THE W mtimM HERBERT W. L mm WHBi .••'- SwSS B5KES89 Wmsm ll|N 22 191R ^MlCALSl*^ Sectteq ^OC THE JUNIOR PARISH v I UN 22 191 A _ THE JUNIOR PARISH by y HERBERT W. LATHE zn 3GJCAL 11^ s AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY PARK AVENUE AND FORTIETH STREET NEW YORK Copyright, 1915, by AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY Dedicated TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS TO WHOM THESE SERMONS WERE PREACHED CONTENTS EVERY DAY SERMONS PAGE WHY JESUS WENT TO CHURCH 3 WHAT THE STARS SING 7 * MY LIFE 10 A CRUMB FROM THE TABLE 13 WHERE JESUS FOUND PEOPLE 16 THE PARABLE OF THE LEAD PENCIL 19 RAILROAD LIGHTS 22 A GOOD NAME 27 -A LADDER WITH TWO ENDS 31 MY PARTNER 34 GOING TO SUNDAY-SCHOOL ON A RAINY DAY . .. 37 RUNAWAY BOB 40 THE MAN WHO COULD DO EVERYTHING .... 44 HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH? 47 THINGS THAT COME INTO YOUR MIND 51 HOW GOD SAVES PEOPLE 54 KINDNESS TO ANIMALS 58 KEEPING PROMISES 62 DOING ONE THING 65 KEEPING THE HEART 68 THE CLOTHES WHICH WE WEAR TO CHURCH . . 71 A JAPANESE PARABLE OF CONTENTMENT .... 75 LINGERING 78 SMALL THINGS 81 vii Contents X T PAGE FARES, PLEASE! 84 SOME MISTAKES WHICH A YOUNG MAN MADE ... 88 A MISSIONARY POTATO 91 REVERENCE 94 HOW THE ICEBERG WAS CONQUERED 97 HOW GOD LOOKS AT PEOPLE 101 JESUS, SAVIOUR 104 TWO IRON SAFES 108 TAKING OUT THE SQUEAK 112 A GOOD GUIDE 116 SINGS-AS-HE-WALKS 119 A GOOD TEMPERANCE PLEDGE 122 RICH PEOPLE 126 FRIENDS AFTER A FIGHT 130 THE BIRTHDAY BOX 133 THE CEDAR-TREES 137 WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT RAIN 141 SHALL I BE A MISSIONARY? 145 WHY HAMAN WAS UNHAPPY 148 UP TO THE BRIM 152 SHINING LIGHTS 156 HE MUSTARD SEED 160 THE COLPORTERS 164 PRECIOUS PROMISES 168 THE BROKEN JAR 172 GOOD BOOKS 176 THE BOY WHO WAS AFRAID TO JUMP 180 WHAT SHALL I DO WITH LIFE? 184 PRAYERS THAT ARE HEARD IN HEAVEN . . . .188 HOW ALEXANDER TAMED THE HORSE 192 GETTING MAD 196 WHERE DO YOU LIVE? 200 HIDING FROM GOD 203 WHAT CHRIST NEEDS 207 viii Contents PAGE ACCIDENTS 211 PLEASE SHUT THE GATE 215 GOD'S JEWELS 219 SHAKE BEFORE USING 223 THE LESSON OF THE HONEY GUIDE 227 LIONS IN THE WAY 231 SERMONS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS CRADLE-ROLL DAY 237 THE ANGEL AND THE SANDALS 240 RALLY DAY 244 ABRAHAM LINCOLN 248 EASTER SUNDAY 252 SPRINGTIME 256 MOTHERS' DAY 260 SHOW YOUR COLORS 264 THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM 268 LETTING GO AND TAKING HOLD 272 INDEX OF TEXTS 277 EVERY DAY SERMONS THE JUNIOR PARISH WHY JESUS WENT TO CHURCH And he entered, as his custom was, into the syna- gogue on the Sabbath day. — Luke 4: 16. It was Jesus' custom to go to church. Every Sabbath found him in the synagogue worshiping his Father. We may believe that one reason he went to the house of God was that his parents went and took him with them. Boys and girls who have good parents are fortunate, and it is always safe for them to go where father and mother go. Jesus also remembered that the Sabbath is God's holy day and that he has com- manded people to reverence that day. One time Jesus said, "I do always the things that are pleasing to him." That is a good rule. Jesus never forgot to please God. The Junior Parish A woman was returning from church one Sunday when she met a man hurrying down the road. "Have you seen a boy with a fishing pole?" he asked. "Yes," said she, "a boy with a short mem- ory." "What makes you think that he has a short memory?" "Because," replied the woman, "the great God has said, 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,' and that boy has forgotten all about it." Jesus went to church because it did him good to go. As a boy he might not have understood all that he heard, but he listened to the reading of the Scriptures and to the sacred songs and learned to worship God. We carry home from church many good im- pressions which we can think of during the week, which help us to live right lives. And Jesus went to church to meet his 4 The Junior Parish Father. God himself is always in the sanc- tuary where his people meet. It is the place where his honor dwells. He promises to bless those who meet him there. Our Sav- iour tells a story of a man who gave a feast and invited his guests, and they would not come. What would you think if you were to give a party and send out invitations to your mates, and on the afternoon appointed, with everything ready, not one of them should appear? God feels hurt if we do not accept his invitation. When we go to church let us think, "God is here. He will bless us if we go to his house." Think of the people you know who are ac- customed to go to church. Are they not the best people you know? Did Jesus go to church to set a good ex- ample? Perhaps he thought, "If I go it may influence other people to go too." Can 5 The Junior Parish you invite some one to church or Sunday- school? A man in the Bible says, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of Jehovah." Some one had in- vited him; perhaps he was waiting to be in- vited ; at any rate he was glad. You remem- ber that when Mr. Moody became a Chris- tian he went out into the street every Sun- day morning and collected half a dozen boys and brought them into the church. Can we bring one? WHAT THE STARS SING The morning stars sang together. — Job 38: 7. What did they sing? There was once a wise Greek philosopher who said that he could hear the harmony of the spheres, by which he meant that he could hear the heav- enly bodies making music as they rolled through space. One hymn which the stars sing is, "God made us." In the first chapter of Genesis we read, "He made the stars also." What great power God must have to make the stars ! Surely if he could create them he is able to take care of us. Then they sing, "He knows every one of us." The Bible says, "He counteth the number of the stars." The astronomers say that there are 40,000,000 of them, and yet God knows them by number. This is like 7 The Junior Parish what Jesus said of the Good Shepherd, "He calleth his own sheep by name." Our Heavenly Father does not forget any one of us. There are millions of people in the world, but God remembers every one. The stars sing the promises. The book of Daniel tells us that they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for- ever and ever. How careful we should be of our influence! By a good life we may turn our companions to goodness. Every junior sets an example for good or for evil. The Star of Bethlehem sang of Christ. It told the wise men where the Saviour was born. This must have been the most beau- tiful song that a star ever sang. Have you ever heard that song and found the Saviour? Jesus says, "I am the bright, the morning star." That must mean that he is very lovely, and that he is a heavenly light, and that he is the children's Saviour. 8 The Junior Parish How old must a boy or girl be before he or she can see a star? If you are up early to-morrow morning look for the morning star, and if you see it, say to yourself, "I am old enough to love and follow Jesus." The stars are thankful, always singing the praise of God. "Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light." They praise God by just shining, as a good life shines to God's praise. David went out at night and looked up at the skies, and said, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork." If you study astronomy at school remember what the Bible says about stars, and look up into the heavens at night when all is quiet, and listen to hear the song of the stars. 9 MY LIFE Teach us to number our days. — Psalm 90: 12. Everybody has a life. No one has two. Life is very dear to us all, and yet we cannot always keep it. Life is something like the penny which the little girl had to spend. It was the only penny she had. She looked at many pretty things and almost decided to buy one after another. But she remembered that when once she had parted with her fortune she could not get it back. And so she waited a long time before letting it go. But we have to spend our life; we can- not keep it. And we cannot try over again. Neither can we practise it before we live it. If a girl is to play a piece of music before company, she can try it over many times at home till she learns to play it well. If a boy 10 The Junior Parish is to play a match game of ball, he can prac- tise every day before the time comes. But we cannot practise living in that way. We must live at once. A vessel was once far out on the ocean when a great storm arose ; the waves dashed over the decks and the ship began to sink. The night was dark, but the sailors suc- ceeded in launching their boat and rowing away before the vessel sank. They were in despair until they suddenly saw the lights of a distant ship, but how could they make the men on the ship see them in the dark- ness? They searched the boat and found an old lantern with an inch of candle in it. Then they tried to find a match: every man felt in all his pockets, but not a match was to be found. The captain told them to look again : every sailor turned his pockets inside out, and at last one precious match was found. The man who found it passed it to 11 The Junior Parish the steward, and he passed it to the mate, and the mate gave it to the captain, while all clustered about holding out their jackets to keep off the wind when the captain should light the lantern. It was a moment of great anxiety. What if the wind should blow out the match? The captain trembled and hardly dared to strike, but he must do it, and so at last amidst breathless excitement he carefully struck the match. It burned brightly and he held it to the candle, when to the great joy of the shipwrecked mari- ners the candle gave out a glowing light. They waved the lantern till the ship saw their signal and came to them. What was it that made the one match so precious? It was their only match, their one chance. It is that which gives value to our lives. We have but one, and if we spend it wrongly we cannot try again. Let us try to live right the first time. 12 A CRUMB FROM THE TABLE Be courteous. — I Peter 3 : 8 ; A. V. Because a text is short it does not follow that there is little in it. A Bible scholar says, "If we crumble up the Bible we find something in every crumb." Our text is a small crumb on the lowest shelf where short little folks can reach it. Now the Bible is God's book, and God thinks that courtesy is of enough importance to be put into his Bible, for he writes, "Be courteous." Courtesy is a little more than politeness. We may be polite without feeling kindly to- ward people, but a courteous person has a kind heart. The revised version of the Bible changes this word, which in the old version is written "courteous," to "humble- minded," w r hich is a beautiful word, for the 13 The Junior Parish finest courtesy comes from people who are humble-minded. Jesus was always courte- ous even to his enemies, because he loved all. I would like you to take your Testaments and find some instances in which Jesus was courteous and report them to me. We have many chances to be courteous. At home, for instance, we may treat father and mother and sisters and brothers kindly. Then at school we may be respectful toward teachers and courteous toward playmates. A boy or girl who treats people courteously will be likely to be reverent toward God. A good way would be to try to give pleas- ure to others and never to give pain. This would make us always courteous. Always take special pains to be kind and courteous toward the aged. One winter day in Berlin the Crown Prince Frederick William and his wife, the Princess, with their two sons, were walking along a street near the palace, 14? The Junior Parish when an old man just in front of them fell on the slippery pavement and dropped a big basket of pretzels which he was carrying, spilling the cakes on the ground. At once the two sons sprang forward and helped the old man pick them up, while their parents stood waiting for them. Impoliteness and discourtesy are the marks of bad breeding and a low character. A senator of the United States once met a negro in Washington who took off his hat to him. The senator at once raised his hat in return. Another senator walking with him asked him why he did that, and he replied that he couldn't let a negro be more courte- ous than he was. Let us be courteous to the poor and the lowly and to all who seem in any way in- ferior. Be courteous even to a tramp. It will make you happier and better and may help him. Who knows ? 15 WHERE JESUS FOUND PEOPLE For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. — Luke 19: 10. Where did Jesus find lost people? He found some in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. They were fishermen. Can you give me their names? Some of them were mending their nets, and Jesus said to them, "Follow me." One lost man he found in a counting- house. What a strange place! The man was a tax-collector. He had two names. One name was Matthew: who can give his other name? Jesus walked right up to his place of business and invited him to leave his work and be a disciple. Do you remem- ber whether this man accepted Christ's in- vitation? Jesus found another in a little chamber. 16 The Junior Parish It was in the night that this visitor came to him, because for some reason he was too timid to come in the daytime. This man was very learned, a Rabbi; and Jesus tried to save him, telling him that he must have a new heart, and this wise man could not un- derstand the Saviour. But afterward he understood and became a faithful follower of Christ. Jesus once found a lost woman at a well. It was in Samaria, and he was very tired and thirsty and asked the woman to draw some water for him. Then he offered to give her some better water, the water of life, and she left her water-pot and ran into the village and told the people to come and see this wonderful teacher. And many of them became his disciples. Who was that lost man whom Jesus found in a tree? He was a little man and a rich man, hiding up there among the branches, 17 The Junior Parish but Jesus spied him and said, "Come down, for I will abide in your house." Jesus never stopped finding lost souls. At the very end of his life, while dying on the cross, he found a poor lost thief and saved him. What a loving Saviour! He is seeking us all. Has he found you? He is here to-day saying to you, "Follow me." Listen to him and accept his invitation. 18 THE PARABLE OF THE LEAD PENCIL I will incline mine ear to a parable. — Psalm 49 : 4. Every boy or girl is like the lead pencil. 1. A pencil has two parts, wood and lead. The lead is inside the wood. So every young person has a body and a soul. The soul is more important than the body just as the lead is more important than the wood. A very earnest minister says that we must al- ways speak of ourselves in this way: I am a living soul. My soul has a body in which it dwells. In this way we understand that our body is only the tool which our soul uses. Now we must keep the body well and strong so that the soul may have a good home. 2. The pencil must be sharpened before it can be used. Young people sometimes get tired of going to school to have their 19 The Junior Parish minds sharpened. But we need to be pre- pared for use and for life in the school and home and church; and just as pencils must be sharpened again and again, so our educa- tion is not finished when we leave school, but continues through life. 3. The pencil has been polished. It might be of use if it were plain and rough, but we like to have it smooth and attractive. Good manners are beautiful. Do not use slang. Do not be rough and coarse. Be courteous and amiable and pleasant. 4. Pencils make marks. That is what they are for. They make straight and crooked marks, good and bad ones. So boys and girls are making their marks. The art- ist Giotto, when a young man, took a pen- cil and with one stroke drew a perfect circle. He had practised a long time before he could do it. Lazy boys never become men of mark. It requires industry and persever- 20 The Junior Parish ance to succeed. People who depend on good luck usually fail in the end. 5. I notice something at the other end of my pencil. It is a piece of rubber. Of course it has some use. Oh, yes, it is there to erase bad marks. Is there any way by which our bad marks can be rubbed out, any way to make the paper white again? Jesus Christ is the only one who can rub out the bad marks which we make. He is able to erase our mistakes and sins and to make the paper whiter than snow. When he spoke to the thief on the cross he rubbed out all the evil of that man's life. 21 RAILROAD LIGHTS Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path. — Psalm 119: 105. I was down at the railroad station the other night, and I saw various lights up and down the track. They looked very merry twinkling and winking at one another. I observed that they were of different colors and asked my friend, the station master, what they were for. "Well," said he, "they are signals. See that white one? That says, 'Come on!' When the nine o'clock express comes along the engineer will see that light and will know that the track is clear." That made me think of some of the white lights of the Bible. "Honor thy father and thy mother," is one. "He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city," The Junior Parish is another. When a boy or girl tries to be sweet and not to "get mad," the Bible hangs out this lantern, which says, "You're on the right track. Go ahead!" The Beatitudes are also white lights. And think of that light which Jesus so often put out on the track of life, "Follow me." "But," said I to the railroad man, "I see a green light down yonder." "Yes," said he, "that's on the other track for the freight. That says, 'Go slow!' It tells the engineer to slack up and be cau- tious." Then I remembered some green lights which I had seen in the Bible : "Pride goeth before destruction." When anybody begins to feel pretty well satisfied with himself he would better be careful. "Keep thy heart with all diligence." Then I must be careful what I learn to love. Sometimes when young people are going with bad compan- The Junior Parish ions the Bible swings out a bright green light — "A companion of fools shall smart for it." Find some more of these warning lights in the Word of God. Just then the express train came rolling in, and I stopped to watch the passengers. In a few minutes, however, it drew out, and I saw a red light fastened to the end of the last car. "Ah," said I, "there is still an- other color." "That's the danger signal," said my friend. "We put it at the end of every train so that no other train may run into it from behind, and whenever there is a wreck on the track, or a broken rail, or danger of any kind, we swing out a red light. It says — 'Danger — Stop — Shut off the steam.' " I thought of all the men in prison and said to myself that they had not heeded the red signals. When God says, "Thou shalt not," we had better put on the brakes. If we go M The Junior Parish rushing past one of his commandments we shall surely have a smash-up. When I see a boy taking a drink at the saloon I want to wave that red light, "At the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder." Before every sin that we commit God places one of these danger signals. He warns us because he loves us. If he hears a boy beginning to use profane words he calls out, "Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." This reminds me of the Boston lad, rather small for his years, who worked as errand boy in a store. One day he heard some men talking in the store and using bad language. One of them spied him and began to make fun of him for being so small. "You will never amount to much, such a little man as you," they said. "Small as I am, I can do something that you men can't do," said the boy, 25 The Junior Parish "And what is that?" "I don't know that I ought to tell you," replied the little man. But they were very anxious to know, and so the boy told them, "I can keep from swearing." The men were very much ashamed. 26 A GOOD NAME A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. — Proverbs 22: 1. This sermon is a story. It is a true story about a man whom I knew. When he was a small boy his parents died, and he was sent to work for a farmer, who promised to keep him until he should be six- teen years old, and then to give him a suit of clothes and a hundred dollars and let him go out into the world if he wished to do so. The farmer was a mean man, and when David became sixteen years old the man gave him only a few dollars and no suit of clothes and told him to go away. David rolled his possessions into a bundle, cut a walking stick, and set out. By-and-by he came to a fork in the road and stood his stick up straight and let it fall, thinking that he 27 The 'Junior Parish would go in the direction which it pointed. It pointed toward a town some miles away. When David reached this town he began to hunt for work, and at last found a chance in a hotel to scrub pots and kettles in the kitchen. The cook taught him how to make molasses candy, and lo, in a few months we see David with a large tin tray slung by a strap around his neck selling candy on the streets. He was thrifty and economical, and before many months he had money enough to hire a tin peddler's cart and to drive about the country selling tinware and brooms and other kitchen goods. His motto was, "Little by little." Soon he bought the cart, then two more, and hired men to drive for him and sell his wares. One of his good habits was to go to church, and about this time he gave his heart to Christ and became a Christian. Then he had a great battle. He had good 28 The Junior Parish ability to make money, but he hated to give any away, wishing to save and to hoard his treasures. But he knew that a Christian should be generous and should give money to the Lord. He thought about it and prayed about it, and at last determined that he would give whether it hurt him or not. It was very hard at first, but after a time he found that it was a pleasure to give. That is the way God treats us when we use our money for him. David next bought a hardware store, a small one at first, but he enlarged it as he went on, and for many years lived in that town and became a rich man. He was su- perintendent of the Sunday-school when I first knew him, and all the little folks loved him. He spoke to us on the street with pleasant greeting, and he had one of the most winning smiles I ever saw. As he be- came richer he grew more generous, and he 29 The Junior Parish was happiest when he was giving away to others. The happiest and best people are those who do good with their money, whether they have much or little. 30 A LADDER WITH TWO ENDS There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death. — Proverbs 14: 12. A boy was once carrying a heavy ladder when suddenly there was a crash. The rear end of the ladder hit a window and broke the glass. His father, instead of scolding him, said, "Look here, my son, there is one thing I wish you to remember : every ladder has two ends." The boy never forgot that lesson. We carry other things besides ladders that have two ends. When I see a young man get- ting fast habits, I think he sees only one end of the ladder, the one pointing toward pleasure, and that he does not think that the other end is breaking his parents' hearts. 