Part 6

Never, my child, forget to pray, Whate’er the business of the day: If happy dreams have blessed thy sleep, If startling fears have made thee weep, With holy thoughts begin the day, And ne’er, my child, forget to pray.

Pray him by whom the birds are fed To give to thee thy daily bread: If wealth his bounty should bestow, Praise him from whom all blessings flow: If he who gave should take away, Oh, ne’er, my child, forget to pray!

MORNING HYMN

The morning bright With rosy light Has waked me from my sleep; Father, I own Thy love alone Thy little one doth keep.

All through the day, I humbly pray, Be thou my guard and guide; My sins forgive, And let me live, Blest Jesus, near thy side.

Oh, make thy rest Within my breast, Great Spirit of all grace; Make me like thee, Then I shall be Prepared to see thy face.

PRAISE

Jesus, high in glory, Lend a listening ear; When we bow before thee, Infant praises hear.

Though thou art so holy, Heaven’s almighty King, Thou wilt stoop to listen When thy praise we sing.

We are little children, Weak and apt to stray; Saviour, guide and keep us In the heavenly way.

Save us, Lord, from sinning, Watch us day by day; Help us now to love thee, Take our sins away.

Then, when Jesus calls us To our heavenly home, We would gladly answer, “Saviour, Lord, we come.”

I WOULD FOLLOW THEE

Jesus, Saviour, Son of God, Who for me life’s pathway trod, Who for me became a child, Make me humble, meek, and mild.

I thy little lamb would be; Jesus, I would follow thee: Samuel was thy child of old, Take me, too, within thy fold.

MORNING PRAYER

I thank thee, Lord, for quiet rest And for thy care of me; Oh, let me through this day be blest And kept from harm by thee.

Oh, take my naughty heart away, And make me clean and good; Lord Jesus, save my soul, I pray, And wash me in thy blood.

Oh, let me love thee; kind thou art To children such as I: Give me a gentle, holy heart; Be thou my Friend on high.

Help me to please my parents dear And do whate’er they tell; Bless all my friends, both far and near And keep them safe and well.

CHILDREN’S PRAYER

Gracious Lord, we look to thee, Meek and humble may we be; Pride and anger put away, Make us better every day.

Teach us for our friends to pray, And our parents to obey: Richest blessings from above Give them for their tender love.

May we find the sweets of prayer Sweeter than our playtimes are, Love the Sabbath and the place Where we learn to seek thy face.

JESUS, TENDER SHEPHERD

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me; Bless thy little lamb to-night: Through the darkness be thou near me, Watch my sleep till morning light.

All this day thy hand has led me, And I thank thee for thy care; Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me, Listen to my evening prayer.

Let my sins be all forgiven, Bless the friends I love so well; Take me when I die to heaven, Happy there with thee to dwell.

—_Mary Lundie Duncan._

THE FIRST PRAYER

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep; If I should die before I wake, I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take: And this I beg for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

EVENING PRAYER

The sun has gone to rest, The bee forsakes the flower, The young bird slumbers in its nest, Within the leafy bower.

Where have I been this day? Into what folly run? Forgive me, Father, when I pray, Through Jesus Christ thy Son.

THE FATHER OF THE FATHERLESS

Father, an orphan’s prayer receive, And listen to my plaintive cry; Thou only canst my wants relieve, Who art my Father in the sky.

Thy Word has promised all I need, More than a father’s, mother’s care; Thou wilt the hungry orphan feed, And always listen to his prayer.

[Music: THE LORD’S PRAYER

K. E. C.

1. Our Father in Heaven, We hallow Thy name, May Thy kingdom holy On earth be the same; Oh, give to us daily Our portion of bread, For ’tis from Thy bounty That all must be fed.

2. Forgive our transgressions, And teach us to know That humble compassion Which pardons each foe; Keep us from temptation, From weakness and sin; And Thine be the glory Forever, Amen. ]

CHILDREN PRAISING THE SAVIOUR

Hosannas were by children sung When Jesus was on earth; Then surely we are not too young To sound his praises forth.

The Lord is great, the Lord is good; He feeds us from his store With earthly and with heavenly food; We’ll praise him evermore.

We thank him for his gracious word, We thank him for his love; We’ll sing the praises of our Lord Who reigns in heaven above.

OH, WHAT CAN LITTLE HANDS DO?

Oh, what can little hands do To please the King of heaven? The little hands some work may try To help the poor in misery: Such grace to mine be given!

Oh, what can little lips do To please the King of heaven? The little lips can praise and pray, And gentle words of kindness say: Such grace to mine be given!

Oh, what can little eyes do To please the King of heaven? The little eyes can upward look, Can learn to read God’s holy Book: Such grace to mine be given!

