{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_73388/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_73388","id":"gutenberg_73388","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73388","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Parenthood & Family Relations","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Category: Teaching & Education","Children's sermons"],"text":"Transcriber's Notes:\n\nItalicized text is rendered as _text_, bold text is rendered as\n=text=.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: The book's cover]\n\n\n\n =The\n Gospel Object\n Book=\n _By_\n REV. CLARENCE H. WOOLSTON, D.D.\n The RODEHEAVER\n HALL-MACK Co\n\n28 East Jackson Boulevard\nCHICAGO\n\n124 North Fifteenth Street\nPHILADELPHIA\n\nCOPYRIGHT 1925 BY W.P. BLESSING CO.\nPrinted in U.S.A.\n\n\n\n\n =Dedication=\n\nTHIS book is dedicated to the wonderful children of the Cedar Falls\n(Iowa) Bible Conference. They have seen these lessons during the\nsummers of 1923 and 1924. Many of them thus seeing have entered the\nGlad Game of the Christian.\n\n\nI wish also to acknowledge the brotherly kindness of Rev. Parley E.\nZartmann, D.D., the spiritual director of the Conference which made my\nmeeting with the children possible.\n\n\nThis book is now sent forth on its mission, every lesson crowned with\nthe smiles of the Happy Children of Cedar Falls, Iowa.\n\n C. H. Woolston, D.D.\n_Study of the East Baptist Church,_\n_Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A._\n\n\n\n\n =PREFACE=\n\nJESUS said to Peter--Lovest thou me--and when Peter had given his\nanswer Jesus said \"Feed my Lambs.\" The Master told him first to Feed\nthe Lambs, afterward he said \"Feed my Sheep.\" Jesus put first things\nfirst. Did Peter obey this command? We have no record of him giving\nespecial attention to the Lambs. I imagine he was like the most and\nbest of us--he forgot the Lambs. Let us try to remember what Jesus\nsaid. Feed the Lambs. The best way is to get them through the eye.\nChildren see 18 times more through the eye than they hear through the\near. Eighty per cent of all the knowledge we receive from the cradle\nto the grave comes through the eye. It is the Big Highway with wide\ngates ever open to the heart of a child.\n\nThe moving pictures of the day are visited daily in the United States\nby six million of little children. This one, thing they are doing for\nthe children: they are training them to look and see things; they are\nlearning to be good lookers; they come to us in our Sunday Schools and\nchildren's meetings with eyes trained to look and happy is the teacher\nif he can show them truth. This he can do by object lessons. I have\ntalked to over a million and a half of children by the use of objects;\nmany of them have grown into adulthood and often when I talk to them\nof other days, they rehearse these lessons to me and I can thus see\nhow well they remember and how deep and lasting is the impression made\nwhen truth enters the eye. It enters to stay. These visual lessons\noutlined in this book will help you to Feed the Lambs.\n\nSomewhere I read the other day, about the boy who was present when\nChrist was feeding the multitude and this was the analysis that the\nteacher made of the boy with the loaves and fishes. First you will\nalways find the boy in a crowd. Second, he always looks out for his\nstomach and so brought with him his lunch. Third, he can be worked and\nwon if he is approached in the proper way, and to find the proper way\nis to find the golden key which unlocks a golden heart that will\nwelcome the entrance of the golden truth of Jesus. One of the first\nprinciples of the knowledge of a child is that he is all eyes.\nPsychologists tell us that we see eighteen times more than we hear,\nbut no psychologist has ever been able yet to figure out how much a\nboy can see. It seems to me that he sees fifty times more than he\nhears. That has been my experience, as I have labored with a million\nand a half boys and girls. Hence it is the first principle of the art\nof knowing children, the quickest and best way to teach them is\nthrough the eye, and so the use of pictures and objects and all things\nwhich appeal to the child's eye are master keys that unlock hearts.\nThey receive the impressions through the eye, and these they seldom\never cast away. In discovering a child, always remember what a child\nmay be and what he is now. We must have this long look into the future\nor we won't be able to look into the present, He is a whole congress\nof possibilities. Possibilities are the seeds that may germinate into\na mighty force for good or evil.\n\nThere was once a teacher in old New England who taught a little\ndistrict school, who had the gift of reading the possibilities of her\nchildren and trying to develop those possibilities. Her name was Miss\nCrochet. She could easily tell whether the disorderly boy was vicious\nor suffering from an overdose of animation. She understood children.\nOne day while she was at prayer, a little boy in her class laughed out\nloud. After the prayer she said, \"Who was that laughing while I was\npraying?\" A little bit of a fellow held up his hand and said he did\nthe laughing. The teacher said, \"What were you laughing at?\"\n\"Something that Billy said, who sits next to me.\" \"Billy, what did you\ntell him that caused him to laugh?\" \"I saw a little mouse.\" \"What did\nyou say about that mouse, Billy?\" He said, \"While Miss Crochet was\nsaying her prayer a little gray mouse ran down the stairs.\" Of course,\nall the children laughed and the teacher said, \"That was very bright,\nBilly. I think you have got the making of a poet in you. At least I am\ngoing to satisfy myself on that point.\" So Billy was called to the\nfront. Miss Crochet, wanting to find out something about the boy,\nlooked down at him and said, \"I wonder if there is a possibility of\nmaking a poet out of this child.\" It certainly sounded so when he\ncomposed his first lines of poetry. So she said to him, \"I will see\nwhether you are a boy of mischief and interrupted my prayer as a\ndisorderly act, or whether it was simply an overflow of an\nunrestrained impulse to say words poetically. I will give you three\nminutes to compose another line. If you do it in that time, and it is\nas good as your first lines, I will not punish you, but if you do not,\nI shall bring my rod down over your shoulder.\" So she said to him,\n\"Compose your lines in three minutes or take your punishment.\" One\nminute passed, the second minute passed and there was no response from\nthe boy. The teacher said, \"There is only one minute left, now speak\nor be punished.\" The little fellow lifted up his head and said, \"Here\nI stand by the side of Miss Crochet, when she brings down the rod, I\nintend to dodge it.\" She laughed, they all laughed, she said he would\nmake a bright boy. She encouraged him in the writing of lines and he\nafterwards became a poet of fame. She understood Billy and so made\nBilly great.\n\nDon't forget the boy is all eyes. Fill them full of truth. What you\ntell him may \"go in one ear and out the other\" but what you show him\nwill not go in one eye and out the other eye. What does go in the eyes\nwill stick in the head. And so the truth is carved in with it. The boy\nlikes to see things, so show him Bible truth. That is the way to\ninterest him, It is a sin to make Bible truth uninteresting. Know the\nchild, and that will go a long way to prevent you from committing this\nsin.\n\n C. H. WOOLSTON\n_Philadelphia, Pa._\n\n\n\n\n =CONTENTS=\n\n PAGE\nINTRODUCTION ...................................................... vi\nCHAPTER\nI. THE TEN DEMANDMENTS ............................................ 1\nII. OBJECT TEACHING IN THE BIBLE .................................. 4\nIII. UNDERSTANDING YOUR OBJECT .................................... 7\nIV. INCENSE LESSONS ............................................... 9\nV. THE BURNING OF THE IDOL ........................................ 10\nVI. EARS OPEN TO GOD'S CALL ....................................... 11\nVII. IT WILL ALL BE RIGHT AT LAST ................................. 12\nVIII. THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN ................................... 13\nIX. THE HAND OF FAITH ............................................. 16\nX. BEFORE AND AFTER ............................................... 17\nXI. WHY I SHOULD JOIN THE CHURCH .................................. 18\nXII. SEEING THE SERMON ............................................ 19\nXIII. THE BIG SIX ................................................. 20\nXIV. HOW GOD SEES THINGS .......................................... 21\nXV. JOHN 3:16 IN COLORS ........................................... 23\nXVI. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE MAGNET ........................... 25\nXVII. THE STAR BOX ................................................ 26\nXVIII. HOW MARY LOST HER BEAUTIFUL DOLL ........................... 29\nXIX. THE PRODIGAL SON IN RAGS ..................................... 31\nXX. WHAT CAN TAKE AWAY MY SINS .................................... 35\nXXI. THE GOSPEL COPY BOOK ......................................... 37\nXXII. IN HIS KEEPING .............................................. 38\nXXIII. A CANDLE LIGHT LESSON ...................................... 40\nXXIV. THOSE TEN FRIENDS OF MINE ................................... 42\nXXV. THE HEAVENLY MAIL FOR THE DISCIPLES .......................... 44\nXXVI. THERE'S A MESSAGE IN THE CANDLE ............................. 46\nXXVII. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT ................................... 48\nXXVIII. PULLING OUT THE NAIL HOLES ................................ 50\nXXIX. THE BURIED BIBLE ............................................ 51\nXXX. THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE ......................................... 56\n\n\n\n\n =INTRODUCTION=\n\nWHEN the disciples were concerned as to precedence and position in the\nKingdom of Heaven, Jesus took a little child, and set him in the midst\nof them. The act was in itself full of significance; and the teaching\nHe gave in connection therewith, abides for all time, a clear\nrevelation of Kingdom conditions and obligations.\n\nIt is only as men and women become as little children that they can\nenter into that Kingdom; and the measure in which they approximate to\nthe child spirit, is the means of their greatness therein.\n\nFurther--any one receiving a little child receives the Lord--the child\nis forever the ambassador of the throng; rather than cause one such to\nstumble, it were preferable to pass out of life by a violent way.\nThese little ones are to be held therefore in high honour--never\ndespised.\n\nTo gather and hold the children it is necessary, not only to\nunderstand the child, but also to be of the child spirit. The study of\nchild psychology is fascinating, and of great value; but one may be an\nexpert therein, and never attract a little one. To do that, the very\ntone and temper of childhood is necessary.\n\nThe writer of this book, Dr. C. H. Woolston, fulfils these conditions\nin the most conspicuous way; and is fulfilling the obligations with\nthe most radiant success. He has dedicated the book to The Children of\nCedar Falls. He might have dedicated it to children in every centre\nwhere he has worked among them. It is fitting, however, that I should\nbe privileged to write a brief foreword to this book because it is\nhere, at Cedar Falls, that I have seen most of him at his work, though\nI have seen his work also at Winona Lake.\n\nI am certain that I speak, not only for myself but for all the\nspeakers at this Conference, and for those who have attended it, when\nI say that one of the supreme things of delight and of light has been\nDr. Woolston and his bairns.\n\nThe children gather about him, and follow him round, not only to their\nown meetings, but to adult gatherings like bees about the flowers.\nMoreover, when he is at work, there is invariably a fringe of children\nof an older growth at his meetings. In his eyes are the dancing lights\nof childhood yet, and he radiates the child spirit.\n\nWhat wonder then that the bairns love him, and God uses him so\nwonderfully to shepherd and feed the lambs of his flock.\n\nThe reader of these talks will not have the wonderful personality of\nthe writer, but they will surely find much of the charm of his\nremarkable ability to talk to children, not patronizingly as one apart\nand aloof, but in close comradeship, as one of themselves, gleeful in\ntheir glee, tender in their sorrows, sympathetic with their trials,\nrepresenting to them the Lord and Lover of them all.\n\nWith unbounded affection for the man, and confidence in his work, I\ncommend this book to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity\nand truth, and who therefore perforce are lovers of the little ones.\n\n G. CAMPBELL MORGAN\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER I\n \"THE TEN DEMANDMENTS\"=\n\n _A Chapter to be often read as we study the art of object teaching.\n Follow these 10 Rules--they are Ten Steps to the Palace of Success_\n\n THE TEN DEMANDMENTS\n\nIN teaching children and others how to visualize God's truth, we must\nremember the Ten Demandments and keep them.\n\n_First Demandment:_ You must love the child. Preaching to children is\nan _affair of the heart._ You must love them before you can reach them\nwith the truth. A teacher seeking to win and teach little hearts must\nfirst have the degree of L. L. C. which being interpreted means \"Love\nLittle Children.\" God will confer on you this degree. Don't begin\nuntil God marks you with it.\n\n_Second Demandment:_ You must remember that the eye is the child's\nopen door to the heart. It is eighteen times larger than the ear gate.\nThey receive eighteen times more truth by their eyes than they do\nthrough their ears. They are always seeing things. You must remember\nthis--sayeth the Second Demandment.\n\n_Third Demandment:_ You must believe in the large opportunity and high\nprivileges of working with children. It is the mountain top of\nimportance. It is dealing with the largest soul value of the world. It\nyields quickly its reward. Be first on the ground. It is the richest\nground in the Kingdom of Heaven. It brings early harvest--a harvest of\nGold.\n\n_Fourth Demandment:_ You must learn to know the child, study him like\nyou would a book, or as carefully as you do your lessons. Study him at\nclose range, and by loving contact. Chum with him. The best text book\non the child question is the child himself. Master your object as well\nas your subject. This is the highest teaching of the highest order.\nRead Chapter III of this book.\n\n_Fifth Demandment:_ You must use short words. Little folks like to\ncatch your meaning at first hearing. Listen to them as they talk one\nwith another. They use but few words, and they are short and to the\npoint. Use common words, because they use them. Don't use silly words\nor baby talk, or speak in an unnatural tone of voice. They don't like\naffected tones. They don't talk that way when they address each other.\nThey don't want you to talk to them in that fashion. They call it\n\"silly\" and \"sissy.\" It takes an educated man to use their language,\nbut go to the University of Childhood and learn there to be an\nuncommon talker--which means--talk the talk of childhood.\n\n_Sixth Demandment:_ You must be brief. Much of our work with children\nis useless, because it is over done in the matter of time. Cut it\nshort so it will cut in--always just when they want more, and the next\ntime, they will be glad to listen to you. Clothe your ideas in short\nsentences. Seldom use words over two syllables, and even then make\nthem the words they use when they are doing their own talking. In\nusing the objects always hold them up in full view of the children,\nand keep them there. In a short sentence name the object you are thus\nabout to use. It will keep them from spending the time wondering what\nthe object might be. Let the object talk and it will. Make your talk\nshort, and stop when you are through. Be brief, but full of ideas.\n\n_Seventh Demandment:_ You must be sure to preach the Bible. To get the\nBible into their hearts is _your_ task. Stick to your task. All truth\nis good, but Bible truth is best. Use the best with little hearts. The\nBible is the greatest story book in the world. That is the reason\nlittle folks like it when you tell them the wonder stories out of it.