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Who is the seed of the woman?

A. Jesus Christ.

Who is the serpent?
A. The devil.

What do you mean by that sentence?

In what part of the Bible do we learn who were the children and descendants of Adam?

What do you mean by his "descendants ?"

A. His grand-children, great grand-children, and SO on through successive generations.

Who wrote the book of Genesis?

A. Moses.

What was the life of man then ?

How long did they live? How soon did sin begin to reign in the world? Who was Cain ? What was the first great crime of which an account is given after the fall of man?

What were his posterity? But to whom was God known, and by whom was he worshipped?

Who were the patriarchs? A. Heads of tribes or families.

In which of the patriarch's families was God in particular worshipped?

Who was Seth?

Which of the patriarchs is

By this fall of Adam, sin and death entered into the world; and all men had been for ever miserable, if God had not taken pity on them. But God immediately promised (a) that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head: that is, that men should be delivered from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil; by Jesus Christ, who should be born of a virgin.

In the book of Genesis (b) Moses tells us who were the children and descendants of Adam. We see by the history of those times, that the life of man was then much longer than it is now, and that they lived many hundreds of years: but it may be also observed, that sin began to reign in the world presently after the creation. Cain, the son of Adam, slew his brother Abel, and had a wicked posterity. Nevertheless God was known to

(a) Gen. iii. 15. (b) Ch. iv. and v.

and worshipped by the patriarchs, and especially in the family of Seth, who was

particularly mentioned in Scripture?

What happened to Enoch? What was God pleased to crown or reward?

What did he teach men thereby ?

In process of time what did the posterity of Seth become?

What is meant by "process of time?"

A. Course of time. With what was the earth filled?

What did the corruption become?

What did God then do?
What became of the

world?

Who was excepted? Why was he excepted? What do you mean by " inundation?"

A. Flood.

What did God command Noah to build ?

What is an ark?

A. A vessel to swim on the water.

Where was Noah shut up when the flood came?

Where is the memory of the deluge preserved besides in the Holy Scriptures?

How long did the flood happen after the creation of the world?

CHAPTER II.

one of the sons of Adam. Among these patriarchs the Scriptures make mention of Enoch; whom God took out of the world, so that he died not: God having been pleased thereby to crown his piety, and to teach men that there are rewards after this life for those that live well. But in process of time (a) the prosperity of Seth was corrupted likewise, and mingled with the wicked. The earth was filled with crimes, and the corruption grew so great and general, that God sent the flood, which drowned the whole world, Noah excepted, who, being a man that feared God, was, with his family, preserved from this inundation; God having commanded him to build an ark, in which he was shut up when the flood came. The memory of this deluge is preserved not only in the Holy Scriptures, but also among divers nations of the world, as we may find in many ancient histories. The flood happened one thousand six hundred and fifty-six years after the creation of the world.

a) Gen. vi. and vii.

CHAPTER II.

What is the subject of of the time between the

the second chapter?

flood and the call of Abraham.

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What were their names? How was the world afterwards peopled?

Where did the descendants of Shem settle?

Where those of Ham? Where those of Japheth? Where may we see more at large the original of all the people in the world?

What did men undertake to build some time after the flood?

What prevented their going on with it?

What do you mean by confounding their language?

A. Making them speak different languages, so that they could no longer under→ stand each other.

What happened in conse quence of their not understanding one another?

What do you mean by "divers?"

A. Different.

Noah being come out of the ark (a) after the deluge, God made a covenant with him, and gave a new sanction to the law of nature, in order to turn men from wickedness and vice. Noah had three sons (b), Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and all the world was afterwards peopled by their posterity. The descendants of Shem settled chiefly in Asia, those of Ham spread for the most part in Africa, and those of Japheth in Europe. This is the original of all the people in the world, as may be seen more at large in the tenth chapter of Genesis.

Some time after the flood (c) men undertook to build the tower of Babel. But God confounded their language, so that not understanding one another any longer, they were dispersed into divers

(a) Gen. viii. and ix.
Ch. ix. 18, 19. x.
(c) Ch. xi.

What began to prevail about this time? What is idolatry? A. Worshipping of idols, or images.

What do you understand by idols?

A. False gods, or images of the true God.

Why did God choose a peculiar people?

Whom did he call for this purpose?

Where did Abraham live? What place did God appoint him to leave?

What did he engage him to do?

To what land did he command him to go?

What did he promise to give to his descendants? Was his posterity to be multiplied?

What is meant by "multiplying his posterity ?"

A. That his children should increase to great numbers.

What remarkable person did he promise should be born of his race or family? How long did the call of Abraham happen after the flood?

CHAPTER III.

What time is described in the 3d chapter of this book?

With whom did Abraham tarry or dwell, when he came into the land of Canaan ?

countries. Idolatry began about this time to prevail, and then God was pleased to choose a people, among whom the true religion might be preserved. For this purpose he called Abraham, who lived in the city of Ur, in Chaldea. He appointed him to leave the country wherein he was born, and engaged him to serve him and fear him; he commanded him to go into the land of Canaan, and he promised to give that country to his descendants, to multiply his posterity, and that the Messias should be born of his race. The call of Abraham happened four hundred and twenty-seven years after the flood.

CHAPTER III.

Of the time between the call of Abraham, and the going of the children of Israel out of Egypt. Abraham (a) being come (a) Gen. xii. &c.

What relation was Lot to him?

What children had Abraham at that time?

By whom was the country inhabited at that time?

What was their character? Who among them were particularly wicked?

What did God do in consequence of their committing such horrible sins?

Whom did God bring out of Sodom before he destroyed it?

How was Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed?

What became of the inhabitants, and all the neighbouring country?

How old was Abraham, when Isaac his son was born to him?

By what power was he

born?

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into the land of Canaan, tarried there some time with Lot his nephew, without having any child. This country was then inhabited by the Canaanites, who were idolatrous and a very wicked people particularly the inhabitants of Sodom, (where Lot dwelt) were so wicked, (a) and had committed sins so horrible, that God destroyed that city, after that he had brought Lot with his wife and daughters out of it. Fire from heaven fell down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, so that these cities with their inhabitants, and all the neighbouring country, were burnt to ashes.

When Abraham was an hundred years of age, Isaac his son was (b) born by a supernatural power; Isaac was the father of Jacob; and Jacob had twelve sons, who were the heads of the twelve tribes or families of the children of Israel. The two most considerable of these tribes were afterwards the tribe of Levi, from which the priests or ministers of religion were taken; and the tribe of Judah, which was the most powerful; which was for a great while possessed of the royal autho

(a) Gen. xix. (b) Ch. xx.

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