Oh, what can little hearts do To please the King of heaven? The hearts, if God his Spirit send, Can love and trust their Saviour Friend: Such grace to mine be given!

Though small is all that we can do To please the King of heaven, When hearts and hands and lips unite To serve the Saviour with delight, They are most precious in his sight: Such grace to mine be given!

A PRECIOUS TREASURE

Holy Bible, book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine; Mine, to tell me whence I came; Mine, to teach me what I am;

Mine, to chide me when I rove; Mine, to show a Saviour’s love: Mine art thou, to guide my youth In the paths of love and truth;

Mine, to comfort in distress, If the Holy Spirit bless; Mine, to show by living faith Man can triumph over death;

Mine, to tell of joys to come, And the sinner’s dreadful doom. O thou precious book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine!

THE COMMANDMENTS

One God I must worship supreme, And ne’er before images bow; I must not speak lightly his name, But pay to my God every vow.

I’m bound to remember with care The Sabbath so hallowed and pure; To honor my parents so dear, That my life may the longer endure.

I never must steal, or consent To what is impure or untrue; I must not indulge discontent, Or covet my neighbor his due.

Now help me, O Father in heaven, To keep these commandments with zeal, In the strength that through Jesus is given To those who are doing thy will.

GOD’S NAME

I must not use God’s name in vain, Or ever speak a word profane; For those who learn to curse and swear The children of the devil are. My little lips, oh, may they be Attuned, O Lord, to honor thee.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

EXODUS, CHAPTER 20.

1. Thou shalt have no gods but me; 2. Before no idol bow thy knee. 3. Take not the name of God in vain, 4. Nor dare the Sabbath-day profane. 5. Give both thy parents honor due: 6. Take heed that thou no murder do. 7. Abstain from words and deeds unclean, 8. Nor steal though thou art poor and mean, 9. Nor make a wilful lie, nor love it. 10. What is thy neighbor’s, dare not covet.

SUM OF THE COMMANDMENTS

With all thy soul love God above, And as thyself thy neighbor love.

BEFORE THE SABBATH

The week is passing fast away, The hours are almost done; Before I rise, the Sabbath-day Will surely be begun.

Through all this week what have I done? Have I been kind to all? Have I sought anything but fun, And run at every call?

Have I been still when I was bid, And ceased to make a noise? Have I been good in all I did, At lessons or at toys?

I’m naughty every day I live, Say many a foolish word, But God can pardon all my sins, Through Jesus Christ my Lord.

A child’s low prayer he will not scorn; I’ll pray before I sleep, And ask his love, then rest till morn, For he my soul will keep.

PREPARING FOR THE SABBATH

Haste! put your playthings all away, To-morrow is the Sabbath-day: Come, bring to me your Noah’s ark, Your pretty tinkling music cart; Because, my love, you must not play, But holy keep the Sabbath-day.

Bring here your German village, please, With all its houses, gates, and trees; Your waxen doll with eyes of blue, And all her tea-things bright and new; Because, you know, you must not play, But love to keep the Sabbath-day.

Now, take your Sabbath pictures down-- King David with his harp and crown, Good little Samuel on his knees, And many pleasant sights like these; Because, you know, you must not play, But learn of God upon his day.

There is your hymn-book: you shall learn A verse, and some sweet kisses earn; Your book of Bible stories too, Which dear mamma will read to you: I think, although you must not play, We’ll have a happy Sabbath-day.

SABBATH MORNING

Awake! awake! your bed forsake; To God your praises pay; The morning sun is clear and bright, With joy we hail his cheerful light: In songs of love Praise God above-- It is the Sabbath-day.

THE BEST DAY

How sweet is the Sabbath, the morning of rest, The day of the week which I surely love best; The morning my Saviour arose from the tomb, And took from the grave all its terror and gloom.

Instruct me, my Saviour, a child though I be, I am not too young to be noticed by thee: Renew all my heart, keep me firm in thy ways; I would love thee, and serve thee, and give thee the praise.

AT SABBATH SCHOOL

1. I’ll awake at dawn on the Sabbath day, For ’tis wrong to doze holy time away. With my lessons learned, this shall be my rule, Never to be late at the Sabbath School.

2. Round our teacher dear, like a posy ring. We will gather near as we pray and sing; With the holy word for our guide and rule, Oh, how happy we in our Sabbath School.

THE SABBATH SCHOOL

Will you come to our Sabbath School? I really wish you would; Oh, come and join our infant class, And learn how to be good.

We learn to sing, we learn to pray, In our sweet Sabbath School; And here we learn of Jesus, too, Who gave the golden rule.