\nShow them a story. Clothe a lad in oriental garb, and call him Joseph,\nand while they are looking at him, tell them the much loved story of\nJoseph and his brethren. Give the boy a lunch basket, and tell the\nstory of the boy that supplied five thousand with his lunch one day\nwhen he passed the basket and its contents, over to the Master. This\nis putting the story over by objects, and it puts it in and under and\nit sticks for all time.\n\n_Eighth Demandment:_ You must begin with the known, and work up to the\nunknown in the handling of objects. Jesus asked for a drink of water\nfrom the Samaritan woman and from that water from Jacob's well from\nwhich she had drawn the water for her home since childhood, He began\nto reveal to her the water of Life, and she drank from that fountain,\nand her home town in Samaria had a Billy Sunday awakening from the\nwell of Jacob. Jesus began with water from the Well of Jacob. He ended\nwith a talk about the water which cometh down from above.\n\nIt will help you and greatly vary your program if you ask the children\nto bring their own objects with them some times which they have found\nby the wayside, and then you may give them a spiritual lesson. They\nwill never forget the lesson, and often, in other days, when they see\nthose objects again, they will remember your lesson.\n\n_Ninth Demandment:_ You must not be afraid of object lessons which may\nhave a little slant in them toward a happy little surprise.\n\nSometimes the effect we were not looking for makes the most lasting\nimpression. It is this quality that makes a fairy tale so fascinating\nto children. Wonder objects can make truth as charming as the ways of\nfairies. Wonder objects provoke curiosity, and curiosity is the mother\nof attention. This is the best type of attention. Look over the wonder\nlessons of this book and work them. Children never forget a thing as\nlong as they continue to wonder about it.\n\n_Tenth Demandment:_ You must pray over and about your objects. Just as\nthe minister prays over the elements of the Lord's Supper, so pray\nover your objects. God can bless things as well as words, and this He\nwill do if both things and words are used for His glory. These Ten\nDemandments are like ten guiding stars throbbing in the night. All of\nthem are Pilot Stars seeking to guide the wise lovers of children as\ndid their Father's star long ago to the place \"where the young child\nlay.\"\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER II\n \"OBJECT TEACHING IN THE BIBLE\"=\n\n _In this chapter we find the Bible authority and example for Object\n Teaching. Read this chapter before you give your first lesson_\n\n OBJECT TEACHING IN THE BIBLE\n\nTHE Bible is the teacher's best handbook of object training. This is\ntrue because the Bible is an oriental book, and the orientals received\ntruth through symbols and visual instruction. Their mannerisms were\nsymbolical, their holy writings radiant with visualized truth. So the\nBible weaves into its cloth of truth this gorgeous method of appeal.\nHence the Bible is something to look at as well as to read through.\nThe oriental mind grasped truth and the human mind elsewhere is cast\nin the same mould. The universal mind follows the same program. The\nperfect art of the religious teacher is to teach Bible truth in the\nBible method, and that method is \"through the eye-gate into the\nkingdom of the soul.\" Let us wander through the wonderland of the\nBible that we may learn the perfect art of great teaching.\n\nThe prophet Ezekiel was commanded to go out and set his face toward\nJerusalem, and there, in the presence of the people hold aloft his\nsword and drop it to the ground and say \"A sword is also sharpened\"\nmeaning that war was soon to come down upon them, and the sword of\nbattle was sharpened for the fray. God was against them, and because\nof their sins they were to be punished. Jeremiah also was an object\nteacher for God and this was one of the lessons he taught the people.\nHe saw a potter shaping a vessel and it was marred in his hands. It\nwas defective in substance. Too much earth, and not enough of clay. He\nbroke the marred vessel and made another of better stuff; by this\nobject lesson, the prophet declared, Israel was defective; it had in\nits composition too much earth; it was marred with idol dust and\nearthly parts and so God would break Israel and make it over again.\nJeremiah at another time produced two baskets of figs and set them\nbefore the Lord in the temple. One basket contained good figs, and the\nother basket spoiled figs. The prophet explained this object lesson by\nsaying the-basket of good figs were God's good people. God will keep\nthem and save them. The bad figs represented the unfaithful people,\nand they shall be scattered over the earth. This same prophet once\ntook a girdle and hid it from sight in a dark damp place where it\nfinally became mouldy and worthless. Then he brought it forth before\nthe people and holding it up said, \"This girdle represents God's\npeople who have left the true fold, and joined themselves to idols of\nthe heathen races. They are no longer a fit girdle to wrap around His\nloins as His peculiar and holy peoples.\" The prophet explains \"Cleave\nunto your God, as the girdle clings to the body, so shall ye be kept\nclose to him.\" Once more, this same prophet took a parchment and\nbefore all the people wrote thereon the sins of the people. He then\nread it once to them, rolled it up and bound a stone about it and cast\nit into the river saying, \"So shall Babylon be destroyed and pass\naway.\"\n\nThis same object teaching prophet called the order of Rechabites\nbefore him and set before them ten pots of wine and ordered them to\ndrink thereof, which of course they refused to do, and quoted the law\nof their clan in defense of their act. The prophet then said--so will\nyou obey your earthly leaders, and their laws, but will not obey God\nand his heavenly commandments. So we learn from these illustrations,\nthat God taught His people in their early days to \"See Truth.\" Objects\nwere His text books. His first manuscript on the art of object\nteaching He flung out upon the heavens,--it was the beautiful rainbow\nwhich was an object to look at and when it appeared they were to\nremember its teachings. There should never be another Deluge to\ndestroy the world. Ever since that day when He wants the earth to look\nup and see His gorgeous object lesson, He sends forth the thunder to\nherald its appearance. He washes out the atmosphere with His rain that\nthey can gaze upon it, and flashes out the lightning that their eyes\nmay be arrested to behold it. Then in glorious peace, with sunshine\ndancing on its arching curves, He hangs out His object lesson, and we\nlook and remember the promises of God. Behold an object lesson in\ncolors! But, it has been remarked, this was God's method in teaching\nthe races back in their nursery days, but now the kindergarten days\nare passed, and we are living in the golden age of civilization and\nphilosophy, and we must put away childish things. Let me remind you\nthat Jesus and Moses are alike as to method. They both represented the\nFather, so both utilize the same method. They both taught by objects.\nMoses of the Old Testament times, and Jesus of the advanced New\nTestament times. Jesus knew the human heart and He knew it was best\nfor His day so to teach, for we receive eighteen times more truth\nthrough the eyes than through the ear.\n\nJesus used this royal, broad and open wide road to the soul. It was\nthe best in the days of Moses. It was the best in the days of Jesus,\nbecause it was the surest and quickest and most lasting of all\nmethods. Jesus left us two ordinances--the baptism of the believer and\nthe ordinance of the Lord's Supper. Both of these ordinances are built\naround objects--water, bread and wine. All stand for the highest\nthings in our holy faith. These two ordinances are both holy\npantomimes, which by action, and use of objects, the faith of heaven\nis perpetuated among men. This was the Master's method--make it yours.\nthe Master's truth in the Master's way is the masterful way of telling\nforth the message of Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER III\n \"UNDERSTANDING YOUR OBJECT=\n\n _Know your subject well, but know also your object. Know the latter\n just a little better. This chapter will help you to do this task_\n\n UNDERSTANDING YOUR OBJECT\n\nBEFORE you teach young folks or old folks, fix it in your mind that it\nis just as important to understand your object as well as your\nsubject. It is not sufficient that we know our subject well--this we\nmust do, of course. We must have a full knowledge of the subject and\nthen \"some more,\" but this does not make us a Master teacher. A\nteacher training class only goes half way in making us fit if it\nsimply prepares us to teach the subject matter of the lesson. You must\nalso understand the object. And the object is the child before you. So\noften all the teaching is over their heads. They don't see the point.\nThere is no point, to them. How can they see it if in their minds it\ndoes not exist? When the lesson is over they are \"glad.\" Glad it is\nall over, and they don't know what it is all about. The teacher did\nnot know the full lesson. She was full of her subject--she was\nignorant of her object. She did not understand the child. _Understand_\nyour object and by this we mean--understand the child. Always remember\nthe true child is not only a miniature adult and so dismiss the\nthought at that--\"only a man in the making\" he doesn't count much\nuntil he grows up and is not worthy special study in the period of\nmaking. This is crotchet thinking. He belongs to as distinctive a race\nas does the man of eighty. He has his own laws, his own reasons for\nacting, and every act has a meaning all his own. It becomes our\nbusiness to discover the reasons why he says \"those words\" and to\ndiscuss their meaning with him. We must try to see as the child sees,\nand look at things from his viewpoint.\n\nIt is related that one of the most famous artists of his day had a\ncompelling ambition to paint the face of children. He was a pronounced\nfailure. The faces he painted resembled those of sober adults. He\ncould not dash into his pictures the touch of youth. He did not\nunderstand children. He could not see with their eyes. One day, when\nhis study door was open, a little fellow came in and stood gazing at a\npicture leaning up against the wall, its base resting on the floor. By\nand by the artist saw him get down on all fours and gaze with\npassionate intensity at the picture. The artist said \"I would give\nmost anything if I could see what he sees.\" \"You can,\" said a voice in\nthe halls of his mind, \"if you look at the picture from his level.\" So\nthe artist got down on his knees beside the child and looked at his\nown picture from the child's level. What he saw he never related, but\nafter that hour, he painted the \"Angelic Faces\"--a picture admired the\nworld over. He had found out a secret. He had seen things from a\nchild's level. What a miracle it is to know this! I would climb the\nhighest mountain, pierce the darkest jungle, cross the wildest sea,\nexplore the trackless desert, push on through the maddest night, gird\nthe earth a score of times--just to find him. I would rather know the\nchild and understand him, so I could reach his little soul than to\nhave discovered the North Pole.\n\nOnce upon a time there was a teacher who was instructing her class of\nboys on the lesson of Jonah. She was a graduate of a string of\nteacher-training classes. She had gone the limit in preparing her\nlesson. She was full of the subject. She talked over the heads of the\nboys. They did not understand even a little bit of the lesson. After\nshe had finished, she turned to her class and said \"Now boys, what\ndoes the story of Jonah teach you?\" and one little fellow piped out,\n\"Please, teacher, the story of Jonah teaches me that you can't keep a\ngood man down.\" The teacher turned to young George and administered to\nhim a stinging rebuke, \"How dare you,\" said she, \"on the Sabbath Day,\nin God's house and before the open Bible, make light of religious\nmatters? I am ashamed of you. If you were my son I would feed you on\nbread and water for a week.\" Little George kept his eye on the door,\nwondering if he could, with safety, make his escape. He never came\nagain. Now the teacher knew Jonah, but she didn't know George. If she\nhad said to George, \"Now, George, that wasn't exactly the reply that I\nwanted, but I am glad that you have got a thought about the lesson.\nCome to my house next Tuesday night and take supper with me and I will\nshow you pictures of Jonah and tell you stories about this wonderful\nman and then I think you will get it right in your head.\" If she had\ntried this method she would have got the real Jonah into George and\nshe would have gotten George into her heart. If she had known as much\nabout George as she did about Jonah, she would have known that that\nreply was a bit of pleasantry, coming spontaneously from a young\nheart. She did not understand her object.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER IV\n INCENSE LESSONS=\n\n _Objects: Common Incense Cones_\n\n INCENSE LESSONS\n\nCHILDREN like to watch incense burn. In their imagination they see\ndancing around in the little columns of smoke strange and wonderful\nlittle shapes. Let us try to cause these smoke columns to tell God's\ngreat message.\n\nIncense is frequently mentioned in the Bible. It ascended from the\ngolden altar of the Tabernacle and was burning night and day. It was\nnever out. It stood for prayer, and we will now try and find out what\nit says to us about talking to God.\n\nCall to the platform a number of boys and girls each holding a little\nplate: a tin plate will answer. Put on each plate about four incense\ncones, which can be easily secured in the shops. One cone is not\nsufficient to give enough smoke to be seen distinctly by the entire\naudience. Say to the children as you light the cones, that incense\nreminds us of prayer, because the smoke ascends just as our prayers go\nup; and also tell them how to pray and how thoughtful they should be\nas they pray, for God hears every word they say. For prayers go up\nlike incense. In the old Temple the incense was always burning, so\nthey should pray always as the good Book says \"Pray without ceasing.\"\nNow scatter them in various parts of the room. That will represent\n_secret prayer._ Call them all to the platform and place them as close\nto each other as possible; that will represent _united prayer._ While\nthey are standing in that position a large volume of smoke will be\nascending which will appeal to their little eyes and make a lasting\nimpression upon them. This you can call _the prayer meeting_ of one\naccord.\n\nAs you call the children to the platform you can name them after the\nvarious denominations, and thus illustrate how all the churches can\ncome together for prayer and how beautiful it looks to see them in\nunited prayer for the world.\n\nThe odor of the burning incense will be very evident by this time and\nyou may let this remind them that it is like the influence which\nalways emanates from the prayers that go up to God from believing\nhearts.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER V\n THE BURNING OF THE IDOL=\n\n _Objects: Denatured Alcohol; White of an Egg_\n\n THE BURNING OF THE IDOL\n\nTHIS is a Temperance lesson, full of meaning for these days. Don't\nfail to keep this Red Light of Danger burning. This lesson will be a\nsignal of fire. Pour out on a plate a small quantity of denatured\nalcohol, and say \"it looks like water.\" Shake the bottle--but it is\nnot pure, heaven-sent water, but a deadly poison. Read to them\nProverbs 23:31; 20:1. These are warnings from heaven against this\ndeadly poison. These words are like matches from God to light the red\nlamp of danger. Alcohol is a deadly thing. God says so. Tell them that\nit is the greatest idol in all the world. Millions worship it, for\nevery drinker of this red poison bows to this idol whenever he drinks.