THERE WAS NOT,-could not be. On Him, and on Him alone, never came yoke. He was "the uncreated Son of the Blessed." This, then, is the first truth I am anxious, and more than anxious, to impress on your earliest thoughts, that when you look around on the earth's beauty-beautiful in its ruins (and destined to be all glorious), you may remember, and never cease to remember, by whom it was created, by whom it was redeemed, and by whom it shall, ere long, be reigned over in righteousness and peace. Having thus considered the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Creator of all things, we will now look at the Creation itself.

GENESIS I. 1.

The first verse of the 1st chapter of Genesis brings before your minds that simple, but sublime truth, that "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Whether, my dear children, this Creation of the heavens and the earth immediately preceded the first day is not expressly revealed (though Job xxxviii., before quoted, strongly favours the idea that it did,) but the ordering of the six days themselves is very manifest; and Exod. xx. 8-11,

• The word used in Deut. xxxii. 11,-" As the eagle fluttereth over her young," is the same as is here translated moved.

where the Lord, speaking from Mount Sinai, says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,-for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth," is evidence, to me conclusive, that the days of creation were periods of twenty-four hours of time; and this, I think, is further proved by the concluding sentence of each day—“ and the evening and the morning were the first day," and so on. Whether therefore the globe* had been created a long or a short period before the six days, as I before remarked, is not expressly recorded; but there it lay in space, evidently revolving in its own orbit, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And now came forth that most blessed word" God said, Let there be light, and there was light;" or, as it is literally, "Light shall be, and light is." Instantly, at the command of God, light, in all its indescribable glory, burst upon the darkness; not indeed wholly dispersing it, for part of the earth still remained enveloped in the shades of night; but this also in its turn became illumined; for the earth, revolving on its axis, according to the order of its creation, the alternation of day and night took place; and thus God divided the light from the darkness, and the evening and the morning were the first day.

As there is no account of the earth, after its creation, being formed into a sphere or globe, the conclusion is, that it came as such in the beginning from the hands of its great Creator, and the glory of the six days shed light, life, beauty and order over all; until, at the close of the six days, God saw all that He had made, and behold it was 66 very good."

tLight is," gives the full idea of an instantaneous answer to the call of the Almighty Creator.

And here it will be well to shew you, that in all the days, preceding the last, the future days were contemplated by the great Creator, and the happiness of man and every other creature was perpetually before him; and all things bore on this. This we see especially in the alternation of day and night; for whilst the light of day is so precious to us, that without it all would be gloom and wretchedness-indeed death would reign around on every side—yet the shades of the evening and the curtain of night, seeing how transient are their duration, come to man and every living thing as positive blessing, inviting to repose, and extend also to the vegetable world, which is refreshed and nourished thereby; and how sweet is that word of the Psalmist, "Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening." (Ps. civ. 23.) And how soothing to his wearied spirit, as the light begins to fade away, to see the birds, some seeking the branches of trees, and others the cavities of rocks, for the rest of the night; and thus, as Paley so beautifully says on this subject, "they give way to that sweet repose -that soft necessity." It is also in the night that the silent dew lights, so gentle and soft, that even the most fair and delicately pencilled flower is not injured but refreshed by it.

A difficulty has presented itself to some minds, how light, which is now so dependent on the sun, could have existed without it. But, my dear children, this is only one of the many things that are hidden from us for a time, but which in its season, if we would but wait, the Lord, either here or hereafter, will explain. And indeed within the