THE SICK OF THE PALSY.

Mark ii. 1-12.

TO-DAY, little ones, I am going to tell you a very wonderful story: do you think that you will be able to tell it to me again next Sunday?

Many, many years ago, when Jesus Christ lived in this world, you might have seen, if you had been in the country where He was, four men coming along the road carrying some one. Who was it, do you think? A poor sick man, so ill that he could not walk, and the doctors could not cure him; he had got the palsy. What is that? [Explain.] Where were they taking him?—Yes, quite right, "to Jesus." Why did they think that He could help them? Yes, don't forget that He is God, and can do everything. Can you say your hymn, "Jesus, who lives above the sky"? He went about doing what? (Good.) What did He say to the blind men? Can you tell me what the dead did when they heard His voice? Were not the men wise and kind, when they carried their sick friend to Jesus?

Where is Jesus now? What should you do when your fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, are sick? Can you go to Him? How? Never forget that Jesus loves little children, and listens to their prayers. Don't you want to know what happened to the sick man and his friends? Listen, and I will tell you.

On they went till they came to the door of the house where Jesus was. They were just going in, when oh, how sad for them! they saw that the house was so full that there was not room for one more, much less for four men and one sick man besides on his bed. What could they do? Perhaps they had come a long way, poor fellows; and how painful it would be if they had to go back with their friend as bad as ever!

What do you think they did? Shall I tell you? They went up on the roof. How could they? The roofs in that country are not like ours; they are flat.

[Describe

What do I mean by that? eastern houses.] Now do you understand how the men managed? Tell it me all again (Luke v. 18, 19).

Jesus was preaching to a great many people when the sick man was let down into the midst of them. Was He angry, do you think? Oh no, Jesus always feels for the sick and sorrowful; and He was pleased to see that the men thought so. He could and would help them; He likes you too to trust in Him. What did He say to children once?

I dare say the poor man was very tired with his journey, and perhaps his heart was full of fear; but Jesus' words must at once have made him happy. Would you like to know what they were? 'Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee."

How

Jesus knew what the man wanted most; what was it? What are sins? Tell me some wrong things? does God feel if we sin?-(Angry.) Where do sinners go if their sins are not forgiven?

Do you see now how much Jesus did for the sick man? Which was best, to forgive his sins, or to cure his sickness? Why? Are you sinners? Why? Are all sinners? Say the text, "All have sinned," etc. Who can forgive my sins and your sins? Can He hear us now? What did He do for sinners? Let us

say, "Lord Jesus, forgive our sins, and wash them away in Thy blood." Ask Him to help you to love Him, and to try to please Him. Tell me something you can do to please Him.

Some people who were standing near did not believe that Jesus could forgive sins. They did not say so, but they thought it in their hearts. Jesus asked them why they thought evil in their hearts. How did He know what they were thinking? Do I know what Johnny there is thinking of? Why not? cause I cannot see into his heart. Can you? Can any man?

Be

But Jesus was God, and He knows everything. Can you tell me a text which says so? Quite right: "The eyes

of the Lord," etc.; and "Thou God seest me." Don't forget those four words. I have heard of a little boy who was saved from taking a pear which did not belong to him by thinking of them. The Lord saw you last night when you were quite alone; He saw you as you came to school this morning. [Illustrate by examples.] How careful you should be to do what He likes, and not grieve Him by your thoughts, words, or actions. Remember, He knows everything.

How surprised the men must have been when Jesus spoke to them. They did not think that He knew what was in their hearts, Then He said, "I will show you that I have all power, and that I can forgive sins." And so He did what nobody else in the room could; He cured the sick man. He said to him, "Arise, take up thy bed, and go to thine house." And the poor man, who could not move before, and wanted four men to carry him, got up at once, took up his bed (was it like our beds?) and walked away quite well before all the people. Was not that wonderful? The people were astonished, and praised God; and so did the man as he went home (Mark ii. 12; Luke v. 25).

Is not this a beautiful history? Now, dear children, don't forget that Jesus is very merciful, has all power, can do everything, knows everything, and can forgive sins.