\nStrike a match and set fire to it, and as it blazes forth say \"I will\nnow burn the idol, because it is a burning idol, like the great Moloch\nabout which we read in the Old Testament, within whose blazing arms\nlittle children were cast and burned to death. So this fiery idol\ndestroys millions. The Indians call it \"fire-water\" because it burns\nthe throat. This is the reason if you take one drink you want another.\nAlcohol absorbs all the moisture of the throat and creates a thirst\nwhich alcohol alone will quench; so it keeps on burning until it burns\nup the stomach, the lungs, the heart, the brain, and yet men continue\nto drink this fire of death.\n\nOnce upon a time there was a little monkey that was owned by the\nkeeper of a county tavern. Frequently he gave it a little taste of\nthis fire-water which caused him to jump about in great glee. This\npleased the bad men of the barroom greatly. One day a man lit a match\nand set fire to the spoonful, and when the monkey saw it he fled in\nterror and never touched it again. This was monkey sense; this was\nbetter than man sense, for man knows it will burn, and yet returns to\nit again. He needs a few monkey lessons. To deepen the impressions of\nthis lesson, you can take the white of an egg, a substance which\nresembles the brain of a human being, place it in a cup and pour upon\nit a small quantity of alcohol; then stir it with a spoon and it will\ncongeal as if it had been cooked. Take this out of the cup and it will\nbe solid like a boiled egg. This will illustrate the effect of alcohol\non the human brain. This is a lesson which burns itself into the\nmemory of the children for all time. This will hang up the 18th\namendment on nails of fire in the memory of the little folks and other\nfolks also. May the whole world soon go into this sort of fire\nbusiness.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER VI\n EARS OPENED TO GOD'S CALL=\n\n _Object: A Blackboard_\n\n EARS OPENED TO GOD'S CALL\n\nGOD is speaking to us all the time. We so often pay no heed to His\nvoice. Do we know the language he speaks? It is a secret tongue. Let\nus try to learn it.\n\nOnce there was a prisoner who was cast into jail because he preached\nJesus. It seemed to him he was alone and without friends to help. But\nthere was another prisoner in an adjoining cell who knew him but could\nnot speak to him because the guards would hear his voice. At night the\nlonely man would hear some one knocking on the wall. What did this\nsound mean? What did the knocks say? At last he thought the knocks\nmight stand for the letters of the alphabet. One knock meant A, two\nknocks B, etc. so he counted the taps one night. He counted twenty-one\ntaps. \"That,\" said he, \"means U.\" When he counted again it struck\nfourteen times; that meant N. The next time it struck four times; that\nmeant D. Now he heard five taps; that meant E. Again he heard eighteen\ntaps; that stood for R. Then nineteen taps; that stood for S. Then\ntwenty taps; that meant T; then one tap which meant A; then fourteen,\nN; then four, D; then the taps ceased and he knew the message had been\ndelivered and discovered the word meant UNDERSTAND. He answered by\ntwenty-five knocks which meant Y; then five taps for E; then nineteen\ntaps for S which spelled out his answer which was YES. They talked\ntogether because they knew each other's language. God often knocks at\nour heart's door. Some great trouble comes to our home. Over and over\nHe knocks and the knocking spells out the word COME, let us answer\n25/Y 5/E 19/S.\n\nGive them further illustration in knocks. They will like it.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER VII\n IT WILL BE ALL RIGHT AT LAST=\n\n _Objects: A small number of little toys_\n\n IT WILL BE ALL RIGHT AT LAST\n\nASK two little girls to come to the platform and say to them \"I know\nyou little girls love each other, but do you like to see each other\nreceive good things?\" Then say, as you hold up some small gift, \"This\nlittle treasure has been given to me to give to some little girl that\nwould be glad to receive it: but you see I cannot give it to both of\nyou, and how will I decide which girl shall receive it? If I give it\nto this little girl then the other will be disappointed. Sometimes\ngreat trouble comes to this world because one receives and the other\ndoes not. However, I will take a chance and give it to this little\ngirl.\" And as you speak pass the toy to her. Turning to the other\ngirl, you say, \"You don't feel hurt do you? I know you are glad to see\nyour little friend made happy. I also trust you are not displeased\nwith me for not giving it to you. Here learn the lesson some people\nseem to get the good things of life, and others seem to go without.\"\nNow without further remarks give the same girl another toy. Then that\nis true to life also. Some seem to get all, and others get little or\nnothing. Perhaps this little girl without anything seems to be saying\nin her mind, she has two already, she might give me one, and at the\npoint pass a toy to the little girl that has none, but she says even\nyet, the other girl has twice as many as I have, so she does not seem\nto enjoy the one she has when she remembers the other girl has two. It\ndoesn't look right, does it? But she is a good little and girl and\nsays, \"I will be thankful for what I have and try to be glad.\" At this\npoint you seem to be in deep study and finally say, \"I just remember\nthat I have overlooked a little box,\" which you produce from some\ncorner and on opening it you discover another toy which you give to\nthe little girl with the one toy. Now they both have the same number\nand so it is all right at last. This teaches us a lesson so hard to\nlearn in life,--how one man receives much, the other but little.\nStrife and war are often the result of this condition but we must be\npatient with our lot. God knows best. He will reward us in full by and\nby so it will be all right at last.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER VIII\n THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN=\n\n _Objects: Various Parts of a Flag Assembled in Their Respective\n Places_\n\n THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN\n\nFOR this lesson procure parts of the flag and on some background put\nthem together according to the diagram until you have made the perfect\nflag (see diagram). You will then notice the flag marked \"I\" has no\nred stripes in it, and therefore is not perfect. It has six stripes\nonly; so in the making of a Christian if the blood has not been\napplied and sins washed away, there can be no true Christian Life.\n\nFigure 2.--No white stripes and only seven stripes in all. If there is\nno white in the life, there is no Christian Life. It is short of the\nstandard of thirteen stripes. Only seven appear here.\n\nFigure 3.--Red and white stripes appear, not thirteen but eleven. In\nthe making of a Christian there cannot be a perfect Christian with\nsome of the commandments left out. He that fails in one is guilty of\nall.\n\nFigure 4.--Here we see the field but the stars left out. This is not\nthe flag of the U.S.A. That man who calls himself a Christian without\nthe Star of Bethlehem is not a New Testament Christian.\n\nFigure 5.--Here we have nothing but stripes--no blue field. This is\nnot the national banner of our country. It lacks the one thing--the\nblue. In making of the Christian we must not lack one thing; if we do,\nthe life is rejected. \"One thing thou lackest:\" Such a life cannot\nhave the mark of a Christian.\n\nFigure 6.--All stars and no stripes. This cannot be the National flag\nof our people. The number of stars is correct, but the red and white\nstripes are missing. In the making of a Christian if we lack the red\nof the Blood, and the White of right living we cannot pass as the\nBible Christian in the Kingdom of Heaven.\n\nFigure 7.--Here we note sixteen stripes and fifty stars. This would\nalso be rejected. Congress stipulates a banner of thirteen stripes and\nforty-eight stars; that alone constitutes the lawful banner of\nAmerica. In the making of a Christian, we must not add to that life\nwhat is not given in the law. No other doctrine can be mixed with\nGod's truth. Just God's word alone, nothing added from the worldly\nphilosophy or the worldly wisdom of man.\n\nFigure 8.--This is the old Colonial flag. A wonderful flag of the\npast, but not the mighty flag of today. So in the making of a\nChristian, the past will not suffice. We must grow, in grace, and have\nan experience up to date.\n\n[Illustration: A variety of American flags labelled 1 through 10]\n\nFigure 9.--This is the American flag with a foreign mark upon it. It\nis not truly American. It would be rejected by the government of the\nUnited States. So in the making of a Christian, all marks of another\ngovernment must be cast out. Jesus only. God and not mammon, must\nobtain.\n\nFigure 10.--Is the correct picture of the flag according to the laws\nof the nation. So in the making of the Christian, we must be according\nto the Pattern. We must do His commandments to bear His family name of\nChristian. Thus we can learn from the making of the flag to make a\nChristian.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER IX\n THE HAND OF FAITH=\n\n _Objects: The Fingers of the Human Hand_\n\n THE HAND OF FAITH\n\nHERE is a lesson on the meaning of Faith. Hold up the hand, showing\nthe five fingers spread out and say, \"Here is the hand of faith.\"\nThere are as many letters in the word \"faith\" as I have fingers on my\nhand. Spell the word out commencing with the little finger and call it\n\"F.\" Little Faith sometimes it often proves, but our faith increases\nas we travel on in the path of faith. The next finger stands for \"A\"\nof faith. You notice it is larger than \"F\" so our faith increases as\nwe spell it out in experience and works. The next finger stands for\n\"I\" a little larger still. The next finger is for \"T\" a little shorter\nas sometimes our faith wanes; at last the thumb standing for \"H,\"\nstrong and confirmed in the way, so the fingers spell out the word\n\"faith.\" A _living_ faith--as the hand is a living organ of my body.\nAn _active_ faith, as each finger has its own individual action and a\n_grasping_ faith, for the fingers were made to seize hold of things\nand take them. So our faith must seize and hold on to God. The faith\nthat seizes the Cross--my fingers--another name for faith--seize it\nand hold it. This is Salvation. Jesus says \"take\" of the water of\nlife. The hand of faith takes it, seizes it, and that makes it ours.\nThis is the faith that bringeth the victory. At last make your appeal\nto them to take Salvation now. Ask them to hold up their hand, open\ntheir fingers, and if their faith will take Jesus, to close their\nfingers as if clasping something, and that something is Jesus. This is\ntaking Jesus by Faith.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER X\n BEFORE OR AFTER=\n\n _Object: A Blackboard or a Drawing on a Muslin Chart_\n\n BEFORE OR AFTER\n\nPUT the figure of a cross on the blackboard and on the left side put\nthe letters B. C. On the right side, the letters A. D. This in the\nlanguage of the day stands for Before Christ and the Year of Our Lord.\nFor our purpose, we will cause B. C. to stand for Before Conversion\nand A. D. After Deliverance. Before and after the Cross (See Figure).\n\n[Illustration: A diagram of a cross with Before Conversion and After\nDeliverance written on either side]\n\nGreat questions come to the Christian for his decision. \"Shall I\" are\nthe words often on our lips. Does it belong to the life before the\nCross (Before Conversion) or After Conversion? Put it down where it\nbelongs. \"Shall I dance?\" that belongs to the B. C. side of the Cross.\n\"Shall I play cards?\" that belongs to the B. C. side also. \"Shall I\npray?\" that belongs to the A. D. side (After Deliverance) of the\nCross. \"Shall I join the Church?\" that belongs to the A. D. side also.\nIt would be a very helpful exercise to ask the audience to name daily\nmatters, and ask which side of the Cross they belong. If you have a\ndoubtful thing in your mind take it to the Cross and mark it B. C. or\nA. D. This will make an instructive exercise for a young people's\nmeeting. Always be an A. D. Christian.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XI\n WHY I SHOULD JOIN THE CHURCH=\n\n _Objects: Blackboard or Chart_\n\nIT is the wrong thought of some Christians that they count just as\nmuch for God outside of the church as in it. Christian membership\nharnesses up the Christian to a giant power. Build out of cardboard\nthe form of a village church, place it on the platform before the\naudience. If using blackboard draw the Church and numbers in the air\nfirst. As they enter the Church rub the figures out, and place on the\nroof. Hang up the numbers 1-2-0-4-9-6-7 in various parts of the\nplatform. They represent Christians who will not join the Church,\nseparate units, standing for themselves only. They have no relation to\neach other and have only individual power. Persuade them to come into\nthe Church organization and be linked together by common tasks. Take\nthese numbers now in various parts of the platform and place them on\nthe roof in the following order: 9763210--now they are an army of\ngiants with power of millions of separate units. If the Church should\nbe made of wood, take seven candles and light them. Put them in\nvarious places in the room. They represent the separate Christian.\nBring them to Church, Put them all inside of the Church. Turn out all\nthe other lights on the platform and the effect will be most striking.\nJesus said \"Let your light so shine\" and the way to make it shine the\nmost, is to all shine together. So will the Church be like a city set\non a hill. Its light cannot be hid.\n\n[Illustration: A diagram of two churches, one with numbers around it,\none with numbers in it]\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XII\n SEEING THE SERMON=\n\n _Objects: The Perry Pictures_\n\n SEEING THE SERMON\n\nTHIS is a striking and attractive way to preach a short object sermon\nin the regular church service. Just before the regular sermon, ask all\nthe children to leave their seats and come forward to the platform in\na happy little group, then hand each a Perry picture all on the same\nsubject. Then preach to them a short sermon drawing out the point of\nthe picture, and explain every line of it to them. They will then\nunderstand the picture and the lesson it teaches. After the little\nsermon is over, tell them to keep the picture. And send them back to\ntheir seats. It is a beautiful and affecting scene to see the little\npeople with happy step and smiling face coming down the aisle and\nhastening back to their folks and saying \"See what he gave me.\" They\nare instructed to put these pictures in a scrap book to keep them\ntogether. You can go through the Life of Jesus this way and the\nchildren will thus have a valuable scrap book to keep for years to\ncome. Ask your denominational house where these pictures can be\nsecured. They cost but trifle, but they help you to cause the children\nto see a sermon.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XIII\n THE BIG SIX=\n\n _Objects: A Blackboard or Chart_\n\n THE BIG SIX--A BLACKBOARD LESSON\n\nTHIS is a simple little diagram which can be drawn on a blackboard or\nmade over on a linen chart to be hung up on the wall for permanent\nuse. First make a large six like this [Illustration: large 6] then\ntoward the top place a smaller size six. Thus [Illustration: large 6\nwith 6 in a column to the left]. This means there are 66 books in the\nBible. Then add below the small 6 the figure 3, like this\n[Illustration: large 6 with 6 and 3 in a column to the left]. This\nteaches that there were 36 human authors who wrote the Bible. Last of\nall add below this three the figure one like this [Illustration: large\n6 with 6, 3, and 1 in a column to the left] which means that it took\nsixteen centuries to write the Bible.\n\nLet the children one by one, come to the front and with pointers\nexplain these figures. Let them repeat it in concert until they have\nmemorized the diagram.