?
What did he desire some of the people to do with their
swords?
Did God give the people any other punishment?
When Moses stayed with God on the mountain forty days
more, what glorious sight did God show him 
Why were the Israelites afraid to come near him when he
came down again?
Why was his face bright?
When do you hope to shine, as Moses did 
XXIX.
When Moses was on the top of the mountain, what did
God tell Moses to make?
What did the Israelites give to Moses to make the house
of?
How did two men know how to make so beautiful a house q
Why was not this house fastened to the ground?
What was this house called?
WVhat were the walls of the house made of?
What was thrown over the top of the house?
What kind of a door was there?
How many rooms were there in the tabernacle?
Tell me three things in the first room.
What was burnt on the golden altar?
What was placed on the golden table?
How many lamps were there in the candlestick 
What was the little room called?
What was there in it?
What was inside the ark?
What was the top of the ark called?
Where did the cloud of God sit in this little room?




THE CHAPTERS.                245
What made this room light?
What made the other room light'
What makes heaven light?
XXX.
What was placed round the court of the tabernacle l
What two things were placed in the court?
What was to be burned upon the altar of brass?
Who was to wash in the brass basin?
Who was to be high priest?
Where might the high priest go only once a year 
What clothes was Aaron to wear 2
What was to be written on Aaron's mitre?
Who was to help Aaron to offer sacrifices.
What sort of clothes were they to wear?
Who set up the tabernacle?
On what did Moses pour oil 
What was this pouring of oil called?
What was seen upon the tabernacle after it was set up'!
Why ought the Israelites to have been very happy?
XXXI.
What sacrifice was offered every morning and every
evening on the brass altar 2
What was it the priests never let go out 2
Who ate the shew bread when it was taken from the
golden table?
Who might go into the tabernacle'
Who is our high priest?
What is he doing for us in heaven?
When did the priests blow the silver trumpets?
Who carried the ark 1
What sweet land do we hope to reach?
XXXII.
Why did Moses send twelve, men into Canaan i
21*




246                QUESTIONS ON
What aid these men bring back with them'What sort of a land did the spies say that Canaan was 
What sort of people did the spies say lived in Canaan?
What were the names of the two good spies?
Why ought not the Israelites to have been afraid of the
people of Canaan?
What was Moses doing when God spoke to him from the
tabernacle?
How did God say that he would punish the Israelites for
their wickedness?
Would the little children die in the wilderness?
Would any of the grown-up people be allowed to go into
Canaan?
How many years would it be before the Israelites would
go into Canaan?
XXXIII.
How did the people behave when they had no water to
drink?
How did God desire Moses to bring water out of the rock?
What was it Moses did instead of speaking to the rock X
What did Moses and Aaron say as they stood by the rock?
How did God say that he would punish them 1
Was Moses often angry?
Was Moses meek?
How would a meek child behave if he were ill treated?
Who went with Aaron to the top of the hill when he was
to die?
What clothes did Aaron wear?
Upon whom did Moses put the clothes just before Aaron
died 
Why did Moses put the clothes on Aaron's son?
Who was the high priest when Aaron was dead?
XXXIV.
How did the Israelites behave when God made them stay
a long while in the wilderness 




THE CHAPTERS.                 247
What living creatures did God send to punish theme
What did God desire Moses to do, to cure the people who
were bitten!
Who has made our souls ready to die?
When did Satan first make people's souls naughty?
At whom must we look that our souls may live 2
Are we to look at Jesus with the eyes of our body?
What do you mean by "looking at Jesus?"
XXXV.
What did Moses write down in five books?
How did Moses know what to write?
Whom did Moses desire to read his books to the children
of Israel?
Who was to take charge of the people when Moses was
dead q
Why did God desire Moses to go up to the top of a high
mountain before he died 2
Who buried Moses?
How used God to talk to Moses?
If you are like Moses, what shall you like doing when
you are grown up?
XXXVI.
What city did the Israelites see on the other side of the
river?
Why did Joshua send two spies to Jericho?
To whose house did they go?
Who sent to Rahab's house to look for them?
Where had Rahab hid them?
What promise did Rahab ask the spies to make her?
How did the spies come out of Jericho?
Why did they desire Rahab to bind the red rope to her
window?
In what way do you hope God will save you?




248                QUESTIONS ON
XXXVII.
What would the Israelites have to cross before they could
get into Canaan?
What did Joshua desire the priests to do?
What happened when the priests put their feet into the
river Jordan?
Where did the priests stop while the people were crossing
the river?
Why did Joshua desire twelve men to take up twelve
stones from the river, and to place them in Canaan?
When did the water of the river cover up the dry path
again?
How long had the Israelites been travelling through the
wilderness 
Who were the only persons in Jericho whom God meant
to save?
Why did God desire the Israelites to kill the other people
in Jericho?
XXXVIII.
Who was the man with a sword that Joshua saw neaz
Jericho?
WVho told Joshua how to conquer Jericho 1
Who was to blow the ram's horns?
How many days did the Israelites walk round Jericho?
How many times did they walk round on the seventh day?
What did the people do just before the walls fell down?
What did the priests do just before the walls fell down?
What became of the people of Jericho?
What became of the city of Jericho?
What day does the burning of Jericho make you think of?
XXXIX.
What did Joshua give to the Israelites after the people in
Canaan were killed?




