t was on a bright sunday afternoon that the teacher, willy thorn, on returning from church, met three of his scholars sauntering towards one of the london parks. they perceived his approach at some little distance, and instantly began to conceal in their pockets something that they had been carrying in their hands. their nearness to a very tempting stall, upon which fruit and sweetmeats were sold, made willy guess too truly the cause of the hasty movement. he thought it better, however, at first to take no apparent notice of the fact that the boys had been breaking the fourth commandment[66] by buying upon god’s holy day.

“well, my lads,” said thorn, when he came up to them, “you are going, i see towards the park. i will go with you; we will enjoy the fresh air and bright sunshine together, and perhaps have a little discourse, which may be profitable as well as pleasant.”

the boys were usually very fond of the society of willy thorn; but just now, with their pockets full of cakes and nuts, they would have preferred being without it. however, no objection was made; they reached the park, and seated themselves under the shade of a large tree, for the sun was hot, and the shelter of the foliage was pleasant on that sultry afternoon.

willy thorn looked upwards at the leafy boughs which hung above him, through whose screen a long bright ray, here and there, pierced like a diamond lance. “this tree has put an allegory into my mind,” said he. “boys, are you in the mood for a story?”

a story was always welcome, and in the[67] expectation of being amused, the scholars half forgot that their teacher’s presence was delaying their intended feast.

“methought,” began thorn, “that i had a dream; and in my dream i beheld a large and venerable tree. it was several thousand years old—so you may imagine its size; but it showed no signs of age; its leaves were as fresh, its fruit as abundant, as when the israelites of old encamped under its refreshing shade. this tree was called the sabbath-tree. it was given by its lord as one of the richest blessings which was ever bestowed upon man. freely might all partake of its fruit; but all were forbidden by a voice divine to break even the smallest bough from the sacred tree.

“i saw in my dream that many thronged to the spot where the sabbath-tree rose, like a beautiful green temple, in the midst of the plain; and i stood aside to mark the effect of its fruit on those who came to gather it. it strewed the ground in some places so thickly, that it shone like a carpet of gold.”

“i suppose,” said bat nayland, one of the boys, “that the fruits of the sabbath-tree[68] are,—going to church, praying, praising, and reading the bible?”

thorn smiled in assent, and continued: “i saw one haggard man come, faint with hunger, to the spot. he threw himself down on the soft grass, and fed eagerly on the nourishment freely provided. and i marked joy on his pale face as he ate of the fruit of the sabbath-tree, and i remembered the holy words, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

“i saw an aged woman reach the tree. she was so feeble that she had hardly power to stoop to gather the fruit; but as she tasted it, her strength returned, her bent form became more erect, she walked with a firmer step, and i remembered that it is written, they that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength.

“next, a miserable sufferer approached; on his countenance was an expression of pain. he was sick—grievously sick of the malady of sin, fatal to all who cannot find a cure. but he knew the healing powers of the tree. he fed, and even as he fed health[69] returned to his faded cheek, the anguish of his soul passed away, and the sufferer found himself whole.”

“i thought,” said the eldest of the boys, “that there was but one cure for sin!”

“true, most true,” replied thorn, with an approving look; “but in due observance of sabbath duties, we learn how to seek and where to find that cure.

“i had watched in my dream, with a rejoicing heart, thousands gathering the precious fruit, and receiving nourishment, strength, and healing; but now, alas! my attention was attracted by yet greater multitudes, who thronged to the spot only, as i became painfully aware, to break and injure the beautiful tree. some enemy had hung up a hatchet on its trunk, with disobedience marked on the handle, and of this numbers made very free use to cut down large boughs from the tree.

“‘i am going on a jovial merry-making in the country,’ cried one; ‘i and my family shall have a treat. i want some wood to mend up my broken car.’

“‘hold!’ exclaimed the youth who had[70] been healed, attempting to stay the hand of the sabbath-breaker; ‘are there not six groves nigh at hand?—had you not better cut what you want from them?’

