LINE UPON LINE.

CHAPTER I.*

THE CREATION.

Gen. i.

My dear children,-I know that you have heard that God made the world. Could a man have made the world? No; a man could not make such a world as this.

Men can make many things, such as boxes and baskets. Perhaps you know a man who can make a box. Suppose you were to shut him up in a room, which was quite empty, and you were to say to him, "You shall not come out till you have made a box,"-would the man ever come out? No--never. A man could not make a box, except he had something to make it of. He must

The teacher will generally find the proof of every statement, either in the chapters of the Bible referred to at the beginning of each chapter in this book, or in the notes affixed; but in the opening of this work the proofs are often withheld, because they have already been given in those parts of the "Peep of Day" in which the same subjects are treated.

have some wood, or some tin, or some pasteboard, or some other thing. But God had nothing to make the world of. He only spoke, and it was made.*

Making things of nothing, is called "creating." No one can create anything, but God.†

Do you know why God is called the Creator? It is because he created all things. There is only one Creator. Angels cannot create things, nor can men. They could not create one drop of water, or one little fly.

You know that God was six days in creating the world. I will tell you what he did on each day.

I.

On the first day, God said, "Let there be light;" and there was light.

II.

On the second day, God spoke again, and there was water very high; that water is called the clouds. There was also water very low. There was nothing but water to be seen. God filled every place with air; but you know the air cannot be seen.

III.

On the third day, God spoke, and the dry land appeared from under the water; and the water ran

Things which are seen were not made of things that do appear.Heb. xi. 3.

+ Thou hast created all things.-Rev. iv. 11.

down into one deep place that God had prepared.* God called the dry land Earth, and he called the water Seas. We walk upon the dry land. We cannot walk upon the sea. The sea is always rolling up and down; but it can never come out of the great place where God has put it. God spoke, and things grew out of the earth. Can you tell me what things grew out of the earth? and corn, and trees, and flowers.

IV.

Grass,

On the fourth day God spoke, and the sun and moon and stars were made. God ordered the sun to come every morning, and to go away in the evening, because God did not choose that it should be always light. It is best that it should be dark at night, when we are asleep. But God lets the moon shine in the night, and the stars also; so that if we go out in the night, we often have a little light. There are more stars than we can count.

V.

On the fifth day, God began to make things that are alive. He spoke, and the water was filled with fishes, and birds flew out of the water, and perched upon the trees.

VI.

On the sixth day, God spoke, and the beasts came out of the earth: lions, sheep, cows, horses,

Who shut the sea with doors, and brake up for it my decreed place?-Job. xxxviii. 8, 10.

↑ The sun knoweth his going down.-Ps. civ. 19.

and all kinds of beasts came out of the earth, as well as all kinds of creeping things, such as bees, ants, and worms, which creep upon the earth.

At last, God made a man. make man in our likeness."*

God said, "Let us

To whom did God

speak? To his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ: his Son was with him when he made the world.

God made man's body of the dust, and then breathed The man had a soul as well as a body.

into him. So the man could think of God. Afterwards God made the woman of a piece of the flesh and bone from the man's side, as you have heard before.

God gave all the other creatures to Adam and Eve; and he blessed them, and put them into the garden of Eden, and desired Adam to take care of the garden.

He was pleased with They were all very glorious; the air was

When God had finished all his works, he saw that they were very good. the things he had made. beautiful. The light was sweet; the earth was lovely, clothed in green; the sun and moon shone brightly in the heavens; the birds, and beasts, and all the living creatures, were good and happy, and Adam and Eve were the best of all, for they could think of God, and praise him.

VII.

You know there are seven days in the week. Now, on the seventh day, God did not make any

• In the beginning was the word; and the word was with God and the word was God. All things were made by him-John i. 1. 3

thing; but he rested from all his works.

He call

ed the seventh day his own day, because he rested on it. This is the reason people rest on the seventh day, and call it God's day. It is the sabbath day. It is the great day for praising God.*

None of the creatures that God had made in the six days could praise him with their tongues, except Adam and Eve.

Angels in heaven can praise God, and men upon earth.

My little children, do you ever praise God? You have learned little hymns in his praise. Perhaps you know the hymn that begins,

"And now another day is gone,

I'll sing my Maker's praise."

Does God like to hear you praise him? Yes; when you think of him, and love him, while you are praising him.

Angels always praise God with their hearts, and so should we.

Let us now count the things that God made on each day:

First day, Light.

Second day, Air and Clouds.

Third day, Earth and Sea, and the things that grow.

Fourth day, Sun, Moon, and Stars.

⚫ I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day.-Ps. xlii. 4.