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Childrens - The Creation
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? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? THE CREATION.
tV 0
Illustrate]! ftii (C)ngrabingl on Steel.
A SERIES OF LETTERS FROM A FATHER TO HIS CHILDREN.
BY W. G. RHIND.
SECOXB KUVriON.
LONDON:
SAMUEL BAGSTER AND SONS.
1844.
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
Vpr\ I) i HAHVARB WLLE6E IIMAM
6IFT OF
JULY 2, im.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY n. CLAY, BREAD STREET HILL.
? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ADVERTISEMENT.
A second Edition of this little work having been called for immediately on
the issue of the first, no time has been lost in carefully correcting and revising
the original copy. A copious Table of Contents, with one or two original
articles, have been also added; and every pains and care have been taken to
make the little volume useful for children of all ages. The work is again sent
forth, with earnest prayer to the Lord (without whom the most laboured efforts
fail, and with whom the weakest means succeed) that he would be pleased to
command the blessing.
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? SUMMARY OF CONTENTS.
Introduction Page ix
LETTER I.
Inthoduction--The Lord Jesus, the Almighty Agent in Creation--The Heavens and the Earth first
called into being--The creation of Light--its blessing to Man--The grateful Change of Day and Night
--Light capable of existing without the Sun--The comparative Velocity of Light and Sound--The
Thunder Sturm--Appeal to the Conscience Pages 1--10
LETTER II.
The Lord Jesus the Light of the World--The Disciples of the Lord called to be like their Master--The
countenance of Moses bright in the brightness of God--The Christian like Stephen called to the same--
Passages of Illustration--Light is sown for the Righteous--The Light of the Just brighter and brighter
unto the perfect Day--The Light of the Righteous--Everlasting Light--The Light of the Body, the
Eye--The single-eyed, upright Christian, walks in the Light of Life Pp- H--
LETTER III.
The . Creation of the Firmament, or Atmosphere--Its Proportions--Its adaptation to sustain Life--The
Balloon explained--The Clouds the Storehouse of Waters, which return to water the Earth--The
principle of Evaporation explained--All Nature under the continual control and direction of the Lord--
The Refraction and Reflection of Light explained--The agitated Atmosphere, or Wind, the great con-
servator of Health and means of all Commercial Intercourse--Voyage of the Ship Duff, the First
Missionary Ship to the Pacific--Sound and Scent both alike conveyed by the medium of the Atmosphere
---Recapitulation of the Mercies of the second day's Creation--Conclusion Pp. 18--34
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? vi
CONTENTS.
LETTER IV.
The Atmosphere pervading all Things, illustrative of the Omnipresence of God--The French Revolution,
an awful Example of the Anarchy that inevitably ensues on a denial of God--The Omnipresence of
God, an Attribute full of blessing to the Believer--Dan. xii. 3, explained: The Righteous shall shine
as the brightness of the Firmament--The Song of Moses : Gentle as the Dew; refreshing as the Showers
on the new-mown Grass, Deut. xxxii. 2--Those born of the incorruptible Seed innumerable as the Dew,
Psalm ex. 3--The Children of God, living together in unity and love, like the Dew of Hermon, Psalm
exxxiii. 3--The Manna lighting on the Dew in the Wilderness, Numb. xi. 9--The Clouds the Symbol of
the Lord's Presence, Exodus xiii. 21--Awful illustration of Clouds without Water, Jude 12--Though a
Man be washed in Snow Water, he cannot stand before God, Job ix. --One thing alone cleanses from
Sin, the Blood of Jesus--Conclusion Pp. 35--45
LETTER V.
At the call of the Lord the dry Land rises up from the Waters, and, at his word, is covered with verdure and
beauty--Psalm civ. descriptive of Creation--The Productions of the Earth above and beneath its
Surface, Job xxviii. 5--The value of the Metals, especially Iron--The Great Britain Iron Steamer
considered, her dimensions, &c. --The Universal Kingdom proposed to be explored, and then the
Vegetable--The Precious Gems detailed as to their names, country, properties, and relative value;
those in the Breast-plate of Aaron and the Foundations of the Holy City especially marked--The Metalt
treated of in the same manner--So also Rock? , Stones, Slates, Clays, and Chalks; likewise Coal and Snlt--
The Vegetable Kingdom arranged under four Principal Divisions; 1. The Trees, Herbs, or Grass,
that are good for Food, such as Wheat, &c. ; 2. Those that are spun for Clothing, as Flax, Cotton,
&c; 3. Such as are compounded in Medicine, as Opium, &c. ; and 4. The Trees that are worked in
Art, as the Oak, &c. --All these blessings. and the fruitful season, come from the Lord, who presides
over his own creation, Psalm lxv. 9--12 Pp. 46--92
LETTER VI.
