INTRODUCTION.-The book of Genesis was written by Moses, about two thousand year after the beginning of our time. He would not have written it, had not God directed him. Its name means the Beginning the Generation. It contains a history of the creation of the world; of its earliest inhabitants; of the original state of man, and his fall; of the first religions; of the commencement of the sciences and the arts; of the corruption of the human race; of the flood; of the repeopling of the earth; of the rise of nations and kingdoms; and of the Patriarchs, from Adam to Joseph's death. It covers a period of about 2,369 years, and is the oldest history we have. It is so simple, consistent, and impartial in its narratives, that the best men take it as a correct and truthful account of the first things.

COMMENTS.-The Mosaic account of the creation of the world is remarkable for its grand simplicity of language. The child and the philosopher can both read it with interest. After reading the heavy, tiresome volumes of ancient and modern world-makers, they gladly turn to this man of God for rest. Let us so study this old, but true story,

then.

VERSE 1.-GOD-His Name signifies THE GOOD BEING. In the beginning. This marks the commencement of time; but we do not know how long ago it was. The heavens and the earth.By this phrase is meant the whole natural world-the universe. Created This world did not always exist; but it had a beginning-no matter when; and that beginning was in God its Creator. He called it into being. We may, of course, not ask how He created all things. Could we understand that, then we might ourselves make a world. We know, however, that all was done by the word of Jehovah, (Psalm xxxiii. 9; Heb. xi. 3.). We are also informed in the New Testament, that God created the world by His Son Jesus Christ, (Eph. iii. 9; John i. 3; Rev. xix. 13.

Now think, whether it is possible for any one to tell so great a fact in fewer or plainer words. Many learned and pious writers contended that this single verse is a section by itself; and that a long, very long period elapsed, before

the arrangement took place which is so minutely described in the other part of this chapter. They teach that the material out of which the universe was formed was created at once; but that ages and ages went by, before the ordering and framing of the world occurred out of chaos. How long a time intervened between the calling of matter into being, and the preparation of it for life, Moses does not say.

VERSE 2-Without form and void. This means, without shape, and empty of living things. It would hardly be necessary to tell us of the earth's waste and desolate condition, if no interval had occurred between the Creator's original creation, and the subsequent ordering of it. But if such a period had intervened, it is natural that such a description should precede the history of its later adorning, with light, life and beauty. It was Chaos-or a reign of disorder and confusion. Water and vapor surrounded and pervaded the globe. Neither do we know how long this period of chaos continued, before light was extracted. It may have been a great while.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. This may have been the wind, fire, or air, which were God's agents. Moved can be taken in the sense of brooding—as a hen fosters her young. God was at work, by His mighty operations, during this period, preparing and ripening every part of the earth, for such results as were to come forth successively, as are afterwards mentioned. This embryo-world was in a state of fermentation and digestion, we may say.

VERSE 3.-Let there be light. This was the first result of order-God's first creature, indeed. We may conceive of it as warmth, heat, or primitive light—as the Sun is not yet mentioned. Doubtless, the sun, moon and stars, were also in process of formation already now, though they were only brought in right relation to the earth on the fourth day. This early light, then, we may suppose to have been only a twilight, contending with the surrounding darkness. We are told-and there was light; but not that there was a fulness of it.

VERSE 4.-God saw the light that it was good. It was a mirror, or symbol

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26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and God saw that it was so.

27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the

air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it

was so.

31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Do Reve

What creature was created last? lation, or the Bible, and Science, or human learning, agree on this point? They do. How long ago was man created? About 6000 years. Is there any other record that tells us as clearly of our origin? No. Where may we read of the creation of our first parents? In Genesis, Chapters one and two. Of what two parts is man constituted, according to Chaps. two and seven? Of body and soul. Whence is his body formed? Whence is the soul?

VERSE 26. Does God speak when man was to be created, as He did in creating the lower orders? Compare His saying here with the language in verses 1, 21; 7, 16, 25; 3, 6, 9, 11, 14. Whom do you understand by Us? Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Does this language imply counsel and development in the Godhead? Yes. What do you understand by image of God? God is a Spirit, and man's inward nature was made after Him. To what does likeness refer? To his form, which was patterned after Jesus Christ. What was to be given to man? Dominion over the world. Why does Moses speak of "them" when Adam only mentioned? He refers to the first human pair. In what did ⚫ this dominion consist? 1. In his lordship over the lower creatures-verses 26-30; 2. He names them, which implies Knowledge and Language,

(Chapt. ii. 19-20). 3. In intercourse with his Maker, (Chap. ii. 15-17, and Chap. iii. 8-9). What kind of a being do you suppose Adam in Paradise to have been? A perfect man.