MERCY C. W.

EARLY TIMES OF THE BIBLE.

XIX. A JOYFUL MEETING. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."-P8. xxx. 5.

WE will now take up Joseph's history at the part where we left off; what part was that?

Well, after Joseph had had a long and happy talk with his brothers, and especially with his favourite, Benjamin, he sent them away with plenty of food; and, remembering that his dear father was now very old, and becoming too feeble either to walk or ride, and that

the wives and little children of his brothers were also to be brought back, he sent a number of wagons for them to travel in. Wasn't that very thoughtful of Joseph ? You little ones would have liked that way of riding best, I think. Joseph also gave his brothers a number of beautiful presents; and he sent some as well to his father.

When Joseph's brethren reached home, they said to their father, "Oh, such news! such a wonderful thing! Joseph is alive yet; and, more than that, he is governor over all the land of Egypt." But poor Jacob shook his head: "Ah, no! that cannot be true about my poor dear son, who all these many years has been lost to me." Then they showed him the presents and the wagons: "See now; Joseph has sent these for you and for our little ones." When Jacob saw the wagons, he felt sure it was true. "Ah, then my son is alive. I will go and see him before I die !"

They were soon all ready to set out, and away they went. When they had got as far as the land of Goshen, Josephi met them; and what a happy meeting he and his father Jacob had! Their joy was so great that it made them weep a good while; those tears were happy tears. Do you know what I mean? You shout and dance, no doubt, when you are greatly pleased; grown up people, when they are excessively happy, often cry for joy.

Then Joseph said, "I shall tell Pharaoh you are come, and ask him to let you have this part of the country to live in for yourselves." This he did; and the king said, "Oh yes, let them live there; but first I should like to see your father." When Jacob came into the presence of Pharaoh, the king asked him his age; and as soon as the old man had answered the question, he blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before him. Jacob and his people all settled down now in the land of Goshen, near enough for Joseph to see them whenever he liked. And Joseph took care of his father as long as he lived, and was always kind to those brothers who had once behaved so ill to him.

Now, little ones, this has been a long story; and I should like to hear how much you can remember, and what lessons we have learnt. I should also like you to find out some things in the history of Joseph which bring to our mind certain events in the life of Jesus.

Lessons.-God sees and remembers our sins; and, at one time or other, sinners are forced to remember them too. When He is about to bring great honour to His children, He often lets them have great trouble first. Sometimes we think everything is going sadly at the time when God is making all things ready to bring us to great joy. Jacob said, "All these things are against me," when really they were all working to secure happiness to him. We must trust God that He is taking care of us, even if it appear that He has left us and no more cares for us. Remember Joseph in the pit, in Egypt, in prison. And we must not envy others, as Joseph's brothers did.

We must not be afraid to refuse to act wickedly, even when our masters or those above us try to persuade us. God can make us happy even in prison or slavery. We must forgive those who have done ill to us, and be kind to them, as Joseph was to his brothers; and we must not be proud of what God teaches us, but give all the honour to Him.

We must be good servants, so that our masters may love us; and we must love and take care of our fathers and mothers when they get old.

Now for some things in Joseph's history which remind us of our Lord. Jacob dearly loved his son: think of God's love for Jesus.

Joseph went into a foreign land; and through this, his sorrow and banishment, a home and preservation were provided for his brethren, the very brethren who hated him. Jesus left heaven, and came to earth, that He might secure for us a home with Him and life eternal.

Joseph endured suffering in Egypt, and had lies told of him: Jesus endured bitter, bitter anguish, and also was falsely and cruelly accused.

Joseph forgave: think how forgiving

Jesus is. Joseph had great humiliation before he received high honour from Pharaoh: Jesus humbled Himself on earth before He was raised to His glory as man.

Joseph brought his brothers to share his grandeur in Egypt: Jesus will bring His people to share His glory in heaven.

Joseph's brothers would have perished in the famine if he had not kept them: we should perish everlastingly if Jesus did not keep us.

