BIBLE STORIES. STORIES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. OF THE CREATION. You all know, I suppose, that 'in the beginning, God created the world.' To create, means to make a thing out of nothing. Now this great and powerful Maker, from whose hands came all this pleasant earth, who made us, and from whom nothing can be hid, who sees us even in the darkest places, and who knows all we do, say, and think; he loves little children, and has said, 'Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.' Here, then, you are asked to come to God; to tell him your wants; to confess to him your many faults; and to ask him to pardon you, and take you under his protection. You know also that Adam was the first man; and that God placed him in a delightful spot, called the Garden of Eden, and gave him a woman, called Eve, to be his wife. Now in this garden was a tree, called 'the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,' of which the Lord told Adam he was not to eat. But Satan took upon himself the form of a serpent, and tempted Eve to eat some of the fruit of this tree; and she did eat, and gave some to Adam, and he did eat. Then they were ashamed, and hid themselves among the trees in the garden. 'And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said, Where art thou?' He said, 'I heard thy voice in the garden, and was ashamed, and went and hid myself.' Now if Adam had not felt conscious that he had done wrong, he would not have been afraid or ashamed to have met his kind Master, who had given him so many good things; and in trying to screen himself from punishment, he meanly laid the blame on Eve, saying, '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 thou hast done?' And the woman said, 'The serpent beguiled (or tempted) me, and I did eat.' Then was the Almighty much displeased with them, and turned them out of the garden into the wide world, where they were obliged to till the ground, that is, to work hard to get bread to eat. Instead of having fruits growing ready for them, as they had in their beautiful Paradise, they were obliged first to prepare the ground, which had become unfruitful, thus sharing the displeasure of the Lord, then sow their şeed, and after it had ripened, to make it ready for their food. Now, perhaps, some of my young readers may think, how silly it was of Eve to take this fruit, and of Adam to be tempted by his wife; and it was very wrong in them to disobey the commands of the great Master of the garden. But I would have you think a moment, and you will find this idea proceeds from our pride. You think you would have done better; that, had you been Eve, you would not have taken the fruit. But are there not many things in which you may have been equally to blame? Have you not, in some instances, disobeyed the commands of your parents when they wished you to deny yourselves any thing not proper for you? Have you not said in your hearts, 'Where can be the harm of this little thing?' and have you not done it, even when you knew it to be wrong? I beg you to consider, that the only way to have a peaceful heart and be happy, is to do nothing which you deem evil, and neglect to do nothing which you esteem it your duty to perform. |