31 The Junior Parish When I see a scholar neglecting his les- sons, I wish that he could see that the end of it will be a poor education. Our text says that this way which ends in death seems right at the start. It is pleas- ant and inviting. Near my house there is a beautiful grove of trees. As you come near you see a trail leading into the woods. There you will find green grass and ferns and daisies. The birds are singing on the branches and great big bumble-bees are humming queer tunes. You enter the trail and walk on with de- light. How soft the moss is under your feet: how cool on a warm day! Soon the path begins to go up. It grows gravelly and hard. The trees are smaller and the way becomes rocky. You clamber on and the trail grows faint, until at last you are on the top of a high hill with no path in sight. The Junior Parish A jack-rabbit bounces out and runs, fright- ened, into the bushes. A snake wriggles among the rocks. You lose your way but keep on until suddenly you stop dn alarm. Right before you is a great precipice. You look down, down, and see jagged rocks and at the bottom a brawling river. And that is the other end of the beautiful trail. We can go back from such a walk as this, back to our good home and to safety. But we cannot return from the end of this way in our text. There is another verse in the Bible which says, "Make level the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established." I think it must mean that we do well to think of both ends of the way. MY PARTNER He is my partner. — II Corinthians 8:23. Men have partners in business. They work together and often are very fond of each other. Boys and girls have partners in play and work. When they go to college they call their partners chums, which is a short word for comrades. There was once a man who had the queer name of Pam Chick. He began to drink beer, then stronger liquor, and at last be- came a drunkard. Of course his business suffered. People avoided him and would not buy his goods. But one day they were surprised to see a great many new goods being moved into his store, and Pam himself hard at work, sober and smiling. Then the painters came and gave the building a clean bright coat, and 34 The Junior Parish they put up a fresh new sign, Pam Chick and Partner. Everybody was curious to know who was foolish enough to go into business with Pam, but he said nothing about it, only kept work- ing and filled the windows with attractive goods. And he stopped drinking, attended to business, and on Sunday walked into church and took a front seat. But no partner appeared in the store. Who could this mysterious person be? At last the secret came out. Pam's part- ner was Jesus. He had gone to God and asked him to forgive his sins and to help him to be a better man. He had given his heart to his Saviour and promised to follow him. And God had given him strength to resist the temptation to drink. When the people asked Pam what part Jesus had in the business, he replied that Jesus and he consulted together about every- The Junior Parish thing, planned what to do, and never did anything that they both could not agree to, and they divided the profits: Pam lived on his share and Jesus received his share. A great many people have taken this same Partner. They seem to be very well satis- fied and to get on well. Yes, they seem to love their Partner and to be happy with him. Jesus is quite willing to be the Partner of any one of us. If we go into partnership with him we talk over all our plans with him, ask his counsel as to what is best to do, and never do anything until he and we agree about it. 36 GOING TO SUNDAY-SCHOOL ON A RAINY DAY And the rain descended. — Matthew 7 : 27. On a bright, pleasant Sunday how full the Sunday-school is! Everybody is there. But when a rainy day comes where are all the scholars? Drip, drip, drip, and small classes! The superintendent says, "We will unite some of the classes to-day, there are so few present." Why do I go to Sunday-school on a rainy day? One reason is that the Fourth Command- ment does not say anything about rain. I suppose that if God had meant to have me stay at home on wet days he would have written, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy — except when it rains." A second reason is that the superintend- 37 The Junior Parish ent will be there and my teacher. It is no more difficult for me to be present than it is for them, and I wish to please and encour- age them by my presence. Still a third reason why I go is that while I count for only one on pleasant days, I count for four or five when there are few present. Then, too, I remember that the rain did not keep me away from the party last Wednesday afternoon, and on Thursday night I went to the moving picture show in a pouring rain, and I sat on the bleachers for two hours Saturday afternoon to see the ball game, although it drizzled some of the time and was cold. Besides I went to the day school all the week although it was a rainy time. I make it my rule to go to church and Sunday-school if I would go to any week-day entertainment under the same circumstances. 38 The Junior Parish I also think something of my example. Perhaps if I go some other person will be influenced by me to go also. But the best reason why I go to Sunday- school on rainy days is that I love to go. I find that it does me good. I do not wish to miss a single lesson. Perhaps if I stay away some Sunday I shall lose the very lesson which I need most. Besides I try to please God, and I believe that he is pleased when I am faithful. 39 RUNAWAY BOB What shall I do then with Jesus? — Matthew 27: 22, A. V. There are many kinds of Bobs, long and short, handsome and homely, good and bad, and then some. The particular Bob of this story was called Runaway Bob by his playmates, because his mother could not make him stay at home. In "Fifty Missionary Stories" Miss Belle Brain tells how he answered the question in our text. When he was a little fellow, living in Scot- land, he was invited into a Sunday-school class of poor boys. The superintendent gave him a new suit of clothes, and he came to the school for two or three Sundays, and 40 The Junior Parish then disappeared. The teacher hunted him up and found his clothes torn and dirty, but persuaded him to return to the school. The superintendent gave him another suit, but after attending once or twice he was again missing. Once more the teacher sought and found him, and his clothes were again spoiled. "I am utterly discouraged," she said, "and must give him up." "Please don't do that," the superintendent answered. "I believe there is something good in Bob. I will give him a third suit of clothes, and we'll try him again." And then Bob stayed with the school. Soon he became a Christian and at the age of fifteen joined the Church. Then he de- cided to be a minister and go and preach to the heathen. In 1807 he went to China, sent by the London Missionary Society, but he came to New York and sailed for China from there, 41 The Junior Parish because the English Government would not let him sail from England. He reached Canton, and put on the Chi- nese garments and lived like a Chinaman. He studied very hard to learn the language, and then began to preach to the people and to translate the Bible into the Chinese lan- guage. The British Bible Society gave him money to publish his translation, and in 1824 he returned to England and had the great pleasure of presenting to the English king a copy of the entire Bible in Chinese. Everywhere he was received with great honor by scholars and public men as well as by the Church. For twenty-seven years he labored hard in China, preaching, healing the sick, establish- ing schools, publishing books, and doing good in every way he could until 1834, when he went home to heaven. That is the story of Runaway Bob, or The Junior Parish Robert Morrison, the father of Protestant missions in China. What a beautiful and useful life ! I think his teacher and superintendent must have been glad that they did not give him up, but kept him in Sunday-school. 45 THE MAN WHO COULD DO EVERYTHING I can do all things in Him that strengthened me. — Philippians 4: 13. We don't like people who boast. If we take the first five words of our text we might say, "It seems to us, Paul, that you are bragging. You say, 'I can do all things.' Now perhaps you have great ability, but no man can do everything." And perhaps Paul replies, "That is not all I said. I said that I can do all things in Christ. I am not boasting of what I can do. I am praising my Saviour for what he can do by using me." Everything that we ought to do we can do if we depend on Christ. We cannot do things if we think we can't. When Admiral Farragut drove his battle- 44 The Junior Parish ships through all obstacles at New Orleans, past forts which hailed cannon-balls upon his fleet, and captured the city, he owed his vic- tory to his terrible determination. Admiral Dupont had the same chance to capture Charleston, but failed. After the war he was explaining to Farragut why he could not get his ironclads into Charleston harbor. He gave this reason and that and the other. When he stopped, Admiral Farragut said, "Ah, Dupont, there was one more rea- son." "What was that?" "You didn't think you could do it." Christ invites us to do great things and gives us power to do them. Don't be afraid of any task if it is one which he appoints. A good part of success lies in expecting to suc- ceed. I like the spirit of that young sailor of Brooklyn. His name was Edmund Driggs. 45 The Junior Parish At the age of fifteen he left home to engage in the freighting business on the Hudson River. The sailing master ordered him to go aloft to the very top of the mainmast and to reef the halyards there. The new sailor looked at the master and then at the dizzy height, and then asked the question, "Did anybody ever do that?" "Do you suppose that I would order you to do a thing that was never done before?" replied the master. "Then if anybody ever did it I can do it," answered the young hero, and sprang up aloft and accomplished the deed. He adopted for his life-motto that saying, "If anybody ever did it I can do it." Perhaps an even better one would be, "If Christ tells me to do a thing I can do it." We dare to say that because we are sure that he will give us strength to do it. 46 HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH? Tekel.— Daniel 5:27. Our text this morning is one word — Tekel. Some one says, "I did not know that there was such a queer word in the Bible." Look in the fifth chapter of Daniel and you will find it in the twenty-seventh verse with its meaning: "Thou art weighed in the bal- ances, and art found wanting." How fond we are of weighing ourselves! The slot-weighing machines are well patron- ized, and wherever scales are left out in a grocery store you will usually see somebody using them. The greatest weighing machine in the United States is at Washington. Even the great scales on which freight-cars with their 47 The Junior Parish loads of many tons are weighed seem small in comparison with this huge pair of bal- ances. This machine can outweigh the largest railroad scales by fifty tons, and yet it is accurate to a pound. It is used to weigh the immense guns which are used on war vessels. In order to show its accuracy an officer threw a piece of brick upon its plat- form, and, consulting the reading box, told how many ounces it weighed. But the most wonderful balances are those in which God weighs our conduct and char- acter. These balances weigh our words and our deeds and our thoughts. They weighed the prayer of the Pharisee and that of the publi- can. They weigh people, and some of the smallest weigh the most. Did you ever notice a great load of empty boxes being drawn through the street? The horses seem to have an easy time. Of course 48 The Junior Parish they do ; there is nothing in the boxes. We would be ashamed, wouldn't we, if God were to weigh us for our character and find us like those boxes! Two boys who lived in the city went out into the country on a vacation. The first evening, when it was growing dark, they were walking down a country road when they heard some frogs croaking. They had never heard any such noise, and at once went to find what made it. They made a long search, but could not discover anything, and at last one of them said, "Well, let's go home; I reckon it's nothing but a noise." You wouldn't wish to be that kind of a Christian, would you? — the kind that Christ described, who say, "Lord, Lord," and do not God's will? What are some of the things in the four Gospels that weigh a great deal in God's scales? 49 The Junior Parish The publican's prayer, the widow's mite, the alabaster box of ointment, the good Samaritan, the little lad's loaves and fishes, the grain of mustard seed, the pure heart. Can you find some others? Let us make a list. 50 THINGS THAT COME INTO YOUR MIND Things shall come into thy mind. — Ezekiel 38: 10. Thinking, thinking, thinking — our minds are always at work, even in our sleep. Lord Roseberry of England has a little daughter, Lady Sybil Primrose. One night she would not go to sleep. She kept talking until the nurse told her to stop thinking, and lie down and go to sleep. "But I can't stop thinking," she replied, "for I can't make my mind lie down." Things come into our minds without our asking: the good thoughts come from God, the bad thoughts come from Satan. We can't help the bad thoughts coming, but we can chase them out when they come. Angry thoughts, impure thoughts, selfish thoughts creep in, but we need not welcome and cher- 51 The Junior Parish ish them. The Bible says, "As he thinketh within himself, so is he." That means that we are just like our thoughts. A man went to his friend to borrow a barrel. He used the barrel to hold brandy, and afterward returned it to the owner. Boiling water was poured into it, but still it smelled of brandy. Then the owner used acids and disinfectants, but the smell of the liquor always clung to the barrel. So it is with wrong thoughts: if they are once ad- mitted they remain to taint the whole life. Good thoughts make good men. God is the great mind reader. Our friends cannot tell what we are thinking about, but God knows. As David says to God, "Thou understandest my thought afar off." When we are at church or at school or at play, at all times He sees right into our minds and reads our thoughts. People sometimes feel that they may think bad 52 The Junior Parish things if they do not do them. But the Bible teaches that evil thoughts are wicked. Let us cherish good thoughts, beautiful thoughts, kind and holy thoughts. You say that this is hard to do. So it is. We try hard, but evil thoughts come running in be- fore we know it. They are worse than the neighbor's chickens which creep under the fence, and fly over, and run about, and scratch up all our lovely flowers. We must pray about it. That is what David did. He went to God and said, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer." God will help us to think right thoughts if we ask him. He will put good thoughts into our hearts. 53 HOW GOD SAVES PEOPLE Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee. — Prov- erbs 20:22. Some time let us make a list of the differ- ent people of the Bible whom God saved, and the various ways in which he saved them. He used an ark to save Noah. What a dreadful world it must have been when God could find only one good family in it ! And God saved these people by an ark. Who can tell how many there were of them? God saved another man by a chariot of fire and a whirlwind. Who was that? A great prophet; you remember, it was Elijah. God took him up to glory in a chariot of fire. And Elijah was ready to go. It doesn't make much difference how God takes us to heaven, but it is very important that we should be ready to go at any time. 54 The Junior Parish God sent an angel once to save Peter. Where was he? Yes, in prison. What tried to prevent God from saving him? Two chains and two soldiers and the keepers at the door. That was very easy for the angel. He came in, a light illuminated the prison, he smote Peter on his side, told him to arise and bind on his sandals and wrap his cloak about him and follow him. And lo, in a few minutes Peter was knocking at the door of Mary's house, and when Rhoda came to the door and saw Peter she was so glad that she didn't stop to open the door, but ran back to tell Peter's friends who were pray- ing for him that he was waiting to come in. And when they finally did let him in and he told how the angel had saved him, how astonished and glad they were ! Do you remember how God once saved a good man in a basket? What was the city where that happened? You remember that 55 The Junior Parish God's servants let this man down the high wall in a basket and he escaped death. What was the man's name? But the most loving and beautiful way in which God saves people is by the Cross. Other ways save a few, but the Cross is the way by which all may be saved who will. That is why Paul said, "Far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ," and that is what we sing in the hymn, "In the cross of Christ I glory." God saved Noah from drowning by the ark, but by the cross of Christ he saves us from our sins. Christ must have loved us very much to die on the cross to save us. How are we saved by the cross? By ac- cepting Jesus as our Saviour and loving and following him. If we are saved ourselves, we should try 56 The Junior Parish to save others by telling them about the cross. We should also send the story of the cross and of Jesus all over the earth, in order that many people in distant lands may be saved by our Saviour. 57 KINDNESS TO ANIMALS Blessed are the merciful. — Matthew 5 : 7. The Rabbis, in the time of Christ, dis- puted as to which was the greatest com- mandment, and they once came to our Sav- iour to get his opinion about it. But they agreed as to which was the least commandment. It was the law of the bird's nest, which we find in Deuteronomy 22 : 6, 7, which protected the mother bird. God must love the birds to put a law into the Bible that men shall not hurt them. We remember that Jesus said that not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father. We should never hurt or harm the birds or the cats or the dogs which God has made. A man who cruelly beats his horse is as 58 The Junior Parish wicked as Balaam was who was cruel to the beast he rode. A man named Thoreau once lived in the woods near Concord, Massachusetts. At first the squirrels and birds and other ani- mals were afraid of him, but when they found that he was their friend, they came closer and closer to him, and after a time they came to him when he called. The squirrels would hide in his pockets and the birds would perch on his shoulders. A wood-mouse that lived under his house would run up his sleeve, and sit on the table and eat dinner with him. I don't think we would like that kind of a companion at dinner, would we ? It is cruel to leave a horse tied in the heat of the burning sun, or in a cold wind or storm. It is cruel to go away from home on a vacation and leave the cat to starve. I saw a boy pulling his dog around by the 59 The Junior Parish tail. I guess he thought it was the dog's handle, but he was not merciful. Perhaps you have read of Florence Night- ingale, the famous and much-beloved nurse of the soldiers in the Crimean War. It was a dog that first turned her thoughts to nurs- ing. Her father had a shepherd dog, named Cap, who hurt his leg. The men thought it was broken and were about to put him out of the way. But Florence took poor Cap and bandaged his leg, just as she had been ac- customed to bandage her dolls, and soon, to her great delight, Cap was frisking about as usual. The fame of her kindness spread abroad, and many animals were brought to her to be nursed. Then she began to care for sick people, and when the war broke out she went to care for the wounded. God made all creatures, even the flies and snakes and mosquitoes and spiders. We may have to kill some of them, but it is wrong 60 The Junior Parish to be cruel to them. Never torment them. They have feelings, and can suffer pain as we do. It is very nice for boys and girls to have pet animals and to love them. What an affectionate and faithful friend is a dog! I have more respect for a good dog than I have for a bad man. 61 KEEPING PROMISES Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. — Ecclesiastes 5: 5. "O Grandpa," said Kenneth, "see how white the apple trees are with blossoms." "Yes," replied grandpa, "if the tree keeps its promises, there will be plenty of apples: but if it is like some boys I know, there may not be any." "What do you mean by keeping its prom- ises?" asked Kenneth. "Why," returned grandpa, "blossoms are the tree's promises, just as the promises boys make are blossoms. Sometimes the frost nips these blossoms, both on the tree and in the boy." "I see," Kenneth remarked: "then you think that when I promise to be a better boy 62 The Junior Parish I am only in blossom. But I'll show you that the frost can't nip my blossoms." We should be very careful to keep our promises. If we agree to do a thing and then fail to do it we have acted a lie. A person who is careless about keeping promises will soon lose the confidence of people. They will say, "You can't depend on him." As our text says, it is better not to make promises than to make them and break them. Jesus tells of a young man who broke his word. His father said, "Son, go work to- day in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I go, sir, and went not." That was the same as telling a lie. Some people seem to think that they ex- cuse themselves by saying, "I forgot." But that is no excuse. Their promise to do it was a promise to remember to do it. If they forget they should apologize and ask 63 The Junior Parish pardon. It is not honorable to break our word with people, and they do not respect us if we have that habit. If any of the juniors have taken the tem- perance pledge, let them be conscientious about keeping it. If any of them have joined the church, let them keep in mind their covenant with God and the Church, and be faithful. It is very wicked to do as some Christians do, enter into covenant with Christ and the Church to be faithful, and then neglect Church duties. The Bible says, "He is faithful that prom- ised." That means God. Every promise that God makes is faithfully kept. He is never careless, he never forgets. And when we become Christians we make promises to Christ. We pledge ourselves to follow him, to obey, to love and serve him. And he promises to k and to keep and to save us. He will keep his promise: let us keep ours. 64 DOING ONE THING One thing I do. — Philippians 3: 13. There is an old saying, "Boys will be boys." There is another which I like better, Boys will be men. Also, Girls will be women. In a few years you juniors will take the places of the fathers and mothers of to-day. What kind of men and women do you intend to be? I hope that in some respects you will be like the apostle Paul. He tells us much about himself, and in our text he gives us one secret of his success. There are three sides to this secret, like the sides of a triangle. One side is that Paul had a purpose in life. He pressed toward a mark. His pur- pose was to reach that mark and win the prize, like a runner in a race. Some men do not press toward any mark. They just float 65 The Junior Parish about and drift, like logs on the ocean. I would counsel young people to decide early in life what they will try to be. Have a purpose, and let it be to live a good life. You may become rich or you may be poor. Perhaps a great deal of sorrow will come, or the skies may be bright. Success may come, or failure of plans. But whatever happens, say this, "I will try, with God's help, to please him. This one thing I will do." The next side to Paul's secret is that he did not try to do many things. Some men are always looking for a job. The old say- ing is true of them, "A jack of all trades and master of none." One day in England a young man was rid- ing on a coach beside the driver, who seemed to be a silent man. But the youth asked many questions. They passed a country mansion, when the passenger asked who lived there. "I don't know," said the driver. 66 The Junior Parish "How much is land worth by the acre about here?" inquired the young man. "I don't know." At last the youth in desperation asked, "What do you know?" The driver guided his spirited horses around a danger- ous corner, and replied, "I know how to drive." That was his business. Charles Dickens once said, "Whatever I have tried to do in life I have tried to do well." And the third side of Paul's secret is in- dustry. "But one thing I do." He had no time for idling. So Jesus said, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's busi- ness?" Successful people are people who work hard. As a rule they are happy people. There is an old saying that "Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do." But though idleness is a sin to which Satan tempts us, he is never guilty of it himself. In this one virtue of industry he sets us a good example. 