you believe in Jesus, then you love him, and you will try to please him. You will not say bad words, nor tell lies, nor steal, nor fight. Wicked people abused the blind man, because he said that Jesus was good; but Jesus himself came to comfort him. If wicked boys and girls laugh at you, because you wish to please God, do not mind what they say. Jesus hears them when they laugh at you, and he will make you happy.

You may read this history in the ninth chapter of the Gospel according to St. John.

Jesus, who lives above the sky,
Came down to be a man and die;
And in the Bible we may see
How very good he used to be.

He went about, he was so kind,
To cure poor people who were blind:
And many who were sick and lame,
He pitied them and did the same.

And more than that, he told them, too,

The things which God would have them do.

And was so gentle and so mild,

He would have listen'd to a child.

But such a cruel death he died

He was hung up, and crucified!

And those kind hands that did such good,
They nail'd them to a cross of wood.

And so he died! And this is why
He came to be a man and die.
The Bible says he came from heaven,
That we might have our sins forgiven.

LITTLE CHILDREN.

SOME people are very fond of children. Other people think them troublesome, take no notice of them, or speak roughly to them. When Jesus, the Son of God, was in this world, he was very kind to children, and now he lives in heaven he loves them still.

Once, when he was in a house, he called a little child, and took him in his arms. And why did he do so? There were some men in the house who had been disputing together. What had they been disputing about? Who should be the greatest. It is proud to wish to be great. A little child does not wish to be great; it likes better to be with its own mother than to ride in a carriage with a fine lady. Jesus showed this little child to the men who wished to be great. He set him in the midst of them, and said, "Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

You see that Jesus loves humble, meek, gentle people, who are like lambs and doves;

but children as they grow bigger, often grow worse, till they are like lions, bears, and tigers. Here is a prayer for a little child:

"Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,

Look upon a little child;

Pity my simplicity,

Suffer me to come to thee."

There were some other little children whom Jesus took in his arms; their mothers brought them to the Lord. Should you like to have seen those mothers, with their little darlings in their arms, coming to Jesus? But when they came, those men were there who once disputed who should be the greatest. Those men were called "disciples"; they were good men, but not as good as Jesus was. They did not like to see the mothers bringing little children in their arms; they thought the children would be troublesome, and they told the mothers to take them away. How sorry those poor women would have been to take their little ones back again, for they wanted Jesus to touch them, to pray for them, and to bless them. But Jesus heard the disciples speak unkindly to the women, and he was much displeased with them, and he said to them, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Then he took the dear little creatures in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

There is a very pretty hymn about Jesus