There are tens of thousands of children in the world, but how many, think we, amongst this multitude, are "dear" children? The selfish, the greedy, the cross, the vain, are not dear children. That pouting-lipped boy, who cries because he cannot have everything in the nursery all to himself, is not a dear child; nor is that snappish little girl with a frown upon her face. Happy is that family where the parents rejoice over boys and girls ready and willing to do what their parents love, and whose chief pleasure lies in pleasing others.
How one gloomy face will spoil the simple happiness of the family circle; how one self-willed spirit hushes the joyful voice of the home into a constrained and painful silence! And on the other hand; when sunny-face bounds into the room, how his sweet light shines upon the other faces near him. It is as when upon a cloudy. April day the sun breaks out, and, at his shining, the silent woods are filled with song.
Now, God's dear children are not simply such as believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of their souls, but they am those Christian children who are kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one another. In their lives are seen some of the holy, the loving things which were shown in the life of our Lord when He was a child and a man upon this earth. We earnestly desire that our young readers may not only be God's children, but also His dear children. (Eph. 5:77Be not ye therefore partakers with them. (Ephesians 5:7).)
We have not the least kind of wish that any of you should be anything unlike children, that is, so long as you are young. We do not wish to suppose, and we certainly shall not speak about, unnatural children. Not one word of ours shall, we trust, ever lead a child beyond childhood, or to wish to become anything extraordinary. The older we grow, the more desirous we are to see children, not the small men and women that fashion now-a-days often makes them, but what God made them, and what God would have them to be.
In this chapter we will first tell you of some things which do not mark the dear child.
"BLUE RAISINS."
A dark cloud was hovering over little Mary Carlton's usually happy home. Everyone stepped softly and looked sad, for in one of the bedrooms Mary's dear brother Willie lay dangerously ill. He was about fourteen years old, and so loving and amiable that he was tenderly loved by everyone. Little Mary was six years younger than Willie, but there were no children between them, so it happened that they were always together, and dearly loved each other. Mary thought that no one ever had or could have such a darling brother as she had, so you may guess how very sorrowful she was now he was so very ill; her eyes were red with crying, and her merry laugh was never heard. She took up her place close to poor Willie's bed, and very seldom could she be persuaded to leave it.
At length the crisis was passed, the illness abated, and dear Willie once more recognized the loving faces which bent over him. But oh, how weak he was! he could scarcely raise his thin hand to his head. Slowly he improved, and his appetite began to return; still, little loving Mary kept her watch beside his bed, eager to anticipate his every desire.
One day Willie expressed a great wish for some "blue raisins," the name he gave to muscatels, of which he was very fond. The doctor said he might have some; so very soon a dish of fine ones was brought to Willie's room. After he had taken a few, the dish was put in a cupboard beside the bed. Now it happened that Mary was particularly fond of "blue raisins," and she could not help wishing for some. Willie had fallen into a quiet sleep and Mary sat beside him, behind the bed curtain; her mind was on the raisins, and at length she thought how easy it would be to take just a few for herself-Willie was asleep, and no one else was in the room.
The thought gained power, as all evil thoughts will do if not at once checked. Presently she moved from her seat and crept stealthily round the bed; a chair stood close to the cupboard, she could easily reach the raisins by standing upon it; even if Willie should wake, the curtain of the bed would conceal her from him. She opened the cupboard, mounted a chair, and took a beautiful bunch of raisins in her hand; she had almost put one into her mouth, when she suddenly thought what a terrible thing it was to steal dear Willie's raisins, and he so ill, too, that perhaps even yet he might die. Oh! how she hated herself for having thought of robbing her brother of a single raisin; how glad she was that not one of them had been eaten! She threw the bunch back with the others, and, shutting the cupboard, hastened back to her old seat. Amidst blinding tears she looked at the pale, thin face of the sleeping boy, and even pinched herself hard as a punishment for the wicked intention, so nearly carried out, of stealing his raisins.