67 KEEPING THE HEART Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. — Proverbs 4: 23. I often look at the boys and girls and wonder what they are learning to love. There is an old legend of the far North about seven brothers. They had the power of taking their hearts out and laying them aside while they slept. For a while all went well, until one night an enemy crept up and seized their hearts, and as he ran away with them the brothers died. Don't let the enemy steal your hearts. Our text says that there is a reason why we should keep our heart with all diligence — "for out of it are the issues of life." That means that our life will be like what we love. If we love good tilings our life will be good. 68 The Junior Parish Sometimes we see people doing evil. What is the matter with them? Their hearts. One day a boy was washing the windows of a store. He rubbed and rubbed at one spot, but with all his rubbing he could not make it clean. All at once he made a dis- covery, and called out to the man in the store, who was watching him, "It is on the inside." Ah, there is the trouble. We do wrong be- cause our hearts are wrong. We need clean hearts. The Bible is a queer book. Here in our text it counsels us to keep our hearts, and yet in other places it urges us to give our hearts to God. Isn't that strange? How can we keep our hearts and give them away too? Well, the only way in which to keep our hearts is by giving them away. It is like this. You have a large sum of money. You wish to keep it safe. If you 69 The Junior Parish hide it somewhere in the house a thief may find it. If you carry it about with you a pickpocket may get it. What do you do? You can take it to the bank and hand it to the man behind the wires. You keep it by giving it away. You keep it by letting the bank keep it for you. Thieves do not break through and steal from God's house. He says, "Give me thy heart," and then he keeps it^safe. It is still your heart. God only can keep our hearts. If we do not give him our hearts we do not give him anything. As the Bible says, we may give all our goods to feed the poor, and even give our bodies to be burned, but without love we give nothing. Will you commit to memory the thirteenth chapter of First Cor- inthians, and often repeat it to yourself ? 70 THE CLOTHES WHICH WE WEAR TO CHURCH Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his gar- ments . — Revelation 16:15. A father once said to his daughter, "Mary, dear, do you remember the text this morning?" "No, father* I never can remember the text: I have such a bad memory." By-and-by her sister asked, "Mary, did you notice Susan Brown at church this morn- ing?" "Oh, yes," replied Mary, "what a fright! She had on her last year's hat, done up in pea-green silk, a black lace scarf, brown boots, an imitation Honiton collar, a lava bracelet, her old sash, and such a fan — oh, my!" Mary had gone to church to look at 71 The Junior Parish clothes, and had filled her silly head with thoughts of what her friends wore. I fear that many people are like Mary. The Bible tells us what kind of clothing God loves to see in church. There is the garment of praise. Isaiah says that God himself gives us this garment. It is very beautiful. It means thankful- ness to God for his goodness. It means songs of gratitude. We remember how kind our Heavenly Father has been to us, and we delight to praise him. A grumbler ought not to be found in the house of God. The song says, "Let a little sunshine in." I wish that somebody would write a song, "Let a little sunshine out." Let us ask God to give us this beautiful garment of praise. There is the robe of righteousness. It is God who puts this robe on His children. "He hath covered me with the robe of right- eousness." People who worship God in the 72 The Junior Parish church must be good outside the church. If we are bad all the week how can God accept our praise on the Sabbath day? Are we wearing the robe of righteousness ? Are we speaking kind words, and doing good deeds, and living right lives on Monday and Tues- day? The old hymn says, "Jesus, thy blood and righteousness My beauty are, my heavenly dress." Christ makes us like himself when we love and follow him. He clothes us with the robe of his own righteousness. There are the garments of salvation. "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation." A traveler tells us that out in India he saw a man sitting on the step of the temple with his right hand held up straight in the air. For fourteen years he had held up that arm. "Brother, why do you hold your arm like that? Were you born so?" 73 The Junior Parish "Not so," he replied. "Once I did wrong with that arm, and ever since I have given it to God." Poor man. The missionary told him about Christ, the Saviour. I think that the garments of salvation must be the white robes with which the saints in heaven are clothed, mentioned in the seventh chapter of Revelation. 74 A JAPANESE PARABLE OF CONTENTMENT I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. — Philippians 4: 11. The Japs have a pretty fable to illustrate contentment. It is about two frogs. One frog lived in Kobe, the other in Osaka. Both of them had good homes. Their par- ents were kind to them, and they had nice green slimy pools to swim in. Many flies buzzed over the water, so that they had enough to eat, while the soft mud at the bot- tom of the pool gave them a cozy warm bed. All they had to do was to enjoy life. But both frogs became restless and dissat- isfied. Each one thought his lot unhappy. One day the Osaka frog heard of a pool in Kobe which was much pleasanter than his 75 The Junior Parish own, and he at once started out to go to Kobe. It happened that the Kobe frog at the same time heard that in Osaka there was a puddle which was larger and sunnier than any in Kobe, with more delicious flies and softer mud. So off he started for Osaka. Halfway between these two cities there is a high hill, and on the top of the hill lives a wise old toad. One day this old fellow was sunning himself in front of his bungalow when, looking down the road toward Osaka, he espied a weary frog toiling up the hill. And soon after, on looking the other way toward Kobe, he saw another frog climbing the hill and coming toward him. The Osaka frog reached the top first, and at once exclaimed, "Oh, how lovely is Kobe! Beautiful city, I must hasten on to thee!" In a minute the Kobe frog came up, and gazing afar cried out, "It is true, all that I 76 The Junior Parish heard of Osaka. How lovely it looks in the distance!'' Then the old toad laughed long and loud, and said, "Why, you silly children, you for- get that your eyes are in the back of your heads. You have both been looking back at your own homes, and they look beautiful and inviting to you from this distance." Then the frogs were much ashamed, and, with many blushes, they both turned back and went home, and ever after lived in con- tented happiness. Every boy and girl should be ambitious to do the best and to get the best, and yet should not be dissatisfied with the lot which God gives. Contentment does not mean lazy indifference, indolent ease. It means gratitude to God for what he gives. A con- tented person may try hard to press on, but he does not grumble and he is not envious. He is peaceful and cheerful. 77 LINGERING He lingered. — Genesis 19:16. Do you know any lingering boys and girls? Sometimes we call them loiterers. They loiter over their lessons. If they are sent on an errand they are slow. They have three hands — two hands like other people, and always a little behind-hand. It is not likely that they will succeed in life. Mer- chants do not keep clerks who are not prompt. The habit of delay often hurts the reputation of a young man among business men. It is a favorite trick of Satan to persuade us that there is no hurry in doing our duty. Out in Polynesia the sorcerers have what they call souktraps, made of cocoanut fiber and rings. If a man has an enemy he goes to the sorcerer and hires him to catch the 78 The Junior Parish soul of that enemy. The sorcerer sets his trap, and soon a butterfly or bird or some other creature is caught. The soul of the enemy is supposed to be in this captive, and so the man gets his revenge. So Satan has his soul-traps. One of them is, "Put it off," "Wait till to-morrow," "Linger." He has caught many souls in this trap, people who have said, "I will be a Christian some day, but there is plenty of time." Sometimes people linger around tempta- tions. Just as you often see men loitering about a saloon, just as you sometimes see a fly buzzing near a spider's web, so silly souls play with temptation. There was a fine river near our village, with a big dam and some woolen mills. We used to go swimming at a place called Mos- quito Pool, about half a mile above the dam. But we were always careful to keep near the 79 The Junior Parish pool, because there was a strong current down lower as the water drew toward the dam. One day one of the fellows swam down stream and tried to see how near he could go to danger. But he lingered too long, for soon the current caught him and down he went. Don't play with a bad habit. Don't tarry among bad companions. If you feel any current drawing you ever so gently toward evil, make haste to get away. Lot was very fortunate that he escaped with his life from Sodom. His wife lingered too, and she was not so fortunate. Don't put off religion till you are older. Begin to love and to follow Christ now. He needs you while you are young, and the sooner you begin to be his friend and disciple, the longer you will have the blessing of his help and his friendship. 80 SMALL THINGS For who hath despised the day of small things? — Zechariah 4: 10. What is it that all the world is afraid of? It isn't bears and lions and wild elephants. No, it is something so small that we can't see them — microbes . Be afraid of little sins. They seem to be trifles ; but they are microbes which play the mischief with character. Idle words appear to be small sins, but Jesus says that we shall have to give account of them at the judg- ment. Does it seem a small thing to cheat the teacher at school? Be careful! It isn't safe to take the first lessons in deception. Don't despise little talents. Because you cannot do as well as somebody else, do not give up. Do the best you can. Jesus told the people that it was the man who had only 81 The Junior Parish one talent who was unfaithful. He thought he could do so little that it wasn't worth while. It isn't doing great things that pleases God, but being faithful. Don't overlook what seem to be small blessings. They are often the greatest. For instance, did you ever think how we ought to thank God that we can breathe? When a boy has the croup, or asthma, or even a bad cold, he thinks he would be per- fectly happy if he could only breathe easily. Some people cannot sleep well. They w r ould give anything they possess if they could only get the refreshing sleep which you juniors get every night. Did you ever see a crazy man? How dreadful for a man to lose his mind! One day a crazy man es- caped from the asylum, and ran up and down the village street, shouting, "Thank God for your reason!" All these common blessings — we do not The Junior Parish appreciate them until we lose them. Let us thank God that we can see and hear and taste and talk. We may lack some good things that we would like, but we have the best things. I would like you to look in your Testa- ments and find the little things which Jesus spoke of and what he said about them. Be- gin with the little children whom he took in his arms. Then there was the grain of mus- tard-seed. Neither must we forget the little kindness, the cup of cold water, nor the small offering, the two mites. There too was the small congregation, two or three gathered together in his name, and the hairs of our head, and the least of these my brethren, and the one talent, and the little colt on which he rode into Jerusalem. Were there any other little things which seemed great after he spoke of them or used them? Let us think often of Jesus and the little things. 83 FARES, PLEASE! So he paid the fare thereof. — Jonah 1 : 3. Jonah was fleeing from God in a ship, and he paid the fare. We always pay the fare when we do wrong. It costs us some- thing. The price may be our health, it may be our peace of mind, it may be our char- acter. Jesus said a man might pay his soul for the world. Sin costs us more than it is worth. We get a little pleasure in exchange for God's approval. Benjamin Franklin once bought a whistle from a playmate, giving all the coppers he had for it. He whistled all over the house, until his brother told him he had paid too much for his whistle, laughing at him until he cried for shame. Franklin was not the first nor the last to pay too much for his 84 The Junior Parish whistle. When a boy or girl gives up self- respect and the respect of good people, for the pleasures of sin, the price is too high. We pay the price of success in life. That price is hard work, self-denial, perseverance. Many people think that success is "good luck." "Luck" is waiting for something to turn up : labor turns up something. "Luck" whines; labor whistles. "Luck" relies on chances ; labor makes chances. We cannot become good scholars except by hard study. Somebody asked a great violinist how long it took to become a good player, and he replied, "Ten hours' practice every day for ten years." Don't be lazy and expect success. Pay the price in dili- gence. If we wish to get to the top of the ladder we must climb. There is no elevator. If we wish to do any good, we must pay the fare. It will cost us some trouble, some effort. It cost Jesus his life to save us. 85 The Junior Parish He paid the price of our salvation, his pre- cious blood. If mother asks us to help her, we may have to give up our play, and get tired in doing what she asks. It may cost us an ef- fort to say a kind word or to visit the sick. Everybody who is doing good in the world is denying himself and taking up a cross. The Bible says that when Jesus healed the sick, virtue went out of him. That means that he gave his strength and sympathy and love, and it made him weary. It costs us something to follow Christ. You remember that he spoke of a man who thought he would build a tower, but did not sit down and count the cost. What does it cost us to be his disciple? One thing it costs us is our sin, which we must give up. Per- haps he will ask us to give up some pleas- ures and habits. Then too he requires our hearts and our obedience. 86 The Junior Parish I would like the juniors to tell me what it cost Daniel and Joseph and Paul to serve God. What does the book of Hebrews tell us about the choice which Moses made and what it cost him? What would it have cost the young man whom Jesus loved to follow the Saviour? 87 SOME MISTAKES WHICH A YOUNG MAN MADE He took his journey into a far country, and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. — Luke 15: 13. This was the prodigal son. Let us try- to count how many mistakes he made. One was that if he could get away from home he would be happy. Perhaps he was tired of the work on the farm. He wanted to see the world and to be his own master, without any restraint from father and mother. But a good home is a great bless- ing for any boy or girl. Don't try to get away from it if you have one. Then he thought that the chief end of life was to have a good time. His life was given to him for some object more important than enjoyment, but he wished to spend it all in 88 The Junior Parish play. I will tell you a secret : the people in the world who have nothing to do but to try to enjoy themselves are the unhappiest beings on earth. This young man not only thought that the great end of life was to have a good time, but he thought that money would give him this good time. Nearly everybody makes this same mistake. People believe that if they could only have wealth they would be happy. All the world is chasing after dol- lars, and dollars do not bring happiness. The fourth mistake which this prodigal made was that he did not see the end of sin. He saw the beginning, and how pleasant it looked! But danger lurked in it. A young man in Maine once strolled out into the woods with his kodak to take pic- tures. He saw a cave with vines and flow- ers about the entrance, and thought he would take a picture of it. Steadying the camera 89 The Junior Parish on his knee, he took a "time exposure," and went his way. Some days after, on develop- ing the picture, what was his astonishment to see in the center of it, within the cavern, the arched back and savage face of a fierce Canada lynx, ready to spring. Like a lynx sin lurks in the dark, but we do not see it. Another mistake of the prodigal was that he thought that his evil companions would help him in trouble. We read that though he was very hungry, "no man gave unto him." Where were all the fellows whom he had treated with his money? They all de- serted him when he was poor and starving. But I think that the greatest mistake he made was that he left God out. He didn't ask God's guidance at the start, and he did not seek God in trouble. But after all his mistakes he went back home, confessed his sin, and lived a right life, which showed that there was something good in him after all. 90 A MISSIONARY POTATO Honor Jehovah with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thine increase. — Proverbs 3 : 9. Mr. Hale was a rich farmer. He had a son, John, who came home from Sunday- school one day very much excited about the heathen people who worship idols. His teacher had told him about them. "Never you mind them, John," said his father, "we have no money to give to mis- sions." "But they have no churches," replied John, "and no Bibles, and no Sunday- schools." "Well," said his father, "we have heathen enough at home, and we can't be giving away money all the time." But John was not satisfied, and he puz- 91 The Junior Parish zled his curly head with plans for helping the heathen. One day when his father seemed to be in good humor he said, "Pa, if you are not able to give to missions, would you be willing to give me a potato?" "A potato, John? Why, I'll give you a peck of them, if you like." "No, Pa, I want only one good one, with land enough to plant it in, and all that it produces in four years." Mr. Hale was much pleased and said to himself, "That lad will make a good farmer one of these days." John planted his potato, and the first year it rewarded him by producing nine. These he carefully kept for planting, and the sec- ond year he had a peck. These became seven and a half bushels the third season, and when the fourth harvest came, lo, the one potato had increased to seventy bushels ! 92 The Junior Parish John himself was surprised, but he went up to town and told the store keeper that he had some missionary potatoes to sell. "That's a new kind, my boy, ha, ha! Well, bring 'em over, and if they're all right I'll take 'em." John got a good price for his potatoes, and gave the money to missions, and his father began to think about it and decided that he wouldn't be so stingy, but would help to send out missionaries to other lands. It is very much better for juniors to earn the money which they take to church and Sunday-school than to go to father or mother and ask for a contribution. Prob- ably most of us cannot raise potatoes, but we can think of some way in which to earn money, and we would take much pleasure in giving it, and it would be our gift, and, best of all, it would please God very much. 93 REVERENCE Sacred things. — I Corinthians 9:13. There are four holy things mentioned in the Bible which we should reverence. God's name. "Holy and reverend is his name," says the Psalmist. I am sure that none of the juniors would ever take God's name in vain. Nor would we speak of Jesus except with love and reverence. That is a beautiful hymn which begins, "Jesus, I love thy charming name." Holy places. The church is holy, God's house. The Bible says, "Jehovah is in his holy temple." Christ drove some people out of the Temple once, because they were not reverent in it. Do you remember what they were doing? We should not whisper and be careless in church. Boys and men should never wear their hats in God's house. Then, 94 The Junior Parish too, our very thoughts should be serious and reverent during the service. Do not look around to see what clothes the people wear. Do not have entertainments and money-mak- ing shows in the sanctuary. God's Book. We call it the Holy Bible. It is the loving message of God to us. Some people make jokes out of the Bible. They have conundrums about Bible characters and things spoken of in it. That is irrever- ent and does not please God. Have you a Bible at home? Is there any dust on it? Where do you keep it? Is it up on the shelf, neglected and forgotten? When I see a Bible worn and soiled with use I say, "Somebody loves that holy book." The Sabbath day. It is God's day. He says, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." One Sunday morning a boy was going to church when he saw a man driving down the street on a heavily loaded wagon. 95 The Junior Parish He was doing business on the Lord's day. The boy stopped right opposite the wagon, lifted both his hands in horror, and, look- ing under the wheels, exclaimed, "There, there, you have driven right over it!" "Whoa, whoa!" cried the driver, greatly frightened, thinking he had killed some child. Then he looked under the wagon, but seeing nothing he anxiously asked, "What have I run over?" "Over the fourth commandment," replied the boy: " 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' " The Sabbath is not the time for picnics and play and work. I think that the trains of cars on our railroads run over the fourth commandment a great many times. Do not think that because so many people go on ex- cursions, and to ball-games, on Sunday, it is right to do so. God gives precious promises to those who reverence his day. 96 HOW THE ICEBERG WAS CONQUERED Overcome evil with good. — Romans 12: 21. A big iceberg came floating down from the North, and said to itself, "Now I will get in the way of some great steamship, and when it runs into me it will be surprised." The North Wind saw the berg and sus- pected what it was doing, and said, "I will destroy that enemy, so that the ships will be safe." And the North Wind blew hard on the iceberg for a long time, but the ice laughed and said, "Try again." Then the waves of the ocean said, "Let us try," and rolled great billows over the berg to destroy it, but still it floated on. And then the sunbeams came that way and said, "Perhaps we can do something." 97 The Junior Parish Dancing up to the iceberg, they said, "Come and play with us." "I've nothing else to do," said the iceberg; "shall we play hide and seek?" "Our favorite game, sir," replied the sun- beams, and began to tickle the ice. They played all day, and the next, and for many days. The sunbeams skived about from side to side, and the iceberg rolled and floated on, and grew smaller and smaller. It began to think of the steam- ships, and of all the people on board, and, as it grew smaller, it felt ashamed of its evil purpose, until at last its very heart was melted, and when the ships came there was no iceberg in their way. We can conquer our enemies by kindness. Angry words are like the cold wind from the north; they only make matters worse. "A soft answer turneth away wrath." When Jesus was reviled he reviled not again. 