Half hours with the Bible

Contents

PAGP.

I. The Creation of the World and the Deluge .... .... g

2. Stories. OF Abraham. Lsaac, and Jacob .... ....

Preface

The object of the Author of this little book has been to tell, in piaiii, siiuple words that may be readily understood by children, the mighty hisrories contained in the Sacred Yohnne.

It will be seen that the work has been carefully divided into sections of equal length, each embracing a separate portion oi the Bible, and complete in itself. Thus, the first part contains the History of the Creation, the Fall of Man, and the subsequent events until the time of the Deluge ; the second part is devoted to the History of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; the third, tc the History of Joseph and his brethren ; the fourth, to the History of Moses and the Wanderings of the Cliildren of Israel, until the time of their great leader's death. And thus the history proceeds through the times (^f the Judges, tlie Kings, and the Prophets ; just so much being given as a child may understand and remember, and the whole being divided, like the commencement of the l^ook, into short sections, to prevent confusion. The three last })arts are devoted to the narration of the Life of Our Saviour and of the Apostles.

As the book purposes to give to children an elementary knowledge of the narrative portion of the Scriptures, care has been taken to tell the stories as much as i)ossil)le in the " Bible words." A few sentences of explanation or of comment have been sparingly introduced — the Author

PREFACE, having, in the great majority of cases, thought it best simply to narrate the histories as intelligibly as possible, leaving them to make their own unfailing impression on the minds of the young readers. ' Thus, then, this little volume is addressed to no special sect or denomination. It has not been prepared with any particular reference to the evangelical, the high church, or the dissenting part of the community. Free from all sectarian doctrine, and holding aloof from the exclusive tenets of any particular sect, it aims at being emphatically a Child's His' tory of the Bible. Therefore it is broadly offered to all that great and happily increasing class who read and value the Sacred Book, and wish their children to read and value it also. Therefore, the histories have been presented in all their touching simplicity — therefore the Bible icordu have, so far as possible, been retained.

It has been the wish of the Publishers to increase the attractions of the volume by care in the production of the work, so far as paper and print are concerned, and by a plentiful supply of those "pictures" in which all children deli<j:lit.

The Author commends this Book, the result of many hours of pleasant labor, to the parents, and yet more to the children of Christendom ; and a careful perusal, undertaken at the request of the Publishers, has convinced me that the taSk has been well and conscientiously fulfilled.

H. W. D.

(ilf p0urs luitlj t|c ^iblc.

Chapter I. The Creation Of The World

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HE Bible is that large book from which the minister reads in church ev^ery Sunday. It tells us of the doings of the great God who made Heaven and Earth ; and from it we learn to love and to serve Him. The word Bible means *'The Book." The Bible was written at different times by wise and good men, who set down the words that God put into their minds ; so that the Bible is the written word of God Himself That is why the Bible is called the Book of Books ; and its words are the woi'ds of truth. There was not always a Bible, to teach us about

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God ; but there was always a God. He had no beginning, but always was, and is, and shall be, after this world has passed away. He it was who made us, who created this beautiful world, and all that it contains. It was God w^ho put it into the minds of good men to write down in this holy Book, called the Bible, all the wondrous things of His law. And, as the Bible tells us of God, and teaches us His will, therefore every one should strive to learn to read this good Book ; and there is such a wonderful amount of wisdom and goodness in it, that the smallest child may read parts of it with delight and wonder. God loves little children, and never forgets or forsakes them. There are, how. ever, many things in this Sacred Volume which you could not understand; and, therefore, it is very pleasant to be told, in easy words, what wonderful things God has done. This, my dear children, is what I wish to do for you in this little book of Bible Stories and Pictures ; and I am sure it will make you long for the time when you may read the Great Book for yourselves.

The Bible tells us that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. He created them ; that means, he made them out of nothing. There was no shajje, nor form, only thick darkness, until " the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." God said. Let there be light ; and there was light.

Is it not wonderful that the word of God should at once change darkness into light ? And how beautiful is

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

THE SEPARATION OK THE WATERS.

light ! Darkness is very mournful. Many little children are afraid of being left in the dark, although there is nothing that would hurt them in the dark any more than in the light, because God can see in the dark as well as by day, and can take care of us. Yet light is a great blessing, and we ought to thank God for it.

" And God saw the light that it was good : and God

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divided the liglit from the darkness." The light He called Day, and the darkness He called Mght. " And the evening and the morning were the first day." In six days God made the earth ; and on the second day He made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. On the third day God separated the land from the waters, and gathered the waters together upon an heap, calling them Seas ; while the dry land He called Earth. And at His word the earth brought forth grass, herbs, and trees of all kinds. On the fourth day God created the greater light, that is, the sun, to rule the day, and the lesser light, or moon, to rule the night; and He made the stars also.