Willie slowly but surely recovered, his merry laugh was heard again in his home, and very happy times the brother and sister had together. Willie has long since become a man, and even in Mary's hair there are a few silver threads, yet she is still thankful that she was prevented from eating Willie's " blue raisins."
It was her intense love for her brother which saved her from the sin she was so tempted to commit, it was not fear of punishment. Her brother had always been so kind and loving to her, had taken such care of his little sister, had spared no trouble to phase and amuse her, that he had gained her tenderest love; therefore, how could she sin against her brother by stealing his raisins?
Jesus proved His great love for us by giving up His life to save us from hell. He is always watching over us as we journey through life. He will soon come to take His people to the home He has gone to prepare for them. Oh! should not His great love to us so win our hearts that we should shrink from doing anything which could grieve Him who has done so much for us? M. B.
Perhaps you have not been tempted in the way that little Mary was. But you can think of many things in which you, like her, have not behaved as a dear child. Of course, we are now addressing believing children, and therefore expect different behavior from them than from those who do not love God. Temptation will come, and if tempted, take a lesson from our next story.
I LOOKED STRAIGHT TO JESUS.
" I was so nearly getting into a passion the other day," said a little girl, " but I looked straight to Jesus, and He helped me.
" Since dear mother died, Nelly and I have had to mind baby, and to do everything for father; so I can only go to school when I can be spared.
Nelly is ten, and I am not quite twelve years old. The other day I was to go to school, and Nelly had to mind baby till I came home. There were only two little things of dear mother's which were my VERY own-a china mug and a little silver locket—they were, safe on the mantel-shelf when I went to school, and I was so fond of them; and what must Nelly do, but give them to baby to play with.
"The first thing I saw when I came from school was my precious mug broken to pieces, and the locket quite spoiled. Nelly said baby had done it, but I fear that she had put it in baby's way on purpose. I was just going into a passion, but I looked straight to Jesus, and He helped me; so I said nothing to Nelly." R.
Thus God gave this little girl the victory. She overcame the temptation in Christ's power; and though very much grieved, yet, by grace, she behaved as a dear child; and hers was the true way of overcoming. We it remember what the apostle Paul said when he was in great distress: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.' (Phil. 4:1313I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13).) And when he had all that he needed, he still overcame in the same strength. We must not suppose that we need the Lord's strength less in the happy hour than in the sorrowful one. Pleasure often leads our hearts from God, while pain sometimes leads them to God. It is as the Christian has the Lord Jesus continually before him as his strength, that he overcomes. Sometimes we find ourselves trying to overcome ourselves by our own efforts, but we do not thus obtain the victory. We must, like our young friend, look straight to the Lord Jesus, and He will give us strength to be more than conquerors.
A CHILD'S VICTORY.
Let me tell you about a little child with whom I was staying a short time ago, who by the power of the Holy Ghost overcame a great temptation. She was a child naturally of extreme self-will, and if opposed in any way, she directly became exceedingly obstinate, sometimes remaining so for many hours.
One of these occasions showed itself when she came into my room to have her daily Bible lesson. She was learning the 23rd Psalm. Her parents had gone abroad for a time, and were soon returning; and I said to her, " You don't yet know your Psalm very well; I should like you to know it much better before your mamma comes home."
"Oh! but," she said, " I must know it for mamma; I must say it quite well to her."
I knew this cost her much, as she was not fond of learning, and found difficulty in retaining by heart.
She then began to repeat the Psalm, making several mistakes at the fourth verse, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." I said to her, "I want E———to say that verse over till she says it without one fault."
After having repeated it three times with many faults, she stopped short, and said in a very decided manner, plainly showing she meant what she said, " I won't say it anymore; I can't, I don't want to." I paid no attention to this, but simply told her to say it again; then she looked very angry, and exclaimed, " I said I would not say it again, I'm not going to; I won' t say it anymore;" and her little face, before radiant with sunshine at the thought of "saying it quite well to mamma," now looked dark and cloudy, as though some distant storm were brewing, and I saw with pain she was in one of her sadly obstinate fits, and that the Evil one was getting the better of her.