98 The Junior Parish They struck him, and put on his head the crown of thorns, and crucified him, and he said, "Father, forgive them." It would seem as if they must have been ashamed when they heard him say that. When sister is cross, try a few sunbeams on her. Two boys had a quarrel in a ball- gamo. Both were to blame. Did you ever notice that one boy never succeeds in getting up a quarrel when alone by himself? One boy said, "You'd better apologize to me, or you'll be sorry." "I won't," said the other; "it was your fault." So they kept on for a time, until one of them began to relent, and said, "Well, it was partly my fault, I know." "Well," said the other, "I suppose I was to blame too." And so they made up. People who keep good humored, and hold their temper, and keep pleasant, are much 99 The Junior Parish happier and do more good in life than those who are surly and sour. But we cannot do this without God's help. We must ask him to make us sweet and kind. If we can't keep our temper, let us ask God to keep it. 100 HOW GOD LOOKS AT PEOPLE Man looketh on the outward appearance, but Je- hovah looketh on the heart. — I Samuel 16: 7. I have brought two vases to church. I will hold them up so that you can see them. One is very beautiful, is it not? The other is quite homely. We would rather have the first, every one of us. Ah, there seems to be something in this beautiful vase! What is it? I will take it out. It is a piece of stone, dirty and worth- less. How could it have gotten into such a lovely vase ? Is there anything in the ugly vase? Sure enough! Well, well, it is a twenty-dollar gold-piece! I think that we would rather have the homely vase, after all. Some persons who look beautiful are not worth so much as others who are not attrac- 101 The Junior Parish tive. A pure heart within is better than fine clothing and a pretty face without. God looks at our characters. Showy people are not often the best. One day a boy was sprinkling the lawn with a hose. An old lady passed who was wrinkled and homely. The boy by accident turned the hose too near her and threw water over her dress. Very much mortified, he ex- claimed, "I beg your pardon; I am very sorry." \ "Never mind," she answered, "there's no harm done, and you feel worse about it than I do." "But your dress is wet: I thought you w T ould be very angry." "Oh, no," she replied; "better have a wet dress than a bad temper." "Oh, what a beauty!" said the boy, as the woman passed on. "Who, that lady?" said another boy who 102 The Junior Parish was with him. "If you call her a beauty you can't choose for me. Why, she is old, and her face is wrinkled." "I don't care if her face is wrinkled," re- plied the other, "her soul is handsome, any- how." When our text says that God looks on the heart, it means that he sees what we think and feel and love. Our fellow-men see only our conduct, but C jd sees our motives and purposes. If we mean to do well he sees our desire, though we may not carry it out very well. If we look devout in church the people think we are good: if our hearts are singing and praying with our lips, God knows it and is pleased. We should not be satisfied with the praise of people, but should seek the approval of God. You remember who said, "Blessed are the pure in heart." 103 JESUS, SAVIOUR The Saviour of the world. — John 4:42. There are many names by which Jesus is called — Friend, Shepherd, Advocate, Prince of Peace, Rose of Sharon, High Priest, Redeemer, and many others. But his sweetest name is Saviour. That is the name by which the angels called him: "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." He is our Saviour because he saves us from our sins. The missionaries go to the heathen to tell them about this Saviour. They have to find a word in the heathen language which means Saviour. We read in Belle Brain's "Mis- sionary Stories" how hard it is sometimes to find such a word. Mr. Hotchkiss went to Africa to tell the 104 The Junior Parish people about Jesus. For two years and a half he tried to find the word which would mean Saviour to them. He talked with them many hours, hoping that they would speak of something being saved. One even- ing he was sitting about the blazing camp- fire, and the natives were telling him what they had been doing that day. One of them, named Kikuvi, began to tell how he and his master had been out in the bush, when the master was attacked by a lion. Kikuvi had rushed to his assistance and dragged him away from the fierce beast. Mr. Hotchkiss listened in great excite- ment. Surely the word was coming! But Kikuvi went through the whole story, telling how he had frightened away the lion, with- out speaking the one word which his listener wished to hear. Then, at the very end, when Mr. Hotchkiss was in despair, Kikuvi modestly said, "Bwana nukuthaniwa na Ki- 105 The Junior Parish kuvi" (the master was saved by Kikuvi). Mr. Hotchkiss could have leaped up for joy, but to make sure he asked, "Ukuthania Bwana?" (you saved the master?) This was correct, and Mr. Hotchkiss said, "Why, Kikuvi, this is the word which I have tried to have you tell me these many days, because I wanted to tell you that Jesus came — " "Oh, yes," cried Kikuvi, "I see it now, I understand. Jesus came to kuthania (save) us." Mr. Hotchkiss rushed out and fell on his knees in thanksgiving to God. He could now frame the word Muthania, which means Saviour, and on the next day, being the Sab- bath, he told the natives about their Mutha- nia, Saviour. He said that he never before had known what a precious word it was. And what a joy it was to him to be able to tell its full meaning to these people of Africa! 106 The Junior Parish How grateful should we be that we have a Saviour, and that he came to save us from our sins. We must accept him, and love him, and follow him. Our text says, "The Saviour of the world." Every one of us can say those words, but how many can say, "Mij Saviour"? 107 TWO IRON SAFES Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you. — Luke 6:26. This is a queer text, isn't it? We thought that we should so live that people would speak well of us. A good reputation is a rich possession, and should we not be careful to win it and to deserve it? And still, when we think of it, Jesus was the best man that ever lived. He never did wrong, and yet he did not have a good repu- tation with some people, and many spoke ill of him. Two burglars one night broke into a store in London. They put some dynamite un- der the great iron safe, feeling sure that, although it would be difficult to force it open, their efforts would be rewarded at last. But when they had broken into the 108 The Junior Parish safe they found to their surprise another safe inside the first one, stronger and more difficult to open, and they gave up and went away. The outside safe is Reputation, and the inner safe is Character. Men may be able to harm our reputation, but it is in the inner safe of character that our treasure lies. Reputation is what people say of us ; Char- acter is what we are. A person may have a beautiful reputation, and yet be very bad within. Or he may be blamed by many tongues, and still be pure in heart. But what did Jesus mean by saying that something is wrong about us when every- body praises us? And what does his beati- tude mean, "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you"? Suppose that Daniel had so lived that all the people in Babylon had spoken well of him. What would he have done? He 109 The Junior Parish would have drunk strong drink with them, and fallen down before their image and wor- shiped it, and stopped praying to God. Suppose that Peter and John had thought most of their reputation, and had obeyed the council, and stopped speaking in the name of Jesus. They would have won the praise of Jerusalem, but what would have become of their character ? We should desire the good opinion of good people, and we should strive to win a good name. But we should not do wrong in order to get praise. And Jesus says that if everybody speaks well of us it is a sign that we haven't done our duty. One part of our duty is to fight the evil that is about us, and when we do that bad men will revile us. Sometimes we must let our reputation 110 The Junior Parish take care of itself in order to keep our char- acter. Don't be afraid of evil tongues when you are doing right. I hope that when you grow older you will take an active part in battling against evil things and evil men. Ill TAKING OUT THE SQUEAK The sin which doth so easily beset us. — Hebrews 12:1. A friend tells us about a new pair of boots which he had when he was a boy. They were a great mortification to him wherever he went. They announced his ap- proach like a brass band. Squeakity-squeak they went at school, and when he marched down the aisle at church everybody turned to look at him. But after some weeks they made less music, and later the squeak disap- peared. Where had it gone? He never knew. He did not see it go, and he did not try to find it. There are some people, young and old, who have just one squeak which goes with them and is unpleasant to others. One such squeak is an unhappy disposi- 112 The Junior Parish tion. Johnny Grumble always sees the un- pleasant side of things. Nothing suits him. He finds fault with his breakfast, his clothes, his teacher, and his playmates. When he comes look out for clouds and rain. How shall we get the squeak out of him and make him sweet and pleasant and happy? His cousin, Sam Fretful, has a bad tem- per. He gets angry and says unpleasant things. When he is around we hear some wooden swearing. He slams the doors, and stamps on the floor, and I have seen him kick the chairs. If it wasn't for this one fault he would be a very nice fellow, for he is affec- tionate and generous and kind by nature. I wish that in some way we could help him control his temper. Then there is Susan Slytongue. If she doesn't tell lies she tells some wonderfully big truths sometimes. We never feel quite sure that what she says is exactly so. Her 113 The Junior Parish teachers tell me that they do not dare to trust her. I am afraid that her boots will squeak louder as she grows older, unless we can find some way to make her truthful. I saw her on the street yesterday with Mary Vane. Mary is a lovely girl in almost every way. She is kind and sweet tempered, and learns her lessons, and thinks everything of her mother and her home. But I wish that she did not think quite so much about her good looks, and stand before the mirror so long, and toss her head so much. Well, perhaps she will get over it as she grows older, for she is a good girl at heart. Isn't it a pity that one little squeak in a person almost spoils him? He has ever so many good qualities, but the one bad one is like the drop of ink on a white cloth. I wonder if the Bible means something like this when it speaks of the easily beset- ting sin. What is yours ? 11* The Junior Parish You needn't tell me, and I won't tell you what my favorite fault is; but just after the Bible speaks of this easily besetting sin, it says, "Looking unto Jesus." I think that he will help us to lay it aside if we ask him. 115 A GOOD GUIDE Jehovah will guide thee continually. — Isaiah 58: 11. If you go to Switzerland among the mountains you will meet many guides. They are sturdy, brave men, and they lead travelers over the icy passes. One of their beautiful customs is a solemn service called "blessing the ropes." In climbing with tourists they use strong ropes to tie the party together, so that if one slips or falls he may be held by the rest. Just before the season opens they bring their ropes and lay them at the foot of some mountain. Old ropes and new ones are piled in a heap, and then the priest or pas- tor prays that the ropes may not break and that the guides and all who go with them may be kept in safety. Our guide is God and the ropes which 116 The Junior Parish hold us to him are such as faith and hope and obedience and love. They are good strong ropes, and we should pray that they may bear every strain. You remember that Jesus once prayed for Peter that his faith might not fail. Why do we need a guide? Because we do not know the way. We have to decide important questions and we need God to give us wisdom. By-and-by you boys and girls will be asking, "What shall I do in life?" You may seek guidance of God, for he promises to give wisdom to them that ask. But we must not go to God for direction and then refuse to follow him. When he shows us the way we must not say, "I don't like it; I will go some other path." If God is to guide us continually we must fully trust him. This is one of the things on which the mountain guides always insist. 117 The Junior Parish If a traveler will not trust and follow, the guides will not go with him. Once a traveler hesitated to put his foot on the hand of a guide who asked him to step out on it over a precipice in rounding a dan- gerous turn. But the guide reassured him, saying, "This hand never lost a life." How much more confidently can it be said of God's hand stretched out to help us that it never lost a life ! Our text is a promise to those who love and obey God. If we take our way into our own keeping, and never seek wisdom from God, he will let us alone. A guide in the Alps occasionally loses the way. This could never happen to God, who sees the end from the beginning. Guides in the mountains are friendly enough, but they guide us because they want our money. God loves us, and he de- sires to guide us for our highest good. 118 SINGS-AS-HE-WALKS Make His praise glorious. — Psalm 66:2. Some years ago there lived in North Da- kota a little Indian lad who had a happy heart. He toddled about the prairie sing- ing merrily to himself and the birds. In the morning and evening his childish voice could be heard caroling the weird melodies which are so loved by the wild children of the plains. His mother heard him with de- light, and after the Indian fashion gave him a name which described his habit. She called him "Sings-as-he-walks." It sometimes seems as if it were easier for happy people to become Christians than for the morose, perhaps because it is natural for Christians to be happy. Anyway, Sings- as-he-walks gave his heart to Jesus, and now he is a preacher, and travels over the Dakota 119 The Junior Parish prairie, telling his people about his Saviour and singing gospel songs. I think that his mother gave him a good name. It is a good name for every follower of Jesus. Always think of a Christian as having a happy life. Jesus does not invite us to a gloomy time, but he puts joy into our hearts. There are some things which he asks us to give up, but they are the things which harm us, and he gives us better things in their place. One of his gifts is his friendship. A friend of Jesus is happy in this friendship. Then there is great satisfaction in working for the Saviour and with him. When he says to us, "Well done," he makes us glad. If you wish to live a happy life, follow this Saviour. If you are trying to follow him, be a happy Christian. That is one of the best ways of making your companions wish to 120 The Junior Parish be his followers. If they see that you are glad and joyous, they will wish to have the friendship of your Saviour. This does not mean that you will never have any troubles. It does not mean that you will never feel bad and never cry. We can't help f eeling our sorrows, and the Chris- tian has his trials like other people. But did you ever notice how bright and cheery the flowers and trees look after a summer shower? They are all covered with tears, but the tears sparkle in the sun. So we may be happy in Jesus even in our troubles. Re- member this Indian lad. He set us a good example. I hope we have caught some of his happy spirit to-day, for not only bad things like measles and melancholy are catching, but also good things like cheerful- ness and praise. 121 A GOOD TEMPERANCE PLEDGE Neither be partaker of other men's sins. — I Tim- othy 5:22. We seem to have sins enough of our own to take care of, but here we learn that we may also have a share in the sins of other people. How can this be ? One way by which we may be responsible for our neighbors' sins is in helping them to commit those sins, or even in not doing what we may to prevent them from doing wrong. I do not think it likely that any of you juniors need to be warned against going into the saloons to drink. But I do wish to warn you against being in any way partners in the sins of the men who keep saloons, and of their patrons, because many good people, who never drink strong liquor, are partakers 122 The Junior Parish in the sins of the liquor traffic. They be- come partakers in this wickedness by voting to license the saloons, and thus their influ- ence is in favor of this great evil. Now there is one argument which men who wish to be partakers in other men's sins always bring up. I wish you juniors at the very beginning of life to see the falseness of this argument, and to resolve never to be deceived by it, because it is so plausible, it sounds so true, that it leads many people astray. This argument is that as some evil is sure to exist, the best way for good people is to fall in with it and to try to make it as little harmful as possible. This is Satan's own plea. He says: "The liquor business can never be stopped; the saloon is sure to exist. The best way is to tolerate it and try to prevent its doing much harm." 123 The Junior Parish Now, young people, settle it right here and now that it is never right to tolerate any wickedness because it is sure to succeed. Whether we can conquer any evil or not, our only right course is to fight it to the end. If we come to terms with it, and try to regulate it, we are partners with it, and God will hold us responsible. If it must exist, let it exist without our consent and against our will. This applies to many evils beside the liquor business. And now for our pledge. By-and-by you will be voters. You boys and girls will have to take some stand on this very important question of the traffic which curses our land. I will first repeat the pledge, so that you may know what I propose, and then, if you are ready to take it, we will repeat it to- gether: 1U The Junior Parish Men may have strong drink, and men may sell liquor, but NOT BY MY VOTE. Homes may be wrecked, and hearts broken by in- temperance, but NOT BY MY VOTE. The saloons may bribe the city with blood money, and may fill the jails and almshouses and insane asylums with its victims, but NOT BY MY VOTE. 1&5 RICH PEOPLE True riches. — Luke 16:11. This would seem to mean that there are some riches which are not true. We would all like to be rich, but we would not like to discover that, after all, our possessions are worthless. What are true riches? I think that a boy or girl who has a good home is truly rich. It need not be elegant, and it need not be a large mansion. But if there is love in it, and kindness and peace, it is a happy home, and those who dwell in it are rich. It is all the richer if Christ is in it, if there is prayer, and if God's Word is read and his praises sung. I think that any one who has a grateful, contented spirit is rich. Perhaps he has not much money, perhaps he is trying to get 126 The Junior Parish more. But he is thankful for all his bless- ings, and he does not make himself miser- able because he lacks some things. It is what we have within us, not what we have without, which makes us happy or sad. Any one is rich who has something to give away. If he has money to give because he denies himself, giving up tilings that he might have if he chose to spend the money for them, he can do good with it, and the more he has to give the richer he becomes. Perhaps some of you juniors may have only a smile to give, or a kind word, or sympathy or love. Christ had no money to give, and Peter and John said that they had no silver and gold for the lame man, but there is some- thing which people need more than money. Let us get rich by giving. Everybody is rich who has something laid up. It is an excellent plan for boys and girls to save money as they go and to put it in the \n The Junior Parish bank. Even if it is only a small amount each year, the habit of saving is formed, and they learn the value of money and how to use it. And then we can be laying up treasure as we go along by a good life. By being good, and by doing good, we accumulate riches which we can enjoy and also at the same time keep. We see many people running after riches which they do not enjoy even after they get them. They are like that little three-year-old boy whom Benjamin Frank- lin saw when visiting a friend. Some apples stood in a dish on the table. The boy eyed them wistfully and Franklin gave him one. Still he looked longingly at the fruit, and Franklin gave him another apple. An apple in each hand, still he wanted more, and Franklin gave him yet another, but it was too much for him. He tried to grasp his three prizes, and they all rolled on the floor. 128 The Junior Parish "There," said Franklin, "is a poor little man with more wealth than he can enjoy." But when the riches we are getting and laying up are the forgiveness of God, love for him and for all that is good and pure, we will be made really happy by our riches. "Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven." 129 FRIENDS AFTER A FIGHT Forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any. — Colossians 3:13. It is much better, of course, not to have a quarrel. Every time we quarrel we lose. We lose if we win, and we lose if we are beaten. We lose because evil passions get into our hearts and our character is injured. But everybody has a quarrel some time, and what shall we do after it is over to heal the wound ? Two dogs, a Newfoundland and a mastiff, once had a fierce fight. They fought on a bridge, and being blind with rage, over they fell into the water. The banks were so high that they had to swim some distance before they found a land- ing-place. It was easy for the Newfound- land dog, for he was at home in the water. 130 The Junior Parish Not so with poor Bruce. He struggled and tried hard to swim, but made little headway. Old Bravo, the Newfoundland, had reached the land, and he turned to look at his enemy. He saw plainly that his strength was failing and that he would drown. So what did he do but plunge in, seize him by the collar, and, keeping his nose above water, tow him safe to port! The two dogs looked at each other as they shook their dripping coats, and seemed to say, "We will never quarrel any more." It is hard to forgive, isn't it? We usually feel that we have been in the right, and angry passions linger in our hearts. Perhaps we say to ourselves that we will never speak to our enemy again, and that we will get even with him. But old Bravo's way is the best. The first thing we have to do is to forgive. The Bible tells us that we must forgive others if we expect God to forgive us. 131 The Junior Parish As we come to church this morning do we think of any boys or girls with whom we have a quarrel, any whom we need to for- give? Perhaps it was their fault, and they need our forgiveness. And now we join in the Lord's Prayer. We pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that tres- pass against us." And God says, "Have you forgiven that person?" And we reply, "I won't — I can't." Then he answers, "Neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Then we must forget the wrongs we have received. Perhaps we cannot help remem- bering the fact that we were wronged, but we may, with God's help, stop thinking about it and try to cherish kind feelings toward our enemy. A good way is to pray for him. We do not long feel bitter toward persons for whom we pray. 132 THE BIRTHDAY BOX A time to be born. — Ecclesiastes 3 : 2. Why do we bring our offering on the Sunday after our birthday and put it in the missionary box? It is something like the thank offeiing which the old Hebrews used to bring to the sanctuary, as we read in the Bible. It means that we are glad that we were born. Birthdays remind us that time flies. They are like our clocks, which strike one, two, three and so on. How quickly the days go by! And we cannot use them after they are gone. They are like the water which flows through the mill course and is gone forever. "The mill will never grind with the water that is past." And so the Bible speaks of "redeeming the time." It is 133 The Junior Parish precious, and we must use it wisely and well while it is ours. Birthdays remind us that God is good. Mr. Wells tells us, in one of his Sunday- school papers, about the Thanksgiving angel who came to Jack. She first touched him on the eye, and Jack cried, "Oh, ho, I see! I have one thing to be thankful for, my eyes and the light." Then she touched his feet, and he remembered what fun he had in jumping and kicking football. And she touched his hands and his lips and his ears, until Jack became very grateful in think- ing of his blessings. When we put our pen- nies in the box, one for each year, let us re- call all the goodness of God to us through the past year. Birthdays look forward as well as back- ward. They speak to us of the years that are coming. How are we going to use them? Shall we make them better than last 134 The Junior Parish year? If we have been doing poorly shall we do well in future ? We have all heard the story of the boy who drove the nails in the board, and then drew them out, and the holes were left which he could not change, even as he could not change his past sins. But the year before us may be likened to a clean, white sheet of paper on which we may write a new record. With the help of God we may make that record good. Do you remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus about being born? It was a queer expression, wasn't it — "Ye must be born again." Strange, that having been born once, we should need to be born over. When Jesus explained what he meant, Nico- demus saw that he must have a new heart. General Howard said that he was born in the State of Maine, and that he was born again down in Florida. He lived many years without serving Jesus, and then one 135 The Junior Parish day when he was a soldier he gave his heart to his Saviour, and that day was his Chris- tian birthday. I hope that all of us will have this other birthday, this new one, the day in which we begin to love and follow Christ. 