THE GOOD CHILD'S LIBRARY.
TENTH BOOK.
THE PARABLES OF THE SAVIOUR,
IN EASY VERSE.
WITH BRILLIANT ILLUMINATIONS, FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS
Cleansing the Leper.
1851.
PREFACE.
The object of the "GOOD CHILD'S LIBRARY," is to encourage a taste for Scripture reading, by presenting some of the most interesting portions of the New Testament narrative, in the attractive form of verse. While the children read these verses, they will not only become acquainted with the principal events in the lives of our Blessed Saviour and His Apostles—their travels, their sufferings and their death,—but they will see that the Bible is a readable book, and a book that may be read every day, without any fear of becoming the unhappy being that some persons suppose; and besides this, the tone which is given to the affections, the minds, and the morals of children by such reading, is of almost infinite value.
In order to combine things pleasing and things useful, to the greatest possible extent, the publishers have gotten up at a great expense, especially for this work, some of the most beautiful Scripture designs that have ever been published. These pictures are printed in Oil Colours—an expensive, but a finished and highly artistical process, of which the publishers are the originators in this country. Each history is illustrated handsomely with them.
There is in all twelve books; each book being complete in itself, and containing a full history.
The "GOOD CHILD'S LIBRARY" is composed of the following books:
Scenes in the Life of the Saviour.
Scenes in the Life of St. Peter.
Scenes in the Life of St. John.
Scenes in the Life of St. Paul.
Scenes in the Lives of St. Matthew,
St. Jude, and St. Simon.
Scenes in the Lives of St. Stephen,
Timothy, St. Mark, and St. Luke.
Scenes in the Lives of St. Philip, St.
Bartholomew, and St. Thomas.
Scenes in the Lives of St. Andrew,
St. James, and St. James the Less.
The Sermon on the Mount.
The Parables of the Saviour.
The Miracles of the Saviour.
Texts for Children.
The Publishers have in preparation another series, embracing Scenes in the Lives of the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Kings, illustrative of the Old Testament Scriptures, to be gotten up in the same style as the present series.
THE PARABLES OF THE SAVIOUR.
CONTENTS.
[II. The Tares and the Wheat ]
[IX. The Pharisee and the Publican]
THE PARABLES OF THE SAVIOUR.
I.
OF THE SOWER.
Behold a sower going forth
To scatter o'er his field,
A rich return will yield.
And as he sow'd some precious seeds,
Were by the way-side thrown;
And soon the seed were gone.
And other seeds fell from his hand
On stony places round,
They had no depth of ground.
But when the sun came up, and warm
Sent forth his beaming ray,
They wither'd all away.
Among the thorns some others fell,
Of these there was no hope;
Soon as the thorns came up.
But others fell into good ground,
And yielded, as we're told,
And some an hundred fold.
The seed that by the wayside fell,
Is wisdom in the heart
But understandeth not.
And he who is the stony place,
Is one who hears the word,
And follows after good.
But tribulation soon assails,
And persecutions rise,
And all his goodness dies.
The thorny place is one who hears,
And does the truth receive;
His mind and heart deceive.
The good and fertile ground is he
Who hears and understands;
All that the truth commands.
II.
THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.
My kingdom I will liken to,
A man who in his field
Sow'd good seed, and expected soon
A harvest it would yield.
But while his servants slept, there came
A wicked enemy,
And sow'd his tares among the wheat,
And then went on his way.
And when the good seed did appear
The tares began to show;
The servants wonder'd much, and said,
"Why, master, thou didst sow
"The best of seed all o'er the field,
From whence then come these tares?"
"An enemy," he said, "hath come
Upon us unawares,
"And scattered forth his evil seed;"
The servants said to him,
"Wilt thou then, that into the field
We go and gather them?"
The master answer'd them and said,
"Let both together grow,
Until the time of harvest, lest
Ye pluck the wheat also.
"And when the time of harvest comes,
The wheat shall in my barn
Be gather'd; but the tares I'll bind
And in the fire burn."
The children of the kingdom are
The good seed that is sown,
The tares that came up with the wheat
Are of the evil one.
The enemy who sow'd the tares,
Is he who fell afar;
The harvest, when the world shall end;
The angels reapers are.
The righteous shall be gather'd home
Forever with the Lord;
And as the tares are burn'd, so shall
The wicked be destroy'd.
III.
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT.
Once Peter said, "How oft shall I
My brother's sin forgive?
How oft shall I, if he confess,
His penitence receive?"
"Till seven times?" The Saviour said,
"This is the law of Heaven,
Thou shalt thy brother's sin forgive,
Till seventy times seven.