" First, He made the sun to know His proper hour to rise ; And to give light to all below, Bid send him round the skies/'

And since that day, obedient to God's command, the sun has risen every morning, and set every evening; and so long as God commands, and no longer, will the sun continue to blaze in the sky.

The moon, too, with her soft, silvery light, God created, to shine while we are asleep ; and the pretty twinkling stars did God set in the firmament, to shed light upon the earth. Then God commanded the waters to bring forth abundantly every kind of fish, and fowl that may fly above

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

the earth. Fishes of all kinds, from the great whale, that taketh his pastime in the wide ocean, to the little minnow that sports in the shallowest stream ; — from the ostrich to the little wren that builds her nest in an old thornbush. God also bade the earth to bring forth cattle, creeping things, and beasts of all kinds ; and there, side by side, might be seen the great elephant, the useful ox, the timid hare, and the gliding, harmless worm. This w^as the work of the fifth day, and God saw that it was good.

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So now, God had created the world ; l)ut the greatest and most wonderful of created beings had not yet been made. The earth was there, and the ocean ; both full of living creatures, and gay with growing plants and grasses. The streams were flowing, and the birds singing, and the fishes glancing through the waters, and the great beasts stalking forth over the face of the green earth, and all the little insects sporting in the sunshine ; all was ready for the reception of him whom God had determined to make the king of this beautiful creation — and this wondrous being was man.

And the sixth day of creation had come : and God said, " Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." So God created man out of the dust of the earth, in His own image created He him. And God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living soul. And God bade him be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it ; and He gave him dominion over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, " Behold, I have given you every herb," and " every tree yielding fruit, to you it shall be for meat." And to the beast, to the fowls, and all other living creatures God gave every green herb for meat.

And thus, day after day, God still provides us with all things necessary for our support: and He it is who, by His Son Jesus Christ, has Himself taught us to say, '' Give us this day our daily bread." He it is who makes the corn to grow, and to ripen, that we may be supplied with daily food.

IG

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When God had created the heavens, and the earth, and all the host of them. He finished His work and rested upon the seventh day; and He blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, or made it holy, because in it He rested from all His work that He had created, or made. Wherefore, God afterwards gave a command to His favored people, the Jews, saying, "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day." And, therefore, to the present time, in all lands where God is known, and the Bible, His word, is read, one day out of every seven is set apart and kept holy, as a remembrance that God rested on the seventh day from His work, after the creation of the world.

And God looked down from heaven on everything that He had made ; and behold, it was very good.

THE CREATION OP THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE. ]7

ADAM NAMING THR BEASTS.

Chapter II. The Fall Of Adam And Eve

HE Bible next tells us about the Garden of Eden, and liow the man whom God had created was sent to live there. First of all, now that the herbs and trees were growing, God caused a mist to go up from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

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And God then planted a fair and a fruitful garden in Eden, and watered it witli beautiful rivers and cooling streams, and placed man in the garden to keep it and to dress it. This man was called Adam. He w^as formed after God's image, perfectly holy and perfectly happy, free from care and free from sin.

Although God had made him lord over all things that He had created, yet, among all these things, none was found that was fit to be a companion for Adam. So the Lord God said : " It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." And God brought every living thing to Adam, to see what name Adam would call them ; and w^hatsoever Adam called every living creature was henceforth the name thereof God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep ; and, while he slept, God took from Adam's side one of his ribs, and of the man's rib God foi'ined a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam called her woman ; and she became the wdfe of Adam, and the mother of all living, w^hich her name, Mje^ signifies.

When the Lord God placed man in the lovely and pleasant garden of Eden, He gave Adam leave to eat of the fruit of every tree except one, which God told him was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and of this tree God forbade Adam to eat ; and God told him plainly^ that if he ate of the fruit of this tree, he should surely die; and as Adam had everything that w^as needful for his use, there was no reason why he should want this fruit.

Adam and Eve miglit have continued holy and happy for ever, for their life was bright, and innocent, and blessed in the beautiful garden, with the smile of God upon them ; but there came a wicked spirit, called Satan, who is the father of lies, and of all evil. He was envious when he saw the man and his wife so happy; so he came in the form of a serpent, and talked with Eve, and persuaded her to eat of the forbidden fruit. The woman told the serpent that God had threatened them with death if they ate of the fruit of that tree; but the wily serpent answered, "Ye shall not surely die : for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." See how wily the serpent was ; he knew that the prospect of great knowledge, and of being as a god, would allure Eve.

And it was so. She listened to the tempter. Instead of being contented in the happy state in which God had placed her, she became covetous. She wanted to be wiser and greater than she was. She took the fruit of the tree which God had forbidden her to eat, and she gave her husband some of the fruit, and he ate also.