I know I should not steal or use The smallest thing I see, Or what I should not like to lose, If it belonged to me.

And this plain rule forbids me quite To strike an angry blow, Because I should not think it right If others served me so;

But any kindness others need, I’ll do it cheerfully, As I am very glad indeed When they are kind to me.

DEAR LITTLE HEADS IN THE PEW

In the morn of the holy Sabbath I like in the church to see The dear little children clustered And worshiping there with me. I am sure that the gentle pastor, Whose words are like summer dew, Is cheered as he gazes over The dear little heads in the pew.

Faces earnest and thoughtful, Innocent, grave, and sweet-- They look in the congregation Like lilies among the wheat. And I think that the tender Master, Whose mercies are ever new, Has a special benediction For those dear little heads in the pew.

When they hear, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” Or, “Suffer the babes to come,” They are glad that the loving Father Has given the lambs a home-- A place of their own, with his people; He cares for me and for you. But close to his breast he gathers Those dear little heads in the pew.

So I love, in the great assembly, On the Sabbath morns to see The dear little children clustered And worshiping there with me. For I know that our Heavenly Father, Whose mercies are ever new, Has a special benediction For those dear little heads in the pew.

—_Margaret E. Sangster._

THE GIVERS

The Careless Penny went loudly in; It rattled and rang like a piece of tin; No prayer went with it, and nobody Was helped or gladdened, and sad was he-- The poor little careless giver!

The Selfish Penny sank heavily, Like a lump of lead, as it well might be; No love went with it. “I might have bought So much for myself!” was his only thought-- The mean little selfish giver!

The Loving Penny dropped softly down, Like red, red gold from a royal crown; Pity and love made his eyes grow dim As he gave his all, and the Lord loved him-- The dear little cheerful giver!

—_Anna Burnham Bryant._

WHAT LITTLE CHILDREN MAY DO

Little hearts, O Lord, may love thee, Little minds may learn thy ways; Little hands and feet may serve thee, Little voices sing thy praise; Growing wiser, stronger, happier, Loving Jesus all their days.

Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever; Do noble deeds, not dream them all day long; And so make life, death, and that vast forever, One grand, sweet song.

_Charles Kingsley._

JESUS BIDS US SHINE

K. E. C.

1. Jesus bids us shine With a pure, clear light, Like a little candle Shining in the night. In this world is darkness, So we must shine, You in your small corner, And I in mine.

2. Jesus bids us shine First of all for Him; Well He sees and knows it If our light is dim. He looks down from heaven To see us shine, You in your small corner, And I in mine.

3. Jesus bids us shine Then for all around; Many kinds of darkness In the world are found, Sin and want and sorrow; So we must shine, You in your small corner, And I in mine.

SAMUEL

When little Samuel woke And heard his Maker’s voice, At every word he spoke How much did he rejoice. O blessed, happy child, to find The God of heaven so near and kind.

If God would speak to me, And say he was my friend, How happy I should be, Oh, how I should attend! The smallest sin I then should fear, If God Almighty were so near.

And does he never speak? Oh, yes; for in his Word He bids me come and seek The God that Samuel heard. In almost every page I see The God of Samuel calls to me.

THE MISSIONARY SHIP

I see the ships upon the sea That silently go by, As white upon the waters blue As doves in yonder sky.

And men are glad the ships to watch That bring them many things, Silver and gold and raiment soft, Upon their broad white wings.

But I would rather look upon The ship that goes afar, And takes our Saviour’s messengers Where heathen children are;

And carries books, that they may read How kind our Lord has been; For such a ship, I know, must be The fairest ever seen.

A SWARM OF BEES

B patient, B prayerful, B humble, B mild, B wise as a Solon, B meek as a child; B studious, B thoughtful, B loving, B kind, B cautious, B prudent, B truthful, refined. B cheerful, B grateful, B hopeful, B firm, B peaceful, Benevolent, willing to learn; B temp’rate in everything, touching no wine, B careful of conduct, of money, of time. B courteous, B gentle, B liberal, B just, B bold and B humble, because thou art dust; B penitent, circumspect, sound in the faith, Be active, devoted, and faithful till death.

A BIT OF A SERMON

Whatsoe’er you find to do, Do it, boys, with all your might! Never be a little true, Or a little in the right. Trifles even Lead to heaven, Trifles make the life of man; So in all things, Great or small things, Be as thorough as you can.

Let no speck their surface dim-- Spotless truth and honor bright! I’d not give a fig for him Who says any lie is white! He who falters, Twists or alters Little atoms when we speak, May deceive me, But believe me, To himself he is a sneak!