\n\nIn addition to that diagram, this one may be of service in remembering\nthe number of the books of the Old and New Testament. Write in large\nletters the words OLD TESTAMENT. Count the letters in the Word OLD,\nwhich are three. Put down the figure 3. Count the letters in TESTAMENT\nand you will find the number to be nine. Put down the figure 9, after\nthe figure 3, and you will have the number 39 which is the number of\nthe books in the Old Testament. Write out the words NEW Testament;\ncount the letters in NEW. There are three. Count letters in TESTAMENT;\nthere are nine. After the figure 3 place the multiplication sign x,\nthen follow with the figure 9. Multiply 9x3 and you have 27, which is\nthe number of the books in the New Testament. Say to the children and\nothers if you ever forget the number of the books either in the Old or\nNew Testament, write the words Old Testament and New Testament. Count\nthe letters in each word and you will find the number you desire. For\nthe Old Testament put down the figures side by side. For the New\nTestament multiply the first number by the last. Write this lesson on\nthe blackboard or draw on the chart the following diagram:\n\nOLD TESTAMENT\n3 9 = 39\n\nNEW TESTAMENT\n3 X 9 = 27\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XIV\n HOW GOD SEES THINGS=\n\n _Objects: Two Small Cups Filled with Things_\n\n HOW GOD SEES THINGS\n\nTHIS is a lesson on seeing things as God sees them. Man looks on the\noutside, God looks on the inside. We look at the clothes and manners\nof other people. God looks at the heart. God's way is the best. The\nonly way to see things as they really are, and all wise boys and girls\nwill try to see as God sees. In giving this lesson select the\nbrightest cups possible. Place them on a table by themselves and say\n\"Here are two cups.\" They look alike; they appear to be alike. Judging\nfrom outward appearance, they are alike. That is the way man sees cups\nand people, but God looks on the inside as well. This we should do\nalso if we wish to see as God sees. Here is a bright and beautiful\ncup. Let us together see what it contains. The first cup contains\nnothing but soiled, dirty, greasy rags. They are worthless. Mother\nwould burn them as they are good for nothing. Have the cup painted\nblack on the inside and as you hold up the cup so they can see the\ninside you say \"It is filled with night as black as evil deeds.\" Down\non the bottom of the cup place a small toy serpent which you produce\nlast and say the reason the inside of the cup of life is bad is\nbecause down deep in the heart you will find sin and that makes the\nwhole heart bad. To illustrate the nature of sin write on a cardboard\nthe word sin like this S I N--say the first letter of sin resembles a\nserpent. You cannot speak the letter S without hissing like a serpent.\nThe curves of the letter also resemble the serpent in the act of\nstriking. The serpent before it strikes must curl up and lift its head\nhigh before it can give its fatal bite. So this teaches us the fact\nthat sin is active and ready to assault at all times. Note the second\nletter I. That means sin is in you. I find sin is inside. Increase the\nletter I like this S =I= N which means sin is growing in us all the\ntime as we grow older and older, it gets larger and larger. The only\nway to get it out of our heart is to come to Jesus and ask Him by the\npower of His cross to cleanse the inside of the cup and He will do it.\n\nPin strips of _red paper over_ the =I=, and you make the Cross. This\nis the only power which will kill the serpent of sin and make clean\nthe inside of the cup of life. Then when God looks in He does not see\nthe evil of sin. That makes the cup all right. Now show the second cup\nand say \"Here is a cup, right outside, also right inside. Let us look\nin as God does, and see what we find.\" First produce a small New\nTestament. If you cannot secure one small enough for the cup, write on\nsmall strips of paper short texts of scripture, and bring them out,\none by one, and read them. David says \"Thy word have I hid in my\nheart, that I might not sin against thee.\" That is the first big\nreason why the cup is clean inside. Now produce from the cup a large\npiece of white silk, or other thin fabric, and declare as you draw\nthis silk out, that \"what comes forth from the heart is pure, and\nwhite, and right.\" \"Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it\nare the issues of life.\" Prov. 4:23. The issues are streams of good\nworks. If you so desire you can use white ribbon instead of silk. In\nthat case, cut the silk in small pieces and name each of them after\nsome good quality such as Help, Kindness, Love, Truth, etc. After this\nproduce a number of short blue ribbons which you can name Faithful,\nFriendship. Blue standing for \"true blue\" meaning true friendship.\nHave the ribbons tied together, meaning the pure heart and true heart\nmakes friends who are friends indeed. At last produce a small streamer\nof red which stands for the cross. God looks inside of such a cup and\nsmiles and blesses it. Let us all try to see things as God sees them\nand we will wear the smile that does not come off. To simplify this\nlesson for use of very little eyes, you can use the following objects.\nSecure a plain tin cup, and larger and more ornamented one, and place\nthem side by side. Say to the children \"Which is the better cup? If I\nshould offer you one of the cups which would you choose?\" They would\nall declare the silver cup as their choice. Now show them that is not\nthe way God looks on things. We decide our choice by looking at the\noutside. God looks on the inside also. Now show them the beautiful cup\nis full of dirty water and the tin cup full of pure water. Which of\nthe cups is worth more to you when you are thirsty? They will all tell\nyou the tin cup is worth the most. Always look in before you decide.\nThat is the way God does. He sees the heart first. In arranging this\nlesson, prepare the cups first. As you think it over, you will find it\neasy to think up other things to make up the contents, but have them\nall prepared before lesson time. Do not permit the children to look\ninto the cups before the lesson or the real point of the truth you\nwish to teach them will be lost.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XV\n JOHN 3:16 IN COLORS=\n\n _Objects: A Number of Colors Arranged in Their Proper Order_\n\n JOHN 3:16 IN COLORS\n\nTHIS lesson will help you fix the truth of John 3:16 as well as the\nwords of this golden text in the memory and heart of the little\naudience for a life time.\n\nThis verse is called by Martin Luther \"the gospel in a nutshell.\" By\nthis remark he meant that the truth of the Gospel was condensed into a\nfew words. These colors will help you nail down on the wall of memory\nthis condensed Gospel of John 3:16 so it will be the Gospel not only\nin a nutshell but the Gospel in the heart and memory. Draw on a heavy\npaper, a large heart at least sixteen inches high. Pin that up on a\nblackboard or some back ground where all the class can see it well.\nNow say you will try to put the little Gospel of John 3:16 in the\nheart so it will stick there. Take a small strip of _gold_ paper or\ngolden yellow paper and place it on the bottom of the heart. _Gold_ is\nthe richest and best of all things so we will let it stand for God,\nWho is the Best of all things. That strip stands for \"GOD SO.\" Just\nabove that you place a strip of _red_ which stands for \"LOVED.\" This\nrepresents the \"Love\" of God. Next take a strip of _brown,_ the color\nof the common earth, placing it above the red, which will stand for\nthe earth. This represents \"THE WORLD.\" Above the brown place a\n_white_ strip which represents \"HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.\" White stands\nfor the purity for God's son who had no sin in Him, also \"The only\nbegotten son, as He was the only earthly being who had no sin.\"\n\nAbove the white place one long strip of four colors, and if possible\nlet the colors in the strip be of a different shade from those used in\nthe single strips. They are _red_ and _yellow, black,_ and _white.\nThese_ colors stand for \"WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH.\"\n\nRed for the red races, the Indian.\nYellow for yellow races--Chinese, etc.\nBlack for the black people.\nWhite for the white people.\n\nOther races have faces shaded from these principal colors. These\npapers can be made of independent strips, going completely across the\nheart, or of shorter colors joined together endwise.\n\nA _black_ strip is now placed above this which stands for \"PERISH.\"\nBlack suggests death, and the lost soul in eternal night. Add now a\n_green_ strip. Green is the eternal color. The ivy and the pine trees\nare always green. Let this strip stand for \"EVERLASTING.\" And so the\nheart is thus built up.\n\nNow ask them to name the word for which each color stands, then put\nthe words together as in the Bible verse. On another chart write out\nthe verse in colors using the proper color for each word. FOR GOD\n_(gold)_ SO LOVED _(red)_ THE WORLD _(brown)_ THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY\nBEGOTTEN SON _(white)_ THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH _(yellow) (black)\n(white) (red)_ SHOULD NEVER PERISH _(black)_ BUT HAVE EVERLASTING\n_(green)_ LIFE, Tell them this is the Gospel of Christ in John 3:16 in\ncolors and this should be the Gospel in their hearts.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XVI\n THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE MAGNET=\n\n _Objects: A magnet and a quantity of tacks, needles and pins_\n\n THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE MAGNET\n\nROBERT RAIKES, the founder of Sunday-schools in England, has left on\nrecord only one of the many lessons he taught the children of his day.\nIt is beyond all doubt the oldest Sunday-school lesson ever recorded.\nIt is an object lesson in which he used a magnet. He said, \"You know\nwhat a magnet is, do you not? It is that strange kind of stone, or\nmagnetized piece of steel which attracts all iron to itself. Perhaps\nyou have seen boys and girls who had toy ducks and fishes drawn about\nby a magnet in the water. Well, the magnet has a strange, unseen power\nto draw some things to itself. Perhaps you have owned a little\nhorse-shoe magnet, and have amused yourself drawing needles and other\nthings to it. Now notice, I will place in this saucer a number of\nneedles and also a number of pins. Now you know pins are made of brass\nwhile needles are made of steel or iron. You now notice that I take my\nmagnet and hold it just a little above the saucer. Now, see what\nhappens! The magnet attracts all the needles at once and they all fly\nup and stick to it. But notice the pins. They do not move, as they are\nmade of brass, and there is nothing in them to be drawn by the magnet,\nso they remained quietly behind, just as they were. Now listen, the\nLord Jesus is just like this magnet, and every one who belongs to Him,\neveryone who has repented and believes in Him, is like these needles.\nThey have a nature now that loves the Lord Jesus, so when He comes He\nwill draw all those who belong to Him up to meet Him, but all other\npeople who have not been born again and have not had their natures\nchanged by Jesus, are like these pins. They do not rise up to greet\nHim. There is nothing in their hearts to respond, so when He comes,\nthey will remain behind. How is it with you, dear children, are you\nlike the pins or needles?\"\n\nThis was the lesson which Robert Raikes taught the children long ago.\nYou have already thought out how he did it and no further explanation\nis needed. There are many lessons the magnet teaches which will fasten\ngospel truth in their hearts to stay. You may fasten the base of the\nmagnet to a small wooden cross, and teach the lesson of the attractive\npower by plunging the foot of the cross into a plate of tacks and note\nhow many tacks will cling to the cross. Call attention to the fact\nthat they not only cling to the magnet, but to each other. The power\nof the magnet passes through the tack to other tacks and so on and you\nhave a crowd of tacks clinging to the cross. This teaches us the\nfact--if we have the power of Christ in the heart, we will also draw\nothers to Jesus.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XVII\n THE STAR BOX=\n\n _Objects: A box marked with a star containing a cluster of common\n things_\n\n THE STAR BOX\n\nIF this lesson is used simply as \"The Star Box\" you can use it any\ntime of the year as it is a lesson on the \"Baby Days of Jesus.\" Secure\na fair sized box, a pasteboard box will answer if a wooden box is not\navailable. Cover it with sky blue paper to represent the night and on\nthe front of the box place a large golden paper star. Place this on a\ntable before the children and tell them our lesson this hour will be\nfrom the Star Box and the baby days of Jesus. Open the box and produce\nthe following colors and objects.\n\n1. The Bible. The coming of Jesus was foretold by the Old Testament\nprophets. They longed to see His day, just as we now long to see the\nsecond coming of Jesus. Here quote some of the Scriptures announcing\nHis first coming. These Scriptures were all like guiding stars to the\nOld Testament people, which would some day lead them to the baby\nJesus. The New Testament says He has come and we believe it, for the\nWise Men said, \"We have seen His star in the east and have come to\nworship Him.\" If you desire you can make a scroll like the ancient\nscriptures and bring this out of the box; this can be used in place of\nthe Bible book. A scroll is made like a roll of wall paper. Make it\nabout eighteen inches long, and have on it the references in the Old\nTestament which declare His coming. When it is unrolled and you have\nfinished with it, pin the object, and all other objects you produce\nfrom the box, somewhere up on the platform where all can see them, and\nto which you can refer if you so desire a little later in the meeting.\nUse glass push pins for this and all objects requiring to be pinned up\nbefore the audience.\n\n2. Next produce from the Star Box a piece of striped goods about one\nfoot square. This will represent the robe of the shepherds who long\nago were watching their sheep, Here teach the lesson of the dignity of\nlabor. God has given us work to do. The shepherds did theirs, and God\nsent them a wonderful message as they worked. They attended to their\nsheep. God talked to David, the Shepherd, once, and helped him to\nsing, and we have the book of the Psalms, the church's oldest hymn\nbook, and many of these songs were given young David as he watched his\nsheep. So the shepherds just watched and worked.\n\n3. Now produce a field of stars. Some black muslin upon which a few\nsmall stars are sewed. This represents _the night_ in which the\nshepherds watched their flocks. The robbers and wild beasts did their\ndeadly work at night so the shepherds took their turn in watching by\nnight. Here learn a lesson of faithfulness when the hour is dark. So\nthe shepherds did not slumber and sleep by the comfortable fires, but\nkept both eyes and ears open for the call of the wild beast or the\nsudden visit of the robber, and as they watched there they heard a\njoyful song.\n\n4. Here produce a piece of _white silk or cloth_ which represents the\nangel's song of \"Peace on earth, good will toward man.\" The white silk\nis an emblem of peace. So they heard the angel's song and its good\nmessage of \"peace on earth.\" It is a wonderful thought that God used\nsongs to first announce the glad tidings of the coming of the Son. It\nis God's way yet--a message of song often finds the heart quicker than\na golden word. Learn to \"sing for Jesus.\" Perhaps God may use you, as\nhe did the angels, to bring the message of heaven to some poor heart\non earth.\n\n5. Now produce a piece of _yellow cloth_ or felt. This stands for the\nyellow straw which the shepherds found in the manger when they went to\nBethlehem to see the things the angels said had come to pass. Here you\nmay produce, if you desire, a small handful of straw tied tightly\ntogether, so it will hang up all right. This straw made the bed for\nthe humble Christ. We should not complain if we are spending our days\nin humble quarters. Jesus thus spent His baby days.