The joy of the Brazilian Slave on finding a Diamond of sufficient weight to ensure his freedom, illustrative
of the state of soul of the Man who finds the Pearl of great price--The Breast-plate of Aaron, glittering
with twelve precious stones, considered in its typical character, Exod. xxviii. 29; Heb. x. 21--
The Lord, as a Refiner, purifies his children, Mai. iii. 3--Job Xxill. 10, opens out the same truth
--The Word of God more precious than Gold, Psalm cxix. 72, 12"--Proverbs iii. 14; and viii. 19, on
the same subject--The glory of Jerusalem in the last days set forth under a variety of the Emblems
of this day, Isaiah lx. --Threatened Judgments on Israel, if disobedient; the Heavens Iron, the
Earth Brass, Lev. xxvi. 19--Israel, cast off from God, compared to reprobate Silver, Jer. vi. 30
--The Lord the Bock of Strength to his People, Deut. xxxii. A. --The Bock that followed Israel declared
to be Christ, I Cor. x. 4--The Lord Jesus also the Chief Corner Slone, 1 Pet. ii. 6; and the Shadow
of a Great Rock in a weary land. Isaiah xxxii. 2--The Wicked call on the Bocks to cover them, Rev.
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? CONTENTS.
vii
vi. 16--The Lord Jesus the Corn of Wheat that died, and the Sheaf of First-fruits, 1 Cor. xv. 23; John
xii. 24--The Trees clap their hands, and all Creation rejoices in the return of the Lord's anointed
King, Psalm xcvi. to c--The Believer compared to the fruitful Evergreen, Psalm i. 3; so also, Psalm
xcii. 15--Parable of the Vine and Branches, John xv. --Parable of the two Eagles cropping the loftiest
Cedar of Lebanon, Ezekiel xvii. --Conclusion Pp. 93--107
LETTER VII.
Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars--their value to Man, not only in ruling the Seasons, but for
calculation of Time and Distance--Brief History of the two Schools of Pythagoras and Ptolemy--The
Solar SysTem--The Sun, its magnitude, properties, distance from the Earth--The Planets separately
considered, especially the Earth and its attendant Moon--The Tides--The value of the Chronometer-
Eclipses--Comets--The Heaven of the Fixed Stars--Signs of the Zodiac--Constellations of the Northern
Hemisphere--Constellations of the Southern Hemisphere--Conclusion Pp. 108--134
LETTER VIII.
The Heavens to be folded together by His hands who spread them out. Psalm cii. 26; Heb. 1. 10--12--The
Heavenly Bodies in their circuit, descriptive of the universal character of the Gospel Ministry, Psalm xix.
1--6, compared with Rom. x. 18--The Lord God, the Sun and Shield of his People, Psalm lxxxiv. 11--The
Dream of Joseph concerning the Sun, Moon, and Stars making obeisance to him, Gen. xxxvil. 9--In the
Vision of the Transfiguration the Lord's countenance as the Sun, Matt. xvii. 2--And at the call of Paul,
there was a glory above the brightness of the Sun, Acts xxvi. 13--An Angel is seen with his countenance
as the Sun, Rev. x. 1--A Woman beheld clothed with the Sun, Rev. xii.
I--An Angel appears standing in
the Sun, Rev. xix. 17--Jesus the Morning Star, Rev. xxii. 16--The Vision of Abraham, his Seed promised
to be asthe Star* for multitude, Gen. xv. --The Stars in their courses fought against Sisera, Judges v. 20--
The Miracles of Joshua and Hesekiah, Joshua x. 13; Isaiah xxxviil. 8--The Church's glory and Israel's
blessedness both set forth under the sublime Emblems of this day, Isaiah xxx. 26; lx. 20; Rev. xxi. 23--
Conclusion /. Pp. 135--148
LETTER IX.
Creation of the Fish of the Deep, and Fowl of the Air--The value of both to Man--The Linnean Arrangement
adopted--The order Cete considered--The method of taking Whales--Their properties, value, &c--The
Grampus, Porpoise, Narwhal, and Dolphin described--The Six Orders of Fishes--The principal of their
respective genera and species considered:--1. Apodal; 2. Jugular; 3. Thoracic; 4. Abdominal; 5. Branch-
iostegious ; 6. Chondropterygious--Phoca, the Seal; Trichechus, the Sea-horse; and Hippopotamus, the
River-horse, described--also the Crustaceous Order of Fish, such as the Lobster, Crab, &c and the lesser
Inhabitants of the Deep--Molluscs--Testacea--Zoophyta--and Infusoria--The Birds of the Air treated of--
Their beauty, swiftness, &rc considered in Eight Orders Accipitres; 2. Picae; 3. Anseres; 4. Grallse;
5. Gallinee; 6. Struthiones; 7. Passeres; 8. Columbs Pp. 149--236
A4
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? via
CONTENTS.
LETTER X.
The Lord in hia teaching continually alluded to passing events, several examples--The passage considered,
" I will make you Fishers of Men;" also Ezekiel xlvii. 10, and the Parable of the Net cast into the Sea,
Matt. xiii. 47--Deut. xxxii. 11, alluded to, the Lord bore his People through the Wilderness as on Eaglet'
wings--The beautiful promise in Isaiah considered, They shall mount up with wings as Eaglet, Isaiah xl.
