UNIVERSITY OF 

NORTH CAROLINA 

— i I.. ■■ ■ . ' - 

gchool of Library 
Science 



1 



SI C M 




THOMAS R . 3 K I N N B R 



THE 

PEEP OF DAY; 

o*, 
A SERIES 

OF 

THE EARLIEST RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 

THE INFANT MIND 
IS CAPABLE OF RECEIVING; 

WITH 

VERSES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE SUBJECTS. 



Truly the light U sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold tlie sun. 
Eagles. 11 : 7. 



BBVI8BD EDITION 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 



PREFACE. 



There: are few who have attempted by means of books to 
prepare the infant mind for the reading of the Scriptures, 
who have not experienced the want of a suitable book by 
way of a first step. 

It was under a feeling of the need of this preparation, 
that the writer of the following pages has ventured to' pub- 
lish her instructions of an infant class of little children; 
having been induced, in the first instance, to write them 
down as soon as given, with a view to the governess' reca- 
pitulating them during her absence of some months. 

The first course of these conversations she now offers to 
the public, humbly hoping that it may be found useful : 

1. As affording hints to the inexperienced teacher. 

2. As a reward-book for children. 

3. As an aid to the young mother hi her conversations 
with her child of four or five years old. 

4. As a book for Sunday reading for the same child at 
five or six. 

It may appear that there are many books of a similar 
nature already published ; but such as have met the writer's 
eye, have rather been commentaries on the Scriptures, than 
preparations for their perusal. 

It is too common to defer religious instruction in schools, 
till the child can read in the Testament. One quarter of an 
hour, daily, devoted to instruction by word of mouth, would 
prepare the child for comprehending the meaning of the 
Testament, when able to read ; whereas now it has to com- 

> 

3 



4 PREFACE. 

bat at once with the difficulties of reading, and the far greatei 
difficulties of the subject it reads of. 

Therefore it is not surprising that we should often find 
children who have read the Testament through, unable to 
answer the simplest question. 

The writer has ventured, in this edition, to add some 
verses illustrative of each subject, in the hope of pleasing 
the little pupils who shall be instructed from the book ; and 
not with a view of imposing the verses as a task to he 
learned by heart. 



THE 



AUTHOR'S APOLOGY 



When a new work, however insignificant, appears, it 
is natural to inquire why it was written ; and it is 
natural for the writer to desire to prove that there was 
a sufficient cause. The present work attempts to im- 
part religious instruction to the infant whose faculties 
are just opening. But some may reply, "Is not the 
attempt premature ? Is an infant capable of under- 
standing sacred truths? Or, if capable, is it desirable 
that it should be taught?" 

Upon trial, it will be found that children can under- 
stand religious truths at a very early age ; although the 
exact period is of course very different in different indi- 
viduals. The sophistries which sinful inclinations sug- 
gest to the mind as life advances, do not obscure the 
infant intellect. The child easily perceives that there 
must be a God, and acknowledges his power to be great ) 
the only objections it raises to any doctrine are such, in 
general, as have never been solved by man, while the 
child finds no difficulty in believing that God's under- 
standing is infinitely greater than its own. 



6 AUTHOR'S APOLOGY. 

And will it be deemed undesirable to instruct the 
infant in religion, when it is remenibered that impres- 
sions made early on the mind are the most vivid and 
the most durable ; that the readiest access is obtained 
to the young and tender heart ; that wrong notions will 
be conceived by the ever busy intellect, if left unin- 
strueted ; and that life being uncertain, the eternal hap- 
piness of a child, already knowing good from evil, may 
be endangered by delay ? 

If these arguments be admitted, the next question 
will regard the means of imparting religious instruction 
to young children. 

Shall they learn simple and short catechisms ? Shall 
the Scriptures be read to them with explanation; or 
shall a few general truths be briefly stated to them ? 

Our minds are so much darkened by sin, that when 
we woald ascertain our duty concerning spiritual things, 
we shall often find assistance by examining what we 
should do in an earthly matter of an analogous kind. 
St. Paul declares this to be his motive for using the 
illustration recorded in Romans 6:19: "I speak after 
the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your 
flesh." < 

Suppose, then, a father compelled to leave his wife 
and child, and to sojourn in a distant land. In parting 
he commits the unconscious infant to the care of the 
mother, and thus expresses the feelings of a father'? 



AUTHOR'S APOLOGf. 7 

heart : " I know not when I shall return ; the time may 
D8 near or far distant. This is my earnest request, that 
whenever I do, I may find my child acquainted with 
my love for it, and prepared to love me. Inspire it, if 
possible, with a desire to please me, and mould its char- 
acter in conformity to my views. To the ingenuity of 
your affection I confide the task." 

How would the mother betake herself, in pursuance 
of this request? Would she take the letters of the 
father, written to herself, and read them to the child 
while yet its faculties were hardly unfolded ? Would 
she not fear by this method producing weariness and 
disgust ? Much less would she attempt by a series of 
written questions and answers, to be learned by heart 
as a task, to interest the child in its father. Nor would 
she content herself by giving a general description of 
his goodness. 



the child of its father in language suited to its capacity ; 
relate anecdotes of his virtue, such as the child could 
comprehend; repeat the wise and good sayings he had 
uttered, yet translating them into language intelligible 
to the child ? How carefully would she guard against 
producing confusion by entering into complicated de- 
tails, while she would love to dwell upon the most 
minute incidents that would arrest infantine attention. 
She would fear the consequences of giving set lectures — 
but would intersperse narrative with conversation, care- 
fully watching favorable opportunities for dropping a 



8 AUTHOR'S APOLOGY. 

reflection. Verses in the father's praise would he fa- 
miliar to the babe's lips; yet even these would be 
taught with discretion, and not forcibly imposed. To 
infuse a principle of love would be the mother's aim, 
and she would strive to prepare the child for the per- 
formance of filial duties, chiefly by the strengthening of 
this principle. 

And has not Christ left his infant family with us? 
Has he not given us a charge concerning them in the 
well-known words, " Suffer the little children to come 
unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the king- 
dom of God?" Mark 10:14. Touching and compre- 
hensive words ! charge too imperfectly fulfilled ! How 
often have efforts been made to bring these children to 
their Father's bosom, that have in fact driven them 
further from it ! 

Yet there are many mothers at the present time who 
are seeking to bring their children to Christ; and to 
them, as well as to the teachers of the infant poor, this 
little volume is presented. 

But lest a fear should arise, that in adapting sacred 
truths to infantine capacities, their awful dignity may 
be lowered, let us remember, that the reverence God 
demands is principally that of the heart ; and that words 
which excite reverence in the child's heart, should not 
be condemned because they may offend' the ear of the 
bystander. The use of language in the communication 
of sacred truths, involves vast condescension on the part 



AUTHOR'S APOLOGY. 9 

ol God towards man. Had he not chosen to use this 
condescension towards us, and even to speak as though 
he had passions and bodily parts, he must ever have 
remained to us " an unknown God." Compared to this 
condescension, how slight is any that can be used by us 
in instructing children ! 

And did our Shepherd bid us feed his lambs? 
Behold, I have prepared the tenderest grass 
That grows on Zion's hill. Here feeble lambs 
May find sweet nourishment, and gather strength 
To climb the verdant heights, where the fair flock 
On richer pasture feed. Say not too soon 
I urge their tottering steps. Should I forbear, 
On every side deceitful strangers stand, 
And beckon them away, in flowery paths 
Awhile to sport ; and then to wander long 
Amidst the hills of darkness and of death, 
"Where hungry beasts, in every thicket hid, 
"Wait to devour ; and should they e'er return, 
With fleeces all defiled and bleeding feet 
The wanderers would come. Oh, can they know 
Too soon their Shepherd's voice, or love his name 
Too soon, or in his gentle arms repose ? 
Then come, my little ones, and hear me tell 
Of Jesus' dying love. If Grod shall pour 
His Spirit from on high, your infant hearts 
Shall thrill with tenderness ; you '11 run to meet 
Your Shepherd's fond embrace : who shall forbid ? 
! Tis Jesus bids you come, and calls you his ; 
And who shall pluck you from that pierced side ? 
'Tis Jesus' arms encircle you around ; 
In sight of all your foes, they '11 bear you safe 
O'er many a rugged path and dangerous steep, 
To the sweet fold on Zion's summit fair. 



10 AUTHOR'S APOLOGY. 

And have you lodged your darling in those arms, 
Fond mother ? Did you, as his reason dawned, 
And he began to muse on things unseen, 
Unfoid the history of a Saviour's love, 
And painful death ? And has that love won his ? 
then, should death's dark cloud arise, 
And from your sight conceal his cherub form, 
How sweet 'twill be to catch his parting smile — 
To see the infant angel, as he soars, 
Cling fondly round his own beloved Lord ! 



CONTENTS. 



LESSON PAGE 

1. Of the boay, . 13 

2. Of a mother's care, 17 

3. Of a father's care, 21 

4. Of the soul, 26 

5. Of the good angels, ...... 30 

6. Of the wicked angels, . . . . . 33 

7. The world, Part I., 38 

8. The world, Part II., 41 

9. The world, Part IIL, 44 

10. Adam and Eve, . ... . . . 49 

11. The first sin, 51 

12. The Son of God, 54 

13. The Virgin Mary, 58 

14. The birth of Jesus, 61 

15. The shepherds, 63 

16. The wise men, 65 

17. King Herod, 68 

18. The temptation, 71 

19. The twelve disciples, 76 

20. The first miracle, 80 

21. Several miracles, 82 

22. The sinner and Simon, 85 

23. The storm at sea, 89 

24. Jairus' daughter, . . . . . . 91 

25. The loaves and fishes, 94 

26. The kindness of Jesus, 99 

27. The Lord's prayer, 101 



12 CONTENTS. 

28. Jesus foretells his death, 104 

29. Lazarus, 108 

30. Jesus enters Jerusalem, 113 

31. The temple, 117 

32. Judas, 119 

S3. The last supper, Part I., 123 

34. The last supper, Part II., 127 

35. The last supper, Part III., 130 

36. The garden, 133 

37. Peter's denial, 138 

38. Pontius Pilate, . . * 142 

39. Judas' death, 147 

40. The cross, Part I., .149 

41. The cross, Part II., 152 

42. The cross, Part III., 155 

43. The soldiers, 157 

44. The grave, 159 

45. The resurrection, . . . . • . .162 

46. Mary Magdalene, 165 

47. The two friends going to Emmaus, . . .109 

48. Thomas, 174 

49. The dinner, 177 

50. The ascension, 183 

51. Peter in prison, 186 

52. John, 193 

53. The judgment-day, 198 



THE 

PEEP OF DAY 



LESSON I. 

OF THE- BODY. 

My dear little Children — You have seen 
the sun in the sky. Who put the sun in the 
sky ? God. 

Can you reach up so high ? No. 

Who holds up the sun, that it does not fall? 
It is God. 

God lives in heaven ; heaven is much high- 
er than the sun. 

Can you see God ? No. 

Yet he can see you, for God sees every 
thing. 

God made every thing at first, and God 
takes care of every thing. God made the sun, 
and God makes it shine every day. God made 
the rain. God pours it down. God made the 
wind, and he makes it blow. God made you, 
my little child, and God keeps you alive. 

You have a little body: from your head 
down to your feet, I call your body. 



14 THE FEEP OF DAY 

Youi little body is alive. Are all things 
alive ? No. 

The stones are not alive. But you are not 
like the stones. Feel the stones. How cold 
they are. Your little body is warm. Who 
makes it warm ? God. 

Though God lives in heaven, he looks down 
from heaven, and keeps you alive. 

Put your hand before your mouth. "What 
do you feel coming out of your mouth? It 
is your breath. You breathe every moment. 
When you are asleep you breathe. You cannot 
help breathing. But who gives you breath ? 

God does every thing. God gave you this 
little body, and he makes it live and move and 
breathe. There are bones in your body. God 
has made them strong and hard. There are 
some bones for your arms, and some bones for 
your legs. There is a bone for your back, and 
more bones for your sides. 

God has covered your bones with flesh. 
Your flesh is soft and warm. 

In your flesh there is blood. God has put 
skin outside, and it covers your flesh and blood 
like a coat. 

Now, all these things, the bones and flesh 



THE BODY. 15 

and blood and skin, are called your body. 
How kind it was in God to give you a body. 
I hope that your body will not get hurt. 

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

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

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

How easy it would be to hurt your poor 
little body. 

If it were to fall into the fire, it would be 
burned up. If hot water were to fall upon it, 
it would be scalded. If it were to fall into 
deep water, and not be taken out very soon, it 
would be drowned. If a great knife were run 
through your body, the blood would come out. 
If a great box were to fall on your head, your 
head would be crushed. If you were to fall 
oy y <*f the window, your neck would be broken. 



16 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

If you were not to eat any food for a few days, 
your little body would be very sick, your breath 
would stop, and you would grow cold, and you 
would soon be dead. 

You see that you have a very weak little 
body. 

Can you keep your own body from being 
sick, and from getting hurt ? 

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

My little body's formed by God; 
'Tis made of living flesh and blood : 
The slender bones are placed within, 
And over all is laid the skin. 

My little body's veiy weak: 
A fall or blow my bones might break ; 
The water soon might stop my breath ; 
The fire might close my eyes in death. 

But God can keep me by his care ; 
To him I'll say this little prayer : 
" God, from harm my body keep, 
Both when I wake, and when I sleep." 



A MOTHER'S CARE. 17 

LESSON II. 

OF A MOTHER'S CARE. 

I have told you, my darling, about your 
little body. "Was your body always as big as 
it is now ? No. Once it was very small in- 
deed. 

What were you called when your body was 
very small ? A baby. 

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

But God gave you to one who took great 
care of you when you were a baby. 

Who was it ? 

Your dear mother, she took care of you 
then. She nursed you in her arms, and fed 
you, and took you out in the air, and washed 
you, and dressed you. Do you love your 
mother ? Yes. 

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

A little while ago there was no such little 



18 THE PEEP OF DA\ 

creature as you. Then God made your little 
body, and he gave you to your mother, who 
loved you. It was God who made your moth- 
er love you so much, and made her so kind to 
you. 

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

Is your mother kind to you still? Yes, 
she is. 

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

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

Can your mother keep you alive ? No. 

She can feed you, but she cannot make your 
breath go on. 



A MOTHER'S CARE. 19 

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

Do you ever thank your mother for her 
kindness ? Yes. You often say, " Thank 
you;" and sometimes you put your arms round 
her neck, and say, " I do love you so much, 
dear mother !" Will you not thank God who 
gave you a mother, and keeps you alive ? You 
should kneel down when you speak to God ; 
then you should say, " God, how good you 
have been to me. I thank you, and love you." 
Would God hear your little thanks ? Yes, 
God would hear, and be pleased. 

Who fed me from her gentle breast, 
And hushed me in her arms to rest, 
And on my cheek sweet kisses pressed ? 

My mother. 
When sleep forsook my open eye, 
Who was it sung sweet hushaby, 
And rocked me, that I should not cry ? 

My mother. 
Who sat and watched my infant head, 
When sleeping on my cradle bed, 
And tears of sweet affection shed ? 