27. Was all now done as God had planned? 28. What did God's blessing do? It installed man in his position and office.

29-30. What kind of food was allotted to man in Eden? Was the same meat assigned to the other creatures in the Garden? Does this spot seem to be exempt from violent death, then? Did not animals prey upon each other elsewhere, and before man was created? Moses seems to speak only of Adam's dwelling-place. See Chapt. ii. 8-15.

31. How did the Jews speak of the Evening! As embracing the entire Night. How of the Morning As extending over the whole Day. What do both constitute, then? A whole day of 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds. How was everything very good? The work of creation glorified God.

What does this Lesson impress upon us? Our high origin. Are we not fallen beings? We have a Saviour, too. Will the thought of our high origin, likely help us to attain to it again through Jesus Christ? It will. Whom did this thought help to return home? The Prodigal Son.

62. But why cannot our good works be the whole or part of our righteousness before God?

Because that the righteousness which can be approved of before the tribunal of God, must be absolutely perfect, and in all respects conformable to the divine law; and, also, that our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin.

63. What! do not our good works merit,

which yet God will reward in this and a future life?

This reward is not of merit, but of grace. 64. But doth not this doctrine make men careless and profane?

By no means; for it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by a true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thanksfulness.

from the earth, for meat. Before sin entered the world, it is a question whether there were any violent deaths in the Garden of Eden. We are not to suppose that plants and animals lived always, long even, before man was created; neither are we told of the state of the world outside of Eden, or that death did not reign there. Likely animals devoured each other, duing the foregoing ages, and all around the garden-spot which God had prepared for man This Eden was for him the world. There death did not reign, except in so far as the will of the Creator permitted it to embrace the vegetable kingdom. See chapter 2, 8-15. VERSE 32. God had so created and arranged all things that He was glorified in all, by all and through all. Evening-Morning. The Jews extended the term Evening over the entire night, and the term Morning over the whole day. The two constituted one day-twentythree hours, fifty-six minutes and four seconds, we calculate.

PRACTICAL THOUGHT. Let us remember our high origin, and the pattern after which we were formed, True, we are fallen; but we have a Saviour, too. God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He that forgets not whence he is, will not soon forget whither he ought to be going. The Prodigal son first forgot his father before he wandered not knowing whither. But as soon as he recalled his father's house he hastened homeward. The Gott-loss man is the lost man, in life and death.

What a Boy Did.

About two hundred and sixty years ago, a poor lad of seventeen was seen traveling on foot in the south of England. He carried over his shoulder, at the end of a stick, all the clothing he had in the world, and had in his pocket an old purse with a few pieces of money given him by his mother, when with a throbbing, prayerful heart, she took her leave of him on the road, a short distance from their own cottage.

And who was John? for that was his He was the son of poor but honest and pious people, and had six

name.

brothers and five sisters, all of whom had to labor hard for a living. He was a goodly lad, and at fourteen was disappointed in getting a place as parish clerk, and with his parents' consent set out to get employment.

At the city of Exeter, where he first went, he met with no success; but as he looked on the beautiful cathedral, and in the bookseller's window, a strong desire sprang up in his mind to become a scholar, and at once he set out for the University of Oxford, some two hundred miles off, walking the whole way. night he sometimes slept in barns, or on the sheltered side of a hay-stack, and often met with strange companions. He lived chiefly on bread and water, with occasionally a draught of milk as a luxury.

At

Arrived at the splendid city of Oxford, his clothing nearly worn out and very dusty, his feet sore, and his spirits depressed, he knew not what to do.

He had heard of Exeter College in Oxford, and there he went, and to his great delight was engaged to carry fuel into the kitchen, to clean pans and kettles, and that kind of work.

Here, while scouring his pans, he might often be seen reading a book.

His studious habits soon attracted the attention of the authorities, who admitted him into the college as a poor scholar, providing for all his wants.

He studied hard and was soon at the head of his class. He rose to great eminence as a scholar, was very success. ful as a minister of Christ, and many years before his death, which took place when he was seventy-two, he visited his father and mother, who were glad to see their son not only a great scholar, but a pious bishop. Such was the history of Dr. John Prideaux.-Selected.