,collections1 ,university ,libraries1   
,ball ,state ,university and the ,online
 ,distributed ,proofreading ,team at    
http3_/_/www4pgdp4net                   
,illustration3 ,book ,cover    ,no4 #dce
     ,,iv4 ,,series4    ,,the ,,broken  
,,bough4    ,revised by the ,committee  
of ,publication of the ,american        
,sunday-school ,union4    ,,american    
,,sunday-,,school ,,union4              
,,philadelphia3   #adf ,chestnut        
,street4       ,,the   ,,broken ,,bough4
    ,revised by the ,committee of       
,publication1 of the ,american ,sunday  
school ,union4    ,,philadelphia3       
,,american ,,sunday-,,school ,,union1   
,no4 #adf ,chestnut ,street4     ,,the  
,,broken ,,bough4  ,illustration   ,what
 a beautiful afternoon it is6 said      
little ,charles to his brother on a fine
 ,sunday in the month of ,may1 as they  
both rose from their seat in the class  
to return home4 ,it is1 indeed1 replied 
,john1 as he peeped through the old     
casement window of the school1 and saw  

the pretty lambs feeding in the broad   
green meadow in the distance2 it is1    
indeed1 and a fine walk we shall have in
 the orchard1 too4  ,now1 little        
,charles loved his school and his       
teacher also2 but the thought of going  
home had its own peculiar charms1 for he
 loved his dear father and mother1 and  
his little sister ,jane3 and now he     
thought1 ,i shall soon be home1 and tell
 them all that my teacher has told me4  
,indeed1 the children in the class had  
spent a very happy day2 for ,mr4        
,fulton1 their teacher1 was so kind1 and
 took such pains to make the lessons    
plain1 that all his scholars loved his  
company2 some of them even said that    
they had never seen the beauties that   
were in the ,bible until he taught them4
  ,they had been repeating that         
afternoon those verses in the #aeth     
chapter of ,john's gospel1 in which the 
,saviour compares himself to a vine1 and
 his disciples to the branches4 ,as the 
orchards were all in full blossom1 ,mr4 

,fulton reminded his scholars of the    
beautiful change which had taken place  
in the appearance of the trees within   
the last few weeks4 ,he said1 that      
though their growth and beauty arose    
partly from the vegetable life which    
,god had given them1 and partly from the
 sun's warm rays1 and gentle dews and   
showers1 yet that both their life and   
growth must be attributed to ,god4      
,when they had done reading ,mr4 ,fulton
 said1 ,you see1 my dear children1 that 
the vine is intended to represent the   
,redeemer1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2    
through whom spiritual life is conveyed 
to his people1 who are as the branches  
in the vine4 ,let me impress this truth 
upon your minds1 that they who are made 
partakers of this life1 are as much     
dependent on ,christ to maintain its    
existence1 as the branch is dependent on
 the vine for continued nourishment and 
support4  ,it is delightful to a teacher
 to find that his scholars are          
attentive2 and ,mr4 ,fulton was much    

pleased by a remark from ,john1 who     
said1 ,i think1 sir1 the trees seem to  
explain the observation which you made  
this afternoon1 that all the followers  
of ,christ love to follow his example1  
and may be known by their fruit or      
conduct2 for1 sir1 ,i see that all the  
branches of a tree bear the same kind of
 blossoms1 and those of each sort of    
tree differ from all others4 ,that is   
quite true1 said ,mr4 ,fulton3 ,i am    
glad you notice these things2 for they  
are both pleasing and instructive4 ,but 
there is another lesson which may be    
gathered from the trees1 and it is this1
 that although the branches differ much 
in size and strength1 and therefore very
 much in the number of the blossoms seen
 upon them1 yet the smallest will go on 
increasing until it may1 in time1 become
 very large4 ,thus you1 though now so   
young1 and like the tender twigs upon   
the trees1 with here and there a        
blossom1 will1 ,i trust1 as years roll  
on1 grow up both strong and fruitful in 

the ways of ,god4  ,their teacher was   
about to say something more on the same 
subject1 but the school-bell rang to    
prepare for an address3 the children    
then put by their ,bibles1 and stood up 
to sing that pretty hymn3      ,how     
sweet the precious ,saviour's words4    
,what solid joy this truth affords      
,to those who early pray2     ,they     
shall the heavenly boon obtain1     ,and
 ,jesus and his favour gain1       ,who 
walk in wisdom's way4  ,after the       
address1 they sang another hymn1 and    
then the school was closed with prayer4 
,it was at this time that little        
,charles and ,john began the            
conversation ,i have mentioned1 about   
their walk in the orchard on their way  
home2 and as ,mr4 ,fulton overheard     
them1 and had been interrupted in his   
remarks by the ringing of the           
school-bell1 he thus addressed them3 ,my
 dear boys1 as ,i am going up the green 
lane towards your father's house1 we    
will all walk through the orchard       

