{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_65184/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_65184","id":"gutenberg_65184","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65184","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Chapbooks","Christian literature for children","Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction"],"text":"[Illustration: DANIEL\u2019S YOUTH.\n\nT \u00b7 NELSON \u00b7 AND \u00b7 SONS\n\n_LONDON \u00b7 EDINBURGH \u00b7 AND \u00b7 NEW \u00b7 YORK_]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: \u201cA PURPOSE IN THE HEART.\u201d\n\nPage 5]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: BIBLE LESSONS\n\nDANIEL\u2019S YOUTH.\n\nSUNDAY. God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up\nanother.\u2014PS. lxxv. 7.\n\nMONDAY. The king\u2019s favour is toward a wise servant.\u2014PROV. xiv. 35.\n\nTUESDAY. O satisfy us early with thy mercy.\u2014PS. xc. 14.\n\nWEDNESDAY. But I keep under my body: lest that by any means, I myself\nshould be a castaway.\u20141 COR. ix. 27.\n\nTHURSDAY. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith,\ncharity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.\u20142\nTIM. ii. 22.\n\nFRIDAY. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold.\u2014PROV. xvi. 16.\n\nSATURDAY. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable,\ngentle, and easy to be intreated.\u2014JAMES iii. 17.]\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n    1. _Tell who Daniel was, and how he came to Babylon._\u2014DAN. i.\n    1-3, 6.\n\n    2. _For what purpose was Daniel chosen by Nebuchadnezzar?_\u2014DAN.\n    i. 4, 5.\n\n    3. _What did Daniel ask the prince of the eunuchs?_\u2014DAN. i.\n    8-10.\n\n    4. _What did he then propose to Melzar?_\u2014DAN. i 11-14.\n\n    5. _What was the result of the trial?_\u2014DAN. i. 15, 16.\n\n    6. _How did Nebuchadnezzar receive them at the end of the three\n    years?_\u2014DAN. i. 17-20.\n\n    7. _In what was Daniel an example to the young?_\n\n    In his early piety. It grew in a situation where it had no\n    advantages, and many difficulties to overcome. He showed his\n    obedience to God\u2019s law\u2014temperance\u2014amiability\u2014diligence in his\n    studies.\n\n\nILLUSTRATIVE STORY.\n\n\u201cDaniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.\u201d This, my\ndear boys, explains all that Daniel did, and all that Daniel became;\u2014this\nis the root of the matter, it was this \u201cpurpose in his heart,\u201d carried\nout, that made him good and great: he purposed in his heart that he\nshould not sin.\n\nMost boys are fond of laying plans\u2014they have many purposes for the\nfuture. I remember often at school we used to talk of what we would\nbe, what we would do, when we were men. One would be a sailor, another\na goldsmith, another a pastry cook, and another a soldier. I do think\nthe boy who purposed to be a pastry cook loved sugar, and the intended\ngoldsmith was fond of the glitter of gold. Yet, if I recollect aright,\nnot one of these boys became what he purposed\u2014they never _did_ what they\npurposed.\n\nI will mark down three kinds of purposes, and tell a little story for\neach.\n\n    1. _A purpose of the head._\n\n    2. _A purpose of the tongue._\n\n    3. _A purpose of the heart._\n\nHenry was the one of my companions who had most purposes in his head. He\nwas a clever boy, about my own age; but he knew it, and never would exert\nhimself. He was careless about his lessons, and never used to look at\nsome of them till he was in the school-room; yet he purposed to gain the\nfirst prize in his class. He did not say much about it, but he evidently\ntook for granted that it would easily be his. Weeks and months passed\naway, and frequently Henry suffered for his carelessness. Boys, who were\nnot his equals, got and kept ahead of him by their superior application.\nThe master used to tell Henry that he would regret his negligence; and\nthen, for a few days, Henry\u2019s talents were applied, and he regained\nhis place; but it did not last, his indolence prevailed, and again he\nrelapsed. The session drew to a close. Most of the boys now doubted\nwhether Henry would come off first. The competitions took place, and each\nboy lodged his papers. Henry did exert himself then, but it was too late.\nBefore the assembled school the names of the successful competitors were\nread. Henry\u2019s name stood _third_,\u2014his purpose was not of the heart but\njust of the head, and nothing came of it. He _purposed, but he did not\ndo_.\n\nThere was another boy older than Henry at the school, whose purposes\nwere all on his tongue. You never could be long beside him without\nhearing him tell what \u201che could do.\u201d It did not matter who you were\nspeaking of, or what they had done, Richard could do more. Little boys,\nthe first week they were at the academy, looked up to Richard with much\nreverence, for they believed what he said of himself, but the second week\nthey knew him better; for though his tongue spoke of great things, he did\nvery little; and in a short while longer, they found out that Richard\nwas a boaster, a vain-bragger, who gave his tongue all the work that his\nhead, feet, and hands should have done; all his purposes were on his\ntongue, but he never performed them.\n\nJames Ferrier was very unlike either of these boys; his father was a poor\nman; and James was despised by many of the boys, when he came among them,\nbecause his jacket was coarse, and his dress clumsily made. But he cared\nnot; quietly and calmly he took his seat in the class where Henry was,\nand though he had been two years shorter time at Latin than the other\nboys of the class, it was he whose name stood first on the list, when\nHenry stood third. He had no tutor at home to help him; he had far to\nwalk to the class; and his time for his lessons was shortened by duties\nhe had to do at home. Still James succeeded, because he had a purpose in\nhis heart,\u2014he did not think about it,\u2014he did not speak about his purpose,\nbut _he did it_!\n\nWhich of these three boys was likest Daniel? Which of these boys is\nlikest to you? _A purpose in the heart_ is like a spring of water; you\nmay stem it up at one spot, but it will burst out at another,\u2014_it will be\ndone_! Let the purpose of your heart be that you will not sin, and you\nwill be great and good too.\n\n[Illustration]","title":"Daniel's Youth","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":1031}