\n\n6. Now produce from the box a piece of violet silk or cloth. This\nstands for humility, which was displayed when the shepherds bent the\nknee before the baby Jesus and worshipped Him. They knew He was as\npoor as they were yet they knew God and knew Jesus was God's son, the\nnew-born King so they bowed the knee to Him. Some kings have been born\namid splendor, and placed in cradles, decked with gems, but they were\nnot kings. We only call them so. They were princes, they did not\nbecome king till the death of the king, which in some cases was years\nafter their birth, and sometimes they died before the king did and so\nthey were never kings. Jesus was the only one born a King. The\nshepherds knew this, and that made it all the more wonderful, so like\nthe little modest violet, they bowed their heads before the new-born\nKing. We should bow our hearts always to Jesus; that is, we should\nhave a _violet_ heart. We should be humble.\n\n7. Here produce a star, sewed on a black background. This represents\nthe star seen by the Wise Men from the east, and when they had\nfollowed it, they found it led them to the house where Mary and Joseph\nwere dwelling with Jesus. Some people think they know too much to be a\nChristian. They say, \"When I part with my brains, I will follow Him.\"\nAnd these wise men and all other wise men do part with their brains\nwhen they do _not_ follow Him for all really wise men have joined in\nthe procession which started a long time ago across the desert to find\nJesus. The greatest wisdom of the world is to follow Jesus. There are\nfive letters to the word Jesus, five points to the star, and the star\npoints spell \"Jesus.\"\n\n8. Now produce from the box three colors--yellow for gold, gray for\nfrankincense, purple for myrrh, all fastened together as if in a\ncluster. The yellow for the gold they brought Him, for He had none of\nHis own. Gray for frankincense which represented or resembled gray\nsmoke when ascending in the sacrifice. These were gifts, the first\ngifts Jesus ever received. The first Christmas gifts ever presented to\nanyone in the world. There seems to be no record in Scripture of many\ngifts ever being given Jesus when He was here among men. He, who was\nall the time giving good gifts, received but few, if any, in return\nfrom the children of men. He never owned a home. He slept for three\ndays in a borrowed grave. Let us learn from the Wise Men, a sweet\nlesson of giving gifts. It pleases Him.\n\n9. Now produce from the box, an _empty bag._ This represents the need\nof the poor--the condition of many a poor soul. They have nothing of\ntheir own. In the name of Jesus we bring gifts to them. If we do it in\nHis name it is accepted by Him as gifts to Him. Here put in the bag a\nfew small things if you desire representing the things they need and\nsay, \"This is my Christmas present to Jesus.\"\n\n10. Here produce from the box _a small heart._ This is my only\nChristmas present I can give directly to Jesus. My heart He asks of\nme. My heart I will give to Him. When we give our heart to another, we\nmean that we give ourselves.\n\n_\"Here, Lord, I give myself away\nTis all that I can do.\"_\n\n11. Now take from the box a Cross. This can be cut from pasteboard and\nas you hold it up, fasten the heart to it. This means you will give\nyour heart to Him and make humble confession to the world of what you\nhave done by taking up your cross and following after Him. Salvation\nis an affair of the heart. It is an affair of _the lips,_ and we must\nopenly proclaim him our Savior, for with the lips confession is made\nof salvation received. Now ask the children to tell you the truth each\nobject represents.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XVIII\n HOW MAY LOST A BEAUTIFUL DOLL=\n\n _Objects: A small common china doll and a doll in a beautiful dress_\n\n HOW MAY LOST A BEAUTIFUL DOLL\n\nONCE there lived a father in a little country town, far back from the\ngreat city and its wonderful streets and shops, who said to his little\ngirl that it was his plan to go to the city after things, and that he\nwould take her with him if she cared to go. Of course she was full of\nglee as she thought of the wonderful things she would see in the great\nwindows of the city shops. Her father had planned to purchase for her\na beautiful doll, but kept the thought to himself so it would be a\nglad surprise to May. When they reached the city, May's eyes were open\nwide, and like all little girls, she wanted lots of things at once. As\nshe and her father passed through the streets, May's eyes fell on a\nlarge box on the outside of a toy shop filled with a large number of\ncheap little dolls. They were made of celluloid, and cost only a few\npennies. (Secure one of the sort and show the class and say, \"This is\na poor cheap doll, wears only painted clothes, will last only a few\ndays, and is very common as well as cheap.\") Her father said, 'Wait,\ndear little May, I will get you a doll by and by.\" But May would not\nwait. She wanted that little painted doll now. Her father said, \"I\npromise you that you shall have a doll, dear, before we go home. Just\nbe patient and wait. Father knows best.'? At this denial May grew\nangry and said, \"You don't love me, father, or you would get me what I\nwanted. I won't wait, | want this doll. I'm going to have it right\nway.\" And as she said this, she took one out of the box, and held it\ntight in her hand and said she intended to keep it. She stamped her\nfoot, and cried, and said, '\"'I won't wait any longer, I won't give\nthis doll up. I will keep it and not put it back.\"\n\nThe father desiring to teach her a lesson, said, \"Well, May, if you\nknow best and better than your father, who loves you, you may keep the\ndoll. I will pay for it. You need not wait for a doll any longer. It\nbelongs to you now.\" Now May thought on her ways and said, \"I wish I\nhad not been so naughty about it. Dear father was good and kind to me,\nand I was hateful to him.\" She was silent but thoughtful, when her\nfather stopped before a window of the toy shop, and there in the\nwindow was a beautiful doll (borrow a beautiful doll for this lesson\nand produce it). Her father said, \"Look, little May, there in the\nwindow is the doll I intended to purchase for you if you had waited\nfor me to get to this shop. I intended to surprise you. That was the\nreason I did not tell you, but since you would not wait or trust your\nfather's word, I will not purchase it for you, but you must be\ncontented with the doll you have, the doll you said you would have and\nso the doll you would not wait for will stay in the window. It cannot\nbe yours. My little May must learn that Father knows best and that it\nwill always pay to wait for father's time.\" It was a hard lesson for\nMay to learn but that day she said to herself, \"Father knows best. I\nwill wait for his time, because it is the best time.\" This is how May\nlost her beautiful doll. There is a lesson in this story for us all.\nGod has a plan for our lives. Wait for Him to work it out. If we seek\nour own way our lives will be full of disappointments and sorrowful\nfailures. Wait for God's time. It is the best time. It will bring us\nto the best of everything.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XIX\n THE PRODIGAL SON IN RAGS=\n\n _Objects: A collection of rags in many colors_\n\n THE PRODIGAL SON IN RAGS\n\nTHIS is the story of the Prodigal son told in rags. Have a common rag\nbag brought in, and its contents emptied on a table. This will make\nquite a display of rags. Heap them up a little so the audience will\nsee them all. The ragman's bag is going to preach a sermon. Among\nthese rags is a bunch of rags fastened together with a pin to keep\nthem separated from the others, which you will not use in this lesson.\nTake out the pin. Spread out these rags which you have thus kept\ntogether and arrange them in their proper order. Now say, \"I will tell\nyou the story of the Prodigal son as the ragman sees him. I will tell\nthe story of the _LOST SON IN RAGS._\" Now put up a rope across the\nback of the pulpit, or before the meeting have one put there, and from\nthe pile of rags place upon this line the following:\n\nI--_A yellow cloth,_ a square piece of cloth as the Prodigal has not\nyet come to rags. The yellow stands for the home he left,--the land of\nplenty. Yellow stands for the rich grain fields, and is also the color\nof the bread he found on his Father's table. Full and plenty and for\nthe fields, ripe for harvest. How often he had sung the harvester's\nsong in the field when working with his dear old father when they\nlived together on the good old farm. Now from the rag table pick up\n\nII--_A piece of red._ This should be cut in the shape of a heart. Red\nstands for love and the heart of red for the loving heart of his\nfather. It should not be forgotten that the big point of this parable\nis \"The Loving Father,\" not the wayward son. It teaches how kind is\nthe great heart of the loving heavenly Father and how sweet is His\nwelcome to the wanderers who seek His face and favor. The son in rags\nknew this and no matter how far he got away from God, he never got\naway from the memory of the fond old father at home, yet he left it\nall for rags. Now pick up\n\nIII--_A blue piece of cloth._ This stands for the dissatisfied heart\nof the boy. He had \"the blues.\" Tired of home; longed for excitement;\nunhappy in his father's house. So he thought of the big town where he\nthought he would be happy, and told his father so; he asked for his\nshare of the estate because he wanted money. He must have money to be\nhappy. So his father granted his request. Now pick up\n\nIV--_Gray cloth._ The color gray was the color of the silver coins\nwhich his father gave him. (Make this cloth crooked.) This was a\ncrooked step. He was crowning his own will. He was turning from the\nwisdom of his father. That alone was crooked. The misuse of money is\noften the first crooked step the youth takes. So often they leave home\nfor larger wages, not because of the privilege of saving, but the sin\nof spending. After the estate is settled, the youth, with his new\ninheritance, gets the crooked foot, forgets God and His counsels. In\none of our great high schools a prize essay was to be written. This\nwas the subject: \"If you had ten thousands dollars, what would you do\nwith it?\" In discussing this question, most of the boys had selfish\nanswers. One would spend a year in traveling, another would make\ninvestments which yielded large returns quickly, etc. One lad said he\nwould give it to his parents to save for him. This boy won the prize;\nhe would never be a prodigal because of the misuse of money. The\nProdigal wanted it for self use, and he got a handful of rags in\nreturn. Now pick up\n\nV--_A gay rag of several colors,_ or a cluster of gray colored ones\n(cut crooked). This represents the gaieties of the far off country\ninto which he had plunged. The sins of the far-away country seemed\ntipped with gold; he fell for it at once. Satan whispered here is joy,\nlet loose; you are away from home; no one knows you; plunge in; and he\ndid. Here pick up from the table\n\nVI--_Short pieces of gay ribbons tied together in various lengths._\nThis represents the kind of friends he had found. Some long, some\nshort, some were his for a few days, others for longer time; all tied\ntogether, representing friendship. They were purchased friends. They\nwere his so long as his purse was long and full. When he had spent all\nthey all left him. No man gave to him, not even the friends to whom he\nhad given. Now he was poor, down and out and under. A man down in the\nworld,--a Prodigal son in rags.\n\nVII--Now pick up _the gay cloth of colors in rags._ This represents\nthe Prodigal poor and forsaken, ragged and dejected. This is the\nproduct of sinful companionship. This piece of rag should be the same\npattern as the one used representing his home garment but torn in\nstrips. A famine strikes the country. He is in need of bread. \"The way\nof the transgressor is hard,\" and the end thereof is harder still. He\nhas but one last resort. A tender of swine.\n\nVIII--Here pick up _brown rag._ This represents the color of the brown\nearth and the dried husks which he used as his only food. As a Jew,\nthis was bad business. It was the only business left. Satan drives us\nto the bad. This is what happened to the Prodigal. Satan clothes us in\npurple and fine linen, then tears it to shreds, and we cannot help\nourselves. Sin has a swift descent. There are no brakes for this\ndecline. Bad, worse, and then some more. That describes this man in\nrags.\n\nIX--Now pick up _yellow cloth._ This should be of the same shade as\nused in the first story as he now thinks of the bread in the father's\nhouse. Misfortune stirs up memory and we think; this is just what he\ndid. He thinks of home, of bread, of servants in the old house and\nland of plenty. Sometimes we think of the better life too late. We\ncannot retrace our steps and begin over again, but that God does: When\nwe repent and come to God, we may begin all over again.\n\nX--Here pick up _purple cloth._ Make this a perfect square. This color\nstands for repentance. It is the penitential color in the church\nworld. So he said, \"I will arise and go to my Father, and say unto\nhim, 'I have sinned.'\" This is the quick way home. It is a short cut\nto God. The forgiving father is at the end of this road. So he goes\nback in his rags. That is the way to go home. This is coming \"Just as\nI am, without one plea.\" Don't take off your rags. The Father alone\nmust do this and He will.\n\nXI--Here pick up _red cloth._ This represents the long love of the\nloving father. Red stands for love, a flaming love which causes the\nfather to run to meet him. This is the only time when God is said \"to\nrun,\" and He does it every time when he sees the sinner coming.\n\nXII--Here pick up _a striped cloth._ This represents the new robe just\nlike the first robe used when he went to the far country. He now looks\njust like he looked when he left home. The past is all covered up with\nFather's forgiveness, and when the neighbors come in, they don't see\nrags but the garment beautiful. Perhaps they don't know of his\nmisfortune. They only know he was lost and found and lost so long to\nthe Father that they thought him dead, but he is alive again, and they\nbegan to be merry.\n\nXIII-Here pick up _green cloth._ This represents the jealous anger of\nthe elder brother who knows all about his downfall, and stayed outside\nand grumbled about the past sins of his brother, and the fact that\nnever was a fatted calf slain for him that he might make merry with\nhis friends also. His Father pleads with him, and since we hear\nnothing about this elder brother again, we would conclude that he went\nin and joined in the festivities of his brother's return. The Father's\nlove had conquered both of his sons.\n\nXIV--Here take _red cloth,_ and cover the green with it for the\nFather's love (red) had conquered the jealousy (green) of his son's\nheart.34\n\nXV--Here pick up _white cloth_--the white stands for peace, which was\nnow in the dear old home. Peace which we believe was also in the elder\nbrother's heart. Peace which we know was in the Father's heart, and in\nthe heart of the Prodigal, who had exchanged his rags for the glad\nrobe of eternal salvation. As they all hang upon the line, remember\nthe lesson, and ask the class to tell you what each rag stands for.\nYou can, if you so desire, in place of hanging them on a line, place\nthem on the furniture of the pulpit. The matter of using cloth, muslin\nor silk or any other substance, is left to the convenience and\njudgment of the teacher. Even colored papers can be used in place of\nthe rags. In that case name the lesson \"The Prodigal Son in Scraps of\nPaper.\" Place these scraps in a waste basket and from that place of\ncast-off things, produce them as you desire.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XX\n WHAT CAN TAKE AWAY MY SINS?=\n\n_Objects used: Large transparent jar of clear water; a small quantity\nof oxalic acid; some powdered ox gall; a quantity of tincture of iron;\na small cluster of flowers; a few coins; a dictionary, It is a lesson\n with chemical effects._\n\n WHAT CAN TAKE AWAY MY SINS?\n\n _A Chemical Talk_\n\nPLACE on the table a large jar of plain untinted glass; fill it\ntwo-thirds full of water and before the class assembles drop in a few\ndrops of tincture of iron. This receptacle we will call the Human\nHeart. Secure a two-ounce bottle, paint it red, in which you place a\nstrong solution of oxalic acid. You cannot get this solution too\nstrong. This represents the Blood. Secure a third bottle and paint it\nblack. In this place some powdered nut galls. This represents Sin. On\nthe table have,--a silver coin, a music box, a cup of pure water.