CHAPTER III.
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
WHILE his mother was speaking, Fred had dropped his cap to the floor, and sat looking at her, his eyes staring wide open.
“Why, ma,” he said, eagerly; “I didn’t know that God would care.”
“There is nothing, my child, that our heavenly Father loves more than a grateful heart. How often did David express his gratitude to the Most High. He says, ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High! to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.’ Again he says, ‘I will bless thee while I live. Seven times a day do I praise thee.’ The Bible is full of thanks to God for his continued mercies to his undeserving creatures. Moses, the great lawgiver, commands, ‘When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God.’ Joel says, ‘Ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord thy God.’ Even Jesus, who as God, was the Creator of all things, when he took the seven loaves, gave God thanks for the means to satisfy the hunger of all the multitude.”
“I never thought of it before, ma. I don’t believe I shall forget again. I know, when you pray with me, you always say, ‘We thank thee for food and all our blessings;’ but I never before thought that he wanted us to do it.”
“A grateful heart, Fred, thanks its benefactor, because it loves to do so; it cannot help it.
“Don’t you remember, the last time your father came home, how pleased you were with the birds he brought you? You could not stop thanking him. Over and over again you said, ‘O pa, I’m so much obliged! These are just what I wanted. I’m so very glad! And I thank you so much!’”
“Yes, ma; I remember all about it.”
“Don’t you think your father was better pleased than if you had taken the cage, hung it up by the window, and said nothing about the birds?”