When they had done this, they felt afraid. The knowledge that came to them was the knowledge that they themselves were no longer good and innocent; and they feared to meet the eye of God. They sewed large ^g leaves together to make themselves a covering. And when

they heard the voice of the Lord in the garden, in the cool

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of the day, fearful to meet Him, as they well might be they vainly endeavored to hide themselves among the trees

ADAM AND EVE EATING THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT.

And God called to Adam: "Where art thou?" And Adam answered, that he had hidden himself, because he was afraid. God knew perfectly well what they had done ; but He asked Adam if he had eaten of the forbidden fruit ? And Adam was cowardly, and answered, that the woman had given him the fruit ; foi* he would gladly have laid the whole blame upon Eve.

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

And when God asked Eve, why she had done this, she answered, that the serpent had beguiled her. Then God pronounced the sentence of punishment upon them all. He cursed the serpent above every beast of the field, and told him he should always crawl upon the eartl]. The woman

ADAM AND EVE DRIVEN FROM THE GARDEN OF EDKN.

he condemned to a life of sorrow and pain. And to Adam God said, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken, and unto dust thou shalt return."

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So God sent forth Adam and Eve from tlie garden of Eden ; and God placed at the east end of the garden cherubims, or angels of fire, with a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. So they were never again permitted to enter the lovely garden, but they were obliged to work hard and till the ground, and to plant and sow, and dig up the thistles, until the time should come for them to die, and return to the dust.

CAIN AND ABEL.

FTEE, our fii'st parents had been driven out of the pleasant garden of Eden, God gave a little son to Eve, who called his name Cain. Afterwards she had a second son, named Abel. God had said to x\dam that man should eat bread in the sweat of his brow — that is, that he should earn his food by labor. So both these sons were brought up to work; — and this was right; for it is God's Avill that every one should work in some way, and it is a great sin to be idle. Even the rich people, who need not till the ground for their bread, should find something useful to do for God, or for their neighbors.

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

ADAM AND EVE AT WOHK.

JSTot even a little child should be idle. Children should be learning, while they are young, how to employ their time, so that they may spend it usefully when they grow older. Cain used to till the ground and sow the seed, that there might be plenty of food. He was what we call a husbandman. A bel took care of a flock of sheep. He was what we now call a shepherd. I dare say you know who said, '' I am the good She2:)herd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." Our Lord Jesus Christ is the good Shepherd,

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and those cliilclren who strive to please Him, and learn to love Him as sheep love their shepherd, are those He means when He talks of His lambs.

CAIN KILLING ABEL.

Now, God had commanded his servants to offer up a sacrifice to Him of the *' first-fruits ; " that is, something of the very best they had. But He not only required these offerings, but He wished them to be given to Him with a free heart, and a willing, humble spirit. Cain brought an offering to the Lord, of the first-fruits of the ground, and

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

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Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock ; and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering; that is to say, He • looked upon them with favor, for He knew Abel offered with a thankful spirit. But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. See how the smoke of Abel's lamb ascends steadily up to heaven, while that of Cain is beaten down to the earth.

God read the wicked thoughts that were in Cain's heart, and saw that he was envious and jealous of his good and gentle brother : and when Cain found that the Lord had accepted the offering of his brother, and not his own, he became still more angry. And when they were both together in the field, he rose up against his brother and slew him !

Adam and Eve were sorry for their own sin and disobedience, when they saw tha^ Deatl\ the punishment w4th which they had been threatened, had really come upon their young and cherished son. He was dead, and he had been killed by the act of Cain : and the punishment of their own sin and disobedience was falling heavily upon them. But God, who sees and knows all things, saw this wicked deed ; and He called unto Cain, and said, " Where is Abel thy brother ? " Cain knew not how to answer ; the cowardly, guilty man replied by a lie. He said, "I know not: am I my brother's keeper?" Then the Lord said.

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" What hast thou done ? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the gi'ound." And God told Cain that a fearful punishment should befall him for his dreadful crime. He said, " When thou tillest the ground, it shall no more yield unto thee strength," or increase. And Cain was to be a wanderer and an outcast on the earth. And when Cain heard the words of the Lord, and found that he must leave his parents, and be driven out as a vagabond, h^ said, "My punishment is greater than I can bear." So God drove him away from his parents, and he dwelt in a distant part of the earth ; where we hear that he built a city, and that sons and daughters were boi'n unto him, But the remembrance of Cain's crime has never passed away, for it has been wiitten by God's servants, in God's own Book ; and, as long as this world lasts, Cain Avill be spoken of as the unhappy man who killed his brother in his anger.

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

THE FLOOD.