\nThese you will use in the body of the lesson later. Announce that you\nwill choose a text for your talk this time and it will be found in I\nJohn 1:17. \"The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all\nsin.\" Call attention to the large jar which represents the Human\nHeart. To all appearance it looks as pure as a lily. There seems to be\nnothing in it to make it evil. It does not look like evil. So it often\nhappens that the evil in us, does not always show on the surface, but\nis hidden away in our heart. It was born in us. All men are not _born_\nsinners, but _born_ in sin, and later on, that sin manifests itself,\nand we begin to choose evil in preference to the right, and that makes\nus sinners. The seed of sin was hidden deep in the heart. The jar\napparently pure has in it a hidden property no eye can see, but it is\nthere and when evil gets in it finds a response from that hidden power\nand at once the apparently pure water has turned black with sin. I now\npour a few drops from the black bottle, the evil bottle, into the jar.\nEven these few drops seem to be clear and white also, but when I drop\nthem into the jar of water, all is blackened because the apparent\ncleanness was only on the surface. \"There is a way that seemeth right\nin the eyes of men, but the ways thereof are the ways of death.\" You\ncan now talk about things which men do which they say are not bad.\nThey look all right, that is true, but when they enter the soul, they\nsoil it, and sin is supreme. What shall I do to get rid of my sin?\nWhat can take away my sin? Can I purchase my salvation? Let us see.\nNow cast in the jar a number of silver coins, and say these will bring\nme the white again, but the blackness is yet there, showing that\nsalvation cannot be bought with silver or gold. Can education or\nrefinement take away sin? Let us see. Place over the top of the jar a\nnumber of school books to represent education. Of course you see the\nwater is yet black, because you cannot make a black heart clean by\nlearning. Will music take away my black sin? Let us see. Place a music\nbox on top of the jar, and let the music sound forth, but you note the\nheart is still black and will remain black notwithstanding the finest\nmusic of the world. Shall I say the power of the mind can take the\nblackness away? Let us see. I will say to myself \"There is no\nblackness in this jar. It is a mental delusion. I am mistaken. I don't\nsee black, and if I continue so to do long enough the black will\ndisappear to the eye for it was never there. It was a mental defect to\nsay it was there.\" All of this sort of thinking would never change the\ncontents of the jar. Can beauty take away the black? Let us see. Cast\nin now a few flowers. The most beautiful things God has made. Will the\nhandful of beauty take the blackness away? This beauty can never do.\nWhat will do it? What is the soul's cry? What can take away my sins?\nHere produce the red bottle. \"The blood of Jesus Christ, his son,\ncleanseth us from all sin.\" Pour a few drops or more from the red\nbottle into the jar. Continue to pour it in until the water is made\nwhite again. Behold! the blackness of despair has disappeared. The\nBlood has taken away the sin forever. Before you put the drops of\nblack into the jar, take out a small glass full of the black water and\nplace it down on the table and after the water has been cleared up say\n\"When the blood of Christ takes away our sin, He keeps us when tempted\nto go black again.\" To illustrate that truth, pick up the small glass\nof black water, and say \"This represents temptation, and it seeks to\nget back into the soul again and make it black with sin as before.\"\nPour the contents into the jar but you notice that at once there is a\npower in the purified water in the jar to resist all temptation and\nthe black does not blacken the water again. The effect of the\nillustration will be made more striking if you put two or more lighted\ncandles back of the jar. By rehearsal in private, work out the\nnecessary proportions of these chemicals so they will work out\ncorrectly when you use them before your audience. Be very careful and\nkeep these chemicals away from the reach of the children as some of\nthem are deadly poisons.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXI\n THE GOSPEL COPY BOOK=\n\n_Objects used: A small blackboard; a small New Testament; a number of\n children to write on the blackboard_\n\n THE GOSPEL COPY BOOK\n\nTHIS is a lesson showing how important it is to copy Christ, not\nChristians. Many go astray in their life and conduct because they do\nnot follow the copy. There is a gospel copy book. Christ is that book.\nFollow His words and your life will not be crooked, and what you do\nand say will cause people who watch you to say \"He is following the\ncopy. He has studied well his lesson in the Gospel Copybook.\" Write\nthe word \"Christian\" in large letters at the top of the blackboard and\nask a tall boy to copy it as exactly as possible. After this is done,\ncover up the original line, and ask another boy to copy the copy. Keep\ncovering up all but the last line, having various ones to copy till\nsix or seven have been made. Now take off the covers and compare them\nwith the original. You will note every copy is different from each\nother and all different from the original, because each child looked\nat some one else's writing and not at the original. We are apt to copy\neach other's mistakes and example. This we do when we look at\nChristians, and try to do as they do instead of taking Christ as our\nexample.\n\nOne morning a business man who lived in the suburbs was hastening to\ncatch the train, which he supposed was almost due. It was important\nthat he should go to town, but, as he was walking along in nervous\nhaste, he saw a gentleman ahead of him, walking with deliberation and\nease. They always took the same train, so he watched him and not his\nwatch. But to his great dismay, he saw the train come in and go out,\nand they both were left. The watch of the man he followed was five\nminutes slow. He learned his lesson--follow no man--watch the watch\nand the schedule, and go straight ahead. Run yourself on railroad\ntime. That is good business sense for the traveler. Jesus has given us\na gospel copy book. Here it is. It is the New Testament. Follow its\nteachings and your life will be straight, and you will be like Jesus.\nFollow Christ and not Christians.\" Be not content in saying \"I am as\ngood as most Christians.\" You are not asked to be as good as even the\nbest Christians, but to be like Jesus.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXII\n IN HIS KEEPING=\n\n _Objects used: A nest of boxes; teaching the truth of the Divine\n Security_\n\n IN HIS KEEPING\n\nTHIS is a lesson based on the text John 10:28: \"They shall never\nperish.\" They shall never perish because they are in His keeping. Oh\nhow safe are those who trust Him in the hollow of His hand, for \"they\nshall never perish.\"\n\nThis is an object lesson teaching the divine \"security of the\nBeliever.\" Produce a fair sized cardboard heart on which write your\nname. This is the way of announcing your salvation. Religion is an\naffair of the heart. It goes to the heart, changes the heart, keeps\nthe heart. An old whaler once said he'd been in the business for so\nmany years he could talk about nothing else save whales and said \"When\nI am dead, if you should open my heart, I think you would find the\nword 'whale' in its centre.\" His business was an affair of his heart.\nI am sure that deep in the believer's heart you would find the name\n'Jesus' written, because religion is an affair of the heart to every\ntrue believer.\n\nTo put this lesson over in a large way, secure a number of boxes each\njust a little larger than the other so they will nest well. On the\nfirst box, print a large cross as large as the side of the box will\npermit. Now drop the heart into that box and close the lid tightly.\nThe heart is now hid in the Cross, and is safe forever. Your money you\nmay lose, a thief may make way with it. It may take wings and fly away\nout of your sure keeping place, but when you give your heart over to\nthe keeping of the Cross, you are safe forevermore. The word says\n\"They shall never perish\" because they are in His keeping. Now take a\nslightly larger box marked \"His care.\" Place the box marked with a\ncross inside of this box and close the lid. Now I am doubly safe, for\nI am in Christ, and also in God's care. God cares for the sparrow, for\nthe Word says, \"Not a sparrow falleth to the ground without your\nHeavenly Father.\" Not alone that He sees and counts the fallen bird,\nbut that He comes down with it. God attends the funeral of even a\nfallen sparrow. If He so cares for a bird, will He not care more for\nme! And He does and so I am safe in His care.\n\nTake the next larger box and mark it \"His Love,\" and in this box place\nthe one marked \"His Care.\" Every believer tents in the love land of\nthe heart of God. \"He so loved that we might not perish.\" And so we\nare safe in His love. No man dare tamper with the love marked children\nof His. Even Satan is afraid of that power. Put this box into the\nlarger box marked \"His Power.\" Another wall has been built around the\nbeliever. It is God's great wall of power. Now the Love box believer\nis surrounded by God's power. Christ said \"All power is given unto\nme.\" And it wraps the believer up in this girdle of strength for the\nGospel in the heart is \"the power of God unto Salvation.\" In I Peter\n1:15 we are told we are \"kept by the power of God.\" The hand that\nholds the sea in the hollow thereof holds me in safety. His power is\nmy fortress. I can smile at all foes. I am safe in the hollow of His\nhand of power. Now place this box in the next larger size box, have it\nmarked 'His Promise.' He has given me His promises \"I will never leave\nthee nor forsake thee.\" (Hebrews 15:5.) He whispered those dear words\nto me when he lifted me from the cross of penitence and gave me the\nkiss of salvation. He is able to keep His promises and | am trusting\nin His word. He has said that \"He that begun a good work in you shall\nperform it until that day.\" The day of His coming. I will trust that\npromise, and tremble not, nor fear what man can do unto me. \"As the\nmountains are around about Jerusalem, so is the Lord round about them\nthat fear Him. As the sides of this Promise box are around about me,\nso are the mountains of His power. I am closed in by tons of\nmountains, a congress of giants, so Salvation is God's safety box. It\nshuts the soul in His Cross, His Care, His Love, His Power, His\nPromises. No wonder it is written \"They shall _never_ perish.\" Marvel\nnot it is written \"No man shall pluck them out of my hand.\" When Noah\nand his wife, and his three sons, and their wives went into the Ark,\nGod shut them in, and they were safe. When God shuts the door He shuts\nthe soul in. No man can open. God holds the key. It is a secret\ncombination lock. God knows the combination. No man can know it. It is\na secret God will not whisper to any one in all the world. Closed\nin--locked in--that is enough, my soul, to live by and keep me\ndivinely calm, now, and in the hour of death. \"In His keeping\" is\nHeaven's way of writing the word salvation.\n\nIf the box method is too elaborate, to work out, you can use a nest of\nenvelopes. They put the lesson over just the same.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXIII\n A CANDLE LIGHT LESSON=\n\n _Objects used: A collection of candles_\n\n A CANDLE LIGHT LESSON\n\nTHIS is a simple yet shining lesson, using a small collection of\nordinary candles as illustrators. Children's and older eyes are always\nattracted by sparkling lights. Watching the glittering stars is always\na delight. These candles talk: They are white robed prophets. They\npreach to you. Look and listen. Have the candles mentioned in this\nchapter hidden from sight, with the exception of one tall candle which\nyou have placed in the centre of the table. This represents The Light\nof the World. Have this burning when the audience enters. It will have\nan attractive effect. Produce the other candles as you introduce them.\nSay of this first tall candle that Jesus said of Himself \"As long as I\nam in the world, I am the light of the world.\" (John 9:5.) This is the\ntext which this candle is declaring by its light--Jesus--the Light of\nthe World. Without this light the world would be in darkness. At this\nmoment, cause all the lights of the church to go out for a moment and\nsay \"If this candle should now be extinguished there would be complete\ndarkness in this room. Just so would it be if the Light of the\nWorld--Jesus--should turn His face from the world, all would be in\ndarkness indeed.\" Cause the lights of the church now to be turned on\nand proceed with your shining talk. Next produce a small spirit lamp.\nLet this represent the Holy Spirit. Light it from the Light of the\nWorld candle, and say \"The Holy Spirit takes the light of Jesus, and\nscatters it among men. He represents Jesus. He was sent to continue\nChrist's work of sending forth the light of truth.\" Now tell of the\nascension of Jesus, and as you do, take away the big candle and put it\nin another room if possible and say \"Jesus has now gone to shine in\nthe Glory, but has left the Holy Spirit here to continue His shining\nwork. Now bring in twelve candles, standing for the twelve disciples.\nLight each one from the spirit lamp and say \"The disciples have been\nsent to carry the light to the uttermost parts of the world, go ye\ninto all the world,\" etc. From a corner of the platform produce\ncandles standing for the races of the world. They are now in darkness,\n\"Go ye into all the world\" and then quote the last five words of\nMatthew 5:14. \"The Light of the World.\" Name each candle one of these\nwords, so the candles will read \"The Light of the World.\" Jesus said\nthese words about His followers, and all the races are His followers.\nThis illustration shows how the Holy Spirit can cause Jesus to shine\nforth through the nations of the world. If you wish to make an\nelaborate finish to this lesson, call up five boys to represent the\nnations mentioned. Let them carry a flag of each nation or marked in\nsuch a way that they may be known as a representative of the nation\nwhose name they bear, and let them go to different parts of the church\nbearing these candles. One may go to the gallery and call that spot\nAfrica; another to the rear, and call that locality India, etc. And\nwhen they have been distributed, turn off all the lights for a moment\nand say \"The Holy Spirit is world wide in His mission. The light is\njust beginning to shine. Pray that the Holy Spirit may continue in the\nwork of light-sending and He will do so if we do our part, and we\nwill.\" Let the lights be now turned on, and the people sing as a\nclosing hymn \"The Morning Light is Breaking.\"\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXIV\n THOSE TEN FRIENDS OF MINE=\n\n _Objects: Using the Human Hand_\n\n THOSE TEN FRIENDS OF MINE\n\nNO one can truthfully say \"I have no friends.\" If you do say those\nwords, you are mistaken, because I know your friends so well, I can\nshut my eyes and count ten of them without stopping, because all boys\nand girls have ten good and helpful friends. These ten friends are\nnever failing friends. They say to you \"I'll stand by you, and perhaps\nI can make you rich and great some day.\" We must all depend on these\nten friends, and they will never fail us. Now hold up both hands, open\nwide the fingers and say \"These are your ten friends. They are your\nten friends, and they are your ten best friends. They are ten obedient\nfriends. They always do just what you tell them to do. They are never\ndisobedient. They never refuse to work for you. They never go on a\nstrike.\" A little boy selling newspapers on the streets of London,\noverheard a kind lady make the remark, as she looked at him, \"Poor\nboy! how sad and lonely that poor little boy looks.\" He replied to the\nremark, by saying \"I am not a bit lonely, good lady, because I always\nhave lots of company, as I have these ten friends of mine ever with\nme.\" And as he spoke, he held up both his little hands. He was right.