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Precept Upon Precept ; 
 
 OR, A SERIES OF 
 
 THE EARLIEST RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 
 
 THE INFANT MIND IS CAPABLE 
 
 OF RECEIVING. 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 "THE PEEP OF DAY." • 
 
 SAMUEL TO DANIEL. 
 
 Precept on precept." — Isa. xxviii, 10. 
 
 New York : 
 
 THOMAS WHITTAKER, 
 
 2 & 3 Bible House. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/preceptuponpreceOOmort 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LESSO:,- PAGE 
 
 1. Samuel, or the pious motner. 1 Sam. 1 ; 2: 1-11, 5 
 
 2. Samuel, or the little prophet. 1 Sam. 2 : 18 to end, 11 
 8. Samuel, or the ark in the battle. 1 Sam. 4 : 1-18, 17 
 
 4. Samuel, or the god Dagon. 1 Sam. 5 ; 6 ; 7 : 4, 23 
 
 5. Saul, or the king. 1 Sam. 8 ; 9 ; 10, . . . . 80 
 
 6. Saul, or the disobedient deed. 1 Sam, 15, . . . 37 
 
 7. David, or the young shepherd. 1 Sam. 16 : 1-14, 43 
 
 8. David, or the harp. 1 Sam. 16 : 14 to end, . . 47 
 
 9. David, or the giant Goliath. 1 Sam. 17 : 1-54, . 54 
 
 10. David, or the javelin. 1 Sam. 17 : 55 to end ; 18 ; 
 
 19 : 1-10, 69 
 
 11. David, or the cave. 1 Sam. 24, 65 
 
 12. David, or the spear. 1 Sam. 26, 72 
 
 13. David, or the promise fulfilled. 1 Sam. 80 ; 2 Sam. 
 
 1 ; 2:4; 5 : 1-3, 77 
 
 14. David, or the ark on Zion. 2 Sam. 5 : 7-11 ; 1 
 
 Chron. 13 ; 15 ; 16 ; 17, 85 
 
 15. David, or Uriah's wife. 2 Sam. 11 ; 13 : 1-14, . 92 
 
 16. David, or the punishment. 2 Sam. 15; 16 ; 17, 99 
 
 17. David, or the oak-tree. 2 Sam. 18; 19: 1-^4, . 106 
 
 18. David, or the farewell. 2 Sam. 19; 1 Kings, 2- 
 
 38, 39; 1 Chron. 28; 29, 118 
 
 19 Solomon, or the wise choice. 2 Chron. 1 : 1-6; 1 
 
 Kings, 3 : 3 to end, 118 
 
 20. Solomon, or the temple. 1 Kings, 5 : 16-17 ; 2 
 
 Chron. 3 ; 4 ; 5 ; 6 ; 7 : 1-12, 126 
 
 tl. Solomon, or the queen's visit. 2 Chron. 7 : 11 to 
 
 end; 1 Kings, 10 181 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 22. Solomon, or the idols. 1 Kings, 11 : 1-13, . . 136 
 
 23. Jeroboam, or the dried-up hand. 1 Kings, 12; 25 
 
 to end; 13: 1-7, 33, 34, HO 
 
 24. Elijah, or the ravens. 1 Kings, 16 : 29 to end ; 
 
 • 17 : 1-7, 144 
 
 25. Elijah, or the widow. 1 Kings, 17 : 8 to end, . 149 
 
 26. Elijah, or the two altars. 1 Kings, 18: 1-40, . . 154 
 
 27. Elijah, or the rain. 1 Kings, 18 : 41-46 ; 19 : 1-8, 163 
 
 28. Elijah, or the call of Elisha. 1 Kings, 19 : 9 to end, 168 
 
 29. Elijah, or the vineyard of Naboth. 1 Kings, 21 ; 
 
 22 : 34-36 ; 2 Kings, 9 : 30-37, 173 
 
 30. Elijah, or the three captains. 2 Kings, 1, . . . 181 
 
 31. Elijah, or the chariot of fire. 2 Kings, 2 : 1-15, 186 
 
 32. Elisha, or the bears. 2 Kings, 2 : 23-25 ; 4 : 1-7, 192 
 
 33. Elisha, or the little room. 2 Kings^ 4: 8-37, . 198 
 
 34. Elisha, or the little maid. 2 Kings, 5, . . . .207 
 
 35. The last king of Israel, and his people. 2 Kings, 
 
 17 : 1-24, 215 
 
 36. Hezekiah, or the king who trusted in God. 2 
 
 Kings, 18 ; 19, . 217 
 
 87. Nebuchadnezzer, or the golden image. 2 Chron. 
 
 36 : 11-20; Daniel 3, 222 
 
 38. Belshazzar, or the * mine; on the walk l)aniel 5 231 
 
 39. Daniel, or the den of lions. Daniel 6, . . . . 237 
 
 40. The return to Jerusalem Ezra 1 ; 3 ; 6 : 14 to end, 246 
 
PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 SAMUEL OR THE PIOUS MOTHER. 
 
 1 Samuel, 1 ; 2 : 1-11. 
 
 You have heard, my dear children, how the 
 Israelites came into the land of Canaan. I 
 shall now tell you what happened to them in 
 Canaan, after Joshua was dead. Do you know 
 who was their King ? God was their King. 
 Joshua was not their King, though he used to 
 tell them what God wished them to do. Af- 
 ter Joshua was dead, there were other men 
 who told them what God wished them to do ; 
 but God was their King. 
 
 Do you remember that the tabernacle was 
 placed in Shiloh ? The high-priest lived in 
 Shiloh, that he might offer sacrifices in the 
 tabernacle. 
 
 I am now going to *ell you of a high-priest 
 called Eli 
 
PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Eli was a very good old man. A great 
 many people used to oome up every year to 
 Shiloh, to worship God at the tabernacle. 
 
 Among the people who came up to worship 
 at the tabernacle, there was a man who had 
 two wives. You know that people might 
 have two wives a long while ago, though they 
 must not have two now. 
 
 One of these wives was a very good woman, 
 and she was called Hannah ; but she had no 
 little child. The other wife was unkind and 
 wicked ; but she had a great many children. 
 The unkind wife laughed at Hannah, and said, 
 that God gave Hannah no child because He 
 did not love her. This was not true, for God 
 loved Hannah very much. Poor Hannah 
 used sometimes to cry when the other wife 
 spoke so unkindly to her. 
 
 Once when Hannah had come to Shiloh, 
 and the other wife had been laughing at her, 
 poor Hannah went to the tabernacle to pray 
 to God. Eli was in the court of the taber 
 nacle. He was sitting upon a high seat, and 
 he saw Hannah come into the court. Now 
 poor Hannah was praying to God in a very 
 low voice, and her eyes were red with weep- 
 
SAMUEL — THF FIOUS MOTHER. 7 
 
 ing. When Eli saw Hannah, he thought she 
 had been drinking wine, and he spoke roughly 
 to her, and said, Why do you not leave ofl 
 drinking wine? How much ashamed poor 
 Hannah must have been, when Eli said this 
 to her before all the people. But she an- 
 swered very meekly, and said, I have not been 
 drinking wine ; I have been praying to God, 
 for I am very unhappy. 
 
 When Eli heard this, he spoke kindly to 
 her, and said, May God give you what you 
 have been asking for. 
 
 What had poor Hannah been praying for ? 
 She had been praying for a little child, and 
 she had been promising God to bring him 
 up to serve God, and to teach people about 
 God. 
 
 Hannah was very glad when Eli spoke so 
 kindly to her, and she wiped away her tears, 
 and she went home looking quite happy. 
 You see, dear children, that it is a good thing 
 to pray to the Lord when we are unhappy. 
 I hope you do so when you are sick, or when 
 you are in disgrace, or when people are un- 
 kind to you 
 
 Hannah went away from Shiloh to the place 
 
8 PBECEPT CJPON PEECEPT. 
 
 where she lived in Canaan, and God gave hei 
 a little babe, and she called bis name Samuel* 
 
 While Samuel was a babe, Hannah did not 
 go up to Shiloh ; but when he was a little 
 child about three or four years old, she took 
 him up to Shiloh with her. 
 
 Hannah did not forget her promise to bring 
 up her child to teach people about God ; and 
 she did not mean to keep him always at home 
 with her, though she loved him very much : 
 for she wished the good old high-priest Eli to 
 bring him up, and to teach him. So she 
 brought the child to Eli, and said to him, I 
 am the woman that you once saw in the court 
 of the tabernacle, praying to God ; I was pray- 
 ing for this child, and God has heard my 
 prayer, and I wish the child to be brought up 
 to serve God. 
 
 Eli took the little boy to live with him. 
 Hannah sung a beautiful song of praise to 
 God for His goodness in hearing her prayers, 
 and then she left her dear little Samuel, and 
 she went home again with her husband. 
 
 Do you think she ever came to see her 
 child? Yes, every year, and she always 
 brought him a present of a dress such as the 
 
SAMUEL — THE PIOUS MOTHER. 9 
 
 people wore in those days. It was a linen 
 
 dress down to his feet, and it had long sleeves, 
 Samuel used to wear a linen ephod also, such 
 as the priests wore, though Samuel was not a 
 priest himself. God had put his spirit into 
 Samuel's heart, so that he liked serving the 
 Lord in the tabernacle, and seeing the sacri- 
 fices offered, and hearing the Lord praised by 
 the priests and the people. As he grew older, 
 he pleased God more and more, and a great 
 many people loved him. How glad Hannah 
 must have been when she came to see him, to 
 hear that he was a good child. It makes 
 your parents, dear children, very happy to 
 hear that you are good. And the angels are 
 pleased when you are good, and Jesus your 
 Saviour is pleased. I hope you will be like 
 little Samuel, and be God's children while yon 
 are very young. 
 
 What lovely child with flowing hair 
 
 Old Eli's steps attends ? • 
 
 And why does he an ephod wear, 
 As by the priest he bends ? 
 
 It is the child to Hannah sent, 
 
 When humbly she implored— 
 It is the child by Hannah lent 
 
 To her prayer-hearing Lord. 
 
10 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Nor foolish mirth, nor idle sports, 
 Young Samuel's heart engage ; 
 
 With joy he treads God's holy courts, 
 E'en from his tenderest age. 
 
 This child, with heavenly grace endued, 
 Was lovely in man's sight ; 
 
 And by his gracious Saviour viewed 
 With infinite delight. 
 
SAMUEL — THE LITTLE PROPHET. 11 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 SAMUEL, OR THE LITTLE PROPHET. 
 
 1 Samuel, 2 : 18, to end. 
 
 You have heard, dear children, how Sam- 
 uel lived with old Eli at Shiloh. 
 
 They did not live in the tabernacle, but in 
 some tents very near it. 
 
 You would like to know whether Eli had 
 any children of his own. He had two sons, 
 who were grown-up men, and they were 
 priests, and offered sacrifices at the altar. 
 
 I suppose you think that Eli's sons were 
 good, because Eli was good ; but I am sorry 
 to tell you, that they were very wicked men. 
 They did not love God, they only cared for 
 eating, and amusing themselves; and they 
 did not wish to please God. Eli was good 
 himself, but he did not punish his wicked 
 sons, and that was very wrong in Eli. God 
 has told fathers to beat their children with 
 the rod, to save them from going to hell. My 
 dear children, do your parents punish you 
 when you Ml into passion, or are disobedient, 
 or tell lies? They punish you to make yon 
 good. 
 
12 PRECEPT UPON PBECEPT. 
 
 Eli heard of the wicked things that hia 
 sons did ; and he said to them, Why do you 
 such wicked things ? Every body tells me 
 of your wickedness. my sons, the Lord 
 will be very angry with you, and will punish 
 you. But Eli's sons would not mind what 
 their father said, but went on in their bad 
 ways. 
 
 At last a good man came to Eli, and told 
 him that God was very angry, and that he 
 would let both his sons be killed in one day. 
 
 It must have grieved Eli to hear this. God 
 was displeased with Eli for not having pun- 
 ished his sons. Yet Eli was a good man, and 
 God loved him. 
 
 The two sons went on in their wickedness. 
 And now you shall hear something else that 
 God said. 
 
 One evening old Eli was lying in bed ; and 
 little Samuel was lying in another bed a little 
 way oi£ Samuel heard a voice calling him, 
 Samuel I Samuel thought that Eli called 
 him, and he answered, Here am I ; and then 
 he got out of bed, and ran to Eli, to know 
 what he wanted. You see what a kind little 
 child Samuel was, and how ready he was to 
 wait upon old Eli. 
 
SAMUEL — THE LITTLE PBOPHET. 18 
 
 But Eli said to Samuel, I did not caJ. you. 
 Then Samuel went and lay down again. 
 
 Soon afterwards Samuel heard some one 
 call again, Samuel ! So he went again to Eli, 
 and said, Here am I, for you did call me. 
 But Eli said, I did not call, my son ; lie down 
 again. 
 
 Then Samuel lay down, and he soon heard 
 the voice again saying, Samuel ! Then he 
 felt sure that it was Eli who called him, and 
 he went to him, and said, Here am I, for you 
 did call me. 
 
 Now Eli knew who it was who had called 
 Samuel. 
 
 My dear child, do you know who it was ? 
 It was the Lord. 
 
 So Eli told Samuel to lie down again, and 
 when he heard the voice, to answer, Speak, 
 Lord, for Thy servant heareth. Samuel was 
 to call himself God's servant. 
 
 So Samuel went and lay down again, and 
 soon the Lord came and stood by him, and 
 called as before, Samuel, Samuel ! Then 
 Samuel answered, Speak, for Thy -servant 
 heareth. God had never spoken to »?«unuel 
 before. Samuel must have longed *** know 
 2 
 
14 PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 what the Lord had to say to him. It was 
 something very sad and dreadful; it was 
 about EH 
 
 God told Samuel that he should soon pun- 
 ish Eli's sons for their wickedness, and that 
 he was displeased with Eli for not having 
 punished them. 
 
 After God had done speaking, Samuel re- 
 mained in his bed, and Eli did not call him. 
 Samuel did not like to tell Eli that Grod was 
 displeased with him. 
 
 So when the morning came, Samuel did 
 not go to Eli, but began to open the doors 
 round about the tabernacle ; for it was Sam- 
 uel's business to open the doors. Soon Eli 
 called Samuel ; for he wanted to know what 
 God had said to Samuel. Eli begged Samuel 
 to tell every thing to him, and to hide nothing 
 from him. Then little Samuel told Eli all 
 that God had said. 
 
 How grieved Eli must have been when he 
 heard that the Lord would punish his sons, 
 and that the Lord was displeased with him ; 
 but Eli answered very meekly, and said, Let 
 the Lord do what He pleases. Eli really loved 
 God, though he had done one wrong thing. 
 
SAMUEL — THE LITTLE PROPHET. 15 
 
 After this, God often spoke to Samuel, and 
 told him how he would punish wicked peo- 
 ple ; and Samuel used to tell people what 
 God had said, and all that Samuel told them 
 came true. Samuel was a prophet : a prophet 
 is a person to whom the Lord tells what He 
 means to make happen. 
 
 People paid great attention to what Samuel 
 said, but still many people went on doing 
 wicked things. The people in Shiloh were 
 very wicked, and God determined soon to pun- 
 ish them, as well as Eli's sons. But God loved 
 Samuel. What a happy child Samuel was. 
 
 My dear children, do not you wish that 
 God loved you ? If you love Him, I am sure 
 that He loves you ; for He has said, " I love 
 them that love me." Pray to God to make 
 you love Him a great deal more, and to make 
 you good like Samuel. I hope that you will 
 never be like Eli'n wicked sons. 
 
 What voice salutes young Samuel's ear, 
 
 So like to Eli's gentle tone ? 
 
 Oh I let the child no danger fear, 
 
 It is the Lord from Heaven come down. 
 
 And why does he to Samuel speak ? 
 On him the Lord has poured his grace, 
 And made him holy, wise, and meek, 
 And fit to till a prophet's place. 
 
16 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 With grief he hears of dreadful woes 
 The sons of Eli soon shall feel ; 
 But dreads the message to disclose, 
 Till Eli bids him all reveal. 
 
 Such was the tender, gentle child 
 
 To whom these honors high were given ; 
 
 On him the great Jehovah smiled, 
 
 And deigned to speak with him from heaven. 
 
 CHI LD. 
 
 Lord, renew my infant heart, 
 Which is by nature hard and vain, 
 That I may act a lowly part, 
 And grieve to cause another pain. 
 
SAMUEL — THBABK. 17 
 
 LESSON III. 
 SAMUEL, OR THE ARK IN THE BATTLE. 
 
 1 Samuel, 4 : 1-18. 
 
 I shall tell you to-day how God punished 
 Eli's sons ; but first I must speak to you of 
 some people who lived in the land of Canaan, 
 called the Philistines. 
 
 The Philistines lived in some of the towns 
 of Canaan ; they were wicked people, who 
 worshipped idols, and they hated the Israel- 
 ites : they often fought against the Israelites, 
 and took away their things. When God was 
 pleased with the Israelites He did not let the 
 Philistines hurt them, but now He was angry 
 with the Israelites. 
 
 One day a great number of Philistines 
 came out of their towns to fight against the 
 Israelites. They brought some tents with 
 them, and slept in them at night. The Is- 
 raelites heard that the Philistines were com- 
 ing to fight against them ; so a great number 
 of Israelites took their swords and spears, and 
 placed their tents near the tents of the Philis- 
 tines. In the morning the Philistines and 
 9* 
 
18 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 the Israelites fought with each other. Who 
 do you think conquered? The Philistines. 
 Yes ; God did not help the Israelites as He 
 used to do, so the Israelites were frightened, 
 and ran back into their tents. 
 
 Now the Israelites ought to have prayed to 
 God to forgive their sins ; but instead of pray- 
 ing, they said, Let us send for the ark of God. 
 If the ark were here, we should be able to 
 conquer the Philistines. 
 
 You remember that the ark was a golden 
 box, on which Goi sometimes sat in a cloud. 
 But would the ark save them ? No ; only 
 God can save people. 
 
 The Israelites sent a person to Shiloh to 
 ask the priests to bring the ark to the tents. 
 The sons of Eli, you know, were priests. 
 They brought the ark to the tents of the Is- 
 raelites. When the Israelites saw the ark, 
 they were delighted, and they gave a very 
 loud shout to show their joy. The shout 
 could be heard a great way off. The Philis- 
 tines heard the shout ; and they asked why 
 the Israelites shouted. Soon they heard that 
 the ark of the God of Israel was come to the 
 tents of the Israelites. Then the Philistines 
 
SAMUEL — THE ARK. 19 
 
 were afraid, and they said, If the G od of the 
 Israelites should help them, what should we 
 do? .or their God once killed Pharaoh and 
 all his men, and He could kill us too. Oh ! let 
 us be very brave, and let us fight with all our 
 strength. 
 
 So the Philistines and the Israelites came 
 out of their tents to fight, and the priests 
 brought the ark on their shoulders. 
 
 But God did not help the Israelites. They 
 were soon afraid, and ran back to their tents, 
 and a great many of them were killed ; and 
 the two sons of Eli were 'killed, as God had 
 said. What became of the ark of God ? 
 
 The Philistines took it. How pleased they 
 were to get the ark. They carried it back to 
 the towns where they lived. 
 
 Eli had not come to the battle. He had 
 stayed in Shiloh : he was very unhappy about 
 the ark. He wanted to know what had be- 
 come of it ; so he sat upon a high seat just at 
 the gate of Shiloh. 
 
 At last a man came running along the road : 
 he had been fighting in the battle, and he 
 came to tell the people in Shiloh, all that had 
 happened. He had put dust upon his head, 
 
20. PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 and he had torn his clothes, to show that he 
 had sad news to tell ; for people used to put 
 dust on their heads, and to tear their clothes 
 when they were unhappy. But Eli was very 
 old, and he was blind and did not see the man : 
 and he did not know that the man had sad 
 news to tell. When the man told the people 
 in Shiloh what had happened, the people cried 
 out very loud with grief ; and Eli heard them 
 crying, and asked why they cried : then the 
 man answered, I am just come from the place 
 where the Israelites were fighting. Then Eli 
 said, what has happened there ? Then the 
 man said, The Israelites have run away from 
 the Philistines, and a great many Israelites 
 have been killed, and your two sons are dead, 
 and the ark of God is taken. 
 
 When Eli heard that the ark was taken, he 
 was very unhappy indeed : he was sitting on 
 a high seat that had no back, and he fell back- 
 wards in his grief, and broke his neck ; for he 
 was a very old man, and very heavy. He was 
 almost a hundred years old. 
 
 What a very sad way of dying this was, 
 instead of dying in his bed. 
 
 How grieved Samuel must have been, when 
 
SAMUEL — THE ARK. 21 
 
 he heard how Eli had died I Where did Eli's 
 soul go ? To heaven. Eli loved Grod very 
 much. 
 
 Why was Eli so sorry that the ark was 
 taken? Because the ark was the throne 
 where God used to sit, and he did not wish 
 wicked people to have it ; so you see that Eli 
 loved God very much. 
 
 Where had the souls of Eli's sons gone ? I 
 know they had gone into darkness ; for God 
 had said that He would not forgive them. 
 
 But God forgave Eli all his sins, though He 
 punished him before he died. 
 
 You will like to hear what the Philistines 
 did with the ark of God. I will tell you 
 about it in the next lesson. 
 
 THE ARK IN THE BA1TU, 
 
 Was it because his sons had perished, 
 That Eli's heart with grief was torn? 
 Rather because the ark so cherished 
 By heathen hands away was borne ; 
 That holy ark, where oft between 
 The cherubim the Lord was seen. 
 
 Ajid had the Lord at length departed 
 From Israel whom He loved so well? 
 Alas ! old Eli, broken-hearted, 
 From his high soat astonished felL 
 
22 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Oh ! who can doubt he loved the Lord, 
 And that to heaven his spirit soared ? 
 
 But though his sins were all forgiven, 
 And washed away in Jesus' blood, 
 His way had been less rough to heaven, 
 Had Eli honored more his God. 
 But sinners, where shall they appear f 
 For righteous men are punished hem. 
 
SAMUEL — THE GOD DAGON. 23 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 SAMUEL, OR THE GOD DAGON. 
 
 1 Samuel, 5 ; 6 ; 7:4. 
 
 Do you not wish to know what the Philis 
 tines did with the ark ? 
 
 They were much delighted at getting the 
 prk of the God of Israel ; for they knew that 
 he was a very great God. The Philistines 
 took the ark to one of their cities, or towns , 
 and they put it in the house of their idol, 
 Their idol's name was Dagon. The Philis- 
 tines had made an image like a man, and they 
 called it Dagon ; and they had built a house 
 for Dagon, and they had set Dagon up on a 
 high place ; so they used to come and worship 
 Dagon very often in this house. 
 
 The Philistines left the ark all night in the 
 house of Dagon: the next morning, they got up 
 early, and went into the idol's house. But what 
 do you think they saw when they went in ? 
 
 They saw their idol Dagon fallen down 
 from the high place, and lying upon his face 
 before the ark. 
 
 Who had thrown Dagon down ? It was God, 
 
24 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 who wished to show the Philistines that He was 
 stronger than idols, and that He hated idols. 
 
 The Philistines were not quite sure that it 
 was Grod who had thrown Dagon on the 
 ground ; so they lifted up Dagon, and set him 
 in his place again near the ark ; and they left 
 him. 
 
 The next morning they rose up early, and 
 came into the idol's house. What do you 
 think they saw this time ? 
 
 Dagon had fallen down again upon his face 
 before the ark ; and this time Dagon was brok- 
 en : his head and his hands were broken off 
 from his body. The Philistines were very 
 3orry their idol was broken. I do not know 
 whether they mended their idol, or whether 
 they set him up again ; but Grod soon made 
 something much worse happen to the Philis- 
 tines. Grod made them very ill indeed, and 
 full of pain. They said to one another, What 
 shall we do with the ark ? for it shall not stay 
 in this city any longer. So they sent it to 
 another city, where some other Philistines 
 lived. What do you think happened to the 
 people of that city when the ark of God was 
 •ome into it ? 
 
SAMUEL — THE GOD DAGON. 25 
 
 They fell very ill indeed, and a great many 
 of them died. So the people of the city sent it 
 to another city of the Philistines. The people 
 of the other city were very much frightened 
 when they saw the ark coming : they said, We 
 shall die, now the ark is brought here. 
 
 Soon they fell very ill, and a great many of 
 the people died, and the city was full of peo- 
 ple groaning and crying. 
 
 At last the Philistines thought they would 
 send the ark back to the Israelites ; but they 
 did not feel quite sure that the God of Israel 
 had been angry with them for keeping the ark. 
 
 Had the God of Israel been angry with 
 them ? Yes, my dear child ; you know that 
 it was God who had made them so ill, and 
 who had killed so many of them. 
 
 The Philistines made a plan for sending 
 back the ark. This was their plan. They 
 said, We will put the ark in a cart, and we 
 will take two cows that have never drawn a 
 cart before ; and we will tie them to the cart, 
 and we will shut up their calves in this place 
 where we live. No one shall drive the cows, 
 but we will see what they will do. If the 
 God of Israel is so great, He can make the 
 
26 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 cows take the ark back to the Israelites. If 
 the cows leave their calves, and go to the place 
 where the Israelites live, then we shall be quite 
 sure that it was the God of Israel who made 
 us so ill, to punish us for keeping the ark. 
 
 This was the plan of the Philistines. They 
 nad heard how God once sent plagues on Pha- 
 raoh, and the j were afraid lest God should do 
 the same to them. They said, We will no1 
 harden our hearts, as Pharaoh and the people 
 of Egypt did. 
 
 -The Philistines took two cows that gave 
 milk, and tied, them to the cart, and shut up 
 their calves at home, and they laid the ark of 
 God upon the cart, and they watched to see 
 what the cows would do. 
 
 Then God made the cows do a wonderful 
 thing. They drew the cart, without being 
 driven, along the road which led to the place 
 where the Israelites lived. They lowed as they 
 went, and never once turned out of the road. 
 
 Some of the Philistines followed the cart. 
 
 At last the cart came to a place where some 
 of the Israelites were reaping corn in a field. 
 These Israelites looked up, and saw the cart 
 coming, and soon they saw the -ark, and then 
 
SAMUEL- -THE GOD DAGON". 27 
 
 tney were very glad indeed. The cows brought 
 the cart into the field, and then stopped by 
 the side of a great stone. 
 
 The Israelites saw that it was God who had 
 sent the ark back to them again ; so they 
 wished to offer a sacrifice unto God to thank 
 Him. They took the ark out of the cart and 
 placed it on the great stone, and they took the 
 cart and cut it up for wood for a sacrifice ; 
 and they killed the two cows, and burned them 
 as a sacrifice, because it was God who had 
 made the cows bring the ark back. 
 
 The Philistines were much surprised at the 
 wonderful thing that God had done, and they 
 went back to their own land. Ought they 
 not to have left off worshipping idols, when 
 they saw how great the God of Israel was ? 
 
 Yes, they should have burned their idols 
 when they got home, and only worshipped the 
 true God. But they did go on worshipping 
 idols, and God was angry with them for it. 
 
 And the Israelites did a thing that dis- 
 pleased God very much. They looked into 
 the ark. God did not allow any body to look 
 into the ark. You know what there was 
 inside the ark. The book of stone in which 
 the ten commandments were written 
 
28 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 God is very angry when people dare to dis- 
 obey Him; so He made those Israelites fall 
 very ill, and a great many of them died. Then 
 they were afraid of keeping the ark in their 
 city, and they sent messages to some other 
 Israelites to come and take it ; and they came 
 and took it, and put it in the house of a man. 
 This man lived upon a hill, and he and his son 
 took care of the ark in one of the rooms of 
 his house. 
 
 Do you know why the ark was not sent 
 back to the tabernacle at Shiloh ? God was 
 angry with the people at Shiloh for all their 
 wickedness. The people in Shiloh had wor- 
 shipped idols, and so God would not let the 
 ark go back to Shiloh. 
 
 It was very kind in God to let the ark come 
 again into the place where the Israelites lived, 
 and all the people in Israel who loved God 
 were very glad that the ark had come back. 
 
 Philistines dared with heathen pride 
 To set the ark by Dagon's side, 
 Within their idol's temple walls ; 
 The door they close — 
 Lo, Dagon bows, 
 And on his face he falls. 
 
SAMUEL — THE GOD DAGON. 29 
 
 In vain they set him up again ; 
 
 He can not near the ark remain : 
 
 Ah ! see, he trembles where he standi 
 
 Falls from his place 
 
 With dire disgrace, 
 And breaks his head and hands. 
 
 CHILD. 
 
 And are some children taught to pr*y 
 To such a god as fell that day t 
 My parents, in my babyhood, 
 Instructed me 
 To bow the knee 
 To Israel's mighty God. 
 
 Oh ! may I be more wise and good 
 
 Than those who worship stone and woof - 
 
 For every sin the Lord abhors, 
 
 And He will cast 
 
 In hell at last 
 All those who break His Ism 
 
 8* 
 
tO PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 SAUL, OR THE KING 
 
 1 Samuel, 8 ; 9 ; 10. 
 
 Who was the King of the Israelites ? God 
 was the King of the Israelites. When Samuel 
 was grown up to be a man, he was called a 
 judge ; but he was not a king. He used to tell 
 the people what God wished them to do ; and he 
 used to punish bad people. Moses had once 
 been the judge of Israel, and Joshua had once 
 been the judge, and Eli had once been the 
 judge. Now, Samuel was called the judge. 
 H e did not sit on a throne, or weai a crown, 
 as kings do ; and he always asked God to tell 
 hi m what the people ought to do, and then he 
 told the people what God had said. The Is- 
 raelites ought to have be*en very glad that God 
 was their King. No other king was as good 
 and as great as He was. 
 
 You will be sorry to hear, that at last they 
 grew tired of having God for their King. They 
 said, We should like to have a king that would * 
 go out to battle before us. They wanted to 
 have a king that they could see. So they came 
 to Samuel, and said. Give us a king. 
 
SAUL— THE KING. 31 
 
 Samuel was very sorry to hear this, and lie 
 went and prayed to the Lord. Do you think 
 that God would let the Israelites have a king ? 
 Yes, he would : He was displeased with them 
 for wishing for a king ; but as they wanted a 
 king, God said they should have one. 
 
 So Samuel called the Israelites together to 
 speak to them, and then he said, God will let 
 you have a king; but this is the way in which 
 the king will treat you. He will make your 
 sons work for him : some of them will run be- 
 fore his chariots ; and some will make swords 
 and spears for him, and some will plough his 
 ground, and reap his corn ; and some of your 
 daughters will bake, and cook, and make nice 
 things for him to eat ; and he will take away 
 many of your fields, and gardens, and corn, 
 and sheep from you, and give them to whom 
 he pleases ; and then you will be sorry that 
 you wished for a king, and you will cry to 
 God, and He will not hear you. 
 
 Did the Israelites still wish for a king? Yes, 
 they would not mind what Samuel said ; but 
 they cried out, We will have a king. 
 
 Then all the people went home. 
 
 Who do you think would say what man 
 was to be king ? 
 
82 PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 God was to choose the king ; and God 
 would tell Samuel who was to be king. 
 
 I shall tell you about the man whom God 
 chose to be the king of Israel. 
 
 There was a young man whose father had 
 some fields, and sheep, and cows, and asses. 
 One day three asses were lost ; so the young 
 man went to look for them among the hills 
 and fields. The young man's name was Saul. 
 He took a servant with him, and he looked for 
 the asses a long while, but he could not find 
 them. At last Saul came near the city where 
 Samuel lived. 
 
 The servant said to Saul, I have heard that 
 there is a man in that city who is a prophet : 
 all he says comes true. Let us ask him where 
 the asses are. Then Saul said to his servant, 
 Come, let us go. So Saul and the servant went 
 into the city, and as they went along they met 
 Samuel. Saul and the servant had never seeD 
 Samuel before ; so they did not know who he 
 was. Samuel was an old man, and his hail 
 was long, and he used to wear a cloak. 
 