FTER the death of Abel, God comforted Adam and Eve by giving them a son, named Seth. And, in time, Seth grew to l,e a man, and had sons and daughters of his own. One of his descendants was named Enocli. Of Enoch, we have an account in the Bible. We are told that he was a good man, and walked with God — that is, he obeyed His commands. So God took him up into heaven without dying. What a difference between his fate and that of Cain !

Enoch's son, Methuselah, was the oldest man that ever lived on the earth. He was nearly a thousand years old when he died. After this time, the people who lived in those days became very wicked, and their conduct displeased the Lord so much, that He repented that He had made man. And at length He determined to destroy them .oil by a great flood. There was, however, a good man called Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And God commanded Noah to build him an ark of gopher wood; and told him how long and how broad it was to be, and how to build it, that Noah and his family might l)e safe, when God should send the flood of waters to drown the world.

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A very wonderful building was the ark which God commanded Noah to build for the safety of himself and family, and all the living creatures that God intended to save alive : two of every kind, as you see them going into the ark. Noah had nothing to do but to obey God's directions, and he did so. He began at once to collect proper materials ; and for a hundred years he was preaching to his neighbors and friends, begging them to turn from their sin, and help him to prepare the ark that was to save the righteous from destruction. But no one would listen ; they only laughed at Noah for his folly, when he told them that God had said, " I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven ; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of eveiy sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee ; they shall be male and female." Of fowls also, and cattle, and every creeping thing, two of every sort, did God order Noah to take with him into the ark, and to take some of every kind of food that was necessary for them all to eat, to gather together a large portion to place in the ark. How mercifully God still showed his love and care of those creatures whom He intended to spare; providing for all their necessities, and giving them light, and air, and pleasant food I

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

NOAH PRAYING, BEFORE ENTERING THE ARK.

Sucli was the refuge God provided for His servant Noali and liis family ; and He has shown similar mercy to the whole of mankind. For God has provided another ark, or place of safety, for lost and ruined sinners ; and when God looks down now from His holy dwelling-place in heaven. He can see that even the very thoughts of men's hearts are desperately wicked ; and, therefore. He has provided an ark for these perishing souls to flee to. Do you know what that ark is called? It is the Holy Saviour

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Jesus Christ; the only offerng which the world could produce to appease the just anger of an offended God. He provided the ark ; and the same love provided the Saviour, the ark of our strength — the refuge from the stoi-m of trouble and the flood of sin. He has in Himself all things necessary for our support and salvation, just as the ark contained all ^hat was necessary for Noah and his family.

Many years was the ark building. Long it stood open, while Noah vainly tried to pei'suade the hardened sinners to enter the door. So Christ is always ready, always at hand to save ; he stands waiting, he is willing and able to save all who will go unto him. Like a tender father, God said to Noah, when all was ready, " Come thou and all thy house into the ark ; for thee have I seen righteous before me." So Noah obeyed, as a child should obey the voice of his parent; and he made all the animals that he had collected together to enter two and two into the ark, and then he went in, with all the members of his family ; and God shut them in.

And then God in his anger rained down rain from heaven, and the waters of the sea overflowed and spread over the earth, till by degrees the houses, the trees, and even the tops of the highest mountains, were covered with deep water. The rain lasted for forty days and forty nights, and the whole world was like a tempestuous sea, which washed away every living thing. Even the birds of the air were drowned, for there was nothing left on

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE DELUGE.

THE GRKAT FLOOD OF WATERS.

which they might rest the soles of their feet ; and when the rain ceased to fall, it was many days and weeks before the w^aters dried away from the face of the earth. Only Noah and his family were safe in the ark which God had provided for them.

At length the rain ceased, the waters abated, and the ark rested on the top of a mountain called Ararat ; and Noah opened the window. There was still nothing but a waste of waters : no green trees or flowers, no living crea-

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ture to be seen. But Noah sent out of the ark a raven and a dove. Tlie raven flew backwards and forvvarcTs, and at last disappeared. Perliaps some of the dead bodies of the animals had floated up to the top of the mountain, and they would provide food for the raven, which is a bird of prey ; but the poor dove could find no rest for the sole of her foot, so she returned to the ark, and Noah put out his hand and took her in to him agiiin.

Seven days after, Noah sent the dove out again ; in the evening she returned to him with an olive leaf in her beak. You may be sure Noah and his sons were glad to see this green leaf. They knew that the tops of the trees were again visible, and that the waters were abating. But they knew the earth was still under water, because the dove was unable to find food and shelter; and thei'efore they waited patiently, and thanked God for his mercy in giving them a roof to cover them, and food to sustain life.

The dove was sent out once again ; but she returned no more. Then Noah knew that the earth was getting dry. He took the covering off the ark, and felt very glad to look upon the green trees ; but, although they had been shut up in the ark for more than a year, and although the earth looked dry and pleasant, Noah did not wish to go out of the ark until God told him he might do so. But •' God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee,