Page images
PDF
EPUB

ADAM AND EVE IN PARADISE.

Oh, Paradise! oh, Paradise!

Who doth not crave for rest? Who would not seek the happy land Where they that loved are blest?

Lord Jesu, King of Paradise,

Oh, keep me in Thy love, And guide me to that happy land Of perfect rest above.

TEMPTATION, DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT.

ND the Lord God formed man of

[ocr errors]

the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

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

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.

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.

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; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

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

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,

then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves. together and made themselves aprons.

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and be

tween thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Questions and Explanations.

Question.-Is anything known as to the place where the garden of Eden was situated?

Answer. The river Euphrates, which bears the same name now, is mentioned in the sacred narrative; and it is generally supposed that the river Hiddekel is the Tigris. The Euphrates and the Tigris flow into the Persian Gulf, near the boundary between Turkey in Asia and Persia. The name Eden means a place of delight.

Q. It is said that in Eden were "bdellium and the onyx stone;" what is bdellium?

A.—A valuable gum obtained from a tree which grows in Arabia, Persia, and India.

Q.-Have the names Adam and Eve any particular meaning?

A.-Adam is a Hebrew word, meaning "red earth;" Eve means "life."

Q.-In what manner did Adam and Eve sin? A.-By disobeying the command of God. They could not commit some of the sins against which we are warned and which are forbidden by the Ten Commandments, for they were the only human beings in the world, and therefore could do no harm to others, as we do if we forget the laws given by God; but they could disobey Him, and they did so when they listened to the tempting of Satan. In a place where everything necessary to hap piness was so plentiful, it would seem to be very easy not to eat of the fruit of one particular tree; but Adam and Eve were persuaded by Satan that they would show their independence by tasting of the forbidden fruit. We must guard against the continual temptation to commit what we may think to be "little sins," which will soon grow into great sins and will lead us to destruction.

Q-How has the prophecy, "It shall bruise thy head,

and thou shalt bruise his heel," been fulfilled? A.-The serpent, that is, Satan, has been wounded, and will be destroyed, by the power of Christ, who came in His

human nature, by descent, from Eve. Her children were bruised, or injured, from the beginning of the world by the consequences of sin, and the wickedness of man led to the crucifixion of Christ and the slaughter of those who believed in Him.

Q.-In what manner was the ground cursed for the sin of Adam?

A. It would not afterwards bring forth what was necessary for the use of man without great and wearying labour on his part. Weeds and poisonous plants would grow freely, and must be kept down by great care and watchfulness. If men did not work very hard they would have no food-for that is the meaning of " in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread."

Q-Could Adam and Eve return to the garden of Eden after they had been driven out?

A.-No. The cherubim "kept the way of the tree of life," but "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; " He will open the gates of the heavenly Paradise to all who believe in Him.

CAIN AND ABEL.

From angry word, from evil thought,
From sudden rage, from murder's stain,
Prepare, O Lord, Thy children bought
By Jesu's blood and dying pain.

O Lord, be with us every day,
Teach us from anger to refrain,
Lead brothers in the righteous way,
And keep us from the sin of Cain.

THE FIRST MURDER.

[Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.]

AND in process of time it came to

pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.

And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

And Cain talked with Abel his brother and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

And the LORD said unto Cain, Where

is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

And Cain went out from the presence

of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. [Cain had a son named Enoch, after whom

a city built by Cain was named.]

And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael and Methusael begat Lamech.

And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth and the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters and all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years and he died.

And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: and Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan and Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.

And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: and Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters and all the days of Cainan

were nine hundred and ten years and he died.

And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: and Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters and all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters and all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God and he was not; for God took him.

And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters and all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years and he died.

And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Questions and Explanations.

Question.-Who was the first-born of Adam and
Eve?
Answer.-Cain. Perhaps Eve did not fully understand

the prophecy of the Lord respecting her offspring and
the serpent, and, when she had a son, thought that he
would destroy the serpent who had tempted her to sin.
She was therefore joyful and named the child Cain,
which means "I have got," implying possession of
something valuable.

Q-Is any other child of Adam and Eve, besides
Cain and Abel, mentioned?

A.-Yes; Seth. After the murder of Abel, and the banish-
ment of Cain, our first parents looked to Seth as the
first of the promised race. The name means "ap-
pointed," or, according to some writers, “foundation,"
either of which would show that the chosen people
would descend from him.

Q.-Did not men then live to a very great age?

A. Yes. If they had not lived much longer than men do now, there would have been very few people in the world. Cain was perhaps an old man when he married in the land of Nod, and his wife was, it would seem, a descendant of one of the sons or daughters of Adam mentioned in the text. The descendants of Seth were the chosen race, described as the "sons of God;" those of Cain were the people who afterwards made war upon the Lord's people. The great age to which men lived enabled them to teach to their descendants the knowledge of God, which otherwise might have been lost. Adam, who lived to be more than nine hundred years old, could tell his descendants about the Garden of Eden, and how he and Eve, having sinned, were punished.

His bow of promise we behold
As beautifully arrayed

As when, amid a world destroyed,
'Twas first to man displayed;

THE DELUGE.

His gentlest creatures, dove-like birds,
Rest on our wandering bark;

They seek the vessel, as the dove
The life-preserving ark.

THE WORLD DESTROYED BY A FLOOD.-NOAH AND HIS FAMILY SAVED.

AND it came to pass, when men

began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his

heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood: rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the

« PreviousContinue »