31; also the Lord's allusion in Luke xvii. 37, Wheresoever the Body is, thither will the Eagles be gathered
together--The Lord's care and protection of his People set forth in the passage, As birds flying, so will the
Lord defend Jerusalem--Matt. xxiii. 37, considered; also Jeremiah vilL 7, the allusion to the Birds of
Passage " watchful of the timet"--The 84th Psalm meditated on, and the Sparrow on the House-top--
Various Passages referred to where the Dove is used in illustration. --The Birds of Heaven sometimes as
emblems of judgment--Examples, The punishment on Children despising their Parents, Prov. xx. 20--
Edom'a judgment set forth by all the birds of prey and carnage building their nests amid its desolations,
and IsraeFtjoy by all nature rejoicing with them--Conclusion Pp. 237--254
LETTER XI.
Creation of the Cattle, Creeping Things, and Beasts of the Earth, and when all was completed--Man created
--The benefits of Animals to Man--Remarks on the cruel) custom of Vivisection creeping into England
--The Linnean Arrangement followed, and the Quadruped Family considered under Six Orders, ranged un-
der the general head Mammalia, or Animals that suckle their young, with a description of some of the prin-
cipal genera and species:--1st order, Primates; 2. Brute; 3. Ferae; 4. Glires; 5. Pecora; 6. Belliwe--
The Amphibia considered, under Two Orders:--1. Reptilia; 2. Serpentia--The Insect tribes-- I meet a de-
scribed in Seven Varieties--Vermet, Or the Worms, in Five Orders; Four, as Inhabitants of the 'Waters,
were considered on the fifth day; the other (Intestina) here--Man described in his innocence, his fall--
the promise and coming of Messiah--The Anointed Saviour--the promise of his return--The rightful
King over his own Creatures Pp. 235--355
LETTER XII.
Introduction--Anecdote of the little Boy at D. relative to Noah's Ark--The blessing of Judah considered--
Genesis xlix. 9, 10 compared with Rev. v. 1--6--The Righteous bold as the Lion, Prov. xxviil. 1--
Striking passage of illustration in Hosea v. 14--The figure of the Lion sometimes used to denote the
Enemy's power, 1 Pet. v. 8; 2 Tim. iv. 17, 18; Isaiah xxxv. 9, 10--The Lion in the last days shall be
trodden under foot, Psalm xci. 13, and Israel in the last days shall rise into power, and be as the Lion--
The Wolf fearfully descriptive of the power of the Enemy--Jer. v. 6 considered; also Hab. i. 8; Zeph. iii.
J; Acts xx. --But in the reign of peace the Wolf shall feed with the Lamb, Isaiah xi. --The Bear the
emblem of fury, Prov. xvii. 12 considered--The Fox the emblem of cunning, Cant. ii. 15 examined ;
also Luke xiii. 32--The Ox the example of patience and faithful labour, Psalm cxliv. --The Lamb--
no emblem in the Scripture of such frequent use--various passages examined into, 1 Pet. i. 19, 20;
Jlev. xiii. 8; John i. 29; and many others--The Sheep, the Lord as a Sheep before itt Shearers,
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? C0NTENT8.
IX
Isaiah till. --The Goat--the Parable of the Sheep and Goats considered--The Camel--Isaiah lx. 6, 7,
quoted and examined, also other passages--The Horse--Prov. xxi. 31, compared with Job xxxix. 19--24--
The Ate knows its master's crib, strong reproof to Israel, Isaiah i. 3--The Lord's riding into Jerusalem
considered--The Swine and Dog awfully alluded to in 2 Pet. ii. 22--The Serpent the emblem of cruelty,
cunning, and deceit, set forth in some striking passages--The Ant, Coney, Locust, and Spider considered
in that most forcible word, Prov xxx. 24--28--The Beet but once alluded to, but with great force--The
Fly, Eccles. x. 1--The Leech, Prov. xxx. 15--The Grasshopper, Numb. xiii. 33; Eccles. xii. 5--The Worm,
Job xix. 26, 27--Conclusion, from Cowper:--
Come, then, and, added to thy many crowns,
Receive yet one, as radiant as the rest,
Due to thy last, and most effectual work--
Thy word fulfilled--the conquest of a world!
Pp. 356--384
Pp. 385--39 8
Appendix
Hymn
P. 399
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? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? INTRODUCTION.
The first and greatest thought that should occupy the mind of a parent,
who himself has felt the power of divine truth, is, that the children whom God
has given to him may be partakers of the same mercy. For though he knows,
and would readily acknowledge, that it is God alone, " who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness," that can shine into the hearts of his children,
to give them " the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ," yet should he ever remember, both for his instruction and
encouragement, how often the Lord has enjoined parental care for the nur-
turing of the little ones, and how often he has blest--abundantly blest--the
earliest instruction from a mother's lips.
