the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.—Deut.
vi, 6-9.
Before little Alfred could read he knew a great deal of the Bible. He had a volume of Scripture plates, which he would turn over upon his father’s knee, and ask him the meaning of them. Alfred’s father loved the Bible, and he wanted his children to love it too; and therefore he took great delight in explaining it to them, and in telling them the beautiful stories which it contains.
There was the picture of Jacob dreaming his sweet dream about the ladder which reached to heaven, on which the angels of God came and went.
And there was brave Daniel in the lions’ den; because he would worship God when the king said he should not.
And there, too, was faithful Abraham, about to offer up to God “his son, his only son Isaac,” whom he loved.
All these, and many more delightful stories from the Bible, Alfred and Flora would repeat before they could read.
They both thought and talked a great deal about the Bible.
One day, in the summer time, Alfred and Flora went out together into the garden. They sat down upon a seat under the willow-tree. Little Flora took her doll in her arms when she went out; but when they returned to the house she did not have it with her.
Alfred said,