“OUR Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
As soon as you learn to read, let your prayers be accompanied by the reading daily of at least a few verses out of the Bible. Take great pains also to teach your children to pray. There are a great many pretty little prayers they can learn, and some of them are in verse. I will give two of these, though I dare say some of you know them already.
PRAYER FOR A LITTLE CHILD ON GOING TO BED.
“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take;
And this I beg for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”
“Now I awake, and see the light;
’Tis God who kept me through the night.
To him I lift my voice, and pray
That he would keep me through the day.
If I should die before ’tis done,
O God, accept me through thy Son. Amen.”
Teach your children to fear God and to keep his commandments. Train them up for him. Remember they are given to you to be brought up for some good and useful end. Let them have every advantage within your reach for their improvement. And above all, set them a good example yourselves, which will have more effect in making them good children than any lessons which you or others may give them.