The command of God, by the lips of Moses, to the Hebrew parent is full of
instruction :--" And these words which I command thee this day shall be in
thine heart f--not in thine understanding only, but in thine heart,--the seat
of the affections ; and then, showing that our children are our first and espe-
cial care, the command is added, (Deut. vi. 6, 7,) " And thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children :"--diligently; this implies care, earnestness in
the matter,--not a lesson alone of duty, but the whole heart engaged in it.
And again, in the institution of the Passover, how beautiful and touching is
the incidental allusion to children, (Exod. xii. 27:) they were represented as
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? xii
INTRODUCTION.
certain to inquire what was the meaning of this rite,--why the Paschal Lamb
bled, and why the lintel was sprinkled with the blood;--and the inquiry was
not to be repressed, but rather the parent was to cherish it, and evidently with
delight to reply,--" It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over
the children of Israel, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. "
And so should the Christian parent explain to his children the Supper of the
Lord, and bring before their young minds the love of that Saviour, who, as
the true Paschal Lamb, gave his life a ransom for many; and that, sprinkled
with his precious blood, there is peace, and the sword of the avenger passes
over; but where that blood is not, he passes through in judgment. And who
can have read that solemn prophetic account of the destruction of Jerusalem,
by Nebuchadnezzar and his six princes, without seeing the part that children
had in it 1 some (evidently the Lord's) were weeping for the sins around them ;
and, marked by the man clothed in linen, the six avengers with the destroying
weapons came not near them; while all those unmarked--not in the Lord's
family--were swept away in the desolating judgment. The whole chapter
(Ezek. ix. ) is most solemn, but especially from verse 3 to 7. And in that
affecting call by the prophet Joel (Joel ii. ), when the trumpet for the solemn
assembly was sounded, and all Israel assembled before the Lord, the children
are in the scene, and even the mother, with the suckling at her breast, was
prostrate before the Lord. Many other passages might be adduced from the
Old Testament which are doubtless familiar to the Christian parent; but let
these suffice. And then, as it regards the New Testament, what parent who
reads this has not rejoiced in the compassion of His heart, who, when the
disciples would rudely have turned away the mothers with the children,
uttered that word so full of benignity,--" Suffer the little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. " All
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? INTRODUCTION.
Xlll
parental instruction, and, as much as possible, all the after stages of education,
should have steadily in view, even as the polar-star, this one absorbing thought,
the salvation of the child. Alas ! how often has one witnessed a child grow up,
admired and caressed by all around, his literary career all brilliant, when in a
moment his sun has gone down at noon-day; and, it may be, ignorant of the
great truth, that a sinner is saved alone by faith in the precious blood of Christ,
his soul has been called away to give an account to that God, the gospel of whose
grace he had slighted. Very much that is excellent has been written for
children during the present century; no age or station has been forgotten;
every year has brought forth some fresh theme of instruction, and new fields
have been opened out to meet the increased desire for knowledge : but still the
theme is inexhaustible. It is now many years since the writer of the following
letters had his mind more especially directed to the instruction of children ;
and no part of Scripture has he found so to arrest their young minds as
Genesis i. From thence all natural history may be said to take its rise; for
though the record of Moses is very brief, yet it necessarily contains the leading
history of the creation of each day; and thus all that we see around us must
be traced back to this original source, and so also all those beautiful illus-
trations of divine truth with which the word of God abounds.
To render familiar to a child's mind the peculiar characteristics that marked
the successive creation of each day, a series of Designs have been engraved, in
which at least the attempt has been made to give a faithful outline of the
Mosaic record ; nothing has been added for effect, but the description in Genesis
has been taken, and, as far as possible, faithfully delineated. The subject is one
of acknowledged difficulty, but no pains or care has been spared to make it an
instructive vehicle to the mind of childhood. Each Engraving (after the first)
takes up the subject of the previous day; so that, whilst the first simply
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? xiv
INTRODUCTION.
exhibits light beaming forth on tfie Globe of waters* and the dark clouds which
enshrouded it rolling back; the second, in addition to this, represents the
firmament (in which the birds of the fifth day flew, which is evidently the
same as the atmosphere) as surrounding the globe, while the third day,
together with the light and atmosphere, represents the dry land (Ps. civ. 6)
rising up from the depths of the waters, and the three great orders of vege-
tation--trees, herbs, and grass, springing up on its surface; and so in the
fourth the sun is seen in his brightness beaming forth from the one part of
the heavens, through the earth's atmosphere, on all the newly-formed beauty
of the third day, and sparkling on the deep, and henceforth the great source
of light:--while, shining in the dark shades of night, the moon and the stars
are beheld as gladdening the scene. The fifth, with all the blessings of the
four previous days, represents the air and sea animate with life, the fowls
flying in the open firmament of heaven, and the great whales and fish swim-
ming in the deep; whilst in the sixth and last day, in addition to all that
had gone before, are seen the quadrupeds, each in those countries where first
* The passage in Gen. i. 2, " And the earth was without form and void, and darkness
was upon the face of the deep," has presented a difficulty to some minds, as if at first the
earth was a shapeless mass, though this indeed could not be.