\nHe was not lonely, because he had his ten faithful friends ever with\nhim. Having these little working friends we should always work with\nthem. Many a little boy has worked himself up the ladder of success by\nthe aid of these ten friends. Give them something useful to do every\nday. They will do it for you and some day your friends may make the\nworld watch you and your company of ten, doing things. The Bible says\nthat \"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.\" That\nis what the Bible says about your ten friends. When our ten friends\nall cuddle up together, as if hugging each other, then we have a\nstrong weapon to defend us, then we can strike with the strength of\nthe arm. These ten friends helped the boy David, as they clinched the\ncords of the sling, and brought the giant down. They go to war for us,\nand every last one of them fights bravely. An old college chum of mine\nwas helped through school by these ten friends who worked hard for\nhim. These friends paid his way through school, for he worked his way\nthrough by the labor of his hand. Sometimes the errand boy of the\nstore has been helped so well by these ten friends that they helped\nhim to a place in the firm, and he became part owner of the store.\nSometimes these ten friends are bad little friends, they strike little\nsister, they steal things from shops, sometimes they lift strong drink\nto our lips and do lots of evil things but we must always remember\nthey are only doing what we tell them to do. We are responsible for\nall the evil they do, for they only do as they are told. We should\ntrain them only to do well, and then they will only do well. There was\na little boy in the great city of Philadelphia, that never knew the\nname of his father and mother, who was one day left on the doorstep of\na stranger. The good lady who lived in the house, had pity upon the\nlittle stranger and took him in. They called him \"George Washington,\"\nfor they found him on Washington's birthday, and they called him\n\"Child\" for his last name. So his full name the good lady gave him was\n\"George Washington Child.\" He and his ten friends sold papers on the\nstreets of Philadelphia. His ten friends worked so hard and well that\nafterward he became the owner of the great _Public Ledger_ of\nPhiladelphia. Thus we see how much a poor boy and his ten friends can\ndo when they all work together and for each other. These ten friends\ncan work for God also. They can give a cup of cold water to the\nthirsty, and Jesus says it is giving unto Him. These ten friends can\nlead other little boys and girls to the church where they can hear\nabout Jesus and be saved. Hold up the left hand and give the fingers a\nletter. Call the little finger \"W,\" the next \"O,\" and the next \"R,\"\nand the following fingers \"K\" and \"S\"--\"WORKS\" is the name of the left\nhand. Now hold up the right hand and spell out the word \"F.A.I.T.H.\"\n\"FAITH\" is the name of the right hand fingers, so working with both\nhands, these five friends called \"WORKS\" and these five called \"FAITH\"\nwe can do wonders. Faith and Works can conquer the world. So our ten\nfriends are an army of conquerors.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXV\n HEAVENLY MAIL FOR THE DISCIPLES=\n\n _Objects: 12 Prepared Envelopes_\n\n HEAVENLY MAIL FOR THE DISCIPLES\n\nTHIS is a fine test for the memory which can be used for older\nchildren and adults. It will require some study before it can be used\neffectively.\n\nSecure twelve large envelopes and enclose in each a beautiful\nscripture and floral card. Say you are about to distribute in the mail\ntwelve letters for the Disciples. You will not call out the names.\nNow, ask twelve children, or adults, to come forward and say I have\nhere twelve letters for the Disciples. I will not read their names,\nbut will describe them. If you recognize them by the description I\ngive, you are to speak the name and I will give you the letter to be\ndelivered to them. If you cannot find the disciple whose name you\npronounced, then you are to keep the letter and its contents as yours.\nAsk the first one in the row the first question: if he fails to\nanswer, ask him to take his seat. If he answers it let him stand there\nin his place, but don't ask him again unless all the others have\nfailed. The question about the second letter to the second individual,\nand so on, for the letters. Holding up the first letter you say \"I\nhave here a letter for one of the Disciples (on the envelope you have\nthe description of the Disciple written) who was believed to be the\noldest of them all. He once tried to walk on the water, wrote two\nepistles which bear his name, dined his Lord three times. What was his\nname? (Peter.)\n\nAfter this question is disposed of, ask the next question. \"I now hold\nin my hand a letter for the Disciple who first brought another to\nJesus\" (Andrew.) \"I hold in my hand a letter for the Disciple who was\ncalled the \"Son of Thunder\" the first martyr--who was he? (James.) \"I\nhave a letter for the Disciple who took Mary away from the crowd on\nCalvary, to his own home. Wrote five books of the New Testament and\nwas especially dear to Jesus. Who was he? (John.) \"I have a letter for\nthe Disciple who brought the second Disciple to Jesus, Can you name\nhim?\" (Philip.) \"I hold in my hand a letter for the Disciple who was\nan Israelite indeed and was also called Bartholomew. What was his\nother name?\" (Nathaniel.) \"I have a letter for one who was a doubter.\nWhat was his name?\" (Thomas.) \"I have one for the Disciple who was a\ncollector of taxes and wrote one of the Gospels. Can you name him?\"\n(Matthew.) \"I hold in my hand a letter for a Disciple who was perhaps\nthe brother of Matthew, and the son of Alphaeus. Can you speak his\nname?\" (James, the son of Alphaeus.) \"I have a letter for the Disciple\nwho had three names whose father's name was James. What were his\nnames?\" (Judas Thaddeus Lebbaeus.) \"I have one for a Disciple who\nbelongs to the zealots. What was his name?\" (Simon of Cana.) \"I have a\nletter for the Disciple who committed suicide and betrayed his Lord.\nWho was he?\" (Judas.)\n\nThis is a good scripture exercise and can be used in the number of\nways. If you so desire you may fasten their envelopes on some\nbackground in full view of the audience and ask the questions a week\nahead of time, so they might have time to look up the questions and\ncome prepared to answer them. It is a good drill for children which\nwill enable them to learn the names of the Disciples and something\nabout each of them. Study it out well, and then try it out.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXVI\n THERE'S A MESSAGE IN THE CANDLE=\n\n _Objects used: A Large Candle, standing for the story of Joseph and\n His Brethren_\n\n THERE'S A MESSAGE IN THE CANDLE\n\nONE day a candle spoke out from a shelf in a minister's study and said\n\"I see you watching me and with your eyes you seem to say--what shall\nI say next to the Juniors. Listen to me and I will answer your\nquestion.\" And the Candle said \"Well now, Mr. Preacher-man, I will\ntake your place next Sunday and preach for you. I have a message\nhidden away for your people.\" Then I though as I watched the candle\nthat a hidden hand, holding a lighted taper thrust itself out from the\nmystic land, and glowed and throbbed as a little star of light which\ncrowned its upright form. Then said I \"Now, Mr. Candle, what will you\ntell the people?\" and it said \"Hold me above your head and thus exalt\nme, or debase me by putting me on the floor, I will still keep on\nshining. In whatsoever state I am, I shine just the same. Men may\nhonor me by placing me on the King's table before the lords and\nladies, or place me in a humble cottage window, to help the pilgrim of\nthe night to see his way onward, I will still shine. I was made to\nshine. It is God's will that I shine--just shine.\" Learn, ye people,\nthe lesson. It is a message from the candle. This is true goodness.\nThis is pure Christianity. This is Jesus' way--no matter where--just\nshine.\" \"That is beautiful, good prophet,\" said I, as I drew out a\ngolden dart from my own heart. \"That arrow of light pierced me.\"\n\"But,\" said the candle, \"Do you know my true name? Well, I will tell\nyou. My name is Joseph. I was shining long ago when the race was just\ntumbling over the side of the cradle of infancy. I was there and did\nwhat I ask you to do. When I was in Father Jacob's home, or in the\nfield tending sheep, or carrying messages to my brother shepherds, or\nwhen I was hated by my home folks, or cast into the pit with creeping\nthings and devouring mouths, or sold into Egypt as a slave, or robed\nin grandeur as a mighty ruler with Pharaoh, or when I was covered with\nthe poisonous lies, or cast down into prison, or when I stood before\nPharaoh, and made clear his dreams, or when I was exalted to Pharaoh's\nside, and lived in untold glory, or when I met my brethren who sold me\ninto slavery, and with whom I could even up the old score and sore, or\nwhen I stood face to face with my dear old father in Egypt land, and\nfound myself and the boys and home folks all united under the royal\ncanopy of Pharaoh's care, I just kept on shining all the time. Up or\ndown, in or out, over or under--just shining all the time. Go thou and\ndo likewise.\" Then I saw the mystic hand come out from dreamland, and\nremove the white robed priest, and I heard him exclaim as he was\nremoved out of sight--\"Here endeth the sermon of the white candle.\"\nWhen at last my thought spoke out, I said, \"God was with the white\nminister and his message was like an echo of the sermon on the mount.\"\nTo visualize the lesson, place a plain candle on the table, and be\nseated a little distance from it. Secure a good reader, who will not\nbe in sight, to speak the part the candle says, and you in turn make\nthe answer. Make it a dialogue with the object.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXVII\n THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT=\n\n _Objects used: A Tall Candle and a Stub of a Candle_\n\n THE LONG AND SHORT O' LIFE\n\nTHIS is a lesson which illustrates how important it is to give God our\nwhole life. Samuel did this. He did not wait until his life was almost\nburned out, and then give to God the stump which was left, but gave\nGod the whole life, from early childhood to ripe old age.\n\nSecure one full length candle, and also one almost burned out. If both\nare lit at the same time, the short one quickly burns away while the\ntall one burns for a long time. \"The tall candle stands for youth, and\nwhere youth is given over to God, it sheds light for many happy days.\nWe should all offer our whole life to God and not wait till it is\nalmost gone and then offer a few short feeble days to Him. Don't wait\nuntil life is almost burned out and only a little stub left like this\nto offer God.\" As you say these words, hold up the little stump of\ncandle. \"Here is a candle almost burnt out. It will not give light\nmuch longer.\" In the old fashioned days when candle light was used it\nwould be cast aside as good for nothing, and yet the little stump can\ndo a little good for Jesus. Come to Him before it is burnt out\naltogether. Come now, tomorrow darkness may come and the little candle\nbe entirely consumed.\n\nOne evening some years ago, when I was preaching in my Philadelphia\nchurch, a sermon called \"A Sermon of a Hundred Candles\" I lifted up a\nlittle stub of a candle almost burned out, and said \"This resembles\nthe sinner almost burned out, only a few minutes more and it will be\ngone. Turn to God quickly before time will snuff out your flickering\ntaper.\" In that audience that night sat a man well known in river\ncircles. He was known as Capt. Evans, a man that knew the Delaware\nRiver like a book. Many efforts had been made to bring him to Jesus,\nbut everything up to this point had failed. He said \"That little stub\nof a candle got me.\" And it brought him to Jesus, and for the rest of\nhis days was a shining light for the Master. Oh, ye little stubs. Turn\nto Jesus and shine. You cannot go back to the happy days of youth to\nbegin over again but begin to shine now for Jesus. Hearken, ye youth,\nboys and girls, of the order of the long candle. Come now to Jesus and\nshine from the days of your youth until God bids you come up higher\nand shine for Him in the White City of God.\n\nTo elaborate this lesson let a number of boys and girls come to the\nplatform, each bringing an unlit candle which they light from the tall\ncandle on the table called \"The Light of the World.\" And then let them\nplace them back on the table until they are all lit. Don't let them\nhold them in their hands in a lighted condition as there is danger in\nthis. Ask them to stand around the table while the lights are burning\nand sing \"Jesus bids us shine.\"\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXVIII\n PULLING OUT THE NAIL HOLES=\n\n _Objects: A Small Size Post or Board. Hammer and Nails_\n\n PULLING OUT THE NAIL HOLES\n\nHERE is a story so old that it is new. That is, it is new to this\ngeneration. It is about a post that may be a pulpit or a lesson desk,\nand from it they may hear a loud message proclaimed. This is the\nstory.--Many years ago when Grandpa was young, just like you, his\nmother told him a story about a boy that did wrong things, told\nfalsehoods, and used bad words. His mother, in order to cause him to\nsee how ugly sin was, and what a bad scar it left in the heart, drove\na nail into a post for every evil word he spoke. By and by there were\na large number of nails in the post and it looked very ugly and he\nfelt just a little ashamed of his deeds being shown up this way. So he\nwent to his mother and said he was very sorry, and promised he would\ntry not to say bad words any more if she would pull all the nails out.\nThis she agreed to do on the following terms: For every good word or\ndeed, he would say or do, she would pull out one nail. After trying\nreal hard he saw the nails come out one by one, at last they were all\nout, but he noticed the holes left by the nails, and wanted his mother\nto pull them out also, which, of course she could not do. This taught\nthe boy a lesson, that even good deeds could not erase the scars evil\ndeeds left behind them. His father said, however, if he continued to\nbe good, he would fill all the holes up with a paint filler, and\nrecoat the post with fresh paint, and it would like quite like new,\nand right again. After his father had given the post a number of coats\nof fresh paint, the scars all disappeared, and the little boy never\nforgot the lesson when he looked at the bright, fresh post.\n\nNow, secure a fair sized post or board. Have it nicely planed and\npainted, if possible, polished, so it will present a finished\nappearance. Take now a hammer and nail and drive one in, at short\ndistances, at every evil deed mentioned. He told a lie--drive in a\nnail. He said a swear word--drive in a nail. He stole a book--drive in\na nail, and so continue this operation until there are fifteen or\ntwenty nails driven in. \"How shall I get rid of my sins?\" Let us see.\nFor every good word said, pull out a nail and continue in this fashion\nuntil the nails are extracted. But good works will not blot out our\nevil deeds, for you notice that the nail holes are there. We cannot\npull the nail holes out, the scar of sin is left, The only way the\nscar can be blotted out is by the planing off of the board, or filling\nup the nail holes, or better still, get a new piece of board. So God\nmust give us a new heart, and this He will do if we pray \"Create in me\na new heart, O God.\"\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXIX\n \"THE BURIED BIBLE\"=\n\n_Objects: A Large Bible; a Daily Newspaper; a Sunday Newspaper; a Cash\n Book; Entertainment Program; a Theatrical Window Poster; a Book of\n Fashions; a Book of Personal Engagements; a Popular Work of Fiction;\n School Books; a Phonograph Catalogue_\n\n THE BURIED BIBLE\n\nIN the Old Testament days we read of the Scriptures or \"The Law\" being\nhidden away under the rubbish of the neglected temple. There is great\ndanger in these days that we might lose our Bible in this way also. We\nso easily and frequently put it aside, neglect it, and then forget it\nand often forget where we put it. The cares of this world and its\nsinful pleasures are the dust which so often covers our Bible, and\nwhich covers it over to such an extent that we find it is not even in\nour thoughts.