The Progress., 1893-12-23
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON JANUARY 7 The
FIRST ADAM.
The Section of the History Included ia
This Lesson Extends Over the First
Two Chapters-Gen. 1861; Ii;l-3'

Introductory. With this lesson we
begin not only new year, but
course of lessons extending over six
years and including the whole Bible,
from the garden Of Eden to the New
Jerusalem. The author of Genesis
was chiefly Moses. who used ancient
documents. and whose work was re-
vised in later ages. The date was
about 1900 b. c. 1t was written In
Hebrew. which like all living Ian
guaPes changed as time went on. AS
there was no printing in those days,
each copy was made independently by
hand, and there would be a remodel
ling of the language to the times OF
the people for whom the copy was
made "The narrative in the first
chapter of Genesis refers to the whole
work of creation from the beginning
up to the introduction of man and is
world wide in its action. That IN
Genesis second refers to special
group of animals. contemporary with
man in a special locality that of
Eden. Sir J w. Dawson
l. The Creation of Man-vers 26-
81; -, zl-24 PC. And God said.
He expressed his will. Let us make
a man" God the Father is either
comprising himself with the Son and
the Spirit, or with the celestial spir-
image, after our likeness An abso-
lutely perfect body without a soul
would not be a man 1t was only
when God gave the body he had formed
from the dust a living soul,
formed in Gods own image
that the creation of man took place.
The soul was not evolved; il was
created. 1t is not an animal develop
ment. but a dir ct importation from
God. This j. the nobleSt and most
honorable derivation of man.
-. 80 God created man" Man is
formed out of the dust: but in his
essential nature he was created.
male and female created he them
The plural pronoun is used to show
that the creation of man included
woman Woman was taken out of
man, not out of his head TO top him,
nor out of his feet to he trampled
underfoot, but out of his side To be
equal to him, under his arm to be
protected, and near his heart to b
Observation-Disclosures Henry.
2s, 30. And God blessed them" He
gave them his care for their pros
perlty and good, so that II would be
happiness to live. BE fruitful and
multiply" The first family was now
founded, and children were pro.
nounced a blessing from the Lord.
"And subdue it." Bring it under
cultivation, master it's forces, and
subject it TO their use. "And have
dominion" Because by his higher
nature man would have the power to
benefit the lower animals; to supply
them with food and care. Behold
have given you" The world is a
divine gift to man. ITO you 1t shall
be for meat" for food. The grant of
animal food waslgiven Genesis TX: g.
The plain inference seems to be that,
if man had remained unfallen, he
would have subsisted solely on the
fruits of the earth.-Green.
30. And to every beast of the
earth" The support of the whole
animal kingdom is based on vegetation.
81. And behold it was very good"
Each part of creation was good, but
the whole was very good. And the
evening" The dark time when all
these things were absent "And the
The daw n of these created
things growing into the perfect day.
2: l. THUS the heavens" There
should be no division of chapters here.
but at verse 4.
2. And on the seventh day God
ended his work" Nothing since the
advent of man has required the crea-
tive power. And God rested on the
seventh day." And this seventh day
is long period like the other days.
The creative days may well have been
not days of twenty-four hours, but
long epochs. Divine days and human
days may have a real correspondence
without being of the same length.
g. And God blessed the seventh
day and sanctified it." The whole
period of this, the seventh day SO far
as 1t relates TO man, is devoted TO the
providential care, religious develop
me Mt, and training Of man.