136 THE CEDAR-TREES He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. — Psalm 92: 12. I have a friend who is acquainted with trees. He knows them all, calls them by- name and loves them. He says that the cedar-tree grows everywhere in the world. There are many varieties, but some kind is found in every land. In this respect righteous people are like cedar-trees; they are found in all countries. If a young man comes to a city to work, he can find good companions, for there are clean, worthy fellows even in the small villages. If a girl goes away to school, she may associate with good girls in the school, and make her new friendships with girls who will make her better. I am glad that we can find good people wherever we go. 137 The Junior Parish The cedar of Mount Lebanon is a mighty tree, tall and strong. It has great roots and stands firm. I like a boy or girl who can- not be blown over and uprooted by every wind, like the English lad who stood up against the Duke of Wellington. The lad had been sent by the farmer for whom he worked to prevent a party of huntsmen from riding over the farm. The leader of the huntsmen rode up and ordered the boy to open the gate. When he refused to do so the man said, "Do you know w T ho I am? I am the Duke of Wellington, and I am ac- customed to be obeyed." The lad lifted his cap and replied, "I am sure that the Duke of Wellington would not wish me to disobey the orders of my em- ployer, who told me not to allow anybody to pass." The Duke looked at the boy a moment, and then said, "I honor the man or boy who 138 The Junior Parish is faithful to his duty," and handed a sovereign to the lad who had done what Na- poleon could not do. Cedar-trees are useful. We read how Hiram sent many cedars to Solomon to be used in building ships and in furnishing the Temple at Jerusalem. Your lead pencil is probably made of cedar wood, as well as many other useful articles. We do not see how any one can be righteous unless he is useful in the world. Even if a person has millions of dollars he has no right to do noth- ing but enjoy himself. Here is a fine verse which Canon Farrar wrote : I am only one, But I am one. I cannot do everything, But I can do something. What I can do I ought to do, And what I ought to do By the grace of God I will do. 139 The Junior Parish Cedar-trees live long. There were some near the temple of Diana at Ephesus said to have been four hundred years old, and others at the temple of Apollo, at Utica, are re- ported to have reached the age of one thou- sand years. But one thousand years are but a moment in the life of the righteous, who will live with God forever. 140 WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT RAIN Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain. — Psalm 68:9. God sends the rain. Another verse says of him, "Who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth." Jesus, you remember, said that God sends rain on the just and on the unjust. This is what we would expect, because he made the rain and the earth. Up back of our city is a big reservoir where water is stored. The men who made the reservoir and gathered the rain in it know how to bring the water down into our town and our houses. Surely God is as knowing and as skillful as men, and if he made that great reservoir in the sky he can open it at any moment and let the water flow down upon his earth. 141 The Junior Parish Once God sent an awful rain on the earth. It drowned all the people except how many ? And who were they? And why did God let them escape? And what did he give as a sign that he would never send another deluge to drown the wicked world? The Bible teaches us that we may pray for rain. Elijah, for instance, prayed first that it might not rain, and then that the rain might come, and his prayers were answered. You remember the girl who took her um- brella to church on the pleasant Sunday. The minister was to pray for rain after a long drought, and she had faith; she ex- pected that God would hear the minister's prayer and send the showers. When we pray for blessings we should expect to re- ceive them, and not be surprised when they come. Do you remember some people in the Bible who held a prayer-meeting to pray for something, and God granted it before 142 The Junior Parish the prayer-meeting was done, and they could not believe their eyes? Look somewhere in the book of Acts for the story. What does the Bible mean by saying that Christ shall come down like showers upon the mown grass? Does it mean that he will come to make everything new and fresh and glad—that he will make things grow ? Does it mean that he will come to all alike, the just and the unjust? Does it mean that even as the rain falls on China and Africa and the isles of the sea, so Jesus is the Saviour of all people in every land? Jesus tells us about one man who was very sorry to see the rain descending. You re- member about him. He had been building a new house, perhaps a pretty house and comfortable. But there was something the matter, for when the rain descended and the floods came his house fell. What was the mistake which he had made? Not far away 143 The Junior Parish another man had also built a house, and it did not fall. What was the difference? And what does it mean to us? Now this is a rainy Sunday. When we read our Bibles this afternoon let us take a Concordance and try to find some more things that the Word of God says about the rain. 144 SHALL I BE A MISSIONARY? Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. — Mark 16: 15. There are some fortunate boys and girls who will have the privilege of being mission- aries. I hope that some of you will be among their number. As you grow older, think of this call of God, and ask whether it means you. Read about the missionaries, and become inter- ested in their work. Consider your talents, and see whether you are fitted for this work. It may be that you can go as a teacher in some missionary school. Perhaps some boy will wish to be a doctor, and to go out as a medical missionary. Or it may be that you boys will feel that you can go to preach the gospel. Missionaries have to know how to do a great many things — build houses and 145 The Junior Parish boats and bridges often, translate books and print them, and show the natives how to be clean and live right. And all the time they are curing their diseases and teaching them useful things, they are trying to tell them about God and his son Jesus. The missionary work gives you an op- portunity to use your life for a very noble purpose. If you wish to be of use in the world, and to do the most good, what can you do that will give greater results? You will be doing the very work which Christ himself did when on earth, and you will feel that your life is bearing fruit like his. The missionary's life is the happiest. When did you ever see a gloomy missionary? They do give up much, they do have hard- ship, but they have more joy than any other class of people. It is the joy of doing good. Somehow they are better satisfied with life than other people. It is true that we may 146 The Junior Parish have sweet satisfactions in working at home, but we are sure of rich rewards in obeying this command of Christ in our text. Think of how much these people in pagan lands need you. There are millions and mil- lions of them who have never heard of your Saviour, who do not know that he died for them and that they may be saved by him. If you were one of them would you not be glad to have some one come and tell you the story of Jesus and his love? They are like people on a sinking ship, and you have the life-line to throw out. Now it is not everybody's privilege to be a missionary, but as you go on I ask you to keep this in mind, and ask God to tell you what he would have you do. Perhaps he means to confer on you this great honor of being his witness in the dark places of the earth. If he intends to give you this bless- ing, you would not like to miss it. 147 WHY HAMAN WAS UNHAPPY Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. — Esther 5: 13. This was Haman. He was very pros- perous. He had wealth and children and great favor with the king. But he said that all his blessings were no good to him be- cause he saw another man, Mordecai, in a position of power. That seems very strange. I imagine that when Haman was a little boy he was never satisfied with his own playthings, but made himself miserable because other boys had playthings too. When he grew older he could not be happy if he saw other young men happy. Do you know any discontented people who, instead of being thankful for what they have, are looking at what other people have ? 148 The Junior Parish It may be that they are envious because they cannot do what others do; they haven't the talent. You remember the fable of the frog who heard the bobolink sing, and went off and sulked in a bog because he could only croak. Envy makes us not only unhappy but un- lovely. Our faces begin to look sour, and we grow disagreeable. People avoid us, and we wonder what has become of all our friends. Envy makes us ungrateful. God decides what to give us and what to give others. We find fault with him when we envy our neighbor, and are not grateful for what we receive. Suppose we were to be glad when we see others having good gifts from God. How many happy hours we might have, for we could look about and see so many bless- ings, and be glad that others have them, even if they are denied to us. 149 The Junior Parish Perhaps the worst part of Hainan's envy was that it moved him to try to have Mordecai hanged. Envy puts temptation in our way. There was a young man who worked in a store. He saw other clerks riding motor- cycles and envied them their good fortune. Finally he stole the money from his employ- er's drawer with which to buy a motorcycle. Many people who wish to live in fine houses, and to have the luxuries which they see others have, are tempted to get money in dis- honest ways. Envy came into the world very early. It was Cain's envy of Abel which caused that first murder. Let us look at the things we have and be thankful for them. Let us be glad for other people if they have some blessings which we lack. If we do not have their good things, it is also true that we escape their trials. Above all let us keep our hearts cheerful and 150 The Junior Parish grateful. It is said that envy is the only sin which does not bring any pleasure to the per- son who practises it. Did Hainan's envy bring any happiness to him or to others ? Did he succeed in having Mordecai hanged? And what fate came to Haman himself, just because he could not be contented to see some one else honored and happy? 151 UP TO THE BRIM And they filled them up to the brim. — John 2 : 7. Why is the fact mentioned that they filled the water-pots so full? Jesus had told these servants to fill the vessels, and they filled them brimful. This showed how eager they were to serve Christ, and also how well they could do their work. How high a per cent, did you get in your lessons last term? Was it about 65, or did you fill the vessel to the brim? When father gave you that work to do in the yard how thoroughly did you do it? "I wish you would rake up those dead leaves into a pile," said Jack's father. ' 'Oh, I don't feel very well," replied Jack. "I have growing pains and I didn't sleep well last night." "And after you have raked them up," 152 The Junior Parish went on his father, "make a bonfire and jump over it." "Whoop!" cried Jack, "where's the rake?" How many of you boys do your work as vigorously and well as you play ball? Do you see those two clerks in the store? One of them does just enough work to barely get along. He will avoid doing anything that he dares to. The other takes pride in his work, and is not afraid of doing something which he is not required to do. He puts in the little extra touches, is not unwilling to work a bit overtime, and sometimes does things which do not belong to him to do. By-and-by he will be keeping his own store, while the other boy will still be a clerk and talking about "hard luck." Success in life consists largely in filling the water-pot to the brim. Do everything you undertake as well as you can do it. When you begin to work for some one, do not be 153 The Junior Parish afraid of doing a little more than you are compelled to do. The same with the girls. "I like to sew when there is no thread in the machine," said Alice. "And why so?" "Because it runs so easily." "Yes, and doesn't accomplish anything." A great many people in the world are run- ning their machines without thread, doing work in the easiest way. Fill life up to the. brim with good thor- ough service. Don't be satisfied with any- thing but your best. Wherever you are, be all there. Don't seek out the easy places. And especially if you serve Christ, serve him as these servants did at the wedding. Don't be satisfied with being just enough of a Christian to barely get into heaven. Don't be just religious enough to avoid be- ing a castaway. Give God a full overflow- ing love, a more than formal obedience, and 154* The Junior Parish a generous, whole-hearted service. Don't ask, "How worldly can I be and still be called a Christian?" Love never looks at the clock, never thinks of a commandment. Love pours out the ointment from the ala- baster box. 155 SHINING LIGHTS Let your light shine. — Matthew 5: 16. In the coal-mines of Pennsylvania the miners wear a cap in the front of which is a little socket, and in the socket a burning candle. Down in the mines it is dark, and these stars of lights are very pretty, bobbing about and showing where the miners are at work. One object of the lights is to prevent the men from running into each other. And this is a reason why we should let our lights shine, as Jesus says. A blind man sat at the corner of a street, in a great city, with a lantern beside him. Some one asked him what a blind man wanted a lantern for. He replied, "So that no one may stumble over me." Is any one stumbling over us because our 156 The Junior Parish light is not shining? Is some one doing wrong because we are not doing right ? Then we must let our light shine so that others may see the way. If you are setting a good example at school, at home, other jun- iors are encouraged to be like you. I lived in a village where the road from my house to the center of town ran along the side of a river. There was no fence, and the bank was steep. One dark night I started to go to the postoffice, walking up the road. I had not gone far when I be- came uncertain about the road, and feared that I would walk over the bank. Just then a man came out of a house with a lantern and walked before me, swinging his light. Was I glad to follow on? I felt safe, for I knew that he would go right. I see some of the juniors smiling. Oh, yes, they are saying, "Why didn't you practise what you are preaching, and carry a light yourself?" 157 The Junior Parish Well, it is easier to preach than to practise, isn't it? Somebody is following us. If we are do- ing wrong, they are in danger because of our sin: if we are going in the safe path, we are saving them. Do not fancy that your little light is of no importance. Its twinkle is a guide to other little folks. Some time we shall all stand before God to be judged. How glad we shall be if some one has been guided aright by our example! God will say, "Why did you go in the right way?" And the person will point at us and reply, "I followed his light." And whom should we all follow? Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world." He let his light shine, and he never went astray. When he spoke kind words and did kind deeds, he let his light shine, sometimes too when he was silent. His courage was a 158 The Junior Parish bright light, and his patience, and his love to God and to men. Did you ever see a torchlight parade, many men with glimmering lights marching through the dark? What a beautiful sight to see Jesus with his big light marching ahead, and all his disciples following on with their little lights ! 159 THE MUSTARD SEED A grain of mustard seed. — Matthew 13: SI Let us think of some of the mustard seeds which grow into trees. In the town of Elmira, N. Y., lived Dr. Thomas K. Beecher, who had a taste for mechanics. At one time he took charge of the town clock, and felt much pride in keep- ing it exactly right. One morning the peo- ple rubbed their eyes when they read a notice on the door of the tower which said, "This clock is two seconds late to-day, but it will be on time to-morrow." Two seconds are of little importance, but Dr. Beecher wished his clock to tell the ex- act truth. I don't think that such a man could ever be untruthful in the slightest de- gree. It is so easy to exaggerate. John 160 The Junior Parish came home and told his mother, "I saw the circus parade, and the elephant is as big as a mountain." Emma comes running in, and says, "O mother, it was too funny for any- thing! I thought I would die laughing!" These exaggerations are not very important, but when we begin to stretch the truth who knows where we will stop ? That must have been what Jesus meant when he said, "Let your speech be, Yea, yea: Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these cometh of the evil one." What kind of a conscience do you keep? A good conscience is like the scales which will weigh a pencil mark. A woman weighed a piece of paper. She then wrote her name on it and weighed it again, and the scales told how much the writing weighed. Some people don't mind using a postage- stamp a second time if they can, or not pay- ing street-car fare if the conductor overlooks 161 The Junior Parish them. They save five cents, and spoil their conscience. Be very exact and honest in all money dealings. Don't cheat a penny's worth: you win a penny but you lose your soul. The Bible says, "What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" That means his soul. Be very careful to do exactly what you promise to do. Be reliable. If you agree to meet a person at a certain time, be punc- tual. It isn't that these little matters are of so great importance, but our characters are of much importance, and "trifles make perfection." A mustard seed is a trifle, but it will grow into a tree. If you are a Christian, if you belong to the Church, be very scrupulous in keeping your covenant with Christ and his people. Don't neglect the little obligations. Don't begin to do little things which do not seem to be quite right for a Christian to do. They may 162 The Junior Parish not be very wicked, but did you ever walk over a mountain trail? At some point the trail divides. Only a slight divergence, just a small angle to the left — what difference does it make? The difference between life and death in the end. Keep to the trail! 163 THE COLPORTERS And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. — Revelation 22:2. The Bible has been likened to a great tree, with its books as the branches, its chap- ters as the twigs, and its verses as the leaves. That would make our text the 2d leaf of the 22d twig of the 66th branch. But these leaves are for all nations. Have you read of the colporters who travel everywhere carrying tracts and books and Bibles? In every language the good news of salvation is published. The colporter often has a horse and wagon, and he goes far away from the railroads and from the churches to scatter the leaves. The people are glad to see him and to buy the literature which he brings. If they do not buy he often gives away what he has. 164 The Junior Parish Some years ago a colporter visited a fam- ily in Mexico and left a Bible with them. One of the children, a son, read it and was delighted, so that his father gave it to him. He thought it was the only book of the kind in the world, and took it to school to show to his teacher, who cried, "O wretched boy, where did you get that book? Give it to me!" From that time the boy lost his in- terest in everything, fell into bad habits, and wandered from place to place until he came to El Paso, Texas. Here, one day, he went into a hall where a man was holding services. He stood on a platform and read from a book. Instantly the boy recognized the words of his Bible, and walking down to the desk he said to the man, "Have the kindness to give me my book. They took it away from me years ago, but it is mine." Then he repeated passages from it to prove that it was his. They did give him his book, and 165 The Junior Parish it changed his life. He became an active Christian, an honored doctor in the city of Mexico. Many of the people in the mountains are glad to have the colporters for their guests, at their tables and over night. The visitors pray with the families, and read from God's Word, and show the way to Jesus. They are sent out by the American Tract Society. How thankful we should be that we have these precious leaves, and that we can send them to others! Nobody hinders us from reading God's Word, but in some lands peo- ple are forbidden to do so. Not long since some men went to the home of a woman in Austria to find her Bible and burn it. She was making bread as they came, and what did she do but wrap the precious book up in dough and bake it into a loaf of bread ! How glad we are that we live in a land and in a time when the Bible is free and open to 166 The Junior Parish every one and when Bibles and good books are so plentiful and so cheap that every one may have them. When you say your prayers, pray for the colporters, that God may protect them and help them to do good. They are his mes- sengers to scatter the leaves for the healing of the nations. 