is meant, that he left off creating. To bless a day, is to make it a day of extraordinary comfort and delight. To sanctify a day, is to set it apart as God's own day, to be employed in a religious manner. By God's blessing and sanctifying the seventh day, immediately after the creation, God made it a Sabbath, that is, a day of holy rest, to the end of the world.

In verse 7, we have a farther account of the formation of Man, which shews that he had both an earthly and a spiritual nature, an earthly body, and a living or immortal soul.

In respect to his earthly nature, man bore relation to the creatures over whom he was to have dominion. In his spiritual nature he bore relation to God. The life that was in his soul-proceeded from the Spirit of God.

Questions---How many days did God employ in creating the world and all things in it? [Ans. Six days.] What did God do on the seventh day? [Ans. God rested.] What is meant by God's resting? [Ans. He left off creating.] What did God do in respect to the day on which he rested? 3. [Ins. God blessed and sanctified it.] What is meant by blessing a day? [Ans. Making it a day of extraordinary comfort and delight.] What is meant by sanctifying a day? Ans. Setting it apart as God's own day, to be used in his service.] What did God make the seventh day, to the end of the world, by blessing and sanctifying it immediately after the creation? [Ans. A Sabbath-day.] What is meant by a Sabbath-day? Ans. A day of holy rest.] Why did God bless the seventh day? [Ans. Because that in it God rested from all his works which he created and made.] Of what did God form the first man? 7. [Ans. Of the dust of the ground.] What did God breathe into him? [Ans. The breath of life.] What did man become when God breathed into him the breath of life? [Ans. A living soul.] Which part of man was made of the dust of the ground? [Ans. His body.] Who did man bear relation to by having an earthly body? [Ans. To other earthly crea tures.] To whom did man bear relation by having a living soul? [Ans. To God.] From whom did the life that was in his soul proceed [Ans. The Spirit of God.]

Read Verse 8 to 16.

Explanation. The world is a very large place; the first man could inhabit but a very small part of it, and he would have been at a loss where to fix his habitation without the direction of his Creator. The tree of life is supposed to have been ap

pointed, like the water of baptism, and the bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, as an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, by which man's life was continued; and as a pledge or token that he should live while he kept God's commandment. The tree of knowledge was designed to try his obedience. The exact place where Eden was is not at present known; but the account here given of the four rivers which flowed from the River of Eden shews that this earthly Paradise was in the eastern part of the world.

God knew that it was not good for man to be idle, therefore he appointed him work for the employment of six days out of seven.

Questions. Where did God place the first man after he had created him? 8. [Ans. In the garden of Eden.] Don't you think Eden must have been a most delightful, comfortable place? [Ans. Yes.] Did not God shew great kindness to Man in providing such a charming abode for him? [Ans. Yes.] What trees grew in the midst of the garden? 9. [Ans. The tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.] What was Man to do in the garden of Eden? 15. [Ans. To dress it, and to keep it.] Had he occasion to dig and plough the ground? Ans. No.] Was not his work very easy? [Ans. Yes.] Where were the first plants and herbs made? 5. [Ans. In the ground.] Did Man water them to make them grow? [Ans. No.] Did not they all grow up before there was a man to till the ground? [Ans. Yes.]

Read verse 16 to 19.

Explanation.-God is the Supreme Governor of all the things he has created, and all creatures should obey him, who have understanding to do it. Obedience consists in doing the will of God. Man, without Divine Revelation, could not know the will of God; but God has made known that mankind must obey his commandments, in order to have everlasting life; and that man may gain this reward, God has given commandments at different times, suiting them always to the condition and circumstances of Mankind at different periods of the world. The commandment given to Adam was suited to Man in a state of innocence, and in the full enjoyment of earthly happiness. God threatened Adam with death if he disobeyed his commandment, because by disobeying it he would commit sin, and death is the proper punishment of sin, because God has made life the reward of righteousness. This

Commandment was given to Adam before Eve was created, but it was not for him only, but all mankind, who should share in the blessings of the Garden of Eden. These two verses contain what is called The Covenant of Works, a Covenant by which God promised to continue the life of Man as long as he kept his obedience; so the life of man, under this Covenant, depended upon his own works.

Questions.---Who is the Supreme Governor of all things? [Ans. God.] What should all his creatures do then? [Ans. Obey him.] What is meant by obeying God? [Ans. Keeping his commandments.] Why did God give commandments? [Ans. That man might gain a reward.] What is the reward of obedience to God's commandments? [Ans. Everlasting life.] Does it not appear, from the commandment given to Adam, that Man was to live as long as he kept God's commandment? [Ans. Yes.] What does man commit when he breaks God's commandments? [Ans. Sin.] What is the punishment of sin? [Ans. Death.] Do those deserve to live who break the commandments of their great Creator? [Ans. No:] What do they deserve? [Ans. Death.]