My mother. 
When pain and sickness made me cry, 
Who gazed upon my heavy eye, 
And wept for fear that I should die ? 

My mother. 



THE PEEP OF HAY. 

Who ran to help me when I fell. 
And would some pretty story tell, 
Or kiss the place to make it well ? 

My mother. 

Who taught my infant lips to pray, 
And love God's holy book and day, 
And walk in wisdom's pleasant way? 

My mother 

And can I ever cease to be, 
Affectionate and kind to thee, 
'Who wast so very kind to me, 

My mother? 

Ah no, the thought I cannot bear ; 
And if God please my life to spare, 
I hope I shall reward thy care, 

My mother. 

When thou art feeble, old, and gray, 
My healthy arm shall be thy stay, 
And I will soothe thy pains away, 

My mother. 

And when I see thee hang thy head, 
'Twill be my turn to watch thy bed, 
And tears of sweet affection shed, 

My mother. 

For God who lives above the skies, 
Would look with vengeance in his eyes, 
If I should ever dare despise 

My mothei . 

Mrs. Gilbert. 



A FATHER'S CARE. 21 

LESSON III. 

OF A FATHER'S CARE. 

"Who is it that dresses you, and feeds you? 
Your dear mother. 

But how does your mother get money to 
buy the clothes and the food ? Father brings 
it home. 

How does your father get money ? He 
works in the field. 

Your father works all day long, and he gets 
money and brings it home to mother. He says 
to your mother, " Buy some bread with this 
money, and give some of it to the children." 
"Will your father give his money to buy bread 
for you ? That is very kind in him. Do you 
love your father ? 

How hard your poor father works in the 
fields. 

"What is your father, little Ann ? He is a 
thresher. 

Your father then works hard on the farm. 
In the summer he takes his scythe to mow the 
grass, and as he mows, he bends his back till 
it aches. In harvest-time he takes his sickle 



22 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

and reaps, while the hot sun beats upon hit 
poor head. Afterwards he threshes the grain 
with all his strength. In the cold weather he 
works hard, sometimes while the cold rain and 
sleet beat upon his face. Why does he bear 
all this ? That you may have plenty of food, 
and be fat and rosy. "While he is working, he 
often thinks of you, and hopes that he shall 
find you a good child when he comes home. 
You are glad to see him, I know. Sometimes 
you run to meet him, you set a chair by the 
fire, and then you climb upon his knee. Some- 
times he is too much tired to speak to you. 
Then you wait till he has had his supper. 

What is your father, Mary ? A shepherd. 

Your father watches the sheep all day long. 
Sometimes he gets up in the night to look after 
the young lambs, and the sick sheep. What 
a kind father Grod has given you. 

Who made your father love you at first ? It 
was God. 

Your father loves you so much that he gives 
you all you want. He has a little cottage, 
and he pays some of his money for it, but he 
allows you to live in it with him. He lets 
you sit upon one of his chairs, or upon a little 



A FATHER'S CARE. 23 

stool by his nice warm fire ; and he gives you 
some of his breakfast, dinner, and supper 

If your father were to die, what should you 
do ? You would then be a fatherless child. 

Could your father die ? yes ; many little 
children have no father. I have heard of a 
little child whose father fell down from a high 
ladder, and was killed. Another child's father 
was kicked by a horse, and died. Another 
father was digging a deep well, and his breath 
was stopped. Some children's fathers fall sick, 
and die. 

Perhaps your father may die, but Grod can 
keep him alive. You can pray to Grod to keep 
him alive. In the morning you can say, "Let 
father come home this evening safe." 

But if Grod were to let your father die, you 
would still have one Father left. "Whom do I 
mean? "What do you say in your prayer? 
" Our Father who art in heaven." 

Yes, you have a Father in heaven, besides 
the father you have at home, for G-od is your 
Father. Can your heavenly Father die ? No, 
never. 

Does he love you ? Yes. 

He loves you even more than your other 



24 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

father does. He is always thinking of you. 
He is always looking at you. He gives you 
part of his things. He would like to have you 
come and live with him in heaven some day. 
He loves your father too. He is the Father 
of your father. 

Let us think of some of the things which 
your heavenly Father has given to you. Let 
us count them over. 

1. A father to work for you. 

2. A mother to take care of you. 

3. A house to live in. 

4. A bed to sleep in. 

5. Fire to warm you. 

6. Clothes to wear. 

7. Food to eat. 

8. Breath every moment. 

LITTLE ANN'S FATHER, WHO IS A LAB0REF ( N 
THE FIELDS. 

At early morn to work he goes, . 

Through wintry rain and sleet : 
In summer, when he reaps and mows, 

He faints "beneath the heat : 
And what he earns he shares with me ; 
How very thankful I should he ! 



A FATHER'S CARE. 25 

LITTLE MARY'S FATHER, WHO IS A SHEPHERD. 
On lulls and moors his day he spends 

In watching o'er his sheep ] 
His weak young lambs at night he tends, 

When I am fast asleep ; 
And what he earns he shares with me ) 
How very thankful I should he ! 

LITTLE SUSAN^S FATHER, WHO IS A FISHERMAN 
His net he casts into the sea, 

And brings the fish to shore ) 
^Tien waves are high, I fear lest he 

Should never come back more : 
And what he earns he shares with me , 
How very thankful I should be ! 



26 TAB PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON IY. 

OF THE SOUL. 

Has God been kind to dogs ? Has he given 
them bodies ? Yes. 

Have they bones, and flesh, and blood, and 
skin ? Yes. 

The dog has a body as well as you. Is the 
dog's body like yours ? No. 

How many legs have you ? Two. 

How many legs has the dog ? Four. 

Have you got arms ? Yes, two. 

Has the dog got arms ? No, it has got no 
arms or hands. But the dog has legs instead. 
Your skin is smooth, but the dog is covered 
with hair. 

Is the cat's body like yours ? No, it is cov- 
ered with fur. 

Is a chicken's body like yours ? How many 
legs has the chicken ? Two. 

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

Have you feathers on your skin ? Have you 
wings ? Is your mouth like a chicken's beak ? 
Has the chicken any teeth ? No, the chicken's 



THE SOTJL. 27 

body is not at all like yours. Yet the chicken 
has a body, for it has flesh, and bones, and 
blood, and skin. 

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

"Who gave bodies to dogs, horses, chickens, 
and flies ? Who keeps them alive ? 

God thinks of them all every moment. 

Can a dog thank God ? IS T o ; dogs and 
horses, sheep and cows, cannot thank God. 

"Why cannot they thank God? Is it be- 
cause they cannot talk ? 

That is not the reason. 

The reason is, they cannot think of God. 
They never heard of God. They cannot un- 
derstand about God. 

Why not ? Because they have no souls, or 
spirits, like yours. 

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

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



28 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

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

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

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

What is your soul made of? Your soul or 
spirit is made of the breath of Grod. 

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

Where w r ould you be put, if you were dead ? 
Your body would be put in a grave in the 
ground, but your soul would not be in the grave. 
Even a little baby has a soul or a spirit. 

One day as I was walking in the streets, I saw 
a man carrying a little coffin. Some people were 
walking behind, crying. There was a dead baby 
in the coffin. Was the soul of the baby in the 
coffin ? No, its soul had gone up to (rod. 



THE SOUL. 29 

"Will you not thank G-od for giving you a 
spirit ? "Will you not ask him to take your 
spirit to live with him, when your body dies ? 
Say to G-od j " Pray, take my spirit to live with 
thee when my body dies and turns into dust " 

CHILD. 

Tell me, mamma, if I must die, 
One day, as little "baby died ; 
And look so very pale, and lie 
Down in the graveyard by his side ? 

Shall I leave dear papa and you, 
And never see you any more ? 
Tell me, mamma; if this is true ; 
I did not know it was before. 

MAMMA. 

'Tis true, my love, that you must die, 
The God who made you says you must : 
And every one of us shall lie, 
Like the dear baby, in the dust. 
These hands, and feet, and busy head, 
Shall waste and crumble quite away ; 
But though your body shall be dead, 
There is a part which can't decay. 

Ja>-e Taylor. 

What is that part which can't decay ? It 
is your soul. 

Your body will decay : it will turn to dust ; 
but your soul will live for ever : it will never 
decav. 



30 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON V. 

OF THE GOOD ANGELS. 

You know that God lives in heaven. He 
sits on a great white throne. He has no body, 
for he is a spirit. 

Does he live in heaven alone ? No ; angels 
stand around his throne. 

What are angels ? Angels are spirits. 

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

They sing sweet songs about God. They say, 
" How good God is, how wise, how great." 

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

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

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



THE GOOD ANGELS. 31 

They can fly very quickly. God sends them 
down here to take care of us. They are very 
strong, and can keep us from harm. 

Should you lil#fe to have the angels near you 
at night? Do you know this pretty verse of 
a hymn ? 

I lay my "body down to sleep, 
Peace is the pillow for my head, 

While well-appointed angels keep 

Their watchful stations round my hed. 

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

God is their Father. They have not two fa- 
thers, as you have. The angels are the chil- 
dren of God, and live in God's house in heaven. 
When you mind what your Father tells you, 
then you are like the angels who mind God. 

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

When a little child who loves God falls 
sick, and is going to die, God says to the an- 
gels, " Go and fetch that little child's soul up 
to heaven." Then the angels fly down, the 



32 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

little darling shuts its eyes, it lays its head on 
its mother's bosom, its breath stops ; the child 
is dead. "Where is its soul? The angels are 
carrying it up to heaven. • 

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

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

Around God's glorious throne above, * 

The happy angels stand , 
And ever praise the God they love, 

And fly at his command. 

Their faces, like the sun, are bright, 

And sweetest smiles they wear ; 
They never sleep — there is no night, 
Nor need of candle there. 

But though the angels live so high, 

They love us men below ; 
And hope to see us in the sky, 

In garments white as snow. 

And when a dying infant lies 

Upon its mother's breast, 
The angels watch it while it dies, 

And take its soul to rest 



THE WICKED ANGELS. 33 



LESSON VI 



OP THE. WICKED ANGELS. 

When did God begin to live in heaven? 
God always lived in heaven. 

Once there was no such little child as you, 
but there always was God. 

Once there was no sun, but there always 
was God. 

Once there were no angels, but there always 
was God. 

No one made God ; God was the first of all 
things, and God made every thing. 

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

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

Would God let them stay in heaven after 
they sinned ? No ; he cast them out, and put 
them in chains, and shut them up in hell. 

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

F«!p cfDay. 3 



34 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

He is called the devil. The devil is very wick- 
ed, and hates God. 

He can never go back to heaven again, but 
he comes here where we live, and other devils 
came also 

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

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

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

The devil hopes very much that you will 
come and be with him when you die. He 
knows, that if you are bad like him, you will 



THE WICKED ANGELS. 35 

live with him. So he tries to make you like 
himself. When you are in a passion, you are 
like the devil. When you say, " I don't care," 
you are like the devil. When you think your- 
self good, you are proud like the devil. 

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

Satan is much stronger than you are; but 
God is stronger than all. If any body were to 
come to hart you when you were alone, you 
would be frightened ; but if you saw your fa- 
ther coming, you would run to him, and you 
would not be frightened any more. Now, God 
is your Father ; he can keep Satan from hurt- 



36 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

ing you. Pray to him, and say, "0, dear Fa- 
ther, keep me from being wicked like the 
devil, and from going to hell." 

Satan was once an angel bright, 
And worshipped God on high ; 

But now he dwells in darkest night 
And endless misery. 

Daring his God to disobey, 

He lost his happy state : 
Sinners above could never stay, 

Around God's throne to wait. 

Thousands of angels with him fell, 
Who dwned him as their king ; 

Hoping with us to share their hell, 
They tempt our souls to sin. 

CHILD. 

God, unto thee I'll lift my prayer — 
He'll hear an infant cry — 

" Save me, God, lest I should share 
In Satan's misery." 

VERSES FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN. 

ON THE SUBJECT OF THE PRECEDING LESSONS. 

God lives on high This God can see 

Beyond the sky, Both you and me ; 

And angels bright, Can see at night, 

All clothed in white, As in the light : 

The praises sing And all we do, 

Of heaven's King. Remember too. 



1HE WICKED ANGELS, 



H7 



'Tis lie bestows 
My food and clothes. 
And my soft bed 
To rest my head, 
And cottage neat, 
And mother sweet. 



All liars dwell 
With him in hell, 
And many more 
Who cursed and swor8, 
And all who did 
What God forbid. 



And should not I 
For ever try 
To do what he 
Has ordered me, 
And dearly love < 
This Friend above ? 



And I have not 
Done what I ought : 
I am not fit 
With God to sit, 
And angels bright 
All clothed in white 



I always should 
Be very good : 
At home, should mind 
My parents kind ; 
At school, obey 
What teachers say. 

Now, if I fight, 
And scratch and bite, 
In passions fall, 
And bad names caL. 
Full well I know 
Where I shall go. 

Satan is glad 
When I am bad, 
And hopes that I 
With him shall lie 
In fire and chains, 
And dreadful pains. 



I will confess 
My naughtiness ; 
And will entreat 
For mercy sweet. 
O Lord, forgive, 
And let me live. 

My body must 
Be turned to dust ; 
Then let me fly 
Beyond the sky, 
And see thy face 
In that sweet place. 



38 THE PEEP OF DAY 



LESSON VII. 

THE WORLD— PART I. 
Genesis 1 : 1-10. 

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

God was in heaven, and all his bright an- 
gels round him, when he began to make the 
world. 

G-od's Son was with him, for God always 
had a Son just like himself. His Son's name 
is Jesus Christ. He is as good and great as 
God his Father. The Father and the Son are 
God : they always lived together, and they 
love each other exceedingly. The Father and 
the Son are one God, and he made the world. 

How did God make the world ? By speak- 
ing. First of all, God made the light. God 



THE WORLD. 39 

said, "Let there be light; and there was light." 
No one can make things by speaking, but God : 
God made things of nothing. He only spoke 
and the light came. 

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

God made the clouds. The clouds are full 
of water, and sometimes the water comes 
down, and we call it rain. 

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

The sea is very large, and it is always mov- 
ing up and down and tossing itself. "When 
the wind blows hard, the sea makes a loud 
noise and roars ; but it cannot get out of the 
large deep place in which God has put it ; for 
God said, Stay there. 

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



40 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Now I have told you of five things that 
God made. 

1. The light. 2. The air. 3. The clouds. 
4. The sea. 5. The dry land. 

Let us praise God for making such a large 
and beautiful world. 

'Twas God who made this world so fair, 
The shining sun, the sky, the air; 
'Twas God who made the sea, the ground, 
And all the things I see around. 

When he began the world to make, 
These were the mighty words he spake : 
" Let there be light :" his voice was heard. 
And the obedient light appeared. 

The angels saw the light arise, 
And with their praises filled the skies : 
"How great our God; how wise, how strong V' 
Such is their never-ending song. 



THE WORLD. 4) 



LESSON VIII. 



THE WORLD— PART II. 
Genesis 1:11-19. 

