One of the boys or girls said this was a penny bank. That name is very suggestive. A bank is a place where you deposit money. Now, if you have a bank like this, do you only put into it silver dollars, five-dollar bills, ten-dollar gold pieces? If each boy who is here were to wait until he had a ten-dollar gold piece, or a five-dollar bill, or until he had come into possession of a silver dollar before he placed any money in his bank, I am sure his bank would always remain empty. The way to fill a bank is to put pennies in it--to save each cent and each five-cent piece. To-day a penny, and to-morrow a few pennies, and so on through the week, and through the year, and at the end of the year you will find that you have saved quite a goodly sum.
Now, there are some people who want to lay up treasures in heaven, but they do not want to lay it up there, little by little. They prefer to wait until some opportunity comes when they can do a great deal of good at one time. But the person who does not do good every day and every hour, little by little, will never have any treasure in heaven. It is the pennies that make the dollars; it is the "many mites that make the muckle." It is the constant doing of little things, for the glory of G.o.d and the good of others, that makes a man great. Great men are great in little things, and if you desire to be great men and great women, you must always use the little opportunities, and use them well. Lay up treasure in heaven, each and every day, just the same as, day after day, you would save your pennies, and thus fill your banks. If you want a large treasure in heaven you must constantly be engaged in laying up your treasure there. Never lose an opportunity to do good, and in this way you will have an abundant treasure in heaven.
QUESTIONS.--Where do people put money for safe keeping? Is it only silver and gold which is put into a bank? Do thieves ever break into banks? Can any treasure be laid up in the earth where it is absolutely safe? Where does the Bible tell us we are also to lay up treasure? When boys and girls are obedient, is that laying up treasure in heaven? Does being great in little things make a great man or a great woman? Should boys and girls learn to save their money? What would they be called if they spent all their money? What would they be called if they h.o.a.rded up all they could get? Should we always use all our money in the fear of G.o.d?
After the conclusion of the services and after "driving home from church", introduce some other interesting features so as to make the day sacredly impressive.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
THE CHART.
AVOIDING THE DANGERS.
SUGGESTIONS:--Objects: A geography, or detached maps will serve to show that the portions of the earth which are under the water are quite like the portions of the earth which are above the water.
Islands are only mountain summits or elevations.
"Drive to church", have the ushers show different real or imaginary persons to seats, have the little sermon and service precede the reading of the following object sermon.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Outline Map of the United States.]
MY LITTLE MEN AND WOMEN: We are all travelers. Now when a traveler starts out upon a journey he always desires to have in his possession one of these things which I hold in my hand. I know you will recognize it at once, and say that it is a map. This map tells you the name of the country; it shows you where there are mountains, where there are rivers, where there are valleys, where there are cities, and shows you the entire United States of America. In traveling through a strange country, if you do not have a map, you might be lost upon the mountains, or your journey would be obstructed by the rivers which you could not cross, and in various ways you would find it absolutely necessary to have a map.
Now, when a traveler goes out upon the sea, it is just as necessary that he should have a map, or what the sailors call a chart, as it is for the traveler upon the land. The chart which the sea captain has, shows the mountains and the valleys and the rivers which are in the sea; for these exist in the sea, as well as upon the land. The rocks, against which ships are sometimes dashed to pieces, are simply the tops of high mountains that come very near to the surface of the sea; and the captain without a chart, not knowing where they are, is likely to run against them with his ship. The islands are simply the tops of these mountains, that rise higher above the water, and form a place of abode for man; and we call them islands, because they are very much smaller than the great continents on which you and I live.
A chart of the sea always locates the dangerous places. They show where other ships have been foundered, and oftentimes where hundreds and thousands of lives have been lost. It also shows what are really rivers in the sea, or great currents, one of which we call the Gulf Stream.
When a ship is crossing the Gulf Stream the motion or current of this water might carry it many hundreds of miles out of its course, and if the captain had no chart he would not be able to allow for this distance, which the ship is being carried, either north or south.
Now, you and I are travelers in this world. We are out upon a great voyage, and it is necessary that we should have a chart, and therefore G.o.d has given us the Bible, which you and I can use greatly to our advantage. In the Bible, G.o.d has pointed out the dangers which lie like the hidden rocks under the surface of the sea. In the commandments G.o.d marks out the great dangers which beset you and me. There is the rock of Idolatry. Whole nations of the earth have been wrecked on this rock.