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BRIEFLY EXPLAINING IN LANGUAGE SLTTED TO THEIR YOUNG MINDS
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SAMUEL BAGSTLR AND SONS
MDCCCXLIV.
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? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? THE CREATION.
tV 0
Illustrate]! ftii (C)ngrabingl on Steel.
A SERIES OF LETTERS FROM A FATHER TO HIS CHILDREN.
BY W. G. RHIND.
SECOXB KUVriON.
LONDON:
SAMUEL BAGSTER AND SONS.
1844.
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
Vpr\ I) i HAHVARB WLLE6E IIMAM
6IFT OF
JULY 2, im.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY n. CLAY, BREAD STREET HILL.
? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-24 14:32 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. 32044024073470 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? ADVERTISEMENT.
A second Edition of this little work having been called for immediately on
the issue of the first, no time has been lost in carefully correcting and revising
the original copy. A copious Table of Contents, with one or two original
articles, have been also added; and every pains and care have been taken to
make the little volume useful for children of all ages. The work is again sent
forth, with earnest prayer to the Lord (without whom the most laboured efforts
fail, and with whom the weakest means succeed) that he would be pleased to
command the blessing.
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? SUMMARY OF CONTENTS.
Introduction Page ix
LETTER I.
Inthoduction--The Lord Jesus, the Almighty Agent in Creation--The Heavens and the Earth first
called into being--The creation of Light--its blessing to Man--The grateful Change of Day and Night
--Light capable of existing without the Sun--The comparative Velocity of Light and Sound--The
Thunder Sturm--Appeal to the Conscience Pages 1--10
LETTER II.
The Lord Jesus the Light of the World--The Disciples of the Lord called to be like their Master--The
countenance of Moses bright in the brightness of God--The Christian like Stephen called to the same--
Passages of Illustration--Light is sown for the Righteous--The Light of the Just brighter and brighter
unto the perfect Day--The Light of the Righteous--Everlasting Light--The Light of the Body, the
Eye--The single-eyed, upright Christian, walks in the Light of Life Pp- H--
LETTER III.
The . Creation of the Firmament, or Atmosphere--Its Proportions--Its adaptation to sustain Life--The
Balloon explained--The Clouds the Storehouse of Waters, which return to water the Earth--The
principle of Evaporation explained--All Nature under the continual control and direction of the Lord--
The Refraction and Reflection of Light explained--The agitated Atmosphere, or Wind, the great con-
servator of Health and means of all Commercial Intercourse--Voyage of the Ship Duff, the First
Missionary Ship to the Pacific--Sound and Scent both alike conveyed by the medium of the Atmosphere
---Recapitulation of the Mercies of the second day's Creation--Conclusion Pp. 18--34
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CONTENTS.
LETTER IV.
The Atmosphere pervading all Things, illustrative of the Omnipresence of God--The French Revolution,
an awful Example of the Anarchy that inevitably ensues on a denial of God--The Omnipresence of
God, an Attribute full of blessing to the Believer--Dan. xii. 3, explained: The Righteous shall shine
as the brightness of the Firmament--The Song of Moses : Gentle as the Dew; refreshing as the Showers
on the new-mown Grass, Deut. xxxii. 2--Those born of the incorruptible Seed innumerable as the Dew,
Psalm ex. 3--The Children of God, living together in unity and love, like the Dew of Hermon, Psalm
exxxiii. 3--The Manna lighting on the Dew in the Wilderness, Numb. xi. 9--The Clouds the Symbol of
the Lord's Presence, Exodus xiii. 21--Awful illustration of Clouds without Water, Jude 12--Though a
Man be washed in Snow Water, he cannot stand before God, Job ix. --One thing alone cleanses from
Sin, the Blood of Jesus--Conclusion Pp. 35--45
LETTER V.
At the call of the Lord the dry Land rises up from the Waters, and, at his word, is covered with verdure and
beauty--Psalm civ. descriptive of Creation--The Productions of the Earth above and beneath its
Surface, Job xxviii. 5--The value of the Metals, especially Iron--The Great Britain Iron Steamer
considered, her dimensions, &c. --The Universal Kingdom proposed to be explored, and then the
Vegetable--The Precious Gems detailed as to their names, country, properties, and relative value;
those in the Breast-plate of Aaron and the Foundations of the Holy City especially marked--The Metalt
treated of in the same manner--So also Rock? , Stones, Slates, Clays, and Chalks; likewise Coal and Snlt--
The Vegetable Kingdom arranged under four Principal Divisions; 1. The Trees, Herbs, or Grass,
that are good for Food, such as Wheat, &c. ; 2. Those that are spun for Clothing, as Flax, Cotton,
&c; 3. Such as are compounded in Medicine, as Opium, &c. ; and 4. The Trees that are worked in
Art, as the Oak, &c. --All these blessings. and the fruitful season, come from the Lord, who presides
over his own creation, Psalm lxv. 9--12 Pp. 46--92
LETTER VI.