 Saul spoke to this old man, and said, Can 
 you tell me where the prophet's house is ? 
 
 gamuel answered^ I am the prophet 
 
SAUL— THE KING. 83 
 
 Did Samuel know who Saul was ? Yes, he 
 did ; for though Samuel had never seen him 
 before, God had told Samuel that he would 
 meet a man just at that time, who was to be 
 the king of Israel. Samuel knew who Saul 
 was, and he knew that Saul wanted to ask 
 him where the asses were. 
 
 Before Saul had told him that he had lost 
 some asses, Samuel said, The asses that you 
 lost three days ago are found. And Samuel 
 told Saul that he had a great deal to say to 
 him, and that he must come home with him 
 that evening, and that he would let him go 
 away the next morning. 
 
 So Saul and the servant went to Samuel's 
 house, and Samuel took Saul to the top of his 
 house, and talked to him alone ; but I do not 
 know what he said to him. 
 
 The next morning they all got up very early, 
 as soon as it was light, and Samuel walked with 
 Saul and the servant through the city. When 
 they were come to the outside of the city, Sam- 
 uel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before. 
 So the servant passed on before ; and Samuel 
 and Saul stood still together quite alone. 
 
 Then Samuel took a bottle of oil, that he 
 
84 PBEOEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 had brought with him, and poured it on Saul'i 
 bead, and said to him, Grod has chosen thee to 
 be king over Israel. 
 
 Why did Samuel pour the oil upon Saul's 
 head? It was as a sign that he was to be 
 the king. Pouring oil upon a person is called 
 anointing him. 
 
 After Samuel had anointed Saul, they parted 
 from each other. Saul went on his way, and 
 returned to his friends : but he did not tell any 
 one that he was to be the king of Israel. 
 
 Soon afterwards Samuel called all the Is- 
 raelites together, to tell them who was to be 
 the king. 
 
 Samuel told them that it was very wicked 
 in them not to like to have Grod for their King, 
 but still he said they should have a king. 
 
 Samuel showed the people who was to be 
 the king. When the people saw Saul, they 
 were very much pleased, for he was taller than 
 any of the Israelites: no one else reached 
 higher than his shoulder. The Israelites 
 wished to have a king that would look very 
 grand when he went out to battle. 
 
 The Israelites shouted when they saw hini| 
 and cried out, Grod save the king I 
 
SAUL — THE KING. 85 
 
 When the people had seen their king, they 
 went home to their houses. 
 
 Yon will soon hear what sort of a king San] 
 vas, whether he loved God, or whether he 
 lid not. 
 
 Did the Israelites deserve to have a good 
 king ? No. How ungratefully they had be- 
 haved to Grod, who had been so kind to them. 
 How ungrateful they were to Samuel, who had 
 been their judge. But Samuel was not angry 
 with them, he was only sorry that they were 
 wicked. Samuel went on teaching them and 
 persuading them to be good. 
 
 Do you not hope to find that Saul was a 
 good king ? 
 
 Are foolish Israel weary grown 
 Of their great King above— 
 Of Him who chose them for His own 
 And blessed them with His love ? 
 Oh ! where can they another find 
 So wise, so powerful, or so kind ? 
 
 But foolish Israel long to be 
 Like heathen nations round ; 
 To hare a king whom they can see. 
 With earthly splendor crowned ; 
 Who in the battle shall appear 
 And fill their enemies with fear. 
 
PRECEPT UPON PKECEPT. 
 v 
 
 Oh ! may I never weary grow 
 
 Of those sweet, pleasant ways 
 
 In which I have been taught to go, 
 
 E'en since my infant days ; 
 
 And may I never wish to be 
 
 Like those who care not, Lord, for Thet 
 
 Let me not join the careless throng 
 
 Who break the Sabbath-day ; 
 
 Nor waste my youth in dance and song 
 
 Decked out in garments gay ; 
 
 But let me leave each earthly thing, 
 
 And cleave to God my heavenly King, 
 
SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. 87 
 
 LESSON VL 
 BAUL, OR THE DISOBEDIENT DEED. 
 
 1 Samuel, 15. 
 
 I have told you how God made Saul the 
 king of Israel. Saul sat upon a throne and 
 wore a crown, and went to battle in a chariot. 
 He was a brave man, and could fight well 
 against wicked soldiers who tried to hurt the 
 Israelites. 
 
 Samuel used often to come and see him, and 
 advised him to serve God. l Samuel wished 
 Saul to be good, and he often prayed for him. 
 
 At last Grod chose to see whether Saul 
 would do all He desired him to do. You re- 
 member how God once tried Abraham ; and 
 how Abraham did what God desired him, be* 
 cause he loved God. What was it that Saul 
 was to do ? 
 
 There were some wicked people who lived 
 near the land of Canaan, called the Am-a-lek- 
 ites. God was displeased with them, and He 
 chose that they should all be killed. 
 
 One day Samuel came to Saul, and said to 
 •him, God commands you to go and fight 
 4 
 
88 PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 4gainst tlie Amalekites, and kill them aD, 
 men, women, and children, and oxen, and 
 sheep, and camels, and asses. 
 
 Saul got a great army of Israelites, and 
 Tent to the Amalekites, and conquered them. 
 'Then Saul ordered his soldiers to kill them 
 with their swords, as God had told him. But 
 he thought he should like to take the king of 
 the Amalekites back to Canaan with him ; so 
 he would not let him be killed. I think Saul 
 liked to bring the king home with him, be- 
 cause he thought it was a grand and fine thing 
 to have a king shut up near him in Canaan. 
 Neither did Saul kill the fat and strong oxen, 
 and sheep ; he only killed those that were 
 thin and weak. Saul wished to be rich, and 
 to have a great many cattle. 
 
 Did Saul obey God? No; Saul did not 
 love God ; so Saul did not wish to obey Him. 
 
 My dear children, if you love God you will 
 like to obey Him. 
 
 That night God spoke to Samuel, and told 
 him that He was much displeased with Saul. 
 
 Samuel was grieved to hear this, and he 
 prayed to God all night 
 
 The next morning Samuel went to look for 
 
SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. 39 
 
 Saul, for God had told him many things that 
 he must say to him. 
 
 Saul did not know that Samuel knew of 
 his wickedness ; so he tried to make Samuel 
 think that he had done all that God had told 
 him. 
 
 When Saul saw Samuel he pretended to be 
 glad to see him, and said, I have done the 
 commandment of the Lord. Then Samuel 
 said, What is this bleating of sheep, and low- 
 ing of oxen that I hear ? 
 
 Now Saul saw that Samuel knew what he 
 had done. He saw it would be of no use to 
 say, that he had not saved the sheep and ox- 
 en, so he began to make excuses for himself. 
 
 Saul said, It was the people who would not 
 kill the fat sheep and oxen. 
 
 Was it the people who had saved the sheep 
 and oxen ? Had not Saul saved them too ? 
 And why did Saul let the people do wicked- 
 ly ? Was he not the king ? Should he not 
 have made them do what was right ? 
 
 Would God have those sheep and oxen to 
 be offered in sacrifice to Him ? No ; God 
 would rather that Saul should obey him, than 
 that he should offer sacrifices. 
 
4:0 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Then Samuel told Saul that God was very 
 angry with him, and did not mean to let him 
 be king much longer. 
 
 Saul was very much frightened when he 
 heard that God would punish him, and he 
 said to Samuel, Do stay and pray to G-od with 
 me. But Saul was not really sorry ; he was 
 only afraid of being punished. Samuel knew 
 that he was not sorry for having offended Grod, 
 who had been so good to him, and Samuel 
 would not stay with him. Then Saul took 
 hold of Samuel's cloak, to hinder him from 
 going away, and he tore the cloak. 
 
 Samuel stopped, and said to Saul, God has 
 torn the land of Canaan from you, and He has 
 given it to a man that is better thaD you are. 
 Grod has done it already, and He will not 
 change His mind. 
 
 Saul begged Samuel very much to stay 
 with him, and to pray to God with him, that 
 the people might not know that God was 
 angry with him. You see that Saul cared 
 more about what people thought of him, than 
 about God's being pleased with him. 
 
 At last Samuel said that he would worship 
 God with him. 
 
SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. 41 
 
 Then Samuel desired to see the king of the 
 Amalekites, whom Saul had saved alive. 
 
 This king was a very wicked, cruel man, 
 and God chose that he should be killed. He 
 had hoped that as Saul had not killed him, 
 he should not die ; but Samuel took a sword 
 and killed him. 
 
 Then Samuel left Saul, and he never came 
 to see him any more ; but he still was very 
 sorry to think that he was so wicked. 
 
 I hope, my dear children, that when you 
 offend God, you will feel sorry. If you love 
 God, you will not like to displease Him. Saul 
 did not love God ; he only cared about being 
 punished. 
 
 Do you know whom God intended to make 
 king instead of Saul? I will soon tell you 
 his name. You will see he was a better man 
 than Saul. 
 
 Why was it so wicked in Saul not to kill 
 the king of the Amalekites, and the fat cattle ? 
 Because God had told him to kill them. We 
 ought to do what God tells us to do. Has He 
 told you to kill wicked people ? No ; but He 
 has told you to pray to Him, and to be kind, 
 and to speak truth, and a great many things 
 besides. 4* 
 
42 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 u Oh ! turn once more, and pray with me," 
 King Saul exclaimed most earnestly. 
 Oh I why does he thus sorrow show ; 
 Why fear to see the prophet go ? 
 
 Alas ! he has such evil done, 
 That God will chase him from his throne I 
 Nor will the Lord in mercy spare, 
 Nor listen to the prophet's prayer. 
 
 Saul does not of his sin repent, 
 But merely dreads the punishment ; 
 And could he still retain his throne, 
 He would not heed God's holy frown. 
 
 Lord ! when I have broke thy laws, 
 Is my heart only grieved because 
 
 1 fear lest Thou should plunge my goal 
 Where fiery waves forever roll ? 
 
 Or is it grieved because I've sinned 
 Against a God so good and kind ? 
 Do I feel thus ? Then by this sign 
 I knew that I'm a child of Thine. 
 
Of all that ever flocks have fed, 
 Since first the earth was green, 
 
 One shepherd's life-blood freely shed 
 For his lost sheep has been ; 
 
 When to the cross and through the 
 grave 
 He went, to seek them and to save. 
 
 P. upon P. 
 
 SHEPHERD AND WOLF. 
 
THE YOUNG SHEPHERD. 4A 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 DAVID, OR THE YOUNG SHEPHERD. 
 
 1 Samuel, 16 : 1-14. 
 
 Samuel did not know whom God meant to 
 make king instead of Saul. At last God said 
 to him, Fill a horn with oil, and go to Jesse 
 who lives in Bethlehem, for I have chosen 
 one of his sons as the king. 
 
 Jesse was an old man, and he had a great 
 many sons, who were grown up to be men, 
 Samuel found Jesse and his sons in Bethle- 
 hem. Then Samuel looked at the eldest of 
 Jesse's sons, to see whether he was the man 
 that God had chosen to be king. 
 
 Now this son was a very tall, fine-looking 
 man, who seemed fit to be a king, and Sam- 
 uel thought to himself, Surely this is the one 
 that God will choose for me to anoint. 
 
 But God told Samuel that He had not cho- 
 sen him. God does not care how a person 
 looks, but God cares for the heart. Now the 
 heart of Jesse's oldest son did not please God, 
 and this time God was going to choose a king 
 ▼ho loved Him in his heart. 
 
44 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Then Samuel looked at Jesse's second son ; 
 but when he saw him, he said that God had 
 not chosen him. Then Samuel looked at the 
 third son; but God had not chosen him. 
 Then he looked at the fourth ; neither had God 
 chosen him. Then Samuel looked at the fifth, 
 next at the sixth, and last of all at the seventh; 
 and jet God had not chosen any of them. 
 
 So Samuel said to Jesse, Have you any 
 more children ? 
 
 And Jesse answered, I have one more 
 child, the youngest, and he is keeping the 
 sheep. Then Samuel said, Send and bring 
 him : I want to see him immediately. 
 
 So Jesse sent a person to desire this young- 
 est son to come to him. 
 
 The name of this son was David. He was 
 not a grown-up man, but only a boy. He 
 had a beautiful color on his cheeks, and his 
 eyes had a pleasant look. 
 
 But did he love God in his heart ? Yes ; 
 he did love God. 
 
 When he came in, God said to Samuel, 
 Arise and anomt him; for this is he. So 
 Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed 
 him, while his seven brothers stood by. 
 
THE YOUNG SHEPHEBD. 45 
 
 Then Samuel went back to his own house. 
 
 Yon will hear a great deal about David. 
 God did not mean that he should become king 
 for a long while ; but David knew that he 
 certainly should be king one day. He went 
 on keeping his father's sheep. As he watched 
 them, he played on his harp, and sung sweet 
 songs of praise to God. His songs are called 
 psalms. 
 
 Do you think that David wished to be 
 king ? I do not think he wanted to sit on a 
 throne, and to wear a crown, but I know that 
 he would like to call people together to praise 
 God. When David was king, he could have 
 people taught about God ; and he could be 
 kind to poor people, and he could punish 
 wicked people. 
 
 When Samuel poured the oil on David's 
 head, God made His spirit come on him to 
 make him very wise and brave, and fit to be 
 a king ; for it is God who makes people w\ar 
 and brave. 
 
 Old Jesse's sons in order due 
 Once passed before the prophet's view : 
 The eldest son, of stately height, 
 Was not accepted in God's sight. 
 
46 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Six others came, by Jesse led, 
 Yet on their heads no oil was shed. 
 
 Where was that fairer, younger ono, 
 Whom God would place on Israel's throne 1 
 Beside his father's flock he stayed, 
 And on his harp he sweetly played : 
 On him the holy oil was poured, 
 For he was chosen of the Lord. 
 
 'Twas not his lovely form or face, 
 
 That made him with the Lord find grace ; 
 
 But God, who every secret knew, 
 
 Saw in his heart affection true, 
 
 That still His gracious favor sought, 
 
 And on His loving-kindness thought 
 
 The holy Samuel could not tell 
 Which son the Lord approved well : 
 Men see our looks, our words they hear, 
 But can not know whose heart's sincere. 
 The Lord into each bosom piies, 
 And pierces through each fair disguise. 
 
 Oh ! tell me, Lord, my real state, 
 Lest I should knock at heaven's gate, 
 And hear a voice within declare 
 That I can never enter there. 
 Oh 1 has my heart been born again ; 
 Or do I still in sic remain? 
 
_j2i -pry ■ ■ •:-^jis»ri'''J7,>v '^ 
 
DAVID — THE HARP. 47 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 DAVID, OR THE HARP. 
 
 1 Samuel, 16 : 14, to end. 
 
 Did Saul know who was to be king matt,ad 
 of him? No ; Samuel did not tell Sa iL what 
 he had done. Saul would have been very 
 angry, if he had known that David had been 
 anointed ; but he did not know it. 
 
 Yet Saul was very unhappy. God had let 
 a wicked spirit come into him. Saul felt 
 frightened and uneasy, so that he could not 
 rest. He lived in a fine house called a palace, 
 but this did not make him happy; he had 
 many servants to wait upon him, but they 
 could do him no good. You see, my dear 
 children, what a sad thing it is to offend God. 
 God can make people happy, and He can make 
 them unhappy. 
 
 What should Saul have done when he was 
 so unhappy ? He should have prayed to God 
 to forgive him. But he did not love praying 
 to God. 
 
 Saul's servants saw that he had a wicked 
 spirit in him, and they said to him, Shall we 
 
48 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 look for a man who can play very sweetly on 
 the harp ? Perhaps, if yon were to listen to 
 very sweet mnsic, yon might get well. 
 
 Then Sanl answered his servants, Look for 
 snch a man, and bring him to me. 
 
 Whom conld the servants send for ? One 
 of the servants had heard of David, and he 
 said to Sanl, I have seen one of the sons oi 
 Jesse, who lives at Bethlehem, and he can 
 play beautifully on the harp; and besides 
 this, he is a very brave young man, and he 
 can speak very wisely, and he is very hand- 
 some ; and God loves him : shall I send for 
 him? 
 
 Saul said that he would have this young 
 man sent for. Some of Saul's servants went 
 to Jesse and said, King Saul wishes to see 
 your son David, who takes care of the sheep. 
 
 Jesse said that David might go : and he 
 told David to take a present to king Saul. 
 What was the present ? Some bread, a kid, 
 which is a young goat, and a bottle of wine. 
 David put all these things upon an ass, and 
 brought them to Saul. When Saul saw David 
 he loved him very much. Perhaps Saul loved 
 him because he had a sweet look, and could 
 
DAVID — THE HARP. 49 
 
 play well on the harp ; but God loved him 
 because David wished to please Him. 
 
 Saul liked David so much that he wished 
 David to stay with him a long while, and to 
 be always near him. So Saul sent a message 
 (o Jesse, to say that he wished to keep him. 
 
 David, very often played to Saul upon the 
 tiarp, and when David played he grew better, 
 and at last he grew quite well. 
 
 At last David went away from Saul, and 
 fed his father's sheep as he used to do. 
 
 I think David liked taking care of his fa- 
 ther's sheep better than living with Saul ; for 
 Saul was wicked, and many of his servants 
 were wicked. 
 
 David was very happy when he was alone, 
 thinking about God. Did you ever hear any 
 of David's psalms ? In one of his psalms ha 
 calls God his Shepherd. David took gre?t 
 care of his sheep, and led them to places 
 where green fresh grass grew, and to smooth 
 and clear water ; and he made them lie down 
 on the softest grass in cool places by the 
 river's side. While David was taking so 
 much care of his sheep, he thought that God 
 took still more care of him ; and he said, The 
 
50 PRECEPT UPON PRE0EP1. 
 
 Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want ; He 
 maketh me to lie down in green pastures, and 
 beside still waters. What are pastures ? 
 Grass. And what are still waters ? Smooth 
 waters. 
 
 Have you a shepherd, my dear children ? 
 I hope that the Lord is your Shepherd too, 
 and that you are His dear little lambs. Jesus 
 is the good Shepherd, who died to save you. 
 He loves you very much, and wishes to make 
 you happy. Do you wish to be His little 
 lambs ? Jesus will be so kind to you, he will 
 keep you from Satan, He will put His Spirit 
 in you, He will comfort you when you are un- 
 happy, and at last He will take you to heaven. 
 
 How happy those little children are, who 
 love Jesus. 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH. 61 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 DAVID, OR THE GIANT GOLIATH 
 
 1 Samuel, 17 : 1-54. 
 
 You remember wlio the Philistines were. 
 They were wicked people, who lived in some 
 of the cities of Canaan. They often fought 
 against the Israelites. 
 
 One day a great number of Philistines came, 
 and placed their tents on the top of a hill in 
 Canaan. When Saul heard it, he came with 
 a great number of Israelites, and they placed 
 their tents on another hill. The Philistines and 
 the Israelites could see each other in their tents, 
 and they intended to fight against each other ; 
 but they did not choose to fight immediately. 
 
 There was one man among the Philistines 
 whose name was Goliath. He was called a 
 giant, because he was very tall indeed. He 
 was ten feet high. 
 
 He was very strong and big, and he could 
 fight well. He wore armor. What is armor ? 
 clothes made of iron, and brass ; people used 
 to wear armor, that arrows and swords and 
 spears might not hurt them easily. 
 
 He wore a cap of brass upon his head, and 
 
52 PftECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 he wore a coat of iron : his legs were covered 
 with brass. He held a great spear in his hand, 
 and he had a great sword in a sheath by his 
 side ; and a man went before him with a shield 
 What is a shield ? It is a great piece of iron, 
 or brass, like a large traj, which men used to 
 hold before their faces in battle to prevent the 
 arrows hurting their faces. 
 
 This giant Goliath thought that no one could 
 kill him. Every day he used to call out with 
 a loud voice, "Will one of the Israelites come 
 and fight with me ? If he is able to kill me, 
 then all the Philistines will obey the king of 
 Isreal ; but if I kill him, then the Israelites 
 must obey the Philistines. Is there any man 
 that will fight with me ? 
 
 Would any of the Israelites fight with the 
 giant? 
 
 No not one. When Saul heard the Philis- 
 tine giant, he was frightened, and all the Is- 
 raelites were frightened. They all thought 
 they should be killed, if they fought with the 
 giant. And do you think, that if one of them 
 had fought with him, he would have been 
 killed? Could not God have helped the 
 Israelites to conquer ? 
 
DAVID AND U0L1ATH. 58 
 
 IVhere was David? Was he among the 
 tt .its of Israel ? No ; he was feeding his fa- 
 ther's sheep, bnt David's three elder brothers 
 were in the tents. 
 
 One day Jesse said to his son David, Go to 
 the tents of Israel, and see how your brethren 
 are; and take with yon some corn, and ten 
 loaves, as a present for yonr brothers. 
 
 So David rose up very early, and left his 
 sheep with another shepherd, and took the corn 
 and bread with him, and went a long way, till 
 he came to the hill where the tents of the Is- 
 raelites were. Then he ran to look for his 
 brothers. As he was talking with his brothers, 
 he heard a man speaking in a very loud voice, 
 saying, Who is able to fight with me ? It was 
 the giant Goliath. David had never heard the 
 giant speak these words before, but the people 
 who were near David told him about the giant, 
 and they said, King Saul has promised to give 
 any man who kills the giant a great many 
 things as a reward. 
 
 David was surprised that people should be 
 afraid of fighting with the giant, because he 
 knew that God could help an Israelite to con- 
 quer him, but he knew that tne gods of the 
 6* 
 
64 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Philistines could not help them, because they 
 were only idols ; so David said, Who is this 
 Philistine, that he should speak in this manner 
 to the people of Q-od ? And David felt in his 
 heart that he should not be afraid to fight with 
 the giant. 
 
 One of David's brothers heard what David 
 said, and he began to mock David : Why did 
 you come here ? Why did you not stay with 
 your sheep ? But David answered his brother 
 very meekly. 
 
 Yery soon some one went and told Saul that 
 there was a young man^ome to the tents, and 
 that he said he would fight with the giant. 
 So Saul desired the young man to be brought 
 before him ; and David came to Saul. Saul 
 had seen David before ; but Saul had forgotten 
 him. Saul was surprised that David, who 
 was so young, should wish to fight with the 
 giant ; and he said to him, You are not able 
 to fight against that Philistine. You are very 
 young, and he has been used to fight. Then 
 David answered, Once when I was keeping 
 my father's sheep, a lion came and took a 
 lamb out of the flock, and I went after the 
 lion, and met him, and took the lamb out of 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH. 55 
 
 his mouth ; and when the lion tried to kill 
 me, I caught him by his hair and killed him. 
 And once a bear came and I killed him too. 
 I shall kill this Philistine, as I killed the lion 
 and the bear. It was Gk>d who delivered me 
 from the paw of the lion, and of the bear, and 
 He will deliver me from this Philistine. 
 
 You see, my dear child, that David was not 
 proud of his strength, but he knew that God 
 could help him. 
 
 When Saul heard David speak these words, 
 he told him to go and fight the giant. But 
 David had no sword, or coat of iron, so Saul 
 lent him his own armor, and his own sword ; 
 he put a cap of brass on David's head, and 
 dressed him in a coat of iron. But David had 
 not been used to wear armor ; so he said to 
 Saul, I can not wear this armor. And he took 
 it off again ; neither would he take a sword, 
 or a spear. He went to the brook and chose 
 five smooth stones, and put them in a bag 
 which he had, and took the bag with him, and 
 a sling. You will hear what he did with the 
 bag, and the stones, and the sling. In the 
 other hand he held a staf£ Then David went 
 to meet the giant. 
 
66 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 The giant heard that one of the Israelites 
 was ready to fight with him, and he came 
 near to David : a man with a shield went be- 
 fore him. 
 
 When the giant looked and saw David, he 
 was surprised : he had expected to see a great 
 man like himself, dressed in armor, and hold- 
 ing a spear in his hand. 
 
 But David was very young, and his face 
 was rosy like a child's, and he only wore a 
 shepherd's dress, and he held a staff in his 
 hand. 
 
 The Philistine giant was angry when he 
 saw him, and cursed him, and used very- 
 wicked words. Then he began to laugh at 
 David, and said, Come to me, and I will give 
 your flesh to the birds and to the beasts to eat. 
 
 But David wa« not afraid, and he said to 
 the giant, You have a sword, and a spear, 
 and a shield, but God will fight for me ; and 
 He will help me to kill you, and to take your 
 head from you ; and the beasts and the birds 
 shall eat up the flesh of all the Philistines, 
 and every body will see that the God of Is* 
 rael is the true God, and that He can save 
 whom He pleases. 
 
 /-' 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH. 57 
 
 Then the Philistine giant came still nearer 
 to David, and David ran towards him quickly, 
 and put his hand in his bag, and drew out 
 a stone, and put it in the sling that he had ; 
 then holding one end of the sling, he threw 
 the stone out of it with all his strength, and 
 the stone hit the giant in the forehead, and it 
 sunk into it, and the giant fell upon the ground 
 on his face. 
 
 Then David ran to the giant, and taking 
 the giant's sword out of its sheath, he cut off 
 his head. When the Philistines saw what a 
 great wonder God had done, they were fright- 
 3ned ; and the Israelites shouted, for they saw 
 that their God fought for them, and they ran 
 after the Philistines, and the Philistines tried 
 to run away ; but the Israelites overtook a 
 great many of them, and killed them. David 
 showed the head of the Philistine to a great 
 many of the Israelites, and he kept the armor 
 that the Philistine had worn. 
 
 Did David thank God for helping him to 
 conquer the giant? Oh! yes, he sung God's 
 praises and played upon his harp. David did 
 not wish people to praise him; be wished 
 every body to praise God. He wished all peo- 
 
5S PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT 
 
 pie to say, How great Goo. is 1 He helped ti*d 
 poor young shepherd to conquer the great 
 giant. 
 
 Proud people wish to be praised ; but people 
 who love God, wish people to praise God. If 
 God helps you to do good, my dear children, 
 you ought to praise God for helping you to be 
 good : if you remember things you are taught, 
 you ought to praise God for helping you to 
 remember. What do you say in the Lord's 
 prayer about praising God ? You say, Hal- 
 lowed be Thy name ; which means, Let God's 
 name be praised. 
 
 Upon those hills two armies stand, 
 
 A conflict to behold : 
 The shepherd youth has raised his hand 
 
 Against the giant bold. 
 A stone which from the brook he fetched 
 
 Now gives the deadly wound ; 
 Ah ! see the great Philistine stietched 
 
 Expiring on the ground. 
 It was the power of God alone 
 
 Made David's arm so strong ; 
 And now he wakes the harp's sweet tone, 
 
 And pours a grateful seng. 
 Oh I that all nations now would own 
 
 That God can save from death : 
 Oh ! that all idols now were thrown 
 
 In darkest caves beneath. 
 
DAVID — THE JAVELIN. 59 
 
 LESSON X. 
 DAVID, OR THE JAVELIN. 
 
 1 Samuel, 11 : 55, to end ; 18 ; 19 : 1-10. 
 
 Saul was very glad that David had killed 
 the giant Goliath. David was brought to Saul 
 that Saul might speak to him. He came in 
 with the giant's head in his hand. Then Saul 
 said to David, Whose son are you, young 
 man ? And David answered, I am the son of 
 Jesse, who lives at Bethlehem. 
 
 While Saul was talking to David, there was 
 a person standing near whom you have not 
 heard of before ; it was the son of Saul. He 
 was a grown-up man, very brave, and very 
 good; his name was Jonathan; he was a 
 prince, because he was the king's son ; and 
 the king's son is called a prince. 
 
 Jonathan began to love David very much 
 indeed. What could make Jonathan love 
 David so much? I think he loved David 
 because David was so brave and so good 
 David had also a very sweet look. Still, it 
 was God made Jonathan love David so much. 
 Jonathan told David that he loved him, and 
 
fiO PRECEPT OPOfr PRECEI 
 
 they both promised always to be kind to each 
 other. Jonathan gave his own clothes to 
 "David, and wore other clothes, and he also 
 gave him his sword and his bow. 
 
 Saul told David that he must not go back 
 to live with his father again, but that he must 
 stay with him. So David and Jonathan saw 
 each other very often. How much that must 
 have pleased them, for friends like to be to- 
 gether. 
 
 Perhaps you think that David now was 
 very happy. But there was one thing that 
 soon happened to make him sad. I will tell 
 you what it was. 
 
 After the Philistines had been killed in the 
 battle, the Israelites went back to their homes, 
 and did not live in tents any more. Saul, and 
 Jonathan, and David, went to the place where 
 the king lived. As they were going along, 
 they saw a great many women with harps in 
 their hands, and these women played as they 
 went, and sung, and danced. They were sing- 
 ing about David, and how he had killed the 
 Philistines, and they said in their song that 
 David had killed a great many more men than 
 SauL These are the words they sung; Saul 
 
DAVID — THE JAVELIN. 61 
 
 has slain his thousands, and David his ten 
 thousands. 
 
 Do you think that David liked to hear these 
 songs ? No. David did not wish to be praised ; 
 he wished God to be praised. He would have 
 liked to hear the women say that God had 
 helped a poor shepherd to kill the giant. 
 
 But when Saul heard these songs he was 
 very angry ; for he wished to be praised, and 
 he could not bear to hear David praised more 
 than himself. What, thought Saul, do they 
 say that David has killed more Philistines 
 than I have ? Is he braver than I am? How 
 wicked Saul was. He was envious ; he was 
 like Joseph's brothers, and he was like Cain. 
 
 Then Saul thought, perhaps David is the 
 man who is to be king instead of me. Saul 
 remembered that Samuel had told him that 
 God had chosen a better man than he was to 
 be king. 
 
 Did Saul guess right ? Yes 
 
 Then Saul hated David, and wished to kill 
 David. Saul had these wicked thoughts in 
 his mind when he came back to his own house. 
 Instead of thanking God for His kindness in 
 having helped the Israelites to conquer the 
 6 
 
62 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Philistines, he was thinking how he could kill 
 David. 
 
 The next day after he came home, God let 
 the evil spirit come into him again. David 
 saw that Saul" was ill, and unhappy. How 
 did David try to make him well ? 
 
 He took his harp as he used to do, and began 
 to play sweet music. Now Saul had a sharp 
 thing in his hand called a javelin ; and Saul 
 thought to himself, I will throw this at David, 
 and it shall go through his body. But David 
 saw the javelin coming, and he slipped out of 
 the way, so that Saul did not hurt him. Then 
 Saul threw it at him again, but he could not 
 hurt David. God took care of David. 
 
 Every one but Saul loved David, and this 
 made Saul hate him still more. 
 
 David behaved so well, that Saul could not 
 find any fault in him, for which he could pun- 
 ish him. Then Saul' told David to take some 
 men, and to go and fight against the Philis- 
 tines. Why did Saul send David to fight? 
 Saul hoped that the Philistines would kill Da- 
 vid in battle. David went and killed a great 
 many Philistines, but no one hurt him. Every 
 body praised him more, and called him bravfc 
 
DAVID — THE JAVELIN. 63 
 
 Saux grew more angry. At last Saul told all 
 his servants to kill him ; but they loved Da- 
 vid, and would not kill him. Still, Jonathan 
 was afraid lest some wicked person should 
 mind Saul, and kill David ; so Jonathan told 
 David to hide himself, while he begged his 
 father to forgive him. So Jonathan said to 
 his father, Why do you wish to kill David ? 
 What has he done ? Did he not once kill the 
 giant? Then you were glad: why are you 
 angry with him now ? 
 
 It was kind in Jonathan to beg for David. 
 It is kind in children to beg for each other 
 when they are in disgrace. Saul promised 
 that he would not have David killed. Then 
 Jonathan called David and brought him to 
 Saul, and David was with him as he used 
 to be. 
 
 But soon Saul began to hate David again, 
 and the evil spirit was on him still. Then 
 David played on his harp to make him well : 
 Saul had a javelin in his hand, and threw it 
 at David ; but David slipped out of the way, 
 and the javelin stuck in the wall. 
 
 Now David was afraid of staying any more 
 with Saul ; and he fled away that night. 
 
64 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 He did not go back to his father ; for Saul 
 would have looked for him there, and would 
 have found him ; but he hid himself in a great 
 many places. You will hear of many sad 
 things that happened to pooi David. But 
 God loved him, and took care of him. But 
 Saul was miserable, for he was proud and 
 envious like Satan. 
 
