look upwards we can see the bright sun, the blue sky, and the passing clouds. By night, we can see the moon and innumerable stars. All these are works of God; they are very beautiful, but, once they were not to be seen. Once there was no sun, no bright blue sky, no moon, no stars; there were no heavens; there was nothing beautiful on the whole earth; -there was no earth; and the trees, flowers, cattle, beasts, birds, and insects, were not to be seen; they were not created, there was no light, there were no men, nor women, nor children; there was nothing all the earth was empty or void; it was irregular, or without form; and darkness was over the whole earth. In the Bible we are taught that "God created the heavens and the earth."* The Bible is God's own word, and it is * Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1. altogether true. It can make us wise, and, therefore, we must learn it, meditate upon it, and love it. We must "obey the voice of the Lord;"* the Bible is his voice. We must "fear God and keep his commandments ;"+ the Bible tells us to do this. GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. The earth was at first a confused mass -a chaos. God formed it into the beautiful world we now see. The Spirit of God moved over the whole earth. God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. God himself was not created; he has always existed. It is said in the Bible that "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed Deuteronomy, c. xxx. v. 8. † Ecclesiastes c. xii. verse 13. B 66 the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."* It is also said, that "the worlds were framed by the word of God," and it is our duty to believe it, because the Bible is God's own word. The heavens and the earth had a beginning; they began when God created them. God had no beginning. The heavens and the earth will have an end; the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up." God will have no end. The world will perish, but he will endure. He always has existed, and when this world has passed away, he will create 66 a new heaven and a new earth,"§ and he will exist there; he will exist for ever and ever. There is no being like God; the angels of heaven are spirits; they Psalm xc. verse 2. † Hebrews, c. xi. verse 3. § Isaiah, lxv. verse 17. are holy, wise, and happy: they are servants of God, they are obedient to his will. In this lesson you are especially to learn that God created the heavens and the earth. He created them in the beginning, which means, when time began. The Spirit of God moved over the earth, and God commenced the works of the creation. All the works of the creation were finished in six days. FIRST DAY'S WORK.-THE CREATION OF LIGHT. God's first work was light. Having light we see God's glorious works. We may consider light as one of our greatest blessings. At first darkness was over the whole earth. God said "let there be light,"* and instantly there was light. Genesis, c. i. verse 3. "God commanded the light to shine out of the darkness."* God saw the light that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. God did not destroy the darkness, because the darkness is good. God made them to be separated; light to follow after darkness, and darkness to follow after light. God has given us light that we may work, and learn and do our duty. "Man goeth forth to his work, and to his labour, until the evening."+ God has given us darkness for rest and sleep. After we have slept, we may say when we arise from our beds, “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun." When God had created light, he called the light day; and he called the darkness night. This was God's work on the first day,—to create Corinthians, c. iv. verse 6. Psalm civ. verse 23, Ecclesiastes, c. ii. verse 7, |