THE

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER'S

ASSISTANT.

LESSON I.-Genesis i. 1-13.

THE first Book in the Bible is called Genesis. It was written by Moses, who derived his information immediately from God.

1. IN THE BEGINNING. This must necessarily mean the commencement of Time. Previous to the creation, all was Eternity.

GOD. The title by which the Deity is distinguished. God can only be described by His attributes. The word GoD here used, is in the plural number, nominative case to a verb in the third person singular. It is supposed to teach the plurality of persons in the unity of the Divine essence.

The use of this plural noun (Elohim) here with a verb singular, and elsewhere with verbs, nouns and pronouns plural, is very difficult to be accounted for but on the Trinitarian hypothesis.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is thus spoken of in the first chapter of John's gospel: "In the beginning was the word," i. e. the word, by which is meant Jesus Christ, was, or existed, in the beginning; which proves that He was in existence at the time of the creation. It is also said in John, that He made the worlds—which shows that he possessed the character of God.

CREATED. It is from a word which signifies com

mencement of existence; it here means, made out of nothing.

THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. This probably means what is called the solar system; the solar system is composed of the sun, and the following planets -Mercury, Venus, EARTH, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Herschel, also four smaller, called Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta. Several of these planets have satellites, or attendants, and all taken together constitute the solar system.

It is now 5831 years since the creation of the world.

2. EARTH. The planet called Earth, on which we live, The sacred historian does not tell us any thing about the others.

WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID. These words convey the idea of confusion and disorder. The Earth was not reduced to its nice arrangement of land and waterhad no regular form.

THE DEEP. The chaos-abyss.

SPIRIT OF GOD. Here the Holy Spirit is meant, the third person of the ever blessed Trinity, called also the Holy Ghost.

It is ex

MOVED UPON THE FACE OF THE WATERS. ceedingly difficult to convey a clear idea of these terms. The word "moved," in the original, means "brooded over," representing the action of a bird sitting on eggs; we have no adequate language to convey a correct idea. Some understand this of "a mighty wind;" but we reject this interpretation, for three reasons. 1. Though the Hebrew Ruach is often rendered "wind," we know of no instance in which it is so understood in connexion with the name of God. 2. The atmosphere (or firmament) was not yet formed, and therefore could not be agitated into wind. The word Rachuph means rather a tremulous motion, like that of an eagle fluttering over her young, or like that of the bones trembling with fear.

In allusion to the agency of the Spirit of God in creation, Sir Wm. Jones notices a remarkable passage in

the Institutions of Menu. "The waters are called Nara, or the Spirit of God; and he is hence called, "He who moves upon the waters."-Works, vol. iii. p. 66.

3. LIGHT. This is difficult to define. Some suppose that light is a fluid universally diffused throughout the universe, and which is latent or lies hid, until called forth by some cause extraneous. Dr. Clarke thinks that the light here spoken of, is this latent light, and which is the same as latent heat.

What an instance of the power of God, "He spake and it was done."

4. IT WAS GOOD. Answered the purpose God intended by it. By its agency we are enabled to see objects and dangers, &c.

DIVIDED. This is not meant to imply that light and darkness are two things; for darkness is but the absence of light, i. e. where there is no light, there is a state which we call darkness. These things were here written, probably in anticipation, for day and night, and light and darkness, which are occasioned by the motion of the earth round its axis.

5. DAY. That portion of time in which the part of the earth where we are, is brought to receive the sun's rays.

NIGHT. That portion of time, in which, on account of the earth's motion, the sun's rays do not reach the part where we are. While it is day with us here, it is night in China.

The earth turns on its axis in twenty-three hours, fifty-six minutes, and four seconds; that is four minutes fifty-six seconds less than twenty-four hours. In round numbers, we usually say twenty-four hours.

6. EVENING. "The end of the day, when it begins to grow dark, or at least, when the sun is considerably declined." (American Sunday School Union's Bible Dictionary.) It is so called from a word which signifies to mingle, and intimates that in the evening there is a mixture of light, and darkness—or twilight.

MORNING. "That part of the day before or about the rising of the sun." (Union's American Sunday-School Bible Dictionary.) In the lesson, evening seems to mean all not comprehended in morning, and the re

verse.

7. FIRMAMENT. It signifies something spread out. It is used to mean the whole space above us, which appears to interpose between us and the other heavenly bodies. It has a blueish appearance to us, owing to the action of the sun's rays. The lower part of this firmament we call the atmosphere. This atmosphere divides the waters from the waters, i, e. the clouds which float in the higher regions, and which are the depositories of water, from the seas, which are great and permament accumulations of water. This atmosphere is also called air: this supports animal and vegetable life-it is the medium also, through which we see objects.

8. HEAVEN. Not meaning the state or place in which God is said to dwell in glory, but is merely put to signify the region before described, (see firmament.)

9. WATERS UNDER THE HEAVENS. The earth, when it was created, seems to have been in a fluid state: this fluid state seems to be the meaning of the expression above.

GATHERED INTO ONE PLACE. Separated from the particles which are afterwards called dry land, and united together into springs, rivers, lakes, seas, &c.

10. DRY LAND EARTH. Here earth is used in a limited sense: our planet is called the earth, but the usual meaning of this word is the dry land, as distinguished from water.

SEAS. The largest masses of water are called seas, sometimes oceans: as Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, Baltic, Red sea, &c.

It is said that about three-fourths of our planet, Earth, is covered with water.

Seas and rivers are of USE, as means of communication between different countries, and different places of

1

the same country. By evaporation they supply the clouds with rain to pour down again on the earth: we get fish from the rivers, &c.

WATER. Water is necessary to support animal and vegetable life: we cannot live without it, as it is the only natural drink of man.

11. BRING FORTH. Produce.

GRASS. We usually understand by grass, that which is used principally for the food of cattle; they eat it green in the summer months, and in the form of hay in the winter, Grass is propagated by seed.

HERB. These may be distinguished from grass as being more particularly useful to man: some herbs are used for cooking, some for medicine.

YIELDING SEED. Producing seed.

FRUIT TREE. Strictly, trees which bear fruit, such as apples, pears, peaches, &c. Here it probably means all trees.

AFTER HIS KIND. Of the same sort. By grafting, trees change the character of their productions.

WHOSE SEED IS IN ITSELF. Which has the power of multiplying itself by seeds, as long as the world shall last. Dr. Clarke says the elm tree produces 1,580,000,000 of sceds, and each sced has the power of producing the the same number.

Under the general heads above, are included all kinds of grapes, herbs, trees, vines, vegetables, &c.

Trees are useful to men, among other for the following purposes-building of every kind, houses, ships, &c.-fire-wood-shade and ornament.

Trees and herbs are to be continued and increased by the seeds which they produce.

Minerals are not here mentioned, though they are productions of the earth.

REFLECTIONS.

How wonderful is the goodness of God to provide us with the Bible. If it was not for this book, we could know nothing about God, and the way of salvation.