AVERY little girl, only four years of age, was once taken by her parents on a short visit to a seaside town.
On the morning following, she knelt by the bedside, and after having put up a few simple petitions for God's blessing and protection for herself and others dear to her, and for the forgiveness of all her sins, she added, quite of her own accord, "Oh, and thank you very much, good, kind Lord Jesus, for letting me come down to B. with papa and mamma; I did want to come so, and 'tis so nice!" There was no mistaking the sincerity of that thanksgiving: the deep earnestness of the little one's tone of voice proved that she meant all she said.
“The Lord hearkened and heard," for He hath ordained that "praises should be perfected out of the mouth of babes and sucklings." It rejoices His heart to receive thanks and praises from the tiny lambs of His flock.
“Children's praise He loves to hear,
Children's songs delight His ear.”
Many little children forget very often to thank their earthly friends and relatives for their pleasant gifts. This is sadly ungrateful and rude; but how much oftener do they forget to thank God for all the "good and perfect gifts" which He is ever showering down upon them. No child could count up the blessings and comforts which are given to him or to her by God, and which are given so freely, too, without His having been even asked for them; and should there not be thanks returned for them?
Do you remember, dear children, how when the Lord Jesus was upon this earth going about doing good He healed ten poor lepers who came to Him? They were suffering from such a terrible disease that no one dared to come near them, or to have anything at all to do with them. Yet the Lord in His tender pity healed them all. How many out of the ten do you think remembered to thank the Lord for being so kind to them? Surely all of them! No, only one out of ten and he no doubt was considered by the rest to be the worst of the whole number, because he was not a true Jew, but only a Samaritan. Is it much the same now in our day, we wonder? E. G.