Help the weak if you are strong, Love the old if you are young, Own a fault if you are wrong, If you’re angry, hold your tongue. In each duty Lies a beauty, If your eyelids do not shut, Just as surely And securely As a kernel in a nut!

Love with all your heart and soul, Love with eye and ear and touch; That’s the moral of the whole: You can never love too much! ’Tis the glory Of the story In our babyhood begun; Hearts without it (Never doubt it) Are the worlds without a sun!

Whatsoe’er you find to do, Do it, then, with all your might; Let your prayers be strong and true-- Prayer, my lads, will keep you right. Pray in all things, Great and small things, Like a Christian gentleman; And for ever, Failing never, Be as thorough as you can.

DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION

“How still the baby’s lying, I cannot hear his breath: They told me he was dying; They tell me this is death. My little song-book bringing, I sat down by his bed To soothe his pains by singing-— They hushed me; he was dead.

“They say that he will, rising, More beautiful appear: The story is surprising; Explain it, mother dear.” “Dear daughter, you remember The cold, dark thing you brought One morning in September-- A withered worm, you thought.

“I told you God had power That withered shell to break, And from it in an hour A lovely form to take. And now you see before you The empty casement lies, And, robed in splendor, o’er you The new-born being flies.”

“Oh, yes, mamma; how brightly It spreads its golden wings, And flies away so lightly, The gayest of gay things. And God can give my brother An equal power to rise From this life to another And dwell above the skies.”

THE HAPPY LAND

There is a happy land, Far, far away, Where saints in glory stand, Bright, bright as day. Oh, how they sweetly sing, “Worthy is our Saviour King; Loud let his praises ring, Praise, praise for aye.”

Come to that happy land, Come, come away; Why will ye doubting stand, Why still delay? Oh, we shall happy be, When, from sin and sorrow free, Lord, we shall live with thee, Blest, blest for aye.

Bright, in that happy land, Beams every eye; Kept by a Father’s hand, Love cannot die. Oh, then to glory run, Be a crown and kingdom won; And bright, above the sun, We reign for aye.

THE NEWCOMER IN HEAVEN

“Oh, what do you think the angels say?” Said the children up in heaven. “There’s a dear little girl coming home to-day: She’s almost ready to fly away From the earth we used to live in. Let’s go and open the gates of pearl, Open them wide for the new little girl,” Said the children up in heaven.

“God wanted her here where his little ones meet,” Said the children up in heaven; “She shall play with us in the golden street. She had grown too fair, she had grown too sweet, For the earth we used to live in. She needed the sunshine, this dear little girl, That gilds this side of the gates of pearl,” Said the children up in heaven.

“So the King called down from the angels’ dome,” Said the children up in heaven: “‘My little darling, arise and come To the place prepared in thy Father’s home, The home that my children live in.’ Let’s go and watch at the gates of pearl, Ready to welcome the new little girl,” Said the children up in heaven.

“Far down on the earth do you hear them weep?” Said the children up in heaven, “For the dear little girl has gone to sleep! The shadows fall and the night-clouds sweep O’er the earth that we used to live in: But we’ll go and open the gates of pearl-- Oh, why do they weep for their dear little girl?” Said the children up in heaven.

“Fly with her quickly, O angels dear,” Said the children up in heaven. “See, she is coming! Look there--look there! At the jasper light on her sunny hair, Where the veiling clouds are riven! Ah, hush, hush, hush!” All the swift wings furl, For the King himself at the gates of pearl Is taking her hand, dear, tired little girl, And leading her into heaven!

CHILDREN’S PRAISES

Around the throne of God in heaven Thousands of children stand-- Children whose sins are all forgiven, A holy, happy band, Singing, Glory, glory, Glory be to God on high.

What brought them to that world above, That heaven so bright and fair, Where all is peace and joy and love, How came those children there?

Because the Saviour shed his blood To wash away their sin: Bathed in that pure and precious blood, Behold them white and clean, Singing, Glory, glory, Glory be to God on high.

THE CHRIST CHILD

Come, let us all adore him; Our hearts’ pure love we bring To him, the Babe who came from heaven, The little children’s King.

THE CHRIST CHILD

O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM

O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie; Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light, The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee to-night.

O holy child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us to-day. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; Oh, come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.

—_Phillips Brooks._

CRADLE HYMN

Martin Luther J. E. Spilman

1. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay-- The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

2. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes. I love Thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky, And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

3. Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.

ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY

Once in royal David’s city Stood a lowly cattle-shed, Where a mother laid her Baby In a manger for his bed. Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven, Who is God and Lord of all, And his shelter was a stable, And his cradle was a stall. With the poor and mean and lowly Lived on earth our Saviour holy.