Bible lessons for sabbath-school concerts...

Front matter

I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

MS I

FOR

Preface

The Sunday School Concert has been for manyyears one of the most prominent features of the Sunday School work. The former manner of conducting the Concert, with its speech-making, story-telling, and promiscuous recitation of Scripture texts, has given place to method and detail of arrangement. In a Concert Exercise there should be one prominent thought ; the Bible verses, songs and selections of prose and poetry should have a bearing upon that one central truth. The exercises of a Concept should be interesting, instructive and pleasing, and the results of such a course will not only be beneficial to the audience, but will re-act to the interest and profit of the school. The Concert, through the interest of its exercises, has many times been the means of leading persons not connected with the school to become regular members of the school, and ultimately they have been led to become firm and devoted Christians.

Contents

PAGE

No. 1. Temperance Band. . 5

" The Rose of Sharon 34

I. Ninth Scholar. — Intemperance leads to Iniquity

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived : neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [1 Cor. vi. 9, 10.

N.

Tenth Scholar. — Intemperance leads to Noisiness. Let us walk honestly, as in the day ; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

[Rom. xiii. 13.

E.

Eleventh Scholar. — Intemperance leads to Error.

But they also have erred through wine, and

through strong drink are out of the way ; the priest

and the prophet have erred through strong drink,

they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink ; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. [Isa. xxviii. 7.

c.

Twelfth Scholar. — Intemperance leads to Condemnation, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and .such like : of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

U.

Thirteenth Scholar. — Intemperance leads to Unbelief.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshy lusts, which war against the soul.

P.

Fourteenth Scholar. — Intemperance leads to Poverty.

Be not among winebibbers ; among riotous eaters of flesh ;

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. [Prov. xxiii. 20, 21.

A ELOEAL EXEECISE.

ROSES.

Note. This Floral Exercise is to be recited in tlie following manner: All the selections of prose and poetry being numbered, they are to be recited in regular order in which the numbers are placed ; the questions to be asked by the Superintendent, and the Scripture selections recited by the classes arising together and repeating the texts in turn, or by different members of the school scattered among the several classes. No directions are here given for the arrangement of the flowers, that being left to the skill and taste of the members of the school holding the "Rose Concert."

THE EXERCISE.

Singing.

Sow sweet are the flowers.

[Happy Voices, p. 4 1.

The Rose is preeminently the flower of love and poetry, the very perfection of floral realities. Imagination may have flattered herself, that her power could form a more perfect beauty ; but it is said she never yet discovered such to mortal eyes. It is a flower beloved by every one, not only in the present age, but has been in all ages past, and will no doubt continue to be the most prominent and desirable flower as long as the world stands. It may with propriety be styled, and must always be considered, the Queen of Flowers.

" The Rose is the honor and beauty of flowers, The Rose is the care and love of the spring, The Rose is the pleasure of the heavenly powers."

It is said the angels possess a more beautiful kind of Roses, than those we have on earth. David saw in a vision a number of angels pass by with gilded baskets in their hands.

" Some, as they went, the blue eyed violets strew, Some spotless lilies in loose order threw; Some did the way with full blown roses spread, Their smell divine, and color strangely red. Not such as our dull gardens proudly wear, Whom weathers taint, and wind's rude kisses tear ; Such I believe was the first rose's hue, Which at God's word in beauteous Eden grew. Queen of the Flowers that made that orchard gay, The morning blushes of the spring's new day."

BOSES. 25

Milton in Paradise Lost thus describes Eve : " Eve separate lie spies,

Vailed in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood, Half spied, so thick the roses blushing round About her glowed ; oft stooping to support Each flower of tender stalk, whose head, though gay, Carnation, purple, azure, or speck'd with gold, Hung drooping unsustained ; them she upstays, Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while Herself, though fairest, unsupported flower, From her best prop so far, and storms so nigh."

4.

" And all is ecstasy, for now The valleys hold their feast of roses. That joyous time when pleasure pours Profusely round, like the season's Rose, The floweret of a hundred leaves, Expanding, while the dew fall flows, And every leaf its balm receives."

When the Hoses of youth all their beauty display.