My kingdom, therefore, I will like
Unto a certain king,
Who said that he his servants all
To an account would bring.
The first who came was one who did
Ten thousand talents owe;
And when he could not pay his lord,
His heart was fill'd with wo."
The lord unto his servants said,
"This debt must now be paid,
Go sell his wife and children too,
Let payment now be made."
The debtor to his master came,
And at his feet did fall,
"Have patience with me, lord," he said,
"And I will pay thee all."
His heart was with compassion moved,
He freely did relieve
His heart of sorrow, for at once
He all the debt forgave.
This servant then went out and found,
One of his fellows near,
Who owed to him an hundred pence;
And spake to him severe.
He took him by the throat, and said,
"Now what thou owest, pay,
I'll wait no longer for the debt,
But it must have to-day."
This servant then with grief and wo,
Down at his feet did fall:
"My fellow servant, patience have,
And I will pay thee all."
He would not; but with hardness did
His own sad case forget;
His debtor into prison cast
Till he should pay the debt.
His fellow servants heard the tale,
And all with one accord,
To show his base ingratitude,
Came sorrowing to their lord.
And told him all the servant did;
And he was very wroth,
And to those present said, "Go call
The wicked servant forth."
He to him said, "Thou wicked one,
Did I not thee forgive
Ten thousand talents? Couldst not thou,
Thy fellow's debt relieve?
"Couldst thou not mercy show to him,
As I did show to thee,
Forgiving thee at once the debt,
As thou desiredst me?
Now therefore pay me all the debt,
I will not thee forgive,
Because thou didst not let him go,
And all his we relieve."
That mercy then that you would have,
You must to others show;
merciful and kind to all,
And you will mercy know.
The Good Samaritan
IV.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
A certain lawyer came to Christ,
With mind and words of strife,
And said, "Master, what shall I do,
To have eternal life?"
The Saviour said, "'Tis written in
The Sacred Law at length,
That thou shalt love the Lord thy God,
With heart and mind and strength;
"And thou shalt love thy neighbour too;"
He still with Jesus strove;
"But tell me who my neighbour is,
That I may show him love."
The Saviour said, A certain man,
Would come to Jericho;
He started from Jerusalem,
And on his way did go,
Until there came some thieves, and stripp'd
And wounded him and fled,
And took with them the traveller's clothes,
It was not long before a priest
Did happen down that way,
He look'd, pass'd on, and not a word
Unto the man did say.
After the priest had gone, there came
A Levite passing down,
He also look'd, and pass'd along,
There soon, however, came along
A good Samaritan,
His heart was with compassion fill'd;
He went up to the man,
And found him wounded, bruised and sore,
And pour'd in oil and wine,
He placed him safe on his own beast,
And brought him to the inn.
For one night he took care of him,
And when about to leave
The inn, he said unto the host,
"You shall from me receive
All that is needful for your pains,
If you of him take care;
I will repay you all the cost;
Let him your kindness share."
The Saviour asked him, "Which of these
Was neighbour to the man
Who fell among the thieves?" He said
"The good Samaritan."
The Saviour said, "Go do likewise,
The suffering ones relieve,
Go show them love, and you indeed,
Eternal life shall have."
(Transcriber's Note: Illustration: MISSING)
Son of the Widow of Nain Raised.
V.
THE RICH FOOL.
There was a certain man who had
A very large, rich ground,
Which, when the harvest time came on,
With plenty did abound.
His barns were small, and they were fill'd;
He thought within himself and said,
"I know what I will do,
"I will tear down these little barns,
And build them larger still,
And with the fruit my ground doth yield,
Abundantly I'll fill.
"And I will then say to my soul,
'Thou hast much goods laid up;
Now therefore take thine ease, and fill
Thy thoughts with earthly hope."
But God said unto him, "Thou fool!
I will require of thee
This very night thy soul; then say
"Whose shall this plenty be?"
The fool is he who layeth up
For himself treasure here,
And calleth earthly pleasure, gain,
And earthly riches, dear.
VI.
THE LOST SHEEP.
The publicans and sinful poor,
Did come to Christ the Lord
When He was on the earth, that they
Might hear his gracious word.
The Scribes and Pharisees complained,
That He did these receive;
And murmur'd loud to all around,
And would not Him believe.
"This man receiveth sinful ones,
And talks and eats with them;"
When Jesus heard it, He did speak
This Parable to them:
If you should have an hundred sheep,
And one of them astray
Should go, would you not leave the rest,
And go out on your way,
To find the one that's lost, and bring
It on your shoulder home?
And when you've found it, you would say,
"Go, bid my neighbours come,
"That they may all rejoice with me,
For I have found that one
Of all my sheep, that left the fold,