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-is entitled to serious attention, and, if ascertained to be effective, of immediate adoption. Now the Moral, or Lesson System of Teaching, as it is called, has supplied the important desideratum above alluded to, in this branch of education. It aims at the communication of religious knowledge principally, if not solely, that it may train to its use, and point out the ends to which it may be made subservient in ordinary life. The Bible is read that it may be understood,-but it is understood only that the pupil may be taught how and when he is to use it. The success of this System of Education, when honestly and fairly tried, has been uniform, without one known exception; and its powers are even yet only beginning to be developed, as its exercises are becoming better known and more familiar in the hands of teachers. No one who is acquainted with its nature now doubts, that its general adoption would be productive of the most important and valuable consequences to the church and to society.

The following Help to Genesis has been formed upon the principles of that System; and we shall here only briefly notice the method of using the Exercises which it contains, referring for farther particulars to the Introduction to the "Help to Luke's Gospel," which is constructed on precisely the same principles.

1. The text of the book of Genesis is here introduced, which will be found a great convenience to the parent and teacher; he having before him both the verse and its exercises, without the trou

ble of using two books, as he would otherwise have to do.

2. Those words in the text which are printed in Italic characters, are explained; or rather, in many instances, their meaning is put into different words, and these sometimes not more obvious or plain than those in the original. There are many good and important reasons for this, which a teacher will soon perceive. One of these may here be given as an apology, and that is, that it gives the child at least a double chance of acquiring the meaning, if the original be not understood.

3. The Explanations, as here given, form a paraphrase of the verse; and are so constructed, that any one or more may be substituted in any part of it for the word explained; or the whole verse may be paraphrased, after the explanations have been given. This arrangement, as it becomes better known, will be found a valuable exercise for various purposes in different periods of a child's education.*

4. The Catechetical Exercise must never be omitted; but the questions printed in Italic characters, and which form the General Exercise for bringing out the meaning of the passage, may sometimes be used alone with advanced pupils, as is always done in revising.

5. The Lessons here given from the several verses are but a specimen of what parents and teachers may themselves draw from this inexhaustible mine of moral truth. Their great object in using

*On this subject, see "Key to the First Step in teaching to read upon the Lesson System," p. 330, and "Key to Second Initiatory Catechism," pp. 21, 22.

them with children must be, not so much to teach them a lesson from the verse, as to train them to draw out lessons for themselves. They should always, therefore, be made first to construct lessons of their own from the announcements; and when they can do this readily, they should be made to read the verse, and, by separating the several circumstances in it, mentally to form announcements, and audibly to give lessons for themselves. By this means any part of the word of God will soon be read and studied, even by mere children, in a manner wholly new, and unspeakably pleasant and profitable.

6. The Application of the Lessons, or of some of them, will be very useful and desirable. It is done by supposing cases in ordinary life, where the Lessons may be usefully applied. Of this a variety of examples, drawn from experience, will be found in the "Effects of the Lesson System," to which we refer.

7. For the genealogies, and some other passages, with which it is not perhaps so important for children, in the first instance, to be very critically versant, there have no exercises been provided in the Help. On the propriety and expediency of this, we scarcely think there will be any difference of opinion. If there should, we shall be sorry for the circumstance, but must, in that case, throw ourselves upon the candour and charity of those who differ from us. It is lawful, certainly, in a work of this kind, to choose one book of Scripture on which to construct a Help, in preference to another; and if so, it is equally lawful, (and we ask no more,) to make an election of chapters, or even of verses, for the same purpose.-Every chap

ter, and every verse, are, no doubt, equally inspired; but every one is not, and was never designed to be, equally useful.

HELP

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THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

SECTION I.

Of the Creation of the World.-Gen. i. 1-9.

1. IN the (1) beginning God (2) created the (3) heaven and the (4) earth.

1. Commencement of time.-2. Brought into existence.-3. Sky, and all that is in it.-4. World, and all that is in it and upon it.

1. What were created? When were the heaven and the earth created? By whom were all things created? What was done in the beginning to the heaven and the earth?

2. And the (1) earth was without (2) form, and (3) void; and darkness was upon the (4) face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved upon the (4) face of the waters.

1. World.-2. Shape.-3. Empty.-4. Surface.

2. What was without form and void? What was the earth without? What is said of the earth besides its being without form? What was on the face of the deep? Where was the darkness? What did the Spirit of God do? Upon what did the Spirit of God move? What moved upon the face of the waters?

3. And God said, let there be light; and there was light.

3. What did God say? What was the first thing that God made? What happened when God said Let there be light? When was there light?

4. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God (1) divided the

light from the darkness.

1. Separated.

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