Long, long ago, a little boy was born in a Hebrew home, at a time when a cruel king of Egypt ordered all Hebrew boys that were born, to be thrown to the crocodiles in the great river Nile. But this little babe was so beautiful that his mother hid him in the house and prayed God to keep him safe. She hid him carefully for three months. Then, being afraid some one might hear him, she went to the river and gathered some long, strong grasses that grew there and braided them together, making a small basket and shaping it like a boat. To make it warm and dry inside, and to keep it from sinking when placed in the water, she painted it with black paint inside and out. Early one morning, when all was ready, the mother took her baby boy quietly sleeping in the basket-boat, and went down to the river Nile, the little baby’s sister, Miriam, following closely behind her. The mother hid the basket among the tall grasses near the shore, and again prayed God to keep her baby safe. Miriam was left hiding in the tall grass near-by to see what would happen to her little brother in his new bed. Very soon the princess, the daughter of the cruel king of Egypt, with her maids, came down to the river to bathe. Quickly she spied the basket-boat and cried, “What is that floating on the water among the tall grasses? Bring it to me.” One of her maids ran and picked up the basket and brought it to the princess. When she opened it, there was the most beautiful baby boy she had ever seen! The child was wide awake, and seeing the strange face, began to cry. “It is one of the Hebrew babies that my father ordered drowned!” she said. “But I have found him, and I will keep him as my own little baby boy. I will call his name ‘Moses.’”

Miriam was watching from her hiding-place in the tall grasses. She ran out and said, “Shall I bring a nurse for the baby?” “Yes,” said the princess. Miriam ran home as fast as she could, and whom do you suppose she brought? The baby’s own mother! And the princess told her to take him home and nurse him and care for him for her, for she loved him as her very own, and the king would not harm him.

So the prayer that Moses’ mother made to God to take care of her little baby boy in the basket-boat was answered. And Moses grew up to be a great and good man.

10. WHY BOYS TAKE OFF THEIR HATS IN CHURCH

(Exodus 3)

When the boy Moses was old enough to leave his mother he went to live with his new mother in the king’s palace.

Moses was a good boy. He studied his lessons so well in school that he grew up to be one of the wisest and best young men in all the land. But Moses never forgot his own Hebrew people. He was not careless of the cruel way they were treated as slaves by the king’s officers. He tried to improve their sad condition in his own hasty way, but he soon saw that neither his own people nor their masters wanted a princess’s son to interfere. They were both ready to kill him for trying to help. So Moses had to flee for his life into the mountains where he became a shepherd. One day as he was leading his sheep up the mountainside, he saw a thorn-bush all aflame; and it kept on burning, but was not burned up. Moses wondered to see so strange a sight. Leaving his sheep he went near. Suddenly a Voice called out of the midst of the fire-bush, “Moses! Moses!” Moses answered, “Here am I.” The Voice said, “Take off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground,” It was God, in the form of an angel, speaking to him. Moses at once took off his shoes and bowed reverently in the presence of God. Then God told him a better way by which he could help his downtrodden people and set them free from their cruel masters who were beating them and making their life so hard. He told Moses he wanted him to lead his people out of their bondage. At first Moses was afraid he was not able to do what God wanted him to do, but God said, “Certainly, Moses, I will be with thee.” Moses obeyed the Voice that spoke that day to him out of the fire-bush, and he became one of the greatest of leaders and lawgivers that this world ever saw. Men and boys take off their hats in church to-day for the same reason that Moses removed his shoes before the fire-bush—to show reverence in the presence of God and respect for his wonderful way of speaking to men.

II. THE BOY WHO LIVED IN A CHURCH

(1 Samuel 2, 3)

Once there was a little boy, about seven years old, who was taken by his mother to a beautiful church and left there to be educated by the minister, who lived in a room at the side of the church. The little boy’s mother had promised God that if he would give her a little boy she would give him back to him, and that all the days of his life her boy should serve him. So as soon as he was old enough to leave her she remembered her promise. A little room was fitted up for the little fellow next to the minister’s room. Little Samuel learned to trim the lamps, to open and close the church doors, and to be useful in many little ways in helping the minister. Once a year his mother came to see him, bringing for him a beautiful little, new, white coat, which she had made for him. It was the same kind of white coat the minister wore. One night as the little boy was lying asleep in his room, suddenly a beautiful Voice rang through the chamber, calling, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel thought it was the minister calling him. He ran to the minister’s room, saying, “Here am I!” “I called not,” said the minister; “lie down again.” So the boy went back to bed. Then again the Voice called, “Samuel!” Again he ran to the minister who said, “I called not; lie down again.” When all was quiet, the third time the Voice called, “Samuel!” and again the boy sprang up and ran quickly to the minister’s room. Then the minister knew God was calling him. “Go lie down,” he said, “and if you hear the Voice again, it is God calling you; say, ‘Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.’” As soon as Samuel lay down again, God called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and little Samuel kneeling beside his bed said, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.” Then God told him what he wished him to do for him when he grew older. So the little boy who was obedient to God’s voice grew up to be a great and good man, living always for the good of his people.