Again she was asked to say it; again she sternly refused.
Seeing it to be quite useless to ask her any more, and knowing that self-will and obstinacy are peculiarly difficult to deal with, I thought it best to turn her mind to something else.
As I had said she was to repeat the verse till she knew it perfectly, I wished to keep to it, at the same time knowing it required a far higher power than mine to make her willing to obey, so strong was her will.
After waiting a few minutes, I silently asked the Lord to guide and show me His mind about it.
It may seem to you a little thing, but nothing concerning any of His children is small in the Father's eyes, because the Father looks at them as in Christ, and all that concerns them concerns His Son, and therefore, must accordingly be precious to Him; and we are told the Father loves the believer with the same love with which He loves the Son (John 17:2323I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)), and that we know to be measureless! We can never bear in mind too much that God delights for us to go to Him about everything.
After a long silence, I said, " Can E——tell me what Jesus did when He was down here on earth, and Satan came and tempted Him to do a very naughty thing, and one that would have disobeyed and displeased God very much? "
She said, " No, I can't."
" Shall I tell you? "
" Yes."
I then told her how Satan tempted the Lord Jesus three times, and how He told Satan to go behind Him, and overcame the Tempter by using God's own word, and she seemed much struck, and it was touching to watch the struggle that was going on within.
I said, " Does Jesus want us to be like Him? "
" Yes," she said.
" Yes," I repeated; " and it is the Father's wish to make us like His Son in everything. He is thinking of it all day long; and every little thing that happens to Goal's children down here is to make us more and more like His Son. That is God's one object concerning all those who are washed in the blood of Jesus.
" If," I continued, " Satan came and tempted me to be very naughty, and I said, go away, Satan,' do you think he would go?"
She looked up in my face, and said slowly, " Yes;-I think he would, and I think God would make him go away," and without another word she turned her little head round.
She did not know with what tearful joy I saw those little lips move; but what was my joy in comparison to the joy it gave the heart of God, to see a little child scarce more than five years old overcoming an evil passion by the power of the Holy Ghost.
In another moment she looked up in my face, with almost tears on her own, and said,
" I will say that verse now, I will say it as often as you like, till-till—I know it quite well."
The victory was won-the child was happy -God was praised, and I silently thanked
the Lord for thus glorifying Himself in one so young, and in bringing His own word home with power to her young heart; feeling it to be a lesson from Himself that both the child and I would never forget.
E. O'N. N.
Every Christian child does, we are sure, desire in his heart to be a dear child, for God the Holy Spirit has planted this desire within the Christian's breast. When selfishness or passion, or any other sin is given way to, sorrow must surely follow. Then it is that the love of the Lord Jesus, as the Holder-up, the Sustainer of His people, is felt. For by His word He makes them happy again before Him.
The Lord Jesus lives in heaven for us. He remains in God's presence on our behalf, and He teaches our hearts to own to God the wrong which we have done. So we read, " If we confess our sins, He (that is God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).) All that which is displeasing to God is sin, and the Lord is in heaven to speak for us to our Father there. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:11My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1))
Let us take some illustrations of Christian behavior during the hours of sickness.
PATIENT AND USEFUL.
Little Annie was suffering from a severe attack of rheumatic fever, and was very weak and ill. She particularly wished to see me, and as I sat by her bedside, she asked me to read with her.
"What shall it be, Annie?"
"The first chapter of John, please," she said.
"It is always the first of John, or 'Rock of Ages,'" said her grandmother. She is a regular little woman, and without her I don't know what we should do. May God raise her up! She is the little housekeeper; she knows what everything costs-how much for coals, and bread, and rent, child though she is. She minds the little ones, too, and is a mother to them when I am out at work."
So we read a verse or two from the first of John's Gospel-" Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), where dwellest Thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day."
"Behold the Lamb of God!-that is, Look at Jesus. This is the first word to us all. Look at Jesus as the Lamb of God. And why the Lamb, Annie? "
"Because He was sacrificed for us."
"Yes, and God's Lamb, because God gave Him to die, and because Jesus was holy."
"Then Jesus says to those who listen to these words and follow Him, 'Why do you seek Me?' And what answer would you give, Annie? Surely this-'That I may live with Thee, dear Lord Jesus, that I may reach Thy home above.'"
And Jesus says, "Come and see;" so "they came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day." And so shall every one who looks at Him by faith follow Him here, and dwell with Him above through the long bright day of eternity.
This was little Annie's portion in God's word, and may its blessed truths be found in the heart of every one of our little readers-to look to Jesus-to follow Jesus-and to live with Jesus.
Little Annie is restored again to health, and is busy once more at housekeeping for her grandmother, and a useful, handy girl she is.
HAPPY WHILE SUFFERING.
Charley Dudley was a cripple, and the only child of poor parents. One day as Charley was sit-ting by his window, unable to move, a young lady paid him a visit, saying, "I heard that a little invalid lived here, and I have come to cheer one of his lonely hours." After chatting a while with him, the lady asked Charley if he would like to come to a Sunday school. "I can't walk, miss," was the poor lad's reply but when he heard that the young lady's father would send his carriage for him every Sunday, poor little Charley's face brightened up with delight.
When Charley's mother came home, he told her all about the visit, and his mother promised him that if the carriage came, he should go to the school. And, sure enough, at ten o'clock on Sunday morning the beautiful carriage drove up to the door, with the kind young lady seated in it, and Charley was driven off to the school.
You may guess why this young lady took all this trouble about the poor child. It was because she wished that he might indeed know the love of Jesus and be happy forever. One day the boy said to her, " Miss Caroline, do you think Jesus loves me? " "He loved you so much that He came down from His home in heaven to die upon the cross for sinners," was the reply; and very simply did the poor boy receive in his heart the 'sweet story of Jesus' love. God gave him power to believe upon the Lord, and Charley was enabled to say to his kind teacher, "Oh, I am so happy, so very happy; I have found Jesus. Everything looks bright now;" and he pointed from his poor little window to the trees and fields -"The trees are more beautiful now, and I am so happy."
And the poor little sufferer would say, "I shall very soon be with Jesus, and then I shall not suffer any more pain; and shall not I be happy up there?"
My little friends, are you as happy as poor Charley the cripple?
F. B.
We will speak of another boy who, by his patience in sickness, glorified God, and who thus teaches us a happy lesson as a dear child.
JESUS HELPS ME.
Willie was a poor, sick boy, who had been a great sufferer for a long time. For more than two years he had lain on his bed, unable to move more than his head and his hands. A good, kind minister, whom we will call Mr. Norton, used to go very often to see him. One day he was talking to him, and said, speaking of a boy in his Bible-class, "James loves his Savior; do you, Willie?"
"Yes, sir," said Willie, "I think I do a little, but not as I ought."
After Mr. Norton had gone Willie was very unhappy, and cried. The next morning he was grave and thoughtful, but seemed happy. Not long after this conversation, Willie grew very much worse, and everyone thought he was dying. He asked for Mr. Norton, but he was away from home, and was not expected back for a few days. At last he came, and great was Willie's joy at seeing him. He said to him, "Oh sir, I have been wanting to see you so much. Every day I have prayed to God to let me live till you came home, because I had something I wanted to tell you, and He has answered my prayer."
"What did you want to tell me?" asked the minister.
"Only this, sir, that I love Jesus now with all my heart, and He has made me so happy."
Thankful, indeed, must Mr. Norton have been as he heard these simple words from the sick boy; and when he left, it was, doubtless, with the thought that they were the last he should hear from his lips on earth. But, greatly to the surprise of all, Willie became better for some months, then again he grew worse, and we saw that the end was near. He suffered great pain, but was always patient, and sometimes he would say, "Jesus helps me to bear it; He suffered so much more for me."