 I wish you, my dear children, to love one 
 another, and not want people to notice you. 
 I hope you will not envy one another, but be 
 glad when other children are praised. 
 
DAVID — THE CAVE. 66 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 DAVID, OR THE OAVK. 
 
 1 Samuel, 24. 
 
 When David fled from Saul he was obliged 
 to leave his dear friend Jonathan. David and 
 Jonathan kissed each other and shed many 
 tears when they parted ; but Jonathan chose 
 to stay with his father king Saul. It was 
 right in Jonathan to stay with his father. 
 Where did David hide himself? There were 
 very high hills in Canaan, and there were 
 large holes in these hills, called caves. 
 
 Yery few people lived among these hills ; 
 but sheep fed upon the fresh grass that grew 
 on them, and goats leaped and sported on the 
 tops of the hills. 
 
 David was not alone. His brothers came 
 to him, besides a great many poor people. 
 These people liked to be with David, to help 
 him, because Saul had desired his servants to 
 kill David. But these people were friends to 
 David. David had God for his friend too. 
 
 David and his friends lived together in a 
 large cave ; for some caves are very large, and 
 
66 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 will hold as many people as you see at church 
 
 on Sunday. 
 
 How did poor David and his friends get 
 food ? Kind people gave them food ; for God 
 made some people love David, and be kind 
 to him, Saul was very angry when he heard 
 that any one was kind to David. Saul used 
 often to tell people that David was wicked, 
 and that David wished to kill hhn. Was 
 that true ? No. Some people believed what 
 Saul said, and thought that David was really 
 wicked, and mocked and abused David when 
 they saw him. 
 
 Poor David! It made him sad to think 
 that people believed that he wanted to kill 
 Saul. But it was a comfort to David to think 
 that God knew that he did not want to kill 
 Saul. So David used to comfort himself by 
 praying to God. He sometimes asked God to 
 look into his heart, to see whether he wished 
 to kill Saul. David had his harp with hin? 
 in the cave ; he often sung psalms, and praised 
 God for keeping him from being hurt, though 
 so many people were watching to kill him. 
 
 David did not always live in the same cave, 
 lest wicked people should tell Saul where he 
 
DAVID — THE CAVE. 67 
 
 was hid, So David sometimes hid himseli 
 among the thick trees in the wood, and some- 
 times in one cave, and sometimes in another. 
 
 Saul took a great many soldiers, and came 
 to look for David among the hills, but God did 
 not let Saul find him. Saul said to the people 
 he met, Have you seen David and his men ? 
 If you love me, you will xell me where he is, 
 for David wants to kill me. Then some people 
 would tell Saul, He is in the cave in that hill. 
 But when Saul got to the place, he could not 
 find David; for David heard that Saul was 
 looking for him, and he had gone to another 
 cave. 
 
 Saul was almost tired of looking for David, 
 when something happened which you will like 
 to hear. 
 
 Are caves dark inside, or light? Very 
 dark ; because, though there is a hole to go 
 in at, there are no windows to let in the light. 
 One day David was in a very large cave with 
 his men, when Saul and his men passed that 
 way. Saul did not know that David was in 
 the cave. Had he known it, he and his sol- 
 diers would have killed David, and all his 
 friends. But Saul saw the cave, and he ' 
 
OS PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 wished to go into it to sleep for a little while ; 
 so he left his men outside, and came in quite 
 alone. David and his men saw him come in, 
 but Saul did not see David and his men, be- 
 cause they were in the dark parts of the cave. 
 How surprised David was to see Saul. David 
 and his men remained very quiet, and Saul 
 lay down to rest himself. Then David's men 
 said to him in a low voice, Now you can kill 
 Saul if you wish it. Would David kill Saul ? 
 No, said David, I will not hurt the man whom 
 God made king. And David would not let 
 his men hurt Saul ; but he went gently up to 
 Saul as he lay asleep, and cut off a piece ol 
 his clothes. You will soon learn the reason 
 why he did this. 
 
 After a little while Saul rose up, and went 
 out of the cave ; and he and his men went on 
 looking for David among the hills. Then 
 David came out of the cave, and called in a 
 loud voice after Saul, My lord the king I 
 Then Saul looked behind him, and David 
 bowed himself down to the ground. How 
 surprised Saul must now have been tc see Da- 
 vid. Then David spoke very meekly to Saul, 
 and said, Why do you think that I wish to 
 
DAVID— THE CAVE. 69 
 
 kill you ? You came into the cave wheie I 
 
 was, and some people advised me to kill you ; 
 but I would not do it. Then David held up 
 the piece of Saul's clothes that he had cut off. 
 Look, my father, said David, at this ; I cut it 
 off. Could I not have killed you? Yes, I 
 could ; but I would not. "Why then do you 
 hunt after me ? The Lord will keep me safe, 
 and will not let you hurt me. 
 
 When David had done speaking, Saul said 
 Is that your voice, my son David ? And Saul 
 began to weep. He had once loved David, 
 and when he saw how good David was, he felt 
 that he had been wicked; but he did not feel 
 sorry that he had offended God. 
 
 Yes, said Saul, I see that you are much 
 better than I am, and that you do not wish to 
 kill me ; and I know that you will be king 
 one day. 
 
 So Saul did not try to kill David that day, 
 and he left off looking for David, and went 
 home with his men to his own house. 
 
 But David did not go and live with Saul, 
 for he could not trust him. Once before, Saul 
 had promised Jonathan that he would not try 
 to kill David again, and yet he had broken 
 
70 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 his promise, and David knew that perhaps hfe 
 would soon try to kill him again. So David 
 went back to his cave. 
 
 Saul was not sorry that he had offended God 
 by his wickedness, and he did not ask God to 
 forgive him, and to give him the Holy Spirit ; 
 so Satan soon got him to do wicked things 
 again. 
 
 Now my dear children, when you have 
 been naughty, will you pray to God to for- 
 give you ; and will you ask Him to put His 
 Spirit in you ? 
 
 If you do not ask God to make you good, 
 the devil will make you more and more 
 wicked 
 
 Where wild goats sport among the rocks, 
 Where shepherds love to lead their flocka, 
 
 And find the freshest grass, 
 There David and his soldiers brave, 
 Within a deep and darksome cave, 
 
 Have found a hiding-place. 
 
 And now they hear the sound of feet, 
 And to the cave's dark sides retreat, 
 
 And there in silence stand; 
 But who is this that comes alone, 
 And in the cave awhile lies down. 
 
 Nor sees the warlike band ? 
 
DAVID— THE CAVE. 71 
 
 Full well young David Jtaows that faoa ; 
 Tis his who goes from fKi.ce to place 
 
 Seeking his blood to shed. 
 And shall he now unsheath his sword? 
 Oh ! no ; the holy oil was poured 
 
 Upon that kingly head. 
 This is the hour that David may 
 His faithfulness to Saul display — 
 
 So cuts the kingly skirts : 
 This skirt will prove that he was new, 
 Yet neither lifted sword nor spear 
 
 To do his monarch hurt. 
 
 CHILD. 
 
 Jesus, my Lord, thus gently Thou 
 Didst deal with wicked men betoir, 
 
 Who sought Thy blood to spill : 
 Nor will I let my anger burn, 
 But kindness ever will 
 
 To those who do m* 111 
 
T2 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT, 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 DAVID, OR THE SPEAR. 
 
 1 Samuel, 26. 
 
 You know, my dear children, that Saul had 
 left off looking for David, after David had 
 spoken to him. But Saul soon began to hate 
 David again. One day some wicked men 
 came to him, and said, "We can tell you where 
 David has hid himsel£ "Was it not very un- 
 kind in the men to tell Saul where poor David 
 was? David had done them no harm, yet 
 they behaved in this manner to him. 
 
 Saul was glad to hear where David was, 
 and he took a great many soldiers with him 
 and went to the place where he heard David 
 was. Saul did not know the very place where 
 David was, but he knew that David was hid 
 in some place near. 
 
 Saul directed his men to set up their tents 
 on a hill, and to dig a deep ditch all round the 
 tents, that nobody might come to the tents to 
 hurt them. In the night Saul and his men 
 would sleep in their tents, and in the daytiaie 
 they would look for David. 
 
DA.VID — THE 8PEAB. 73 
 
 David heard that Saul was come to look for 
 him. How sorry David must have been to 
 hear this. He could scarcely believe it ; so 
 he sent some men to go and look, to see 
 whether Saul was really come ; and the men 
 came back and told David that they saw his 
 tents on the hill. 
 
 Then David went with some of his friends 
 near the place where the tents were, and he 
 said to his friends, who will go with me 
 among the tents ? And one of David's friends 
 said. I will go with you. Then David and his 
 friend went in the night, and walked among 
 the tents; but no one saw them, or heard 
 them, as all the people were fast asleep ; for 
 God had made them sleep : even the people 
 whom Saul had desired to watch, to prevent 
 any body coming, even they had fallen fast 
 asleep. Gtod did not choose that David should 
 be hurt ; therefore he made the people sleep. 
 
 David got over the great ditch that had 
 been dug; for there was nobody watching 
 near to hinder him. 
 
 Into which of the tents do you t aink David 
 went? Into the tent of Saul. He found him 
 deeping on his bed ; and by his pillow he saw 
 
74 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 his spear stuck into the ground, and a jug of 
 water ; and he saw other people who ought to 
 have watched over him, asleep round about 
 him. 
 
 Saul little knew that David was so near him, 
 looking at him as he slept. 
 
 Then David's friend said to him, Let me 
 take this spear and kill Saul ; I will pierce 
 his body through in a moment. 
 
 Would David kill Saul? 
 
 No, said David, do not kill him : it would 
 be very wicked to kill the man whom God 
 has made king. When God wishes him to die, 
 God will make him die, but I will not kill 
 him. Only take the jug of water, and the 
 spear, and let us go. 
 
 So they took the jug of water and the spear, 
 and they went away from the tents ; and no- 
 body woke while they were passing. 
 
 Why did Dav'd take the jug and the spear ? 
 You remember why he had once cut off some 
 of Saul's clothes. It was for the same reason 
 he now took the jug and spear. He wished 
 to show Saul that he had been near his bed 
 while he was asleep, and that he might have 
 killed him, if he had chosen it. 
 
 Then David went down the hill where Saul's 
 
DAVID— THE SPEAK. 75 
 
 tents "vr ere, and went up another hill ; so there 
 was a great way between Saul and him ; yet, 
 if David spoke loud, Saul could hear him. 
 Then David cried out with a very loud voice 
 to the men that were sleeping round king 
 Saul, and said, Why did you let people come 
 near the king while he was asleep ? 
 
 You know, my dear children, why they had 
 not watched ; God had made them fall asleep. 
 
 Then David showed the people the king's 
 spear and the jug of water. 
 
 When Saul heard David's voice, he remem- 
 bered it, and wept. 
 
 He said, Is this thy voice, my son David ? 
 
 And David said, It is my voice, my lo^d, 
 King. Why do you go on looking for me ? 
 What wickedness have I done ? Have any 
 wicked men told you that I wish to hurt you ? 
 
 Then Saul said, I have sinned. Go to your 
 home again. I will never hurt you again, be- 
 cause you did not kill me to-day, when you 
 might have done it. I have done very wickedly. 
 
 Was Saul very sorry for his wickedness ? O 
 no. He did not pray to God to forgive him, 
 and make him good. 
 
 Then David said, Here is the kingV ipear, 
 Send one of your servants to get it 
 
76 PRECEPT UPON PKECEP1 
 
 Why would not David bring the spear to 
 Saul himself? He could not trust Saul ; he 
 was not sure that Saul would not kill him. 
 
 Saul said, Blessed be thou, my son David. 
 And then Saul went home, but David went 
 into the part of Canaan where the Philistines 
 lived, that Saul might not be able to hurt him; 
 and God made the Philistines kind to David. 
 
 David ought not to have gone to live with 
 the Philistines, because they worshipped idols. 
 David ought to have trusted in God to keep 
 him safe among the caves and hills. 
 
 When Saul went home this time, did he 
 pray to God to keep him from Satan, and 
 from hating David again ? If Saul had done 
 this, God would have kept him. Let me tell 
 you again, dear children, that this is the way 
 to grow good. It is not enough to say, I will 
 be good ; I will not do that naughty thing anj 
 more. You should always pray to God to keep 
 you from wickedness. For Satan is a great 
 deal stronger than you; and unless God is 
 with you, Satan can lead you to do wicked 
 things. So, my dear children, if you wish 
 not to mind Satan, ask God to' put his Holy 
 Spirit into your hearts. 
 
DAVID — PROMISE FULFILLED. 77 
 
 LESSON XIII. 
 
 DAVID, OR THE PROMISE FULFILLED 
 
 1 Samuel, 30 ; 2 Samuel, 1 ; 2:4-, 5 : 1-3. 
 
 Where did David at last go to hide himself 
 from Saul ? To the land of the Philistines. 
 You remember hearing of the Philistines; 
 they were wicked people who worshipped 
 idols, yet God made them kind to David, and 
 to his men. 
 
 When Saul heard that David was gone to 
 the Philistines, he went to look for him no 
 more ; because if Saul had gone to them, they 
 would have tried to kill him. 
 
 The time had now almost come when Saul 
 must die. I will now tell you how he died. 
 
 You know that the Philistines hated the 
 people of Israel, and used to fight against 
 them. One day the king of the Philistines 
 called a great many of his soldiers together, 
 and took them to a place in the land of Ca- 
 naan where they might fight with the Israel- 
 ites. When Saul heard they had come, he took 
 his soldiers and went to fight against them. 
 Saul's good son Jonathan went with his fathef 
 to the battle. 
 
78 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 The Philistines and the Israelites fought to- 
 gether upon some hills. Who do you think 
 conquered ? The Philistines conquered. God 
 was angry with the Israelites, and he did not 
 help them to conquer. The Israelites ran 
 away from the Philistines ; even Saul and Jon- 
 athan, though they were very brave, ran away ; 
 and the Philistines ran after them, and they 
 killed Jonathan. And did they kill Saul? 
 This was the way in which Saul died. Some 
 men with bows and arrows shot at him, and 
 some of the arrows went into Saul's body, so 
 that he could not run away any more : yet 
 Saul was not killed by the arrows ; he was 
 only very much hurt 
 
 When Saul found that he could not run 
 away, he was very unhappy, for he was afraid 
 that the Philistines would soon get hold of 
 him, and treat him very cruelly ; so he wished 
 very much to die before they overtook him. 
 Then Saul said to one of his soldiers, Take 
 your sword, and run it through my body. 
 Would it have been right in the soldier to kill 
 Saul? If your brother were to ask you to 
 kill him, might you kill him ? No ; you might 
 not God has said, " Thou shalt not kill." 
 
i)AVID — PROMISE FULFILLED. 79 
 
 The soldier would not kill Saul. Then 
 Saul took his own sword, and fell upon the 
 point of it ; so it ran through his body, and 
 he died. Was it right in Saul to kill himself? 
 Oh I no, he should have waited till' God made 
 him die. It is very wicked in people to kill 
 themselves. People who love God wait till 
 God takes away their breath. 
 
 When Saul was dead, the soldier who would 
 not kill Saul when he had asked him, fell upon 
 his sword, and died with him. The soldier 
 saw Saul do a wicked thing, and he did the 
 same. 
 
 The Philistines went on running after the 
 Israelites all that day, and they killed a great 
 many. 
 
 The next day the Philistines went to the 
 hills where they had been fighting, to look at 
 the dead people who were lying there. They 
 found Saul's dead body, and Jonathan's dead 
 body. How pleased they were to find that the 
 king and his brave son were dead. But oh ! 
 how shamefully they treated their bodies. 
 They cut off Saul's head : they stripped ofl 
 Saul's armor of iron and brass, and they sent 
 his head and his armor to all the places where 
 
80 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT 
 
 the Philistines lived; and the y praised theil 
 idols, and said that their idols were greater 
 than the God of Israel, because they said their 
 idols had helped them to conquer the Israel- 
 ites. Then they took Saul's armor, and put it 
 in one of the houses where they worshipped 
 idols ; and they fastened his body to the wall 
 of one of the idol's houses, that every body 
 might see it. And they fastened Jonathan's 
 body to the same place. Was not this a sad 
 thing to happen to poor Jonathan ? But God 
 loved Jonathan. Where was Jonathan's soul ? 
 It was with God. But Saul's soul was not 
 with God; and his body was in the idol's 
 house. 
 
 Some of the Israelites heard where the Phi- 
 listines had fastened the bodies of Saul and 
 Jonathan ; and these kind men travelled all 
 night to the place, and took their bodies down 
 from the wall, and burned them, and buried 
 their bones under a tree. 
 
 Where was David all this time ? He was 
 in the land of the Philistines. He knew that 
 Saul and Jonathan had been fighting a battle, 
 and he longed to know who had conquered. 
 At last a man who had been at the battle. 
 
DAVID — PROMISE FULFILLED. 81 
 
 caine to David, to tell him about it. The man 
 bowel down to David, and David said, Where 
 do you come from ? 
 
 And the man said, I came from the tents of 
 Israel. 
 
 Then David said, Pray tell me what has 
 happened. 
 
 And the man said, The Israelites have run 
 away, and many are dead ; and Saul, and Jon- 
 athan his son, are dead also. 
 
 The man thought that David would have 
 been very glad to hear that Saul was dead. 
 But was David glad ? No ; he still loved 
 Saul, and he was sorry too that the Philistines 
 had conquered him, because he knew that the 
 Philistines would praise their idols, and speak 
 against the God of Israel, and David loved 
 God so much, that he wished every body to 
 praise him. And David was very sorry for 
 Jonathan his friend. He would never see his 
 face again in this world. 
 
 David sung a sweet song about Saul ana 
 Jonathan. He said that Saul and Jonathan 
 had been like eagles and lions, they had been 
 bo brave: he said they had lived together, 
 and had died together. And then he said i* 
 
82 PBECEPT UPON PBECEPT. 
 
 his song, I am distressed for thee, my brothel 
 Jonathan; thy love to me was wonderful. 
 He called Jonathan his brother because he 
 had been so very kind to him. 
 
 David did not speak of Saul's wickedness, 
 he only spoke of his bravery ; for he did not 
 like to speak against the king. 
 
 Now the time had come when David was 
 to be king. God put it into the hearts of the 
 Israelites to ask David to be their king. And 
 David said he would be their king. God had 
 promised that David should be king, and God 
 kept His promise, and made him ^ing. 
 
 God always keeps His promises. "What did 
 God once promise Abraham ? That he should 
 have a son, and that his children's children 
 should live in the land of Canaan. Did God 
 keep these promises ? Oh ! yes. What has God 
 promised you, my dear children? To give 
 you His Spirit if you ask Him, and I know 
 He will keep His promise to you. He will 
 keep all His promises. He has promised, if 
 you have His Spirit, to give you a crown of 
 glory. I hope, dear children v that you will 
 ask Him for His Holy Spirit 
 
 David praised God on his harp for keeping 
 His promise to him; for taking him from 
 
DAVID — PROMISE FULFILLED. 83 
 
 keeping sheep, to make him king over all the 
 land. David wished to be a good king, and 
 to do all that God told him, and to teach all 
 his people to love God. He kne\* that God 
 would bless him, and keep him *j*w %U 
 harm. 
 
 THE DEATH OF SAUL. 
 
 Wounded with sharp arrows, 
 The king of Israel flies ; 
 On the field of battle 
 By his own sword he dies. 
 
 How the heathen triumph 
 To find him 'mong the dead : 
 To .their idol temples 
 They send his royal uead. 
 
 Then with nails they fasten 
 His body to the wall : 
 All who pass by see it, 
 And mock the name of SauL 
 
 He refused to honor 
 The great almighty Name: 
 God, in righteous anger, 
 Has covered him with shame. 
 
 THE BRAVE SHEPHEBD. 
 
 Good David, whose psalms have so often been 
 
 At first was not noble or grand, 
 But only a shepherd-boy when he was young, 
 
 Though afterwards king of the land. 
 
4 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 He tended his flocks in the pastures by day, 
 
 And kept them in safety by night ; 
 And though a poor shepherd, he did not delay 
 
 To do what was holy and right. 
 
 For while he sat watching his sheep in the fold, 
 
 To guard them from danger abroad, 
 It then was his greatest delight, we are told, 
 
 To think on the works of the Lord. 
 
 He gazed on the moon, and. the stars in the sky, 
 
 Which God has appointed to shine, 
 And, " Lord, what is poor sinful man," he would cry, 
 
 " Compared with these wonders of thine f 
 
 Thus seeking so early for knowledge and truth, 
 
 His childhood in wisdom began ; 
 And therefore the Lord was the guide of his youth, 
 
 And made him so mighty a man. 
 
 When ready for battle Goliath appeared, 
 
 Young David first offered to go ; 
 He knew that his God, whom he trusted and feared, 
 
 Would help him to conquer the foe. 
 
 In war and in fighting he had not been skilled, 
 
 Yet ventured to meet him alone ; 
 And this mighty giant he presently killed 
 
 With only a sling and a stone. 
 
 Bo he soon was made king, for the prophets foretold 
 
 That God meant to honor him thus; 
 And if we will serve Him like David of old, 
 
 The Lord will be mindful of us. 
 
 Ann and Jink Taylor 
 
DAVID — THE ARK ON ZION. BO 
 
 LESSON XIV. 
 DAVID, OR THE ARK ON ZION 
 
 2 Samuel, 5:7-11; 1 Chron. 13 ; 15 ; 16 ; 11. 
 
 At last David was made king, as God had 
 promised. I will tell you the name of the 
 city in which he lived ; it was Jerusalem. 
 David was born in Bethlehem, and there he 
 kept sheep, but when he was king he lived at 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 Jerusalem was a beautiful city. There 
 were a great many hills in it. Do you not 
 think hills very beautiful ? One of the hiili 
 was called Mount Zion. 
 
 David directed some men to build him a 
 house upon mount Zion. Do you know what 
 a king's house is called ? It is called a pal- 
 ace. David's palace was on mount Zion. 
 
 David loved God very much, and so he 
 thought he should like to have God's ark very 
 near his palace. 
 
 Where was the ark ? 
 
 You remember that the ark was once at 
 Shiloh, and that the Philistines took it in bat- 
 tle, and that they sent it back to the Israelites : 
 
 8 
 
86 PRECEPT UPON PilECEPT. 
 
 but the ark never was taken back to Shiloh 
 again. God would not let the wicked people 
 who lived in Shiloh have His ark any more. 
 The ark had been kept in a man's house ; Da- 
 vid knew where it was, and he went himseli 
 to bring it ; a great many priests went with 
 David, and a great many people who played 
 on musical instruments, such as harps and 
 trumpets, and other instruments called cornets, 
 and cymbals, and psalteries, and some people 
 who sung sweet psalms in the praise of God, 
 and there were some women playing on tim- 
 brels. So they brought the ark from the man's 
 house to mount Zion in Jerusalem. David 
 was dressed in a white ephod, and all the sing- 
 ers and players of music were dressed in white, 
 and the priests were dressed in white. 
 
 David played upon his harp, and he went 
 with the players and singers ; and the ark 
 came afterwards with' the priests. 
 
 How beautiful it was to see all these men 
 in white, and to hear them praising God. 
 
 Would not the sight have put you in mind 
 of the angels of God in heaven ? 
 
 A great many of the Israelites came to see 
 this beautiful sight They saw their king 
 
DAVID — THE ARK ON ZIOH. 87 
 
 praising God upon his harp. Oh ! how glad 
 David felt that day. 
 
 The ark was taken up the hill called mount 
 Zion. There were walls round the top oi 
 mount Zion, and large gates ; the gates were 
 opened wide to let the king come in, and the 
 ark, which was the throne of the Lord. David 
 had prepared a place made of curtains for the 
 ark to be placed in. He had not brought the 
 old tabernacle to mount Zion; but he had 
 made a new tabernacle, close to his own pal- 
 ace. There the priests placed the ark, and 
 David desired the singers to sing a psalm that 
 he had written, beginning, " Give thanks 
 unto the Lord." 
 
 David also offered some sacrifices upon 
 mount Zion, and David blessed all the people 
 that stood round. Before the people went 
 home, he directed that every man and every 
 woman should have some bread and some 
 meat, and a little bottle of wine. Was not 
 this very kind in David? 
 
 David was very glad that God's ark was 
 near his own palace. He desired the singers 
 and players on music to sing and play every 
 day near the ark. He desired them to sing yd 
 
88 PRECEPT LPON PRECEPT. 
 
 the night also : some used to sing in the day, 
 and some used to sing in the night. They 
 .sung by turns. The angels in heaven can sing 
 night and day without resting, but these sing- 
 ers could not do so. When David was in his 
 palace, he could hear them singing God's 
 praise : even at night, if he lay awake upon 
 his bed, he could hear those sweet songs. 
 
 David wrote the psalms himself: God's 
 Spirit taught him what to say. He sung the 
 psalms to his own harp, and he wrote them 
 down, and sent them to the singers, that they 
 might sing them near the ark. 
 
 David did not always stay in his palace on 
 mount Zion. He was often obliged to go out 
 to fight against the Philistines, and othei 
 wicked people ; and God helped David and 
 his men to conquer them all. Then David 
 used to return to mount Zion, and sing psalms 
 to God for having helped him to conquer. 
 
 One day David was sitting in his beautiful 
 palace, and he said to his friend Nathan, I 
 live in a fine house, but God's ark is placed 
 under curtains. And David wished to build 
 a beautiful house for God's ark. 
 
 Nathan, David's friend, was a very wise 
 
DAVID — THE ARK ON ZION. 89 
 
 and very good man, and lie advised David tc 
 build a house for the Lord. 
 
 In the night God spoke to Nathan, and said 
 to him, Go tell David not to build me a house ; 
 I am pleased with David for wishing to build 
 it, but I do not choose to have him build me 
 one, because he has fought so many battles 
 and killed so many people : I will give David 
 a son who shall build me a house ; but David 
 shall go on fighting battles, and I will bless 
 David always. 
 
 God was not displeased with David for 
 fighting battles, only he did not choose that 
 he should build him a house. 
 
 Then Nathan came to David in the morn 
 ing, and told him what God had said. 
 
 David was much pleased to hear that God 
 would bless him, and that he would give him a 
 son who should build a house for God. So Da- 
 vid went to thank God for his kind promises. 
 
 David said, Lord, how kind Thou hast 
 been to me. And wilt Thou still go on bless- 
 ing me ? I do not deserve such kindness. 
 How can I thank Thee enough ? Pray go on 
 blessing me, and loving me. 
 
 God liked David's prayer. David was not 
 8* 
 
90 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 proud. He wondered that Gjd should be sc 
 kind to him, and that He should have taken 
 him from being a shepherd to be a king over 
 Israel, and he wondered that God should 
 promise to bless him always, and to bless his 
 son; for David knew that he deserved nothing, 
 for he was but a poor sinner. 
 
 Has not God been kind to you, my dear 
 child ; and has He not promised to take yon 
 to live with him, if you ask him ? Did you 
 ever, my dear little child, wonder to yourself 
 why God was so kind to you ? It was not 
 because you are good ; for you are full of sin. 
 It was because God is so good, and loves to 
 bless people. 
 
 DAVID 8 JOY. 
 
 Behold the pious king advancing 
 Amid ths white-robed priestly tridn ; 
 
 Behold him playing, singing, dancing, 
 His joy unable to restrain. 
 
 Vow close beside king David's palace, 
 Within a tent, the ark shall dwell: 
 
 Let Israel fear no heathen malice, 
 For God Himself shall guard it well. 
 
 Their watch the holy servants keeping, 
 With psalms shall cheer the silent night; 
 
 The monarch in his palace sleeping, 
 Shall wake and listen with delight. 
 
DAVID — THE ARK ON ZION. 91 
 
 may I love such holy pleasures, 
 And taste them in the courts above ; 
 
 Where saints in softest, sweetest measures, 
 For ever praise the God they love. 
 
 david's wish. 
 
 Once David in a palace dwelt, 
 Whose walls were built of cedar wood; 
 But sorrowful the monarch felt, 
 For in a tent God's ark abode. 
 
 He wished to build a temple grand, 
 Of marble, silver, brass, and gold, 
 Where men might flock from every land, 
 And Israel's God might be extolled. 
 
 His God approved the pious thought, 
 And yet His servant's wish denied, 
 Because in battles he had fought, 
 And human blood his hands had dyed. 
 
 Yet when his days were all fulfilled, 
 God promised him a peaceful son, 
 Who should a glorious temple build, 
 And sit upon his father's throne. 
 
 And did the Lord the wish approve, 
 Which showed affection true and warmf 
 Will he accept my thoughts of love, 
 Though I no glorious deed perform t 
 
 He knows my heart, He knows I long 
 That every ear should hear His word ; 
 Till Jews and Turks and heathen throng 
 Into His house, and call Him Lord. 
 
92 PEECEPT UPON PREGEPH 
 
 LESSON XV. 
 
 DAVID, OR URIAH'S WIFE. 
 
 2 Samuel, 11 ; 13 : 1-14. 
 
 Was David a good man ? Oh I yes ; h& 
 loved God, and tried to please him. What 
 made David good ? God's holy spirit. God 
 put his spirit into his heart ; yet there was still 
 wickedness in David's heart, as well as good- 
 ness. Satan, too, used to tempt David to do 
 wicked things. Sometimes David did not 
 pray to God to keep him from Satan, and 
 then David used to mind what Satan said. 
 Shall you not be very sorry to hear of a wick- 
 ed thing that David did ? 
 
 I am now going to tell you how David once 
 displeased the Lord. 
 
 Once David's men went out to fight against 
 some wicked people who lived near Canaan. 
 David did not go himself to fight this time, 
 but he told a man called Joab to take his sol- 
 diers to fight. This Joab was called David's 
 captain, because a captain is a man that takes 
 soldiers with him to battle, and tells them 
 when to fight 
 
DAVID — URIAH'S WIPE. 93 
 
 So David stayed at Jerusalem. I do not 
 know why he did not go out to fight himself; 
 I am afraid that he was idle, and liked bettei 
 staying at home to eat and drink, and resl 
 himself It is very wrong to be idle. Did 
 you ever hear this hymn ? 
 
 " Satan finds some mischief still 
 For idle hands to do. w 
 
 One day when it was hot David lay upon 
 
 his bed, and when it grew cool he got up and 
 walked on the top of his house, which wa> 
 flat and level like a floor. As he was walk 
 ing there, he looked down and saw a woman, 
 whom he liked very much as soon as he saw 
 her. David wished to have her for his wife ; 
 so he sent his servants to ask what her name 
 was ; and they came back and told him that 
 her name was Bath-she-ba, and that she was 
 married to a man called Uriah. 
 
 Could David have Bathsheba for his wife, 
 if she was married to Uriah ? Oh ! no ; Da- 
 vid could not take her away from Uriah to be 
 his wife : that would have been wicked ; for 
 God has said in the ten commandments, 
 "Thou shalt not commit adultery." David 
 
W PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 ought to have prayed to God to keep aim 
 from thinking of Bathsheba any more ; but 
 he went on thinking of her, and wishing that 
 she could be his wife ; and he thought, If 
 Uriah was dead, then Bathsheba could be my 
 wife. Then he wished that Uriah was dead. 
 Now Uriah was a very brave and good man, 
 and he had gone with the captain Joab a great 
 way off to fight against some wicked people. 
 
 David wished that Uriah might get killed 
 in the battle. "Was not that very wicked ? 
 God said in the ten commandments, " Thou 
 shalt not kill ;" and we must not even wish a 
 person to be killed. 
 
 At last a very wicked plan came into Da- 
 vid's heart. I will tell you what David did. 
 David wrote a letter to Joab the captain, and 
 this is what he wrote : When you take the 
 people out to fight, let Uriah stand in a place 
 where the wicked people will be able to shoot 
 him. 
 
 How could David write such a letter ? Da- 
 vid sent the letter to Joab. Ought Joab to 
 have done this wicked thing ? Oh ! no ; he 
 ought not to'have minded David. But Joab 
 was a very wicked man, so he determined to 
 do as the king told him. 
 