THE CHAPTERS.                 249
Why did God give so much to the Israelites?
Why did God desire the Israelites to kill the people in
Canaan'l
Where did Joshua place the tabernacle?
What had God desired the Israelites to do with the
wicked people's idols?
What question did Joshua ask the Israelites before he
died?
What promise did the Israelites make to Joshua?
Why did Joshua place a stone under the oak-tree 1
Why ought we to love God, and to try and please him I




VERSES OF SCRIPTURE.
THE following verses are applicable to the preceding lessons, and one of them may be learned by heart after each
lesson has been taught to the little pupils.
The titles prefixed may be useful in reminding the children of the subjects of the verses.
It is recommended that the pupils should not be required
to name the parts of scripture whence the verses are taken.
1. How long God was in making the world.
In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.-Ex. xx. 11.
2. Who are the devil's children.
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.-1 John iii. 16.
3. About Cain. 
Cain was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.
l John iii. 12.
4. About theflood.
(God) spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the
eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the
flood upon the world of the ungodly.-2 Peter ii. 5.




VERSES OF SCRIPTURE.              251
5. Who are God's friends.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
-John xv. 14.
6. How Abraham pleased God.
(Abraham) believed in the Lord; and he counted it to
him for righteousness.-Gen. xv. 6.
7. Who loves God?
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he
it is that loveth me.-John xiv. 21.
8. How safe the righteous are.
The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears
are open unto their prayers.-1 Peter iii. 12.
9. How happy the righteous are.
Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh
in his ways.-Ps. cxxviii. 1.
10. Jacob's thanks to God for keeping his kind promise.
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all
the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant.-Gen.
xxxii. 10.
11. What a wicked man thinks when he is doing wickedness.
He hath said in his heart, " God hath forgotten: he hideth
his face; he will never see it."-Ps. x. 11.
12. How God will punish liars.
All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone.-Rev. xxi. 8.
13. What the Lord promises to do for the righteous.
I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him and
honour him.-Ps. xci. 15




252            VERSES OF SCRIPTURE.
14. T77e Lord likes men to be patient.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul
that seeketh him.-Lam. iii. 25.
15. W7o is it that makes all things happen?
The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich: he bringeth low
and lifteth up.-1 Sam. ii. 7.
16. How God saves the righteous and punishes the wicked.
The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked
cometh in his stead.-Prov. xi. 8.
17. Aboutforgiving others.
If any man have a quarrel against any; as Christ forgave
you, so also do ye.-Col. iii. 13.
18. About the kindness of the Lord.
Thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive; and plenteous
in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.-Ps. lxxxvi. 5.
19. How the young should behave to the old.
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the
face of the old man, and fear thy God.-Lev. xix. 32
20. What the righteous man does in his trouble.
As for me I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save
me.-Ps. lv. 16.
21. The choice of the righteous.
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.-Ps. lxxxiv. 10.
22. Whi? God sent lMoses to bring the children of Israel out of
Egypt.
He remembered his holy promise, and Abraham  his servant.-Ps. cv. 42.




VERSSE OF SCRIPTURE.              253
23. Whom we should fear.
Thou, even thou, art to be feared; and who may stand
in thy sight when once thou art angry 2-Ps. lxxvi. 7.
24,,How terrible God is to the wicked.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God.-Heb. x. 31.
25. How God destroyed Pharaoh and his servants.
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them:
they sank as lead in the mighty waters.-Ex. xv. 10.
26. How God relieved the thirsty Israelites.
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink
as out of the great depths.-Ps. lxxviii. 15.
27. What God wished the Israelites to do.
O that there were such a heart in them, that they would
fear me, and keep all my commandments always!-Deut
v. 29.
28. How the Israelites behaved to God.
They forgat God their Saviour, which had done great
things in Egypt.-Ps. cvi. 21.
29. About the glorious light of heaven.
And there shall be no light there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them
light.-Rev. xxii. 5.
30. Wh/ere God promised to dwell.
I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their
God.-Exod. xxix. 45.
31. About theLamb who died for us.
Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the
world.-John i. 29.
Line upon Line.       22




254             VERSES OF SCRISTURE.
32. How the Israelites behaved when the spies came  ack from
viewing the land.
They despised the pleasant land, they believed not (God's)
word: but murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto
the voice of the Lord.-Ps. cvi. 24, 25.
33. A prayer to be kept from sinful words.
Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of
my lips.-Ps. cxli. 3.
34. W7iy the serpent of brass was like Christ.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.John iii. 14, 15.
35. How God shows his love when people sin.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.-Rev. iii. 19.
36. What we must now do, if we hope to be saved in the judgment-day.
Seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be, ye shall
be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.-Zeph. ii. 3.
37. When we ought to seek for mercyfrom God.
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon
him while he is near.-Isa. lv. 6.
38. What shall become at last of the wicked.
Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the
wicked be no more.-Ps. civ. 35.
39. Praise to God for his goodness.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy
diseases.-Ps. ciii. 2, 3.












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