167 PRECIOUS PROMISES Precious and exceeding great promises. — II Peter 1:4. These are the promises of God. Peter says that they are great and precious. Per- haps you can tell me some of them. A poor widow, living in Scotland, was called upon one day by a gentleman who had heard that she was in need. She said that she lacked many things, and that she had a son in Australia who was doing well. " But does he not help you? " inquired the visitor. "No, not at all," was the reply. "He writes me once a month, but only sends me a little picture with the letter." The gentleman asked to see the pictures which she had received, and found each one 168 The Junior Parish of them to be a draft for ten pounds, which is about fifty dollars in our money. She didn't know how precious they were. So many of God's children look at his precious promises as only pretty pictures, and do not use them. One great promise is, "I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee"; another, "Ask, and it shall be given you." Then how many promises there are that God will forgive us if we confess and forsake our sins. One of the most precious is this, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved." Keep a blank book for the promises, and every time you find one write it down. There is one fact about the promises of God which we must keep in mind. Every promise requires us to do something before we can have what it offers. When God says, "I will counsel thee," we must obey his counsel and follow. When he promises to 169 The Junior Parish give, it is on condition that we ask. If he is to save us we must believe on Christ. We always have something to do if we are to re- ceive what the promise offers. So let us ask each time, "What must I do to gain this promise?" God will never fail to fulfill his promises. He will not forget about it, nor will he neglect to do it. Often he will give us far more than we expect, and we shall say, "I never knew that his promise meant so much." He loves to fill our cups until they run over, and to surprise us by his generous giving. Then another fact : God's promises have been tried and found true. Did you ever step out on thin ice to see if it would bear you? You put one foot slowly and care- fully forward, and each moment you thought you might break through. One day a boy was trying the ice on a pond in this way, when a big team of four heavy horses, with 170 The Junior Parish a long sled loaded with stone, came swiftly down the hill, right on to the ice, and over without a crack. That is the way with God's promises. We need not step out on them with fear and trembling. They have borne the heaviest weights. Abraham proved them, and David put them to the test, and so did Daniel and Paul and many more. Perhaps your parents have tried them — yes, I am glad to think that you have yourselves proved them true. 171 THE BROKEN JAR He made it again. — Jeremiah 18:4. In the pottery works of Palestine they make earthen ware to-day very much as they made it in the time of Jeremiah. There is the potter sitting at the frame, turning the wheel with his foot, a pitcher of water by his side. Placing some clay upon the wheel, he causes it to revolve, and with his hands he shapes the vessel, keeping it moistened with water. This potter of our text had an acci- dent. The jar was injured in some way un- der his hand. Instead of throwing it away as useless, he crushed the soft clay into a lump and began over. He made it again. Do you ever have this same experience? You try to do something and do not succeed. The jar is marred in your hand. And you 172 The Junior Parish feel impatient perhaps. Your first impulse is to give up, to throw your work away. We will say that you cannot learn a lesson. Don't throw the book at the cat and go off to play. Work at it again. We will say that you are making some- thing with tools or with the needle, and it comes out wrong. Patience, try again. Sir Isaac Newton tried seventeen different theories concerning the movements of the stars before he hit upon the right one. He made his jar over and over. Or is it a bad habit that you are trying to change ? You begin with good courage, but after failing several times you exclaim, "It's no use ; I never can do right !" How patient we have to be with ourselves! The Bible says, "Go to the ant." Did you ever watch these little builders? Grain by grain they build until they have their little hill, and then a man drives his cart right through their 173 The Junior Parish work, destroying it. Up and at it again they go and make it over. The men who know tell us that of all creatures the ant is next to man in intelligence and wisdom. Just as the potter made the jar again, so God is continually making people over. He does not throw them away because they sin once and again, but takes them into his hands and tries once more. You remember that story of Abraham Lincoln and the soldier who slept at his post, and was sentenced to be shot. His old mother went to the Presi- dent and with tears begged him to spare her son. And the pitiful-hearted President said, "I will pardon him — give him another chance." So God deals with us. If you have grieved him many times by sin, let him make you again. Think of Peter. He denied Christ again and again, but God made Peter over, and he became a true Christian. We 174 The Junior Parish need to be made again by God, or, as Christ says, to be born again. When you pray to-night, ask God to make you again, to forgive your sins, and to give you a new heart. 175 GOOD BOOKS Give heed to reading. — I Timothy 4: 13. What books are you reading? I trust that you are reading something. Reading is as necessary for the growth of the mind as eating is for the health of the body. Have a shelf at home where you keep your books, and make for yourself a library as you go on. You will find these books to be dear friends and companions. Of course you expect me to say, Read good books. If you find yourselves among bad companions in a book run away from them, as you would from evil associates at school. Boys and girls who read find that they Have their own tastes and preferences. Some kinds of books they like. It is a good 176 The Junior Parish rule to follow our tastes in reading, for we get good from good books which really inter- est us. Among the books that do us good are the histories. They give us information about men and women who have done things worth doing. We learn from them the story of the world in the past. Every junior should know something about the history of the United States, then the history of other lands. It is from history that we learn valu- able lessons of life. Then books of biography are not only in- teresting but profitable. This is the reason why God has put into the Bible the narra- tives of the lives of many persons. When we read the life-story of some man like Lin- coln or Livingstone, or of some woman like Frances Willard, it is like living with them as friends. We catch their spirit, we are in- spired to follow their example, we get good 177 The Junior Parish thoughts, perhaps we learn from their mis- takes. Some will prefer books of travel and ad- venture. These make us acquainted with the countries of the world and the customs of people. From such books as Stanley's travels in Africa, and the accounts of the Arctic explorers, and others similar to them, we see how courage and perseverance and self-control win the day. And there are many other kinds of good books. Don't waste time over trash. Per- haps you like books of science or fiction or poetry. Whatever you read, do some think- ing as you read, and don't read too much. But the best book ever written is the Bible. We find in it the most fascinating history, the most entertaining biography, the finest poetry, the wisest common sense, the most precious truths. It is an excellent guide. It is practical and also very spiritual. 178 The Junior Parish Read the Bible every day. Read it care- fully. Think of what it means as you read. Some people read it through every year, each day a portion from the Old Testament and a portion from the New. A good plan is to have some set time for reading it each day — to have an engagement with the Bible at that hour, and not to let anything interfere. 179 THE BOY WHO WAS AFRAID TO JUMP In God have I put my trust. — Psalm 56: 4. Two men were standing near a garden gate one evening when two boys came up. The man who lived in the house said to the other, "Watch the difference between these two boys." Taking one of them in his arms he stood him on the gate-post, and stepping back a few feet he folded his arms and called on the little fellow to jump. In an instant the boy sprang toward him and was caught in his arms. Then turning to the second boy he placed him on the post and told him to jump. But the lad trembled and hesitated and did not move, so the man took him down and let him go. "What makes such a difference between 180 The Junior Parish these two?" inquired the friend. The other man smiled and said, "The first is my own boy and knows me: but the other is a stranger; he has never seen me before." There was the difference. The man was equally able and willing to save both from falling, but the boys were not equally ready. The first trusted his father, while the second was afraid. It is the same way with God and his chil- dren. If we know God as our Father, we are not afraid to trust him; but if we are strangers to him, we do not trust, although he is ready to save us. Our text says, "In God have I put my trust." The Psalmist could say that be- cause he knew God as his Father. Would it not seem strange to have a father and not to know him ? There was a sailor in Liverpool who once took ship for a voyage to Chinese waters, and was gone from home 181 The Junior Parish several years. He left his wife and a baby boy at home. Of course the little fellow was not old enough to know his father. When the sailor returned he hastened to his home. How glad his wife was to see him ! But the son, now a lad of five years, was afraid of him. And the father was grieved. He had to win the little boy's heart and love just as though he were not his own father. Have you become acquainted with your Heavenly Father? If so, you will trust him with all your heart. And how may we come to know God as our Father? Christ tells us how. The Bible speaks of Jesus coming into the world, and says, "As many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God." Jesus makes us acquainted with our Father. He gives us power to become his children. Let us give our hearts to our Saviour so that we may know God. 182 The Junior Parish And then let us trust God perfectly. We may trust him with our health and our plans and all our interests. We may put our whole lives into his keeping. He will not fail us. "There hath not failed one word of all his good promise." 183 WHAT SHALL I DO WITH LIFE? What is your life? — James 4-: 14. It is a great question. What is life? What is your life? What are you going to do with it? You are not yet old enough to decide on your life occupation, but you can be thinking about the purpose of life and can resolve to make life worthy and useful. An American, visiting Japan, was one day standing on the pier at Tokyo waiting for a steamer. A Japanese coolie was at work loading a vessel, and eyed the visitor with curiosity. As he passed with his load he asked, "Come look and see?" by which he meant to inquire if he was a tourist. The American shook his head, and the next time 184 The Junior Parish the coolie passed he asked, "Spec die soon?" by which he meant to ask if the American was there for his health. Receiving a nega- tive answer, he came yet a third time and asked, "Come buy cargo?" "Yes," replied the man, "I am here on business." On thinking it over he said that these three questions describe three classes of people in the world. There are those who seem to be visiting here, with nothing to do but to have a good time. Then there are those who think mostly of their health and bodily wel- fare, with no very high aim and purpose. And there are those who are in the world for business, work. These last mean to be somebody and to do something with life. They are not here simply to play and be amused, and they are not satisfied just to feed their mouths and clothe their bodies. They wish to get the best out of life and to put their best into life. 185 The Junior Parish What is there for juniors to do to make life worthy and good? How soon can they begin? Well, they have begun already. How about the habits which you are forming? Your habits will have much to do with mak- ing your life right or wrong, and you have already begun to form them. Be careful that they are habits which you will wish to keep all your life. Begin by being industrious. Don't catch the lazy habit. If you think that you have already caught a little of the selfish habit, try to get rid of it, for a selfish life cannot be a noble one. Think yourself over, and ask whether you are making a good start. Do you get angry easily? There is a chance for you to get the better of one of the worst enemies of a truly good life : try to conquer your temper. A courteous and kind spirit is a good be- 186 The Junior Parish ginning, and a junior may have this spirit as well as the older people. Think what kind of a man or woman you would like to be, and ought to be, and try to begin to be that kind of a boy or girl. The most important step towards a noble manhood or womanhood is to give your life into God's keeping. Jesus Christ is wait- ing to cleanse our hearts of sin and to keep us from sin day by day. We need Christ if we are to live noble lives. For life here is only a beginning, and we must plan for the whole of life here and in another world. 187 PRAYERS THAT ARE HEARD IN HEAVEN His ears are open unto their supplications. — I Peter 3:12. It is a long way from earth to heaven. We do not know of anything that can travel that long distance except prayers. And they can go there in a moment. But not all prayers. Some prayers fall right back to the earth. A girl once went to her father and said, "Papa, I want you to say something to God for me, something I want to tell him very much. I have such a little voice that I don't think he could hear it way up in heaven: but you have a great big man's voice, and he will be sure to hear you." The father took the little girl in his arms and told her that, even though God were 188 The Junior Parish surrounded by all his holy angels singing sweetest songs of praise, he would say to them, "Hush, stop singing for a while. There's a little girl way down on the earth who wants to whisper something in my ear." The little girl would be heard because she wished to say something to God. Some- times we do not feel like saying our prayers, but think that we must. Such prayers do not fly very high. They are like the kites which go up a little way and then dive down to the ground. But when we wish to talk with our Heavenly Father we may be sure that his ears are open to our prayers. Thankful prayers always go to heaven. Have you received anything from God this past week? Do you feel like thanking him? We like to have people say "Thank you" to us, don't we? So God feels when He gives us blessings. A prayer like this, if sincere, would be sure to fly up beyond the stars to 189 The Junior ParisfT God's throne in heaven: "O God, I thank thee for my home, for father and mother, for my school and my friends, for the holy Bible and for my Saviour." When we tell God that we are sorry that we did wrong he hears us, and then again if we ask him to forgive us and to help us to do right. Do you remember what the publican said to God in the Temple? It wasn't a very long prayer, was it? We can all say it, and God will hear. Wide-awake prayers go to God. I am not so sure about sleepy ones. That is one reason why we should say our prayers in the morning, bright and fresh. Juniors are so sleepy at night. Another reason is that we need God's help for the day. That is a beautiful prayer of the sailors of Brittany, "O God, keep me this day, for my boat is small and the ocean is wide." Prayers which ask God to help us to do 190 The Junior Parish our duty, and to overcome temptation, and to be sweet and obedient and kind, always go to heaven. I am sure that God heard David when he prayed, "Keep the door of my lips." And what shall we say at the end of our prayers? "For Jesus' sake." 191 HOW ALEXANDER TAMED THE HORSE Looking unto Jesus. — Hebrews 12:2. Some of the boys would have enjoyed living when our text was written because they had so many foot-races in those days. Paul is speaking of a foot-race, and he says that the runner must lay aside every weight. So in the Christian race we must lay aside the sin that besets us, looking unto Jesus. And why should we look unto Jesus ? There is a story of Alexander the Great when he was a young man. The soldiers were trying to tame a wild horse on the plains of Macedonia. One after another tried, but the horse threw them all. Alex- ander asked permission to try, but his father, Philip, was afraid that he would be 192 The Junior Parish hurt, and refused permission. But boys know how to coax, and at last Philip said, "Try it, my boy, but be very careful." Alexander went up to the horse, which was nervous and excited, called him by name, and patted and soothed him. Then very quietly he mounted him and turned his face directly toward the sun. He had noticed that the men who had tried before rode with their backs toward the sun. This position threw the shadow of horse and driver in front of the spirited animal, and as it moved quickly about it frightened the horse. The men were surprised to see that no accident happened. The horse trotted swiftly over the plain and soon returned with Alexander safe on his back. If we would subdue our fiery passions we must keep our faces toward the Sun of 193 The Junior Parish Righteousness. That is what Paul means by saying, "Looking unto Jesus." If we look unto him we don't think so much about ourselves. Many of our beset- ting sins are due to our selfishness. We think too much about what we want or what we suffer, too much about self. Our shadow is right before us in the path. It is behind us if we face toward Jesus and think of him. Then we look to him for help. It is not easy to lay aside a besetting sin. We need a strength greater than our own to do it. And Jesus is ready to help us. If you have tried to get rid of some fault, and are dis- couraged, try this plan of looking to Jesus. Give your sin to him and let him carry it away. Then we look to Jesus for encouragement. I saw some boys racing the other day. One of them had an advantage over the others 194 The Junior Parish and came in first. Perhaps it wasn't quite fair, but his father happened to be looking on, and he went down to the goal and stood there, and this boy in the race just fastened his eyes on his father and ran with all his might. It is always fair for Jesus to stand at the end, and to let us see his face before us as we press toward the mark. He looks toward us, and we look unto him, and so we win. 195 GETTING MAD Be ye angry, and sin not. Ephesians 4 : 26. Is it not strange that the Bible tells us to be angry? Well, we wouldn't be worth much if we were never angry. The trouble is we get angry at the wrong times. Jesus was angry a number of times, never because men did wrong, never on his own account, but angry at sin. And that is the only way to be angry and sin not, namely, to be angry at sin. We ought to be very indignant at men who tempt other men with strong drink, at people who lead others astray, at those who harm and wrong their fellow-men. But we should not fly in a passion be- cause some one offends us. Every time we get mad we hurt ourselves. I have a scar on my hand which has been 196 The Junior Parish there many years. I was trying to split a stick which I held in my left hand, and I brought the hatchet down on it so hard that it cut through the stick into my hand. Now I do not remember whether I was angry that same day or not, but if I did lose my temper there is a scar on my soul also. Anger is a sign of weakness. It shows that the person is not strong enough to con- trol himself. Sometimes when boys see one of their companions in a great rage, shout- ing and storming about, they think how strong he is. No, he hasn't strength enough to rule his spirit. A young fellow went to his father and asked him if he might take boxing lessons, so as to learn the manly art of self-defence. His father told him that he might do so, adding that he himself had learned the art some years before. "Why, I did not know that," said the son. 197 The Junior Parish ' "Whose system did you use?" "Solo- mon's," said the father. The young man looked puzzled, and his father explained, "You will find it in the first verse of the fifteenth chapter of Proverbs 1 , 'A soft an- swer turneth away wrath.' It is the best art of self-defence ever invented." If any of us have bad tempers let us not be satisfied until we have them under con- trol. It is a pity for any one to go through life irritable and cross, never learning to master his passion. I would like to have you try the Quaker s plan the next time you get mad and are tempted to speak angrily. Whenever he had any dispute, or felt his temper rising, he was very careful not to raise his voice. A friend asked him why he did so, and he answered, "I have found that I am not likely to say angry words if I use a low tone. I have noticed that when persons get angry 198 The Junior Parish they shout. So I control my temper by keeping my voice down to the quiet tones.' ' We need some strength stronger than our own. We must pray to God for help in mastering ourselves. We may give our temper to Christ and let him keep it for us. 199 WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Where abidest thou? — John 1:38. Let us visit a large city. There are many people in it. We see broad avenues, parks and gardens, great buildings, as well as thousands of homes. We see big stores and small stores, churches and public build- ings, and many schools. In which part of the city shall we choose a home ? I don't like the appearance of this street on which we enter the city. The sign- board says, Selfish Street. The doors of the houses are shut tight. The air feels chilly. Every one we meet is hurrying on, not looking at us, not a smile on his face. I am sure that we should not like our neigh- bors; let us pass on. What is this next street? There seem to be many people living here. Oh, it is 200 The Junior Parish Grumble Avenue. There is a baby crying on the sidewalk, and see that dog growling over a bone. His master is scolding about something, and near by is a little pond in which the frogs are croaking. How sour everybody looks! No, this will not do. There is a cloud over the sun, and we must hasten on or we shall get wet. Here is a short cut through Melancholy Alley, and we come to Disconsolate Park, where people are lolling on the benches. Don't stop! Ah, things begin to look brighter. The sun has come out after all. I wonder if there are different kinds of weather in this queer city? Well, this seems more like what we are looking for! Faith Boulevard, wide and pleasant, and branching out from it Con- tentment Drive, and Gratitude Street, and Cheerful Lane. The houses seem to be of 201 The Junior Parish ^ all kinds, some large and fine, others more humble, but all attractive. Hear that girl singing, and that boy whistling. Listen to the birds ! What lovely flowers in the yards and windows ! And what does it say on yon- der door-plate? Dr. Merry opathy! Well, well, I have heard of allopathy, and homoe- opathy, but this is a new kind of practice. And there is a church; listen, they are sing- ing, "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow," on this beautiful Sunday morning. What cordial people! Even the street-car conductors smile and wait for passengers and the policemen help us across the street. I don't believe that we shall find a better place to live than Faith Boulevard. I feel that my face is growing shorter already. There is a real estate office. We must go to church now, but to-morrow we will see if there are not houses to rent or sell in this neighborhood. 202 HIDING FROM GOD And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God. — Genesis 3 : 8. Why did they hide? If they had done well they would have been glad to see God. When we have done wrong we do not wish God to see us, and Adam and Eve had dis- obeyed God's command. How do people try to hide in these days ? In the banks of the Jordan River there are large holes or caves, first one story high, then two, and as the river rises three-story caves are found. At certain times in the year the river overflows, and wild animals seek refuge in the caves, at first in the lower ones, and then, as the river swells, in the two-story caves, and later in the highest. 