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The creation of lights in the firmament, and of living creatures.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above

the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind and God saw that it was good. LECTURE 3.

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The invisible things of God may be known from his works. Of all natural objects, none are more striking to the outward sense, than the lights in the firmament of the heaven. Nor have any more generally engrossed the reverence of those amongst mankind, who have been inclined to worship the creature instead of the Creator. In the time of Moses this kind of idolatry was very prevalent. And it was therefore needful for him to insist upon it, that these glorious objects were the workmanship of God. He it was at whose command these lights were set in heaven. And He set them there for these purposes, amongst others, to give light to men who dwell below on earth; and to be signs whereby we might know the order of days, and the seasons of the year, and also signs whereby we might be reminded of the greatness and goodness of Him who made them. Whether it be day or night, we have either sun, or moon, or stars, to declare the glory of God. Whether it be spring, or summer, autumn, or winter, we have still the same manifest witnesses of his majesty,

the same bright and affecting tokens of his love. And if He has taken such care for our comfort and enjoyment here, how excellent must be the things which He has prepared for us to have hereafter? And if the heavens which we behold are so full of glory, how much more those which no eye hath seen? How much more lovely, and more bright, the Star of Jacob, the Sun of righteousness, who there shines in endless day?

But what is light if there be none to see? What are all the fruits of the earth if there be none able to use them for their food? Marvellous as were the things hitherto created, they give but a faint notion of the Creator's skill, when we come to compare them with what next He made, "the moving creature, that hath life." To move by their own will, of their own accord, to live, so as to feel as well as be, so as to love each other and to have pleasure in themselves, such are the powers with which God has wonderfully provided the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea. And to them He added "the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind." And in the one case, "God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply." And in the other case it is repeated, that " God saw that it was good." So perfect was the enjoyment He had prepared for his creatures; and so gracious his desire in their behalf that they should enjoy it in great numbers, and for many generations!

Would we then judge of the Creator by his works? Would we know the invisible things of God by the things which He has made? Let us think of the things as they were when first He made them, and when He Himself saw that they were good. Let us endeavour to conceive of skies without storms, of summer without scorching heat, and winter without piercing cold, of plants innumerable, but none poisonous, of beasts many and mighty, but none preying on each other. In this state of universal plenty and universal love, we may see reflected the bounty and benevolence of Him, who made the worlds. Nor are there wanting instances, in the different kinds of creatures, of qualities which help to shadow forth the separate perfections of the divine majesty. In the supreme strength of the lion we have a type of the power which is to be attributed to the everlasting Son, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." Rev. 5. 5. In the lamb we see some faint likeness of that meekness and lowliness of heart, which can be properly learnt only of "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." John 1. 29. Whilst the hen gathering her chickens under her wings serves to shew us how ready God is to receive them that fly to the arms of his mercy, how able to feed, how willing to defend, them that put their trust in Him. Oh that we had never marred by sin the happiness provided for us by his love! Oh that now, when God offers to give us better things in heaven, we would never prefer pleasures upon earth!

Man created, and pronounced to be very good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every

living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

LECTURE 4.

That it is well for men to be multiplied upon the earth. The moving creature that hath life can enjoy the gifts of God. Man can do more, he can thank God for them. He is capable of understanding how much he owes to God. He is qualified to shew forth the praise of his Father which is in heaven. Man can be holy. And therefore man can be truly happy. Man can be holy. And therefore man is like to God. This then is the last and chiefest of God's works, a moving living being, made in his own image, after his own likeness; having a capacity for holiness, for happiness, for heaven; one that might love God for his goodness, and worship Him, and obey Him; one that might have dominion over the rest of God's creatures, as a faithful steward using all to God's glory; one that might offer to God reasonable service, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth, and joining here on earth with angels round the throne in heaven, to say, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev. 4. 11.

This is the way that man was made at first; not savage, as some have idly dreamed, but enlightened, ennobled, and refined; enlightened with true light, to know the only God, ennobled with true nobility, the dominion over all God's creatures on the earth, and refined with true refinement, the taking pleasure in whatsoever things are just, and kind, and true, and good. Thus it

tual health of the body, and another tree for a test and exercise of devout obedience in the soul; this was the condition of our first parents this was the provision for their well being upon earth, this together with the enjoyment of God's presence, help, and counsel, might have made earth almost like to heaven.

The names of the rivers mentioned, and the description of the countries through which they flowed, make it probable that this spot of earth, thus first inhabited, was not far from the very place, on which the race of man began once more after the flood to multiply and replenish the earth. And this would be likely to be a subject of great interest, at the time when Moses wrote, and amongst a people who were to dwell not far from that neighbourhood. To us it matters little where that Eden was, compared with the deep concern we ought to feel, in ascertaining the state of life in which Adam was there placed. For this must be the state for which God originally designed us, the state to which our nature was at first best adapted, and the state to which in our renewed nature we do well to approach continually.

It was evidently a state of happiness. God would have man take pleasure in all the works of his Maker. God furnished man with senses to enjoy pleasure, and He supplied man's home with pleasurable objects. A garden, a river, trees pleasant to the sight and good for food, gold, good gold, and precious stones so abundant, as to be washed down into the neighbouring land of Havilah, these things, mentioned in connexion with the garden in Eden, shew us that God made them for our enjoyment, as well as for his own glory. Again, the state in which Adam was established was evidently not a state of idleness, but of pleasurable employment. He had work to do, though not such as to produce weariness. His work was to dress a garden and to keep it, before the ground had been cursed, and bidden to bring forth thorns and thistles. See ch. 3. 17, 18. It is then good also for us to be always well employed. It is good to work diligently, as well as to enjoy thankfully. The tree of life in the midst of the garden was probably a provision against decay and death; so that man as first created might have lived for ever. See ch. 3. 22.

And whether this were the case or not, we learn from the other tree here mentioned, that his state was also a state of trial, or rather a state of willing subjection to the will of God. He whose will rules over all, thought fit to impart to man a will of his own. And for the perpetual subjection of that will to the will of his Maker, the fruit of one tree was forbidden food, and the eating of it was certain death. It is then good for us to be subject unto God. It is better to be bound to obey Him, than free to please ourselves. May He incline us ever to subject our will to his; nay rather, to have his will for our own!

Woman created. Marriage ordained.

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

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20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam,

and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

LECTURE 7.

The spiritual marriage and union between Christ and his saints.

Here let us observe the further provision made by God for the happiness of man on earth. How little can they know of God and his designs, who suppose that He is pleased to see men miserable, or that He wishes them to inflict misery on themselves or others! How much light is thrown on the happiness here provided for mankind, by considering the misery which ensues, where men hold that a single life is in itself meritorious, and bind themselves by vows to abstain from marriage! Discontent with their lot, dissatisfaction with themselves, envy of their neighbours' liberty, ill temper, sadness, selfishness, these besides other nameless enormities usually attend on the prevalence of this much abused doctrine. And no doubt it was owing to the risk of evils like to these, that God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him an help meet for him." Society instead of solitude, and the tenderness of conjugal affections, these promote our happiness, by softening our hearts.

And the want of such meet help must have been more felt by the man himself, after that survey of the several creatures subject to his dominion, which took place under the direction of the Almighty. Then it was that Adam exercised the gift of speech, probably communicated to him by God, in giving names to the beasts of the earth, and to the fowls of the air. But when the names were given, there was no one with whom to hold dis

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