J>YVID — URIAH'S WIFE. 95 
 
 Soon afterwards Joab took his soldiers to 
 fight against a great city with walls all round 
 it, and be told Uriah to go with some of the 
 Boldieis very near the walls of the city, and 
 some of the men in the city shot arrows from 
 the walls, and killed poor Uriah. 
 
 Then Joab sent a man to tell king David 
 at Jerusalem that Uriah was dead. 
 
 Was David sorry when he heard that Uriab 
 was killed ? He pretended to be sorry, bul 
 he felt glad in his heart. You know why hf 
 was glad. Now Bathsheba could be his wife ; 
 so he sent for Bathsheba, and he married her, 
 and she came and lived with him in his palace. 
 
 But God was displeased with what David 
 had done. 
 
 One day Nathan, who was a prophet, came 
 to David. 
 
 God had told Nathan what David had done 
 
 Nathan began by telling David a little his 
 tory. He said, There were two men in one 
 sity ; the one was rich, and the other was 
 poor ; the rich man had a great many sheep ; 
 the poor man had only one little lamb, which 
 he had taken care of since k wa§ first born • 
 he fed it, and gave it dri/iJr o\ri> of hi* own 
 
96 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 cup, and he nursed it in his bosom, and loved 
 it as one of his children. One day a visitor 
 came to the rich man's house, and the rich 
 man sent and took the poor man's lamb, and 
 killed it, and prepared it for dinner for his 
 visitor. Then said Nathan, What shall be 
 done to the rich man ? 
 
 And David felt very angry with the rich 
 man, and he said to Nathan, He shall die ; 
 and he shall give the poor man four lambs in- 
 stead of the one which he took. 
 
 Then Nathan said to David, Thou art the 
 man. 
 
 What did Nathan mean ? Was David the 
 man who had taken the poor man's lamb ? 
 No ; David had not taken a lamb, but he had 
 taken Uriah's wife, and that was much more 
 wicked. Nathan had told him this history to 
 show him what a wicked thing he had done. 
 Did David deserve to die ? 
 
 Nathan said to David, God has been very 
 kind to you, and made you king. Why have 
 you disobeyed His commandments? Grod 
 will punish you for your wickedness. Your 
 children shall* fight each other, and kill each 
 other, and behave very wickedly to you as 
 long as you live. 
 
david — Uriah's wife, 97 
 
 David was very sorry when he heard that 
 God was angry with what he had done, and 
 he said, I have sinned against the Lord. 
 
 Then Nathan said, God has forgiven yon, 
 you shall not die. 
 
 David was really sorry for what he had 
 done. He was not like Saul, who only cared 
 for the punishment ; he was most sorry be- 
 cause he had displeased God. 
 
 David sung a very sad psalm on his harp, 
 and he gave it to the singers to sing near the 
 ark. 
 
 He asked God in his psalm to wash out his 
 sins. These were some of David's words. 
 Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
 Create in me a clean heart, God I and re- 
 new a right spirit within me. 
 
 You see that David prayed to God to for- 
 give him, and God did forgive him. God 
 would not send David to hell, but he would 
 forgive him, because Jesus had promised to 
 die for him some day upon the cross. Yet 
 still, God would punish David while he was 
 alive, that all people might know that God 
 hated wickedness. 
 
 I hope, dear children, that you will often 
 
 9 
 
98 PKECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 pray to God to keep you from Satan ; but 
 whenever you have done a wrong thing, I 
 hope you will feel sorry, and that you will ask 
 God to forgive you : and I know he will for- 
 give you, because Jesus died on the cross for 
 sinners. 
 
 If you do not feel sorry, then you should 
 ask God to make you feel sorry ; for it is God's 
 Spirit that makes people sorry for their sins. 
 
 Can this be David — this the man 
 Whose course in piety began ? 
 Whose ways the holy God approved, 
 And whom he called His son beloved ? 
 
 Ah ! see him take the lamb away 
 That in Uriah's bosom lay ; 
 And see Uriah, at his word, 
 Perish beneath a heathen sword. 
 
 Has he forgot God's love of old, 
 When first he took him from the fold ; 
 And how with grateful heart he swore 
 To serve this God for evermore ? 
 
 Why have his feet gone thus astray ? 
 Ah ! surely he forgot to pray ; 
 For God will never leave to fall 
 Those who on him for succor call. 
 
 Satan's nets are thickly spread 
 6n every path my feet shall tread ; 
 But they shall ne'er entangled be, 
 If, Lord, I fix my eyes on Thee. 
 
DAVID— THE PUNISHMENT. 99 
 
 LESSON XVX 
 
 DAVID, OK THE PUNISHMENT. 
 
 2 Samuel, 15 ; 16 ; 17. 
 
 You remember, my dear children, that God 
 gaid he would punish David, though he had 
 forgiven him. 
 
 David had a great many children, and some 
 of them were very wicked when they grew 
 up. I can not tell you about all his bad chil- 
 dren, but I will tell you of one called Absa- 
 lom. He was a very proud young man ; he 
 was very handsome, and he had beautiful hair, 
 and he was very vain of his beauty : he also 
 told lies, and he even killed one of his brothers 
 who had offended him. When David heard 
 how Absalom had killed his brother, he was 
 angry with him for a long time, and would 
 not see him ; but at last he let him come to 
 his palace, and kissed him, and forgave him. 
 David ought never to have allowed Absalom 
 to come to Jerusalem again after he had killed 
 his brother ; but David was too fond of Absa- 
 lom. 
 
 Yet Absalom did not love his father Da- 
 
100 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT, 
 
 vid. He wished to be king instead of Da- 
 vid, and so he behaved very kindly to all the 
 people in Jerusalem, that they might love him 
 better than they loved his father, and make 
 him king. He used sometimes to kiss the 
 poor people that he saw, and tell them that 
 if he were king he would be very kind to 
 them. 
 
 This kind way of behaving made the people 
 iove Absalom ; for they thought that he really 
 cared for them. How very sly and deceitful 
 Absalom was. God did not love him. 
 
 When Absalom saw that many of the peo- 
 ple loved him, he asked David's leave to go 
 from Jerusalem into the country. And David 
 gave him leave. David did not know what a 
 wicked plan Absalom had made. This was 
 the wicked plan : 
 
 Absalom had directed a great many men to 
 wait till they heard the sound of a trumpet, 
 and when they heard it, to cry out, Absalom 
 is king. So, when Absalom had left Jerusa- 
 lem, and come into the country, he desired the 
 trumpet to be blown, and a great many of the 
 people called out, Absalom is king ; and came 
 to Absalom to be his soldiers. 
 
DAVID — THE PUNISHMENT. 101 
 
 Poor David was in Jerusalem, and a mes- 
 senger came and told him that Absalom had 
 made himself king. 
 
 How grieved David was to hear this news. 
 He could not bear to think that his son was 
 so wicked as to make himself king. Then 
 David thought of his own sin, and he felt that 
 he deserved to be punished. He knew that 
 it was God that let all these sad things hap- 
 pen to him. 
 
 David would not stay in Jerusalem, for he 
 thought that Absalom would soon come there, 
 and would perhaps kill him and his servants. 
 So the king left his palace on mount Zion, to 
 go a great way off. There were many people 
 in Jerusalem who loved David, and they went 
 with him. 
 
 First they crossed a little river that was 
 outside Jerusalem, and as they went over, all 
 the people wept. They wept to think that 
 their dear king was obliged to leave his house, 
 and to wander about without a home. 
 
 Then David and his servants went up a 
 
 high hill, aud David wept as he went up, and 
 
 he covered his head, and he wore no shoes on 
 
 his feet : be did these things to show he waa 
 
 9* 
 
102 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 unhappy ; and all the people with him lid the 
 same, and wept as they went up. You see 
 how much the people loved David. 
 
 And when David was come to the top of the 
 hill, he prayed to God. He knew that God 
 could comfort him in his distress. 
 
 Then David went on his journey. Soon he 
 met a very wicked man who hated, him, and 
 who called David very bad names, and even 
 threw stones at David and his soldiers. This 
 wicked man called David a child of the devil, 
 and said, You killed Saul, and his children, 
 and now God is punishing you for your wick- 
 edness. 
 
 Had David killed Saul or his children ? Oh ! 
 no. The man told lies of David. But David 
 had killed Uriah, and God was punishing him 
 for that sin. 
 
 One of David's friends said to him, Do not 
 let that wicked man call you names ; let me 
 go and take off his head. 
 
 But David said, No ; the Lord lets him 
 curse me, and I will not hinder him. My 
 own son seeks to kill me. I am not surprised 
 that this man curses me. 
 
 How meekly David behaved. This was the 
 
DAVID — THE PUNISHMENT. 103 
 
 way that Jesus behaved to wicked people. 
 You see, my dear children, what we should 
 do when people are unkind and cruel to us. 
 We ought not to give them rude answers ; but 
 we ought to think of the bad things we have 
 done, and behave meekly. 
 
 This wicked man went on cursing and 
 throwing stones and dust at David and his 
 soldiers. 
 
 At last David and his men came to a place 
 where they rested themselves, for they were 
 very much tired. David and his soldiers trav- 
 elled a long way. At last they crossed over 
 the river Jordan. I believe they found some 
 place where the water was not deep. On the 
 other side there was a place called a wilder- 
 ness. 
 
 There were three very rich men who lived 
 near the wilderness, and who heard of poor 
 David and his men having come there ; and 
 these rich men said, They must be very hun- 
 gry, and thirsty, and weary in the wilderness ; 
 so they brought David and his men a great 
 many things : beds to rest their weary limbs 
 upon ; and basins and cups to drink out of, 
 and corn, and vegetables, and honey, and but- 
 
104 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 ter, and cheese, and sheep to eat. These rich 
 men were very kind ; God pnt it in their 
 hearts to be kind to poor David in his dis- 
 tress. 
 
 While David was in the wilderness, he often 
 prayed to God, and asked God to comfort 
 him. David felt that he deserved to be pun- 
 ished ; so he behaved very meekly. This is 
 the way, dear children, you should behave 
 when you are punished for your faults. If 
 you are really sorry, you will not be angry 
 with the people who punish you ; but when 
 you are in disgrace, you will pray to God to 
 forgive you, and to put His Spirit in your heart 
 
 make you good. 
 
 Alas ! what mournful tones 
 
 Are heard from David's harp ; 
 
 Ah ! listen to those groans, 
 
 That tell of trouble sharp : 
 How different from the joyful strain 
 That late made Zion ring again! 
 
 Ah I well may David weep { 
 
 He shed Uriah's blood. 
 
 Should not his grief be deep, 
 
 Who has offended God ? 
 When God was pleased 'twas light around, 
 But all was darkness when He frowned. 
 
DAVID — THE PUNISHM1OT. 105 
 
 And will the Lord again 
 
 Cheer David with His beams, 
 
 And wash away the stain 
 
 Of sin in mercy's streams ? 
 Then David's heart with joy shall Jbw 
 His lips with praises overflow. 
 
 CHILD. 
 
 It has often grieved me 
 
 To see my parent frown ; 
 
 How can I happy be, 
 
 If God with wrath look down 1 
 Father ! smile upon Tny child, 
 And tell me Thou art reconcile 
 
106 PBECEPT UPON PBECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XVTL 
 
 DAVID, OR THE OAK TREK. 
 
 2Samfel, 18; 19: 1-4. 
 
 David and his men lived in a city in the 
 wilderness. This city had walls and gates. 
 
 Absalom soon heard where his father David 
 was, and he came after him with a great army. 
 Absalom crossed over the river Jordan, and 
 desired his men to set up their tents near the 
 city where David was. 
 
 Then David* saw that his wicked son meant 
 to fight against him. So David one morning 
 directed his soldiers to go out of the city. 
 David was going with them ; but they begged 
 him not to come, lest he should be killed in 
 the battle. These people loved him very 
 much. Then the king said, I will do as you 
 think best. David did not wish to go to this 
 battle, for he did not like to fight against Ab- 
 salom. 
 
 David told the soldiers, before they went to 
 battle, not to hurt Absalom ; for David still 
 loved his wicked son. 
 
 Absalom and his soldiers came out to fight 
 
DAVID — THE OAK TREE. 107 
 
 against David's men. They fought in a wood. 
 This was not a good place for fighting, for a 
 great many people were knocked against the 
 trees, and bruised, and killed. 
 
 Who do you think conquered? David's 
 men; because God helped them, and Absa- 
 lom's men tried to run away, and a great 
 many of them were killed by the swords of 
 David's men, and still more were killed by the 
 trees of the wood. 
 
 Now you shall hear what became of Absa 
 lorn. 
 
 He rode upon a mule — which is a beast very 
 much like a horse — and as he was riding, he 
 passed under a great oak tree, and his beauti- 
 ful long hair was caught in the boughs ; and the 
 mule ran away, and left him hanging by the 
 hair in the tree, with his feet lifted up from 
 the earth. You remember how proud he was 
 of his hair. God let that very hair be fastened 
 to the tree. We should pray to God not to 
 let us be proud of any thing we have. One 
 of David's soldiers saw him, and went to the 
 captain Joab, and said, Behold I saw Absalom 
 hanged in an oak. Then Joab said, And why 
 did you not kill him ? If you had, I would 
 
108 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 have given you a great deal of silver, and 
 some clothes. But the man answered, If yon 
 would have given me a thousand pieces of 
 silver, I would not have hurt Absalom, for J 
 heard the king desire that no one should hurt 
 him. Then Joab went very quietly to the 
 oak tree, and he found Absalom still hanging 
 there. So he took three darts, and thrust 
 them through Absalom's heart, just through 
 the middle of his body ; and ten young men 
 that were with Joab, hurt him also with 
 swords, or darts, and killed him. 
 
 How frightened Absalom must have felt 
 when he was hanging in the oak. I wonder 
 whether he prayed to God to forgive him. 
 Perhaps he did not wish to pray ; for he did 
 not love God. Perhaps he only felt frightened 
 lest any one should kill him, and did not fear 
 the anger of God. The darts must have hurt 
 his body very much, and must have covered 
 him with blood. Did he not well deserve to 
 feel pain ? What pain he had made his father 
 feel in his mind ! 
 
 Joab took his body down from the tree, and 
 cast it into a pit in the wood, and laid a great 
 heap of stones on the top. 
 
DAVID — THE OAK TREK. 109 
 
 When Absalom was dead, Joab blew a 
 trumpet to call back his soldiers from running 
 after Absalom's soldiers ; for, now Absalom 
 was dead, the Israelites might leave off fight- 
 ing. Absalom's soldiers went back to their 
 tents, and Joab took his soldiers back to the 
 city where David was. 
 
 But before Joab and his men went back, 
 two men ran very fast to tell David what had 
 happened. 
 
 How much David longed to know whether 
 Absalom was dead. David wished his men 
 to conquer, and yet he did not wish Absalom 
 to be killed. 
 
 David sat near the gates inside the city 
 where he was. A man stood upon the top of 
 the wall near the gate, to watch to see whether 
 any person was coming into the city. Soon 
 the watchman saw a man running, and he 
 cried out loud, I see a man running alone. 
 Then said David, No doubt he brings some 
 message. Soon afterwards the watchman cried 
 out, I see another man running alone. Then 
 David said, He also brings a message. 
 
 Soon the first man who was running cam© 
 up, and cried out, All is welL 
 
 10 
 
110 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 He said all was well, because David's men 
 had conquered. Then the man fell down to 
 the ground upon his face before the king, and 
 he thanked God for having let David's men 
 conquer. Then the king said, Is the young 
 man Absalom safe? The messenger knew 
 that Absalom was dead, but he did not like 
 to grieve David by telling him this sad news 
 all at once ; so he said, There was a great deal 
 of noise and confusion when Joab sent me 
 here. The man did not tell David what this 
 noise was about. 
 
 Soon the other man came running up to Da- 
 vid, and he said, God has punished the wicked 
 people who fought against the king. Then 
 the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? 
 
 And the messenger answered, May all peo- 
 ple who fight against the king, be as Absalom 
 now is. The king knew that the man meant 
 that Absalom was dead. How very unhappy 
 the king was when he heard this. He went 
 into a room that was near the gate, and he 
 wept as he went up, and he said, " my son 
 Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! Would 
 God I had died for thee, Absalom, my son, 
 my son !" 
 
DAVID — THE OAK TREE. Ill 
 
 When David's soldiers were coming back 
 into the city, they heard how much the king 
 was grieved for Absalom, and they felt un- 
 happy too, because they loved the king. The 
 king did not come out to meet them, and to 
 thank them for having fought for him, as he 
 would have done if Absalom had not been 
 killed ; but he remained by himself, and he 
 covered his face, and cried, " my son Absa- 
 lom, my son, my son !" 
 
 I do not wonder that David was unhappy 
 about Absalom. Could David hope that he 
 had gone to heaven, and that he should £ee 
 him again one day ? Oh ! it is dreadful to 
 lose a wicked child. God cut off Absalom in 
 the midst of his wickedness. God is very 
 angry with children who behave ill to their 
 parents, and He often punishes them by let- 
 ting them die while they are young, and send- 
 ing their souls to hell. 
 
 Jonathan died while he was young, but he 
 was good ; and he went to heaven. I hope, 
 my dear children, tnat none of you will die 
 in wickedness, as Absalom did. Pray now, 
 my darlings, to God, to make you love and 
 obey Him, and I know that He will hear you. 
 
112 PRFCEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Why will He he<u yon ? Because Jesus died 
 for you. 
 
 Young Absalom' •* beautiful hair 
 Is caught in the boughs of a tree ; 
 The prince is suspended in air, 
 And struggles in vain to get free. 
 
 Three arrows are struck through his heart, 
 He dies in his youth's f-oshest bloonr. 
 Oh ! that all from his sin* might depart, 
 Who hear of young Absalom's doo» I 
 
 I wonder not David should weep 
 O'er a son in his sins snatched away \ 
 Oh ! well might his anguish be dee^, 
 As he thought of the great judfon^ iay 
 
 Dear Saviour, Thou seest my heart 
 With pride and with vanity filled ; 
 In mercy Thy Spirit impart, 
 And make me a dutiful child. 
 
 Then weep not, dear parents, for no 
 If I in my childhood should die ; 
 Believe that my face you would m 
 Among the redeemed on high. 
 
DAVID — THE FAREWELL. 113 
 
 LESSON XVIII. 
 
 DAVID, OR THE FAREWELL. 
 
 2 Samuel, 19 ; 1 Kings, 2 : 38, 39 ; 1 Chron. 28 ; 29. 
 
 Did not Absalom come to a very dreadful 
 end? He died in the midst of his wicked- 
 ness; for God curses children who behave 
 ungratefully to their parents. How much 
 David loved this wicked Absalom. He went 
 on crying for him for some time. David knew 
 why God had let him have such a wicked 
 child. Do you know why ? It was because 
 David had killed Uriah. Yet God had for- 
 given David. 
 
 Now Absalom was dead, David could return 
 to Jerusalem. The people who had said that 
 Absalom was king, now wished David to be 
 king again. So David went over the river 
 Jordan, on his way back to Jerusalem. As 
 he was on the other side of the river, a man 
 came to David, and threw himself down be- 
 fore him to ask his pardon. Who could this 
 man be? It was the wicked man who had 
 thrown stones and dust at David, when he 
 was unhappy. 
 
 10* 
 
114 PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Did David forgive him ? Yes, he did. Was 
 not that kind in David ? The man deserved 
 to die, but David said to him, Thou shalt not 
 die. The man was not really sorry ; only he 
 did not dare to behave ill to David, now he 
 was king again. God wonld punish that 
 wicked man, though David forgave him. I 
 hope, dear children, that you will forgive 
 people who behave rudely to you ; God has 
 said that if we do not forgive, He will not for- 
 give us. 
 
 There was another man who came to see 
 David, before he crossed over the river. It 
 was one of those rich men who had been kind 
 to David in his distress, and who had sent 
 him the presents of beds, basins, and food. 
 He was an old man, and David thanked him, 
 and asked him to come and live with him at 
 Jerusalem. The rich man said he was too 
 old, but that he would like to have David take 
 his son with him to Jerusalem; and David 
 did take his son with him, and he kissed the 
 old man, and blessed him. David was grate- 
 ful: he was kind to people who had been 
 kind to him. 
 
 David was very glad to come back to Jeru- 
 salem. Do you know what made him most 
 
DAVID — THE FAREWELL. 115 
 
 glad ? It was because he wished to worship 
 God near His ark, and to hear all the people 
 praising God. While David had been a great 
 way from Jerusalem, he often sighed and wept 
 to think that he conld not go to the house of 
 the Lord ; for David loved God very much, 
 David was pleased to see the priests offer sac- 
 rifices on the altar to God, and to praise God 
 himself for His goodness, upon the harp. 
 
 You remember the kind promises that God 
 had made to David. He had promised that 
 David should have one good son, who should 
 be king after David was dead, and who should 
 build a house for the Lord. 
 
 One of David's sons was good. God loved 
 him, and made him good. His name was 
 Solomon. God told David that he was to be 
 king after him. At last David grew very old, 
 and weak, and he knew that he should die. 
 So he wished to make Solomon king before he 
 died. He told the high-priest to pour oil upon 
 his head ; and so the high-priest anointed Solo-' 
 mon to be king. 
 
 Then David called his people together to a 
 place in Jerusalem, that he might speak to 
 them all before he died. When they had all 
 
116 PRECEPr UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 come, the king stood up on his feet, and said, 
 I once wished to build a house for the ark oi 
 God ; but God would not let me build a house, 
 because I had shed so much blood in battle, 
 but he said that my son should build it 
 
 Then David spoke to Solomon, and said, 
 Solomon, my son, serve God, and He will bless 
 you. Then David showed Solomon the things 
 he had got ready for building the house: 
 gold, . and silver, and iron, and stones, and 
 wood ; and David asked the people whether 
 they would give any of their things to build 
 a house for God. 
 
 And the people gave a great many things : 
 gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and beau- 
 tiful shining stones ; and the people liked to 
 give their things for God's house. 
 
 And David was pleased to see that they 
 liked to give ; for that was a sign that they 
 loved God. 
 
 Dear children, if you love God, you will 
 like to spare your money, to help poor people 
 and to buy Bibles, and to build churches, and 
 to send ministers to the heathen. 
 
 I shall tell you no more about David. I 
 know that you love him very much. He had 
 
DAVID — THE FAREWELL. 117 
 
 loved God since lie was a child and kept sheep. 
 How pleasant it is to love God all our lives 
 long. This is what I wish you to do, my 
 dear children. I want yon to love God now, 
 while yon are young, and to go on loving Him 
 when you are grown up, if you live ; and t» 
 love Him when your hair is grey. David be- 
 gan to sing God's praises when he was a shep- 
 herd-boy ; and he went on praising Him till 
 he died. God was kind to David all his days. 
 And He will be kind to you., dear children, 
 even when you are old and gray-headed ; and 
 He will take you to that sweet place where 
 David is now, and where Christ is. 
 
 Then David prayed to God, and thanked 
 Him for letting Solomon build Him a house, 
 and for letting the people give their things to 
 God. And David asked God to make Solo- 
 mon love Him, and obey Him. David offered 
 a great many sacrifices to God. 
 
 Very soon David died. Where did his 
 spirit go? To the God he loved. He had 
 sung many sweet songs to Him while he Idved 
 on the earth, but now he sings sweeter songs. 
 
 David was called, " The sweet Psalmist of 
 Israel." Why was that name given to him? 
 
118 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XIX. 
 
 SOLOMON, OR THE WISE CHOICB. 
 
 2 Chron. 1 : 1-6 ; 1 Kings, 3 : 3, to the end. 
 
 Almost the first thing that Solomon did 
 when he was made king, was to offer sacri- 
 fices to God. 
 
 Was not that right ? 
 
 He did not offer these sacrifices on mount 
 Zion, where the ark was, but he went to the 
 place where the old tabernacle was, that Moses 
 *had made, and where the great brass altar 
 was, and there he offered a great many sacri- 
 fices to God. Why did he offer these sacri- 
 fices? To show that he loved God and 
 wished to serve Him. 
 
 The night after Solomon had offered the 
 sacrifices, God spoke to Solomon while he 
 was asleep, and said, Ask what I shall give 
 thee. You see God allowed Solomon to 
 choose what he would like to have God give 
 him. 
 
 Do you wish to know what Solomon chose 
 to have ? What would you have asked for ? 
 
 Now Solomon had just been made king and 
 he saw what a hard thing it was to be a good 
 
SOLOMON— THE WISE CHOICE. 119 
 
 king ; for Solomon would judge the people . 
 people who quarrelled with each other would 
 come to Solomon ; and it is very hard, when 
 people quarrel, to find out who is in fault, 
 and who ought to be punished. 
 
 Solomon wished very much to judge the 
 people well ; and so he asked God to make 
 him very wise. 
 
 Solomon said to God that night, Thou hast 
 made me king over a great many people, and 
 I am very young ; and I do not know what I 
 ought to do. Oh I make me very wise, that I 
 may judge the people well. 
 
 Did Solomon make a wise choice ? Oh ! yes , 
 it was right in Solomon to wish to judge the 
 people well. 
 
 God was very much pleased with Solomon, 
 and said, You did not ask me to make you 
 very rich, or make you live a long while, or 
 mak.e you conquer your enemies, but you 
 asked for wisdom ; therefore I will make you 
 wiser than any man that ever lived ; and I 
 will make you very rich too ; so that no other 
 king shall be as rich, or as great as you ; and 
 if you love me, and serve me as David did, I 
 will make you live a long while. 
 
120 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Then Solomon woke. How pleased he 
 must have been to think of the promises that 
 God had made him. He went back to Jeru- 
 salem, and offered up more sacrifices, near the 
 ark on mount Zion. 
 
 Now I will tell you of something that hap- 
 pened, which showed that God had made 
 Solomon as wise as He said He would. 
 
 One day there came two women to Solo- 
 mon. They had quarrelled with each other. 
 Solomon was the judge, and the women stood 
 before him. 
 
 One of these women held a dead babe in 
 her arms, and the other held a living babe in 
 her arms. Both the babes were very little 
 creatures, only a few days old, so that the 
 living babe was not old enough to sit up, or 
 to look about it, or to smile. 
 
 The woman who held the dead babe seemed 
 very unhappy, and she said to the king, This 
 dead babe is not my own child. The other 
 babe is mine. I lived in the same house with 
 that woman, and no one lived in the house 
 besides us two ; and one night that woman 
 lay upon her child in bed, and killed it ; and 
 so she got up and put her dead babe into my 
 
SOLOMON — THE WISE CHOICE 121 
 
 bed while I was asleep, and took my living 
 babe into hers. When I woke in the morn- 
 ing, I was going to feed my child, but I found 
 only this dead child ; but when I had looked 
 at it, I saw it was not my own child. 
 
 Then the other woman said, You do not 
 speak truth ; the living child is mine, and the 
 dead one is yours. Then the other woman 
 said again, No, the living child is mine, and 
 the dead is yours. 
 
 Which of these women spoke the truth ? 
 And which of them told lies ? How could 
 Solomon find out ? How could he tell which 
 ought to have the living babe ? 
 
 But God had made Solomon very wise, and 
 he thought of a way to find out who spoke 
 the truth. 
 
 Solomon called out, Bring me a sword And 
 the servants brought a sword to the king. 
 Then Solomon said, Cut the living child in 
 two, and give half to one woman, and half to 
 the other ; because both the women say the 
 child is theirs, so let them each have half. 
 
 Then one of the women cried out, Oh ! do 
 not cut the child in two, but let that woman 
 have it; onJy do not kill it 
 
 XI 
 
122 PRECEPT UPON PBECEPT 
 
 But the other woman said, Let the child be 
 cut in two, and let us each have half. 
 
 Now which do you think was the mother 
 of the living child? Oh I I see that you 
 know. Was it not the one who said, Do not 
 let it be killed ? 
 
 How do you know that she was the mother ? 
 Because she loved the babe so much. Mothers 
 do love their babes very much ; they would 
 rather that any one should have their babes, 
 than that the babes should be killed. 
 
 Solomon knew which was the mother, and 
 he said to his servant, Give her the living 
 child, and do not Mil it; she is the mother of it. 
 
 Why had Solomon desired the man at first 
 to cut the babe in two ? Had he intended to 
 have it killed ? Oh ! no. He only wanted to 
 see what the women would say, that he might 
 find out which was the mother. Was not 
 that a wise plan of Solomon's ? God had really 
 made him wise as He had promised He would. 
 
 All the Israelites heard of what the king 
 had said to the women, and they were sur- 
 prised at his wisdom, and they were afraid oi 
 him, for they saw that God had put wisdom 
 into his heart 
 
SOLOMON — THE WISE CHOICE. 123 
 
 Should you like to be wise, my dear ciiil- 
 dren ? You go to school to learn to be wise, 
 that you may know what is right, and what 
 is wrong ; but you will never be as wise as 
 Solomon, for God has said that no one shall be 
 as wise as he was. But there is one thing 
 still better than Solomon's kind of wisdom, 
 and you may have it if you ask God for it. 
 Do you ask, What is that ? It is the Holy 
 Spirit. If the Spirit is in your heart, you will 
 know God, and you will love Him. God has 
 promised to give His Spirit. He has said, 
 Ask, and ye shall receive. I am glad when 
 you are wise enough to answer questions 
 right, or to behave well ; but I wish most that 
 you should love God with all your heart, and 
 try to please Him. That is a better kind of 
 wisdom than Solomon's. 
 
 Now, if the Lord should say to me, 
 What gifts shall I bestow on thee ?" 
 Should I like Solomon reply, 
 l Oh 1 give me wisdom from on highf 
 
 Yet wisdom is the only thing 
 That real happiness can bring ; 
 And restless must my heart re: 
 Until this wisdom I obtain. 
 
124 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 It would not make me truly wise 
 
 To know the stars that fill the skies, 
 
 Or all the fishes in the seas, 
 
 Or beasts and birds, or flowers and tree* 
 
 Wisdom to love the thing that's right, 
 Oh ! this would give my heart delight 
 This wisdom, then, oh ! grant to me. 
 That I may ever live with Thee. 
 
SOLOMON — THE TEMPLE. 126 
 
 LESSON XX. 
 
 SOLOMON, OR THE TEMPLR 
 
 i Kings, 5 : 16-17; 2 Chron. 3 ; 4; 5 ; 6 ; 1 : 1-12. 
 
 Do you remember what God had said that 
 Solomon should build ? 
 
 A house for the Lord. 
 
 This house was to be called a Temple ; and 
 it was to be very beautiful. 
 
 Solomon had a great many things to build 
 it of: gold, and silver, and iron, and brass, 
 and stones, and wood ; and he had a great 
 many servants to build it. David his father 
 had told him how to build it. How did Da 
 vid know how to build it? God had told 
 David, and he had written it down. 
 
 Solomon did not build the temple upon 
 mount Zion, but upon another high hill in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 Solomon ordered a greai many large stonei 
 to be laid upon the ground for the beginning 
 of the house ; then he directed his servants to 
 cut down a great many trees, and he had 
 some more wood which David had given to 
 him. Solomon built the walls and the roof o* 
 
126 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 wood, and Solomon covered the inside of the 
 house with gold. 
 
 How beautiful the house must have been 
 inside. How bright it must have shone when 
 the candlesticks were lighted ; for Solomon 
 made ten candlesticks of gold, to give light to 
 the house. Solomon put other beautiful things 
 in the temple, beside the ten candlesticks. 
 He put ten tables for bread, and a golden altar 
 to burn sweet spices in the midst. And Solo- 
 mon made a court round the temple, with a 
 stone wall round the court ; and he put in the 
 court ten large basins of brass, to wash the 
 animals in before they were sacrificed ; and he 
 made one basin larger than the rest : and he 
 made twelve oxen of brass, and put this large 
 basm ^>n the backs of the oxen ; and he had 
 the basm filled with water for the priests to 
 wash in. 
 
 In the court Solomon placed a very large 
 brass altar that he had made. It was so large 
 that a gre^- many lambs, and bullocks, and 
 goats might be burned on it at the same 
 time. 
 
 At last the temple was quite finished, and 
 it was the most beautiful house in the world 
 
SOLOMON — THE TEMPLE. 127 
 
 It could not be moved about, as the taber 
 nacle bad been in the wilderness ; but Solomon 
 never wished to move it from Jerusalem. It 
 was a great deal larger than the tabernacle. 
 