203 The Junior Parish Shall we call the excuses which we make the caves in which we hide? One such cave is the excuse, "I didn't think." A pupil at school disobeys the rules, and when the teacher asks him why he did it, he says, "I forgot," and he thinks that is a good excuse. But is it any excuse at all? Isn't it wrong to forget? Suppose that Adam had said to God, "I did not remember what you commanded," might not God have replied, "But you ought to have remembered, and I must punish you because you did not care enough for me to remember my command?" Another cave is the excuse, "I couldn't help it." I think that this excuse is worse than the first because it isn't true. The Bible tells us that God is able to keep us, and will give us a way of escape from every temptation if we look to him. We are not strong enough in ourselves to resist every sin, 204- The Junior Parish but our conscience always reproves us when we do wrong, and that shows that we are to blame. Do not try to hide in this cave. Sometimes people run into the cave, "I was too busy." In fact this cave seems to be crowded with sinners all the time, people who neglect to do what they ought to do. Of all the excuses which we make this is the most foolish, both because it is false, and because we do not believe it ourselves and know that nobody believes it. But we use it because it is a handy excuse. It is like the rope which the Arab would not lend. Some one asked him for the loan of his rope. He said that he wished to use it himself. "And what are you going to do with it?" "I am going to tie up some sand." "But you can't tie up sand with a rope." "You can do anything with a rope when you do not wish to lend it." If we have neglected 205 The Junior Parish some duty let us be honest and give the true reason. We remember what Jesus said about the men who began to make excuse. They ex- cused themselves from following him. Is there any good excuse for not being a dis- ciple of Jesus? 206 WHAT CHRIST NEEDS The Lord hath need of him. — Mark 11:3. Did Jesus need anything? He was the Lord of glory, and all things belonged to him. And yet he says that he needs some- thing. Christ needs little things — here, in our story, only a little colt. That teaches us that he has need not only of people who have great talents, but also the smallest of us. Did you ever see a piccolo? It is a baby flute, the smallest instrument in the band. One day a great orchestra was playing beau- tiful music. The great trumpets sounded, the big bass drum boomed, and all the vio- lins and bass viols added their voice to the harmony. Suddenly the leader rapped on his stand and shouted, "Piccolo!" What was the matter ? He missed the sound of the 207 The Junior Parish smallest instrument. Does Jesus miss your note? Are you failing to do your little part? Then the Saviour calls out your name, so that you may use your one talent for him. Notice that Jesus knows where to find what he needs. He told the disciples where the colt was tied, and at just what time he would be there. When he wishes something done he knows where to find just the person to do it. You can do something that no other can do, and Jesus does not have to go searching all over the world to find some one to do it, but he thinks at once of you and says, "There is the boy, or the girl, to do this very thing." Do not disappoint him by neglecting to do it. What Jesus needs is sometimes tied. The colt was tied to a post. "Ye shall find a colt tied," he said. Sometimes the money which he needs is tied up so tight that he 208 The Junior Parish does not get it. Sometimes our time is so tied up to pleasure or work that we cannot spare a minute for Christ. Yes, our very- hearts may be tied to other things, and he may lose them. And after all our hearts are what he needs. The best we can do for him is to love him. A baby carriage was standing in front of a store, and in it was a sleeping baby. A drowsy puppy lay on the pillow, its black nose close to the baby's cheek. By the car- riage stood a ragged child, poor and dirty. With her hand she stroked the baby's curls and patted the puppy's head. The baby's mother came out of the store, and seeing this beautiful picture, said to the girl, "Are you taking care of them?" The little girl smiled and replied, "No, please, ma'am, I'm only loving them." Love is the greatest thing in the world, the best gift we can give to Jesus. When 209 The Junior Parish he gave us his love he gave us the best he had, and he is not satisfied unless we give him our love in return. This morning he asks each one of us the question which he once asked Peter, "Lovest thou me?" 210 ACCIDENTS As one was felling a beam, the axe-head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, my master, for it was borrowed! — II Kings 6:5. What do you say and do when you have an accident? If you slip down, or break a vase, or burn your finger, how do you act? This man was chopping down a tree for wood to build a house, when the head of his axe fell off into the water, and he cried to Elisha, "Alas, my master, for it was bor- rowed!" Some people are angry at accidents. When Anna tore her new dress on a nail, she said something which you can guess. When Harry tripped and fell just as he was going to catch that fly ball, he didn't feel real pleasant. Isn't it hard to turn acci- dents off with a laugh? But after all, we 211 The Junior Parish x do not help matters by losing our temper, while we are stronger every time we rule our spirit. By hard practice we may learn to keep cool every time a mishap befalls us. But how is it when some other person has an accident which disturbs us? Helen was writing at her desk in school when Ellen hurried past and carelessly tipped over the ink on Helen's dress. That was hard to bear. James borrowed my pocket- knife and broke one of the blades. We have to be patient with one another, don't we? Does father or mother ever scold when you accidentally do some damage in the house? Bemember this and see if you can- not be pleasant to your brothers and sis- ters and playmates when accidents happen. Think of accidents as temptations. Sa- tan likes to have us fret and scold, and who knows but that he throws accidents in our way to tempt us ? Or perhaps God permits 212 The Junior Parish calamities to happen, to try us. We may learn from the Bible how to bear these trials. A visitor to a laundry observed Lun Yen's happy face, and inquired how he was getting on. "All light," said Yen. "Job helped me this morning." "Job helped you? How was that?" "Well, I have big wash, velly heavy quilt, too. Work hard, hang some clothes on line, fix 'em big quilt on line, put pole under line, hold him up, then wash more clothes, go out, find pole blown down, heap big wind, quilt all dirt. Then I feel so mad, feel like I swear ; then think of Job, how he lose him money, him children, all him cattle, get sick, have sores; he never swear, he praise God. I bring quilt in house, wash him clean, praise God all the time." After all, most of our accidents are of very little importance. Everything that we ever 213 The Junior Parish * lost by them is of small value as compared with our disposition. We often laugh at the mishaps of others, why not learn to see the funny side of our own ? Better still, can- not we cultivate a cheerful spirit which can- not be affected by trifles? 214 PLEASE SHUT THE GATE They shut the gate. — Joshua 2 : 7. We often see the sign, "Please shut the gate." There are many gates that should be shut, some to keep things out, some to keep things in. There is the gate of the eyes. A poet tells us that vice is a monster who becomes less hideous if we keep looking at it. It is like the crocodiles which seem so beautiful to some Africans that they worship the crea- tures. If we find that any sight arouses bad thoughts in our minds it is time to shut the eye-gate. Temptation steals in through this opening. You remember Achan, and that it was what he saw which led him into sin. It is by looking at evil that many men have been led into bad ways. There is the gate of the ears. When 215 The Junior Parish should we shut this gate ? Surely we should shut it against bad stories. Boys know what this means. There are vile stories which you would not have father and mother know about. Boys at school tell them in whispers. Do not listen. Then there are evil reports about other people, scandal and gossip. And it is almost as bad to listen to these stories as it is to tell them. When men came to Jesus with an evil report about a woman he said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." He did not wish to hear anything about it. When we are tempted to hear or to repeat any scandal, we should ask, "Will it do any good?" And that mouth-gate, slam it tight when the angry words try to get out ! That was a good prayer of the Psalmist, "Keep the door of my lips." Please shut the gate; don't let any "idle" word out, any unkind 216 The Junior Parish word, any profane word, any word of dis- content. That was another good prayer, "O Lord, open thou my lips." If we wait for God to open this gate no words will get out but such as show forth his praise. Some people keep the gate of companion- ship wide open to everybody. All sorts of evil associates come in. If the prodigal son had shut this gate he would have done better. Every bad companion does us harm. A party of young people were once about to go into a coal-mine. One of the girls had on a white dress. Another girl said, "You had better not wear that dress into the sooty mine." The girl was offended and appealed to an old miner, "Can't I wear my white dress down into the mine?" "Yes, mum," was the reply, "there is nothing to hinder you from wearing a white frock down there, but there'll be considerable to keep you from wearing one back." 217 The Junior Parish "Do you remember any people in the Bible who had their characters soiled by bad companionships? How was it with Lot? Where did he dwell, and what was the re- sult? Do you remember what God asked Balaam? He had been associating with men who tried to hire him to do wrong, and God asked, "What men are these with thee ?" God notices what company we keep. Don't leave this gate ajar. 218 GOD'S JEWELS And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels. — Malachi 3: 17, A. V. What a beautiful thought — that God's people are his jewels! Why does he call them jewels? One reason is that they are precious to him. He loves them and values them highly. We may not care much for the poor ragged child on the street, but that child may be a precious jewel to God. We like pretty children, but God loves them all. A diamond, when it is first found, is covered with a dark, rusty coating, but this can be easily removed, and then the jewel shines. Jesus can remove the covering of sin from any one and make the soul beautiful. Diamonds are very costly. The famous Kohinoor gem, which fell into 219 The Junior Parish the possession of the Queen of England, was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the Bible tells us that human souls are more precious than gold. Do not despise any one, however lowly, for that one may be made a jewel of God. God's children are compared to jewels on account of their beauty. When you hold a diamond up to the light how it flashes and sparkles! But this beauty is as nothing compared with that of a child of God who loves and serves him. A friend tells of going into the store of Tiffany in New York, and of seeing many brilliant stones. Then he saw one stone which had no luster at all, and he said, "What is this worthless thing doing here among these gems?" The salesman took the stone and shut his warm hand over it for a few moments, and when he opened his hand what a surprise — the stone gleamed with the The Junior Parish splendor of the rainbow! And the visitor said, "What have you been doing with it?" The salesman replied, "This is an opal. It is called the sympathetic stone. It only needs contact with the human hand to bring out its beauty." So God lays his loving hand upon his children, and they become beautiful under his touch. Does God call his children jewels because he polishes them to make them beautiful? The famous Regent diamond was put under a polishing process for two years. It cost nearly $25,000 to make it reveal its beauty. While a single speck of sin stains our souls we are not fit jewels for God's crown. How does he polish us? By trials and troubles, by work, and by joy. The little pearl grows and grows in the oyster. A crystal fluid covers it day by day, and it be- comes larger and richer in color. Then the pearl-fisher finds the oyster and opens it, and 221 The Junior Parish there is the pearl worthy of the diadem of a king. Do our troubles and our blessings make us more beautiful? Do they give us the beauty of patience and trust and gratitude? God knows just how much of joy and just how much of pain to send to each one of us, and thus he seeks to make us jewels to his praise. SHAKE BEFORE USING Stir up the gift of God which is in thee. — II Tim- othy 1 : 6. I hold a bottle of medicine in my hand. On it I read, "Shake before using." I look at the bottle carefully and see a dark sedi- ment settled at the bottom, while the liquid above is clear. I shake the bottle, and now it is well mixed and is ready for use. Paul advises Timothy to stir up the gift that is in him. Every one has some gift or talent, which is of no use, like the dark sedi- ment in the bottle, until it is well shaken. For instance, if a pupil at school has a talent for arithmetic, but is idle and lazy, his gift is of no use. The man who had the one talent, and did not use it, failed to stir up the gift that was in him. God gives us the The Junior Parish abilities which we possess and requires us to use them rightly. Some people seem to be like the bottle, they need to be well shaken. They have power to do something but neglect to do their best. Others are wide awake and in earnest. Only yesterday I was reading of a boy who was stirring up his gift. He applied for the position of office boy. The proprietor of the store looked him over, and said, "I wonder whether you expect to engage as a whole boy or as half a boy. You have two arms and two legs, your body seems to be all right: it is your mind I am think- ing about, your wits. I suppose you are in- terested in baseball ?" The boy was bright and understood. He drew himself up like a soldier, and said, "Yes, sir, I like baseball first rate: but when I'm here I'll be all here, and when I'm through here I'll be all there. I'll do my 224 The Junior Parish best in both places, but I'm not big enough to divide." He gained the place and kept his word. If we are to stir up the gift that is in us, we must know what that gift is. Every junior beginning life should study his tal- ents, and try to decide what he can do best, then pray to God for guidance. God will show us our place in life if we ask him. Somebody says that there are too many square people in round holes, and too many round people in square holes. Try to dis- cover where you belong. Don't be afraid of hard work. Don't think to succeed without effort. "Whatso- ever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Take pride in doing your work well. Stir up the gift that is in you. Be trustworthy. A visitor was in a school one day when a little fellow came to the desk to ask the 225 The Junior Parish teacher a question. After he had returned the teacher whispered to the visitor, "There is a boy that I can trust." That was the highest praise, was it not? We often speak of trusting God. Do we ever ask whether God can trust us? If he leaves us to do some work, while he is attend- ing to other things, can he feel that when he comes back he will find that we have been faithful? 226 THE LESSON OF THE HONEY GUIDE Come and see. — John 1 : 46. In the jungles of Africa there is a little gray bird with a red beak. It is called the Indicator, or Honey-guide. This bird, like some young people, is very fond of honey. But the hives of the bees are carefully hid- den and guarded by piercing stings. Now the honey-guide is a fine scout, with sharp eyes, and it finds the secret places where honey is stored. But it does not stop to have a feast. Away it flies to find some human being, and flutters about him to at- tract his attention. The natives understand, and follow the bird, and when they find the honey they always give the guide a good share. So Philip said to Nathanael, "Come and 227 The Junior Parish see." Philip had found Jesus, and he told his friend about this Saviour, but Nathanael doubted, and Philip did not stop to argue about it, buc replied, "Come and see." That was very wise in Philip. If we try to persuade any one to come to our Saviour, the best way is to invite him to come and see for himself. That was the way David sought to get his friends to find out how good God is. He said to them, "Oh, taste and see that Jehovah is good." It is just as if you had a younger brother who had never tasted honey, and he didn't like the looks of it, and you would say, "You just taste of it and see how good it is." Some of us are like Philip. We have found Jesus and we know what a good Friend he is. We have learned to love him, and we try to follow him, and he has become precious to us. Now we wish to have you share in this happiness, and instead of try- 228 The Junior Parish ing to tell you what Jesus does for us, we just say, "We will leave it for you to decide* If you will come and see him and talk with him and become acquainted with him, we are sure that you will be as glad to love him as we are." Every young Christian can say to his friends what Philip said to Nathanael. Perhaps you cannot argue with any one who speaks against religion ; perhaps you do not know how to tell about your own experience with Christ. But you can say to others, "Come and see." And when they come, Jesus will win them by his love and grace. Nathanael doubted whether any one who came from Nazareth could be the Saviour, but he was fair enough to go to Christ and see him, and Christ persuaded him to become a disciple. I would like to know how many of us who are here to-day were brought to Jesus by 229 The Junior Parish " some friend. That is the plan of our Saviour, that those who love him should bring others to him. He calls us his wit- nesses, and he depends on us to tell the world about him, and to invite everybody to come to our Saviour. 230 LIONS IN THE WAY The sluggard saitb, There is a lion without; I shall be slain in the streets. — Proverbs 22:13. The lions of which I wish to speak are called Temptations. There are many of them in the streets, waiting to pounce upon us. The slothful man is afraid of them. And we do well to be on our guard. One good rule is not to get in the way of these lions carelessly. A Jewish newsboy was selling evening papers among the clerks in a store. Unawares, as he came near the cashier, he found himself next to an open cash drawer full of bright coins. Quicker than a wink he stepped back, and nothing could induce him to go near that temptation. Keep away from places where the Tempter lays his trap. If you know that certain com- 231 The Junior Parish panions will lead you into temptation, avoid their company. But we cannot always escape these lions. So another good rule is not to be afraid of them. It is said that a brave man can con- quer an African lion by advancing steadily and looking him squarely in the eye. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness he con- quered the Tempter by passages of Scrip- ture. A boy tried this same plan one Sun- day morning, and came off victorious. Some friends came and asked him to go with them on a holiday excursion into the woods. "But I have positive orders not to go,'' he replied. "Does your father know about it?" they asked. "Yes," said he, "my Father knows about it; he knew about it long ago, and he said, 'Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it 232 The Junior Parish holy.' These are his orders, and I am not going to break them." It is not always pleasant and easy to meet temptation: we may have to suffer rather than do wrong. You remember how the Chinese Christians were sorely tempted to deny their faith during the Boxer troubles. Dr. Li, a Chinese physician in Pekin, was urged to save his life by seeming to fall in with idolatrous worship. "Let us put a few idols in your room," said his friends, "and if the Boxers come they will think that you are not a Christian." But God gave him courage not to deny Christ in this way. On another occasion, as he was trying to escape from the city, a friend offered him some strings of paper money to carry in his hand, saying, "If the Boxers meet you, and see the strings, they will think that you are going to make offerings at a grave, and let you pass." This seemed to be a simple way to escape, 233 The Junior Parish but the brave doctor refused to make a pre- tence of being an idolater. He needed God's help, as we all do^ to resist temptation. Let us suffer anything rather than do wrong. Our Saviour taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," and God promises to make a way of escape for us from every temptation if we trust him. It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to yield to temptation. 234 SERMONS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS CRADLE-ROLL DAY Go thou, and read in the roll. — Jeremiah 36: 6. This is Cradle-Roll Day. We have a long list of baby names, little beginners in the Sunday-school. God knows them all and remembers them. He will care for them as they grow. When the teacher asked the little boy who made him, he answered, "God made me so long, and I grew the rest." But it was God who made him grow. We could not live a moment if God did not preserve our lives. In Japan they have a curious custom in naming babies. The child is taken to the temple, and the father mentions three names to the priest, who writes them on three slips of paper. He then throws these slips over his shoulder, and the slip which reaches the ground last contains the name to be given to 237 The Junior Parish the baby. He writes the name on a piece of silk, which he hands to the father, with these words, "Thus shall the child be named." I like our way of naming children better. We hope that all names on our cradle-roll will soon be on our class-roll, and then on the church-roll. If the teachers and parents lead them to Christ they will learn to follow and to serve him. We need them all in the church. Or perhaps the baby will lead father and mother to God. There is a verse in the Bible which says, "A little child shall lead them." I should think that parents would love God for sending them such sweet chil- dren. When a missionary was traveling in the little steamboat called The Peace, on the Congo, he was suddenly stopped and sur- rounded by wild Africans, armed with spears, who threatened to kill him. He tried The Junior Parish to make them friendly, but they were fierce and savage. A happy thought came to him : I think that God must have put it into his mind. He shouted to his wife, who was in the cabin, "Show them the baby!" and she snatched up the little cherub and rushed out on deck and held him up before the savages. You never saw such astonished wild men! They had never seen a white baby before. The baby began to laugh and crow, and held out his little hands toward the black men, who dropped their spears and smiled with delight, and became warm friends of the missionary. There is another roll mentioned in the Bible. It is called the Lamb's Book of Life. It contains the names of all who love God, all whom God loves because they serve him. We hope that all the names on our cradle-roll may be found at last written in this Book of Life. Are our names there ? 239 THE ANGEL AND THE SANDALS SCHOOL OPENING And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And he did so. — Acts 12:8. Here we are again at the beginning of the school year. Vacation is over, and the time for work has come. I was reading the story of Abraham Lincoln's life, of how he had little chance for schooling, and studied alone by the light of a candle at night in his poor cabin. We are thankful, aren't we, for our privileges and opportunities at school? One good rule of the schoolroom is the law of obedience. Some one asked General Sherman, "What must I do to become a good soldier?" "Obey orders," was the only re- ply. So a good scholar will obey the teacher and the rules of the school. 240 The Junior Parish How long it takes to get an education! We have to learn one lesson after another, and little by little we get on. A good stu- dent is faithful every day. Once a man saw a stone mason breaking a large stone with a small hammer. "You never can do it," said the man. But the mason hammered on. No one blow seemed to have any effect, but at last a small crack appeared: a few more blows and the stone fell apart. "Now," said the mason, "can you tell me which blow it was that broke the stone?" "Why, the last one, to be sure," replied the other. "There you're wrong, sir," said the mason. "It was the first blow, and the last blow, and all the middle ones, sir." That is the way with our studies. One lesson after another, day after day, year by year, and at last we are educated. It requires patience and industry. 