Then there is another, Profanity, swearing: Oh! how many boys and men are ruined because they do not observe how G.o.d has marked this dangerous rock, against which no one can run without danger of losing his immortal soul. Then there is Sabbath breaking, another rock; and there is reverence due to parents; and G.o.d marks another, "Thou shalt not kill"; and then there are others, against stealing, against bearing false witness, against covetousness. All these dangerous rocks G.o.d has marked in the Bible, in order that you and I may not run against them, and thus be shipwrecked in our voyage to the haven of everlasting rest.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Rocks and Mountains at the Bottom of the Sea.]
G.o.d also marks the influences which you and I must come in contact with.
Every boy who goes to school feels the influence of other boys, some of whom are very bad. If he permits himself to be moved by these things he will go wrong, just the same as the ship that is crossing the Gulf Stream is carried out of its course. So the Bible warns us against bad company.
Now the chart which the sea captain has, indicates also the ports of safety. It shows the location of these different ports, and the direction the captain must take in order to reach them. So the Bible shows us where you and I can find refuge in the day of storm, and in the day of trial, and in the day of sickness, and in the day of distress. To the sea captain, out upon the great ocean, there are ten thousand directions which are sure to end in shipwreck. There is only one safe way to go, in order to reach his desired port in safety.
Now what would you think of a captain out upon the seas who folded up his chart and laid it carefully away, and never looked at it, never studied it, never sought to know what is on the chart? Do you not see how he would go upon the rocks? His ship would go down to the bottom of the sea, just as surely as if he had no chart on board his ship. It is important that he should have his chart in constant use. So it is important, not only that we should have the Bible, but that we should use the Bible, that we should read it, that we should study it, that we should know what it says. I trust that each and all of you not only have a Bible, but that you study it daily, and that you seek to avoid the dangers which G.o.d has pointed out, and that you desire to know the will of G.o.d concerning you.
QUESTIONS.--What should a traveler always have in a strange country? What must a sea captain always carry with him on his ship? What does the chart show? Are we travelers? To what country are we journeying? Has G.o.d given us a chart to show the dangers to which we are exposed in our voyage or journey? Should we read the Bible every day? What are two princ.i.p.al parts of the Bible? Do you know how many books there are in the Old Testament? Do you know how many books there are in the New Testament? Do you know who was the first man? Who was the first woman? Who was the first murderer?
Who built the ark? Who had the coat of many colors? Who led the Children of Israel out of Egypt? Who was put in the lion"s den?
After the entire service has been completed and after the "drive home from church", chairs can be arranged with their backs toward each other, set a little way apart, with a shawl, blanket, or even a sheet, thrown over them so as to form a little tent. A number of tents can be made to ill.u.s.trate the Children of Israel camping in the wilderness.
They were travelers tenting by the way, who forgot about their chart and fell into sin, and G.o.d had to turn them back in the wilderness for forty years of wandering. All this suggests important lessons to the parents.
A series of tents can be arranged like the one shown in the picture below (see also pages 209 and 271) and then, with one child in each tent the questions can be asked. When a child fails to give the correct answer, he moves down to the last tent in the row, the other children move up, and the question is pa.s.sed to the child next in order, the same as in a "spelling-bee" and other progressive plays. Questions like those given on this page and on pages =25= and =26= can be used; also questions such as are found in the chapter on "Suggestions to Parents," especially from paragraphs 50 onward.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The Children of Israel Camping in the Wilderness.]
THE ANCHOR.
HOPE THAT LAYS HOLD OF CHRIST.
SUGGESTIONS:--Object: Anchor of any kind. One cut from paste-board would answer. During the week the little ones might be interested to cut out both anchor and the chain, using paste-board.
Before reading the following sermon, "drive to church" and after the audience has been shown to seats, begin the service with singing, have the regular prayer and have one of the children preach over the sermon at the church in the morning or the object sermon of last Sunday.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS: I want to talk to you to-day about a very important subject. The Bible speaks of hope, and says, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." (Hebrews vi: 19.)
[Ill.u.s.tration: The Anchor.]
I suppose most of you have been on board a ship or large boat. Very near the bow, or front end of the boat, you have doubtless noticed a chain, at the end of which was an anchor, made in the form of this one which I hold in my hand. Now, I would not care to go out to sea on any ship which did not have an anchor on board. In crossing the Atlantic you may sometimes be out for days and weeks, and sometimes even for months, and have no need of using the anchor. But all the time, while the weather is pleasant and everything is moving along prosperously, the fact that the anchor is on board the ship and that it can be used in time of danger, gives a sense of security to all the pa.s.sengers. If it were not there you would constantly fear, lest the storms or fog might come when your ship was near land or dangerous rocks or shoals, and then your ship might be lost with its many hundreds of lives on board, simply because it had no anchor.
Every man and woman, and every boy and girl, needs to have hope as an anchor to his soul. We should have faith in G.o.d, and then at times when all is well, when we are prosperous and blest, and everything goes along like the ship in pleasant weather, we will constantly have peace and rest in our minds and hearts, because we know that our hope is staid on G.o.d, and that though the world be removed, yet G.o.d will not disappoint us.
Some people seem to think that religion is a good thing to have when they get sick, or when adversity or sorrow or great affliction comes.
But the fact is that religion is a necessary thing at all times. We need it when we are well and strong, as well as when we are sick and weak. We need religion in this world to live by, as well as to die by, as well as for our salvation in the world to come.
The anchor is very serviceable indeed in time of storm. Often it has to be used in order to secure the ship and save the lives of all who are on board. If it were not for the anchor the ship might be thrust upon the rocks, or it might be dashed to pieces by the waves that break upon the coast. The anchor is oftentimes very serviceable. So it is with the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ. When trials and perplexities and adversities come, as they do in every life, then it is that this anchor is a source of very great blessing, because it saves from shipwreck, occasioned by unbelief and the perplexities into which those are cast who have no hope, or trust in G.o.d.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Anchor Laying Hold of the Rocks.]
To be serviceable the anchor must take hold of something. If it simply drags along it will not hold the ship; but the ship may go to pieces on the rocks, even though it has an anchor, which has already been cast over. Now in time of sorrow and perplexity or distress every one throws out an anchor. That is, he tries to take hold of something which will sustain him and keep him, just the same as a boy who falls into the water would grab after a board. They say that a drowning man will even grasp after a straw in order to help to support his body, so that he may save his life. So every one in perplexity reaches out to lay hold of something. But the text which I quoted in the beginning says that this hope which we have as an anchor to the soul lays hold of something, and that something is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is like the ship whose anchor goes down, far below the waves, deep down out of sight, and lays hold of the rocks which form the foundation of the earth. So the faith of the Christian is staid, not on things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen. As the text expresses it, it lays hold of those things "which entereth into that which is within the veil." That is, this figure refers to the Temple at Jerusalem, where the Holy of Holies was concealed from the rest of the Temple by a large curtain or veil, and no one was permitted to go into this Holy of Holies except the High Priest, and he but once a year. But when you and I have the faith of the Christian, although we may not be able to enter into the great mystery of G.o.d"s grace and mercy, yet our faith lays hold of that which is beyond our understanding, and beyond our possibility to see or fully to comprehend, and thus our faith lays hold of that which is "within the veil." With our understanding, you and I cannot enter into the mysteries of G.o.d, but by faith we can enter into them. I trust that every boy and girl here will have that faith in G.o.d, which will be as an anchor to his soul, sure and steadfast, entering within the veil at all times.
I will tell you how this anchor of faith and hope can be of service to you. There are times when you see other boys and girls who have many more comforts and luxuries and possessions than you have. You may even be discouraged sometimes because you think your lot in life is more than usually hard and difficult.
When I myself was a boy, my father died, and only three years later my mother died. I was left an orphan and without a home. I had to become an errand boy in a store, and for a number of years I had a hard struggle.
I was a Christian boy, and I had this anchor of faith and hope. I trusted in G.o.d that He would make all of these things to work out eventually for my good. I could not at that time understand how. It was beyond my understanding, but later on in life I found how all the trials and struggles of my earlier years had worked together for my good. I understood that pa.s.sage of Scripture which says: "All things work together for good to them that love G.o.d." (Romans viii: 28.)
So, when you see others who have it easier and who have more comforts and luxuries than you have, if you have this hope which the text speaks of as "laying hold within the veil" be sure that in G.o.d"s own good time, in His infinite wisdom and love, He will work out for you also the blessing and the good which you can only hope for, but which at the present time you can neither see nor understand.
QUESTIONS.--What does every ship carry? Would a ship be safe without an anchor? When the anchor is let down into the deep water, must it take hold of something? When is the anchor used? If a ship did not have an anchor in time of storm along the rocky coast, would it be safe? Do men and women, boys and girls, also need an anchor? Can we have peace and happiness without hope? Is religion necessary only when we are in trouble? On what does hope lay hold? Can we see the things on which the Christian"s faith lays hold? Can we always understand G.o.d"s providences? Did the writer of this book have trials when he was a boy? Could he understand them then? Did he understand them later on in life? Do all boys and girls have trials? If received in the proper spirit, will they always work out for their good?
HUSKS.
THE DISAPPOINTED PLEASURE-SEEKER.
SUGGESTION:--If the children can obtain some of the pods which are called "husks" in the Scripture, which can be had in some towns and cities, and which the children usually call "Johnny-bread" they will be able to taste the husks which the prodigal fed to the swine and which he himself desired to eat. If these cannot be had, the pods from the sweet locust tree will be serviceable.