,,history    ,,of    ,,orrin ,,pierce4  
,illustration      ,,written ,,for ,,the
 ,,american ,,sunday-,,school ,,union1  
,,and    ,,revised ,,by ,,the           
,,committee ,,of ,,publication4         
,philadelphia3    ,,american            
,,sunday-,,school ,,union1    ,,no4 #adf
 ,,chestnut ,,street4      ,entered     
according to act of ,congress1 in the   
year #ahdg1 by ,,the  ,,american        
,,sunday-,,school ,,union1 in the       
,clerk's ,office of the  ,district      
,court of the ,eastern ,district of     
,pennsylvania4          ,,orrin         
,,pierce4          ,illustration    ,the
 cottage where ,orrin ,pierce was born  
stood by the side of a clear  bright    
stream not far from the sea-shore4 ,this
 cottage had a thatched  roof1 and was  
surrounded by a plain fence4    ,orrin's
 mother was very fond of flowers1 and   
the little yard in front  of the cottage
 was filled with many beautiful plants  
and shrubs2 some  of them were trained  
up about the upper window and around the

 door4 ,a  marten's house stood on a    
post one side of the cottage1 where     
three  twittering birds built their     
nests in safety4    ,everybody that     
passed ,mrs4 ,pierce's house1 looked at 
it with pleasure1  and some even stopped
 to admire its neatness and comfortable 
appearance4    ,illustration            
,illustration3 ,noah4    ,mrs4 ,pierce  
was an excellent woman2 she feared ,god 
and instructed her  little son out of   
the ,scriptures4 ,before he was old     
enough to read1  she used to read to him
 about the creation of the world2 and   
before he  was four years old1 he could 
tell a great deal of ,scripture history4
  ,he knew about the temptation and fall
 of man2 the story of ,noah2 the        
deluge2 the history of ,joseph2 the     
account of the ,israelites in ,egypt2   
the plagues sent upon ,pharaoh2 the     
departure of the children of ,israel    
out of ,egypt2 their journey through the
 wilderness1 and their entrance  into   
the promised land4 ,he also could relate

 the story of ,daniel2 of  ,israel1 and 
many other accounts from the ,bible4    
,those who do not read the ,bible are   
ignorant of some of the most            
interesting and important parts of the  
world's history4    ,illustration       
,illustration    ,sometimes ,mrs4       
,pierce would walk out with little      
,orrin1 and she always  used to talk    
with him1 so as to improve his mind4    
,she would make him  observe the works  
of ,god1 and tell him of the wonders of 
,creation4  ,orrin was very fond of     
going to the sea-shore1 and when he had 
been  a good boy his mother would go    
there with him4 ,he always took with    
him a basket to put his shells in1 for  
there were many shells on the  beach4   
,his little dog1 ,dash1 always went with
 him1 and when ,orrin threw  a stick    
into the water1 ,dash would plunge in1  
and swim after it1 and  bring it to his 
little master4    ,illustration         
,illustration    ,often during the      
summer1 when the evenings were mild and 

pleasant1 she  would walk in the fields 
with ,orrin1 and they would sit down to 
enjoy  the beauty of the scene4 ,the    
calm1 full moon1 shining above them1    
shed  a soft light on all around4       
,sometimes a cloud would pass over it   
and  hide for a moment its brightness1  
and they would watch for it as the      
cloud moved on1 and it would suddenly   
burst upon their sight2 on such         
occasions1 ,orrin used to repeat some   
passages of ,scripture to his  mother1  
giving thanks to ,god1 who made the moon
 and stars to shine by  night4          
,illustration    ,illustration    ,orrin
 loved very much to see the different   
animals1 that are for the  use of man4  
,he liked horses and cows and dogs very 
much1 but best of  all he liked the     
sheep and lambs4 ,there was a field not 
far from his  mother's cottage where a  
flock of sheep were often kept4 ,he used
 to  watch the shepherd taking care of  
the sheep1 and when he noticed how      
readily they followed him1 he thought of