 When it was finished, Solomon sent for all 
 the people to come to the temple. The priests 
 came, and they carried the ark into a little 
 room in the temple, called the Holy of Holies ; 
 and Solomon had made a great door to the 
 little room ; and he had placed a great curtain 
 or veil over the door, and he had made two 
 very large cherubim, or angels, of wood cov- 
 ered with gold, and had placed them in the 
 little room, beside the two golden cherubim 
 that were on the top of the ark. The large 
 cherubim stood upright, and each had two 
 great wings stretched out all across the little 
 room. The priests left the ark under the 
 wings of the great cherubim, and no one 
 eould see into the little room because of the 
 great door, and of the curtain or veil which 
 was over the door. 
 
 The other part of the temple was filled with 
 priests, and with singers all clothed in white 
 and holding harps and other kinds of musical 
 instruments in their hands — and some of the 
 
128 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 priests blew trumpets. These were the words 
 the singers sung : 
 
 " Oh ! give thanks unto the Lord ; for He 
 is good, for His mercy endureth forever." 
 
 As soon as the priests had left the ark in 
 the little room, and while the priests and sing- 
 ers were praising the Lord in the temple, the 
 Lord Himself came down in a cloud, and fill- 
 ed the temple ; so that the priests and singers 
 were obliged to go out of the temple, and to 
 stand in the court. 
 
 How glad Solomon was to see that the Lord 
 had come into the house that he had built for 
 Him. Solomon liked to see the brightness oi 
 the Lord, though he knew that the Lord filled 
 every place. 
 
 Where did king Solomon stand ? He had 
 made a high place of brass, and he put it near 
 the brass altar in the court, and he stood upon 
 this high place, so that all the people could 
 see him. 
 
 And Solomon knelt down on this place, 
 and spread wide his arms, and began to pray 
 to God. His prayer was very long ; but 1 
 will only tell you a small part of it. He asked 
 G-od to hear all people who were unhappy 
 
SOLOMON — THE TEMPLE. 129 
 
 and who were sorry for their sins, and to for- 
 give them. 
 
 When Solomon had ended his prayer, there 
 came down fire from heaven, and burned up 
 the beasts that had been killed and spread 
 upon the altar. The fire did not hurt the 
 people ; it only burned the dead beasts on the 
 altar. God sent the fire to show the people 
 that He wished them to offer sacrifices to Him 
 and pray to Him. 
 
 When the people saw the fire, and the glory 
 of God all over the temple, they bowed them- 
 selves down to the ground, and praised the 
 Lord, and said, He is good ; His mercy en- 
 dureth forever. 
 
 At last the people went home to their own 
 houses, but they very often came to offer sac- 
 rifices at the temple, and to pray to God. 
 Sweet psalms and sweet music might be heard 
 at the temple both day and night. 
 
 That temple was a delightful place; be- 
 cause there people praised God, and because 
 there they saw His glory. 
 
 There is a sweeter place, where I hope we 
 shall go some day. There God shines brighter 
 than the sun, and there angels clothed in white 
 
130 PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 are always singing His praises. Do you wist 
 to go there, my dear children ? Then what 
 must you do ? You must pray to God for 
 two things : to forgive you your sins, and tc 
 give you His Holy Spirit. Why will God 
 hear your prayers ? Because Jesus died on 
 the cross; God promised Hip Son, that He 
 would hear people's prayers. God can not 
 break His promise. My dear little child, say 
 to God, Oh i keep Thy promise tc 1'hj Son : 
 forgive me ic^ His &*ke : Grve duj Hifl Holy 
 
SOLOMON — THE QUEEN S VISIT. 181 
 
 LESSON XXI. 
 
 SOLOMON, OR THE QUEEN'S VISIT. 
 
 2 Chron. 7 : 11, to the end ; 1 Kings, 10. 
 
 You remember how Gcd once spoke to 
 Solomon in the night, and how He let him 
 choose what he would have. 
 
 A long while afterwards, God spoke to 
 Solomon again in the night. 
 
 God said to Solomon, I have heard youT 
 prayer to me in the temple, and if you obey 
 me as David did, I will bless you ; but if you 
 do wicked things, and worship idols, then I 
 shall be very angry, and this beautiful house 
 that you have built shall be thrown down. 
 
 Ah ! my dear child, do you not hope to 
 find that Solomon obeyed God ? How kind 
 God had been to him. Had He not given 
 him all the things He had promised ? 
 
 Solomon was very rich and very wise, as 
 God had promised. He built a great many 
 ships, and he built a palace, and he built a 
 great many towns; and he made a great 
 throne with six steps all covered with gold, 
 and images of two lions on each of the steps, 
 
132 PEECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 a lion on each side, and a seat at the top foi 
 Solomon. 
 
 When Solomon spoke, he said such wise 
 things that people came from a great way off 
 to hear him talk, and they brought him. pres- 
 ents ; some brought cups of gold or silver, 
 and some brought him clothes, and some 
 brought spices, and some brought horses and 
 mules. 
 
 So Solomon grew very rich indeed. He 
 sent his ships to far countries over the sea, 
 and they came back full of gold, and silver, 
 and ivory, and apes, and peacocks. Solomon 
 was the richest king in the world. 
 
 I told you that people came from far coun- 
 tries to hear him say wise things ; for Solo- 
 mon knew a great deal : he knew about all 
 the plants, from the highest tree down to the 
 least plant that grows ; he knew about the 
 beasts, and birds, and fishes, ana* worms, and 
 insects ; but he knew something much better 
 than these things, he knew about God and 
 how to please Him, and he gave people very 
 wise advice. 
 
 Now there was a queen who lived a great 
 way off, who heard of Solomon, and how wise 
 he was ; and she wished very much to hear 
 
SOLOMON —THE QUEEN'S VISIT. 133 
 
 huA talk, and to see the house that he had 
 built. 
 
 She had a great many questions to ask 
 him : I believe that her questions were about 
 God. She had not been taught about God in 
 her own country, and she wanted to know a 
 great deal about Him. She was called the 
 queen of Sheba. It was right in the queen of 
 Sheba to wish to know about God. She was 
 a very rich lady, so she brought a great many 
 servants with her, and a great many camels with 
 spices and gold, as presents to king Solomon. 
 
 Solomon was very kind to her, and answer- 
 ed all the questions that she asked him ; and 
 he showed her all the things that he had built 
 The queen was quite surprised at all she saw 
 and heard, and she said to king Solomon, 
 How happy are your servants who are always 
 standing near, you, and who hear the wise 
 things you say. Blessed be the Lord your 
 God, who made you king. 
 
 Then she gave a great deal of gold and sil- 
 ver to king Solomon, and he gave her all the 
 things that she desired ; and then the queen 
 went back with her camels and her servants 
 into her own country. 
 
 12 
 
134 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 The queen of Sheba brought back to hei 
 own home something better than her pres- 
 ents ; she brought a great deal of wisdom in 
 her mind. For could not she remember the 
 wise things that Solomon had said ? I hope 
 that she left off worshipping idols, and loved 
 the true God. 
 
 A great many of the wise things that Solo 
 mon said, are written down in the Bible ; 
 they are called " The Proverbs." When you 
 are older, my dear children, you shall read 
 them, that you may grow wise. I think even 
 now you would understand some of them. 
 
 I think that the queen of Sheba would 
 think you very happy children, if she could 
 see you. Are not you happier than Solo- 
 mon's servants? You can read the wise 
 things that Solomon said, and a great many 
 wiser things that Jesus Christ said. They are 
 written down in the Bible. 
 
 Across the burning plains of sand 
 Came Sheba's queen to Canaan's land, 
 
 To hear king Solomon ; 
 And when she heard his wisdom rare, 
 She cried, " How blest the servants are 
 
 That stand around thy throne." 
 
SOLOMON — THE QUEEN'S VISIT 135 
 
 And did she count those servants blest t 
 More happy we, who are possessed 
 
 Of God's most holy word ; 
 For we can read what Jesus said, 
 And how God raised Him from the dead 
 
 To be our living God. 
 
 But oh ! how will our hearts rejoice, 
 When we shall hear our Saviour's voice. 
 
 And see Him face to face ? 
 For then much better shall we know, 
 Than we have ever known below, 
 
 The wonders of His grace. 
 
186 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XXII. 
 
 SOLOMON, OR THE IDOLS. 
 
 1 Kings, 11 : 1-13. 
 
 How many times had God appeared to Sol- 
 omon ? Twice. 
 
 The first time God promised to make Solo- 
 mon wise ; and the next time God promised 
 to bless him, if he served Him. 
 
 But did Solomon serve God ? I must now 
 tell you of the wicked things that he did, 
 when he was old. 
 
 He married a great many wives. This was 
 wrong. People might then have two wives, 
 or a few wives ; but God liked best that they 
 should only have one. You remember that 
 Jacob had two wives, named Kachel and Leah. 
 If a man now was to have two wives, he would 
 be punished ; then he might have two wives, 
 but not so many as Solomon had. 
 
 Solomon had seven hundred wives. Why 
 did he have so many ? I think that Solomon 
 had grown proud, and that he wished to be a 
 very grand king, and it was thought very 
 grand for a king to have many wives. 
 
 These wives were wicked : they worshipped 
 
SOLOMON — THE IDOLS 137 
 
 idols. Solomon ought not to have married 
 heathen women. At last these wives per- 
 suaded Solomon to like their idols, and to 
 build altars for the idols on the high places 
 round Jerusalem ; and Solomon did even 
 worse than this, he worshipped some of the 
 idols himself. You did not think that he 
 could have been so wicked. Was he not very 
 foolish to worship idols, which are only made 
 of wood, or stone ? Solomon knew what was 
 right, but he did not do it. 
 
 How sad it must have been to see these 
 women offering sacrifices, and burning incense 
 to their idols, and Solomon bowing down to 
 them. God was very angry with Solomon ; 
 and God said to him, Because you have done 
 this, one of your servants shall make himself 
 king ; he shall take away a great deal of the 
 land of Canaan from your son, as soon as you 
 are dead. 
 
 I believe Solomon was sorry for his wicked- 
 ness before he died ; but I am not quite sure 
 that he was. It must have made him very 
 sorry to know that God would punish him. I 
 hope he was sorry for having displeased God, 
 who had been so very kind to him. 
 
 12* 
 
188 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Do you know it is tho rule that when a 
 king dies, the king's son is- king instead of his 
 father ? So, when Solomon died, his son was 
 king instead of him ; but very soon one of 
 Solomon's servants tried to make himself king. 
 The servant's name was Jer-o-bo-am. This 
 servant made himself the king over a great 
 part of the land of Canaan ; but Solomon's 
 son was still king over the rest of the land. 
 
 "What God had said came true ; for God 
 makes all He says come true. God had told 
 Solomon that his son should only have part of 
 the land. This was the punishment that God 
 gave Solomon. God will punish people who 
 are disobedient. 
 
 I hope, my dear child, that you will not be 
 like king Solomon, and love God only when 
 you are young ; but I hope that you will love 
 God all your life, from the time you are a 
 little creature, until your hair is gray, and 
 your back is bent with age, should you live to 
 be old. 
 
 ©h I who is this with kingly crown 
 Before an idol bowing down ? 
 Can it be he whose early days 
 Were spent in wisdom's pleasant waji; 
 
SOLOMON— THE IDOLS. 139 
 
 Who built to God a temple fair, 
 And lifted up bis voice in prayer t 
 
 Alas 1 'tis he ; a beauteous train 
 Of heathen women, bold and vain, 
 Have stolen his heart from God away ; 
 And now that he is old and gray, 
 To please the wives he fondly loves, 
 He worships idols in the grovea 
 
 Prom Solomon Fll warning take, 
 And I will never friendship make 
 With those who love ungodly mirth, 
 And only care for things of earth, 
 Lest they should make my heart to n 
 From Him who won my early iove. 
 
140 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XXIII. 
 
 JEROBOAM, OR THE DRIED-UP HAND. 
 
 1 Kings, 12 : 25 to the end; 13 : 1-1, 33, 34. 
 
 You have heard, my dear children, how 
 Solomon's servant Jeroboam made himself 
 king over part of Canaan ; but Solomon's son 
 was king over the other part of Canaan. Now 
 Jerusalem was not in Jeroboam's part of Ca- 
 naan ; it was in the part that Solomon's son 
 was king over. It was a good thing for Solo- 
 mon's son that he had Jerusalem. You can 
 tell me why it was a good thing : The temple 
 was in Jerusalem; and in the temple, God 
 came down in a glorious cloud. 
 
 You know that God had desired all the 
 people in Canaati to come to Jerusalem very 
 often to worship him. Jeroboam ought to 
 have come to Jerusalem to worship God ; but 
 he would not. He was very wicked, and he 
 told his people not to go to Jerusalem. 
 
 Why did he not like to go there ? Because 
 there was another king in Jerusalem. He did 
 not wish his people to go to a place where 
 there was another king, lest they should like 
 
JEROBOAM. 141 
 
 the other king best You see how proud Jero- 
 boam was. Then Jeroboam did a very wicked 
 thing: he made two golden calves, and set 
 them up in his part of Canaan, one calf in 
 one town, and the other calf in another town. 
 Why did he set up the calves ? That people 
 might worship them instead of God. He told 
 his people to worship them. He said, Do not 
 go to Jerusalem, it is too far off; worship 
 these golden calves. How wicked it was in 
 Jeroboam to teach his people to worship idols. 
 It is very wicked to teach other people to do 
 wrong. Kemember this, dear children. Nevei 
 advise your playfellows to do wrong. God 
 will be very angry with you -if you do, and 
 you will be like the devil, for he tempts peo- 
 ple to sin against God. 
 
 Jeroboam worshipped the calves himself. 
 One day God sent a prophet to him to tell him 
 of his wickedness. Jeroboam was standing by 
 an altar burning incense to a golden calf, when 
 the prophet came, and told him how angry 
 God was with the people who worshipped the 
 golden calves, and how he would punish them 
 And the prophet said, And this is the sign 
 that God is angry ; the altar shall be broken, 
 
142 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 and the ashes that are on it shall f/A to the 
 ground. 
 
 When king Jeroboam heard thia he was 
 angry, and he wished to punish the prophet ; 
 so he stretched out his hand, and said to his 
 servants, Lay hold on him. Now while Jero- 
 boam's hand was stretched out, God made it 
 grow dry and stiff, so that he could not pull it 
 back again ; and at the same time the altar 
 was broken, and the ashes fell upon the 
 ground, as the prophet had said. 
 
 Do you not think Jeroboam must have 
 been frightened then ? He knew that no one 
 could make his hand well but God ; so he 
 said to the prophet, Pray thou to the Lord 
 thy God for me, that my hand may be made 
 well. 
 
 Would the prophet pray to God for Jero- 
 boam, who had been so unkind to him ? Yes 
 he would ; he prayed to God, and God made 
 the king's hand as well as it was before. 
 
 Then Jeroboam did not try to hurt the 
 prophet any more, because he was afraid to 
 hurt him ; but Jeroboam did not repent of 
 worshipping idols and turn to God, but he 
 went on teaching his people to pray to the 
 
JEEOBOAM. 143 
 
 golden calves. And God was very angry 
 with Jeroboam. 
 
 Why was not Jeroboam afraid of God? 
 He saw that God could dry up his arm ; could 
 He not kill him and cast him into hell ? Ah ! 
 dear children, we ought to fear to offend our 
 great God. Have you never stretched out 
 your arm to do something naughty? Per- 
 haps to fight ? God could have dried up your 
 arm. H3 is very kind. But He will punish 
 us one day, if we do not love Him, or care for 
 Him. 
 
144 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XXIV. 
 
 ELIJAH, OR THE RAVENS. 
 
 1 Kings, 16 : 29-34; 17 : 1-7. 
 
 You remember, dear children, that Jero- 
 boam was king over only part of the land of 
 Canaan. Solomon had been king over all the 
 land ; but now Solomon's son was king over 
 one part, and Jeroboam was king over the 
 other part. 
 
 I will tell you what Jeroboam was called. 
 He was called king of Israel ; and Solomon's 
 son was called king of Judah. Will you try 
 to remember this ? 
 
 At last Jeroboam died, and there was an- 
 other king of Israel instead of him ; and at 
 last that king died, and then there was another 
 king ; and at last he died, and then there was 
 another king; so there were a great many 
 kings one after the other. I am sorry to say 
 that they were all wicked, and that they all 
 worshipped the golden calves that Jeroboam 
 had made. I will not tell you the names of 
 these kings ; and my reason is, I am afraid 
 that you will not remember the names of so 
 
ELIJAH — THE RAVENS. 116 
 
 many. But I will tell you the name of one 
 of them. 
 
 At last, after a great many kings had died, 
 one after another, there was a king called 
 Ahab. 
 
 He was more wicked than any of the other 
 kings had been. One of the worst things he 
 did, was to marry a wicked woman who wor- 
 shipped idols. This woman was the daughter 
 of the king of another country ; she had been 
 brought up to worship idols, and she was very 
 fond of idols, and she did a great many wicked 
 things. This woman's name was JezebeL 
 She was called the queen of Israel, because 
 she was married to Ahab king of Israel. 
 
 The name of Jezebel's favorite idol was 
 Baal ; and she persuaded Ahab to worship 
 Baal, as well as the golden calves : and Ahab 
 built a temple for Baal in the town where he 
 lived. There were a great many men who 
 used to teach people to worship Baal, and 
 these men were called the prophets of Baal : 
 and Jezebel was very kind to them. For 
 Jezebel was kind to people who loved idols ; 
 but she tried to kill the people who loved 
 God. There weie some people in the. land ot 
 
 13 
 
146 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Israel who would not worship Baal ; and these 
 people hid themselves in caves, lest Jezebel 
 should kill them. 
 
 God loved these good people very much. 
 
 I will now tell you of one very good prophet 
 that lived in the land of Israel. His name 
 was Elijah : he would not worship idols, and 
 he tried to persuade other people to love the 
 true God. God often spoke to him, and told 
 him what would happen, and Elijah prayed 
 very often to God. 
 
 Ahab and Jezebel hated Elijah because he 
 was good, and they would have liked to kill 
 him. Elijah was very sorry to see so many 
 people in the land of Israel worshipping Baal ; 
 and he wished very much that they should be 
 sorry for their wickedness. At last God sent 
 the people a punishment. 
 
 God did not send any rain for a great many 
 months, nor did He let any dew come on the 
 grass in the morning ; so the hot sun scorched 
 the grass, and the corn did not grow, and the 
 trees did not bring forth fruit. All the people 
 of Israel were very unhappy ; but God wished 
 them to turn from their wickedness. 
 
 How did Elijah get food when there was no 
 rain? God told him to go to a place where 
 
ELIJAH — THE RAVENS. 147 
 
 there was a brook, in a secret place, where he 
 might hide himself from Ahab: and God 
 promised to send some ravens to feed him. 
 
 So Elijah went to this brook, and he drank 
 of the water of the brook ; and in the morning 
 some ravens flew to him, and brought him 
 some bread and meat ; and in the evening 
 they came again, and brought him some more 
 bread and meat ; and the next day they came 
 again both morning and evening; so Elijah 
 had breakfast and supper every day, and he 
 wanted nothing more. 
 
 Who made the birds so wise and so kind ? 
 God can do every thing. Most ravens are 
 wild, but God made these ravens gentle. How 
 glad Elijah must have been when he saw them 
 coming with the food. How he must have 
 thanked God for sending them every day. 
 God has promised to feed all hungrj people 
 who pray to Him. God does not send ravens 
 to feed them ; but He makes other people pity 
 them and give them food. 
 
 Elijah lived quite alone by the brook ; but 
 Elijah knew that God was with him. After 
 a while there was very little water in the 
 brook; the sun dried up the water, and no 
 
148 PBECBPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 rain came to fill it up. At last there was 
 none left. 
 
 What could Elijah do now? Grod could 
 have filled the brook with water, btrt Be did 
 not choose to do that. He told Elijah to 
 jeave the brook, and to go to another place. 
 
 You see what care God took of Elijah • He 
 will take the same care of you, if you love 
 Him and pray to Him. 
 
 Elijah by the brook abides, 
 
 And there from furious Ahab hides, 
 
 And every human eye ; 
 And while he drinks the waters clear, 
 To bring him food with faithful care, 
 
 His winged servants fly. 
 
 Tis God that gives the ravens meat, 
 And to the prophet's lone retreat 
 
 Points out the secret way ; 
 The waters sink below the brim, 
 But still Elijah trusts to Him 
 
 Who feeds him day by day. 
 
 For should the little brook be dry, 
 Yet God would all his wants supply, 
 
 While here he dwelt below ; 
 And then the Lamb his soul would feed, 
 And through eternal ages lead 
 
 Where living waters flow. 
 
 To bring me food no ravens fly, 
 Yet parents all my wants supply 
 
 With watohful tenderness ; 
 And should they soon be breathless clay, 
 My God would find some other way 
 
 To keep me from distress. 
 
ELIJAH— ^THE WIDOW. 149 
 
 LESSON XXV. 
 ELIJAH, OR THE WIDOW. 
 
 1 Kings, 17 : 8 ro the end. 
 
 Where did God tell Elijah to go, when tke 
 brook was dried up ? He told him to go a 
 great way off to a place where a poor widow 
 lived, who would give him food. You know 
 that a widow is a woman who has lost her 
 husband. Widows are generally poor, because 
 they have no husbands to work for them ; but 
 this widow was very poor indeed, because, 
 since there had been no rain, people could get 
 very little food to eat, because so little corn 
 grew in the fields. 
 
 But Elijah went where God told him. He 
 went all across the land of Canaan, till he 
 came to a town just outside Canaan. Now 
 the people who lived in this town were hea- 
 then people, and worshipped idols. 
 
 When Elijah came to the gate of the town, 
 he saw a poor woman gathering sticks, and 
 Elijah knew that she was the widow who wai 
 to give him food; and Elijah called to her, 
 and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a little watei 
 in a cup, that I may drink. 
 U* 
 
150 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 I do not wonder that Elijah was thirsty, foi 
 he had walked a long way, and there was now 
 very little water in the land of Canaan. 
 
 Now this widow was so kind that she was 
 going to fetch the water for Elijah. Then 
 Elijah called to ner again, and said, Bring me, 
 I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 
 
 Then the poor widow said, I have not got 
 any bread ; I have only a handful of flour in 
 a barrel, and a little oil in a jar, and 1 was just 
 gathering some sticks that I might make a 
 fire, and make the flour and oil into a little 
 cake, that I and my son might eat it ; and as 
 we have no more food, when we have eaten 
 t we must Hie. 
 
 Would Elijah take all the poor widow's 
 food ? God had told Elijah what to say. 
 
 Elijah said to the widow, Go and make a 
 little cake for me first, and afterwards make 
 one for you and your son ; for God has said, 
 that there shall always be some flour in your 
 barrel, and some oil in your jar, till He sends 
 rain again upon the earth. 
 
 What a wonderful promise this was. Did 
 the widow believe it? Yes, she did. Sh« 
 ^rent and made a fire, and mixed the flour and 
 
ELIJAH — THE WIDOW. 161 
 
 oil together, and made some bread for Elijah, 
 and then she made some for herself and hei 
 son ; and still there was flour in the barrel, 
 and oil in the jar ; and every day she found 
 enough flour and oil to make bread for them 
 all. 
 
 Elijah came and lived with this poor widow ; 
 he lived in a room up-stairs in her house. 
 This widow found it was a good thing to have 
 such a man as Elijah in the house. Why was 
 it such a good thing ? Because God made the 
 flour and oil last. Besides this, Elijah could 
 teach this poor woman about God ; for you 
 know that she had been brought up to wor- 
 ship idols. 
 
 Elijah loved God, and wished all the people 
 to love Him. 
 
 Now you shall hear of a very sad thing 
 that happened to this poor woman. One day 
 her son, who was a little boy, fell sick ; and he 
 was so very sick that he died, and there was 
 no breath left in him. The poor widow was 
 very unhappy. She knew that God had let 
 him die, and she thought that God was angry 
 with her ; and she wished that Elijah had not 
 come to her house ; and she went to Elijah, 
 
152 PEECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 and spoke .angrily to him. It was very un 
 grateful in her to behave in this manner. 
 Then Elijah said, Give me thy son. 
 
 Now the widow was holding the dead child 
 in her arms, and Elijah took the child in his 
 own arms, and carried him to his own room, 
 and laid him on his bed. Then Elijah began 
 to pray to God. Lord my God I he said, hast 
 thou made this sad thing happen to the wid- 
 ow I live with ? Hast thou killed her son ? 
 
 Then Elijah stretched himself upon the 
 child, as it lay dead ; he did so three times, 
 and he prayed to God, saying, Lord my 
 God ! I pray thee let this child's soul come 
 into him again. 
 
 And the Lord heard Elijah's prayer ; and 
 he let the child'cj soul come into him again, 
 and then the child was alive again. Then it 
 was warm, and it breathed. Oh ! how glad 
 Elijah must have been. How kind it was in 
 God to hear Elijah's prayer. God let the 
 poor widow know that Elijah's God was the 
 true God, and could make people alive. Elijah 
 took the child in his arms, and brought him 
 down stairs, and gave him to his mother again, 
 $nd said to her, See, thy son is alive. "Was 
 
ELIJAH — THE WIDOW. 158 
 
 she angry now with Elijah? Oh! no. JSTow, 
 said she, I see that you are a man of God 
 and all that you tell me about God is true. 
 
 Now I hope the widow believed all that 
 Elijah said, and I hope she loved the God who 
 had been so very kind to her, and given her 
 food, and made her child alive again. 
 
 God still hears people when they pray, but 
 he does not always make children alive again ; 
 but he will make you alive again, dear child, 
 when the last trumpet sounds, if you love 
 him. Some day your body will lie in the 
 ground, and then I hope your soul will be 
 with God ; and when Christ comes in the 
 clouds, and the trumpet sounds, then your 
 body will rise from the grave, and your soul 
 and body will be joined together again. Oh, 
 what a happy day that will be to those who 
 love God I 
 
J 64 PRECEPT UPON PEECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XXVI. 
 
 ELIJAH, OR THE TWO ALTARS. 
 
 1 Kings, 18 : 1-40. 
 
 Elijah lived a long time with the pool 
 widow. Ahab and Jezebel, the wicked king 
 and queen, did not know where he was hid. 
 They would have been glad to find him, that 
 they might kill him. Ahab sent to all the 
 countries round to look for him ; but no one 
 could find him. Why was king Ahab angry 
 with Elijah ? Because Elijah had told Ahab 
 that God was angry with him for worshipping 
 idols. You know that wicked people once 
 hated Jesus, because He told them of their sins. 
 
 The Israelites were very unhappy because 
 they had very little food ; even king Ahab 
 had not grass enough in his fields for his 
 horses, so that a great many of them died. 
 
 Elijah was sorry for the poor Israelites, and 
 he prayed to God to send rain, that more corn 
 and grass might grow. God heard this prayer, 
 and he told Elijah that he would soon send 
 rain; but first he told Elijah to go and show 
 himself to king Ahab. 
 
ELIJAH — THE TWO ALTARS. 15£ 
 
 Do you not think that Elijah would be 
 afraid to go to king Ahab ? But Elijah did 
 what God told him ; for he knew that God 
 could take care of him. So Elijah left the 
 poor widow and her son, and set out on a long 
 journey to the place where Ahab lived. 1 
 think that the widow must have been sorry 
 when Elijah went, for he had fed her ana 
 taught her about God ; but God had promisea 
 to make her flour and oil last till he sent rain, 
 and the rain had not yet come. 
 
 Now while Elijah was on his way to king 
 Ahab, he met a very good servant of Ahab's. 
 
 This servant was looking for some grass for 
 king Ahab's horses. The servant knew Elijah 
 when he saw him ; and he was very much 
 surprised, for it was a long while since any 
 one in Canaan had seen Elijah. This good 
 servant fell on his face before Elijah, and said, 
 Art thou my lord Elijah? 
 
 Then Elijah said, I am : go and tell your 
 lord king Ahab, that I am here. 
 
 Then the servant was afraid, for he thought 
 that while he was gone to tell Ahab where 
 Elijah was, that God would take away Elijah 
 to some other place, and then that Ahab 
 
156 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 would be angry with his servant and Jail him. 
 Ahab was a cruel master, and his servant was 
 afraid of making him angry. 
 
 But Elijah promised that he would stay in 
 that place till king Ahab came ; so the servant 
 believed Elijah's promise, and he went to look 
 for king Ahab. 
 
 Ahab was in another place, looking for grass 
 for his horses. His good servant told him 
 that Elijah was waiting to see him. So Ahab 
 name to the place. 
 
 When Ahab saw Elijah, he spoke angrily tc 
 him, and said, Are you the man that troubles 
 the people of Israel ? 
 
 Ahab thought it was Elijah who had asked 
 God not to let the rain come. 
 
 Then Elijah said to Ahab; It is not I that 
 trouble the people of Israel ; it is you that 
 have made these troubles come by your wick- 
 edness. You have not obeyed God, and you 
 have worshipped Baal. 
 
 Then Elijah told Ahab what he wanted 
 nim to do. He told him to get all the prophets 
 of Baal together, and send them to him to a 
 very high hill or mountain. 
 
 Would Ahab do what Elijah asked him ? 
 
ELIJAH — THE TWO ALTABS. 157 
 
 Yes, he would, because lie wanted rain, and 
 he thought that Elijah could ask God to send 
 it. I think that Ahab was afraid of killing 
 Elijah, lest (rod should send no rain. 
 
 One morning very early Elijah was on the 
 high mountain with Baal's wicked prophets, 
 and a great many people were standing all 
 round ; and king Ahab was there, but Jezebel 
 was not there. 
 
 What could Elijah have to say to the peo- 
 ple? 
 
 He wanted them to see that his God was 
 the true God ; so Elijah said to them, Let 
 Baal's prophets take a bullock and kill it, and 
 lay it on an altar, and then let them ask Baal 
 to send fire from heaven to burn up the bul- 
 lock. I will take another bullock and kill it, 
 and lay it on an altar, and I will ask the Lord 
 to send fire from heaven ; and if Baal send 
 fire, then you will know that he is the true 
 God ; but if my God send fire, then you will 
 know that He is the true God. 
 
 The people liked what Elijah said, and they 
 answered, It is well spoken. 
 
 Then Elijah told Baal's prophets to take 
 their bullock first. So thev took it and killed 
 14 
 
158 PRECEPT UPOiN PRECEPT. 
 
 it, and put h on the altar with some wood ; 
 but they put no fire to the wood. Then they 
 began to pray to their god to send fire. They 
 cried, Baal ! hear us. They went on calling 
 out, Baal ! hear us, till twelve o'clock ; and 
 they jumped about the altar, as they used to 
 do when they prayed to him. 
 
 How tired they must have been, after call- 
 ing out so long, Baal I hear us. 
 
 At last Elijah said to them, Cry louder. 
 Perhaps your Grod is talking, or perhaps he is 
 hunting, or perhaps he is taking a journey, or 
 perhaps he is asleep, and you must awake 
 him. 
 
 Was Elijah speaking in earnest? Oh ! no; 
 he knew that Baal was nothing at all : only 
 those foolish people said that there was a god 
 called Baal, and made images that they said 
 were like him. 
 
 Still the prophets of Baal went on praying 
 for fire ; and at last they cut themselves with 
 knives, and made their blood flow, because 
 they thought it would please Baal ; they 
 thought he was a cruel god that liked their 
 blood. So they went on till three o'clock in 
 the afternoon ; but no fire came from heaven. 
 
ELIJAH — THE TV; 4W3S. A 59 
 
 Then Elijah said it was tvne to ask his God 
 to send fire; so Elijah, built an altar with 
 twelve stones, and he laid some wood on the 
 altar, and he laid a bullock on the wood ; 
 and then he desired the people to throw 
 twelve barrels of water over the altar. There 
 was a river just at the bottom of the hill, 
 where people could get the water; Elijah 
 jnade a ditch all round the altar, and this 
 ditch was quite filled with water, and the 
 altar was quite wet. 
 
