God permitted Adam and Eve to eat of all the fruits that grew in Eden except one; that one was the tree of knowledge. The serpent deceived Eve, and tempted her to sin. She ate of the fruit which God had forbidden and gave also to her husband; thus they both disobeyed God. God cursed the serpent, and promised a Saviour to redeem man from his power. He said to the woman that her sorrow should be increased with the increase of children; and to the man he said, “ Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

66

When God had thus sentenced Adam and Eve to suffering and to death, he expelled them from the garden of Eden.

NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS.

beginning-the commencement. created-caused to exist. heaven-the expanse which surrounds the earth, including the celestial bodies -planets, stars, and comets. earth-the planet on which we live, with its various productions.

pre

without form and void-not in its sent shape, nor occupied by the numerous beings and productions which exist upon it.

darkness-absence of light.

face of the deep-surface of the waters which covered the whole earth.

light-the medium of vision.

firmament-the atmosphere, or aerial medium surrounding the earth, and in which it revolves; by its means light and sound are transmitted, and animals exist.

divided, &c.-gathered the waters into channels, or hollow places, thus causing the dry land to appear.

plants-everything included in the vegetable kingdom, viz.: grass, herbs, and trees; there are more than 80,000 species of plants.

fishes and birds-the animals of the waters and the firmament.

cattle and beasts-domestic and wild animals.

creeping things-this term is supposed to apply to such animals as the lizard, snake, &c. as well as creeping insects.

made man-formed man in his bodily parts and gave him a living soul.

in his own image-having dominion; Ps. viii. 6; true knowledge, Col. iii. 10; holiness, Eccles. vii. 29; Ephes iv. 24.

very good-admirably adapted for the purposes intended.

rested-ceased from further acts of creative power.

blessed-added happiness to a holy observance of it.

eastward toward the sun-rising. tree of life-the means of renewed and prolonged existence to man.

tree of knowledge-the test by which it should be known whether man would remain good, or prefer becoming evil.

Adam the ground,' or 'earth;' the human body is composed of earthy elements. Paul says, the first Adam is of the earth, earthy;' Cor. xv. 47.

GOD SEEN IN HIS WORKS. [4004-2348 B.C.

dress and keep-to keep the trees and the plants in order, and to preserve the various species, not only by observing their various habits, but by pruning, grafting, planting, &c.

name many of the Hebrew names of animals express some peculiarity or quality of size, form, disposition, &c.

help meet a being endowed with a rational soul, and having feelings similar to his own.

Eve-life;' the companion and 'help-meet' of Adam, and the mother of the whole human family. Neither Adam nor Eve had to pass through the years of infancy and childhood. serpent-the devil. Rev. xii. 9; xx. 2. deceived―caused to err, by making

her believe a lie.

tempted-offered inducements; spoke of the advantages of disobedience.

redeem to restore by paying the price.

in sorrow-with feelings of anxiety, care, and trouble, yet not without hope sentenced-pronounced the punishment for disobedience.

expelled-drove out.

GEOGRAPHICAL NOTE.

EDEN is supposed to have been situated near the head of the Persian Gulf, where the rivers Euphrates and Tigris empty their waters; but several other situations have been assigned to the garden of Eden. The name, Eden, cating the great beauty and richness of means pleasure or delight, thus indiAdam's first inheritance; hence it was not uncommon for pleasant localities to be called Eden.

GOD'S EXISTENCE SHOWN IN THE UNIVERSE.
"GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH."

Who gave the sun his noonday light?
Who taught the moon to shine by night?
Whose hands the sheet of heaven unrolled,
All set with stars like drops of gold?

Who gave the winds their course to know?
The ocean-tides to ebb and flow?
And day and night preserve their bounds?
And changing seasons know, their rounds?
Could man conceive the vast design?
Could he the grand machine combine?
Stretch his weak hands from pole to pole,
And bid them on their centre roll?

'Twas God who gave creation birth,
God formed this wondrous globe of earth,
And breathe'd throughout the mighty whole,
The likeness of a living soul.

Bow then to God, O all that live!

To God eternal praises give;

Who fashioned by his mighty hand

Sun, moon, and stars, and sea, and land.

ROSCOE.

PERIOD I.] HISTORY OF CAIN, ABEL, AND SETH.

2. CAIN, ABEL, AND SETH.

Genesis iv.-v. 5.