 the words of ,christ1 ,my sheep  hear  
my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they    
follow me4 ,he also remembered  that    
this harmless animal was employed as a  
type of ,christ1 who is  called the     
,lamb of ,god1 who taketh away the sin  
of the world4    ,illustration          
,illustration    ,mrs4 ,pierce gave her 
little son a place for a garden1 which  
the  gardener used to dig up for him4   
,she gave him different seeds of plants 
and flowers4 ,she bought him a shovel1 a
 rake and a hoe1 of a suitable  size for
 a little boy4 ,here he used to amuse   
himself for hours4 ,he had  one tree in 
his garden which would not thrive1      
though he had bestowed  much labour upon
 it1 but finally he determined to remove
 it4 ,indeed the  branches were many of 
them dead4 ,he told his mother he was   
reminded of  the passage in ,luke xiii4 
#f1 #i1 for he had waited long for      
fruit1 but  found none1 and he was going
 to remove the worthless tree4          
,illustration    ,illustration    ,on a 

pleasant afternoon1 it was very         
delightful to walk in ,mrs4  ,pierce's  
garden4 ,orrin's garden spot was as neat
 and in quite as good  order as his     
mother's4 ,the roses were so fragrant1  
and the various  colours of the numerous
 flowers so pleasing to the eye1 that   
all  admired who beheld them4 ,the      
butterflies roamed from flower to flower
  undisturbed3 the humming-birds and    
bees took their portion of the  sweets1 
and pretty singing birds fluttered among
 the branches4 ,mrs4  ,pierce used often
 to point to the beautiful lilies1 and  
say to ,orrin1  ,consider the lilies1   
how they grow1 and remember the         
instruction they  give4    ,illustration
    ,illustration    ,you may be sure   
,orrin was early taught to pray2 and    
that he was careful  never to forget or 
neglect this duty4 ,he did not wait till
 after he  was in bed1 either1 but      
kneeled down before he became sleepy1 so
 that  he might pray with the           
understanding4 ,he used to pray for a   

new heart1  so that he might love       
holiness and hate sin4 ,he also prayed  
for the  forgiveness of his sins4       
,sometimes he prayed when he was in the 
field  or on his way to school1 when he 
thought he should not be observed4  ,he 
thanked ,god for all his mercies1 but   
more than all for the gift of  the      
,saviour2 and when quite young1 he could
 repeat many very pleasing  verses about
 the love of ,christ for this sinful    
world4    ,illustration    ,illustration
    ,one day when ,orrin was on his way 
to the ,sabbath-school1 he met a boy    
going across a field with a kite in his 
hand4 ,he did not know the boy1  but he 
knew he was about to commit sin1 so he  
asked him if he would  not leave his    
kite and go to the ,sabbath-school4 ,he 
opened his book  and showed him where   
the lesson was1 and told him that he    
would be  much happier in learning to   
keep ,god's commandments1 than all his  
kite-flying could make him4 ,the boy    
thought so too1 and was willing to  take

 advice1 so he hid his kite behind the  
fence1 and went with ,orrin4  ,we should
 try to do good to all as we have       
opportunity4    ,illustration           
,illustration    ,the next day he met   
the same boy flying his kite4 ,he       
stopped as ,orrin  approached him1 and  
said1 ,i thought yesterday when you     
asked me to go  to the ,sabbath-school  
that it was a pity to give up flying my 
kite1  because there was such a good    
wind1 but to-day the wind is just as    
good1 and ,i have had a fine time with  
my kite4 ,so he lost no pleasure1  but  
gained much good4 ,orrin stayed a while 
and played with this boy1  and told him 
he hoped to see him again at            
,sunday-school2 and so he did1  for he  
continued to attend regularly from that 
time4    ,illustration    ,illustration 
,orrin's mother was almost sorry when he
 was too old to be kept at  home under  
her instruction4 ,she felt afraid that  
when he began to  be more from her      
watchful care he might become more like 

those boys  whose company she had always
 directed him to avoid4 ,he was very    
fond  of study2 and his teacher soon    
noticed him as a boy who would be an    
example to the school4 ,he was always in
 his place when the bell rang  for nine 
o'clock1 and his lessons were well      
learned4 ,his mother was  much pleased  
with the accounts she received from his 
teacher1 of his  good conduct4          
,illustration    ,illustration    ,when 
,orrin was about fourteen years old1 he 
met with the greatest  affliction that  
could have been sent upon him4 ,this was
 the death of  his excellent mother4    
,she was sick for a long time1 and had a
 very good  physician1 but ,god did not 
see fit to restore her to health1 and   
she  was quite ready to submit to ,his  
will4 ,her only anxiety was for her     
son1 and even this care she was able to 
commit to the ,lord1 who has  promised  
to be a father to the fatherless4 ,she  
talked much to ,orrin1  and told him    
that she had trained him up thus far1 in

 the way he should  go1 and charged him 
not to depart from it4    ,illustration 
,illustration    ,a great number of     
friends and neighbours followed ,mrs4   
,pierce to the  grave4 ,she was greatly 
beloved by all who knew her1 but none   
could  mourn for her as her poor        
afflicted boy did4 ,when he saw his     
mother  laid in the grave1 he felt as if
 he had not a friend on the earth4      
,true1 he had neither sister nor        
brother4 ,his father died when he was   
an infant1 and now his precious mother  
was taken away4 ,but ,god could  supply 
to him all that he had lost1 and be to  
him more than all earthly  friends1 even
 one who would never leave him nor      
forsake him4    ,illustration           
,illustration    ,day after day1 ,orrin 
went to the graveyard1 to visit the tomb
 of his  beloved parent4 ,he used to    
take with him the ,bible1 which they had
 so  often read together1 and read those
 passages which she delighted in4  ,he  
was much comforted by these words of the

 ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,i am  the       
resurrection and the life4 ,he that     
believeth in me1 though he were  dead   
yet shall he live1 and whosoever liveth 
and believeth in me shall  never die4   
,the hour is coming in the which all    
that are in their graves  shall hear the
 voice of the ,son of ,man1 and shall   
come forth2 the  followers of ,christ to
 enter into heaven1 and his enemies to  
be cast  into hell4    ,illustration    
,illustration    ,after his mother's    
death1 ,orrin went to live with a kind  
uncle1 a  brother of ,mrs4 ,pierce1 who 
lived a great distance off1 so that     
,orrin  went there in a ship4 ,then ,god
 raised up a friend for this orphan-boy4
  ,his uncle had a little daughter much 
younger than ,orrin1 whose name was     
,jane4 ,as he never had a sister1 it was
 very pleasant to have such a  little   
companion as ,jane4 ,his aunt was very  
kind and affectionate to  him1 but no   
one was like his mother4 ,though he was 
very sad for a long  time1 he tried to  

overcome such feelings1 and1 by dutiful 
conduct1 to  show his kind uncle and    
aunt that he was grateful to them4      
,illustration    ,illustration    ,jane 
had not received as much instruction as 
,orrin had1 and he was very  happy to   
tell her some of the things he had heard
 from his mother4 ,one  day1 he and     
,jane were walking in the garden1 and   
they stopped by the  bee-hives to watch 
the bees go out to gather their stores1 
and return  laden with sweets4    ,orrin
 told ,jane many curious facts about    
bees1 which instructed her  very much4  
,he told her that they were always busy1
 and would not  allow an idler to live  
in the hive4 ,orrin and ,jane also      
attended  ,sunday-school together4      
,illustration    ,illustration    ,jane 
used to walk and play in her father's   
garden1 but she did not  have one of her
 own4 ,her father used to tell her she  
might look at the  flowers1 but that she
 must not pick them1 as she would injure
 them4 ,but  when ,orrin came he gave   

,jane a garden by herself in which her  
cousin  worked1 and they both kept it in
 order1 and it was a great pleasure  to 
her to pick flowers whenever she liked4 
,she used often to gather a  pretty     
nosegay for her mother4 ,orrin used to  
say when he looked at her  flowers1 why 
even ,solomon in all his glory was not  
arrayed like one of  these4             
,illustration    ,illustration    ,many 
boys who have been taught by pious      
mothers to pray to ,god in  childhood1  
when they become older forsake the law  
of their mother4 ,they  begin to think  
it is well enough for children1 but not 
needful for men2  but this was not the  
case with ,orrin4 ,he remembered what   
,solomon says  of a mother's counsel3   
,when thou goest it shall lead thee2    
when thou  sleepest it shall keep thee2 
and when thou wakest it shall talk to   
thee4 ,orrin read his ,bible daily1 and 
continued to pray to the ,god of  his   
mother1 and he kept in mind her         
instructions and always tried to  act as