 Why did Elijah wish the water to be pour- 
 ed over the sacrifice ? To show the people 
 that he had not hid any fire in the altar, or 
 near it ; for if he had, the water would have 
 put it out. 
 
 Then Elijah began to pray to God. All 
 the people were standing round, while he 
 prayed before the altar. 
 
 This is what he said : Lord God of Abra- 
 ham, of Isaac, and of Israel, [or Jacob,] let it 
 be known this day that Thou art God, and 
 that I am Thy servant. Hear me, Lord ! 
 hear me. 
 
 Did God hear Elijah ? Yes ; the fire came 
 from heaven, and burnt up the bullock and 
 
L60 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 the altar ; yes, the fire burnt the stones, and 
 even the water that was in the ditch. 
 
 How surprised the people were at this sight. 
 They fell on their faces and said, The Lord 
 He is the God ! the Lord He is the God I 
 
 Now they saw that Baal was not the true 
 God. So Elijah desired the people to take 
 hold of the wicked prophets of Baal, and to 
 bring them down to the river at the bottom 
 of the hill, and to kill them with swords. So 
 the blood of these prophets was mixed with 
 the water in the river. These prophets had 
 taught the people to worship Baal, so God 
 chose that they should die. 
 
 Did the people leave off worshipping Baal ? 
 Did they mind what Elijah said, and pray to 
 his God ? We shall soon hear what they did. 
 
 How much they wished that God would 
 send rain I They must have felt sure that if 
 God could send fire, He could send rain. 
 
 He sends down rain to make corn grow for 
 us, dear children ; does He not ? Oh ! what 
 a great God He is. 
 
 He could send fire to burn us ; but instead 
 of that He is kind to tus. 
 
ELIJAH — THE TWO ALTARS. 16\ 
 
 To CarmeFs hill, at break of day, 
 
 Ahab the wicked king is come ; 
 Elijah, whom he sought to slay, 
 
 And those who worship gods of stone ; 
 While people flock from far and wide, 
 To see some mighty question tried. 
 
 They come to know who is the Lord, 
 And who can hear when prophets call ; 
 
 And who by all should be adored, 
 Both high and low, both great and 
 
 Oh 1 why does Baal give no heed 
 
 To those who cry, and leap, and bleed ? 
 
 And will the Lord again display 
 The wonders of His mighty power? 
 
 Oh I yes ; He hears Elijah pray, 
 
 And flakes of fire the stones devour ; 
 
 The people on their faces fall, 
 
 And own that God is Lord of alL 
 
 Elijah orders in that hour 
 The wicked prophets to be slain, 
 
 And then entreats the Lord to pour 
 Rich torrents of refreshing rain ; 
 
 And now let Israel fear His name, 
 
 Who sends soft showers, and dreadful 
 
 Til time that I should make my choice, 
 And say what God I will obey. 
 
 Lord, if I listen to Thy voice, 
 From Satan I must turn away; 
 
 14* 
 
162 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 All wicked ways I must forsake, 
 And Thee for my commander take. 
 
 Lord ! I still expect a day 
 
 When fire and brimstone will descend 
 
 And unrepenting sinners slay, 
 
 Who have not Jesus for their friend ; 
 
 What other hand could save me then, 
 
 Should Thou my wretched soul condemn I 
 
ELIJAH — THE RA1H. 163 
 
 LESSON XXVIJ. 
 
 ELIJAH, OR THE RAIN. 
 
 1 Kings, 18 : 41-46; \9 : 1-8. 
 
 You have heard, dear children, how the 
 prophets of Baal were killed. Now Elijah 
 knew that God would soon send rain ; so he 
 told Ahab that there would soon be rain, and 
 that he might go and eat and drink. So 
 Ahab ate and drank, in some place near the 
 high hill. But Elijah did not eat and drink. 
 He went up to the top of the hill to pray to 
 God. He threw himself down upon the earth, 
 and bent down his head very low. 
 
 Elijah had a servant. You have never 
 heard of his servant before, and I do not 
 know^who he was. 
 
 Elijah told his servant to stand up while he 
 himself was praying, and to look a great way 
 off over the sea, and to tell him what he saw. 
 Do you know what Elijah wished his servant 
 to see ? What is it comes before rain, those 
 dark things in the sky? Clouds. Elijah 
 wanted God to send clouds in the sky, that 
 there might be rain. The servant went up 
 
164 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT 
 
 and looked and then said to Elijah, There is 
 nothing. Then Elijah told him to go and 
 look seven times. The seventh time the ser- 
 vant came and told Elijah, I saw a little cloud 
 a great way off, as big as a man's hand. 
 
 Elijah knew that God had heard his prayer, 
 and that the cloud would grow larger, and 
 that rain would soon be poured down. So he 
 told the servant to tell Ahab to get ready his 
 chariot and his horses, and to drive as fast as 
 he could to his own house, which was a great 
 way off; for that there would soon be a great 
 deal of rain. 
 
 So Ahab rode in his chariot with his horses, 
 and God made Elijah so strong that he ran 
 faster than the horses, and he got first to the 
 city where Ahab lived. While Ahab was 
 driving, and Elijah was running, there were 
 a great many clouds in the sky, and soon 
 there was a great rain. 
 
 How glad the people were when the rain 
 came down. It filled the dried-up ponds, and 
 refreshed the withered grass, and softened the 
 nard ground. Now the people knew that 
 more corn and grass would soon grow in the 
 fields. It was kind in God to send the rain. 
 
ELIJAH — THE RAIN. 165 
 
 Ought not the people to love God, who sent 
 the rain, though they had been so wicked as 
 to worship Baal? 
 
 Ought not we, dear children, to love God, 
 who sends us rain so often, and makes the 
 corn grow? We are sinful, and do not de- 
 serve to have rain. 
 
 When Ahab got to his own city where he 
 lived, he found the queen Jezebel there, and 
 he told her all that had happened : he told her 
 how Baal did not send fire from heaven, and 
 how God did ; and he told her how Elijah had 
 killed the prophets of Baal. 
 
 Ought not Jezebel to have said she would 
 worship the God who sent fire from heaven ? 
 But she did not say this ; she was very angry 
 with Elijah, and she sent a man to tell him 
 that she would kill him the next day. 
 
 I think she was afraid of Elijah, or she 
 would have desired the man to kill him then , 
 but perhaps she thought, if she killed Elijah, 
 there would be no more rain. 
 
 When Elijah heard that Jezebel wished to 
 kill him, he was afraid, and he would not stay 
 in the city where she lived ; but he went very 
 quickly all through the land of Canaan, till he 
 
166 PBECEPT UPON PEECEPT. 
 
 came to a great wilderness. He did not take 
 his servant with him, but he went there alone. 
 In the wilderness there were trees and hills, 
 but very few houses and people. 
 
 Elijah was quite alone in the wilderness. 
 At last he sat down under a tree, and he 
 prayed to Grod to let him die. Why was 
 Elijah so unhappy ? He was afraid that Jez- 
 ebel would kill him ; but he was more un- 
 happy because Jezebel went on in her wick- 
 edness. Elijah saw that she would go on 
 teaching people to worship idols, and he wish- 
 ed every body to love Grod. After Elijah had 
 prayed, he lay down under the tree, and went 
 to sleep. Soon some one touched him. Who 
 was it? An angel. The angel said, Arise 
 and eat. 
 
 Then Elijah looked, and saw a fire, and 
 some bread near it that had just been baked; 
 and he saw a jug of water close to his head. 
 Who could have got ready the bread and the 
 water for Elijah ? It must have been the an- 
 gel. So you see that an angel was his servant. 
 God sends His angels to wait upon people who 
 love Him. The angels like to wait upon them ; 
 they fly down quickly from heaven, whep 
 
ELIJAH — THE RAIN. 167 
 
 God tells them. Yes, dear children, I hopt 
 that the angels take care of you. 
 
 Elijah ate and drank the bread and water, 
 and then he lay down again, and slept. Bui 
 <30on the angel woke him again, and said, 
 Arise and eat, for you will soon walk a great 
 way. 
 
 So Elijah ate and drank again, and after- 
 wards Elijah walked a great way in the wil- 
 derness; but the angel's food had made him 
 strong, and he lived without eating and drink- 
 ing for forty days. "Was not that a great 
 wonder ? God can keep people alive without 
 food, if He chooses to do so. Did He not 
 keep the Lord Jesus alive for forty days with- 
 out food ? 
 
 You see how kind God was to Elijah when 
 he was unhappy. I have often advised you to 
 pray to God when you are unhappy, because 
 I know that He can comfort you. 
 
 If you are sick, my little darling, pray to 
 God : He can make you well. If you are in 
 disgrace, pray to Him: He can make you 
 good ; if you are alone, and frightened, praj 
 to Him : He can keep you safely. 
 
lbd PRECEPT UPON PRECEFF. 
 
 LESSON XXVIII. 
 ELIJAH, OR THE CALL OF ELISHA. 
 
 1 Kings, 19 : 9, to the end. 
 
 Elijah walked for forty days in the "wii 
 derness quite alone, till at last he came to u 
 mountain. There he found a cave; and he 
 went into the cave, and slept in it. While he 
 was in the cave, God spoke to him, and asked 
 him why he had come there. 
 
 You know, dear children, the reason why 
 You know that Elijah had left Canaan be- 
 cause of wicked Jezebel, and God knew this ; 
 but He wished Elijah to tell Him why. 
 
 Then Elijah said, The people of Israel have 
 thrown down God's altars, and killed God's 
 prophets, and I am the only one leiv, and 
 they try to kill me. 
 
 Then God told him to come out of the cave. 
 Then Elijah came out, and stood upon the 
 mountain. And God made a very great wind 
 blow, that tore the mountain ; then God made 
 the mountain shake ; and then God made a 
 fire come. How dreadful it must have beeD 
 to see and hear these things. But God wanted 
 
ELIJAH — THE CALL OF ELISHA. 169 
 
 to show Elijah how strong He was ; so that 
 Elijah might know that God could take care 
 of him, and could punish wicked people who 
 tried to hurt him. Then God spoke to Elijah 
 in a very gentle voice, and when Elijah heard 
 this voice, he covered his face with his cloak 
 and went and stood inside the cave. 
 
 It was kind in God to speak to Elijah in 
 such a gentle voice. God loved Elijah, and 
 wished to comfort him. But Elijah remem- 
 bered what a great God He was : so he hid 
 his face. The seraphim who stand round 
 God's throne in heaven, cover their faces with 
 their wings. Ought not all people to fear the 
 Lord ? My dear child, when you pray to God, 
 do you remember what a great God He is ? 
 How can children be so bold as to look about 
 and to play at prayer-time ? 
 
 God asked Elijah again why he came there, 
 and Elijah told the Lord again, that the peo- 
 ple were wicked, and that they wanted to kill 
 him. 
 
 Then God told Elijah that He would soon 
 
 punish the wicked people for worshipping 
 
 idols ; and God said that all the people did 
 
 not worship Baal ; and that there were a great 
 
 15 
 
170 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 many in Israel who had never bowed theii 
 knees to Baal, nor kissed his image. 
 
 Elijah thought that scarcely any one loved 
 God but himself. How glad he must have 
 been when he heard there were many other 
 people besides, who loved God. God knows 
 who love Him, and who do not. He counts 
 them and remembers them. 
 
 God told Elijah to go and find a man called 
 Elisha, and to anoint him to be a prophet. 
 
 Was not Elijah pleased that there was to be 
 another prophet to teach people about God ? 
 
 Then Elijah left the cave and went to look 
 for Elisha. At last he came to a field where 
 a man was ploughing. There were twenty- 
 four oxen drawing the plough. They were 
 harnessed two and two ; and each pair had a 
 great piece of wood over their necks, called a 
 yoke. A man was walking by the side of the 
 last two of the oxen. The man's name was 
 Elisha. 
 
 Elijah came up to the man, and taking off 
 his own cloak, threw it over the man's shoul- 
 ders. Why did he throw the cloak over the 
 man ? He wished to show him that he was 
 to come with him.; and the man knew what 
 
ELIJAH — THE CALL OP ELISHA. 171 
 
 Elijah meant, and he left his oxen, and ran 
 after Elijah, and said, I will come with thee ; 
 only let me first go and kiss my father and 
 mother. 
 
 It was right in Elisha to be ready to go 
 with Elijah, because Elijah was a prophet oi 
 the Lord. I do not wonder Elijah wished to 
 go first to take leave of his father and mother, 
 and his friends. Dear children, would not you 
 wish to take leave of your parents, if you 
 were going away from them? 
 
 Elijah allowed the man to go home for a 
 little while. When the man went home, he 
 made a feast for all his friends. He killed 
 two of his oxen ; and he made a fire with the 
 wood that was upon their necks, and roasted 
 them, and then asked his friends to come and 
 eat their flesh. 
 
 Then he left his home and went after Eli- 
 jah ; and he was Elijah's servant. It was 
 very right in him to go with Elijah. Do you 
 think it would have been pleasant to live with 
 Elijah? Yes, it would have been pleasant to 
 to hear Elijah talk of God, and to hear him 
 preach and pray. But you know that wicked 
 people hated Elijah^ and s^. Ehjah wa» iften 
 
172 PEECEPT UPOH FftECEPT.* 
 
 obliged to hide "himself. If this man nad not 
 loved God he would have liked to stay at 
 home with his friends better than being with 
 Elijah. But he did love God ; and God loved 
 him, and blessed him. God loves people who 
 do what He bids them. How pleasant it is to 
 obey God. Being with parents and friends 
 can not make us so happy as knowing that we 
 plsase God. 
 
 0, praise the Lord ! for H* is good : 
 The ravens brought Elijah food, 
 
 When he from Ahab fled ; 
 And then he shared the widow's cake, 
 And next an angel bade him wake, 
 
 And feed on heavenly bread. 
 
 Why is Elijah's soul cast down? 
 Ah, hear that soft, that silver tone ; 
 
 It is Elijah's Lord : 
 He will on him bestow a friend, 
 Who shall his wandering steps attend, 
 
 And teach God's holy word. 
 
 CHILD. 
 
 Elijah's God is still the same ; 
 
 He comforts those who fear His name, 
 
 When sunk in deepest grief: 
 For when they think no friend is nigh, 
 He looks from heaven with pitying eye, 
 
 And sends some kind reliel 
 
ELIJAH — NABOTH'S VINEYARD 173 
 
 LESSON XXIX. 
 
 EI UAH, OR THE VINEYARD OF NABOTH 
 
 1 Kings, 21 ; 22 : 34-36 ; 2 Kings, 9 : 30-37. 
 
 I am going to tell you of a very wicked 
 thing that Ahab did. People who worship 
 idols always do a great many other wicked 
 things ; but people who love God, hate lying 
 and stealing, and all wicked things. 
 
 Ahab was very rich. He had two houses. 
 One of his houses was in one town, and the 
 other of his houses was in another town a good 
 way off. Near one of these houses there was 
 a garden full of vines. What fruit grows ol 
 the vine ? Grapes. A garden of vines is call- 
 ed a vineyard. This vineyard was close to 
 Ahab's house, and belonged to a man called 
 Naboth. Ahab wished very much to have 
 this vineyard, that he might make it into a 
 garden for himself. So Ahab said to Naboth, 
 If you will give me your vineyard, I will give 
 you a better one instead, or I will give you 
 some money for it. 
 
 But Naboth answered, No, I will not sell 
 my vineyard ; my father gave it to ine, and I 
 do not choose to sell it. 
 15* 
 
174 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Was it wrong in Naboth not to sell his vine- 
 yard ? No, it was not wrong ; lie might keep 
 it if he pleased. 
 
 But Ahab was very angry, because he could 
 not get the vineyard ; and he went home to 
 his other house, and he was so unhappy that 
 he lay down upon his bed, and turned away 
 his face, and would not eat any bread. 
 
 How foolish Ahab was, to be unhappy 
 about a vineyard. He had a great many beau- 
 tiful things, yet he wanted more. But people 
 who do not love God are always wanting 
 more things, and are never satisfied. 
 
 Now Jezebel saw how unhappy Ahab seem 
 ed, and she went to him, and said, What makes 
 you so sad ? why do you not eat ? 
 
 And Ahab said, I asked Naboth to sell me 
 his vineyard, and he said, " I will not sell it." 
 
 Then Jezebel said, Are you not a king ? Do 
 not be unhappy ; eat and drink ; I will give 
 you the vineyard. 
 
 How could Jezebel get the vineyard? 
 she had such a wicked plan in her mind — she 
 meant to have Naboth killed ! So she wrote 
 some letters to some wicked judges who lived 
 near Naboth, and she told them to get some 
 other wicked people to say that they had heard 
 
ELIJAH — NABOTH'S VINEfABD. 176 
 
 Naboth say very wicked words against God 
 and the king; and then to order people to 
 kill him for it 
 
 Then Jezebel sent these wicked letters tc 
 the judges in the town where Naboth lived. 
 And when they had read them, they did as 
 she told them. They desired two men to say 
 that they had heard Naboth say very wicked 
 words against God and the king. And then 
 the judges said that Naboth must be killed ; 
 and the people took him out of the city and 
 threw great stones at him till he died. Poor 
 Naboth's blood flowed upon the ground and 
 the dogs licked it up. God saw the blood of 
 Naboth : he was very angry with the wicked 
 Jezebel, who had ordered him to be killed ; 
 and God was angry with Ahab too, because he 
 had allowed Jezebel to write the letters. 
 
 The judges who had killed Naboth sent to 
 Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead 
 
 Then Jezebel said to Ahab, Go, and take 
 the vineyard of Naboth ; for he is not alive 
 but dead. 
 
 Then Ahab went to the town where the 
 vineyard was, to take it for his own, and to 
 make it into a garden 
 
176 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Dear children, do you think that God will 
 punish Ahab for this wickedness ? 
 
 Gbd spoke to Elijah, and told him what 
 Ahab had done ; and God said, Go to the vine- 
 yard where Ahab is, and tell him that dogs 
 shall one day lick his blood. 
 
 So Elijah went to the vineyard. When 
 Ahab saw him, he was very sorry ; for he 
 could not bear to see Elijah, because he told 
 him of his sins; and Ahab said to Elijah, 
 Hast thou found me, mine enemy ? 
 
 He called Elijah his enemy. Then Elijah 
 told him that God bad said that dogs should 
 lick his blood, and that dogs should one day 
 eat up Jezebel's body ; and that his children 
 should be eaten by dogs, and picked by birds 
 after they were dead. 
 
 "What a dreadful message this was ! I am 
 glad to tell you that Ahab was frightened at 
 the message, and was very unhappy. If Ahab 
 had not cared for what God had said, God 
 would have been still more angry with him ; 
 but now God soon told Elijah to tell Ahab 
 that He would not give him all the punish- 
 ment, so that his children should not be killed 
 till after Ahab was dead : that they would be 
 
ELIJAH — NABOTH'S VINETARD. 177 
 
 eaten by dogs and birds some day, bat not for 
 a long while ; yet dogs should lick up Ahab's 
 blood. 
 
 It was very kind in God not to kill Ahab's 
 children immediately ; but God is very kind 
 even to wicked people, though He casts them 
 into hell at last. 
 
 Ahab was still wicked : he was sorry-, not 
 because he had offended God, for he did not 
 love God, he was only sorry for the punish- 
 ment. He was like Saul; he was not like 
 David. 
 
 I will now tell you how Ahab was killed 
 at last. 
 
 A long while afterwards, Ahab went to fight 
 a battle against some people who lived near 
 Canaan. Ahab went to the battle in a chariot 
 drawn by horses. There was a man there 
 who shot an arrow, that went into the body of 
 king Ahab, and the blood began to flow out. 
 The driver of the chariot took Ahab back to 
 the land of Canaan, and as Ahab was on the 
 way home, he died in the chariot. So the 
 chariot was brought back to Ahab's heme, 
 full of blood, and with Ahab's dead body in it 
 The servants took the chariot to a pond to 
 
178 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT 
 
 Wash it, and the dogs licked up Ahab's 
 
 blood. 
 
 You remember that God had told Elijah 
 that dogs should lick up Ahab's blood, be- 
 cause Ahab had allowed Naboth to be killed. 
 
 All that God says must come true. 
 
 Ahab's body was buried in a grave ; but his 
 soul, I fear, went to hell, for he did not love 
 God. 
 
 And what became of wicked Jezebel ? 
 
 A long while afterwards she was killed too. 
 
 A captain desired her servants to throw her 
 out of the window, and they did so ; and her 
 blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the 
 horses of the captain and his soldiers ; and the 
 captain trampled upon her with his horse's 
 feet. Then he went in to dinner ; and while 
 he was at dinner, the dogs ate up Jezebel, so 
 that there was nothing left of her but the bone 
 of her head, which is called the skull, and the 
 bones of her feet and hands. This was the 
 end of that wicked woman, who had killed so 
 many of God's good prophets, and encouraged 
 Ahab to be wicked. 
 
 What dreadful punishments God often sends 
 to wicked people at last I 
 
ELIJAH- — NABOTH'S VINEYARD. 179 
 
 Now, dear children, will you tell me what 
 Ahab should have done, when Naboth said he 
 would not sell his vineyard ? Should he have 
 gone on wishing for it, and fretting about it ? 
 No, that was very wicked; it was coveting. 
 God has said, Thou shalt not covet. We 
 should not wish for things that God does not 
 permit us to have. If you see something nice 
 or pretty in a shop, and you have not money 
 enough to buy it, you should not go on wish- 
 ing for it. If there is nice fruit in your father's 
 garden, you should not go and look at it, and 
 wish for it ; but you should turn away. If 
 your father pleases, he will give you some. 
 If your mother puts some cake in the cupboard, 
 you ought not to think to yourself, How much 
 I wish I could have some of that cake ; for if 
 you do so, pe.rhaps you will try and take some 
 Satan wishes you to covet things. How should 
 you prevent yourself wishing for things ? You 
 should pray to God to take the thoughts out 
 of your mind and to make you think of heav- 
 enly things. Instead of thinking so much of 
 cake, and fruit, and toys, and pretty clothes, 
 God's spirit would make you think, How pleas- 
 ant it will be to see the angels, and to sing 
 
180 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 00(1*8 praises to a golden harp, and to see the 
 dear Lord Jesus on His throne of glory. 
 
 King Ahab has a palace grand, 
 Fair gardens all around are spread, 
 Yet now he longs for Naboth's land. 
 And mourning lies upon his bed. 
 
 Ah, see where murdered Naboth bleeds, 
 While hungry dogs the spot surround; 
 The Lord abhors vile Ahab's deeds, 
 And Ahab's blood shall stain the ground 
 
 What pleasure now can Ahab find, 
 In that sad spot where Naboth bled? 
 Does not the place recall to mind 
 The dreadful words the Lord has said ? 
 
 Satan tries ever to deceive 
 The souls he wishes to destroy : 
 He first persuades them to believe 
 Some earthly thing will give true joy ; 
 
 Then leads them down some crooked path, 
 By which that pleasure to attain ; 
 But when they taste God's dreadful wratk 
 He laughs, and triumphs in their pain. 
 
ELIJAH — THE THREE CAPTAINS. 181 
 
 LESSON XXX. 
 
 ELIJAH, OR THE THREE CAPTAINS. 
 
 2 Kings, 1. 
 
 When Ahab was dead, there was another 
 king. He was one of Ahab's sons, and his 
 name was A-ha-zi-ah. He was wicked like 
 his father Ahab, and his mother Jezebel. He 
 worshipped idols. 
 
 After he had been king a h;tle while, he 
 met with a dreadful accident. He was in a 
 room up stairs, and he fell out of the window, 
 and hurt himself very much. He thought 
 that perhaps he should die, and he wanted 
 very much to know whether he should die, 
 or whether he should get well. When you are 
 sick, my dear child, who is it knows whether 
 you shall get well ? Only God. But Ahazi- 
 ah was so foolish that he thought an idol could 
 tell whether he should die or live. So he 
 sent his servants a great way off, to an idol 
 that he had heard of. 
 
 As the servants were going to the idol, they 
 
 met a man ; they did not know who he was. 
 
 This man was dressed in the skins of beasts 
 
 with the Jiair outside, and he wore round hif 
 
 16 
 
182 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT 
 
 waLst a piece of leather called a girdle. Do 
 you know, deai children, who this man was ? 
 It was Elijah. God had told him to go and 
 speak to the servants of king Ahaziah. 
 
 Elijah told the servants that God was angry 
 with Ahaziah for sending to an idol to know 
 whether he should get well ; and that God had 
 said that he should never come down from his 
 bed, but should surely die. 
 
 How surprised the servants must have been 
 when they found that the man they met knew 
 where they were going, and what the king's 
 message was. They did not go on to the idol's 
 house, but they went back to tell Ahaziah 
 what the prophet had said. Then Ahaziah 
 thought that perhaps the prophet was Elijah, 
 for Ahaziah had often heard of him, and per- 
 haps he had seen him. He said to the servants, 
 What sort of a man was he ? 
 
 And the servants said, He wore clothes cov- 
 ered with hair, and a leathern girdle. 
 
 Then Ahaziah said, It is Elijah. 
 
 Ahaziah was very angry with Elijah for 
 having said that he should di^ and he wanted 
 to see him ; but he knew that Eliiah could 
 do wonders, so he determined to send a great 
 
JBLIJAH— THE THREE CAPTAINS. 183. 
 
 many men to find Elijah, and to make him 
 come. So he ordered a captain to take fifty 
 soldiers with him, and to go and bring Elijah. 
 
 The captain fonnd Elijah sitting on the top 
 of a hill ; and the captain spoke to him in a 
 rude manner, and said, Thou man of God, the 
 king hath said, Come down. 
 
 Elijah said, If I be a man of God, then let 
 fire come down from heaven, and burn up you 
 and your fifty men. 
 
 And the fire came down from heaven, and 
 burned up the captain and his fifty men. 
 
 How dreadful it must have been to see all 
 these men burned up in a moment ! How 
 easily God can punish wicked people when he 
 chooses it ! He might have burnt us up if he 
 had chosen it, but he has been very kind to us. 
 
 Ahaziah found that the captain and the sol- 
 diers did not come back. Then Ahaziah sent 
 another captain with fifty soldiers ; and this 
 captain found Elijah on the top of the hill ; 
 and he said, man of God ! thus hath the 
 king said, Come down quickly. You see that 
 this captain spoke even more rudely than the 
 other captain had done, for he said Come down 
 quicklv. 
 
184 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 And Elijah answered, If I be a man of God, 
 let fire come down from heaven, and burn yon 
 up, and your fifty men. And the fire of God 
 came down from heaven, and burned them up. 
 So these soldiers never returned to king Aha- 
 ziah. 
 
 Then he sent another captain and fifty other 
 soldiers. Now this captain had heard what 
 had happened to the other captains. Do you 
 not think that he must have been very much 
 frightened when Ahaziah told him to go and 
 bring Elijah ? "What could this poor captain 
 do ? The king would have been very angry 
 if he had said he would not go. This is what 
 the captain did. He went to Elijah, and be- 
 haved in a very humble manner. He threw 
 himself down upon his knees before Elijah, 
 and begged Elijah to spare his life, and the 
 lives of his soldiers, and not to let them be 
 burnt up like the other soldiers. Was this 
 captain burnt up ? Oh ! no. God was too 
 kind to burn him up. The angel of the Lord 
 said to Elijah, Go down with him ; be not 
 afraid of him. 
 
 So Elijah went with this captain to king 
 Ahaziah. 
 
ELIJAH — THE THREE CAPTAINS. 185 
 
 Elijah found Ahaziah lying sick in bed, and 
 Elijah told him that because he had sent to 
 ask the idol whether he should get well, God 
 would never let him get well, but that he 
 should die in that bed. 
 
 Very soon afterwards king Ahaziah died, and 
 there was another king instead of him, and he 
 was wicked like Ahab and Ahaziah. 
 
 Are you not surprised that Ahaziah did not 
 order his servants to kill Elijah? I suppose 
 that he was afraid to hurt Elijah ; for God, you 
 see, took care of him. 
 
 Are you afraid, dear children, lest God 
 should send you to hell ,and let you burn for 
 ever and ever ? Then you must do as the last 
 captain did. You must pray to God to spare 
 you, and he will hear you, bsaaiwe Christ 
 died for you. 
 
tSft PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XXXI. 
 
 ELIJAH, OR THE CHARIOT OF FIRE 
 
 2 Kings, 2 : 1-15. 
 
 You remember, dear children, that Elijah 
 once wished to die. But God chose that Eli- 
 jah should never die, but should go up to 
 heaven without dying. How pleased Elijah 
 must have been, when he knew that God 
 meant to do this. Should not you like, my 
 dear child, to be caught up into heaven to see 
 God, and to sing with the angels ? But God 
 chooses that we should die, and that our bodies 
 should be put in the ground. Yet if Christ 
 were to come again while we were alive, then 
 we should be caught up into heaven without 
 dying, if we loved Jesus ; but perhaps Jesus 
 may not come for a long while. When Elijah 
 knew that he was soon going up into heaven, 
 he went to a great many places first, where 
 his friends lived. These friends were some 
 good young prophets, who lived together and 
 learned about God. 
 
 Once Elijah had no friends ; he thought that 
 nobody loved God but himself; but now he had 
 a great many friends. These young prophets 
 
ELIJAH — THK CHAPJOT OF FIRE. 187 
 
 knew that Elijah was soon going up to hea- 
 ven. I think they must have felt sorry to 
 part with him ; only they knew that he was 
 going to be happy. 
 
 Elisha wished very much to see Elijah go 
 up to heaven. What do you think he deter 
 mined to do ? 
 
 To keep close to Elijah, and not to leave 
 him. Elijah said to him, Pray stay at this 
 place, while I go to another place, where thb 
 Lord has told me to go. 
 
 And Elisha said, I will not leave thee. 
 
 Soon afterwards Elijah said, Stay at thi* 
 place, while I go on. 
 
 No, said Elisha, I will not leave thee. 
 
 Soon Elijah said again, Stay at this place, 
 while I go on. 
 
 No, said Elisha, I will not leave thee. 
 
 So Elijah and Elisha walked a great way 
 together from place to place. At last they 
 came to the river Jordan. Then Elijah took 
 off his cloak, and folded it up, and struck the 
 waters with it ; and God made a path through 
 the waters, and Elijah and Elisha walked 
 through the river on dry ground. 
 
 After they were gone over the river, Elijah 
 
188 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 saia to Elisha, Ask what 1 shall do for thee 
 before I be taken away from thee. 
 
 For what did Elisha ask ? He wished to 
 De such a prophet as Elijah was, so he asked 
 for a great deal of his spirit. Was not this a 
 good thing to ask for ? Elisha wished to be 
 a great prophet, that he might teach people 
 about God. He did not want people to praise 
 him ; he wanted them to praise God. 
 
 Elijah said, You have asked a hard thing, 
 but if you see me when I am taken from you, 
 it shall be so ; but if not, it shall not be so. 
 
 How much Elisha now hoped that he should 
 see Elijah go up to heaven. 
 
 They still walked on, and talked to each 
 other. What do you think they talked about? 
 I am sure that they did not talk of foolish 
 things. I think they talked of God, and of 
 heaven, and of what they could do to please 
 God. How happy Elijah must have felt when 
 he knew he was soon going to see the God he 
 loved so much. 
 
 As they were talking, there came down 
 from heaven a chariot, and horses of fire — 
 that is, angels, who are bright like the fire — 
 and Elijah was taken away from Elisha, and 
 
ELIJAH — THE CHARIOT OF FIRE. 189 
 
 earned up into heaven : and Elisha saw him 
 go up ; and he cried out, My father, my fa- 
 ther I 
 
 Elisha loved Elijah as if he had been his 
 father; for he had taught him about God. 
 Elisha was very sorry to lose his dear friend. 
 As Elijah was taken away, his cloak fell from 
 him, and Elisha picked it up, and when he 
 came back to the river Jordan, he struck the 
 waters with it as Elijah had done, and the 
 waters went up on each side, and there was a 
 dry path, and Elisha walked over alone. 
 
 Then Elisha saw that God had made him 
 such a prophet as Elijah had 'been. Some of 
 Elijah's friends were standing on the other 
 side of the river, and they saw the wonder 
 that Elisha had done, and they said, The 
 spirit of Elijah is in Elisha. And they came, 
 and bowed themselves down to him. 
 