H. A. T. S. M.
As Christian people grow older they learn to set a greater value upon those things in which God takes the greatest pleasure. And. such things are very often the unseen things of life. Very few eyes would see the patience of a sick child, but Christian patience is precious to our Father in heaven. In olden times persons used to stand up in the corners of the streets, and there make long prayers to God. But the Lord tells us not to pray so that we may be seen of men, but to pray to our Father " in secret." It used to be a custom for people to make a great show of their almsgiving and charity, but the Lord Jesus tells us not to let our left hand know what our right hand doeth. Our Father's eye sees all. He sees into our hearts, as well as beholds our actions; and the gentle spirit and the meek and lowly heart are more dear to Him than great things done for men to see.
We have already spoken of serving the Lord, but of this we may be sure, that the dear child will ever be the most useful servant of God.
At times God brings to Himself a child in a family, and not only for the blessing of the child, but also for the blessing of the parents and the brothers and sisters of the circle. The happy path for such a child will be the quiet and humble one. It is not seemly for children to say much, as if teaching their parents, but Christ-like behavior is always a sweeter and a stronger voice than language.
Let us, by the following story, learn how God can use a few simple and child-like words to the blessing of a parent; the speaker being the father of the little girl in question.
A FATHER'S TESTIMONY.
" Well, sir, you must first know that I was for many years in the army in India, and, like many others, had no concern whatever for my soul's eternal welfare. I drank freely of intoxicating liquors, and spent much of my time in drinking; and only the night before it pleased God to arrest me I was turned out of a public-house. My habit was to spend most of the Sunday in bed, so that for many years I never attended a place of worship, but, having several children, I was always desirous that they should go somewhere on the Sunday, and also attend a school. It was only, however, the other day that my children returned from a place of worship just as I was coming downstairs to my Sunday dinner, and one of them-a dear little girl of six years-looked up into my face, and said, Father, why do you not go to church? ' at which I felt so reproved that it went like a dagger into my heart.
"Again she said, 'One of our children has heard someone sing such a beautiful hymn, father, and it is about being WASHED WHITER THAN SNOW.'
"I then said, 'What does it mean, my child? Do you know anything that can wash whiter than snow?"
"'Oh, yes; it is the blood of Jesus that washes whiter than snow, father.'
"This was more than I could stand. I felt what a sinner I must be, for my own child, only six
years old, thus to reprove and instruct me. I said no more, but my heart was pierced with the thought of my need of being washed and made fit for the presence of God. The words, ' whiter than snow,' seemed never to leave my mind. Day and night they were in my thoughts. At last I became so miserable, and thought so much of my soul, my sins, and eternity, that I determined to drown all my thoughts with sinful pleasure, but this entirely failed to take away my misery.
" After that I got alone with God, owned myself to be a miserable, guilty sinner, cried earnestly to Him for salvation, and began to read the Bible. Then I found that ' the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin,' and that those who believed in Him would receive remission of sins. Here I could rest before God, and from that time my soul has been in much peace through resting on the blood of Jesus as the only way of peace with God. Since then I have also seen from Scripture that I have everlasting life, and I believe, sir, that God means what He says-that He has given me everlasting life, so that I cannot perish, but shall be in glory with God and the Lamb forever." H. H. S.
What joy must have filled the heart of this little girl when she heard her father begin to speak to her of the Lord Jesus and of His precious blood. And through all eternity it will be a special joy for those who have been the happy means of bringing others to their good Lord and Savior to sing together in glory His praises who died for us.
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." (Col. 3:12, 1312Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (Colossians 3:12‑13).)
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:44, 4544But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44‑45).)
THE SWEET STORY.
I love to hear the story
Which angel voices tell,
How once the King of Glory
Came down on earth to dwell;
I am both weak and sinful,
But this I surely know,
The Lord came down to save me,
Because He loves me so.
I'm glad my blessed Savior
Was once a child like me,
To show how pure and holy
His little ones might be.
O may I try to follow
His footsteps here below,
Who never will forget me,
Because He loves me so.
To sing His love and mercy
My sweetest songs I'll raise,
And though I cannot see Him
I know He hears my praise!
For He has kindly promised
That I shall surely go
To live with Him in glory
Because He loves me so.