V. 1. In the beginning, &c.-This verse, which forms the title of the book of Genesis, as above remarked, is so full of matter for observation, that every word of it demands our distinct attention.

In the beginning, namely, "of the creation which God created." (Mark xiii. 19.) This word carries us back into the vast ocean of eternity; for hither does St. John refer us, when he says, in the opening of his Gospel, "In the beginning was the WORD, (or Logos,) and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God, the same was in the beginning with God." And then it follows, as in the book of Genesis, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." Thus, by comparing the Old and New Testament, we see that they explain and illustrate each other.

Our minds are overwhelmed with the ideas of the grandeur and glory of God. All this universe was made by Him. He did but speak the word and it was done -who can resist the power of God! How wonderfully does one part of scripture explain another. The apostle John tells us, that in the beginning was the word, even our Lord Jesus Christ, who was afterwards made flesh; and that he made all things. In what inexpressible absurdity are all those involved, who do not believe the Bible. Some of these say that the world never had a beginning. Rather than believe in God, they will believe that the world existed from all eternity; thus, "professing themselves to be wise, they become fools." But we may hope it was not so universally with the common people: "For the Most High left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave them rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness." Acts xiv. 17.) We have, indeed, instances of this kind on record. A converted Greenlander informed their missionary, that though they knew nothing of a Saviour before he came, they were not without some idea of a Creator. He himself had reasoned from looking at a canoe, that certainly it could not make itself, much

less a man, who is so much more complicated. And though they could trace one generation back to another, still there must be a first man; that man must have a Maker, and that Maker must be great, and wise, and good; and, "Oh! (thought he) did I but know him, how would I love and honour him!" This appears to agree with what St. Paul says of the heathen "feeling after God, if haply they might find him -who is not far from every one of us;" and will ever be found of them "that seek him with a perfect heart," that is, in sincerity and truth. (Acts xvii. 27. 1 Chron. xxviii. 9.)

2. How wonderfully is the heart of man, compared to the chaos-without order-all confusion-never brought to order, until the Holy Spirit of God acts upon it, and changes it.

3. How beautiful and instructive is St. Paul's allusion to the analogy between the old and new creation. "God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ:" (2 Cor. iv. 6.) wherein we have not only an allusion to the creation of light, but also to the formation of the sun-all the light of the gospel being now concentrated in the face of Jesus Christ, "the Sun of righteousness." (Mal. iv. 2.) The new birth, or change of heart, is called a new creation. In this wonderful process, God in the first place gives light, "enlightening the eyes of the understanding."

5. Darkness is an emblem of death. In the dark and gloomy grave, the bodies of us all must lie till the day of judgment; but this is a matter of little consequence if our souls are enlightened with Divine truth, and united by a living faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every time we behold the morning light we have fresh reason to adore the mercy of God, who has watched over us, and protected us during the night. Oh that the sun of righteousness may rise on our hearts.

6--8. The more we contemplate the history of the

creation, the more do wonders thicken around us. What a wonderful provision for man's enjoyment is made in the firmament, or atmosphere, which supports the clouds and carries them along to pour down their waters where needed. "There is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends (boundaries) of the earth. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them." (Jer. x. 13. Job xxvi. 8.) So also he compasseth the sea with bounds, and sets bars and doors, and saith, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther." (Ps. xxiv. 1, 2. Job xxxviii. 9-11.)

Such is the beautiful and effective manner in which the Creator hath provided against both drought and flood, neither of which can happen but by his special providence. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." (Ps. cvii. 8.)

9-12. We ought never to look at any of the wonders of creation, without thinking of the great and good God, who made them all. We see large seas, lakes, rivers, streams; they all teach the goodness of God, for they are all connected with our prosperity and enjoyment. The apostle says that the goodness of God ought to lead us to repentance.

The blue appearance of the sky, and the green of the earth, are colours most agreeable to the eye-still additional evidences of the goodness of God.

Colours that please and charm the eye,
His pencil spreads all nature round;
With pleasing blue, he arch'd the sky,

And a green carpet dress'd the ground.

Every thing that God made was originally good, very good. What a beautiful and delightful world we might have had, if sin had not occurred-sin spoils every thing.

LESSON 2. Gen. i. 14-17, 31.

14. LIGHTS. Rather luminaries: that is, instruments for giving light.

SIGNS. Two ideas may be connected with this: they may be signs or tokens of God's continued goodness in his care over the earth; or it may mean that they were signs by which the husbandman might judge of the weather, and the mariner steer his path through the

ocean.

SEASONS. Some suppose that by this is meant the times on which the sacred festivals should be held; others think that the word is put for months; and others suppose that the four seasons are intended, for these take their character from the different positions of the earth, in relation to the sun.

DAYS. The length of the day is ascertained by the time which the sun is above the horizon: the longest day we have is about fifteen hours; this occurs about June 21st. The shortest day we have is about nine hours; this occurs about December 21st.

YEARS. A year is the complete revolution of the earth round the sun, which is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 52 seconds.

16. GREAT LIGHTS. Moses calls the sun and the moon great lights, not on account of their size, but of the light which they shed upon the earth. Infidels have said that the moon is not one of the great bodies, but rather one of the smallest: true, but Moses does not say it is a great body, he only says it is a great light; and so it is to us, for it gives us more light than all the planets and stars put together, though many of them are many hundred times larger than the moon.

THE GREATER LIGHT. That is the sun: Moses tells us nothing about the sun, excepting what it was made for. Many of the ancients supposed that the sun was a ball of fire, the source of light and heat to the universe; but this idea is no longer entertained by wise philosophers. Mr. Herschell, one of the greatest astronomers in the world, thinks that the sun is an opaque B

or dark body, surrounded by an atmosphere of light. After all the sneers of infidels about the bible account of the creation of light before the sun-Moses wrote like a philosopher, and the light created on the first day, might on the fourth day, be formed into an atmosphere about the sun, and thus fitted him for his station; as the great light, or rather luminary, of our system. The sun is a million times larger than the earth.

TO RULE THE DAY. The sun rules, or governs the day, inasmuch, as we are guided in all our occupations by the time of day.

LESSER LIGHT. That is the moon: the moon is a different kind of light from the sun; the light which we get from the moon, is the light of the sun reflected from the surface of the moon.

THE STARS ALSO. The words "he made," are not in the original: the meaning of the passage, therefore, rather is, the lesser light to rule the night with the stars, also; that is, God made the moon and the stars to rule the night, as he made the sun to rule the day.

17. SET THEM. Gave them their place. "By repeating this so often, Moses intended to fix in the people's mind this notion, that though the heavenly bodies may be very glorious, yet they are but creatures made by God, or set or appointed by His order, to give us light, and therefore He alone is to be worshipped, not they." This idea is very plausible, because the worship of the heavenly bodies was the most likely form which idolatry would first take. This actually was the case.

20. WATERS. Seas, Rivers, Lakes, &c. BRING FORTH. Produce.

ABUNDANTLY. In very great numbers. This is remarkably true of fishes; Dr. Adam Clarke observes, that a finch lays 1000 eggs, a carp 20,000 and it is said by the same writer, that a naturalist named Leuwenhoek, counted, in but a middling sized cod fish, no less than 9,384,000 eggs.

MOVING CREATURE. Every thing that moves in the water, such as el kinds of fish.