 These young prophets used to mind what 
 Elijah said, and now they wished to mind 
 Elisha. 
 
 Now Elisha began to go about from place 
 to place, as Elijah had once done, and teach 
 people about God, and do wonders, to show 
 people that his God was the true GocL 
 
190 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 You see, dear children, how happy God 
 made Elijah at last. Once Elijah had been 
 obliged to hide himself, because wicked peo- 
 ple had tried to kill him ; and he had often 
 felt unhappy, because people would not turn 
 to God. At last his tears were wiped away, 
 and he went in a bright chariot to heaven. I 
 wish, my dear child, you would begin now to 
 pray to God, and to think of him. How hap- 
 py you would be at last. 
 
 Oh ! no ; Elisha will not leave 
 
 His father and his guide ; 
 Till the last hour he'll closely cleave 
 
 To his beloved side : 
 In vain Elijah bids him stay ; 
 He still attends him on his way. 
 
 A gift Elijah bids him choose, 
 
 Ere he ascends on high ; 
 For heavenly grace Elisha sues, 
 
 And begs a large supply. 
 Does not this hope console his heart, 
 That dreads with one beloved to part t 
 
 The voice he soon no more shall hear 
 Still speaks of heave aly things; 
 
 But now Elijah must appear 
 Before the King of kings: 
 
 A car of fire and angels bright, 
 
 Convey him to the worlds of light 
 
ELIJAH — THE CHAKIOT OF FIKE. 191 
 
 Does not Elisha long to go 
 
 Up to the same abode ? 
 Ah I still he must remain below, 
 
 To labor for his God : 
 At last he must submit to die, 
 Before he sees the worlds on high. 
 
 It was indeed an honor rare 
 
 From God's all sovereign hand, 
 No death to see, but cleave the air 
 
 And join the saintly band : 
 The grave's prepared for Adam's sons, 
 Save those who live when Jesus come*. 
 
 Ah ! then, the living saints shall soar 
 
 And meet Him in the sky, 
 And death the righteous shall restore, 
 
 Who in the cold grave lie ; 
 And sin and sorrow, death and pain, 
 Shall ne'er be known by them again, 
 
192 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT* 
 
 LESSON XXXH, 
 
 ELISHA, OR THE BEARS. 
 
 2 Kings, 2: 23-25; 4: 1-7. 
 
 Dear children, do you think that people 
 loved Elisha ? People who loved God loved 
 Blisha very much, but wicked people hated 
 him. There were some people who even 
 dared to laugh at him : there were even some 
 little children who dared to mock him. I 
 will tell you about these children. 
 
 Did you know that people who have no 
 hair, or only a little hair, on their heads, are 
 called bald ? Elisha was bald. One day Eli- 
 sha came near a town where a great many 
 people lived who worshipped idols. One of 
 the golden calves that Jeroboam made was in 
 this town. A great many little children came 
 out of it and met Elisha, as he was in the road ; 
 and they mocked him, and said, Q-o up, thou 
 bald head ; go up, thou bald head. They 
 told Elisha to go up to heaven as Elijah had 
 done, that they might not see him any more, 
 nor hear what he said. 
 
 How did they dare to speak in this way to 
 
ELISHA — THE BEARS. 193 
 
 the prophet of the Lord ? But some children 
 still dare to take God's name in vain. Elisha 
 turned back, and looked on them, and told 
 them that God would send them a dreadful 
 punishment. 
 
 The children soon found that Elisha had 
 spoken truth ; for two bears came out of the 
 wood, and tore forty-two of these children 
 into pieces. 
 
 No doubt the children cried, and screamed, 
 and tried to run away, when thej saw the 
 bears coming; but it was of no use; they 
 could not escape ; the bears overtook them, 
 and killed them. What must their parents 
 have said, when they heard what had hap- 
 pened to their dear children ? You know, my 
 little dear, how your mother would cry, if you 
 were to be eaten up by a bear. There are no 
 bears or lions here to kill you ; but God will 
 punish you in hell, if you are wicked. I hope 
 that you do not like to hear people say bad 
 words. I hope that you will never say them 
 yourself, and that you will never laugh at 
 people who love God. 
 
 You have now heard what became of wick- 
 ed children who mocked Elisha, and you shal] 
 17 
 
194 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 hear next of Elisha's kindness to a good poor 
 woman. 
 
 This woman had lost her husband, so she 
 was a widow. Her husband had been a good 
 prophet : he had been very poor, and had not 
 been able to pay for all the things he had 
 bought. 
 
 People should never get into debt so long as 
 they have money enough to buy bread ; but 
 perhaps this poor prophet had not had money 
 enough even to buy bread. 
 
 The poor woman came to Elisha and said, 
 My husband is dead. And he did fear the 
 Lord ; but I cannot pay my debts, and a man 
 is come to me, to take away my two sons to 
 be slaves. 
 
 The poor woman was very unhappy at the 
 thought of losing her dear boys. Your moth- 
 er, dear child, would not like that you should 
 be taken from her, and made a slave. But 
 people in this country cannot take you away 
 from your parents, and make you a slave. 
 
 Elisha was sorry for this poor woman, and 
 he said, What shall I do for thee ? Tell me, 
 what hast thou in the house ? 
 
 And the woman said, I have nothing but 
 
ELISHA— THE BEAKS. 195 
 
 one pot of oil. This oil was sweet oil, and 
 was used for food. 
 
 Elisha said, Go and borrow a great many 
 empty cups, jugs, and basins, and bring them 
 into thy house, and shut the door upon thee 
 and thy sons, and pour the oil you have got 
 into all these cups, and basins ; and when 
 they are full of oil, put them by. 
 
 Could a little oil fill a great number of cups 
 and basins ? But the woman knew that Eli- 
 sha could do miracles, because God was with 
 him to help him. 
 
 So the woman did as Elisha had told her. 
 
 She borrowed the cups, jugs, mugs, and 
 basins, and shut herself up in her house with 
 her sons, and began to pour out her oil. She 
 poured, and poured, and still there was oil left 
 in her pot. At last she said to her son, Bring 
 me another cup. But he said, There is no 
 more. And then she saw there was no more 
 oil in her pot. So she went to Elisha, and 
 asked him what she was to do ; and he said, 
 Go and sell your oil, and pay your debt ; and 
 when the debt is paid, keep all the money 
 that is over to buy bread for yourself and yoni 
 ckildren. 
 
196 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 How happy the poor widow must have 
 been; and how happy the boys must have 
 been. They were going to be made slaves, 
 but now they might stay with their mother. 
 You see, dear children, how kind God was to 
 them. I hope they grew up to be good like 
 their father. 
 
 But how sad it is to think of the children 
 who were eaten up by the bears. Perhaps 
 their parents had not taught them to love 
 God. But I do teach you about God, my dear 
 child. I hope you will not make God angry 
 with you. Never laugh at any person who 
 is lame, or blind, or whose back is broken ; 
 but, more than all, never laugh at people who 
 pray to God. Never laugh at any person 
 who preaches, either in a church or in the 
 streets. 
 
 Our tongues were made to bless the Lord, 
 
 And not speak ill of men ; 
 When others give a railing word, * 
 
 We must not rail again. 
 
 Cross names and angry words 
 To be chastised at school ; 
 
 And he is in danger of hell fire, 
 That calls his brother fool 
 
ELISHA— THE BEABS. 197 
 
 But lips that dare be so profane, 
 
 To mock, and jeer, and scoff 
 At holy things, or holy men, 
 
 The Lord shall cut them off. 
 
 When children in their wanton play 
 
 Served old Elisha so, 
 And bid the prophet go his way — 
 " Go up, thou bald-head, go ;" 
 
 God quickly stopped their wicked breath, 
 
 And sent two raging bears, 
 That tore them limb from limb to death, 
 
 With blood, and groans, and tears. 
 
 Great God, how terrible art thou, 
 
 To sinners e'er so young ! 
 Grant me thy grace, and teach me how 
 
 To tame ad rale my tongue. 
 
 Dm. Win 
 
 IT 
 
198 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XXXIII. 
 
 ELISHA, OR THE LITTLE ROOM. 
 
 2 Kings, 4 : 8-37. 
 
 Elisha used to go about from place to place 
 to teach people about Grod. Those people who 
 loved God were kind to Elisha, and gave him 
 food. 
 
 There was one very rich lady who used to 
 ask Elisha, whenever he passed by her house, 
 to come in. 
 
 This kind woman wished that she had in her 
 house a room for Elisha to sleep in, and she 
 said to her husband, Let us make a little room 
 close to our house ; and let us pat in it a bed, 
 a table, a stool, and a candlestick, that Elisha 
 may sleep in it when he comes this way. 
 
 And the lady's husband allowed her to have 
 such a little room built. Soon afterwards Eli- 
 sha came by that way, and he slept in the 
 room the woman had built. Elisha must have 
 liked it very much — he could sit there alone, 
 and think of God ; and he could write in it, 
 because there was a table in it ; and when it 
 was dark he could light the candle, and go on 
 
ELISHA— THE LITTLE ROOM. 199 
 
 writing or reading. I know that he prayed 
 to God in this room ; for Elisha often prayed 
 to his God. I hope, my dear child, that you 
 pray to God in the room you sleep in. 
 
 Elisha thought that the woman had been 
 very kind to make such a nice room for him, 
 and he wished to do something to please her ; 
 for Elisha was grateful : he was very kind to 
 people who were kind to him. Now Elisha 
 had a servant called Gehazi. Elisha told Ge- 
 hazi to ask the woman to come to him. And 
 she came and stood before Elisha. Then Eli- 
 she thanked her for her kindness in making 
 the room for him, and he asked whether she 
 would like to have him speak to the king 
 about her, so that the king might send for her, 
 and take notice of her. 
 
 Then the woman said, No, she would rather 
 stay where she was ; and then she went out 
 of the room. 
 
 So Elisha said to Gehazi, What shall I do 
 for her ? 
 
 And Gehazi said, She has no child. 
 
 Gehazi thought that she would like to have 
 a little child. It was true that this lady and 
 her husband did wish for a child. Then Eli- 
 
200 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 sha told Gehazi to call her again, and she 
 came, and stood at the door. 
 
 And Elisha said to her, Next year you 
 shall have a son. 
 
 The woman was very much surprised to 
 hear this, and she could hardly believe it. 
 Next year she had a son. She was very fond 
 of it indeed. She thought it was very kind in 
 God to give it to her. Do you not think she 
 loved Elisha more than ever, since he had 
 asked God to give her this child ? 
 
 One day when the child was grown old 
 enough to talk, he went out with his father 
 into a field where men were reaping ; for his 
 father had a great many fields full of grain, 
 which his servants reaped. It was the morn- 
 ing, yet the sun was getting hot, for the child 
 soon cried out, My head, my head ! The child 
 felt such a pain in his head, that he could not 
 stay in the field. 
 
 So the father said to one of his servants, 
 Carry him to his mother. The servant carried 
 him home to his mother, and he sat on her 
 knees till twelve o'clock, and then he died. 
 
 Oh ! how sad the mother was, when she found 
 her little boy was dead. I have often heard of 
 
KLISHA — THE LITTLE ROOM. 201 
 
 little children dying quite suddenly, like this 
 poor little boy. Every day we should think, 
 Am I ready to die, if I were to die to-day ? 
 
 Now you shall hear what the mother did 
 with the dead child. She went into the room 
 she had made for Elisha, and laid him on his 
 bed, and shut the door and went out. Elisha 
 lived at a place a good way off, and the lady 
 wished very much to go and see him. I need 
 not tell you why she wished to see him. She 
 asked her husband to allow her to have one 
 of the servants to go with her, and one of the 
 asses for her to ride upon, that she might go 
 to Elisha, and come again soon. And her 
 husband said, Why do you want to go to Eli- 
 sha to-day? This is not the Sabbath-day. 
 Because Elisha used to teach people about 
 God on the Sabbath-day. 
 
 And the woman said, It shall be well. But 
 she did not tell her husband why she wanted 
 to go ; I suppose she was afraid of grieving 
 him. A servant went with the lady, and she 
 said to the servant, Go quickly, and do not 
 stop, unless I tell you. 
 
 At last they came to the hill where Elisha 
 was. He was with his servant Gehazi ; and 
 
202 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 he saw the woman coming, while she was still 
 a great waj off, and he wanted to know why 
 she was coining to him so quickly, for he 
 thought that something was the matter. So 
 he said to Gehazi, Eun now to meet her, and 
 eay, Is it well with thee ? Is it well with thy 
 husband ? Is it well with thy child ? 
 
 So Gehazi ran, and asked the woman whe- 
 ther it was well with them. And she said, It 
 is well. Why did she say it was well ? Was 
 not her child dead ? But she knew that it 
 was well, or right, because God had made her 
 child die, and she knew that all that God does 
 is well. Yet the poor lady felt very unhappy. 
 When she came up to Elisha, she got off her 
 ass, and threw her arms round Elisha's feet, 
 and Gehazi was going to thrust her away. 
 Was not that very unkind? But Elisha 
 would not let him d j so, but said, Let her 
 alone ; she is very unhappy, and God has not 
 told me what has happened to her. Elisha 
 only knew such things when God told him. 
 
 Then the woman said to Elisha, Did I ask 
 you for a son ? 
 
 Then Elisha saw that her son was dead. 
 So Elisha gave his own staff or stick to Ge- 
 
ELISHA — THE LITTLE ROOM. 203 
 
 hazi, and told him to go quickly, and not to 
 stop to speak to any one by the way, and to lay 
 the staff upon the face of the child. But the 
 woman would not go with Gehazi ; she said to 
 Elisha, I will not leave thee. She liked better 
 being with Elisha, than with unkind Gehazi. 
 She knew that Elisha loved God : Gehazi did 
 not love God, he was wicked ; but I am not 
 sure whether the woman knew that he was 
 wicked, for he pretended to be good. 
 
 Gehazi went on first, and laid the staff on 
 the child's face, but the child did not hear his 
 voice, nor speak ; he remained quite dead. So 
 Gehazi went back, and met Elisha coming 
 along with the woman, and Gehazi said, The 
 child is not awaked. 
 
 At last Elisha came to the house. He went 
 into his own little room, and found the child 
 lying dead on the bed, and he shut the door, 
 and he staid in the room alone with the dead 
 child. Then he prayed to God to make him 
 alive again ; and then he lay upon the child, 
 putting his mouth upon the child's mouth, 
 and his eyes upon the child's eyes, and his 
 hands upon the child's hands, and he stretched 
 himself upon him, and the child's flesh began 
 
204 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 to grow warm. Then he got up, and walked 
 up and down, and then he stretched himself 
 again over the child ; and the child sneezed 
 seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 
 
 Then Elisha called Gehazi, and desired him 
 to tell the woman to come. And when she 
 came into the room, Elisha said, Take up thy 
 son ; for the child was lying on the bed Oh ! 
 how glad the mother was ; how thankful to 
 God, and to Elisha. Before she took up the 
 child, she fell at Elisha's feet, and bowed her- 
 self to the ground, and then she took up her 
 child, and went out of the room. 
 
 Was not this a great wonder that Elisha 
 had done ? # 
 
 Elijah once made a widow's child alive 
 again; and now Elisha made a child alive 
 again : for Elisha was such a prophet as Eli- 
 jah had been, and could do wonders like him. 
 God had promised that he should be like Eli- 
 jah, if he saw him taken up to heaven ; and 
 God kept his promise. 
 
 Ought not the people of Israel to ha^ve 
 minded all that Elisha said, when they heard 
 of the wonders that he did ? They might be 
 quite sure that Elisha was a true prophet. 
 
ELISHA — THE LITTLE ROOM. 205 
 
 Does God now make little children alive 
 when the j die? No; he waits till the last 
 day: then the trumpet shall sound, and all 
 the children's bodies shall rise from their 
 graves, and the bodies of holy children shall 
 be taken up to heaven, but the bodies of 
 wicked children shall be burned in hell. 
 
 EHsha of the kindness shared 
 
 Of one who lands possessed ; 
 A little chamber she prepared, 
 
 Where safely he might rest. 
 
 The prophet soon implored his God 
 
 Her kindness to requite ; 
 And God a little child bestowed, 
 
 In whom she took delight. 
 
 This little child, one summer morn, 
 
 Into the fields was tec ; 
 And as he stood among fhe corn, 
 
 He cried, " My head, my head !" 
 
 The father bade a lad convey 
 
 The child unto his home ; 
 Upon his mother's knees he lay, 
 
 And died when noon was come. 
 
 The mother laid hira on the bed, 
 
 Within the room she built, 
 And to the place with haste she sped, 
 
 Where good Elisha dwelt. 
 
206 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT 
 
 From far Elisha saw her come, 
 And longed her grief to know ; 
 
 He bade Gehazi quickly run, 
 And hear her tale of woe. 
 
 And did the woman say, " 'Tis well,* 
 Nor murmur with her tongue, 
 
 Though mothers' hearts alone can teii 
 What grief her bosom wrung. 
 
 In this distress she placed her trust 
 In God's great love and power ; 
 
 She knew that he who gave him first, 
 Could now her child restore. 
 
 Ah ! soon to heal the mother's pain, 
 To God the prophet cries ; 
 
 The child grows warm, and once again 
 He opes his beaming eyes. 
 
 No prophet lives that can perform 
 
 So wonderful a deed ; 
 No clay-cold flesh shall now grow warm 
 
 Although the righteous plead. 
 
 Thfs is the time to pray for souls, 
 That they may pardoned be ; 
 
 For rapid as a river rolls, 
 So hours and minutes flee. 
 
 m ask the righteous for their prayert 
 
 And I myself will pray, 
 u For Jesus' sake, behold my tears, 
 
 And wash my sins away " 
 
KLTSHA — THE LITTLE MAID, 207 
 
 LBSSOW XXXIV. 
 
 ELI8HA, OR THE LITTLE MAID. 
 
 2 Kings, 5. 
 
 There were a great many heathen people 
 who lived outside the land of Canaan. You 
 know, my dear child, that people who worship 
 idols are called "heathen." Some of these 
 heathen people used often to come into Ca- 
 naan, and rob them, and hurt them. Why 
 did God let the people of Israel be robbed and 
 hurt ? Because they did not obey Him, and 
 mind what Elisha taught them. 
 
 Once some of those heathen people came, 
 and took away a little girl out of the land of 
 Israel ; and they sold her for a slave to wait 
 on a rich heathen lady in a country a great 
 way off. The lady's husband was called Naa- 
 man, and he was a great captain, and could 
 fight well in battle. 
 
 But Naaman was very unhappy, for he had 
 a very dreadful disease called the leprosy. 
 He had very sore white places on his body. 
 He could not find any body who could cure 
 him of his disease. No doctors could cure 
 
208 PKECEPT UPON PKECEPT. 
 
 him ; nor could any of the priests of his idols 
 save him. Now the little girl who waited on 
 his wife had heard of the wonders that Elisha 
 did, and she felt sure that he could cure her 
 master, and she said, Oh ! that my master were 
 with the prophet that is in my country ; for 
 he would cure his leprosy. Do you think that 
 Elisha could cure Naaman ? Yes, God often 
 helped Elisha to do wonders. 
 
 Somebody heard what the little girl said, 
 and went and told Naaman. Naaman wished 
 very much to be made well, and so he deter- 
 mined to go to the land of Israel, and to ask 
 Elisha to make him well. 
 
 Now Elisha heard that he was coming, and 
 Elisha knew that God would help him to 
 make ISTaaman well ; and he hoped that when 
 Naaman was made well, he would worship 
 the true God, who could do such wonders ; 
 for Elisha did not wis]} people to praise him, 
 he wished them to praise God. 
 
 Naaman came into Canaan in a fine chariot 
 with horses, and he brought a great many ser- 
 vants with him. Naaman was very proud, 
 and he expected that Elisha would pay him a 
 great deal of respect, because he was so rich 
 
eLaSha—the little maid. 209 
 
 and great. He drove up to Elisha's door, but 
 Elisha did not come out to meet him ; he only 
 sent a messenger, who said to ISTaaman, Go 
 and wash in the river Jordan seven times, and 
 your flesh shall be well. 
 
 Then Kaaman was very angry, and he said, 
 I thought that the prophet would have come 
 out to me, and would have stood, and called 
 on the name of the Lord his Grod, and struck 
 his hand over the sore place, and made me 
 well. Besides being angry at this, ISTaaman 
 did not like to wash in a river of the land of 
 Canaan ; he would rather have washed in one 
 of the fine large rivers of his own country. 
 Naaman was so very angry that he was going 
 home to his own country, without washing in 
 Jordan ; but his servants came to him to per- 
 suade him to wash in Jordan. They said, if 
 the prophet had desired you to do some very 
 nard thing, would you not have done it, that 
 you might have been made well? ISTow he 
 tells you to do a very easy thing ; only to 
 wash in the river Jordan ; and will you not 
 do it ? It was kind in the servants to try and 
 persuade Naaman to wash in Jordan. 
 
 Naaman listened to what they said; h*« 
 18* 
 
210 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 went to Jordan, and he dipped in it seven 
 times, and his flesh grew as soft and smooth 
 as the flesh of a little child. 
 
 Now Naaman was very glad that he had 
 done as Elisha had told him. I hope he was 
 sorry for having been in such a passion at first 
 
 Where do you think that Naaman went, 
 when he was well ? Did he go home imme- 
 diately to his own country again ? Oh ! no ; 
 that would have been very ungrateful. He 
 went first to Elisha's house, and he brought all 
 his servants with him. 
 
 He did not feel so proud as he had done be- 
 fore : he did not expect Elisha to come out to 
 him, but he went in to Elisha ; and he told 
 him that he was sure that Elisha's God was 
 the true God, and he promised that he would 
 never worship idols any more. How glad Eli- 
 sha must have been to hear Naaman say that 
 he would worship the true God. 
 
 Naaman wished to give Elisha some money 
 and some beautiful things, as a reward for 
 having made him well ; so he begged him to 
 take some of the things he had brought with 
 him. But Elisha would not take any thing. 
 Why would not Elisha take any thing ? He 
 
ELISHA — THE LITTLE MAID. 211 
 
 wished to show Naaman that he had not made 
 him well in order to get money. You know, 
 dear children, that Elisha had made him well 
 that he might believe in the true God. 
 
 Naaman begged Elisha very much to take 
 something ; but Elisha still said he would take 
 nothing. You see that Elisha did not care 
 for money. 
 
 Then Naaman set out in his chariot to go 
 back to his own country. You remember that 
 Elisha had a servant called Gehazi : Gehazi 
 heard his master Elisha say he would not take 
 any thing from Naaman, and Gehazi wished 
 very much that he could get some of the beau- 
 tiful things himself; so he thought of a way 
 of getting them by telling lies. Gehazi was 
 a child of Satan, who is the father of liars. 
 
 So Gehazi ran after Naaman's chariot ; at 
 last Naaman saw him running, and he stopped 
 the chariot, and got out, for he was afraid that 
 something was the matter. Naaman said, Is 
 all well ? And Gehazi said, All is well, but 
 there are two visitors at our house, very good 
 men, who are very poor, and my master would 
 like some silver, and two suits of clothe^ to 
 give to them. 
 
212 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Was this true ? Naaman did not know that 
 Gehazi was telling lies ; so he gave Gehazi 
 twice as much silver as he asked for, and put 
 it in two bags, and he gave him two suits of 
 slothes, and he desired two of his servants to 
 carry them for Gehazi ; and Gehazi led the 
 servants to a place with thick walls, where he 
 used to keep things, and he desired the ser- 
 vants to put them there. Then the servants 
 went back to Naaman, to go with him to 
 their own land. 
 
 Then Gehazi went to Elisha's house to wait 
 upon Elisha. He little thought that Elisha 
 knew of his wickedness. He thought that 
 Elisha could never find him out, because Naa- 
 man was gone a great way off, and could not 
 tell Elisha that he had given some things to 
 Gehazi. But there was One who saw him. 
 God saw him, and God told Elisha what Ge- 
 hazi had done. And God told Elisha what 
 Gehazi meant to buy with the money. What 
 did Gehazi mean to buy with it ? Vineyards 
 and fields, and sheep, and oxen, and slaves. 
 And did Gehazi think that these things could 
 make him happy, while the great God was 
 angry with him ? 
 
ELISHA— IB* LITTLE MAID. 213 
 
 Now I will tell you what Elisha sa.d to 
 Gehazi when he saw him. 
 
 He said to him, where do you come from, 
 Gehazi ? And Gehazi said, I have not been 
 any where. Was that true ? You see that 
 Gehazi told another lie to hide his wickedness. 
 Then Elisha said, Did not my heart go with 
 thee, when Naaman turned again from his 
 chariot to meet thee? Let the leprosy of 
 Naaman be upon thee for ever. Immediately 
 sore white places came on Gehazi's skin, and 
 he went out of Elisha's sight. Gehazi could 
 not live with Elisha any more, for people who 
 had the leprosy were obliged to live by them- 
 selves. I do not know whether he ever re- 
 pented of his wickedness. You see, dear chil 
 dren, how angry God is with liars, and what 
 dreadful punishments He sends them. Never 
 try to get things by telling lies, for if no one 
 should find you out, God sees you, and will 
 send you to hell. Perhaps you have told lies 
 already. Oh I dear children, confess your lies 
 to God. He will forgive you, because Jesu* 
 died that sinners might be forgiven. 
 
 Gehazi thought no eye beheld, 
 When he the Syrian's gift concealed ; 
 
214 FKECEPT JPON PKECEPT. 
 
 But God, to whom all things are know* 
 His deeds had to Elisha shown. 
 
 Though innocent he tried to look, 
 Yet sure the guilty servant shook, 
 When all the wicked plans he made 
 Were by Elisha open laid. 
 
 His greedy heart had longed to gain 
 Of men and maids a goodly train, 
 And fields that yielded corn and wine, 
 And flocks of sheep, and herds of kine. 
 
 But while he dreamt of years of ease, 
 His flesh was filled with foul disease ; 
 Covered with scales of loathsome white,. 
 He fled from good Elisha's sight. 
 
 Oh 1 glory to God's holy name, 
 If I have never dared to frame 
 A lie so covetous and bold, 
 As that which once Gehazi told. 
 
 Yet God accounts it wickedness 
 To wish for things I don't possess ; 
 And I have oft in secret sighed 
 For things that God to me denied 
 
 Each thought is noticed by thine ey% 
 And written in the book on high ; 
 I know my sins are written there ; 
 For Jesus' sake a sinner spare. 
 
THE LAST KING OF ISRAEL. 215 
 
 LESSON XXXV. 
 
 THE LAST KING OF ISRAEL, AND HIS FEOPLE. 
 
 2 Kings, 11 : 1-24. 
 
 My dear children, I have told you a great 
 deal about Blisha. You have heard what a 
 great many wonders he did. Did the people 
 of Israel mind what he said ; or did they still 
 go on in wickedness ? They went on in their 
 wickedness. 
 
 At last Elisha died. God did not take him 
 up to heaven in a chariot of fire. He died in 
 his bed, and his spirit went to heaven, but his 
 body was buried in the ground. After Elisha 
 was dead, the people of Israel grew still more 
 wicked. King Ahab had been a wicked king, 
 and Ahaziah his son had been wicked, and 
 the next king was wicked ; and when he died, 
 there was another king, and he was wicked ; 
 &nd at last he died, and there was another king, 
 and he was wicked ; and there were a great 
 many kings of Israel, one after the other, and 
 they were all wicked. At last God deter- 
 mined to send a great punishment to all the 
 people of Israel 
 
216 PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 You shall hear what it was. 
 
 There was a king who lived a great way 
 off, in a country called Assyria, and the king 
 was called the king of Assyria. He was a 
 heathen king, and was vqtj rich, and he had 
 a great many soldiers. The king of Assyria 
 came with his soldiers into the land of Canaan, 
 and fought against the people, and conquered 
 them ; the soldiers got into all their towns, 
 and took away their things in them, and they 
 took the people away to be their slaves. 
 
 How unhappy the people of Israel were, 
 when they were taken away from their houses 
 and gardens, and obliged to go a great way 
 offj and work very hard. 
 
 This was the punishment G-od sent them at 
 last, because they would worship idols, and do 
 many wicked things. They never came into 
 their own country again, but heathen people 
 came and lived in it. 
 
 I hope, my dear children, that you will not 
 be like the people of Israel, for if you aie, Grod 
 will send you some great punishment at last 
 If he does not punish you while you live, lie 
 will as soon as you are dead. 
 
HEZEKIAH. 217 
 
 LESSON XXXVI. 
 HEZEKIAH, OR THE KING WHO TRUSTED IN GOD 
 
 2 Kings, 18 : 19. 
 
 I AM now going to speak to you about som* 
 thing I told you a long while ago. I shall be 
 much pleased if I find that you have not for- 
 gotten it, for it is a thing hard to remember. 
 Do you remember that God had been angry 
 with king Solomon, and that God had s?id his 
 son should be king only over part of Canaan ? 
 What God had said came true. Jeroboam 
 took away a great deal of the land from Sol- 
 omon's son. Jeroboam was called the king ol 
 Israel, and Solomon's son was called 1 ing of 
 Judah. Now Solomon's son lived in Jerusa- 
 lem, but Jeroboam lived in the othei part of 
 the land.* 
 
 I have told you about some of the kings ol 
 Israel, about Ahab and Ahaziah ; but there 
 were a great many more besides, and they 
 were all wicked, so that God let the king of 
 Assyria come at last and take the Ving and 
 
 • The young reader should refer to the map, irher* the 
 two kingdoms may be seen. 
 
 19 
 
218 PBECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 the people of Israel into Assyria, which was a 
 country a great way off. 
 
 I have not told yon abont the kings of Ju- 
 dah. When Solomon's son died, his son was 
 king of Jndah ; and when he died, his son was 
 king — and so there were a great many kings 
 one after another : some of the kings of Judah 
 were good, and some were wicked. At last 
 there was a good king called Hez-e-ki-ah. He 
 lived at Jerusalem, and he liked to worship 
 God in the temple, and he persuaded a great 
 many people to come and worship God ; for 
 Hezekiah loved God. 
 
 Now you shall hear what care God took of 
 Hezekiah. God had let the king of Assyria 
 take away the people of Israel. Would God 
 let him hurt the good king of Judah ? Hear 
 what God did. 
 
 The king of Assyria sent some of his sol- 
 diers to Jerusalem ; and they brought their 
 tents, and waited all round the city, and tried 
 to get in. The walls around the city were 
 high and strong, and the people shut the gates 
 fast ; still they were afraid lest the king of 
 Assyria's soldiers should get in at last. But 
 Hezekiah knew that God could keep them 
 
HEZEKIAH. 219 
 
 from being hurt. The people of Assyria spoke 
 very wicked words against God, while they 
 were waiting outside Jerusalem ; and one day 
 the king of Assyria wrote a letter, and sent it 
 to Hezekiah. 
 
 It was a very wicked letter ; this was what 
 was written in it : Your God can not save 
 you from the king of Assyria, who has con- 
 quered a great many countries : the gods of 
 those people could not save them, neither can 
 your God save you. 
 
 Some men brought this letter to king Hez- 
 ekiah, and he read it. He could not bear to 
 read such wicked words against God ; so he 
 took it into the temple, and spread the letter 
 before God, and began to pray. He said, 
 God I Thou art the true God ; Thou hast made 
 heaven and earth. Other Gods are only idols, 
 made of wood and stone ; they could not keep 
 people from being hurt. Oh ! save us from 
 the king of Assyria, that every body may 
 know that Thou art the only God. 
 
 God heard Hezekiah's prayer. Now I will 
 tell you what God did that night. He sent 
 His angel to kill a great many of the people 
 of Assyria as they lay in their tents. The 
 
220 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 aDge] did not kill them all ; but the rest were 
 very much frightened, when they found that 
 so many had died in the night ; and they 
 went back to their own country, and they did 
 not get into Jerusalem. 
 
 So God saved Hezekiah, king of Judah. 
 Hezekiah was glad that all the people saw 
 that his God was the true God. God can 
 keep all people from being hurt. What 
 should we do when we are frightened? We 
 should pray to God to save us. 
 