[Royal Diadem, p. 4.

Recitation.

Sow fair is the Hose.

" How fair is the Rose, what a beautiful flower, The glory of April and May ;

But the leaves are beginning to fade in a day, They wither and die in an hour.

Yet the Rose has one powerful virtue to boast, Above all the flowers of the field ; When its leaves are all dead, and its fine color lost, Still how sweet a perfume it will yield.

So frail is the youth, and the beauty of man, Though they bloom and look gay like the rose ; But all our fond care to preserve them is vain, Time kills them as fast as he goes."

Question by Superintendent Everything that God has given us is for our profit as well as pleasure. Roses in their beauty and fragrance, teach us an important lesson, as well as gratify our senses. What is it?

Answer. " Hark, the Roses speaking, Telling all abroad, Their sweet and wondrous story, Of The Love of God.

The Love of God.

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying.

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.

therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.

[Jer. xxxi. 3.

ROSES. 27

And hope maketh not ashamed : because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy- Ghost which is given unto us. [Rom. v. 5.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us ; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. [1 John iii. 16.

Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God ; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not, knoweth not God ; for God is love. [1 John iv. 7, 8.

In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God gave his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [1 John iv. 9, 10.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. [1 John iv. 11, 12.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. [1 John v. 3.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

[Jude 21.

Singing.

Happy in Thy love.

[Royal Diadem, p. 45.

Moses. 1.

" The Roses fresh are blossoming,

In joyous troops revealed, They lift their dewy buds and flowers,

In garden, mead, and field.

They lurk in every sunlit path, "Where forest children tread ; They dot like stars the sacred turf, Which lies above the dead. 2.

" They sport with every playful wind, That stirs the blooming trees,

ROSES. 29

And laugh on every fragrant bush,

All full of toiling bees.

From the green marge of lake and stream,

Fresh vale, and mountain sod, They look in gentle glory forth,

The pure, sweet flowers of God.

B.

" They come with genial airs and skies,

In summer's golden prime, And to the stricken world give back

Outshining Solomon, they come,

And go full soon away, But yet like him they meekly breathe

True wisdom while they stay.

4.

" ' If God,' they whisper, c smiles on us,

And bids us bloom and shine, Does he not make, oh, faithless man,

Each wish and want of thine ? ' Think, too, what joys await in heaven,

The blest in human birth, When rapture such as woos thee now,

Can reach the bad on earth.

" Redeemer of a fallen race, Most merciful of kings,

Thy hallowed words hath clothed with power Those frail and beauteous things.

All taught by thee, they yearly speak Their message of deep love,

Bidding us fix for lif e and death, Our hearts and hopes above."

Kecitation.

The Origin of the Moss Hose.

The origin of the Moss Eose is thus described by a German Poet :

" The angel of the flowers, one day,

Beneath the rose-tree sleeping lay ;

That spirit to whose charge is given,

To bathe young buds with dews from heaven.

AwaMng from his light repose,

The angel whispered to the rose,

' Oh, fondest object of my care,

Still fairest found where all are fair,

For the sweet shade thou givest me,

Ask what thou wilt, 'tis granted thee.'

'Then,' said the rose, with deepening glow,

' On me another grace bestow.'

The spirit paused in silent thought,

What grace was there that flower had not ?

'Twas but a moment — o'er the rose,

A vail of moss the angel throws.

ROSES. 31

And robed in Nature's simplest weed, Could there a flower that Rose exceed ? "

Question. What lesson may we learn from this story of the Moss Rose ?

Answer. That it is the humble duties of life which give beauty to our Christian character.

Humility. 1.

Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly : but the proud he knoweth afar off.

[Psa. cxxxviii. 6. 2.

When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. [Prov. xi. 2.

A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit. [Prov. xxix. 23.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. [Matt, xviii. 4.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased : and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

[Matt, xxiii. 12.

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. [Jas. iv. 6.

Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. [Jas. iv. 10.

The Death of the Hoses.

In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up ; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

[Psa. lxl. 5, 6.

" The Rose's age is but a day, Its bloom the pledge of its decay ; Sweet its perfume, its color bright, It blows at morn, and fades at night."