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

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

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

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

God made the soft green grass to spring up, 
and the flowers to grow among the grass ; flo w- 
ers of all colors, and of sweet smell : the yellow 
buttercup, the white lily, the blue violet, and 
the rose, the most beautiful of all flowers. / 



42 THE FEET OF DAY. 

I have told you of five sorts of things which 
grow out of the earth. 

1. Trees. 2. Vegetables. 3. Corn. 4. Grass. 
5. Flowers. 

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

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

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

My God, who makes the sun to know 

His proper hour to rise ; 
And to give light to all below, 

Doth send him round the skies. 

Dr. Watts. 

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



THE WORLD. 43 

Who could count the stars? No one but 
God. He knows their names and their num- 
ber too. When we look at the moon and stars, 
let us think " how great Grod is." Yet he cares 
for the little birds, and loves little children. 

CHILD. 
I saw the glorious sun arise 

O'er yonder mountain gray j 
And as he travelled through the skies 

The darkness went away, 
And all around me was so bright 

I wished it would be always light. 

But when his shining course was done 

The gentle moon drew nigh, 
And stars came twinkling, one by one, 

Upon the shady sky. 
Who made the sun to shine so far, 
The moon, and every twinkling star ? 

MAMMA. 

'Twas God, my child, who made them all 

By his almighty skill : 
He keeps them, that they do not fall, 

And guides them as he will : 
That glorious God, who lives afar 
In heaven beyond the highest star. 

Jane Taylor. 



44 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON IX. 

THE WORLD — PART III. 
Genesis 1 : 20-25. 

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

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

God made some creatures, more beautiful 
than fish, to fly out of the water. The birds : 
they perched upon the trees, and sang among 
the branches. 

Birds have wings, and are covered with 
feathers of all colors. The robin has a red 
breast ; the goldfinch has yellow feathers, and 
the jay blue ones : but the peacock is the most 
beautiful of birds. It has a little tuft upon 
its head, and a long train that sweeps behind ; 
sometimes it spreads out its feathers, and they 



THE WORLD. 45 

look like a large fan. The thrush, the black- 
bird, and the linnet, can sing sweetly ; but 
there is one bird that can sing more sweetly 
still — it is the nightingale. At night, when 
all the other birds have left off singing, the 
nightingale may be heard in the woods. 

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

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

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

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

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

There is another sort of living creatures 
called insects. God made them come out of 
the earth, and not out of the water, like birds 
and fishes. Insects are small, and creep upon 
the earth ; such as ants. Some insects can 



4b THE PEEP OF DAY. 

fly also ; such as bees and butterflies. The* 
bee sucks the juice of flowers, and makes wax 
and honey. How gay are the wings of the 
butterfly : they are covered with little feath- 
ers, too small for you to see. 
n All the insects were good and pretty when 
God made them. 

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

I\ T ow God had filled the world with living 



THE WORLD 47 

creatures, and they were all good ; even lions 
and tigers were good and harmless. I have 
told you of four sorts of living creatures. 

1. Fishes. 2. Birds. 3. Insects. 4. Beasts. 
^Ail these creatures have bodies, but they 
have not souls like you. They can move an,d 
breathe. (rod feeds them every day, and keeps 
them alive. The Lord is good to them all. 

When God first clothed the earth with green, 

And sprinkled it with flowers, 
There w r ere no living creatures seen 

Within its pleasant "bowers. 

Soon by his word God filled the earth, 

And waters underneath, 
With things above the plants in worth, 

That feel, and move, and breathe. 

The fishes, covered o'er with scales, 

In ocean swiftly glide; 
With their vast tails the wondrous whales 

Scatter the waters wide. 



And chief the nightingale ; 
The peacock shines with painted wing, 
The dove does softly wail. 

Insects with humming fill the air, 

And sparkle in the sun • 
The butterfly by colors fair 

Surpasses every one. 



48 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

The beasts tread firmly on the ground j 

The goat has nimble feet ; 
The stag 's with branching antlers crowned ; 

The lamb 's most soft and sweet. 

Pleasure the whole creation fills : 
They leap, they swim, they fly ; 

They skim the plains, they climb the hills, 
Or in the valleys lie. 

With herbs for food the Lord provides 

His numerous family ; 
The lion with the lamb abides, 

The dove and hawk agree. 

In all the woods no sounds of strife, 

Or piteous moans arise ; 
None takes away his fellow's life, 

And none expiring lies. 

These happy days, alas, are past, 
And death has entered here : 

Why did they not for ever last ; 
And when did death appear ? 



ADAM AND EYE. 49 

LESSON X. 

"ADAM AND EVE. 

(jrENESIS 1 : 26, TO THE END OF CHAPTER 2. 

* Now I shall tell you of the last thing G-od 
made. 

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

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

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

You see how very kind Grod was to Adam. 
But Adam had no friend to be with him ; for 
the beasts and birds could not talk to Adam. 

Peep of Day. 4 



50 THE FEET OF DAY. 

Then God said he would make a woman to 
be a friend to Adam. So God made Adam fall 
fast asleep, and while he was asleep, God took 
a piece of flesh out of his side, and made it 
into a woman. When Adam woke, he saw 
her He knew that she was made of his flesh 
and bones, and he loved her very much. Her 
name was Eve. 

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

God had been six days in making the world. 
And when he had finished U ; he rested and 
made no more things. . 

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

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

Let us count over the things that God made 

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



THE FIRST SIN. 51 

LESSON XI. 

THE FIEST SIN. 

GrENESIS 3. 

Adam and Eve were very happy in the gar- 
den of Eden. They talked to each other, and 
walked together, and loved each other, and 
they praised God for all his kindness to them. 

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

There was one thing that God had told 
them not to do. 

There was a tree in the middle of the gar- 
den ; it grew by the side of the river. Some 
beautiful fruit grew upon it ; but God said to 
Adam and Eve, You must not eat of the fruit 
of that tree ; for if you eat of it, you shall die. 

Adam and Eve liked to obey God, and they 
did not wish to eat of this fruit. 

The wicked angel Satan hates God, and hfe 
hated Adam and Eve. He wished to make 
them wicked, that they might go to hell, and 
be burned in his fire. So he thought he would 
ask them to eat of that fruit. He went into 
the garden and looked like a serpent. He saw 



Q2 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Eve alone near the tree. He said to her, Why 
do you not eat of this nice fruit ? 

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

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

It was very wicked in them to eat this fruit. 
Now they became sinners, and did not love God. 

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

And God said, Adam, where art thou ? So 
Adam and Eve came from under the trees. 

God said to Adam, Have you eaten the fruit 
that I told you not to eat ? 

And Adam said, It was this woman who 
asked me to eat. 

And God said to Eve, What is this that thou 
hast done ? 

And Eve said, The serpent asked me to eat. 

God was angry with Satan, and said he 
should be punished for ever and ever. 



THE FIRST SIN. 52 

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

Grod would not let them stay in the sweet 
garden, but he sent an angel with a sword oi 
fire, and he drove them out. And the angel 
stood before the gate with his sword, so that 
they could not come again into the garden. 

Near Eden's land, in days gone "by, 

A lovely garden stood : 
The trees were pleasant to the eye ; 

The fruit was good for food. 



Two holy creatures spent their days 

Within that garden fair ; 
In love they clwelt — they sang God's praise, 

And humbly knelt in prayer. 

In that sweet land one tree was placed, 

Their faithful love to try : 
" That fruit," God said, " you shall not taste , 

Who eats shall surely die." 

O why did Eve to Satan's lies 

So readily attend ? 
Jpon the fruit why fix her eyes, 

Then pluck it with her hand ? 

No more shall Eve or Adam stay 

Within that garden fair ; 
An angel stands to guard the way, 

That none may enter there. 



54 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XII. 

THE SON OF GOD. 
Genesis 3 : 14-24. 

Are you not very sorry to hear that Adam 
and Eve were turned out of the garden ? 

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

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

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

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

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



THE SON OF GOD. 55 

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

And they would have gone to hell, and all 
tieir children too, had not Grod taken pity upon 
them. Grod, who is very kind, had found out 
away to save them. 

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

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

S* the Son promised that he would die for 
Adan and Eve, and for their children. 



56 THE PEEP OF DAY 

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

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

Let us praise Grod, with the angels, and saf, 

We thank thee, Father, for thy tender 
love, in giving up thine only Son. 

We thank thee, Son, for thy tender lofe, 
in coming down to bleed and die. 

The Father waited a long while befor/ he 
sent his Son down to be a man. 

All the time the Son waited in heaveA, he 
thought of What he had promised to do/ but 
he would not go and be a man till his father 
pleased to send him. 

Adam has sinned, and on the ground 
Shall thorns and thistles grow ; 

His flesh shall turn to dust ; his soul — / 
Ah, whither shall it go ? 



THE SON OP GOD. 57 

Shall one who dared to disobey, 

With God for ever dwell ? 
When angels sinned, God did not spare, 

But cast them down to hell. 

Yet long before the world was made, 

Our God contrived a plan, 
By whieh the sinful soul to save, 

And pardon guilty man. 

The Father said his Son should die ; 

The Son replied, " I will : 
A feeble body I will take ; 

This body men shall kill." 

Father, how great thy love to man, 

To send thy Son from high ! 
How great thy love, glorious Son, 

To come, and bleed, and die ! 



58 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XIII. 

THE VIRGIN MARY. 
Luke 1 : 26-55. 

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

Could God make them good ? 

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

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

I hope you will ask God to give you his 
Holy Spirit. Say to God, " 0, give me thy 
Holy Spirit, to make me good !" 

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

After Adam and Eve had been dead a long 
while, and when the world was full of people, 



THE VIRGIN MARY. 59 

God said to his Son, Now go down into the 
world. 

But the Son must be a little babe first — 
every oody is a little babe at first. 

So God chose to send his Son to be the 
babe of a poor woman. This woman's name 
was Mary. Mary had no children. She was 
a good woman, and loved God. God's Holy 
Spirit was in her, and made her meek and 
gentle. 

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

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

"When the angel was gone back to heaven, 
Mary sang a sweet song of praise to God for 
his goodness. Mary said, My soul praises God, 
and my spirit is glad because of my Saviour. 

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



60 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

I wonder not that Mary feared, 
When Gabriel to her appeared ; 
How could she know he came to bring 
So sweet a message from his King ? 

Full long the Son in heaven had stayed, 
Since first the promise had been made, 
To shed his blood for Adam's sin, 
And happiness for man to win. 

But yet the Son had ne'er forgot, 
And what he said he changed not J 
The time was come he should be born, 
And in this world should live forlorn. 

Mary shall be thy mother dear, 
Who in her arms the child shall bear ; 
The angel came this news to bring, 
And Mary listened wondering. 

And shall the Lord a poor maid choose, 
And all the great and rich refuse ? 
But God high honors loves to place 
On those who humbly seek his face. 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS. 61 

LESSON XIY. 

THE BIETH OF JESUS. 

LraE 2:1-7. 

Mary had a husband called Joseph. He 
was a good man, and very kind to Mary. 

Now, before Mary's babe was born, a great 
king said that every body must pay him some 
money. So Mary and Joseph took some money, 
and left their house, and went a great way to 
pay the money to the king. At last they came 
to a town called Bethlehem. 

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

But the master of the inn said, " I have no 
room in my inn for you." 

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

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

While Mary was in the stable the promised 
babe was born. She knew it was the Son of 
G-od, though it looked like other little babes. 



02 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

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

How dearly Mary loved this sweet babe ! 

It had no sin like other babes, but was 
meek and lovely. Yet other babes have cra- 
dles and soft pillows, while Jesus lay in a 
manger. 

I will tell you a verse to say to your little 
brother, when you rock his cradle. 

Soft and easy is thy cradle j 

Coarse and hard thy Saviour lay, 

When his birthplace was a stable, 
And his softest bed was hay. 

Dk. Watts. 



THE SHEPHERDS. 63 



LESSON XY. 

THE SHEPHERDS. 
Lttke 2:8-20. 

On the night when Jesus was born, soma 
shepherds were sitting by their sheep in the 
fields near Bethlehem. Why did they sit up at 
night ? To keep their sheep from the wolves 
and lions, who prowl about at night. There 
are no wolves and lions where we live, but near 
Bethlehem thejre were many wild beasts. 

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

The angel had scarcely done speaking, when 
hundreds of bright angels filled the sky, and 
began singing songs of praise to Grod. 

The great Grod has sent his Son to save 
men : praise him for his goodness. 

At last the angels went back to heaven, and 
the shepherds were left alone. 



64 THE PEEP OF DAI. 

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

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

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

Blessed babe ! what gloriousTeatures, 

Spotless, fair, divinely bright ! 
Must he dwell with brutal creatures ? 

How could angels bear the sight ? 

Was there nothing but a manger 

Sinners could to him afford, 
To receive the heavenly stranger ? 

Did they thus affront the Lord ? 

See the kinder shepherds round hirn 

Telling wonders from the sky • 
Where they sought him, there they found him, 

With his virgin mother by. 

See the lovely babe a dressing ; 
Lovely infant, how he smiled ! 
• When he wept, the mother's blessing 
Soothed and hushed the holy child. 

Dr. Watts. 



THE WISE MEN. 66 

LESSON XYI. 

THE WISE MEN. 
Matthew 2. 

There were some wise and rich men, who 
lived a great way from Bethlehem. They 
knew that God had sent his Son to be a babe ; 
but the men did not know where to find him ; 
so God put a star in the sky, and God said to 
them, Go w T here the star moves. 

So the wise men left their houses, and set 
out on a long journey : but first they said, Let 
us bring some presents for the Son of God; 
for he is a King. 

They took some gold, and some sweet-smell- 
ing stuff to burn. They looked at the star as 
they went. At last it stopped over a house 
in Bethlehem. The wise men were very glad 
indeed. They longed to see the Son of God. 
They came in, and there they saw Mary and 
ner child Jesus ; they fell down, and began to 
praise him, and to call him the Son of God, 
and the King. 

They took out their presents and gave 
them to him. Mary was poor ; but now she 

Peep ^f Bay. #5 



t>6 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

had some money to buy things for her little 
babe. 

Lo, travellers enter Bethlehem's gate, 
Arrived from some far distant land ; 
They seem to be of high estate, 
And hold rich presents in their hand. 

They swiftly pass from street to street, 
Nor need they fear to go astray, 
Nor need they ask the men they meet, 
To guide them in their unknown way. 

For see where shines a beauteous star \ 
On it they fix their joyful eyes : 
That heavenly guide has led them far, 
And now it lightens Bethlehem's skies. 

But lo, it stops — its course is done ; 
On Mary's roof it sheds a light : 
Enter ; there dwells God's blessed Son — 
Enter ; enjoy the glorious sight. 

But where is He, the Lord of all, 

Who made the heavens, and earth, and seas ? 

Behold him there, an infant small, 

Lying upon his mother's knees. 

Their Lord full well the strangers know, 
And humbly worship at his feet ; 
Joyful their golden treasures show, 
And burn their precious spices sweet. 

O happy they who knelt that day 
Before the lovely infant's face, 
And who believed, though clad in clay, 
That he was Lord of every place. 



THE TWELVE DISCIPLES. 79 Jy| 

They heard him preach from hills and ships, 

Of things to men unknown ; 
But sweeter words dropped from his lips 

When they were all alone. 

For then he would the things explain 

They could not understand, 
That heavenly wisdom they might gain^ 

And teach it through the land 

CHILD. 

'Tis true, I cannot here below 

With thee, my Saviour, dwell ; 
To heaven one day I hope to go, 

And there to know thee well. 



60 THE PEEP OF DAY. 



LESSON XX. 



THE FIRST MIRACLE. 
John 2 : 1-11. 

I told you that some people used to ask 
Jesus to come into their houses. I shall now 
tell you of a man who gave a feast, and Jesus 
came to the feast; Mary, Jesus' mother, came, 
and the disciples came. There were a great 
many people besides at the feast. 

There was some wine for the people to 
drink ; but there was so little, that very soon 
it was all gone. 

Jesus knew that the wine was gone. Could 
not Jesus give the people more wine ? Yes ; 
for he made the world, and all things in it. 

There were some large stone jars in the 
room. Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars 
with water : and they filled them quite full. 

Then Jesus said, Dip in a cup, and give it 
to the master to drink. The servants gave it 
to him; but Jesus had turned the water into 
wine. 

"When the master had tasted it, he said, What 
nice wine this is ! where did it come from ? 

The servants told him how Jesus had told 



THE FIRST MIRACLE. 

tliem to fill the jars with water. Then all the 
people at the feast knew that Jesus had turned 
the water into wine. 

This was the first wonder that Jesus did ; it 
was called a miracle. 

"Why did Jesus do miracles ? To show peo- 
ple that he was the Son of Grod. 

The disciples now felt quite sure that Jesus 
was the Son of God. 

Once Jesus to a marriage went • 
The numerous guests surround the "board, 
When lo, they find the wine is spent : 
This Mary hears, and tells the Lord. 

Before the guests' astonished eyes 
Christ made his heavenly glory shine ; 
The thing desired he soon supplies, 
And changes water into wine. 

How ready does my Lord appear 

Our fond desires to satisfy ; 

And all that we can wish for here. 

He is well able to supply. 

Both health and ease he could bestow, 

Plenty, and every earthly joy ; 

And always would, did he not know 

These would at length our souls destroy. 

For should he all our wishes grant, 
We should forget our heavenly home ; 
But when we suffer, then we pant 
After those brighter joys to come. 

Peep of Day. 6 



82 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XXI. 

SEVERAL MIRACLES. 
Luke 7 : 11-16. 

After Jesus had turned the water into 
wine, he did a great many wonders. He made 
blind people see, and sick people get well, and 
dumb people speak, and lame people walk. 

When Jesus came to a place, all the sick 
people crowded round him. 

Jesus did not send them away because they 
disturbed him, but he cured them all. 

This was the way in which he cured one 
blind man. He said, See ! And the man- 
could see that moment. 

This was the way in which he cured a man 
who was deaf and dumb. Jesus put his fin- 
gers into his ears, and touched his tongue, and 
looked up to his Father in heaven, and said, 
Be opened. And immediately the string of 
his tongue was loosed, and he could speak 
plan. 

Once Jesus saw a poor sick man lying on a 
bed, and Jesus said to him, Should you like to 
be made well ? The poor man said he wished 



THE LOAVES AND FISHES. 95 

There were a great many people ; as many 
as would fill ten churches — five thousand 
men, besides women and little children. 

How tired the little children must have 
been. It was time for them to have their 
supper and go to bed. We shall hear how 
Jesus fed alMhese people. 

They sat down on the green grass. Jesus 
took the loaves and fishes : first he lifted up 
his eyes to his Father, and thanked him for 
the food, and then he took a piece of bread 
and gave it to Peter, and said, Feed all those 
people sitting there ; and he gave another 
piece to John, and he said, Feed those people; 
and he gave a piece of bread and fish to each 
of the disciples, and told each to feed some 
people. 

One little piece of bread would not be enough 
for all the children in this room; but Jesus 
made the bread enough for all the people : a 
piece of bread did not get smaller because a 
man ate some, but was as big as before. Every 
one had enough, and they threw down upon 
the grass a great many little pieces. But 
Jesus said to his disciples, Take some baskets 
and pick up the pieces ; and they filled twelve 



96 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

baskets full of pieces of bread. Then Jesus 
told the people to go home. 

What a wonder Jesus had done ! Yet you 
know that he feeds you, my little children, 
and all the people in the world. 

How does he feed you? He gives you 
bread. * 

Of what is bread made ? Of flour. 

Of what is flour made ? Of corn. 

Who makes corn? God makes the corn. 

Of what does he make it? He makes it 
grow out of the ground. Jesus is God, and 
makes the corn grow ; so you see that Jesus 
feeds you. If he did not make the corn grow 
in the fields, we should die. But he will not 
forget us. He even remembers the little birds. 
They never plough, nor sow, nor reap, nor put 
corn into barns, yet G-od does not let them 
starve. The birds cry to God, and he hears 
them, and lets them find food. Now God 
loves us much better than he loves the little 
birds, because we have souls ; so he will hear 
us when we pray to him. 

If your mother had no bread in her cottage, 
and if she could get no money to buy some, 
yet God would hear her if she loved him. He 



THE LOAVES AND FISHES. 97 

would not let her starve. "Will you not ask 
Grod for bread every day, and say, Grive me 
this day my daily bread ? 

We ought to thank Grod for the food we eat. 
Before we eat breakfast, or dinner, or supper, 
we should say, I thank thee, Lord, for this 
nice food. 

Behold where, on the green hills spread, 

Close by the water-side, 
The hungry multitude are fed, 

At peaceful eventide. 

Upon the grass they sit at ease, 

1^ rows of ten times ten — 
Women with children on their knees, 

Besides five thousand men. 

In listening they have spent the day, 

Their homes far distant lie : 
They would have fainted by the way 

Without this kind supply. 

The Lord, whose words they came to hear, 

Has pity on their need ; 
He loves the weary heart to cheer, 

The hungry poor to feed. 

He gives them of his little store, 

By his disciples' hands : 
Though little, he can make it more, 

For all things he commands 

?c:p of Day, 7 



98 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

'Tis he provides the beasts with food, 
To him the ravens cry ; 

He watches over us for good, 
And does our need supply. 

He once himself did hunger hear 

For forty days, alone : 
And still the hungry are his care ; 

He hears them when they groan. 

CHILD. 

O, like my Lord, would I delight 

In doing good to all, 
And serving them with all my might 

When they for pity call. 

Lord, save me from a selfish heart, 
That nothing good can spare ; 

To others may I give a part, 
And all my comforts shar 



THE KINDNESS OF JESUS. 99 

LESSON XXVI. 

THE KINDNESS OE JESUS. 
Matthew 15 : 21-28 ; Mark 10 : 13-16. 

What I have said about Jesus shows you 
that he was always kind. Once a poor woman 
came crying after Jesus, saying, Lord, I 
have a little daughter who is very sick. Jesus 
did not answer her at first, and the disciples 
wished her to be sent away. She cried so 
loud, they said to Jesus, Do send her away. 

The poor woman fell down at Jesus' feet, and 
said, Lord, help me ! And Jesus had pity on 
the woman, and said, I will do what you wish. 

The poor woman was glad to hear this, and 
she went home, and found that her daughter 
was quite well. 

Another time, some poor women brought 
little children to Jesus ; but the disciples were 
standing round, and would not let the women 
come near. 

Go away, they said ; you must not bring 
children here to trouble us. But Jesus heard 
them speak, and was displeased with the dis- 
ciples. 



100 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Jesus would not let the children go away. 

He said to his disciples, Suffer them to come 
to me ; do not send them away. 

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

happy little children, to be taken into 
Jesus' arms ! 

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

Young children once to Jesus came, 

His blessing to entreat ; 
And I may humbly do the same 

Before his mercy-seat. 

For when their feeble hands were spread, 

And bent each infant knee, 
"Forbid them not," the Saviour said; 

And so he says for me. 

If babes so many years ago 

His tender pity drew, 
He surely will not let me go 

Without a blessing too. 

Then while, this favor to implore, 

My little hands are spread, 
Do thou thy sacred blessing pour, 

Dear Jesus, on my head. 

Jans Taylos. 



THE LORD'S PRAYER. 101 



LESSON XXVII. 



THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

"When Jesus was in this world, he loved to 
think of his Father in heaven. He liked to 
be alone, that he might pray to his Father : 
sometimes the tears ran down his cheeks while 
he prayed. One night Jesus prayed all night 
alone upon the top of a high hill. 

Sometimes Jesus prayed to his Father while 
his disciples stood near and listened. 

Once when Jesus had been praying with 
them, they said, Teach us to pray. Then 
Jesus taught them a prayer. 

It was this : " Our Father which art in 
heaven, hallowed be thy name : thy kingdom 
come : thy will be done on earth as it is in 
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And 
forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them 
that trespass against us. And lead us not into 
temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine 
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, 
for ever. Amen." 

I know, little children, that you say this 
prayer night and morning. Your mothers 



t 02 THE PEE? OF DAY. 

taught you to say it. But did you know who 
said it first ? It was Jesus the Lord ; so it is 
called the Lord's prayer. It is a very beauti* 
ful prayer, for Jesus gave it to us ; but it is 
hard for children to understand it. 

What is the meaning of " Hallowed be thy 
name ?" It means, let God's name be praised. 

Do you wish God to be praised ? 

"What are " trespasses ?" Trespasses are 
sins. 

Ask God to forgive you your sins or your 
trespasses. 

I hope that you say more little prayers, that 
you can quite understand. 

"Would you not like to have God's Holy 
Spirit to make you good ? God will send him 
into your heart, if you ask him. 

God has given you bread, and clothes for 
your body. He will give you better things 
than these. 

What is the best thing that God can give 
you? It is the Holy Spirit. It can make 
your soul good. Say to God, give thy Holy 
Spirit to a poor little sinful child. 

You should pray to God sometimes when 
you are quite alone. Jesus prayed when he 



THE LORD'S PRAYER. 103 

was quite alone. Many little children have 
prayed to God, who are now in heaven, and 
are good and holy. Some children, who are 
still in the world, pray to him ; they are not 
holy yet, but Grod is making them better every 
day, and at last they shall go to heaven. 

Our Father, seated in the sky, 
Thy holy name be praised still ; 
Be thou obeyed as King most high : 
Let men, like angels, do thy will. 

Do thou our daily oread supply : 
Forgive ^ur sins, as we forgive. 
Yet help us still from sin to fly : 
Great, glorious King, for ever live. 



104 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XXVIII. 

JESUS FORETELLS HIS DEATH. 
Matthew 16 : 21, to end. 

Jesus knew every thing that would happen, 
and he knew that he must soon die. 

He used to tell his secrets to his disciples ; 
so he took them in a place by themselves, and 
said, I soon shall leave you : the wicked people 
will take me, and bind me with ropes, and beat 
me, and mock me, and nail me on a cross ; but 
remember, that I shall soon be alive again. 

The disciples could not bear to hear Jesus 
talk of dying, for they loved him very much. 
They all looked very sad, and Peter said, You 
shall not die. But Jesus said, I must die to 
save men and to please my Father. 

The Father had given Jesus to die for us, 
and he would not disobey his Father. 

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

Jesus used to go to Jerusalem very often, 
and he used to preach there. 

Why did some people hate Jesus ? Because 
he told them of their wickedness. 



JESUS FORETELLS HIS DEATH. 105 

He used to say to them, You do not love 
God, who is my Father, but you are proud 
and vain. You wish to kill me. You tell lies. 
You are unkind to poor people. You pretend 
to be good, but while you are saying your 
prayers you are thinking of something else. 
Your hearts are full of wickedness. You are 
the children of the devil. 

Jesus wished them to turn from their wick- 
edness. It grieved him to see that they hated 
his Father, and that they would not turn from 
their wicked ways. 

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

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

Jesus then went away from Jerusalem, to 
live with his disciples in a place a great way 
off, till it was time for him to come to Jeru- 
salem again. 



106 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Once Jesus with his friends withdrew, 

A secret to impart ; 
And can the mournful words be true ? 

They grieve each loving heart. 

And shall our dearest Lord be slain ? 

The tender Peter cries ; 
And shall He suffer shame and pain, 

Who rules o'er earth and skies ? 

Thus Peter would the Lord persuade 

To live on earth at ease ; 
But Jesus has a promise made, 

And seeks his God to please. 

He came to bring lost man relief, 

And suffer in his place ; 
And bitter pain, and shame, and grief, 

Must mar his lovely face. 

For should he now from suffering shrink, 

Should he refuse to die, 
Into the pit our souls must sink, 

In torments ever lie. 



Fond Peter's words he will not hear, 
Who is the sinner's Friend ; 

Our sins upon the cross he'll bear, 
And love us to the end. 

And even Peter must consent 

To give up all below ; 
Like Christ to suffer be content, 

And after him to go, 



JESUS FORETELLS HIS DEATH. 107 

CHILD. 

And shall I foolish y expect 

Never to suffer ^ ain ? 
O, let me ever rect ilect 

The blessed Lord was slain. 

If he, who all his pains foreknew. 

So willing was to die, 
I feel I should be patient too, 

If I in pain should lie. 

Full soon my griefs shall all be past, 

Since Christ has died for me. 
And brightest joys, that ever last, 

My happy soul shall see. . 



108 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSliN XXIX. 

LAZARUS. 
John 11:1-47. 

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

Jesus had more friends besides his disci- 
ples. 

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

At last Lazarus fell sick. 

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

The man went a great way to look for Jesus. 



LAZARUS. 109 

Lazarus grew worse and worse. At last he 
died. His friends wrapped white cloths round 
his face, and his arms, and his legs, and put 
him in a tomb, and rolled a stone before it. 

Martha and Mary waited and longed for 
Jesus to come. 

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

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

Then Jesus said, Your brother shall rise 
again. % 

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

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

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



HO THE PEEP OF DAY. 

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

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

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

Then Jesus said, Where have you put Laz- 
arus? 

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

As Jesus walked along, he wept. 

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

Then Jesus said, Take away the stone. 

Martha thought that Jesus was going to 
look at Lazarus lying dead; and she said, Do 
not go in ; his flesh is decayed by this time. 



LAZARUS. HI 

He has been dead four days. But Jesus told 
her to believe that he could make him alive. 

Then they rolled away the stone. 

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

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

Poor Martha and Mary were longing to see 
Lazarus alive again. 

Then Jesus spoke loud and said, Lazarus, 
come forth ! 

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

But Jesus said, Undo the cloths. 

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

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



112 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Why flow the blessed Saviour's tears? 
Is it because the cross he fears — 
Because he knows he soon shall die, 
And shall within the cold grave lie ? 

He weeps to see the sister weep 
Of Lazarus, who lies asleep; 
So tender is his heart, and kind, 
That all from him may pity find. 

CHILD. 
When I see others full of fears, 
I will remember Jesus' tears ; 
And not upon my pleasure think, 
While their sad hearts with sorrow sink. 



JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM. H3 

• LESSON XXX. 

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM. 
Matthew 21 : 1-11, 14-17. 

Which was the greatest miracle that Jesus 
did ? 

It was making Lazarus alive again : be- 
cause he had been dead four days. 

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

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

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

The disciples did not like to hear this ; but 

Peep of Day. 8 



il4 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

they chose to go with Jesus wherever he 
went. 

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

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

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

They said, The Lord hath need of them; 
and then the man let them go. 

I suppose that man loved the Lord Jesus, 
and liked to lend him his things. 

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



JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM. J j £ 

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

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

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

Jesus loved little children, and these little 
children loved Jesus. 

Jesus, on a young ass seated, 

Comes into Jerusalem; 
See, by thousands he is greeted, 

Boughs are plucked and strewed for him. 



116 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Hark ! Jerusalem is ringing 

With loud shouts from many tongues ; 

Hark ! the children too are singing — 
Jesus loves those infant songs. 

"While they sing, my heart rejoices," 
The dear Saviour sweetly said ; 

" For when babes lift up their voices, 
Then my praise is perfected." 

CHILD. 

Is my dearest Lord delighted, 
With the songs of babes like me ? 

Then to sing I am invited, 
And I will not silent be 



THE TEMPLE. 117 

LESSON XXXI. 

THE TEMPLE. 
Lote 19 : 47, 48 ; 20 : 19, 20 ; 21 : 37, 38. 

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

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

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

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

The wicked men longed to catch Jesus, to 
kill him. They said to each other, How can 
we get him ? The people will not let us take 
hold of him if they see us, or we would go to 



118 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

the temple to catch him. If we could find him 
alone in the dark, then we would put ropes on 
him, and take him to the judge. Thus these 
wicked men often said to each other. 

Within the Temple fair and grand, 
Where holy men are wont to pray, 
Behold the gentle Saviour stand, 
Teaching sweet wisdom all the day. 

And many round him fondly press, 
The blind, the lame, the weeping poor, 
Who suffer sickness or distress, 
Or grace or pardon would implore. 

But see, another troop is near, 

And much his words their pride displease , 

Like hungry lions they appear, 

Who long a gentle lamb to seize. 

The Saviour all their malice knows, 
And how his precious life they seek; 
But still his lips he will not close, 
Because his Father bade him speak. 

Nor does his heavenly patience fail, 
Nor does he cease his love to show ; 
But while they mock, and jeer, and rail, 
He strives to save their souls from woe. 

CHILD. 

And if, when trying to be kind, 
I too should with unkindness meet, 
let me show a patient mind, 
And ever let my words be sweet. 



JUDAS. 119 

LESSON XXXII. 

JUDAS. 
John 12:6; Matthe-w 26:3, 4, 14-16. 

Jesus had twelve disciples. Did they all 
love him ? 

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

Did Jesus know how wicked Judas was ? 

Yes, he saw into his heart ; but the disci- 
ples thought Judas was good ; for Judas used 
to kiss the Lord Jesus, and speak kindly to 
him, and talk about God like the rest. 

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

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



120 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

him out,' or thought he was a thief, except 
Jesus, and he knew it well. 

Judas was always thinking, How shall I get 
more money ? 

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

The proud people said, Yes, we will. 

Judas said, How much money will you give 
me? 

They said, Thirty pieces of silver. 

Then Judas said, Some night I will bring 
you to Jesus when he is alone. 

The wicked people were very glad to hear 
this. 

Now, thought they, we shall soon catch him 
and kill him. 

Judas went back to Jesus, and told none of 
his disciples what he had done. But Jesus 
knew what he had been doing ; for Jesus could 
see all his thoughts, and knew all that Judas 
did both in the day and in the night. Yet 
Jesus did not tell Judas that he knew his 
wicked plans. 



JUDAS. 121 

When Jesus on the earth abode, 
Some friends he had, though few ; 

Their love, alas, too faintly flowed. 
Yet 'twas sincere and true. 

But one there was whose heart was cold, 

Who did not love his Lord, 
Bat sought of silver and of gold 

To make a plenteous hoard. 

His wicked thoughts he hid from all, 

And piously would speak : 
The Saviour "Lord and Master" call, 

And even kiss his cheek. 

In vain he thus his love declared, 

And fond attention paid; 
In vain in toil and danger shared, 

In vain he preached and prayed. 

Though none besides the sin perceived, 

So closely veiled by art, 
Yet He could never be deceived, 

Who searches every heart. 

Full well*the blessed Saviour knew 

He was by sin enchained, 
And from the bag in secret drew 

The money it contained. 

He saw him in the depth of night, 

To gain a base reward, 
Promise the Jews to please their spite, 

And to betray his Lord. 



122 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Thus Judas gold and silver chose, 

Instead of joys above, 
And plunged his soul in endless woes, 

And lost his Master's love. 

CHILD. 

And such will be my wretched end, 

Whatever I appear, 
If God I care not to offend, 

And man alone I fear. 

If I, like Judas, talk and pray, 

And yet in secret steal, 
I shall be punished in that day 

When God shall all reveal. 



THE LAST SUPPEE. 123 

LESSON XXXIII. 

THE LAST SUPPEE— PART I. 
Ltjke 22 : 7-14 ; John 13 : 1-17. 

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

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

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

Then Peter and John went into Jerusalem. 

Whom did they meet ? A man carrying a 
pitcher. 

They followed him. He went into a house. 
Peter and John went in after him, and they 
said to the master of the house, Jesus wants a 



124 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

room to eat supper in with his disciples, before 
he dies. 

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

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

Jesus loved John very much, and John sat 
next to Jesus. 

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

But when he came to Peter, Peter said, 
You shall never wash my feet. 

Peter thought it was too kind in Jesus tc 
wash his feet, as if he were a servant; but 



THE LAST SUPPER. 125 

Jesus was not proud, but loved to be Kind to 
his disciples. 

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

Then Peter was glad that Jesus should wash 
his feet. 

All the disciples had clean hearts, except 
Judas, and his heart was full of wickedness. 
Satan was in it. Yet Jesus washed Judas 1 
feet. He was kind even to the wicked Judas, 
who hated him. 

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

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

When the sad hour was almost come 

That Jesus must depart. 
He gathered in an upper room 

Those nearest to his heart. 
* 
Ah, great was their astonishment. 

When, rising from his seat, 
Upon the floor he lowly bent 

To wash his servants' feet. 



126 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Beside the board again he sate, 
And thus expressed his mind : 

" If I, your Lord, upon you wait, 
should not you be kind ? 

let the love that I have shown, 
By you remembered be ; 

And by your love, let it be known 
That you belong to me." 

CHILD. 

Lord, it is my fond desire 
That thou my name wilt own ; 

And much the kindness I admire, 
That in thy actions shone. 

But 0, how hard to imitate ! 

To thee for help I call : 
On others may I love to wait, 

And be the least of all. 



THE LAST SUPPER. 127 

LESSON XXXIV. 

THE LAST SUPPER— PART II. 
John 13:21-30. 

You know the wicked thing that Judas 
meant to do. Jesus knew that he would brinsr 

o 

the wicked people to take him and kill him. 
Jesus had been very kind to Judas, and Jesus 
was sorry that he was so wicked. 

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

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

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

So John whispered, and said, "Which is it ? 

And Jesus said, The one that dips the bread 
in the sop with me. 

For there was a dish of sauce on the table, 



128 THE PEEP OF DAY 

and Jesus dipped his bread in it, and as he 
dipped it, one of the disciples put his hand in 
the dish too. "Which was it ? 

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

Then Jesus said to Judas, Gro and do what 
you mean to do. 

And Judas got up and went out of the 
room. 

"Where did he go ? 

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

One night the Saviour said, 

" My hours to live are few; 
I soon shall be betrayed. 
My friends, by one of you." 
" Lord, is it I ?" 
They all do cry. 

Beloved above the rest, 

John leaned his gentle head 
Upon the Saviour's breast, 
And softly whispering, said, 
" Lord, tell me who 
This thing shall do." 



THE LAST SUPPER. 129 

" One of this little band," 

The Saviour answering, said, 
" Will hither reach his hand, 
And dip with me his bread. 
Who dips with me 
The same is he." 

CHILD. 

Dear Lord, how could it be, 

That one who lived all day 
And ate his bread with thee, 
Should thy dear life betray ! 
Ah, how could he 
Thus deal with thee ! 

Not so would I reward 

Thy tender love to me ; 
I would, my dearest Lord, 
Thy faithful servant be 
For thou art he 
Who died for me. 



eep of Day. 



130 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XXXV. 

THE LAST SUPPER— PART III. 
Matthew 26 : 26-36 ; John 14 : 1-4 ; 18 : 1-3. 

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

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

Jesus said, 1 shall not eat supper with you 
again before I die. I am going to my Father ; 
I must leave you, but I shall come back 
again. 

Then they all sang a hymn. 

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

But Peter said, I will not leave you ; I will 



THE LAST SUPPER. 131 

go to prison with you, I will die with you; 
but I will never leave you. 

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

Jesus talked sweetly to his disciples. He 
said, Do not be sorry because I am going 
away. I shall go back to my Father ; but 
when I am in heaven I shall not forget you. 
I shall get ready a place in heaven for you ; 
only love one another, and I will send my 
Spirit into your hearts. 

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

"Where was Judas now ? 

He was with the wicked, proud men, 

You will soon rfear how he came to the 
garden, and how he brought the servants of 
the wicked men with him. For these wicked 
men were rich and proud. They would not 
go and take Jesus themselves, but they would 
send their servants, 



132 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

"This is my flesh," the sorrowing Saviour said, 
And as he spake, he gave the broken bread : 
"This is my blood;" and then he bade all drink, 
And of their dying Master ever think. 

" Soon shall I die, my body torn and bruised, 
My name by wicked, cruel men abused; 
A nd even you, my dearest friends, shall fly, 
A ad leave your Master all alone to die." 

liis friends in sorrow heard; then promised 
With him they fondly loved their blood to shed ; 
And Peter loudest said,*" With thee I'll die;" 
And little thought he should his Lord deny. 

CHILD. 
Sometimes I think I never shall offend, 
By doing wrong, my best, my heavenly Friend ; 
How soon my heart forgets ! To God I'll pray 
For grace to keep me in his holy way. 



THE GARDEN. 133 

LESSON XXXVI. 

THE GARDEN. 
Matthew 26:30-57; John 18:1-12. 

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

Who were they ? 

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

Then Jesus went a little way off by him- 
self, and fell upon the ground and began to 
pray. He said, Father, save me from death ; 
but do what thou wilt, not what I will. 

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

Then he went back and prayed again to his 



134 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Father, saying, Father, save me from death ; 
yet, not my will, but thine, be done. Then 
he came back to his disciples, but they had 
fallen asleep again. 

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

Then Jesus came again to his disciples, and 
found them still asleep. But Jesus woke them, 
and told them to get up, For Judas, he said, 
is near. 

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

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



THE GARDEN. 135 

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

They said, For Jesus. 

He said, I am he. 

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

The wicked people soon got up ; God let 
them get up; but Jesus said to them, You" 
may take me, but let my disciples go away. 

It was kind in Jesus to think of them, and 
they were frightened and glad to get away ; 
they feared to stay to die with Jesus. 

But Peter took a sword and cut off one of 
the wicked men's ears. Peter wished to fight ; 
but Jesus said, Put up your sword ; do not 
fight for me. I could have thousands of angels 
to fight for me, if I wished it ; but I choose to 
die, because it is my Father's will that I should 
die. Then Jesus touched the man's ear, and 
made it well. 

Then Peter and all the rest of the disci- 
ples went away, and left Jesus quite alone 
with the wicked men. They took ropes and 



136 THE PEEP OP DAY. 

tied his hands, and they led him away into 
Jerusalem, and he went along meekly as a 
iamb. 



" Not my will, but thine, be done." Lttke 22 : 42. 

How dreadful was the hour 
When Christ the Son of God 
Was bruised by Satan's power, 
And sweat great drops of blood ! 
His soul was struggling hard with fear, 
When he poured out his griefs in prayer. 

How earnestly he prayed 
The cup might pass away ! 
But though so sore afraid, 
He still these words did say : 
" Father, thy will, not mine, be done." 
Such was thy prayer, blessed Son. 

And should it not be mine ? 

Full well, my God, I know 

That holy will of thine 

Would save my soul from woe : 
But should I have my foolish will, 
My soul in hell would perish still. 

Then why do I complain 

I can't have all I would, 

Since God will give me pain 

Only to do me good ? 
And in the end he'll send relief, 
And give me joy instead of grief. 



THE GARDEN. 137 

: What ! could ye not watch with me one hour ?" Matt. 26 : 40. 
The friends who meant a watch to keep, 
With grief opprest have fallen asleep, 

While their dear Master prayed. 
Since they no comfort can impart, 
An angel comes to cheer his heart, 

Which is of death afraid. 

Could they not watch one little hour, 
With him they soon should see no more 

Upon this earth beneath ? 
Not watch with him in his distress, 
Who was all love and tenderness, 

And still did pity breathe ? 

But hear the Saviour gently speak : 
He says, though willing, they are weak, 

And bids them rise and pray 
Oh, now the hour of prayer is past ; 
The enemy is come at last 

To take the Lord away. 

how I love the patience rare, 
With which I see my Saviour bear 

His friends' unkind neglect ! 
Since he to them such love has showi 
He might, when suffering thus alone, 

Their tenderest care expect. 

And when my angry passions rise, 
I'll set the Lord before my eyes, 

His gentle voice I'll hear ; 
And the same patience ti y to show, 
If left alone with pain or woe 

By my companions dear. 



138 THE PEEP OF DA*. 

LESSON XXXVII. 

PETER'S DENIAL. 
Matthew 26:57, to end. 

The wicked, proud men who hated Jesus 
sat up all night. They had sent their servants 
to fetch Jesus. They were in a fine house, 
seated on seats round the room talking togeth- 
er, and longing for Jesus to be brought. 
. They said to one another, We will have him 
killed when he comes; we will take him to 
the judge. 

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

Yes, said Jesus, I am, and one day you will 
see me coming in the clouds with the angels ; 
then you will know that I am the Son of Grod. 

Then the wicked men were angry. 

Do you hear what he says ? they cried out ; 
he calls himself the Son of G-od ; he must be 
taken to the judge to be killed. 

Jesus stood meekly all this while, and hard- 
ly spoke a word. 



PETER'S DENIAL. 139 

"What had become of the disciples ? 

They had gone away. 

Had Peter gone away ? 

Peter said he would die with Jesus. But 
he went away too. 

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

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

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

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

No, said Peter, I am not. So Peter went 



140 * THE PEEP OF DAY. 

back again to the fire, and began talking with 
the servants. 

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

Then Peter began to swear, and to say that 
he was not. 

While Peter was speaking so wickedly, he 
heard a cock crow. 

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

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

If Peter had prayed in the garden instead oi 



PETER'S DENIAL. 141 

going to sleep, he would have done better. But 
Christ had often prayed for Peter, that Satan 
might not get his soul at last. 

When Peter sat within the hall, 
To see what should his Lord befall, 
He said he never knew the man, 
And e'en to curse and swear began. 

His sorrowing Master turned his head, 
And by his looks he sweetly said, 
" Does Peter say he knows me not ? 
Has Peter then my love forgot ?" 

Soon Peter wept most bitterly, 
That he had dared his Lord deny 
His Lord is mine ! I love him too, 
may I prove to him more true. 

But if I sin, grant that I 
•May weep and mourn most bitterly : 
And may it pierce me like a sword, 
To think I've grieved my dearest Lord. 



142 THE FEET OF DAY 

LESSON XXXVIII. 

PONTIUS PILATE. 
John 18 : 22, to end ; Matthew 26 : 67, 68 ; John 19 : 1-16. 

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

Once, when he spoke, a servant struck him 
on the face, but he bore this meekly. 

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

The servants came round Jesus, and blind- 
folded him, and beat him, and pushed him, 
and spit upon him, and mocked him. 

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

So they went out of their fine house, and 
took Jesus with them. 

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



PONTIUS PILATE. 143 

The wicked people said, He calls himself a 
King. 

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

Then the wicked men made a great noise, 
and said, You must crucify him. 

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

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

They said, He must have a sceptre — for 
kings hold something called a sceptre in their 
hands — so they pu,t a reed in his hand for a 
sceptre. Then they took it from him, and beat 



144 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

him on the head ; and they knelt down to him 
laughing, and said, King ! King ! 

Pilate then brought Jesus into the street, 
where the wicked people were, and a very- 
great crowd, and he showed Jesus to them, 
and said, Look at your King. 

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

No, said they ; Crucify him ! crucify him ! 
All the people cried out, Crucify him ! though 
Jesus had always been so kind to them. 

Will you crucify your king ? said Pilate. 

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

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

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



PONTIUS PILATE. 145 

What ! are tliere none to take His part, 
Who silent, trembling, bleeding stands ? 
Not one to cheer his broken heart, 
Or snatch him from those cruel hands ? 

A thousand voices lifted high 
Now fill with horrid shouts the air, 
" Away with him, and crucify," 
Nor does one friend for him appear. 

What has he done to stir such hate ? 
Has he then shed some just man's blood, 
For strangers laid in secret wait, 
Or boldly dared blaspheme his God ? 

Not one of these, but this has done : 
Has left his glorious throne above, 
Has put a servant's body on, 
And spent his days in deeds of love : 

Has filled the hungry soul with bread ; 
Has healed the sick, and blind, and lame , 
To mourners words of comfort said, 
And ever praised his Father's name. 

Behold, how men his love reward ! 
His tender flesh the scourge has torn, 
His gentle hands are bound with cord, 
His head is crowned with prickly thorn. 

He was too good, too holy, far, 
To live with sinners here below : 
His faithful tongue bade men beware, 
Lest they should plunge in endless woe. 

Peep of Day. 1 Q 



146 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

'Tis true, he is to some hearts dear, 

And they for him in secret mourn, 

But dare not on his side appear, 

Lest they should share his pain and scorn. 

But why did God the Father let 
His only Son be treated thus ? 
He sent his Son to pay our debt, 
And suffer all this pain for us. 



My flesh should be with scourging torn, 
My little hands be bound with cord, 
My head be crowned with prickly thorn. 

And now, what can I do for him 
Who suffered all this pain for me ? 
Whene'er I feel, or hear of sin, 
I'll think, dearest Lord, of thee. 

Nor shall my hands in anger strike, 
When thy dear hands for me were bound , 
Nor shall my head with passion shake, 
When thine with prickly thorns was crowned. 

And when I hear one laughing tell 
Of sinful things that men have done. 
I will not smile, but sorrow feel, 
Because sin bruised God's only Son. 



DEATH OF JUDAS. 147 



LESSON XXXIX 



DEATH OF JUDAS. 
Matthew 27 : 3-5. 

"Where was Judas all this while ? 

The wicked people had. given him the mon- 
ey, thirty pieces of silver, but Judas could not 
be happy. 

Ah, thought he, I have killed my good Mas- 
ter ; what a wicked man I am ! 

Judas felt that Jie could not like the money. 
He could not bear to keep it, because he had 
done such a wicked thing to get it. So he 
brought it back to tire wicked men ; he threw 
it down on the floor, and then he went into a 
field, and tied a rope round his throat, and 
hanged himself on a tree till he died. It was 
very wicked in Judas to hang himself, instead 
Gf praying to G-od to forgive him. 

"Where did Judas' soul go when he died ? 

It went to hell, and to Satan. Judas is in 
the wicked place now; and Jesus will judge 
him at the last day, and say, Depart, thou 
cursed. 



148 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

The horrid deed is done, 

And Jesus is betrayed ; 

The price of God's own Son 

To Judas has been paid ; 
But peace of mind he never more shall know 7 
This deed shall plunge his soul in endless woe. 

Alas, what shall he do? 

Where shall he hide his head ? 

The dreadful news is true 

That Christ \o death is led. 
Within the grave shall hapless Judas hide 
His wretched head — his soul in hell abide. 

Such is the fearful end 

Of one whom Jesus taught ; 

Who was his chosen friend, 

Who works of mercy wrought. 
One secret sin, within his bosom nursed, 
Brought him to share the portion of the cursed. 

God, I fly to thee 

To search my sinful heart, 

Lest I should cursed be, 

And from thy face depart ; 
Lest I should ever know the bitter pams 
That devils feel midst "darkness, fire, and chains." 



THE CROSS. 149 

LESSON XL. 

THE CROSS— PART I. 
Luke 28 : 26-34. 

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

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

There were a few people who were sorry 
for the Lord Jesus. 

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

He said, Do not cry for me : cry when you 
think how these wicked people will be pun- 
ished for all they are doing. 

At last Jesus came to an open place out of 



150 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

the city. Then the soldiers made Jesus lie 
upon his cross, and they put nails in his hands, 
and nails in his feet. So they nailed him to 
the cross. Then the soldiers made a hole in 
the ground, and set up the cross in it. 

They had taken off Jesus' clothes; and 
when he was on the cross, the soldiers parted 
the clothes, and each took a part ; but his coat 
was so beautiful, they said, We will not tear it, 
because there is no seam in it; then one of the 
soldiers took it for his own. So the wicked 
people took every thing away from Jesus. 

"Was Jesus very angry with them ? 

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

' c Father, forgive," the sufferer cries, 
" Because they know not what they do.' ' 
To heaven he lifts his dying eyes : 
Was such a prayer e'er heard below ? 

Tell me for whom the Saviour prays : 
For those who bear him deadly hate, 
Who spit upon his lovely face, 
And pierced his blessed hands and feet. 



THE CROSS. 151 

And does the Saviour pray for these ? 
Ah, then I see that I should pray 
For all who hurt me, vex, or teaze, 
By spiteful things they do or say. 

Alas, I feel my heart 's inclined 
To do to them as they to me, 
And by my words and deeds unkind 
To let all such my anger see. 

Yet I have sinned against my God, 
And disobeyed ten thousand times : 
Am I prepared to feel his rod 
Avenging my ten thousand crimes ? 

And thus he says he'll deal with me. 
If I'm unwilling to forgive ; 
For only those like Christ shall see 
The glorious place where angeis live. 



]52 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XLL 

THE CROSS— PART II. 
Luke 23:35-43. 

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

Who were the Jews ? 

The people who lived in Judea were called 
Jews. 

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

Could Jesus have come down ? 

He could do every thing ; but he chose to 
stay to die for sinners. 

The wicked people said, If God loved him, 
he would not leave him to die on the cross. 
But his Father let him die to save us. 

There was a cross on each side of Jesus, 
and a thief nailed upon each cross. One of 
these thieves railed at Jesus : he said, "Why 
do you not save us, if you are the Son of 
God? 



THE CROSS. l£>3 

The other t^ief was sorry for his sins, and 
he loved Jesus. 

The thief who was sorry said to the other 
thief, "We have been very wicked ; we deserve 
to be crucified ; but Jesus is perfectly holy. 

Then he spoke to Jesus, and said, Remem- 
ber, me, and save me. He wanted Jesus to 
save him from hell. And Jesus said, You 
shall come to paradise with me to-day. So 
Christ heard the poor thief's prayer ; for Jesus 
died that he might save all who believe in 
him as the Son of (rod and the Saviour of 
sinners. 

If you go to heaven you will see that poor 
thief. 

Near to the cross where Jesus died, 
A thief was placed on either side, 

Each nailed upon a tree : 
The one reviled Christ's name in death ; 
The other cried with dying breath, 

" Lord, remember me.' 7 

The Saviour heard the poor thief's prayer, 
And promised he would take him where 

Our God and angels dwell. 
Alas, his life was spent in sin : 
What joy a heaven at last to win, 

And to escape from hell ! 



]54 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

• 

And 0, for him what glad surprise 

When heavenly glories met his eyes. 

And Christ arrayed in light ! 

He just had seen the dying pains. 

That had released his soul from chains 

And everlasting night. 

Ah, sure, of all the hosts that sing 
The praises of their heavenly King, 

His voice was loudest heard ; 
For when just trembling on the brink, 
And just about in hell to sink, 

The Lord for him appeared. 

CHILD. 

I would not wish my life to spend, 
Like him, a stranger to the Friend 

Who gave his life for me ; 
But yet, like him — afraid to fall 
In deepest woe — to God I call, 



THE CROSS. 155 

LESSON XLII. 

THE CROSS— PART III. 
John 19:32-37; Matthew 27:45-54. 

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

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

John had come to the cross, and he stood 
near by Mary. Jesus looked at John, and 
said, Let my mother be your mother ; and he 
looked at his mother, and said, Let John be 
your son. So John took Mary to be his mother 
and live with him. Jesus loved his mother, 
and thought of her when he was dying. 

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

Jesus just tasted the vinegar, and said, It 



156 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

is finished; and then he died. His spirit 
went to his Father, but his body hung upon 
the cross. 

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

Mary beheld one dying there, 
Whom in her arms she once did bear, 

And to her bosom press. 
On her he cast his pitying eye ; 
For who shall now his place supply. 

And cheer her loneliness ? 

The loving John shall be her son, 
And cherish her, till life is done, 

Within his humble home ) 
And oft together they shall speak 
Of Him who, once despised and weak, 

At last in clouds shall come. 

gentle Lord, how great the love 
Which made thy tender pity move 

E'en in the hour of death ! 
let me show my parents dear 
The same kind love, and thoughtful care, 

Until their latest breath. 



THE SOLDIERS. 157 



LESSON XLIII. 



THE SOLDIERS. 
John 19:32-37. 

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

Now his blood was poured out. 

The spear made a hole in Jesus' side. There 
was a hole in his side, and a hole in each hand, 



158 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

and a hole in each foot ; and his forehead was 
pricked with thorns, and his eyes had shed 
many tears, and blood had come from his skin. 
All this he suffered for us, that Grod might 
forgive us our sins. 

u Yes, he is surely dead," 

The cruel soldier said ; 

Then pierced the Saviour's side. 

Behold, a mingled tide 
Of blood and water flowing from the wound, 
Covered with crimson stains Golgotha's ground ! 

The loving John was near ; 

He saw the soldier's spear 

Bring forth that wondrous flood 

Of water and of blood; 
And well remembered how his Master said, 
He came for sinful man his blood to shed. 

The blood that flowed that day 

Long since has passed away ; 

But still there flows a stream — 

Though by all eyes unseen — 
For those that trust the blood on Calvary spilt; 
And in that stream their souls are washed from guilt. 

And does it flow for me ? 

And can I washed be ? 

For oft my soul has been 

Spotted and stained with sin. 
Mercy I ask, because my Saviour died ; 
And thus, as by a stream, I'm purified. 



THE GRAVE. 159 

LESSON XLIV. 

THE GRAVE. 
John 19:38, to end; Luke 23:55, 56; Matthew 27:60- 

There was once a rich man who loved Jesus ,* 
his name was Joseph — not Mary's husband, 
but another Joseph, called Joseph of Arima- 
thea — he had a garden, and in the garden he 
had made a tomb. Perhaps he meant to be 
buried there himself when he came to die. 

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

So Joseph went to Pontius Pilate, and said, 
1 1 want the dead body of Jesus ; may I take it 
down from the cross, and keep it myself? 

And Pilate said, Yes, you may have it. 

Then Joseph was glad. He brought some 
nice white clean linen. What do you think 
that was for ? To wrap Jesus in. And he 
brought some spices — sweet-smelling things 
that grow out of the ground — and he brought 
some men with him, and they took the nails 
out of Jesus' hands and feet, and took his body 



160 THE PEET OF DAY. 

down from the cross. Then Joseph wrapped 
a cloth round his head, and another cloth round 
his waist, and he put sweet spices on him ; 
and then some men carried him along to Jo- 
seph's garden. 

In the garden there was a tomb hewn out 
in a rock ; and they went into this tomb, and 
there they laid Jesus down quite alone. Now 
he was at rest ; he felt no pain, no sorrow ; 
the wicked people were not near ; and there 
lay the Lord in his quiet grave. The men 
took a very large stone and stopped up the 
door of the tomb, so that nobody could come 
in. There were trees and flowers near him 
in this sweet garden, and there were angels 
there watching over him, though no one could 
see them. 

Where were the good women who loved 
Jesus ? 

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

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



THE GRAVE. ]6l 

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

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

In the cold grave the Saviour's sleeping, 
While angels bright are watching near , 

At home his loving friends are weeping, 
For they have lost their Master dear. 

His painful sufferings now are ended; 

His wounded body is at rest ; 
His soul from every ill defended, 

Reposes on his Father's breast. 

CHILD. 

Then when to die the Lord shall call me, 
why should I the cold grave fear ? 

For how should any ill befall me, 

Since my dear Saviour once lav there ? 



ftsop c'f Xtey. I I 



152 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XLY. 

THE RESURRECTION. 
Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:3-10; Matthew 28:9, 10. 

One morning very early, when Jesus had 
only been dead two days, the poor women 
came into the garden. It was not quite light 
yet ; it was very early in the morning. 

As the women walked along with their oint- 
ment, they said to each other, How shall we 
get into the tomb? The men put a large 
stone before it; the stone is so big, we cannot 
roll it away. 

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

The women trembled when they saw the 
angels ; but the angels spoke sweetly and 



THE RESURRECTION. 1(53 

kindly to them, saying, Do not be afraid ; we 
know that you are looking for Jesus. He is not 
here now; he is alive. Do not you remember 
how he said he would come to life again ? 

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

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

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

"Whom did Jesus call his brothers ? 

His disciples. He had forgiven them fo) 
having fled when the wicked men took him. 



164 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

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

Behold how swift those women fly ! 
Both fear and joy are in their eye ; 
Ah, sure they've seen some glorious thing, 
Or haste some glorious news to bring. 

An angel's voice they lately heard ; 
To them the Lord has just appeared : 
With fear their hearts are beating fast ; 
With joy to tell the news they haste. 

They lately wept their dying Lord ; 
Now to their eyes he is restored : 
He for their sakes has shed his blood, 
And now is proved the Son of God. 

I wonder not their joy is great, 
For what could greater joy create? 
Have they not found that matchless Friend, 
On whom their hopes of heaven depend ? 

And in their joys have I no share ? 
My sins did he not also bear ? 
Yes, 'twas to save my soul from pain, 
The Saviour died, and rose again. 

Then, Jesus, with my infant breath, 
I'll praise thy love, so strong in death j 
And of thy glorious rising think, 
When in the grave I gently sink. 



MARY MAGDALENE. 166 

/ 

LESSON XLYI. 

MARY MAGDALENE. 
John 20 : 1-19. 

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

So Peter and John began to run as fast as 
they could ; but John came to the tomb first. 
He stooped down, and looked in, and saw the 
clothes lying in the grave. 

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



166 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

It was all true, thought John; he is alive, 
and has left his tomb. 

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

Where was Mary Magdalene all this time ? 

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

At last she stooped down and looked into 
the tomb, and she saw a beautiful sight. Two 
angels, one sitting where Jesus' head had been, 
and one where his feet had been. 

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

When she had said this, she heard a man 
behind her, saying, Why do you cry ? 

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

The man said, Mary. She knew that voice, 
and turning round, she looked, and saw that it 
was Jesus. How glad she was to see her Lord 



MARY MAGDALENE. 1G7 

and Master, whom she loved. But Jesus could 
not stay with her. He told her to go and tell 
his dear disciples that he was alive. He said, 
I am soon going up to my Father in heaven ; 
Dut I shall see my disciples first. 

Mary Magdalene came and told the disci-, 
pies. They were all crying ; but they would 
not believe what Mary said. 

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

And why is Mary full of fears ? 

Her eye — why so bedimmed with tears, 

While gazing on that grave ? 
She cannot find the body there, 
Of one who lives, who 's standing near, 

Whose arm from death can save. 

" Why weepest thou ?" the Saviour cries ; 
" I've lost my Lord," she quick replies, 

And thinks not it is he. 
He speaks again • his voice she knows, 
And now her heart with joy o'erflows, 

Her dearest Lord to see. 

His breathless clay she lately sought 
Within the tomb, and little thought 

Of this supreme delight. 
O, vain were all her anxious fears, 
And vain were all her bitter tears, 

That flowed both day and mght. 



168 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

And is not he for ever near, 
Although his voice we cannot hear, 

Nor see his glorious face ? 
Yes ', over us his wings are spread, 
And blessings still are gently shed, 

For he fills every place. 

The day shall come when, in the skiee, 
We shall behold Him with our eyes, 

And know as we are known ; 
But while we wait for that sweet day, 
We'll wipe our bitter tears away, 

Since we are not alone. 



THE TWO FRIENDS. 169 

LESSON XLYII. 

THE TWO FRIENDS. 
Luke 24:1-43. 

It was early in the morning that the women 
went to look for Jesus. 

In the evening two good men were taking 
a walk together into the country. As they 
w T alked, they talked about Jesus. They did 
not know he was alive. They talked about 
his dying on the cross. It made them very 
sad to speak about it. At last a man came 
and spoke to them ; they thought he was a 
stranger, yet he seemed to be a kind man. 

He said, "Why do you cry ? I see you are 
talking of something very sad. 

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



170 THE PEEP OF DAY". 

The kind stranger was sorry to see these 
good men cry. He began to talk to them, and 
said, "Why should not Jesus be the Son of 
God ? Have you not read in the Bible how 
God said his Son should be brought like a 
lamb to the slaughter ? He has died as was 
said, and he must come to life again, and go 
back to his Father. 

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

At last these men came to their stopping 
place ; it was in the country. The stranger 
seemed as if he was going on ; but the two 
good men said to him, Pray, stay with us ; it 
is getting dark. Come and sup with us, and 
sleep here : pray, do come in. 

The stranger said, Yes, I will. 

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

It is the Lord ! they cried ; and so it was. 



THE TWO FB.IENDS 171 

They looked towards him, but they could see 
him no more. He opened not the door, but 
yet he was gone. 

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

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

The disciples were all .shut up in a room 
together, and they had locked the doors to pre- 
vent the wicked people getting in; but they 
let these good men come in. 

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

But while they were talking about Jesus, 
they looked and saw Jesus standing in the 



172 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

middle of the room. He had not opened the 
door, but there he stood. 

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

Jesus spoke kindly to them. Do not be 
afraid, he said ; it is your own Master that 
you see. Look, he said, at my hands. See 
the holes that the- nails made. Look too at 
my feet ; see these holes : and then he showed 
them his side, and the mark the spear had made. 
Now do you believe, said Jesus, that it is 1 
myself? 

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

Then Jesus said, I will eat, to show you 
that I am alive. What have you to eat? Sa 
the disciples brought him a piece of fish and 
some honey, and Jesus sat down and ate. ' 

Then afterwards he talked to them, and told 



THE TWO FRIENDS. 173 

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

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

There are but three around that table met j 
J Tis their last meal, for now the sun has set. 
One breaks the bread. I know that lovely face, 
That voice — but lo, he 's vanished from the place. 

" Was it an angel ? No ; it was the Lord. 
He lives again. He is to us restored." 
# What joy now fills those hearts that late were filled 
With fears ! Ah, now for ever, ever stilled. 

" Well might our hearts burn in us by the way, 
While Jesus spake," the fond disciples say; 
" How sweet was his discourse ! we little thought 
That it was he. How strange we knew him not ! 

" But stranger far that we did not believe 
That he would rise again ! could He deceive ? 
Ono; he is the faithful and the true, 
And what he says he evermore will do." 

CHILD. 
Were these their thoughts ? And such too will be mine, 
When I in glory see my Saviour shine ; 
For though I know he ever lives to save, 
I sometimes doubt his word, and fear the grave. 



174 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON XLYIII. 

THOMAS. 
John 20 : 24 to the end. 

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

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

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

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



THOMAS. 1~5 

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

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

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

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

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

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



176 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

" And can the Lord be risen ?" 
The doubting Thomas said ; 

" And has he broke the prison 
Where lately he was laid ? 

Unless I feel, unless I see, 

I never can believe 'tis he." 

" Come, feel these wounded places," 
Jesus to Thomas said ; 

f Come, see the certain traces 
Of blood that I have shed. 

Behold, I stand before your eye ; 

do you now believe 'tis I ?" 

CHILD. 
My Lord, thou still art living, 

And clothed in white array, 
The Holy Spirit giving 

To all who humbly pray ; 
And though I neither feel nor see, 

1 still believe that thou art he. 



THE DINNER. 177 

LESSON XLIX. 

THE DINNER. 
John 21 : 1-19. 

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

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

At last it was morning, and they looked up, 
and saw a man standing near the water ;. they 
did not know who the man was. 

The man called out to them, and said, Chil- 
dren, have you any thing to eat ? 

The poor disciples said, No ; for they had 
caught no fish all night. 

Peep of Day. 12 



178 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

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

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

Now John found out who the man was : he 
said to Peter, It is the Lord. 

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

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

This was a great miracle that Jesus had 
done. Then Jesus said to them, Come and 
dine. So they all sat down to dine together. 
Then Jesus took the bread, and gave some to 



THE DINNER 179 

each, and lie took the fish and gave some of 
it to each. 

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

"When they had all finished eating, Jesus* 
said to Peter, Do you love me ? 

Peter said, Yes, Lord; you know that 1 
love you. 

Then Jesus said, Feed my lambs; that is, 
teach other people to love me. Gro and tell 
people about my dying for them. 

You, my little children, are like Christ's 
lambs, and I feed you when I talk to you 
about Christ. I feed your souls, and try to 
keep them from hell. 

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

Jesus asked Peter once more the same 
thing : Do you love me ? 

Peter was grieved because Jesus asked the 



J.SO THE PEE"P OF DAY. 

third time It made him very sorry. He 
said, Lord,' you know every thing. You know- 
that I love you. 

Jesus said again, Feed my sheep. 

If Peter loved Jesus, he would do what 
Jesus bid him, and go and teach people. 

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

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

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

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

Jesus meant that Peter would be crucified : 



THE DINNER. 1S1 

men would stretch out his hands on a cross, 
and nail him, as they had done Jesus. Wick- 
ed people would crucify Peter, because he loved 
Jesus ; but Peter would never say again that 
he did not know Jesus. 

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

Deaxh has not changed the Saviour's heart . 
Beheld those pierced hands impart 

The food they have prepared ; 
While seven disciples sit around. 
Joying that they the Friend have found 

For whom they fondly cared. 

He was as ready to forgive, 

As when with them he used to live, 

Before his cruel death ; 
For they had fled when he was tried, 
And Peter had his Lord denied 

With most unfaithful "breath. 

The Lord well knew love now inspired 
His bosom ; yet three times inquired, 

" Simon, dost thou love me ?" 
And Peter said, " thou alone, 
To whom all things are fully known, 

Thou know'st that I love thee." 

And "by what sign his faithful love, 
Shall Peter to his Saviour prove ? 
u Go, feed my lambs and sheep." 



182 THE PEEP OF DAY 

And gladly this will Peter do, 
That others may be pardoned too 
And taught from sin to keep. 

happy they who truly can 
Entreat the Lord their heart to scan, 
And see their faithful love ; 
And happy they who still obey 
His sweet commands, and what they say 
By faithful actions prove. 

blessed Lord, to whom alone 
My sinful heart is fully known, 

Thou know'st if I love thee. 
Increase my love ; for well I know 
My fondest love I should bestow 

On him who died for me. 



THE ASCENSION. 183 

LESSON L. 

THE ASCENSION. 
Matthew 9£ 6, to end ; Ltjke 24 : 46, to end ; Acts 1 : 4-15. 

Jesus i?sed to come and see his disciples 
after he was made alive again ; but he did not 
live all the time with them, as he once had 
done. 

He told them he was soon going up to his 
Father. When I am gone, you must tell peo- 
ple about me. You must tell the wicked peo- 
ple who crucified me, and tell all men that I 
will forgive them if they are sorry for their 
sins. I will send down my Holy Spirit from 
heaven, and you shall do miracles as I have 
done. Do not be afraid of wicked people ; I 
will always be with you, though you do not 
see me. By and by I shall come back again. 

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

One day Jesus and his disciples walked to- 
gether to the top of a hill. Jesus began to 
pray with his disciples, and he lifted up his 
hands and blessed them. While he was doing 



184 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

this, he was taken up by his heavenly Father, 
and a cloud received him out of their sight. 
The disciples still looked up, and saw the 
cloud go higher and higher, till they could see 
it no more. But still they kept on looking. 
Then they heard some person speaking to 
them ; they looked to see who it was, and they 
saw two angels standing by them. The an- 
gels were dressed in white shining clothes. 
They said, Why do you look so long at the 
sky ? Jesus will come again some day in the 
clouds. So the disciples went back to Jeru- 
salem. 

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

Blessed Lord, I see thee praying, 

While thy friends around thee stand : 

Clouds I see thy form conveying 
To thy Father's own right hand. 

Angels now thy friends are cheering 
With bright hopes of thy return : 

Looking for thy sweet appearing, 

Why should they thine absence mourn ? 



THE ASCENSION. l$ft 

CHILD. 

Art thou, Lord, for me preparing 

In thy Father's house a place ? 
Thy sweet prayers I would be sharing, 

Lest I should forsake thy ways. 

Saviour dear, I beg to see thee 

On the clouds in glory ride, 
From all sorrow come to free me, 

And to place me by thy side. 



186 THE PEEP OF DAY. 



LESSON LI. 



PETER IN PRISON. 
Acts 2; 12:1-23. 

What had Jesus told his disciples to do 
when he had gone back to his Father ? 

To tell the wicked people at Jerusalem that 
Christ would forgive them, if they were sorry 
for their sins. 

The disciples said to the wicked people at 
Jerusalem, that Christ would forgive them, if 
they were sorry for their sins. 

The disciples said to the wicked people, You 
have crucified the Son of G-od. He is alive, 
and is gone up to sit on his Father's throne ; 
but he will forgive you. 

Some of the wicked people were sorry for 
what they had done to Jesus, and begged God 
to forgive them ; and some of the wicked peo- 
ple were not sorry, but tried to kill the disci- 
ples. 

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

Did you ever see a prison ? 



PETER IN PRISON. 187 

It is a dark place, with great doors and bars, 
and walls all around. 

Some soldiers took Peter, and put chains on 
his hands, and chains on his feet, and they 
locked the door of the prison, and stood by 
the door, that no one might get out or in. 

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

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

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

So the angel came. It was dark in the prison 



J 88 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

Could Peter see the angel ? 

Yes ; for the angel was bright like the sun, 
and made the prison light. 

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

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

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

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

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



PETER IN PRISON. 189 

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

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

Were the people in the house asleep ? 

No ; they were all awake, though it was 
night. 

Why were they not in bed? 

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

Tho maid went to the door, but she was 
afraid to open it, lest it should be some of the 
wicked people come to kill the good woman 
and her friends. So she stopped at the door 
without opening it, to hear who it was ; but 
when she heard Peter speak, how happy she 



190 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

was ; she knew his voice. She did not say. 
Are you Peter? She was sure it was Peter. 
She was so much surprised, that she forgot to 
open the door ; but ran back to her mistress 
and the rest of the disciples, and said, Peter is 
standing before the gate. But they said, No, 
it cannot be Peter ; he is shut up in prison. 

The maid said, It is Peter. I am sure it is. 
While they were talking, Peter was standing 
outside, and he went on knocking, because no- 
body opened the door. So they ran and open- 
ed the door, and when they saw Peter they 
were quite surprised. 

How did you get out of prison ? they said. 

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

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

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

They were much frightened ; they saw his 
chains, but not Peter. They found the gates 



PETER IN TRISON. 19] 

locked ; they could not think how Peter had 
got out of prison. 

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

The soldiers answered, We cannot tell where 
Peter is ; he is gone. 

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

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

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

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



192 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

11 Awake," the angel cries ; and from the hands 
Of wondering Peter fall the iron bands ; 
The gates fly open of their own accord. 
And Peter is to liberty restored. 

His guide he follows through the gloom of night — 
Where angels are, there needs no other light ; 
The angel 7 s gone, and Peter, left alone, 

Sees and admires the love his God has shown. 

* 

At yonder gate he knocks ; thence prayer ascends, 
. On this sad night, from Peter's sorrowing friends : 
With glad surprise the maiden hears his voice ; " 
All round him flock, and with one heart reioice. 

CHILD. 

So when my body dies, shall angels guide 

My happy soul to my dear Father's side : 

To meet me at the gate shall angels throng ; 

With joy shall tune their harps and raise their song. 



JOHN 193 

LESSON LII. 

JOHN. 
Revelation 1 : 9-19 ; 4:1-5; 22. 

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

John lived till he was very old indeed. 
A. wicked king took him, and put him in a 
place by himself; not in a prison, but in an 
island, where there were no houses, and no 
people, but there was water all round it, so 
that John could not get away. 

Was John unhappy when he was all alone ? 