“‘no!’ cried the man impatiently, swinging the hatchet aloft; ‘there is no tree so convenient as this!’ and for the sake of a little pleasure in the country with merry companions, he cut a branch from the sabbath-tree!

“then came a woman with a face full of care. she had not faith to trust in him who clotheth the lilies, and provideth for the ravens. ‘i want wood for a stall,’ said she, ‘whereon to sell my sweetmeats. i must earn some more pence for my living; necessity owns no law;’ and taking the hatchet of disobedience, she also brought down a leafy bough, treading under foot as she did so a quantity of the ripe, precious fruit. not content with thus breaking the sabbath herself, she demanded that those who bought at her stall should each bring, in addition to their money, a fagot stolen from the holy tree!”

when thorn came to this part of his[71] story, his scholars glanced consciously at each other. they all now felt convinced that their teacher was aware that they had been buying from a stall on sunday.

“it was grievous,” continued thorn, “to see what multitudes trampled on the sabbath fruit, broke away twigs, snapped branches, to help on their business or aid their amusements. some wanted wickets for cricket, one man required a handle for his spade; and though a very little delay would have enabled them to procure wood from a lawful quarter, they were too thoughtless, too covetous, or too impatient to reverence the sabbath-tree.

“but soon i beheld in my dream, that while none could faithfully partake of the fruit without benefit, none without injury could break off a single branch. as i watched, much did i marvel to see how disobedience brought down punishment! the man who had repaired his car by sabbath-breaking, had little pleasure from his intended treat. as he was driving from a public-house, suddenly a wheel of the vehicle came off, he and his party were flung out on[72] the road, and sorely bruised by the fall. in some cases, the wood so unlawfully taken appeared to turn at once into dust! the man digging with his sabbath spade, found it suddenly snap asunder, and the splinter ran into his hand, inflicting a terrible wound.”

“oh, but how could that be?” exclaimed one of the boys. “many a fellow goes larking on sunday, and the wheel of his car never comes off! i don’t know what this part of your story can mean.”

“it means,” replied willy gravely, “that disobedience to god, the wilful breaking of his holy commandment, unless the sin be repented of and renounced, is certain to bring punishment in another world, and very frequently also in this. there are multitudes of lost, miserable sinners, who may trace their first steps on the path of ruin to breaking the sabbath of god. no one ever yet, on his death-bed, could say that he really profited by money so gained, or that he had no reason to regret a pleasure gained by disobeying his maker’s command.

“the poor woman who sold sweetmeats, i found in my dream, was not long in suffering[73] the penalty of disobedience. in one of the fagots so sinfully laid upon her stall, the serpent remorse had lain coiled, unnoticed, unseen! as she was counting her unholy gains, made by not only sinning herself, but causing others to sin, the fierce reptile darted at her breast!—with difficulty was the serpent torn from its hold, and the poor sufferer sank on the ground, bleeding, fainting, trembling at her danger, and weeping for her sin! it was some time before she was able feebly to creep to the spot where comfort and healing might yet be procured by a proper use of the fruits of the sabbath-tree.

“while the poor woman was in sorrowful penitence, doing all that lay in her power to show her regret for the past, the boys who had purchased at her stall—who had wilfully broken the sabbath, not to supply real wants, but to indulge their own greedy inclinations—”

“i’ll tell you what one of them did, sir!” exclaimed bat nayland, springing up from the ground: “he just emptied his pockets of what he had bought, said that he was heartily ashamed, and seeing an old lame[74] beggar near, he gave every crumb of his purchases to him!”

the lame beggar.

and suiting his action to his words, off[75] darted the boy, and astonished a ragged old man on crutches, by bestowing upon him at once all his cakes and his nuts!

dear young readers! if any of you have been tempted to disobey your master’s commandment, by buying on the day which the lord hath set apart for himself, oh, consider it not as a trifling transgression.

resolve with prayer henceforth never to break the smallest twig from the sabbath-tree, but to feed on its sacred fruits with faith, and hope, and love. be assured, then, dear children, that they will become sweeter and sweeter to your taste, and prepare you for the enjoyment of that tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of god.