 Does it never frighten you to think of the 
 devil and all his wicked angels ? Now is the 
 time, my dear child, to pray to God to save 
 us from them. God will hear us. 
 
 Why will He hear us ? Is it because we 
 are good, that He will hear us ? JSTo, that is 
 not the reason ; for no one is really good. 
 But this is the reason ; because He is kind and 
 good, and because He promised Jesus that He 
 would hear us. Jesus died that His Father 
 might hear our prayers, and forgive us oui 
 sins, 
 
 The Assyrian host unburied lie, 
 
 While from each vale, and hill, and wood, 
 
 Wild beasts and birds are hastening nigh, 
 To eat their flesh and drink their blood. 
 
HEZEKIAH. 221 
 
 The hand that lately grasped a sword, 
 
 The eye of pride, the lip of scorn, 
 The tongue that railed against the Lord, 
 
 By fangs and talons shall be torn. 
 
 How sweet the dawn of that dread day, 
 
 On those who safe in Zion dwell 1 
 On cymbals, harps, and lutes, they play, 
 
 And praise the God of IsraeL 
 
 He heard the wicked heathen boast, 
 
 And Hezekiah's humble prayer : 
 His angels slew the Assyrian host, 
 
 While Israel slept beneath His care. 
 
 CHILD. 
 
 How easy 'twere for God to slay 
 
 His enemies this very night! 
 Oh ! Why does He so long delay 
 
 To make them feel His dreadful might I 
 
 Tis love that makes Him slow to kill ; 
 
 He waits that all men may repent ; 
 Fet, if they grieve His goodness still, 
 
 They'll share in endless pi 
 
222 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XXXVII. 
 
 NEBUCHADNEZZAR, OR THE GOLDEN IMAGE. 
 
 2 Chron. 86: 11-20; Danikl 3. 
 
 How kind God had been to Hezekiah, king 
 of Judah. 
 
 God would not let the people of Assyria 
 h jrt him. At last Hezekiah died, and there 
 Wb 8 another king ; and at last he died, and 
 the* ) was another king ; and at last he died, 
 and <here was another king; and so there 
 were a great many kings, one after another, 
 and most of them were very wicke'd. Most 
 of the people in Jerusalem were wicked, and 
 worship ped idols. So God sent prophets to 
 tell them hat He would not keep them from 
 being hui any more, and that He would let 
 some heathen king take them a great way off. 
 You remember that the people in the other 
 part of Cana u, who were called the people 
 of Israel, had b^en taken away by the king 
 of Assyria ; and <*od said that the people of 
 Judah should * fc*ken away by some other 
 king. 
 
NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 228 
 
 At last there came a rich, proud king, called 
 Nebuchadnezzar, to fight against the people in 
 Jerusalem. This king came from a country 
 called Babylon. He had a great many sol* 
 diers, who placed their tents all round Jeru- 
 salem. At last they got into the city, and 
 they broke down the wall, and they burnt a 
 great many of the fine houses, and they even 
 burnt the beautiful temple that Solomon had 
 built, and they took away the golden things 
 that he had put in it, the gold basins, and can- 
 dlesticks, and altars, spoons, and cups, and 
 shovels, and they took them to Babylon, to 
 put them in the house of their idols. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar also took the king that 
 was then at Jerusalem, and put out both his 
 eyes, and brought him to Babylon, and kept 
 him in prison till he died . he killed a great 
 many people, and he took a great many more 
 with him to be slaves in Babylon. * 
 
 How very sorry the people were to leave 
 their own beautiful city and temple, and to 
 go to Babylon. 
 
 They sat down by the rivers of Babylon, 
 and wept, and they would not sirg psalms as 
 they used to do, but they hung their harps 
 
224 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 upon the willow-trees that grew by the water 
 side. Psalm 137. 
 
 Why did Gk>d let them be taken from the 
 land of Canaan ? 
 
 Because they had sinned against him. 
 
 Some of the people who were taken tc 
 Babylon, loved God. I will tell you about 
 three young men who loved God very much, 
 and who would not worship idols. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar once made a very large 
 image of gold ; it was higher than a very tall 
 tree. This image was placed out of doors, and 
 Nebuchadnezzar sent for all the judges and 
 captains in his land, and for a great many rich 
 people, to come and see this golden image. 
 Now Nebuchadnezzar had made the three 
 good young men judges ; so that they were 
 obliged to come to see the golden image. 
 When all these captains, and judges, and rich 
 men had come, they stood around the image, 
 and a man called out very loud, Oh ! people, 
 when the music begins to be played, then fall 
 down and worship the golden image that 
 Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does 
 not fall down and worship, shall immediately 
 be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 
 
NEBUCHADNEZZAK. 225 
 
 Do you know, dear children, what a furnace 
 is ? It is a place full of fire ; it is like a very 
 large oven. How horrible it must be to be 
 put into a furnace ! Would the three good 
 youmg men worship the image, or would they 
 not? 
 
 Yery soon the music began to play, and the 
 people fell down, and worshipped the image. 
 
 Then some men came to Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and said, king ! live for ever. Did you not 
 desire that every man should fall down and 
 worship the golden image, when the music 
 was played ; and that if any one did not wor- 
 ship, he should be cast into a fiery furnace ? 
 There are three men who have not minded 
 what you said : they never worship your gods, 
 nor have they worshipped the golden image 
 you set up. 
 
 Then Nebuchadnezzar was in a rage, and he 
 desired the men to be brought to him. Then 
 these men were brought before the king. And 
 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it true that 
 you do not worship my gods, nor the golden 
 image I have set up ? Now if next time the 
 music is played, you fall down and worship, it 
 is well ; but if not, you shall be cast into the 
 
226 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 furnace And who is the Gfcd that can delivei 
 you out of my hand ? 
 
 Then the young men answered the king, 
 Nebuchadnezzar, our God is able to delivei 
 us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will 
 deliver us out of thy hand, king ! But if 
 not, we will not serve thy gods, nor worship 
 the golden image thou hast set up. 
 
 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury ; and 
 his face looked quite different from before, be- 
 cause he was in such a great passion. 
 
 He desired his servants to make the furnace 
 iseven times hotter than usual, and he ordered 
 the strongest of his soldiers to throw the three 
 young men into the furnace. First the young 
 men were bound, so that they might not be 
 able to move when they were in the fire ; and 
 their clothes were not taken off. Then the 
 strong soldiers threw them into the furnace; 
 and the flames were so great, that the soldiers 
 who put in the young men caught fire, and 
 were burnt up. The three young men fell 
 down in the midst of the furnace. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar was near the furnace, and 
 watched to see the young men burning. But 
 oh I how much surprised he was to see them 
 
NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 227 
 
 wali «g about the furnace, and to see a man 
 with them, who looked like the son of God. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar cried out to his servants, 
 Did we not cast three men into the fire? And 
 they answered, True, king! 4 
 
 And Nebuchadnezzar said, I see four men 
 loose, walking in the midst of the fire ; and 
 they are not hurt, and one of them is like the 
 Son of God. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar had never seen the Son of 
 God ; but he had never seen a man like him 
 who was in the furnace, so he supposed that 
 he must be a god. Was it not kind in God 
 to come, and walk with these young men in 
 the furnace ? 
 
 Then Nebuchadnezzar went to the furnace, 
 and called the young men by their names, and 
 said, Oh ! servants of the most high God, come 
 forth, and come hither. And the three young 
 men came out of the furnace. Then all the 
 judges and captains came near and looked at 
 the young men, and saw that they were not 
 the least hurt, not a hair of their heads was 
 singed, nor were their clothes scorched, nor 
 did they even smell of fire. Then Nebuchad- 
 nezzar saw that there was a God who could 
 
228 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 deliver his servants from the burning flame ; 
 and Nebuchadnezzar said, that if any person 
 spoke against God he should be cut to pieces, 
 and his house should be made a dunghilL 
 And the king* was very much pleased with 
 these three young men. 
 
 Do you think that the young men had been 
 happy while they were in the fire ? Yes, I 
 think they must have been happy, for they 
 had such a friend walking with them. "Were 
 they not glad that they had not worshipped 
 the golden image ? If they had been burnt, 
 their spirits would have gone to heaven; but 
 God did not let them be burnt, that all people 
 might see that He was the true God, and that 
 every body should worship Him. 
 
 Though all the other people worshipped the 
 image, they did not. If other people do wick- 
 ed things, should we do them too ? My dear 
 children, if all your little companions do a 
 wrong thing, still you should do what is right, 
 that you may please God. If you see every 
 body else breaking the Sabbath-day, remem- 
 ber that you ought to keep it. 
 
 If other children are disobedient, and join 
 in doing something they are not allowed to do, 
 
NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 229 
 
 Btill, dear child, remember God sees you. If 
 the other children laugh at you, do not mind 
 it, for God is pleased* 
 
 I hope you will be like these three good 
 young men. Then, if you should die sud- 
 denly, your spirit would go to God, and you 
 would be happy for ever. 
 
 Thousands are met in that great plain, 
 Where a vast golden.image stands ; 
 
 They hear the music's thundering strain— 
 They kneel, for so the king commanda 
 
 Three men refuse to bow the kj»ee 
 
 Before that golden image vast ; 
 They still refuse : the faithful three 
 
 Into the fiery flames are cast. 
 
 But lo, they walk amid the fiancee, 
 
 Nor seem to feel the raging heat ; 
 It does not scorch their tender frwnee, 
 
 But burns the bands around their feet 
 
 And does the Son of God descend 
 To guard them by His wondrous jxvwer 
 
 Ah I is he not a loving friend, 
 Who flies to help in trouble's hour? 
 
 His glorious form the king admires, 
 And views the three with wonderinf ey» I 
 
 At his command they leave the fires, 
 Which were to them like Paradise. 
 20 
 
280 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 This golden image seems to me 
 
 Like sin, when it appears most bright; 
 
 Thousands around still bend the knee, 
 And in its pleasures take delight. 
 
 If I refuse to do the same, 
 
 Perhaps they'll show me hate and scon 
 Bat He who to the furnace came, 
 
 Will never leave my soul forlorn. 
 
 Pre heard that in the days gone by, 
 Some have been burnt for Jesus' sake : 
 
 Ah I dearest Saviour, Thou wert nigh, 
 When they were suffering at the 
 
BELSHAZZAR. 231 
 
 LESSON XXXVIII. 
 
 BELSHAZZAR, OR THE WRITING OK 
 THE WALL. 
 
 Daniel 5. 
 
 At last Nebuchadnezzar the proud king of 
 Babylon died, and there was another king of 
 Babylon, called Belshazzar. He was the 
 grandson of Nebuchadnezzar ; and he was like 
 Nebuchadnezzar, for he was proud, and h<* 
 worshipped idols. 
 
 One day he made a great feast, and a great 
 many rich men, called lords, came to his feast, 
 and Belshazzar draDk wine before them. Do 
 you remember, my dear children, that Nebu- 
 chadnezzar had taken the gold and silver cups, 
 that were in the temple at Jerusalem, and had 
 brought them to Babylon ? Belshazzar wished 
 that these cups might be brought, for him, 
 and his lords, and his wives, to drink wine 
 out of them. So they were brought, and 
 Belshazzar, and his lords, and his wives drank 
 wine in them ; and while they drank, they 
 praised their idols, which were made of gold, 
 and silver, of brass, of iron of wood and oi 
 stone 
 
232 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Was it not wicked in Belshazzar and his 
 lords to take the cups which were once in the 
 house of the true God, and to praise idols 
 while they were drinking in them ? 
 
 Oh I yes, and God was very angry ; because 
 although Belshazzar had heard about the true 
 God, yet he worshipped idols, and praised 
 them. Now you shall hear what God did to 
 Belshazzar. 
 
 Did not God see this wickedness ? 
 
 While the king was drinking, he saw the 
 fingers of a man's hand writing on the wall 
 of the palace, near where the candlestick was. 
 He did not see a man, only some fingers.. The 
 king was very much frightened : he did not 
 look merry any longer, but he trembled very 
 much, and his knees knocked against each 
 other. 
 
 Belshazzar wanted to know what was writ- 
 ten on the wall : there were four words writ- 
 ten there, but the king could not read that 
 kind of writing ; so he sent for all the men 
 in Babylon who were called wise and clever, 
 and who said they could tell hard things. 
 
 Belshazzar said, Whoever will read that 
 writing, and tell the meaning of it, shall be 
 
gap"" # " z -ii 
 
 : \ i MS 
 
BELSHAZZAR. 283 
 
 clothed in scarlet, (such as kings used to wear,) 
 and shall have a golden chain to wear on his 
 neck, and shall be made a great judge. 
 
 A great many men tried to read the writing, 
 but they could not. Then Belshazzar was 
 still more frightened, and looked very much 
 terrified, and his lords were frightened also. 
 They were afraid that something very dread- 
 ful had been written on the wall : they thought 
 something sad was going to happen. Now 
 Belshazzar had a mother living. She was 
 called the queen. She heard what had hap- 
 pened, and she came into the room where Bel- 
 shazzar was, and said, Oh ! king, live for ever. 
 Do not be frightened ; there is a man in Baby- 
 lon who is very wise indeed, and who can tell 
 the meaning of things; his name is Daniel. 
 Let him be called, and he will know the mean- 
 ing of the writing. 
 
 Now this Daniel was one of the men whom 
 Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem : 
 he was an Israelite. When he first came to 
 Babylon he was quite young, but now he was 
 old : he was very wise, and he loved God very 
 much. 
 
 Belflhazzar sent for Daniel to come to him. 
 20* 
 
234 PEECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Then Belshazzar said, I hear that you can tell 
 the meaning of things : if you can read the 
 writing on the wall, and tell the meaning of 
 it, you shall be clothed in scarlet, and wear a 
 gold chain, and be made a great judye. 
 
 But Daniel said, I do not want any reward, 
 yet I will read the writing, and tell the mean- 
 ing of it. 
 
 Then Daniel told Belshazzar, that the true 
 Grod was very angry with him for being so 
 proud, and for sending for the cups of His 
 temple, and for drinking in them, and praising 
 idols ; and for not worshipping God, though 
 he had heard of him, and he knew that it was 
 G-od alone who gave him life, and riches, and 
 honor, and power. Daniel said, that the writ- 
 ing on the wall meant that he should soon 
 be king no more, but that some people would 
 come and take his land from him 
 
 Then Belshazzar ordered that Daniel should 
 be clothed in scarlet, and wear a golden chain 
 about his neck, and that many people should 
 obey him. 
 
 That very night, a king from another coun- 
 try got into Babylon with a great many sol- 
 diers, and killed Belshazzar, and took hia 
 
BELSHAZZAR. 235 
 
 throne, and his crown, and all he had. So 
 the words that God had written on the wall 
 came true. 
 
 What has God written down in his book 
 about those who do not love him ? Has He 
 not said that he will come and punish them ? 
 Does it frighten you to think of this day, my 
 dear child ? It certainly will come. 
 
 I have often told you what we should pray 
 for ; so I hope, my clear child, that you are 
 praying for the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Belshazzar, with his lords at night, 
 
 Is feasting in the palace hall : 
 What tills the king with sudden fright t 
 Behold that hand upon the wall. 
 
 Well might he fear the wrath divine, 
 Who sent for hallowed cups of gold, 
 
 Polluted them with draughts of wine, 
 And idol gods in songs extolled 
 
 Tie true, the God he disobeyed, 
 From heaven with anger has lookec dowa, 
 
 In balances his soul has weighed, 
 And torn away his kingly crown. 
 
 And this is written on the wall, 
 And Daniel can the words explain : 
 
 Fierce soldiers rush into the hall — 
 That night the wicked king is slain. 
 
236 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Oh I Lord, and didst Thou punish thw 
 A heathen, for ungodly mirth ? 
 
 What reverence wilt Thou claim from ua, 
 Who learnt to know Thee from our birth 
 
 Fll never wear a smiling look 
 
 When others lightly speak of Thee, 
 
 Last thou shouldst write down in Thy boot 
 Some dreadful sentence against me. 
 
DANIEL — THE DEN OF LICNS. 237 
 
 LESSON XXXIX. 
 
 DANIEL, OR THE DEN OF LIONR 
 
 Dauiel 6. 
 
 The name of the king that conquered Bel 
 shazzar was Da-ri-us. He was a proud man, 
 and he worshipped idols ; yet he liked Daniel 
 very much, and set him over all the other 
 judges, and lords, and told all the people to 
 mind him. Daniel was a very wise old man, 
 and he was fit to be a judge. There were a 
 great many rich men who hated Daniel, be- 
 cause the king told them to mind Daniel, and 
 because the king liked Daniel better than them. 
 These men were envious of Daniel. They were 
 like Cain, who was envious of Abel, and like 
 Joseph's brothers, who were envious of Joseph, 
 and like Saul, who was envious of David. 
 
 Perhaps, my dear child, you have sometimes 
 felt envious, when you have heard people praise 
 another child and seen them give it presents. 
 Then you were like Satan. You must pray 
 to God to keep you from being envious for 
 we are very apt to be envious, because we 
 have wicked hearts. 
 
238 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 These wicked rich men wished to hart Dan- 
 iel, and to get him into disgrace with king 
 Darius ; but they did not know how to get him 
 into disgrace ; they never saw Daniel do any 
 thing wrong. I suppose they were afraid o* 
 telling the king lies of Daniel lest they should 
 be found out. But at last they thought of a 
 way to get Daniel into disgrace. They knew 
 that he prayed very often to - God ; so they 
 went to the king, and asked him to make a 
 law, that no one should pray to any God or 
 man, but to the king himself, for thirty days , 
 and that if any one did pray to any one else, 
 he should be cast into a den of lions. Now 
 the king did not know why these men asked 
 him to make this law : if the king had known 
 that Daniel always prayed to God, I do not 
 think he would have made this law, for the 
 king loved Daniel. 
 
 The king was so foolish as to say that he 
 would do as these mei wished, because, you 
 know,- the king was a heathen, and he did not 
 love the true God. So he wrote down the 
 law, and promised not to change it. 
 
 Daniel heard of the law that the king had 
 made. 
 
DANIEL — THE DEN OF LIONS. 239 
 
 Do you think that he went on pra}ing? 
 Daniel would have thought it very dreadful 
 not to pray to God for thirty days. He want- 
 ed to praise God very often, and ask him to 
 bless him 
 
 He used always to pray before the open 
 window in his room. Perhaps you wonder 
 why he did so. The reason was, he liked to 
 look towards the place where he knew Jeru- 
 salem was. He could not see Jerusalem from 
 his window, because it was so very far off; 
 but still he knew which way it was, and he 
 knew that God loved Jerusalem, and that God 
 used to come down into the temple, before it 
 was burnt ; so Daniel liked to look that way 
 when he prayed. 
 
 He knelt down three times every day, and 
 prayed, and thanked God for all His kindness 
 to him. And he knelt at his window just as 
 usual, for he was not ashamed nor afraid to 
 pray. 
 
 The men who hated Daniel heard that he 
 went on praying ; so they went one day to 
 look at him while he was praying, that they 
 might tell the king that they had seen him. 
 
 Then they asked the king, Did you not mak« 
 
240 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 a law, that if any one prayed to any god 01 
 man, excepting you, that he should be cast 
 into a den of lions ? 
 
 And the king said, Yes, it is true, and 1 
 cannot change the law. 
 
 Then the men said, That Daniel, who was 
 brought from Jerusalem to be a slave, does not 
 mind you, nor your law, but prays three times 
 a day. 
 
 Then the king was very sorry that he had 
 made a law against praying, and tried to think 
 of some way of not letting Daniel be killed ; 
 but he could think of no way. In the evening 
 the men came to him, and said, You cannot 
 alter the law that you have made, for in out 
 country laws may not be altered'. 
 
 Then the king desired Daniel to be brought, 
 and he was cast into a den of lions ; the lions 
 lived in a deep place under ground. Lions are 
 always very hungry in the evening, and roai 
 for their food. Would they not eat up Dan- 
 iel, as soon as he was thrown into the den ? 
 
 But Darius knew that Daniel's God was a 
 very great God, and he said to Daniel, Youi 
 God, whom you serve always, is able to de- 
 liver you. 
 
 I think Darius must have heard how God 
 
DANIEL — THE DEN OF LIONS. 241 
 
 once saved three men from being burnt in the 
 furnace. A stone was brought and kid upon 
 the top of the den ; and the king put his seal 
 on it, that none might take away the etone, 
 and he put on it also the seal of the men that 
 hated Daniel. 
 
 Why did the king put his own seal on it ? 
 That he might find out if any one came and 
 took Daniel away, for no one else had a seal 
 like the king's ; so if any one broke the seal, 
 the king would find it out. Why did he put 
 the wicked men's seal ? That they might see 
 that the king did not take Daniel out in the 
 night. 
 
 The king went to his palace that evening, 
 but he was so unhappy that he could not eat> 
 and he would not let his servants play music 
 to him, as usual, and when he went to bed, 
 he could not sleep, 
 
 lie got up very early in the morning. 
 Where did he go ? To the den of lions. When 
 he came to the den, he cried out in a very sad 
 voice, Daniel, is thy God, whom thou servesi 
 always, able to deliver thee from the lions? 
 
 The king longed to hear Daniel's voice— 
 and he heard it 
 21 
 
242 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 Daniel said, king ! live for ever. My God 
 hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions 1 
 mouths that they have not hurt me ; because 
 I had done nothing wrong. 
 
 Then the king was v*ery glad indeed, and 
 ordered that Daniel should be taken up, and 
 he was not the least hurt. 
 
 Why did God take such care of Daniel ? 
 Because Daniel loved Him, and feared Him : 
 and God wanted to show the king that He 
 was able to save Daniel, and that He was the 
 true God. 
 
 The king was very angry with those men 
 'who had asked him to put Daniel in the den, 
 and he commanded them to be thrown down 
 into the den, with their wives and their chil- 
 dren. It was very cruel in the. king to have 
 the wives and children put into the den, but 
 the wicked men deserved to be put there. The 
 lions ate them up in a moment, and broke all 
 their bones, before they came to the bottom 
 of the den. So you see that the lions were 
 very hungry, though they did not eat Daniel. 
 
 Then king Darius wrote a letter, and sent 
 it to all countries, and said, that he had made 
 a law that every one should fear the God of 
 
DANIEL — THE DEN OF LIONS. 243 
 
 Daniel, because He was the true God, who 
 could do wonders, and who had saved Daniel 
 from the lions. 
 
 Do you not wish that every body had mind- 
 ed this law, and feared the God of Daniel ? 
 But they did not ; they still went on worship- 
 ping idols. You see, my dear child, how 
 much Daniel loved God : he would rather die 
 than not pray to God. Shall you be cast into 
 a den of lions if you pray to God? No, my 
 dear children, you may pray to God without 
 fear. I hope you do pray very often. You 
 should not pray, as Daniel did, before a win- 
 dow. I told you his reason for doing so. You 
 should pray in some quiet place : God can see 
 you in every place, and He will hear you, if 
 you pray with your heart, whether you are 
 kneeling by your bedside, or in a corner of the 
 room, or in a little room by yourself. He 
 will even hear your prayers when you are 
 walking in the lane or in the garden. 
 
 If ever you should be sleeping in a room 
 where there are wicked people, who would 
 laugh at you for praying, and for reading the 
 Bible, still you should do it. You should al- 
 ways think that God sees you, Ycu should 
 
244 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 be more afraid of making Him angry than c f 
 
 any thing else. 
 
 Some children forget to pray in the mor- 
 ning; and are too sleepy to pray at night 
 and they pray in a great hurry, and withoul 
 thinking or caring for God. 
 
 Does (rod hear such prayers ? 
 
 Daniel, by threats unterrified, 
 Before his windows opened wide 
 
 Kneels down, and prays to God ; 
 And as he prays directs his face 
 Towards the loved and distant place, 
 
 Where once the temple stood. 
 
 His enemies behold him pray 
 
 At morn, and noon, and close of day ; 
 
 And to the king they cry, 
 1 Daniel the Jew has disobeyed 
 The unchanging law that thou hast madt, 
 
 And by that law must die." 
 
 The king with grief is overcome, 
 And labors till the setting sun, 
 
 His favorite to save : 
 He tries in vain. These wicked men 
 Cast Daniel in the gloomy den, 
 
 Where hungry lions rave. 
 
 The king can neither sleep, nor eat, 
 
 Nor bear the sound of music sweet, 
 
 Bat mourns throughout the nigbi 
 
DANIEL — THE DEN OF LIONS. 246 
 
 At early dawn he seeks the den ; 
 When Daniel's voice he hears again, 
 Dow great is his delight ! 
 
 Yet Daniel has no harm received, 
 Because in God he has believed, 
 
 And loved His holy laws. 
 An angel bright has been his guard. 
 Nor have the hungry lions dared 
 
 Unclose their cruel jaws. 
 
 Will Daniel ever cease to pray 
 
 To that great God who was his stay, 
 
 In his extreme distress ? 
 Naught shall divide his soul from Hint ; 
 And when his eyes in death grow diz» 
 
 His name he'll still confess. 
 
 CHILD. 
 
 And may I call this God my own t 
 Yes, He invites me to His throne 
 
 To speak to Him in prayer ; 
 But if I so delight in play, 
 That I can ne'er find time to p«%~ 
 
 His love I cannot share. 
 
 IV 
 
246 PKECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 LESSON XL. 
 
 THE RETURN TO JERUSALEM 
 
 Ezra 1 ; 8 ; 6 : 14 to end. 
 
 I told you how unhappy the poor Israelites 
 were in Babylon. They wished very much 
 to return to their own country, Canaan, but 
 the kings of Babylon would not let them go 
 back. However, God had made a promise, a 
 long while before, that He would let them re- 
 turn some day. 
 
 Now there was another king in Babylon 
 besides Darius, who was a king as well as he. 
 This king's name was Cyrus : God put it in the 
 head of Cyrus to let the poor Israelites return 
 to their own country; For God remembered 
 His promise. Cyrus had been taught to wor- 
 ship idols, yet he believed that Daniel's God 
 was the true God ; and he was ready to mind 
 what the true God said. 
 
 So Cyrus told the Israelites that they might 
 go back to their own country, and build the 
 temple at Jerusalem. Cyris gave back to 
 them all the gold and silver things that Nebu- 
 chadnezzar had taken cut of the temple— 
 
RETURN TO JERUSALEM. 247 
 
 dishes and basins, and cups of gold, and 
 silver. 
 
 Many of the people in Babylon gave the 
 Israelites presents before they went away; 
 horses, camels, and asses, to carry their things. 
 
 How happy the poor Israelites were to 
 leave such a wicked place as Babylon ! But 
 oh I when they came to Jerusalem, how sad to 
 see the walls broken down, and many of the 
 houses burnt! But still the Israelites were 
 very thankful to God for letting them come 
 there again. 
 
 You remember, that God never let the peo- 
 ple who had lived in the other part of Canaan 
 come back. It was kind in God to let the 
 people of Judah come back. 
 
 When they had come to Jerusalem, they set 
 up the altar, and offered a great many beasts 
 on it, to show how grateful they were. 
 
 They wished to build the temple as soon as 
 they could, and they got a great many carpen- 
 ters and masons, and sent for beautiful trees 
 to help to build it with. 
 
 At last they laid the first stone of the tem- 
 ple upon the high hill in Jerusalem. A great 
 many Israelites came together to see the first 
 
248 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 stone laid. The priests stood near, dressed in 
 white, with trumpets, and the singers played 
 mnsic, and snng psalms, saying, "The Lord 
 is good, and his mercy endureth for ever." 
 
 And when the first stone was laid, the priests 
 blew the trumpets, and the singers sung psalms, 
 and the people shouted for joy. 
 
 There were some old people there, who re- 
 membered having seen the temple before it 
 was burnt, a long while ago, when they were 
 little children ; and when the other people 
 shouted, these old people wept very loud. 
 Why did they weep ? Why had the temple 
 been burnt? "Because the people had been 
 wicked. Perhaps the old men were grieved 
 because the people had been so ungrateful to 
 God. The noise of the weeping and the 
 shouting could be heard a great way off. 
 
 The people of Israel were a great many 
 years building the temple. At last it was 
 finished, and the people were very glad. This 
 temple was not so beautiful as the temple Sol 
 omon had built, and God did not come down 
 in a cloud, and fill it. 
 
 You will be glad to hear that the Israelites 
 determined to worship idols no more. Bui 
 
HKTURN TO JKRJSALEM. 249 
 
 though thoy did not worship idols, they did 
 not love God with all their hearts ; so they 
 did a great many other wicked things. There 
 were a few of them who really loved God 
 
 The Israelites lived in Jerusalem and in the 
 land of Canaan a great many years. They 
 were now called Jews, instead of Israelites. 
 God sent them prophets sometimes to teach 
 them, and to put them in mind of a promise 
 that He had made to Abraham. What pro- 
 mise do I mean ? That a Saviour should one 
 day be born, who should be their King for 
 ever. God had made the same^ promise to 
 David, and had said that this Saviour should 
 be one of his descendants. Some of the Is- 
 raelites, or Jews, thought very often of this 
 promise, and longed for the Saviour to be 
 born into the world. They knew that the 
 Saviour would be born in Bethlehem, where 
 David was born. How did they know that ? 
 Because one of tht prophets had said He 
 should be born in Bethlehem, And they 
 knew that His mother would be some person 
 of the family of David, because the prophets 
 had said so ; and they knew that He would be 
 the King of the Jews, and cf all people, foi 
 the prophets had said so. 
 
250 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. 
 
 At last one of David's descendants, a wo 
 man called Mary had a son, who was the Son 
 of God ; and He was born in Bethlehem. 
 
 Yon have heard abont Jesns Christ, my 
 dear children, and how the Jews or Israelites 
 crucified Him. You will soon read about 
 Him in the Bible. Do yon love this blessed 
 Saviour? His Father sent Him to suffer the 
 punishment of Adam's sins, and of my sins, 
 and of your sins, dear children, and of the 
 Jews' sins, and the sins of all who believe in 
 Him. Before the world was made, God told 
 His Son to come, and die ; and the Son pro- 
 mised that He would come. At last He came 
 and died, and one day He will come again. 
 When He comes again, He will bring with 
 Him all those who cared for God's promise, 
 and longed for the Saviour to come. Abe] 
 will come with Jesus, and Noah, and Abra- 
 ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and 
 Moses, and Joshua, and David, and Elijah, 
 and Elisha, and Hezekiah, and Daniel, and a 
 great many more. All these men lived be- 
 fore Jesus came down to die ; but you, my 
 dear children, live after Jesus has come. God 
 has kept His promise — Jesus has died foi 
 your sins. Do you love the Lord Jesus 
 
RETURN TO JERUSA1EM. 251 
 
 Christ, and His Father? If you do, it is a 
 sign that God has put His spirit into your 
 hearts. Then you too will live with Jesus in 
 heaven, and you will sit down with Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and 
 David. 
 
 The priests, arrayed in garments white, 
 Are singing psalms of sweet delight 
 
 In fair Jerusalem ; 
 But listen to the mournful cries, 
 And oh! behold the streaming eyes 
 
 Of yonder aged men. 
 
 Those streaming eyes did once behold 
 The temple fair adorned with gold 
 
 By glorious Solomon , 
 But since the day the foe rushed in, 
 Those aged men have captive been, 
 
 In mighty Babylon. 
 
 Perhaps the sound of those sweet psalms 
 Reminds them of their parents' arms, 
 
 And of their infant years ; 
 Perhaps the thought how Israel's crime* 
 Provoked the Lord in former times, 
 
 Now fills their eyes with tears. 
 
 And though the Lord's forgiving grace 
 Restored them to their native plaoa. 
 
 To bless them as at first, 
 Perhaps they fear lest Israel may 
 Provoke the Lord again to lay 
 
 Their temple in the dust 
 
262 PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT 
 
 Father ! while I live below, 
 
 Tis well ray tears should sometimes flo* 
 
 For sins that I have done ; 
 For still my heart's disposed to pride, 
 And still inclined to turn aside 
 
 From Thee, Holy One ! 
 
 The thought of all my follies past, 
 Now makes my heart to cling more faff 
 
 Around my gracious God. 
 In heaven no tear shall dim my smile, 
 ?or s : n shall then no more defile 
 
 Wy garments washed in blood 
 
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