The joy of the Brazilian Slave on finding a Diamond of sufficient weight to ensure his freedom, illustrative
of the state of soul of the Man who finds the Pearl of great price--The Breast-plate of Aaron, glittering
with twelve precious stones, considered in its typical character, Exod. xxviii. 29; Heb. x. 21--
The Lord, as a Refiner, purifies his children, Mai. iii. 3--Job Xxill. 10, opens out the same truth
--The Word of God more precious than Gold, Psalm cxix. 72, 12"--Proverbs iii. 14; and viii. 19, on
the same subject--The glory of Jerusalem in the last days set forth under a variety of the Emblems
of this day, Isaiah lx. --Threatened Judgments on Israel, if disobedient; the Heavens Iron, the
Earth Brass, Lev. xxvi. 19--Israel, cast off from God, compared to reprobate Silver, Jer. vi. 30
--The Lord the Bock of Strength to his People, Deut. xxxii. A. --The Bock that followed Israel declared
to be Christ, I Cor. x. 4--The Lord Jesus also the Chief Corner Slone, 1 Pet. ii. 6; and the Shadow
of a Great Rock in a weary land. Isaiah xxxii. 2--The Wicked call on the Bocks to cover them, Rev.
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? CONTENTS.
vii
vi. 16--The Lord Jesus the Corn of Wheat that died, and the Sheaf of First-fruits, 1 Cor. xv. 23; John
xii. 24--The Trees clap their hands, and all Creation rejoices in the return of the Lord's anointed
King, Psalm xcvi. to c--The Believer compared to the fruitful Evergreen, Psalm i. 3; so also, Psalm
xcii. 15--Parable of the Vine and Branches, John xv. --Parable of the two Eagles cropping the loftiest
Cedar of Lebanon, Ezekiel xvii. --Conclusion Pp. 93--107
LETTER VII.
Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars--their value to Man, not only in ruling the Seasons, but for
calculation of Time and Distance--Brief History of the two Schools of Pythagoras and Ptolemy--The
Solar SysTem--The Sun, its magnitude, properties, distance from the Earth--The Planets separately
considered, especially the Earth and its attendant Moon--The Tides--The value of the Chronometer-
Eclipses--Comets--The Heaven of the Fixed Stars--Signs of the Zodiac--Constellations of the Northern
Hemisphere--Constellations of the Southern Hemisphere--Conclusion Pp. 108--134
LETTER VIII.
The Heavens to be folded together by His hands who spread them out. Psalm cii. 26; Heb. 1. 10--12--The
Heavenly Bodies in their circuit, descriptive of the universal character of the Gospel Ministry, Psalm xix.
1--6, compared with Rom. x. 18--The Lord God, the Sun and Shield of his People, Psalm lxxxiv. 11--The
Dream of Joseph concerning the Sun, Moon, and Stars making obeisance to him, Gen. xxxvil. 9--In the
Vision of the Transfiguration the Lord's countenance as the Sun, Matt. xvii. 2--And at the call of Paul,
there was a glory above the brightness of the Sun, Acts xxvi. 13--An Angel is seen with his countenance
as the Sun, Rev. x. 1--A Woman beheld clothed with the Sun, Rev. xii.
I--An Angel appears standing in
the Sun, Rev. xix. 17--Jesus the Morning Star, Rev. xxii. 16--The Vision of Abraham, his Seed promised
to be asthe Star* for multitude, Gen. xv. --The Stars in their courses fought against Sisera, Judges v. 20--
The Miracles of Joshua and Hesekiah, Joshua x. 13; Isaiah xxxviil. 8--The Church's glory and Israel's
blessedness both set forth under the sublime Emblems of this day, Isaiah xxx. 26; lx. 20; Rev. xxi. 23--
Conclusion /. Pp. 135--148
LETTER IX.
Creation of the Fish of the Deep, and Fowl of the Air--The value of both to Man--The Linnean Arrangement
adopted--The order Cete considered--The method of taking Whales--Their properties, value, &c--The
Grampus, Porpoise, Narwhal, and Dolphin described--The Six Orders of Fishes--The principal of their
respective genera and species considered:--1. Apodal; 2. Jugular; 3. Thoracic; 4. Abdominal; 5. Branch-
iostegious ; 6. Chondropterygious--Phoca, the Seal; Trichechus, the Sea-horse; and Hippopotamus, the
River-horse, described--also the Crustaceous Order of Fish, such as the Lobster, Crab, &c and the lesser
Inhabitants of the Deep--Molluscs--Testacea--Zoophyta--and Infusoria--The Birds of the Air treated of--
Their beauty, swiftness, &rc considered in Eight Orders Accipitres; 2. Picae; 3. Anseres; 4. Grallse;
5. Gallinee; 6. Struthiones; 7. Passeres; 8. Columbs Pp. 149--236
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CONTENTS.
LETTER X.
The Lord in hia teaching continually alluded to passing events, several examples--The passage considered,
" I will make you Fishers of Men;" also Ezekiel xlvii. 10, and the Parable of the Net cast into the Sea,
Matt. xiii. 47--Deut. xxxii. 11, alluded to, the Lord bore his People through the Wilderness as on Eaglet'
wings--The beautiful promise in Isaiah considered, They shall mount up with wings as Eaglet, Isaiah xl.