together2 and perhaps ,i may there find 
something to supply a better explanation
 of this day's lesson1 than ,i have yet 
given you4  ,the little boys were both  
much pleased with ,mr4 ,fulton's offer1 
and wishing their school-fellows        
good-by1 set off with him towards their 
home4  ,as they walked through the      
meadows1 and saw the young lambs feeding
 with their flocks1 and noticed their   
shepherd who watched them1 ,mr4 ,fulton 
called their attention to the language  
of ,king ,david in ,ps4 xxiii41 where he
 speaks with such confidence in the     
,divine protection and care1 and says1  
,the ,lord is my ,shepherd2 ,i shall not
 want4 ,now1 as both ,john and ,charles 
seemed to be much pleased when their    
teacher referred them to this very      
beautiful psalm1 he proceeded to say1   
,you see1 my dear boys1 that every one  
of the sheep in the flock is equally the
 object of the shepherd's care2 and     
there is not a lamb1 however young or   
weakly1 but he is anxious for its       

safety4 ,just so1 the ,lord is the      
,shepherd and ,keeper of his people2 for
 it is said of him1 ',he shall feed his 
flock like a shepherd3 he shall gather  
the lambs with his arm1 and carry them  
in his bosom1' 7,isa4 xl4 #aa27 and if  
you are his disciples1 he will protect  
you as the lambs of his flock4  ,here   
,charles1 who had seen some of the lambs
 pass through an opening in the hedge1  
and wander from the fold unseen by the  
shepherd1 said to his teacher1 ,but the 
lambs of ,christ's flock must be more   
secure than these1 sir2 for this        
shepherd cannot see all his flock at    
once1 although he may wish to do so3 but
 you told us1 last ,sunday1 that those  
who love the ,saviour1 however young or 
poor1 are each as much the object of his
 care1 as if there were no others in the
 world4 ,i am very glad to find you     
remember that remark1 said his teacher2 
for1 as you grow up in life1 you may    
find it a comfort to think1 with        
,jacob1',he knoweth the way that ,i     

take2' and to adopt the language of     
,david as your own1',i have gone astray 
like a lost sheep2 seek thy servant3 for
 ,i do not forget thy commandments4'    
,ps4 cxix4 #agf4  ,by this time they had
 again entered the green lane1 from     
which they had departed to pursue the   
path across the meadow2 and having gone 
over the stile by the village church1   
they entered the orchard through which  
,charles and ,john had expected such a  
pleasant walk4  ,i do not wonder at     
their wishing to go home that way1 for  
the trees were all so full of beautiful 
pink and white blossoms1 and the birds  
sang so sweetly as they hopped from twig
 to twig1 or fluttered on the branches1 
that you could not have been there      
without rejoicing with them4  ,it was   
not long before ,mr4 ,fulton invited the
 attention of his scholars to a little  
apple tree1 on every twig of which were 
buds and blossoms4 ,the two little boys1
 on seeing it1 cried out together1 ,o1  
what a beautiful tree6 to which their   

teacher replied by saying1 ,and ,i hope 
you will be like it4 ,this remark       
surprised them both1 especially little  
,charles1 who looked at his teacher as  
if he would inquire1 ,how can ,i be like
 this tree8 ,he was not kept long       
waiting1 however1 for ,mr4 ,fulton1     
observing his astonishment1 explained   
himself by saying1 ,i wish that1 as this
 little tree has so early put forth     
blossoms1 so you both1 my dear boys1 may
 begin1 while young1 to show that you   
are ,his1 who said1 ',i love them that  
love me1 and those who seek me early    
shall find me4' ,prov4 viii4 #ag4  ,as  
they walked onward1 the grass beneath   
the trees was strewed in some places    
with blossoms1 which the recent         
thunder-storm had broken off2 and whilst
 the little boys stooped to pick up some
 of them1 exclaiming1 ,what a pity6 what
 a pity6 their teacher availed himself  
of that opportunity1 also1 to teach them
 a lesson4 ,it is a pity1 said he2 for  
each of them might have become a fine   

rosy apple2 but they will not have      
fallen off in vain1 if we learn this    
truth from the circumstance1 that death 
sometimes calls away those who have     
scarcely yet begun to live to ,god4 ,but
 it is cheering to see a young tree     
promising to be fruitful2 and it is much
 more pleasing to see young persons     
likely to bear the fruits of wisdom and 
goodness4  ,i remember1 sir1 said ,john1
 that last year our pear tree was full  
of blossoms2 but father said the blight 
had killed them4 ,yes1 my dear boy1 said
 ,mr4 ,fulton1 storms1 and tempests1 and
 blights also frequently disappoint our 
fondest expectations3 so also there are 
moral blights1 as ,i have sometimes told
 you in the class at school4 ,you both  
remember poor ,george ,king1 the orphan 
boy2 how well he said his lessons1 and  
how serious and attentive he was2 but   
when his pious mother died1 he fell into
 bad company1 and is now a sad evidence 
that those who associate with the wicked
 have turned their backs upon the ways  

of ,god4 ,o1 then1 flee from bad people1
 bad books1 and bad scenes1 as from that
 which will blight the best interests of
 your souls4  ,their teacher had never  
had such a happy opportunity of         
conversing with them until now1 and as  
they both seemed to look upon the trees 
around them as so many objects from     
which instruction might be gathered1 he 
proceeded to point out a circumstance   
which had before escaped their notice2  
it was this1 that where the branches had
 been sheltered from the passing        
tempest1 there all the blossoms were    
unhurt4 ,now1 said ,mr4 ,fulton to his  
young companions1 while thinking of our 
,saviour's language in this day's       
lesson1 ',i am the ,vine1 ye are the    
branches1' we may learn not only that   
the life of our souls must be drawn from
 him1 but that if we bring any fruit to 
perfection1 it is the result of his most
 gracious and protecting care4          
,illustration  ,at this moment1 ,mr4    
,fulton's attention was drawn to one of 

the largest trees in the orchard1 which 
seemed to surpass all the others in the 
beauty and abundance of its blossoms2   
but the boisterous winds had broken off 
a fine bough1 one end of which lay      
spread upon the grass1 whilst the other 
continued hanging by a long strip of    
bark which it had torn away in falling4 
,it must have been some time in this    
situation2 for the tree was not only    
full of blossoms1 but was putting forth 
its green leaves in every direction1    
whilst1 on this poor branch1 there was  
not a trace of either bud or blossom2   
but it hung upon the ground both dry and
 dead4  ,this was too striking an object
 to be passed by without an observation2
 therefore their teacher immediately    
availed himself of it1 to explain that  
part of the chapter which his scholars  
had been learning1 in which the ,saviour
 says ,if a man abide not in me1 he is  
cast forth as a branch1 and is withered4
  ,he felt very anxious also to impress 
upon their minds that true religion does

 not consist in being called a          
,christian1 or in any outward           
distinction2 but that it is a living    
principle in the heart4      ,without   
the fruit the ,lord expects1            
,knowledge will make our state the      
worse2     ,the barren trees he still   
rejects1       ,and soon will blast them
 with his curse4  ,now1 said ,mr4       
,fulton1 you see1 my dear boys1 that the
 broken bough has no life1 because it is
 severed from the tree1 and therefore   
gets no sap or moisture from the root4  
,and as our ,lord remarks1 ',the branch 
cannot bear fruit of itself1 except it  
abide in the vine2' so the broken bough 
has not a bud or blossom1 whilst the    
tree is full of both4 ,you see then that
 there must be life and union1 or there 
can be no fruitfulness2 and as the root 
supplies the living sap to all the      
branches1 so ,jesus is the source of    
life to all his people4 ,it is your     
blessing1 my dear boys1 to have godly   
parents2 but do not think that this will

 prove a substitute for true religion in
 your own souls4 ,see how the bough     
hangs to its parent tree by the strip of
 bark2 it is true1 they are not         
altogether parted2 but1 whilst the tree 
is living1 the broken bough is dead4    
,learn1 then1 that without an interest  
in ,christ and union to him1 you must   
perish4 ,no ,christian relatives can    
save you2 their life is drawn from him1 
but they cannot give that life to you4  
,it is possible you may have thought    
yourselves almost disciples1 because you
 have kept company with those who are   
such2 but this fellowship1 so long as   
you keep your hearts from ,christ1 is   
only like the strip of bark which holds 
the broken bough2 no life flows from it4
 ,let us then1 on parting1 each go home1
 and pray to ,him who 'quickeneth whom  
he will1' 7,john v4 #ba17 to make us    
indeed living branches of the true vine4
  ,illustration     ,a ,,hymn4          
,another fleeting year       ,has fled  
and passed away1     ,since we were     

taught to worship here1       ,on this  
most holy day4      ,years hurry quickly
 by1       ,and we are fading too2      
,and soon the year when we shall die1   
,will come upon our view4      ,if we   
are ready then1       ,for us it will be
 well2     ,removed from this low earth 
of pain1       ,with ,god in heaven to  
dwell4     ,transcriber's ,note     99  
,obvious punctuation errors repaired4