118 BATTLES OF THE BIBLE.

should love it too; and he knew that we could not love
it better than any other day if we did not spend it bet-
ter than any other day. He took Johnnie into his own
room, and spoke to him very seriously, and often after-
wards Johnnie said that he never thought what a Sab-
bath day was till then ; but the words he heard then
had taught him something of the love grandfather had
for it himself.

While this conversation was going on, George and I
prepared grandfather’s seat on the green, and there we
seated ourselves, and waited tillhe came. When grand-
father was seated in his chair, and Johnnie on the grass
beside us, we heard the story that we had been pro-
mised for that evening.

Grandfather. In the days when the Midtanites op-
pressed the children of Israel, we are told that an angel
of the Lord came and sat under an oak which belonged
to Joash, who was of the family of Abiezer, and the tribe
of Manasseh, that half of the tribe which was settled
west of the Jordan. This oak was ina retired spot, and
near it Gideon, the son of Joash, was thrashing his
wheat. In ordinary times that was not the place he
would have chosen to thrash in, but he was glad to do
that work in any out of the way corner, that the Midian-
ites might be less likely to see him at it; for he was
sure if they did see him, that they would steal his grain.
He was busy at his work when the angel of the Lord
appeared to him. This teaches us that if we would have
blessings from Heaven to descend upon us, we must be