with the explanations, descriptions, apt applications, and direct evangelical instruction which it contains, will obtain for it a welcome entrance into many families, as well as Sunday-school and other libraries, and be made the means of great usefulness. OUR Lord exhorted the Jews who lived in his day carefully to study the Scriptures, "for," said he, "in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me." When our Saviour was graciously pleased to explain to his disciples "the things concerning himself" in the Scriptures, he expounded unto them those things "which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms." I do not pretend to explain the whole of the Bible to you, but I wish to show you how to read it intelligently, and to make it more easy for you to understand. I should consider it a great misfortune for you or for me if my lessons led any of you to say, "I have learned the doctrines of Christianity, I have finished my course 1 John v. 39. B o! of studies, and I understand the Scriptures." Oh, no I would much rather teach you to read the Bible every day, as long as you live; and if you really understand it as you ought, you will exclaim with king David, "O how love I thy law !" "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." In truth, the more you study the word of God, the more wondrous you will find it, and the more worthy of being searched with attention and humility. 1 I am now about to speak to you of the second of the books of Moses. You know that there are five of them. Greek names were given to them when the Bible was translated into the Greek language. The first book is called Genesis, that is, origin or beginning, because it tells us about the "birthday of the world," and the beginning of all things, of heaven, of earth, of man, of sin, of the gospel, and many other things. The second book is entitled Exodus, or the going out, because it gives an account of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt. The third book is called Leviticus, because it contains the laws which God commanded should be observed by the tribe of Levi, who ministered at the altar. The fourth book is called Numbers, because it contains the numbering of the Israelites by Moses. The fifth is Deuteronomy, a Greek word meaning the second law, or rather the repetition of the law, because the commandments given in the three preceding books are there repeated. In the book of Genesis we are told how God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden; how 1 Ps. cxix. 18, 97, 105. |