Title: Little Susan and her lamb
Author: Anonymous
Language: English
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                         No. 83      II. SERIES.

                              LITTLE SUSAN
                                   AND
                                HER LAMB.

                             [Illustration]

                              PHILADELPHIA:

                        American S. School Union,
                    _Depository, 148 Chesnut Street_.

                                  1827.
                       Stereotyped by L. Johnson.



[Illustration: _See page 8._]



                              LITTLE SUSAN
                                   AND
                                HER LAMB.

                             [Illustration]

                              PHILADELPHIA:
                      American Sunday School Union
                     Depository, 148 Chesnut street.
                                  1827.



LITTLE SUSAN AND HER LAMB.


One fine summer’s morning, little Susan’s mother called her to come and
have her breakfast. She took her porringer, and sat down on a green bank
near the cottage door to eat the bread and milk she had that morning, and
liked it very much, as she did not always have milk for breakfast. While
Susan was eating her breakfast, she thought about a very pretty book,
which had been given her the week before as a reward for her regular
attendance at the Sunday School, during the last half year; for it had
pleased God that she should enjoy good health, and Susan knew too well
the value of what she learned at the Sunday school, ever to be absent
when she could attend. I never heard of her playing about on a Sunday
with rude idle children, she knew that would be breaking the Sabbath,
and she desired to keep it holy. Which children do you think are the
happiest, those who play about, and get into mischief on a Sunday, or
those good children who attend public worship and endeavour to keep holy
the Sabbath day?

While Susan was eating her breakfast, she thought about her reward book,
as I told you—it was “Little Jane, the YOUNG COTTAGER,” and she wished
that she might love the Saviour and be happy like “Little Jane.”

When she had nearly finished her porringer, a man came by driving some
sheep, which he was going to sell at the next town. Several of the sheep
had little lambs with them, and some of these poor little creatures were
so tired that they could hardly walk. One little lamb laid down just as
it came to the place where Susan was sitting. The man tried to make it
get up, but it could not rise, and seemed to be dying. “Well,” said he,
“I’ll have your skin at any rate.” So saying, he was about to tie its
legs together, and take it upon his shoulder, when Susan spoke to him,
and begged very hard that he would leave the little lamb with her, and
she would nurse it. “Why, as for that,” said the man, “I suppose I might
as well give it you at once, for I don’t reckon you can make much hand of
it; and I think I’ll e’en give it to you, for now I recollect, you are
the little girl who ran after me over the common last summer, and told
me of the boys who had driven two of my best sheep down yonder lane; I
should not have found them again in a hurry, if it had not been for you.
Well, if you like to have the lamb, take it and much good may it do you.”

He then called his dog, and drove his sheep on. Susan thanked him; she
put down her porringer, and took up the lamb, and began to think what she
should do with it: its eyes were shut, and it seemed dying. “Well,” said
she, “it is no great matter to you, for I suppose they would have killed
you to-morrow or next day, but I should have liked you to have lived and
played with me. I would have tried to be kind to you, for the Bible says,
we are to be merciful to poor dumb creatures like you. God made you, as
well as me, and I recollect it is written, ‘that his tender mercies are
over all his works.’”

While she was talking in this manner, the lamb opened its eyes a little
way, and gave a faint bleat. Susan was delighted. “Poor little thing,
perhaps you are hungry,” said she, and taking her spoon, she put a
little of the milk into its mouth, and to her great joy saw that it was
swallowed. Susan then gave the lamb some more, and wrapped it up closer
in her apron. It soon revived with the warmth, and presently was able
to stand, it then went to the porringer and drank the rest of Susan’s
breakfast; you may be sure she did not grudge it.

Susan now went to her mother, and told all that had happened, and showed
her the little lamb. Her mother said she might put it upon the grass-plot
behind the cottage. The little girl did so, and before night it was quite
well again.

Susan had to go every day to work, but you may be sure she did not
neglect her little lamb; every morning when she had her own breakfast,
she went and fed it very carefully;—and the lamb was always ready to come
as soon as it heard her little mistress call.

Do not you think Susan felt very happy when she looked at the little
lamb? She had been kind to it, and felt much more pleased than if she
had not taken any care about it. I have known little boys, and girls
too, who have taken pleasure in teazing poor animals, but I have always
remarked that they were bad children. Those who can take pleasure in
killing flies, or hurting dumb creatures, would delight in tormenting
their brothers and sisters, or companions, if they dared to do so; and
when they grow up to be men and women, unless their evil habits are
broken off, they will prove to be wicked people. Our hearts are naturally
inclined to do what is evil, and will always take pleasure therein, if
they are not changed by divine grace. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus,
as you may read in the third chapter of Saint John. Little Susan had been
taught this. She felt that it was true, and prayed to God to give her
a new heart. She prayed that she might love Christ and believe in him.
Christ has said that those who ask shall receive; and in the book of
Proverbs, which speaks of him as the True Wisdom, we read that those who
seek him early shall find him.

Now, if Susan had not thought about these things, and been led to desire
to do what was right, perhaps she would have helped the naughty boys in
driving away the sheep, instead of telling them, as she had done, that it
was wrong, and following after their owner when she found they would not
do what was right. When we see others do wrong, we should always try to
persuade them to leave their evil ways; but if they will not listen to
us, then we should do all we can to prevent them from succeeding.

The lamb soon grew very fond of Susan, and followed her about every
where. If she was absent from home longer than usual, it would lie down
before the cottage door, and watch for her, and as soon as she returned,
it would frisk about and look quite happy. It was just the same with
Susan’s companions, they were always glad to see her, because she was
gentle and kind to them.

When I have seen little boys and girls cross, and teazing each other, I
have sometimes wondered why they could like to make others uncomfortable,
for I have always observed that they did not look happy themselves. But
when I recollected that the Bible tells us, that the heart of man is
naturally inclined to do evil, I have not wondered any longer at what I
have seen. I then thought how very sad it was, that children did not love
the Saviour, for then they would have tried to be like him, and would
have been much happier. I have longed to tell them about Christ, and how
pleasant it is to know him, and to love him. Sometimes when little boys
and girls have read “Janeway’s Token for Children,” and other little
books which told them about children who have loved Christ, they have
desired to be like them. Susan was like these good children; and if a
poor man came to ask charity, she was always glad if her mother could
spare any thing for him.

Remember, that the Saviour came down from heaven to seek and to save that
which is lost; he died upon the cross that we might be cleansed from
our sins by his precious blood, and he suffered for us, that we might be
sanctified or made holy by the power and influence of his holy Spirit,
and thus be made the children of God, and heirs of his kingdom. My dear
children, do you love the Saviour? Do you wish to be like him, kind,
merciful, patient, and “of great goodness?” Your little hearts will tell
you whether you really desire this, and if you are still strangers to
him, pray that he will by the power of his holy Spirit, teach you to know
him and to love him. If you refuse to listen to these things, and do not
seek the Saviour, you will be unhappy in this world, and miserable in
that which is to come.

I have a little more to tell you about Susan and her Lamb. Susan’s mother
spun its wool every year, and if you had gone to the cottage on a winter
evening, you would have seen her busy with her spinning-wheel, while
Susan and her brothers were employed in other works, and one of them read
aloud the Bible, or some useful book. After the wool was spun, Susan knit
stockings for herself and her brothers, which they found very warm and
comfortable in the winter. In the course of a few years, the lamb grew up
and had several other little lambs, so that in time Susan had a flock of
sheep, which were a great help to the family. She was very glad that she
had gone to the Sunday school, and had been taught the texts, which made
her wish to be kind to the little lamb. I hope my little readers will
try to remember all that they read in their Bibles, remembering that the
Bible tells us the commands of God, and in keeping his precepts there is
great reward.


THE END



THE AMERICAN SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION

HAVE PUBLISHED

A Large Assortment of

_SUNDAY SCHOOL BOOKS_,

AND ALSO,

REWARD BOOKS,

With numerous Engravings, for Children;

WHICH ARE SOLD AT THE DEPOSITORY,

148 Chesnut Street,

_Philadelphia_,

AT REDUCED PRICES.





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