31; also the Lord's allusion in Luke xvii. 37, Wheresoever the Body is, thither will the Eagles be gathered
together--The Lord's care and protection of his People set forth in the passage, As birds flying, so will the
Lord defend Jerusalem--Matt. xxiii. 37, considered; also Jeremiah vilL 7, the allusion to the Birds of
Passage " watchful of the timet"--The 84th Psalm meditated on, and the Sparrow on the House-top--
Various Passages referred to where the Dove is used in illustration. --The Birds of Heaven sometimes as
emblems of judgment--Examples, The punishment on Children despising their Parents, Prov. xx. 20--
Edom'a judgment set forth by all the birds of prey and carnage building their nests amid its desolations,
and IsraeFtjoy by all nature rejoicing with them--Conclusion Pp. 237--254
LETTER XI.
Creation of the Cattle, Creeping Things, and Beasts of the Earth, and when all was completed--Man created
--The benefits of Animals to Man--Remarks on the cruel) custom of Vivisection creeping into England
--The Linnean Arrangement followed, and the Quadruped Family considered under Six Orders, ranged un-
der the general head Mammalia, or Animals that suckle their young, with a description of some of the prin-
cipal genera and species:--1st order, Primates; 2. Brute; 3. Ferae; 4. Glires; 5. Pecora; 6. Belliwe--
The Amphibia considered, under Two Orders:--1. Reptilia; 2. Serpentia--The Insect tribes-- I meet a de-
scribed in Seven Varieties--Vermet, Or the Worms, in Five Orders; Four, as Inhabitants of the 'Waters,
were considered on the fifth day; the other (Intestina) here--Man described in his innocence, his fall--
the promise and coming of Messiah--The Anointed Saviour--the promise of his return--The rightful
King over his own Creatures Pp. 235--355
LETTER XII.
Introduction--Anecdote of the little Boy at D. relative to Noah's Ark--The blessing of Judah considered--
Genesis xlix. 9, 10 compared with Rev. v. 1--6--The Righteous bold as the Lion, Prov. xxviil. 1--
Striking passage of illustration in Hosea v. 14--The figure of the Lion sometimes used to denote the
Enemy's power, 1 Pet. v. 8; 2 Tim. iv. 17, 18; Isaiah xxxv. 9, 10--The Lion in the last days shall be
trodden under foot, Psalm xci. 13, and Israel in the last days shall rise into power, and be as the Lion--
The Wolf fearfully descriptive of the power of the Enemy--Jer. v. 6 considered; also Hab. i. 8; Zeph. iii.
J; Acts xx. --But in the reign of peace the Wolf shall feed with the Lamb, Isaiah xi. --The Bear the
emblem of fury, Prov. xvii. 12 considered--The Fox the emblem of cunning, Cant. ii. 15 examined ;
also Luke xiii. 32--The Ox the example of patience and faithful labour, Psalm cxliv. --The Lamb--
no emblem in the Scripture of such frequent use--various passages examined into, 1 Pet. i. 19, 20;
Jlev. xiii. 8; John i. 29; and many others--The Sheep, the Lord as a Sheep before itt Shearers,
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? C0NTENT8.
IX
Isaiah till. --The Goat--the Parable of the Sheep and Goats considered--The Camel--Isaiah lx. 6, 7,
quoted and examined, also other passages--The Horse--Prov. xxi. 31, compared with Job xxxix. 19--24--
The Ate knows its master's crib, strong reproof to Israel, Isaiah i. 3--The Lord's riding into Jerusalem
considered--The Swine and Dog awfully alluded to in 2 Pet. ii. 22--The Serpent the emblem of cruelty,
cunning, and deceit, set forth in some striking passages--The Ant, Coney, Locust, and Spider considered
in that most forcible word, Prov xxx. 24--28--The Beet but once alluded to, but with great force--The
Fly, Eccles. x. 1--The Leech, Prov. xxx. 15--The Grasshopper, Numb. xiii. 33; Eccles. xii. 5--The Worm,
Job xix. 26, 27--Conclusion, from Cowper:--
Come, then, and, added to thy many crowns,
Receive yet one, as radiant as the rest,
Due to thy last, and most effectual work--
Thy word fulfilled--the conquest of a world!
Pp. 356--384
Pp. 385--39 8
Appendix
Hymn
P. 399
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? INTRODUCTION.
The first and greatest thought that should occupy the mind of a parent,
who himself has felt the power of divine truth, is, that the children whom God
has given to him may be partakers of the same mercy. For though he knows,
and would readily acknowledge, that it is God alone, " who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness," that can shine into the hearts of his children,
to give them " the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ," yet should he ever remember, both for his instruction and
encouragement, how often the Lord has enjoined parental care for the nur-
turing of the little ones, and how often he has blest--abundantly blest--the
earliest instruction from a mother's lips.