Cain was the eldest son of Adam and Eve. His brother Abel was their second son. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. They both brought offerings to God. Cain's offering was of the fruits of the earth. Abel's offering was of the firstlings of his flock. God accepted Abel and his offering, but unto Cain and his offering he had 'not respect. Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord reproved Cain, and said "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen ? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted ?"

And Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. The Lord then said unto Cain, "What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground, and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive, and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." Cain feared that some one would slay him, but the Lord said unto him, "Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. Here he built a city, and had many descendants. One of his descendants, named Jabal, invented tents; another, Jubal, invented musical instruments; another, Tubal, was an artificer in brass and iron.

God gave Adam and Eve a son who was called 'Seth. He was a good man. His descendants were called the children of God. The descendants of Cain were called the children of men. Adam was one-hundred-and-thirty years old at the birth of Seth. Adam and Eve had many other sons and daughters. Mankind increased very fast because they lived so long. Adam lived nine-hundred-and-thirty years.

"THE CURSE OF CAIN."

NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS.

Cain-possession;' implying a high sense of value; Eve imagined this child was the promised deliverer, hence she exclaimed on first seeing him 'I have gotten a man from Jehovah.' Abel-vanity; this name plainly shows that our first parents had their hopes centred in Cain, in contrast with whom they esteemed this child as 'vanity.'

tiller-a husbandman, a cultivator of the ground.

offerings-things dedicated to God, as expressive of the gratitude and dependance of the offerer.

fruits-produce of the soil. firstlings-the first born.

[4004-2348 B.C.

tents-these were the constant dwellings of men in early times; the coverings of the tents were generally of coarse hair-cloth. Lessons 7,20,116.

musical instruments-many are mentioned in the Bible which will be described under their respective names. artificer-a clever workman in arts

accepted-showed favour towards by executed by the hand; a worker in

a visible sign.

not respect-not regard; took no favourable notice of it.

countenance fell-looked sullen and revengeful.

If thou doest well-Isa. i. 16,17; Ezek. xxxiii. 11-19; Rom. ii. 6,7.

cursed from, &c.-not a spot on the surface of the world would yield him comfort; unhappiness and discontent would be his portion.

metals.

Seth a substitute;' because given instead of Abel; the invention of letters is ascribed to him.

GEOGRAPHICAL NOTE.

NOD-land of wandering;' was a country east of Eden. It was so named because Cain the "fugitive" dwelt there, when he fled from the presence of his bereaved and sorrowing parents, after he had murdered his brother.

THE CURSE OF CAIN.

"WHERE IS ABEL THY BROTHER ?"

O the wrath of the Lord is a terrible thing!
Like the tempest that withers the blossoms of spring,
Like the thunder that bursts on the summer's domain,
It fell on the head of the homicide Cain.

And lo! like a deer in the fright of the chase,
With a fire in his heart, and a brand on his face,
He speeds him afar to the desert of Nod-
A vagabond smote by the vengeance of God.

All nature to him has been blasted and bann'd,
And the blood of a brother yet reeks on his hand;
And no vintage has grown, and no fountain has sprung,
For cheering his heart, or for cooling his tongue.

PERIOD I.]

ENOCH, THE DELUGE, ETC.

The groans of a father his slumbers shall start,
And the tears of a mother shall pierce to his heart,
And the kiss of his children shall scorch him like flame,
When he thinks of the curse that hangs over his name.

And the wife of his bosom-the faithful and fair-
Can mix no sweet drop in his cup of despair ;
For her tender caress and her innocent breath,
But stir in his soul the hot embers of wrath.

And his offering may blaze-unregarded by Heaven;
And his spirit may pray-yet remain unforgiven,

And his grave may be close'd-but no rest to him bring:
O the wrath of the Lord is a terrible thing!

W. KNOX.

3. ENOCH. METHUSELAH. NOAH. THE DELUGE. Genesis v. 6-vii.

•Enoch was a descendant of Seth. God took him to heaven when he was three-hundred-and-sixty-five years old, because he walked with God. Seth died some years after, being nine-hundred-and-twelve years old. Enoch had a son

named Methuselah. He was the oldest man that we read of. He lived nine-hundred-and-sixty-nine years. Methuselah had a son named Lamech. Lamech was the father of Noah. When Noah was born Lamech said he should comfort them. Noah became the father of three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The wickedness of men increased on the earth. God said he would destroy mankind by a Flood, but he would save Noah and his family. God commanded Noah to make an ark of wood. He said "Behold I do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep