yourself good, you are proud like the devil.
Can God keep you from minding the devil? Yes; he can: for God is a great deal stronger than Satan. Besides this, God is always near you, for God is everywhere. Now Satan cannot be everywhere at the same time. It is true that Satan has a great many angels who go where he tells them; and that Satan and his angels come near you very often. But God is always with you; he is before you and behind you, and on every side of you; he is about your bed when you sleep, and about your path when you walk. Therefore you need not be afraid of Satan; only ask God to help you, and he will do so.
Satan is much stronger than you are; but God is stronger than all. If anybody were to come to hurt you when you were alone, you would be frightened; but if you saw your father coming you would run to him, and you would not be frightened any more. Now God is our father; he can keep Satan from hurting you. Pray to him, and say, “O dear father, keep me from being wicked like the devil, and from going to hell.”
Satan was once an angel bright
And worship’d God on high;
But now he dwells in darkest night
And endless misery.
Daring his God to disobey,
He lost his happy state:
Sinners above could never stay
Around God’s throne to wait.
Thousands of angels with him fell,
Who own him as their king;
Hoping with us to share their hell,
They tempt our souls to sin.
CHILD.
God, unto thee I’ll lift my pray’r,
(He’ll hear an infant cry,)
“Save me, O Lord, lest I should share
In Satan’s misery.”
On the subjects of the preceding Lessons.
God lives on high—beyond the sky,
And angels bright—all clothed in white,
The praises sing—of heaven’s king.
This God can see—both you and me;
Can see at night—as in the light;
And all we do—remembers too.
’Tis he bestows—my food and clothes,
And my soft bed—to rest my head,
And cottage neat and mother sweet.
And should not I—forever try
To do what He—has ordered me,
And dearly love—this Friend above?
I always should—be very good:
At home should mind—my parents kind;
At school obey—what teachers say.
Now if I fight—and scratch, and bite,
In passions fall—and bad names call,
Full well I know—where I shall go.
Satan is glad—when I am bad,
And hopes that I—with him shall lie
In fire and chains—and dreadful pains.
And liars dwell—with him in hell,
And many more—who cursed and swore,
And all who did—what God forbid.
And I have not—done what I ought;
I am not fit—with God to sit.
And angels bright—all clothed in white.
I will confess—my naughtiness,
And will entreat—for mercy sweet
O Lord! forgive—and let me live.
My body must—be turned to dust.
Then let me fly—beyond the sky,
And see thy face—in that sweet place.
LESSON VI.
THE WORLD.—PART I.
Genesis i. 1-10
This large place we live in is called the world. It is very beautiful. If we look up we see the blue sky, if we look down we see the green grass. The sky is like a curtain spread over our heads, the grass like a carpet under our feet, and the bright sun is like a candle to give us light. It was very kind of God to make such a beautiful world, and let us live in it.
God was in heaven, and all his bright angels around him, when he began to make the world. God’s Son was with him—for God always has a Son, just like himself.
His Son’s name is Jesus Christ. He is as good and as great as God his Father. The Father and the Son are God: they always lived together, and they love each other exceedingly. The Father and the Son are one God, and they made the world.
How did God make the world?—By speaking. First of all, God made the light. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. No one can make things by speaking but God: God made things of nothing. He only spoke, and the light came.
Then God made the air. You cannot see the air, but you can feel it. The air is everywhere. You can sometimes hear the noise it makes, for you hear the wind blow, and the wind is air.
Next God put some water up very high. The clouds are full of water, and sometimes the water comes down, and we call it rain.
God made a large deep place, and filled it with water. God spoke to the water, and it rushed into the deep place. God called this water the sea.
The sea is very large, and it is always moving up and down, and tossing itself; but it cannot get out of the large deep place in which God has put it; for God said, “Stay there.”
When the wind blows hard, the sea makes a loud noise, and roars.
God made some dry land for us to walk upon: we call it ground. We could not walk upon the sea nor build houses on the sea: but the ground is hard, and firm, and dry.
Now I have told you of five things that God made:—
1. The light. 2. The air. 3. The clouds. 4. The sea. 5. The dry land.
Let us praise God for making such a large and beautiful world.
’Twas God who made this world so fair,
The shining sun, the sky, the air;
’Twas God who made the sea, the ground,
And all the things I see around.
When he began the world to make,
These were the mighty words he spake;
“Let there be light;” his voice was heard,
And the obedient light appeared.
The angels saw the light arise,
And with their praises filled the skies.
“How great our God! How wise! How strong!”
Such is their never-ending song.
LESSON VII.
THE WORLD.—PART II.
Genesis i. 11-19.
When God made the dry land,