The command of God, by the lips of Moses, to the Hebrew parent is full of
instruction :--" And these words which I command thee this day shall be in
thine heart f--not in thine understanding only, but in thine heart,--the seat
of the affections ; and then, showing that our children are our first and espe-
cial care, the command is added, (Deut. vi. 6, 7,) " And thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children :"--diligently; this implies care, earnestness in
the matter,--not a lesson alone of duty, but the whole heart engaged in it.
And again, in the institution of the Passover, how beautiful and touching is
the incidental allusion to children, (Exod. xii. 27:) they were represented as
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INTRODUCTION.
certain to inquire what was the meaning of this rite,--why the Paschal Lamb
bled, and why the lintel was sprinkled with the blood;--and the inquiry was
not to be repressed, but rather the parent was to cherish it, and evidently with
delight to reply,--" It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over
the children of Israel, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. "
And so should the Christian parent explain to his children the Supper of the
Lord, and bring before their young minds the love of that Saviour, who, as
the true Paschal Lamb, gave his life a ransom for many; and that, sprinkled
with his precious blood, there is peace, and the sword of the avenger passes
over; but where that blood is not, he passes through in judgment. And who
can have read that solemn prophetic account of the destruction of Jerusalem,
by Nebuchadnezzar and his six princes, without seeing the part that children
had in it 1 some (evidently the Lord's) were weeping for the sins around them ;
and, marked by the man clothed in linen, the six avengers with the destroying
weapons came not near them; while all those unmarked--not in the Lord's
family--were swept away in the desolating judgment. The whole chapter
(Ezek. ix. ) is most solemn, but especially from verse 3 to 7. And in that
affecting call by the prophet Joel (Joel ii. ), when the trumpet for the solemn
assembly was sounded, and all Israel assembled before the Lord, the children
are in the scene, and even the mother, with the suckling at her breast, was
prostrate before the Lord. Many other passages might be adduced from the
Old Testament which are doubtless familiar to the Christian parent; but let
these suffice. And then, as it regards the New Testament, what parent who
reads this has not rejoiced in the compassion of His heart, who, when the
disciples would rudely have turned away the mothers with the children,
uttered that word so full of benignity,--" Suffer the little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. " All
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? INTRODUCTION.
Xlll
parental instruction, and, as much as possible, all the after stages of education,
should have steadily in view, even as the polar-star, this one absorbing thought,
the salvation of the child. Alas ! how often has one witnessed a child grow up,
admired and caressed by all around, his literary career all brilliant, when in a
moment his sun has gone down at noon-day; and, it may be, ignorant of the
great truth, that a sinner is saved alone by faith in the precious blood of Christ,
his soul has been called away to give an account to that God, the gospel of whose
grace he had slighted. Very much that is excellent has been written for
children during the present century; no age or station has been forgotten;
every year has brought forth some fresh theme of instruction, and new fields
have been opened out to meet the increased desire for knowledge : but still the
theme is inexhaustible. It is now many years since the writer of the following
letters had his mind more especially directed to the instruction of children ;
and no part of Scripture has he found so to arrest their young minds as
Genesis i. From thence all natural history may be said to take its rise; for
though the record of Moses is very brief, yet it necessarily contains the leading
history of the creation of each day; and thus all that we see around us must
be traced back to this original source, and so also all those beautiful illus-
trations of divine truth with which the word of God abounds.
To render familiar to a child's mind the peculiar characteristics that marked
the successive creation of each day, a series of Designs have been engraved, in
which at least the attempt has been made to give a faithful outline of the
Mosaic record ; nothing has been added for effect, but the description in Genesis
has been taken, and, as far as possible, faithfully delineated. The subject is one
of acknowledged difficulty, but no pains or care has been spared to make it an
instructive vehicle to the mind of childhood. Each Engraving (after the first)
takes up the subject of the previous day; so that, whilst the first simply
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INTRODUCTION.
exhibits light beaming forth on tfie Globe of waters* and the dark clouds which
enshrouded it rolling back; the second, in addition to this, represents the
firmament (in which the birds of the fifth day flew, which is evidently the
same as the atmosphere) as surrounding the globe, while the third day,
together with the light and atmosphere, represents the dry land (Ps. civ. 6)
rising up from the depths of the waters, and the three great orders of vege-
tation--trees, herbs, and grass, springing up on its surface; and so in the
fourth the sun is seen in his brightness beaming forth from the one part of
the heavens, through the earth's atmosphere, on all the newly-formed beauty
of the third day, and sparkling on the deep, and henceforth the great source
of light:--while, shining in the dark shades of night, the moon and the stars
are beheld as gladdening the scene. The fifth, with all the blessings of the
four previous days, represents the air and sea animate with life, the fowls
flying in the open firmament of heaven, and the great whales and fish swim-
ming in the deep; whilst in the sixth and last day, in addition to all that
had gone before, are seen the quadrupeds, each in those countries where first
* The passage in Gen. i. 2, " And the earth was without form and void, and darkness
was upon the face of the deep," has presented a difficulty to some minds, as if at first the
earth was a shapeless mass, though this indeed could not be.