Read verse 19 to the end.

Explanation. When God had put man into subjection to himself, he put the lower creatures into subjection to him; and having given to the creature who bore his own Divine Image the name of Man, God left man to name the lower creatures. The inferior creatures were not helps meet, or fit companions, for Adam, because none of them had, like him, a reasonable soul, and the gift of speech; Adam's giving names to all creatures shews that he had dominion over them....

The creature who was made from Adam's rib was of the same nature with himself, but of a different sex; Adam therefore called her Woman. Adam understood that the woman was designed to be a wife to him, and that one man should have but one wife; and he received the first woman from God's hand as his wife, promising to be true and faithful to her.

Questions.---Who gave a name to Man? [Ans. God.] Who named the lower creatures? [Ans. Man. Why were none of them fit companions for him? [Ans. They had neither reason nor speech.] Did Adam think the woman, who was made of his own rib, a fit companion for him? [Ans. Yes.] Why did he call her Woman? 23. [Ans. Because she was taken out of Man.] Did Adam take her for his wife? [Ans.

Yes.] Who did Adam say a man should leave in order to keep to his wife? [Ans. His father and mother.]

PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION.

Instruction.-This Lesson should confirm our belief in what the FourthCommandment teaches respecting the Sabbath-day, and should lead mankind to keep the Sabbath-day holy, to the end of the world, because as long as the world lasts mankind will share the blessings of the Creation. We should farther learn from this Lesson, that God does not want the help of man in the culture of the fruits of the earth, for he forms every plant before it grows, and waters it with dews and mists; otherwise the labour of man would be in vain. We should also remark, that Man at first had nothing but what was given.. him; every thing belonged to the Creator of them. Man can have nothing but what is the free gift of God. This should teach us to place our hopes and dependence upon God's power and goodness, and to be thankful to him for his wonderful bounty: We should also observe, that

Man was formed of the dust of the ground; this should. make us humble before God. But God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul; this should make us set a due value upon ourselves as creatures above the brutes, and keep us from doing any thing that will in any way hurt our immortal souls.

It appears from this Lesson that God took Man into Covenant with himself immediately after the Creation, and, whilst that Covenant continued, every human being who was bora under it would have been subject to the law of that Covenant, which was, obey, and live; disobey, and die; we find from Scripture, that none besides Eve came into the world under that Cove-nant; she alone shared with Adam the blessings of Paradise. We should then consider weil what Covenant we ourselves are under, and we shall find that it is the Christian Covenant; the laws of this Covenant then are those to which we are to conform, because on the conditions of this Covenant our everlasting life depends. We should also remember, that every thing we enjoy in this world is the immediate gift of God; we can make nothing grow of itself, it is God who still fashioneth all. the plants and herbs beneath in the earth, -before they reach the surface of the ground; and it is very wonderful to observe.

the curious manner in which every leaf and flower is wrapped ed and folded together when it first springs up.

Questions---How soon did God take Man into Covenant with himself? [Ans. At the Creation.] Did God leave Man to find out his Creator? [Ans. No; he revealed himself.} Did God leave Man to contrive a Religion for himself? [Ans. No.] How did the first man know what he must do in order to have his life continued? [Ans. God gave him a Commandment.] How did he know that death is the punishment of sin? Ans. God told him.] Who was the law respecting the Tree of Knowledge made for? [Ans. All mankind in Paradise.] How many of mankind were in Paradise? [Ans. Only the first pair.] Is not the Creator as much your Lord as he was Adam's? [Ans. Yes.] Is it not your duty to obey him? [Ans. Yes.] Are you taken into Covenant with God? [Ans. Yes.] What Covenant are you under? [Ans. The Christian Covenant.] When were you taken into it? [Ans. At your Baptism.] What depends upon your keeping to the conditions of the Christian Covenan? [Ans. Your everlast ing life.] What can Man have that is not the gift of God ? [Ans. Nothing] Can Man make any thing grow without God's blessing? [Ans. No.] Should not we pray for God's blessing upon the fruits of the earth? [ns. Yes.] How should we be when God grants it? [Ans. Thankful.] Have not mankind dominion over the lower creatures now [Ans. Yes.] Do not they still give names to things? [Ans. Yes.] Can mankind make any thing without having some part of God's works to make it of? [Ans. No.] Do not we de pend upon God for every thing? [Ans. Yes.]

sense.

LESSON III.

Read verse 1 to 9

Explanation---The word subtle signifies sensible and cun ning. Though none of the lower creatures are endued with reason like mankind, many of them have a great deal of We here find that the serpent of Eden was the most sensible of all the brute creatures; however, he had not natu rally the gift of speech, nor was he capable of knowing, any thing of God's commandment concerning the tree of knowledge; yet we find he tempted the woman. This wonderful