Joseph never reproached his brothers: Jesus will never name our sins to us.

If Joseph's brothers had refused to accept his kindness, they would still have perished if we neglect or refuse to go to Him who sticketh closer than a brother-Jesus-we too must still perish.

Now would you not have thought Joseph's brethren very foolish if they had refused to go at once to Joseph, and had stayed starving at home, till at last they had grown too weak to go at all, and so had perished with hunger? Then, dear children, how far more foolish are we if we say, "No, we will stay a little longer in the midst of our sin, we will not go to Jesus now." Oh, my little ones, do not wait till you are old and weak, for fear you should never be able to seek the loving Saviour, and should perish for ever.

ADAM'S SIN.

ALEPH.

"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken."-Gen. ii. 8; iii. 23.

IT is a very old and a very sad story, little ones, I have to tell you to-day. I dare say some of you have heard it before, while some of you may not; but, as none of us can think about it too often, I hope all of you will be very attentive while we go over it together.

In the first verse we read just now, we learn what God did for man as soon as He had made him. Who can tell me how man was made ?-(Out of the dust.)

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Yes; and when we think of that, how humble it ought to make us, knowing as we do that we are formed out of the dust, and that when we die we must return to dust again. But it was only man's body that was formed of the dust; and that body had no life, no power to do good or evil, no knowledge, until God gave man-what?-(A soul.) That soul was the breath of God, a something that could never die, that must live for ever. When God made man, He made him holy, in His own image; but man soon disobeyed God, and made Him angry.

Where did God put the man and his wife?--(In the garden of Eden.) Yes, in the beautiful garden He had before prepared for them; and there, so long as they continued holy, they were happy. All the animals that God had made, even the largest and strongest, were at that time quiet and gentle, and were all obedient to Adam; there was no pain or sorrow in Eden, because there was no sin it is only sin that causes sorrow. God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden except one; and that one they were not to touch, for God told them if they ate of the fruit of that one tree they should both die. Did they eat it ?—Yes, they did; and so they brought death into the world.

Who was it that tempted them to sin against God?-(Satan.) He was one of the angels who had sinned against God, and had been driven out of heaven; and he spent his time in doing everything that was displeasing to God; he came to Eve, and tried to persuade her to pick and eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree. And Eve first looked and listened, then stretched out her hand and took the fruit, and at last ate it, and gave it to her husband to eat. See, dear children, if once you yield to what you may think a little sin, how you will be led on to great sins. Eve thought it was no harm to look; but that one look led to all the sin and misery that has been in the world ever since. Let us pray to God to keep us from the very first beginning of evil; and never let us stay to listen to Satan when he tries to persuade us that sin is pleasant and can do us no harm •

he would like to make us think but we shall find how sadly we taken if we listen to him.

As soon as Adam and Eve h the fruit, they knew directly 1 had sinned; and they were af sorry. Soon after they heard of God calling to them: before loved to listen to His voice; they tried to hide themselves fro Could they do so? Can any on Ah, dear children, we may tr ourselves from God; but we try there is no place we can go to w cannot see us: darkness cannot for He sees us there-"darkn light are both alike to Him." never forget this, that God's e ways upon us, and that He know thing that we do or say.

When Adam and Eve found th

not hide themselves, they bega and excuse themselves, and to each other; but they found, too 1 the God who had been all love justice also. He had warned th sin would be punished by death, could not break His word; they obeyed His commands, and the be punished for it. So, althou then God was so full of mercy gave them a precious promise will talk about that next time), sent them away out of the beauti den, and said that as long as th they must be subject to pain and that the ground, which before h produced beautiful trees and should now produce thorns and t and that man must labour hard i to gain the food he eats. Then, Adam should try to go back to th den where he was once so happ put cherubim (or angels) at the with a flaming sword that turn ways and kept him from returnin

This would be a sad story if thi all; but it is not all. You and I little ones, are included in the P ment of Adam's sin; you and I, th that sin, are in danger of being sh of heaven. Listen, and I will tell you how this is.

Suppose there were some peo

England who would not here orr