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This is its best, its chief intent,
To lead poor sinners to repent.

ANALYSIS.

1 What is a precious book? Who is happy? Whose word is the Bible? Why has God given us the Bible?

2 What does the Bible tell us? Where are God's commandments written? What do the commandments teach us?

3 From what does the Bible tell us to fly? Why? To what does it point? Who dwell in heaven? What does it warn us to escape from?

4 What is the most important thing the Bible tells us ? What is the chief intent of the Bible? What is it to repent? To hate and forsake sin.

The Bible.

What Book ought I to love the best,
And on its truth securely rest?

THE BIBLE,

What tells me of my fallen state,
And how God can me new create?

THE BIBLE.

What points me to the Lamb of God,
To trust in his atoning blood?
THE BIBLE.

What warns me to abstain from sin,
And tends to make me pure within!
THE BIBLE.

What teaches to relieve the poor,
And medicine for the sick procure?
THE BIBLE.

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What teaches me to love my foe,
And acts of kindness to him show?
THE BIBLE.

What tells me of that state of bliss,
Where I shall never do amiss?

THE BIBLE.

What can support my drooping head,
When I am laid on my death-bed?
THE BIBLE,

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1 Let avarice from shore to shore,
Her fav'rite god pursue;

Thy word, O Lord! we value more
Than India, or Peru.

2 Here mines of knowledge, love, and joy,
Are open'd to our sight;
The purest gold, without alloy,
And gems divinely bright.

3 The counsels of redeeming grace,
These sacred leaves unfold;
And here the Saviour's lovely face,
Our raptur'd eyes behold.

4 Here light descending from above,
Directs our doubtful feet:

Here promises of heavenly love,
Our ardent wishes meet.

5 Our num'rous griefs are here redrest,
And all our wants supplied :

Nought we can ask to make us blest,
Is in this Book denied.

6 For these inestimable gains,
That so enrich the mind;-
O! may we search with eager pains,
Assur'd that we shall find.

ANALYSIS.

1 What does avarice mean? The love of money. What god does the covetous man worship or pursue? Gold--the riches of this world. What commandment do covetous people break? What commandment do those break who make gold their god? Where are the richest mines of gold and silver and precious stones? In India and Peru. What should you value more than all these mines?

2 What mines are opened to our sight in the Bible? What are the mines of knowledge, love, and joy compared to? To purest gold without alloy, and gems divinely bright.

3 What do the leaves of the Bible unfold? What is redeeming grace? The grace that saves from hell. Whose lovely face do our raptured eyes behold in the Bible?

4 What descends from above in the Bible? What does that light direct? What do you inean by doubtful feet? Uncertainty of the right road., What meet our ardent wishes?

5 What are here redressed or removed? What are supplied? Is any thing denied us in this book?

6 For what should we search with eager pains? These inestimable gains. What do these gains enrich? If we search with eager pains, of what may we be assured?

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MISCELLANEOUS.

Love and duty to Parents.

1 My Father, my Mother, I know
I cannot your kindness repay;
But I hope, that, as older I grow,
I shall learn your commands to obey.
2 You lov'd me, before I could tell

Who it was, that so tenderly smil❜d;
But now that I know it so well,
I should be a dutiful child.

3 I am sorry that ever I could

Be wicked, and give you a pain ;
I hope I shall learn to be good,
And so never grieve you again.
4 But, for fear that I ever should dare
From all your commands to depart,
Whenever I utter a prayer,
I'll ask for a dutiful heart.

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Against Lying.

1 O! 'tis a lovely thing for youth
To walk betimes in wisdom's way;
To fear a lie, to speak the truth,
That we may trust to all they say.

2 But liars we can never trust,

Tho' they should speak the thing that's true:

And he that does one fault at first,
And lies to hide it, makes it two.

3 Have we not known, nor heard, nor read,
How God abhors deceit and wrong ;
How Ananias was struck dead,
Caught with a lie upon his tongue?
4 So did his wife Sapphira die,
When she came in, and grew so bold,
As to confirm that wicked lie,
Which just before her husband told.
5 The Lord deligh's in them, who speak
The words of truth; but every liar
Must have his portion in the lake,
Which burns with brimstone and with fire.
6 Then let me always watch my lips,
Lest I be struck to death and hell;
Since God a book of reck'ning keeps
For every lie, that children tell.

ANALYSIS.

1 What is lovely in youth? What should you fear? What should you speak? What will we then trust?

2 Whom can we never trust? Can we not trust them when they speak the truth? Why? Because we don't know when they are telling truth or lies. How many faults does he commit that does a fault and then lies to hide it?

3 What have you read, or heard in the Bible God abhors? What is deceit? Making believe what is not true. What does wrong mean? That which we ought not to do. Who was struck dead? Why was he struck dead?

4 What happened to his wife? What did she do?

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