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

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

Peep of Day. 13 

.'-■ - 



194 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

The Lord Jesus came down from heaven, 
all glorious and shining. When John saw him 
he could not speak or stand; he was afraid, 
and he fell down on the ground, as if he were 
dead. But Jesus touched him with his hand, 
and said, Fear not; I am he that liveth and 
was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore 
I am going to show you many things, and you 
must write down what you see in a book. 
Then Jesus took John up into heaven, and an 
angel showed him most beautiful things. 

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

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

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

In heaven there is no sun nor moon; no 
candle nor lamp. Yet it is always light, be- 
cause God shines more brightly than the sun. 



JOHN. 195 

The music of harps and sweet singing are 
always to be heard ; for all the angels can sing 
the praises of God. 

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

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

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

All people who .love Jesus wish him to come 
again in the clouds. 

Do you wish to see Jesus, my little chil- 
dren? 

Then you may answer, Even so, come, Lord 
Jesus. 

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

John wrote down in a book the things he 
had seen in heaven, and now it is in the Bible 



196 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

At last John died, and his soul went to God. 
He is with Jesus now in heaven. He plays 
on a golden harp, and sings with the angels. 
And when Jesus comes again in the clouds, 
John will come with him. 

When John was by the angel led 
To the bright world on high, 

He saw what joys await the dead 
When up to heaven they fly. 

He saw them round the Father's throne, 

Gazing upon his face, 
Singing to harps of sweetest tone 

The praises of his grace. 



Shining, like stars of morning bright, 
And like the angels fair. 

He saw the city where they dwelt, 

Whose praises can't be told ; 
The walls of precious stones were built, 

The streets were purest gold. 

He saw the Lamb whose blood was spilt 

To give his people rest ; 
With his bright beams the place was filled, 

And every heart was blest. 

Charmed with the sight, John bent his knee 

Before that angel fair ; 
Who said, " Thou must not worship me : 

To Cod address thy prayer." 



john. 197 

CHILD. 

'Tis God who rules the angelic host. 

In the fair world of light ; 
; Tis God who shuts the spirits lost 

In realms of endless night. 

let me then this God implore. 
To pardon all my sin. 

And ope to me the heavenly door, 
And bid me enter in. 

1 know there 's room enough for all 

Who truly wish to come ; 
So God I will my Father call, 
And that sweet place my home. 



198 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

LESSON LI1I. 

THE JUDGMENT-DAY. 
1 Thessaloxians, 4 : 15-17 ; Revelation 20 : 11 to end. 

You know that Jesus will come again in 
the clouds. 

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

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

He will come in the clouds, shining brighter 
than the sun, and all the angels with him. 
He will sit upon a white throne, and he will 



the judgment-day. 199 

wear a crown upon his head, and every body 
will stand round his throne. He will open 
some books, in which are written down all the 
wicked things that people have done. God 
has seen all the wrong things you have done. 
He can see in the dark as well as in the light, 
and knows all your bad thoughts. He will 
read every thing out of his book before the 
angels that stand round. Yet God will for- 
give some people, because Christ died upon 
the cross for them. 

Whom will he forgive ? 

Those who love Jesus with all their hearts. 
He has written down their names in another 
book, called the book of life. He will forgive 
their sins, wipe away their tears, and let them 
live with him for ever. 

Do you hope that Jesus will write down 
your name in his book ? 

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

"What will Grod do to those who do not love 
him ? Grod will put them in a lake of fire, 
called hell. There they will gnash their teeth, 
and weep and wail for ever. 

God will put Satan in the same place, and 



200 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

all the devils. Satan is the father of the 
wicked, and he and his children will be pun- 
ished for ever. They will not have one drop 
of water to cool their burning tongues. Many- 
people in hell will say, How I wish I had 
listened to the words of my teachers ! But I 
would not mind ; and now it is too late. I 
never can go out of this dreadful place. How 
foolish I have been ! Once Grod would have 
heard my prayers, but now I weep and wail 
in vain. 

I hope, my dear children, that none of you 
will ever speak such sad words. 

Remember, Satan goes about as a roaring 
lion, seeking to devour you, by tempting you 
to displease Grod; but Christ will keep you 
from wickedness, if you pray to him. 

One day Grod will burn up this world we 
live in. It is dreadful to see a house on fire. 
Did you ever see one? But how dreadful it 
will be to see this great world, and all the 
houses and trees burning ! The noise will be 
terrible : the heat will be very great. The 
wicked will not be able to escape from Grod. 
They will burn for ever and ever. The world 
will not burn for ever ; it will be burnt up at 



'H!E JUDGMENT-DAY. 201 

last, and God will make another much better 
than this. 

If you are God's child, you will not be 
frightened when the world is burning ; for you 
will be safe with Jesus, praising him for hav- 
ing loved and saved you. 

How oft behind yon hill 

The sun has hid his face ; 

How oft returned to fill 

With joyful light the place ! 
And shall the sun for ever thus return ? 
Shall morn succeed to eve, and eve to morn ? 

no ; the day shall come — 

And who can tell how soon ? — 

When dark shall be that sun, 

And red the silver moon ; 
When sun or moon shall never more return, 
But God on clouds shall come the world to burn 

say, shall I be there, 

To see the fearful glare, 

The dreadful sound to hear, 

The burning heat to bear, 
Of falling crags and rocks, of roaring seas, 
Of smoking hills, and flaming earth and skies ? 

O yes, I shall be there : 

The grave shall opened be ; 

All shall the trumpet hear, 

The Judge's face shall see ] 
In vain shall some upon the mountains call. 
To hide their heads from Mm who judges all. 



202 THE PEEP OF DAY. 

The books shall then be read, 

In which our God has wrote 

All that we ever said, 

Or ever did or thought ; 
And many cheeks with burning shame shall glow, 
And many souls be plunged in deepest woe. 

Ah, how shall I avoid 

Eternal misery ? 

My sins, a heavy load, 

Show I deserve to die j 
And yet. to think upon that burning lake 
Makes my flesh tremble, and my bones to shake. 

Lord, by the blood He shed 

Who hung upon the tree, 

Before the books are read, 

May my sins pardoned be : 
And then my tears shall all be wiped away, 
And I shall dwell in everlasting day. 



PUBLICATIONS 



AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. 



These works are not exceeded in high evangelical charac- 
ter, spiritual power, and practical worth by any similar col- 
lection in any language. They have been carefully selected 
for the great body of intelligent readers throughout the coun- 
try, and the most watchful parent may supply them to his 
family or to others, not only with safety to their best and eter- 
nal interests, but with hope of the richest spiritual blessings. 

Owen on Forgiveness, or Psalm 130. 

Gregory's (Olinthus, LL.D.) Evi- 
dences of Christianity. 

Riches of Bunyan. 

Paley's Natural Theology, and Horse 
Paulinas. 

Baxter's Reformed Pastor. 

Baxter's Treatise on Conversion. 

Dr. Spring's Bible Not of Man, 01 
the Argument for the Divine Ori- 
gin of the Scriptures drawn from 
the Scriptures themselves. 

Nelson's Cause and Cure of Infi- 
delity. 

Memoir of Summerfield. 

Memoir of Mrs. Isabella Graham 
A new and standard edition. 

Memoir of Mrs. Sarah L. Huntington 
Smith. 

Sacred Songs for Family and Social 
Worship. Hymns and Tunes — 
with a separate edition in patent 
notes. Also, the Hymns separately. 

Elegant Narratives, Select Tracts, 
illustrated. 

Willison's Afflicted Man's Com- 
panion. 

Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Re- 
ligion in the Soul. 

Edwards' History of Redemption. 

Volume on Infidelity, comprising 
five standard treatises : Soarne 
Jenyns on the Internal Evidence j 



D'Aubigne's History of the Reforma- 
tion. A new translation, revised 
by the author, in four volumes 
12mo, with portraits. Price $1 75, 
extra cloth. 

Family Testament with Notes. 

Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, 
12mo, in large type ; also l8mo. 

Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, 12mo, 
in large type, and 18mo. Both 
editions neatly illustrated. 

Memoir of Jas. Milnor, D. D. 

Mason's Spiritual Treasury, for every 
day in the year. Terse, pithy, and 
evangelical. 

Flavel's Fountain of Life, or Re- 
demption Provided. 

Flavel's Method of Grace, or Re- 
demption applied to the Souls of 
Men. 

FlaveFs Knocking at the Door; a 
tender, practical appeal. 

Bishop Hall's Scripture History, or 
Contemplations on the Historical 
Passages of the Old and New Tes- 
taments. 

Alleine's Heaven Opened. 

Bishop Hopkins on the Ten Com- 
mandments. Three standard works 
of the times of Baxter. 

President Edwards' Thoughts on Re- 
vivals. 

Venn's Complete Duty of Man. 



Leslie's Method with Deists ; Lit- 
tleton's Conversion of Paul ; "Wat- 
son's Reply to Gibbon and Paine. 

Pike's Persuasives to Early Piety 

Pike's Guide to Young Disciples. 

Anecdotes for the Family and the 
Social Circle. 

ELEGANT PRACTICAL WORKS. 



Universalism Not of God. 

Dibble's Thoughts on Missions. 

The Bible True. 

Songs of Zion. 

Considerations for Young Men. 
, Who are the Happy ? 
I Letters on Universalism. 



Wilberforce's Practical View. 
Hannah M ore's Practical Piety 
James' Anxious Inquirer. 
Elijah the Tishbite. 
Nevins' Practical Thoughts. 
Melvill's Bible Thoughts, selected 
by the late Rev. Dr. Milnor. 



Harris' Mammon. 
Gurney's Love to God. 
Foster's Appeal to the Young. 
Abbott's Young Christian. 
Abbott's Mother at Home. 
Abbott's Child at Home. 
James' Young Man from Home. 



CHRISTIAN MEMOIRS. 



Rev. Claudius Buchanan, LL.D., in- 
cluding his Christian Researches 
in Asia. 

Rev. John Newton. 

Rev. Henry Martyn. 

Rev. David Brainerd. 

Rev. Edward Payson, D. D. 

Harriet L. Winslow, Missionary in 
India. 

OTHER SPIRITUAL WORKS 



James Brainerd Taylor. 
Harlan Page. 
Normand Smith. 
Richard Baxter. 
Archbishop Leighton. 
Matthew Henry. 
Rev. Samuel Pearce. 
Rev. Samuel Kilpin. 



Edwards on the Affections. 
Baxter's Call to the Unconverted. 
Alleine's Alarm to the Unconverted. 
Flavel's Touchstone. 
Flavel on Keeping the Heart. 
Helffenstein's Self-Deception. 
Sherman's Guide to an Acquaint- 
ance with God. 



Pike's Religion and Eternal Life. 
Baxter's Dying Thoughts. 
Matthew Henry on Meekness. 
Andrew Fuller's Backslider. 
Scudder's Redeemer's Last Com- 
mand. 
Scudder's Appeal to Mothers. 
Burder's Sermons to the Aged. 



MISCELLANEOUS WORKS. 



Bogue's Evidences of Christianity. 
Keith's Evidence of Prophecy. 
Morison's Counsels to Young Men. 
The Reformation in Europe. 
Nevins' Thoughts on Popery. 
Spirit of Popery, [12 engravings.] 
The Colporteur and Roman-catholic 



Mason on Self-Knowledge. 

Sherman's Guide to an Acquaint- 
ance with God. . 

Divine Law of Beneficence. 

Zaccheus, or Scriptural Plan of Be- 
nevolence. 

Hymns for Social Worship. 



POCKET MANUALS. 



Clarke's Scripture Promises. 

The Book of Psalms. 

The Book of Proverbs. 

Daily Scripture Expositor. 

Ten Commandments Explained. 

Bean and Venn's Advice to a Married 

Couple. 
Hymns for Infant Minds. 
Reasons of Repose. 
Daily Food for Christians. 



Chaplet of Flowers. 
Heavenly Manna. 
Cecil and Flavel's Gift for Mourn- 
ers. 
Daily Texts. 

Diary, [Daily Texts interleaved.] 
Crumbs from the Master's Table. 
Milk for Babes. 

Provision for Passing over Jordan. 
Dew-Drops. 



3 

BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG. 

MANY OF THEM BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS. 



Gallaudet's Scripture Biography, 7 

volumes, from Adam to David. 
Gallaudet's Youth's Book of Natural 

Theology. 
Peep of Day. 
Line upon Line. 
Precept upon Precept. 
Hannah More's Repository Tracts. 
Mary Lundie Duncan. 
Charlotte Elizabeth. 
Martha T. Sharp. 
Fletcher's Lectures. 
John D. Lockwood. 
Memoir of Caroline E. Smelt. 
Gallaudet's Child's Book on the 

Soul. 
Anzonetta R. Peters. 
The Night of Toil. 
Advice to a Young Christian. 
Madam Rumpff and Duchess de 

Broglie. 
Scudder's Tales about the Heathen. 
Amelia, the Pastor's Daughter. 



Trees, Fruits, and Flowers of the 
Bible, [9 cuts.] 

Jessie Little. 

Isabel. 

Walker's Faith Explained. 

"Walker's Repentance Explained. 

Margaret and Henrietta. 

Bartimeus. 

Children invited to Christ 

The Dairyman's Daughter, etc. 

Peet's Scripture Lessons. 

Child's Book of Bible Stories.- 

Children of the Bible. 

Amos Armfield, or the Leather-cov- 
ered Bible. 

The Child's Hymn-Book. Selected 
by Miss Caulkins. 

Scripture Animals, [16 cuts.] 

Letters to Little Children, [13 cuts.1 

Great Truths in Simple Words. 

Pictorial Tract Primer. 

Watt's Divine and Moral Songs. 

With numerous similar works. 



ALSO, 



Dr. Edwards' Sabbath Manual, Parts 
1, 2, 3, and 4. 

Dr. Edwards' Temperance Manual. 

In German — 56 vols., various sizes, 
including Barth*s Church History, 
Life of M. Boos, Rules of Life, 
Lord's Day, Fabricius. Honey- 
Drop, Christ Knocking at the 
Door, and two volumes and pack- 
ets of Books for Children, recently 
published. 

In French — Sixteen volumes. 

In Spanish — D'Aubigne's History of 
the Reformation. Vol. L, Bogue's 



Authenticity of the New Testa- 
ment, Pilgrim's Progress, Illus- 
trated Tract Primer, Primitive Ca- 
tholicism, Andrew Dunn, Sabbath 
Manual, Part 1, Krrwan's Letters, 
Evangelical Hymns, Temperance 
Manual, and Manual for Children 

In Welsh — Pilgrim's Progress, Bax- 
ter's Saints' Rest and Call, Anx- 
ious Inquirer, History of Redemp- 
tion. 

In Danish — Doddridge's Rise and 
Progress, Baxters Saints' Rest 
and Call. 



Also, upwards of 1,000 Tracts and Children's Tracts, separate, bound, 
cr in packets, adapted for convenient sale by merchants and traders, many 
of them with beautiful engravings — in English, German, French, Spanish, 
Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and Welsh. 



0=* It is the design of the Society to issue all its publications in good 
type, for the poor as well as the rich ; and to sell them, as nearly as may 
be, at cost, that the Society may neither sustain loss nor make a profit by 
soi its sales. 



i 



