The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-26
READING FOR THE DAY.
sunday-school lesson for Jan. 2. 1881


THE BEGIENING-Gen. l. &c 81; ii. 1-3.
Golden Text-In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth.-Gen. i, /.
With this lesson we begin a new course Of
study of the whole Bible. 1t is we'll to estab
authority of this Book of Genesis are as clear
and abundant as those for any book of the Holy
Scriptures. As only God could inspire men &c
prophesy with certainty far distant events. Sc
only God could know the story of the Genesis,
the beginning of things. There are many proofs
Of the fact that there were various accounts OF
the creation long before the times of Moses.
His work was to give the true account, and he
simply used the legends and existing stories
that were true, added other matter by divine
direction and gave it all Gods seal of authority.
We have proofs of the existence of the first five
books of the Bible in their present form nearly
to the times of Moses.
1t was the common belief for ages that the
word day. in Genesis meant period of twenty
four hours. But the record of the rocks, the ac-
count written on the stone leaves of the Book of
Nature, declared that these six DAYS must have
meant six long periods Of time We then go
back to the book of Moses, and we see that he
elsewhere psalm xc) speaks of one day with
the Lord being as thousand years and in Gen.
ises ii. 4. he speaks of the whole creative period
and the heavens" Christ and the apostles used
the word day" as covering indefinite periods Of
time Hence we conclude, not that there is a
mistake in Genesis. but that we we're mistaken
at first to the meaning of the word. When
we come to understand just what the writers of
the Bible intended, we shall End no mistakes of
Moses" but constant harmony with science and
truth. The Bible has nothing to fear from true
science
THE LESSON PRACTICALLY APPLIED
V. 26-Man was not made unadvisedly. The
Godhead weighed the matter perfectly before
concluding to accomplish il. Doubtless mans
awful history was foreseen by the God who made
him. Man OH earth is a success.
V. q. 28-Man was made in quality like God.
In that quality he might have remained, and
ne ought to have remained That divine quail
ity fitted him FOR the lordship to which God
appointed him. Sin untitled him.
V. n, 28-To man committed the repro
duction of his kind. Sex is an infinite marvel
of Gods designing mind. Gods words contain
no more distinctly imposed duty than that of re-
production The family is Gods idea.
V. 28-The earth does not belong to man by
self-surrender, but by conquest. When creation
is subdued, trained and developed, it be
ruled This order is one of perfect wisdom, be-
cause in this work of subduing all things unto
himself man secures his own growth.
V. 29-Upon the vegetable world mainly, if
not exclusively, should man feed. The value of
an animal diet may be questioned The time
may come In the history OF human progress
when men will not kill and eat their fellow-ani-
mails. Some men are thus cynical already
V. 3l-The work of a perfect God was per-
feet, and reviewing it he could not but see that
fact Gods creation was perfect in that it full
filed it's creators design. Each part perfectly
answered its original design Man was a per-
feet man as God was perfect God.
V l-Creation is completed To it no addi-
tons are being made. God did not create by
evolution. because of the effectiveness of such
economy. Creation by evolution is a plan to
dispense with God altogether. In behalf of this
view there is shade of scientific reason.
V. 2, 3-The Sabbath, too. was divinely
founded. God in the Sabbath calls for no par
ticuar day, but for seventh of our time.
We are to let go of SELF and grasp God and
Gods service in peculiar sense for that length
of time. Man. according to his Maker needs
the Sabbath. He cannot be man without it.
This Is Gods day. and so the day of His image
man.