 he supposed his mother would wish4     
,illustration    ,illustration    ,from 
the time he was old enough to behave    
properly1 ,orrin went to                
,sunday-school4 ,he was in a room where 
only the little scholars  attended1 and 
they were taught by a very kind lady4   
,she taught them  from ,scripture-cards1
 and they could say and sing many       
beautiful little  hymns4 ,he could also 
answer all the questions in a simple    
catechism4  ,when he could read well1 he
 went into the larger school1 and was   
put  into a class with some boys larger 
than himself4 ,some of them did not     
behave as well as ,orrin did4           
,illustration    ,illustration          
,orrin's mother loved to see her little 
boy play at proper times4 ,she  did not 
always require him to be studying1 or   
reading books4 ,when he  went to play   
she was careful that his mates should be
 good boys who did  not take the name of
 ,god in vain1 or use coarse and vulgar 
language1  or quarrel and fight4 ,she   

told him always to treat his mates      
kindly1  to be just and fair in his     
sports1 and at all times to do unto     
others  as he would wish others to do   
unto him4 ,she reminded him that even a 
child is known by his ways1 and that    
cheating play never prospers4           
,illustration    ,illustration          
,wherever there is a library of useful  
books1 a young person can gain  a store 
of knowledge4 ,orrin was very fond of   
reading1 and his uncle  gave him the    
liberty of reading in his study1        
whenever he wished to do  so4 ,there    
,orrin spent many hours1 gaining useful 
knowledge2 and as he  had a very good   
memory1 he found1 many years after1 much
 use for the  instruction he received in
 this way4 ,solomon says1 ,get wisdom1  
get  understanding1 take fast hold of   
instruction1 let her not go1 keep her1  
for she is thy life4    ,illustration   
,illustration    ,those who have read   
the history of this good boy1 will like 
to hear  something of him as a man4 ,he 

became not only a respectable1 but a    
useful and pious man4 ,he was a kind    
friend2 he warned and reproved  those he
 found doing wrong4 ,when a man1 he was 
as fearless in  reproving sin as he was 
when a boy4 ,if he saw a young man      
profaning the  ,sabbath day1 he kindly  
warned him of his evil way and would    
invite him  to go with him to the house 
of ,god4 ,his example was1 also1 a      
silent  teacher of all4    ,illustration
    ,illustration    ,you will not be   
surprised to hear that ,orrin became a  
,sunday-school  teacher1 nor that he    
knew how to teach in a way to profit his
 scholars4  ,they all loved him very    
much1 and never were absent from school 
unless  they were sick4 ,here he is1    
just returning from ,sunday-school4 ,two
 of  his scholars are with him2 they    
have their library-books in their       
hands4 ,how orderly they walk by his    
side1 talking with him about the        
lesson4 ,it is a great blessing to have 
such a teacher4    ,illustration        

,illustration    ,this picture may      
remind us of ,orrin1 for we may think of
 him as  walking by the water-side with 
a friend4 ,perhaps he is speaking of the
  occupation of ,christ's disciples1    
when he called them to preach the       
gospel4 ,they left their ships and      
followed him4 ,he is pointing to  the   
church amid the trees1 and says ,i too  
would preach the gospel4  ,no doubt he  
would make a useful minister of the     
gospel1 for from his  youth he has known
 the ,scriptures1 which are able to make
 him wise unto  salvation4 ,he may be   
thinking of ,christ's words1 ,go ye unto
 all the  world1 and preach the gospel  
to every creature4    ,illustration     
,illustration    ,after much thought    
upon the subject1 and having taken the  
advice of  friends1 ,orrin determined to
 be a missionary4 ,he went to bid       
farewell  to the scenes of his          
childhood4 ,he visited the cottage where
 he was  born4 ,he stood by the         
sea-side1 where he had gathered shells1 

and  listened to his mother's           
instructions2 he walked in the fields   
where  he had seen the lambs4 ,and as he
 stood thinking over his days of        
childhood tears fell from his eyes1 but 
they were tears of gratitude to  ,god1  
for having given him a mother who taught
 him to love the service  of ,god4      
,illustration    ,illustration    ,he at
 length goes to make known the way of   
salvation to those who  never heard of a
 ,saviour2 to poor ignorant pagans1 who 
worship idols1  the work of their own   
hands4 ,many1 like him1 have gone to    
tell the  perishing heathen of ,jesus1  
who is the way1 the truth1 and the life4
  ,may all such reap a rich reward1 and 
turn many to righteousness4 ,may  ,god  
incline the heathen to cast away their  
senseless idols1 which have  eyes that  
see not1 and ears that hear not1 and    
enter upon the service  of ,him who is  
worthy of all their love4               
,illustration