Scripture History.

CONVERSATION III.

Мар.

FIRST PERIOD OF SACRED HISTORY.

Teacher. Samuel, can you tell me what was the subject of our first conversation, which we had a fortnight ago?

Samuel. It was the reasons for believing that the Bible comes from God.

Teacher. And, Roger, can you tell me what was the subject of the last conversation?

Roger. It was the geography of the Bible.

Teacher. Yes it was a general view of the natural condition of the countries which were the scene of scripture history. We now come upon another great subject, SCRIPTURE HISTORY, itself.

Samuel. Can we not read this history in the Bible, and so have you explain something else to us now?

Teacher. Yes you can read it; but it is very long, and contained in a great many books, scattered along through the whole Bible. Now it will help you very much to understand and to remember the whole of this, if first I give you a general view of the whole, mentioning the princi pal events in their order, and showing you the places where they happened, upon the map.

showed us last week?

John. Upon the map which you Teacher. No: upon some other maps which I have drawn. Here is one for this evening, (unrolling a map like the one opposite this page.)

Explanation of the Map.

John. This is just about as large as the other one, but it looks very different.

Roger. Is it a map of the same country?

Teacher. You may all examine it, and see if you can tell.

Samuel. I should think it was a map of part of the same country. Here is a part of the Mediterranean Sea, and of the Persian Gulf; but the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea are not put down. It does not reach so far North as those seas.

Teacher. Yes. It is a map of part of the region laid down on the other; and I will show you what part it is that is marked upon the other.

So saying, the teacher took down the other map, and showed them the square marked by the dotted line, yyyy, upon it.

Teacher. This second map contains only what is within these dotted lines on the first. But you see the paper is just as large as the other, and therefore all the parts may be made much larger, and you can see them more distinctly.

John. But this map is colored very differently from the other. I do not see the deserts and mountains.

Teacher. No. I have marked the countries on this map, because this is to study the history with.

Roger. But why do you take this particular portion of the other map?

Teacher. I am going to explain that to you. I shall divide the whole time of the history into several portions, and shall make a map for each portion or period. This one is for the first period. Under each period I shall describe the principal events which took place; the manners and customs of the people; also their government

Creation.

Sabbath instituted.

and laws, and the particular geography of the country. To-night we shall attend to the FIRST PERIOD.

Samuel. How far does the first period extend?

Teacher. From the Creation to the settlement of the Jews in the land of Canaan. I shall go on now to give you a short account of what took place in that time; and I wish you, whenever you please, to ask me any questions about what I shall say.

The Bible begins with an account of the creation of the world. God spent six days in this work, and when they were ended, and he had created the sun, the moon, and the stars, the ocean and the land,-trees, plants and flowers, the various tribes of animals,-and lastly, Adam and Eve, he rested from his labors on the seventh day. He commanded also that all mankind should observe that day, and keep it holy.

Samuel. I never thought before that the establishment of the Sabbath was the first command that God ever gave

to men.

Teacher. It is a remarkable fact. His making the command at this time, and without limiting it to any particular people, shows that he meant it to be observed by all nations, and in all ages. And yet some persons have thought that the observance of the Sabbath was required of the Jews alone; that God only meant the command to be a part of the law of that nation. They forget that it was established long before the Jewish nation existed.

Roger. But is it put down among the laws of the Jews?

Teacher. Yes: but God seems to have taken special pains to prevent our supposing that it was for them alone. We shall find, by and by, that the laws of the Jews were of two kinds: one kind were those which were for that nation only; they related to ceremonies, &c. The other

The sin of Adam and Eve.

kind were those which it is the duty of every person in the world to obey. These are the ten commandments, as they are called. Now the command to keep the Sabbath holy, was written with these, upon tables of stone, while the others were only written in a sort of book; as if God wished to show us that the Sabbath, which he had instituted as soon as the world was finished, was designed for all mankind. However, we must proceed with the history.

When Adam and Eve were created, God placed them in the garden of Eden. They were perfectly innocent and holy; but you remember how they disobeyed God, by eating of a particular tree, which he commanded them not to eat of. In consequence of this, God sent them away from the garden, out into the wide world.

John. Why did God forbid them to eat of that tree? Teacher. I do not know, and I suppose they did not.— But that was of no consequence: they ought to have obeyed God, whether they knew the reason of his command, or not. Perhaps it was to try them.

Roger. Do you think, Sir, it was a very great sin,-just eating a little fruit?

because it

It makes

Teacher. Certainly it was,—a very great sin; was disobedience of a plain command of God. no difference, whether it was eating fruit, or any thing else. Suppose a mother should lay any thing down in a chair, and tell her child not to touch it; and the child should disobey. Would it make any difference whether it was a pin or a silver dollar?

John. No, Sir: I should not think it would.

Samuel. I should think it would be rather worse to touch the pin than the dollar.

Teacher. Why?