241 The Junior Parish School-days are among the happiest of life. The friendships that we form are one thing that make them so. Sometimes these friendships run on through life. Be careful to choose worthy friends. And try to be a good friend. If you find boys and girls with bad habits, keep away from them, unless in some way you can do them good. It is during school-days that characters are forming. I once saw a sign beside a greenhouse. It was in May, and the sign said, "Now is the time to plant things." I often think of that sign when I see the scholars trooping up to school. They are planting things, habits which will grow into characters. What they sow now they will reap by-and-by. The angel said, "Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals." That means advancement, progress. Don't waste the hours. Study hard. Play when you play, and work when The Junior Parish you work. Wherever you are, be all there. Give enough time to athletics, but not all the time. Keep the body well, and don't neglect the mind. Your success in life depends on these school-days and how you use them. 243 RALLY DAY With both hands earnestly. — Micah 7:3, A. V. This is Rally Day, and I have taken Micah's words for a motto. To be sure Micah is speaking of bad men who, he says, do evil with both hands ear- nestly. Well, they were in earnest anyway, and if bad men can use both hands to do wrong, surely we ought to be as much in earnest to do right. The difference between a good Sunday- school and a splendid one is that in the first everybody works with one hand, whereas in the model school they work with both. Why shouldn't we work with two hands just as we walk with two feet and see with two eyes? Rally Day is a good time to get new scholars for the school. Let every boy and 244 The Junior Parish girl be on the lookout for other boys and girls who do not go to Sunday-school, and say to them, "Come with us, and we will do you good." This is what we should be doing all the time, not trying to get scholars away from other schools, but bringing in new re- cruits. Then go after the wanderers, those who have strayed away from the school or have been irregular in attendance. Bring them back and invite them to come every Sunday. Rally Day is a good time to begin study- ing the lesson more faithfully, to be sorry if we have given the teacher any trouble by mis- conduct, and to resolve to do better ; a time to think how we can repay the teacher for all the hard work and patience and kindness of the past year. Rally Day is a good time to give our hearts to Christ if we never have done so. We shall always remember this day with £45 The Junior Parish pleasure if we start now to follow our Saviour. That is the chief purpose of com- ing to Sunday-school, to learn the way of life and to enter upon it. Begin to-day to be a Christian, and you will always be glad. Rally Day is a good day to strike the key- note for the year. I shouldn't believe in this anniversary at all if it meant just one spurt of endeavor and then a year with little en- thusiasm. What we want is both hands at work through the year. How many of these juniors have ever picked huckleberries? I used to visit some aunts of mine in Rhode Island, and it was great fun to go huckleberrying. I remem- ber how fast one of my aunts picked berries ; she took the largest pail and filled it first. She picked with both hands. She picked right through the thin spots and the places where the berries were plentiful. The rest of us had time to laugh and talk, and to eat 246 The Junior Parish too, and we were always running from one place to another where we fancied the berries were thicker, but she kept right at work, work, work. Let us not only have a rousing time to- day, but let us keep up our interest through the year: let us go on as we begin to-day. 247 ABRAHAM LINCOLN LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY The memory of the just is blessed. — Proverbs 10:7. I am so glad that we have Lincoln Day in our calendar. Let me urge the young people to read the history of the United States, and especially to become familiar with the lives of our great men like Abraham Lincoln. There is much for the young to learn from the story of this great and good man. He was a poor boy, and his early life was a struggle with hardship and difficulty. He had little education beyond what he gained by private study and reading. By the dim light of a tallow dip, in his lonely cabin, he pored over a few books by night. But he did his own thinking, and he thought a great The Junior Parish deal. One time he walked nine miles to get a grammar, which he studied carefully. Boys may succeed in life even if they do not have many advantages. Pluck and perse- verance may win the prize. They called him "Honest Abe." I think they meant not only that he was truthful, but that all through he was clean and sincere and upright, pure gold, nothing counterfeit. There was no trickery, no deceit, in his na- ture, and men trusted him. He sets us an example of manliness and purity of heart. To be sure he was a very homely man. You remember the man who gave him the jackknife — the homely man who was keep- ing the knife until he should find a man homelier than himself. And yet you will agree that his face is one of the most beauti- ful you ever saw. Goodness shines right out of it. It is character that makes men and women beautiful. 249 The Junior Parish He hated cruelty and oppression. He said, "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. If ever I have a chance to hit it I will hit it hard." This was because he loved his fellow-men. His heart warmed toward people, as well the poor and lowly as the rich and powerful. He showed wonderful tact in dealing with men. Some of them envied him and worked against him, but he was their master because he was not seeking his own advantage, be- cause he controlled his spirit, and because he was working for the good of his country. He was a very brave man. He had not only physical courage, but that higher moral courage which dares to do right. He would do what his conscience told him to do, even though he might lose by it. And he loved his country. True patriot- ism does not consist in shouting and waving flags and firing cannon and making war, but 250 The Junior Parish in doing all we can for the real good of our native land. Abraham Lincoln was a total abstainer from intoxicating liquor, and he hated the saloons. He was a religious man. How often he prayed! He said that he had not wisdom and strength to lead the nation un- less by the help of God. He loved the Bible and read it often, and said that it was the best book, the book of God. 251 EASTER SUNDAY He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still: and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him do righteous- ness still: and he that is holy, let him be made holy still. — Revelation 22: 11. A violet and a weed were growing side by side in a field. Often the poor little weed looked at the pretty violet and sighed. People went by and admired the flower, but they carelessly trod on the weed. After a time winter began to come, the cold winds blew* and both the violet and the weed withered. And just as the weed went to sleep it said to itself, " When we wake up in the spring perhaps I will be a violet." For a long time the snow lay on the ground, and then it began to melt and the spring came. The weed woke up and looked about. There was the violet begin- 252 The Junior Parish ning to grow green and beautiful again. But alas, poor weed, it looked down at itself and saw that it was the same unlovely thing that it had always been. Our text says that this is the way it will be in heaven. If a person is unjust and filthy here, he will be unjust and filthy there. If he leads a righteous and holy life in this world, he will live the same life in God's home above. This is one of the lessons of Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. They crucified him, and he was buried, and then on the third day he came forth alive from the sepulchre where they laid him. And he was the same Jesus that he was be- fore. So we will be hereafter just what we are now. When we think about it a bad man would not be happy in God's presence. Even in this world people who refuse to love and 25S The Junior Parish obey God do not enjoy the company of God's friends. They do not care to go to church, and they feel uncomfortable in the presence of religious people. What could they do in heaven, with everybody praising God and serving him? Joseph and Samuel and Daniel and Peter might have a delight- ful time together in that happy land, but what could Cain and Jezebel and Pilate and Herodias do there? They must go to their own place. There will be a resurrection of all our deeds and words hereafter. That is another Easter thought. Our earthly actions will rise up from their graves. Our words will rise, the good and the bad. Yes, our thoughts will appear again, and God will judge us by what we have been here. Will any angry words rise up to condemn us, or perhaps some kind words to make us glad that we ever spoke them? %5 4 The Junior Parish If we wish to live with Jesus in another world we must be his disciples in this world. If we neglect him here we shall not be with him there. Easter is a very happy time if we are Christians. Be sure to make Christ your friend now. Do not wait. 255 SPRINGTIME For lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land. — Song of Solomon 2: 11, 12. How plainly God's love is seen in this beautiful world which he made for our home. The Bible says that he saw everything that he had made, and behold it was good. His goodness is seen in the changing of the seasons. Not alwaj^s winter nor always summer, which would be very tedious, but each season in its time, and all beautiful. So our text is praiseful; it expresses our gratitude to our Heavenly Father. The cold winter is past, with rain and snow, the flowers peep out, and the birds come back with song. Thankfulness is a lovely grace, 256 The Junior Parish and we may ask God to give us more of it, so that we may think more of the blessings, less of the trials and sorrows, and cultivate glad hearts. What do the flowers teach us? Christ used them as a lesson in trust. "Consider the lilies of the field, . . . shall not God much more clothe you?" Trust means that God gives us what is best for us, and a part of trust is to leave our interests in his keep- ing. Just think how God brings up the flowers and takes care of them. They have a beau- tiful expression about the flowers in Den- mark, where the winters are long and cold, and there is not much summer. Even the poorest people have their window-boxes and their winter blossoms, and through the dark months they cherish their plants. And they do not say that they grow their flowers or bring them up, but they have a word which 257 The Junior Parish means that they "love them up." That is what God does, and if he does it with the flowers, how much more with his children, and how fully they must trust him ! Then the birds. Our text says, "The voice of the turtle-dove." The dove is the sacred bird of the Scriptures, representing the Holy Spirit. At the baptism of Christ the Spirit of God descended like a dove and lighted on him. I think that we might get a lesson of love from the birds — of God's love to us and of our love to his creatures. I love to watch the birds in these nest- building spring days and listen to their carols, and I confess that I do not enjoy see- ing a boy or a man come along with a gun and shoot them. How happy they are, how free and light ! Jesus watched the sparrows and said, "Not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father." I like to see a splendid eagle soaring 258 The Junior Parish around the mountain-top. How grand he is, how majestic! His freedom is dear to him, as mine is to me. I don't feel the same pleasure when I see him shut up in a cage. Let us love all the creatures whom God made, for he loves them. 259 MOTHERS' DAY Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother ! — John 19:27. Jesus was on the cross, and seeing his mother standing by, and knowing that when he should be gone she would have no one to take care of her, he said to John, "Behold thy mother!" And John took her to his home and loved her and cared for her. We have no dearer friends than our mothers. Like Jesus we may love them and do all we can to be a blessing to them. One way in which we can show them our love is by doing all we can at home to help them. A boy once declared that he loved his mother with all his strength. "What do you mean by that?" he was asked. "Well," said he, "we live on the top floor 260 The Junior Parish of the tenement, and the coal is kept in the basement. Mother is busy all the time, and she isn't very strong, so I see to it that the coal-hod is never empty. I lug the coal up three flights of stairs, all by myself, and it is hard work. Now isn't that loving my mother with all my strength?" Do you remember any of the mothers spoken of in the Bible? Samuel, when a boy, worked and studied in the Tabernacle, and his mother made him a little coat each year and brought it to him. Mother cares for us when we are young, and sews love into our clothing. What can we do for her to repay all her kindness? I think that the best we can do is to be good, to do right, for nothing makes her so glad as to see her children growing up into good men and women. What was the name of Timothy's mother? It was a beautiful name, wasn't it? She 261 The Junior Parish taught him the Scriptures and how to please God. Some of the best men say that they owe their success in life to their mothers. It is always safe to obey a good mother and to follow her advice. Do we ever speak cross words to mother? Every one of those words hurts her. She has many cares; what can we do to lighten them? By-and-by she will be gone, and then we shall be glad to think of all that we ever did to make her life happy. A boy whose mother had died was sent to live with his aunt. It was a ride of some miles to the new home, and his uncle, driving the horse, noticed that the lad often thrust his hand into the pocket of his blouse as if to make sure of some treasure. He asked the boy what his treasure was. "It's just a piece of mother's dress," said he. "When I get kind o' lonesome I like to feel it; makes me feel she isn't far off." 262 The Junior Parish God gives us our mothers. If he has given you and me a good, loving mother let us be very thankful to him. And let us show our thankfulness by our kindness and obedience, and above all by living good lives. That will not only bring honor to her, but it will give her the sweetest reward for all her love to us. 263 SHOW YOUR COLORS FOURTH OF JULY Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, That it may be displayed because of the truth. — Psalm 60:4. This is Fourth of July, and the flags are flying. Everybody seems proud of our na- tion's banner. Our text says that a banner is given to be displayed. We would not have a flag and keep it shut up in a drawer. How can we show our colors? By our words. We need not be ashamed of our principles, but should speak out when we may. That shows which side we are on. A visitor once came to a town where the citizens were having a great temperance campaign. They were trying to drive out the saloons. One of the liquor men asked the visitor which side he was on. He replied, "You just step 264 The Junior Parish up to God and ask him which side he is on; step up to the wives and children of the drunkards and ask them which side they are on; I am on the same side." We should be sure that there is no mis- take as to our position in all matters of right and wrong. A person never looks handsome sitting on a fence. It isn't comfortable either. How can we show our colors? By our deeds. We do not always need to talk. We should so live that people will know where we stand. If I am a Christian I ought to be different from those who are not Christians. If I am doing anything for my Saviour, people will see that I am his. You have seen the glowworms at night, shining all the time. ~No, not all the time, only when they move; if they stop, the light goes out. There is many an opportunity at school and elsewhere for boys and girls to show their 265 The Junior Parish colors by their deeds. Show your colors, girls, by not having anything to do with bad boys. Show your colors, boys, by good, clean, manly lives. Why should we show our colors? Well, it does a great deal of good. It helps the right side. It is a good example and so en- courages others to do right. It strengthens us in right doing, whereas if we hide our colors we are more likely to do wrong. And it pleases God and brings us a blessing from him. One way of showing our colors is by join- ing the church, if we are Christians. When we join the church what does it mean? Do we say, "I feel myself to be better than others, and I make a profession of my good- ness"? It means that we feel ourselves to be weak and sinful and that we need Christ. It means that what little talent we have be- longs to him and that we offer it to him. 266 The Junior Parish We step over on to his side and promise to try to live for him. Thus we show our col- ors. Does God care to have us come out on his side? He cares so much that he has prom- ised that if we confess him before men, he will confess us before his Father in heaven. Do not try to be a Christian in secret. Take up the banner of the cross and follow after Jesus. zm THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM We saw his star. — Matthew 2 : 2. This is Christmas-time, and the whole world is celebrating the birth of a Saviour. His coming to earth was so glorious that it was announced by angels, and the wise men were guided to his manger by a star in the heavens. And what may we learn from the Star of Bethlehem? One lesson is that if we seek Jesus we shall be guided to find him. It will not be by a star in these days, but in some way God will lead us to our Saviour if we truly desire to find him. He himself says, "They that seek me diligently shall find me." Would you like to find him as your Friend and Re- deemer? God will guide you, perhaps by your father or mother, perhaps by your teacher or some friend, perhaps by the Bible 268 The 'Junior Parish as you read it, or by the Holy Spirit. No one fails to find the Saviour who seeks him. As we look at the Star of Bethlehem we think of God's great love to his children. He sent Christ to save us because he "so loved the world." The world did not care to be saved, and crucified Jesus when he came, but God loved men more than they loved themselves. The star was Christ's. He made it. He lived above the stars in heaven, with all the angels about him, in per- fect bliss with his Father. And all this he left to come down to earth to be hated and abused and killed by men whom he longed to save. Does he ever ask us to give up anything for his sake? Think of all that he gave up for our sake. Do we ever have troubles and sufferings? Think of how much he suf- fered! And he did not deserve to suffer, while we do. Let us at Christmas-time think 269 The Junior Parish of Jesus as God's best gift, more precious than all our possessions, all our other friends, and let us feel that if we have him we are rich, even though we may not have much of the wealth of this world. The Star of Bethlehem guided men who were bringing to Jesus gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. They came not only to receive something from Christ but to present to him an offering. Christmas is a time for us to accept this Saviour who comes, also to give to him and to others of our abundance. We are glad to receive Christ- mas presents, but Jesus himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Do you know any poor or needy persons to whom you can carry some Christmas cheer? Can you help make this a truly merry Christmas for some one who does not have so much to enjoy as you have? It would be very unfortunate, would it not, if Christmas no The Junior Parish were to make us selfish, thinking only of ourselves? The happiest people in the world are those who have learned this Christ- mas lesson, and are trying to make the world happier and better. Christ came to show us how to be good and how to do good : he came to make us good. 271 LETTING GO AND TAKING HOLD END OF THE YEAR Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretch- ing forward to the things which are before. — Philip- pians 3: 13. This is the last day of the old year, and to-morrow we begin a new one. To-night we let go ; to-morrow morning we shall take hold. It isn't always easy to let go. There is that quarrel. You were in the right, of course, as you always are. Are you going to carry it over into the bright new year? Will you cherish those bad feelings toward your enemy? Better let it go. And that misfortune which you had this last year, what is it like? Is it like a heavy The Junior Parish stone tied to your leg by a rope, hindering you as you walk? I wouldn't drag it along for another twelvemonth. Cut the rope. Forget the trouble and trust God. Sup- pose an angel were to come to you to-mor- row, as you wake up, and say, "I am going to take all your affairs in charge for this year," wouldn't you be happy? But that is just what God says he will do for you. How about habits ? Do you think of any which you can let go and be a gainer ? Per- haps you have seen a beautiful boat sailing fast through the water. How gayly she glides on ! How the waves sparkle : how the white sails glimmer ! Lovely picture ! But what is the matter? She seems to be in trouble. She moves slowly. The sailors are looking over the sides at something in the water. Ah, me, she has run into a mass of seaweed and cannot get on. Every bad habit is a drag on our vessel as we make the 273 The Junior Parish life voyage. Be quick, get that habit out of the way. How are you going to take hold of the things that are before? You have been promoted into a higher grade and ahead of you are new studies, new duties, larger opportunities. Take a fresh grip and press forward. It will require some courage and much perseverance. Per- haps God will give you some hard things to do. It is the hard tasks which make strong characters. I like that New England farmer who was urged to go West, where farming is easy, who replied, "I should hate to put my spade into the ground where it did not hit against a rock." Are you going to be better boys and girls the coming year? Are you going to be sweeter and kinder and more thoughtful, not quite so selfish, more useful and helpful? Are you going to think more of what you 274 The Junior Parish can do for others, and not so much of your own wants and wishes? Then take hold of the Saviour's hand. This new year will be the best of all if you have Jesus with you through it all. It will be indeed a Happy New Year. 275 INDEX OF TEXTS Genesis 3:8 203 19:16 78 Joshua 2:7 215 1 Samuel 16:7 101 2 Kings 6:5 211 Esther 5: 13 148 Job 38:7 7 Psalms 49:4 19 56:4 180 60:4 264 66:2 119 68:9 141 90:12 10 92: 12 137 119:105 22 Proverbs 3:9 91 4:23 68 10:17 248 14:12 31 20:22 54 22:1 27 22: 13 231 Ecclesiastes 3:2 ... 133 5:5 62 Song of Solomon 2: 11, 12 256 Isaiah 58: 11 116 Jeremiah 18:4 172 36:6 237 Ezekiel 38: 10 51 Daniel 5:27 47 Jonah 1:3 84 Micah 7:3 244 Zechariah 4: 10 . . . 81 Malachi 3: 17 219 Matthew 2:2 268 5:7 58 5:16 156 7:27 37 13:31 160 27:22 40 Mark 11:3 207 16: 15 145 Luke 4: 16 3 6:26 108 10:10 16 15:13 88 16:11 126 John 1:38 200 1:46 227 2:7 152 4:42 104 19:27 260 Acts 12:8 240 277 Index of Texts Romans 12: 21 97 1 Corinthians 9: 13 94 2 Corinthians 8 : 23 34. Ephesians 4: 26 ... 196 Philippians 3: 13 . . 65 3: 13 272 4:11 75 4: 13 44 Colossians 3: 13 . . 130 1 Timothy 4: 13 ... 176 5:22 122 2 Timothy 1:6 223 Hebrews 12:1 112 12:2 192 James 4: 14 184 1 Peter 3:8 13 3: 12 188 2 Peter 1:4 168 Revelation 16: 15 . . 71 22:2 164 22:11 252 278 D* F* i *p mm safe S$H9 'mi ■:■..>■■