\n\nIn many of our homes, the Bible is out of sight. The children do not\nfind it open and ever before their eyes. It is a buried book. There\nshould be a Bible in every room, always kept open, which will speak in\na silent tongue of power \"Search me, and in so doing you will find\neternal life.\" To illustrate the fact that in most homes this is not\ndone, and that the Bible has been covered with the rubbish of life,\nsecure a good sized Bible, and before the children assemble, cover it\nall over so it is entirely out of sight with, first, a Sunday\nnewspaper, next, a cash book used in business, next an entertainment\nprogram, then a theatrical window poster folded up, then a fashion\nplate picture, after this a book containing your engagements for every\nnight, and late night affairs; also a popular work of fiction, a pile\nof school books; a well worn catalogue of Victor records, and at last\na daily newspaper. When the audience is assembled, explain you will\ntalk to them about the neglected book of God or the buried Bible. Let\nus all look and see what we use to cover up our Bible, and thus put it\nout of sight. This pile of stuff on the table covers up the dear word\nof God, and prevents us from reading it as we should. The Bible is the\nworld's greatest medicine chest, and it is lost. The world is in\ndreadful pain and we cannot find the medicine. Let us see together\nwhat has covered it up, and search together under the rubbish until we\nfind it.\n\nFirst lift off the daily newspaper. This is always read first by most\npeople, and when we have finished reading it, there is no time to read\nthe Bible, and we are not in a good mental state to grasp its meaning,\nso we neglect to read our Bible. We should go to the Holy Book first,\nif only to find one verse for the day, for in so doing, we begin the\nday with God. But the daily newspaper has hid it out of sight. Next\ntake up the Victor talking machine catalogue, which should be much\nworn by frequent use, and in so doing explain that one-half the time\nlistening to God speak through His word, as we give to the popular\nsong and music of the day, our Bibles would be in as prominent a place\nas the talking machine. Popular music is good in its place but when it\ntakes the Bible's place, it is all wrong and out of its place. Don't\nhide the Bible back of the talking machine, or you will lose it some\nday.\n\nNext, take off the _School books._ \"No time to read the Bible, | have\nso many lessons to study.\" This is often the cry we hear from boys who\nattend school. Sometimes the school books are enemies to the word of\nGod and destroy all taste for the Bible. Often when the boys and girls\nhave finished their book learning, they have not only no time for the\nBible but no use for it at all. They cast it into the rubbish and say\n\"The world has outgrown the Bible.\" So under the books of the school,\nthey have buried it and called it dead and that is the reason they\nburied it. Bright boys and girls should know the Bible is the king of\nall books of learning, and the highest crowning wisdom of all is to\nknow God, that alone is the _perfect education._ Don't therefore, hide\nyour Bible under your school books. Now pick from the rubbish\nheap--the novel. \"I am so interested in reading fiction I have no time\nto read the Bible.\" This is just what the boys and girls often say.\nThey will sit up all night if possible to see how the story \"turns\nout.\" Of course there is no time to read the Bible if this is the way\nwe spend our reading time and so the Bible once more is pushed aside\nby the novel. Reading is a splendid means of mental culture, and it\nmakes a full man, but the best reading of all is the Bible. Mix a\nchapter of the good Book in with your other reading, and you have a\nsuperb mixture. The Bible contains the world's best literature, and it\nis more than good literature. Its words are life and concentrated\npower. They are bits of radium. They glow with inside light, they\nnever lose their lustre. Their light is as penetrating as the X-ray.\nThey shine into the other life. Don't hide the light of the mighty\nword with the novel or secular reading of the present day.\n\nNow take from the pile of stuff your book of engagements. Open it, and\ndiscover you have an engagement for every night in the week. They are\nsocial functions. You must go; you will lose your standing among the\n\"high class\" if you don't. Put down among your engagements this one. I\nhave an engagement of thirty minutes with my Bible. This is\nimperative. Keep that engagement with your Bible as you would keep all\nother engagements and you will never lose your Bible under a heap of\ndates.\n\nAt this time take from the heap of rubbish the book of fashion plates.\n\"Must attend to this book--every month brings me something new. If I\nhold my own with 'my set' I must follow the fashion plates to appear\njust right.\" This is burning incense to the Goddess of Vanity, and\nthis Goddess is not satisfied with a fragment of time, but it demands\nfull time and it generally gets it. Fashion plates and the scriptures\nare impossible mates. They never mix well because they are not of one\nblood. So the plate stays and the Bible goes under it. It is right\nthat we should give attention to our dress and address, and the way to\ndo this is to seek the Bible way of beauty of dress and character\nadornment. To look beautiful we must commence to be beautiful inside,\nand at last it will shine forth and transfigure the outside. Follow\nthe teaching of the Bible and be pure in heart: put on the robe of\nChrist's righteousness, and then you will be in heavenly style and\nunmatched by anything the wide world can dream of for personal\nadornment. Follow the Bible, the world's divine fashion plate.\n\nNext remove the theatrical poster. In this day the popular amusements\nhave gripped the young people with a mad hand. No time for the Bible.\nMuch time for the show. \"What shall I do to amuse myself\" is the\ncardinal question of this age and every moment possible is given over\nto the answer. People grow white in the face in their excessive\nseeking to find the latest thrill, and they stay white until he cold\nhand of death gets them. Pleasures pure are pleasures right. At the\nright hand of God there are pleasures forever more. If they are right\nfor heaven, they are right for the world, but pleasures worshipped are\nalways bad for they are tipped with sin and bar the gates of heaven\nfrom the pleasures at the \"right hand of God.\" There is deep sweet\npleasure in the reading of God's word. Sing with Psalm 103. Whisper\nPsalm 23 when the night cometh. Read John 14 when the darkness is at\nhand, and nothing in the wide, wide world can be compared to the heart\npleasure this gives. It puts the soul in touch with a little bit of\nheaven. Don't cover up God's great pleasure garden--the Bible--with a\nton of worthless worn out, dried and faded earthly flowers.\n\nNow take off the cash book. The Bible has often been hidden by the\nbusiness ledger,--so often business crowds the Bible out. Hard work,\nmental strain, and the fierce fight of the present day business man\ngives but short time for the reading of the Bible, and more often no\ntime at all. Head and nerves are worn out at the end of the day, and\nthe soul also is worn out with business cares, so the cash box, the\nledger and typewriter have covered up the Bible and it is out of sight\nand buried under business activities. It must be remembered in this\nday of fever heat and mad rush that a business man must give his\nutmost to his trade if he wishes to put it over, but it should also be\nremembered that in the soul's great ledger if \"A man gains the whole\nworld\" it is reckoned as loss in the Book of God. We can serve God and\nread His Book and yet be successful. Mr. John Wanamaker, the best\nknown citizen, and foremost Christian of the business world of\nAmerica, blended the Bible with his great commercial enterprises by\nalways putting up a Bible verse over his office desk and mixing up its\ntruth with the trade of the day. He honored God's word and God honored\nhis trade. He never lost his Bible under his cash register.\n\nNow remove the bundle of Sunday newspapers. It is because these are\nread on Sunday that no time is found to read God's book on God's day.\nThe newspaper is on the Sunday morning breakfast table inviting us to\nspend Sunday with it. No time to read the Bible. The Sunday Newspapers\noften contain as many words as the entire New Testament. We will read\nthe papers first, after that we have no time or mind for the Book.\nVery often if all the words we read were counted they would be more\nthan the words of the four gospels and yet we have no time to read\neven a chapter of God's good book. We mean we have no mind to read it.\nWe have buried it under the sensational and often nauseous Sunday\nnewspaper. After we lift up the last paper from the Bible, we exclaim\n\"God's Book--long lost--now found.\" Lift the Bible up and say \"I will\nplace it next to my heart and cover it with my love, so shall the\nBible not be covered with sin. 'Thy word have I hid in my heart.' May\nit always thus be covered and evermore in the battle and strife of\nlife my Bible shall always be first.\"\n\nA great merchant in the city of Philadelphia, submerged with business\ncares and thoughtless about God, said to his little boy one day he had\nno time to read the Bible, he was so bothered with bonds and stocks.\nHis little boy could not understand these big words, and continued to\nask him to read his Bible and be good. One morning the father came\ndown stairs with a quick step and hurried to his paper to look over\nthe morning news when the little boy just recovering from a severe\nspell of sickness, crept up into his lap and said \"Bible first,\nDaddy.\" The father looked into his little pale face and his heart was\ntouched, his eyes filled with tears, and he said \"It shall be as you\nsay, dear little fellow. God has given you back to me, and I will go\nback to my Bible\" and he did, and he said it made a great man of him\nand a greater merchant also. Let this be your motto \"Bible first\" and\nit will never be buried under the rubbish of the things of this life\nagain. \"The Bible first, Daddy,\" is the voice of God.\n\n\n\n\n =CHAPTER XXX\n THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE=\n\n _Objects used; A Small Candle; in a Common Candlestick; A\n Representation of a Window. This is a Story Object Sermon_\n\n THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE\n\nCHRISTMAS fires and lights are as old as the story of the birth of\nJesus. The earliest form of lighting was the wood fire in the cave.\nAround this light the ancients sat and told the stories of old. Around\nthe fire on the field of the shepherds, sat the ancient guardians of\nthe sheep, as they read from the holy parchment, of the \"coming ONE\"\nand as they sat watching the dying embers of some such fire, were\nstartled by flash of heavenly light and heard the angels' song of the\nnew-born King. That was the first Christmas light. Ever since that\nday, whenever the glad Christmas day approaches, lights, beautiful and\ncheerful seem to shine out the glad light of the first Christmas day\nand so from window on hill top or valley, from tree and toy room of\ncountless homes, the Christmas candle plays its happy part in the\ndrama of Merry Christmas. To illustrate this Christmas candle story,\nconstruct a large background like the inside view of a window, and\nplace a tall candle in front of it. If the window cannot be erected\ndraw one on a blackboard or sketch one on a piece of muslin. If there\nis a small window in the alcove of the pulpit platform in good sight\nof the people, use that. Then tell the following story: A little\ncrippled child, in one of the back alleys of a great city, wondered\nwhat she could do to brighten Christmas day for some one else. She was\ntoo poor to give even \"the widow's mite\" yet she had a kindly heart\nfor other children poorer than herself. Her mother, with tears\ndropping from her eyes, said \"God had not made it possible for us to\ndo anything for the rest of the world except just to be glad and they\nwould both try to do that in the name of the little Lord Jesus, who\nwas once as poor as they.\" She remembered that in her own native land,\nfar over the sea, the children of her childhood always put a lighted\ncandle in the window (here light the candle in front of the window)\nwhich sent out a cheerful light over the snow on Christmas. They could\ndo that, at least, and with a glad heart they lit the candle and\nprayed \"God bless the light.\" From the outside the little glittering\nlight looked like the star of Bethlehem. The darkness hid the ugly\nsurroundings of the dilapidated home and it looked supremely beautiful\non the \"Night of Nights.\" A laboring man, hastening by to the corner\nsaloon, with his wages in his pocket, thinking only of himself and a\nnight of sin, saw the light in the window. Said he, \"It is Christmas\neve\" and all about him he saw, hastening to and fro, men and women\nbearing Christmas gifts to the loved ones. It had been many a year\nsince he had made his little ones happy by Christmas gifts. He had\nforgotten Christmas was so near until he saw the little candle in the\nwindow. The light held him--a prisoner--It called him back--back to\nhis childhood days and the happy Christmas time he had spent in his\nown home. His father and mother had taught him in the early days to\nlove God and keep His Commandments. He wiped away a tear--turned about\nface as he looked again at the Christmas candle, and went home. They\nhad a Merry Christmas in that home that glad day, and the poor little\ngirl's Christmas candle blessed of God, brought the wayward son back\nto God, home, and Christmas. Just across the narrow alley, a window of\na room, in which an old man, worn out with years, trying to sleep,\nheard the snow beating against the window pane, arose and looked out\nat the falling snow. As he did so, he saw the light in the window\nacross the way. That reminded him it was again Christmas eve. Not for\nlong years had he even given it a serious or religious thought. He had\nlived for self alone because he was alone. His children had forsaken\nhim; wife had died long years ago, but somehow this light had \"got\nhim\" also. Memories of other years came back and rang the Christmas\nbells of long ago. In his thoughts he was back to his childhood day.\nHow happy those memories made him feel. \"Christmas back again\" said he\nas he looked again at this lone light in the window across the way.\n\"I'll put one in my window\" and he relit the candle he had\nextinguished as he slipped into bed. Another window with a candle in\nit was shining out until, when midnight came, the dark alley was aglow\nwith lighted windows. The old man said as he closed his eyes in\nslumber, \"Tomorrow I will make the day merry for the little mother and\nchild across the way\" and he kept his promise.\n\nA lady of high degree and great wealth, passed by in her car loaded\nwith Christmas gifts, saw the little girl's Christmas candle in the\nwindow. She stopped at the house, hurried upstairs, there she saw the\npoor little girl trying to keep Christmas with one candle. The good\nlady's heart was touched by the child's simple faith and beautiful\nlittle deed, left for her toys and little comforts, that the dear\nmother and little girl accepted with tears of joy. When Christmas day\ncame, the sleepers in the alley were awakened by the carol singers\nchanting \"While shepherds watched their flocks by night.\" Our little\ngirl who put her Christmas candle in the window was the happiest\nlittle girl in the great city that day. Yes, and not that day only,\nbut the good lady, attracted by the candle, became a constant friend,\nand in all the coming days helped her to win out in life's battle. So\nit was Christmas day every day in that humble home, and the lone\nChristmas candle in the window had been a candle blessed by God.\n\n THE END\n\n\n\n\n =Benediction Taps=\n\n _To be sung at the close of evening meeting_\n\n Day has gone\n Night has come\n Day has gone\n Night has come\n God is near\n God is near\n All is well","title":"The gospel object book : $b A hand-book on object teaching for ministers, teachers of children and adults","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":24103}