READING LESSON XVI. The Creation of the World. (1.) On the sixth day God cre-a-ted all the crea-tures that dwell up-on the earth. (2.) Not only the el-e-phant, and the li-on, and the deer, and the horse, and oth-er beasts that go on four legs; but the ser-pents, and in-sects of ev-e-ry size and tribe, began to live on this day Who knows their number? (3.) But who was there to em-ploy all these an-i-mals, or to praise the Cre-a-tor of them? No crea-ture had yet been formed to know, and love, and serve God. (4.) But on this sixth day, God made the first man, and cal-led him AD-AM, and he made a wo-man to be his wife, and her name was EVE. (5.) Ad-am and Eve were pure and good, like God him-self. How happy they must have been, with God for their friend, and such a beau-ti-ful world to live in! (6.) Do you think they were i-dle? O, no. Ev-e-ry hour would show them some new thing which their heav-en-ly Fa-ther had made and giv-en to them. And all they saw would lead them to praise the great and glo-ri-ous Cre-a-tor. (7.) Ev-e-ry crea-ture was then good. No sin had been known on the earth. There were no thorns nor this-tles; no pain nor sick-ness; no sor-row nor death. (8.) They had noth-ing to do then but to love, and serve, and o-bey God, just as the an-gels in heav-en do. What more could they have to make them hap-py? (1.) There was now noth-ing else to be made. The work of cre-a-tion was fin-ish-ed in these six days. (2.) The great Cre-a-tor look-ed up-on the works he had made, and said they were all good. (3.) The next day was the sev-enth, and on this day God rest-ed from his work, and made it a day of rest for all his crea-tures. (4.) Ad-am and Eve were to think of God, and to praise him, and not to do a-ny work on that day, for it was the SAB-BATH. (5.) Ev-er since that time the Sab bath has been kept ho-ly by good peo-ple in ev-e-ry part of the world. (6.) We are not to do a-ny work on that day; but are to keep it ho-ly un-to the Lord. It is right to do good on the Sab-bath day. (7.) Some chil-dren do not like the Sab-bath. It is a ve-ry dull day to them. And why is it dull? (8.) Be-cause they do not love to read the Bi-ble. They do not love to think of God. They do not love to think of their sins. If we tru-ly love God, we shall love the Sat-bath more than a-ny oth-er day of the week. (9.) We shall say when the Sab-bath re-turns, An-oth-er six days' work is done, Im-prove the day that God has blest. |