cause, a creator, who was it? And the answer today, at the latter end of the nineteenth century is just the one that was given three thousand years ago by Moses.

In the beginning: God created the Heaven and the earth created also all things that are on the earth, and that not by a sudden flash of His will, but by gradual and orderly evolution,-plants, trees, and grasses, of herb yielding seed, and then the living creatures, and these in an ever-ascending scale. Fish and fowl, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, and, last of all, man, male and female, made in the image of God, and appointed by God to have the dominion over all that He had previously made, "Over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

Yes, the first chapter of Genesis gives us the best and only true account of how we had our being. It bears its witness to a time when all we see about us and around us, "in the Heaven above, in the earth beneath, and in the waters under the earth," had its beginning. And that beginning is ascribed to God. He alone had no beginning. He alone is God from everlasting. All else is traced to His will. He spake, and there was light. He spake again, and the waters above the firmament were separated from the waters below the firmament. He spake, and the waters

under Heaven were gathered into one place, and the dry land, "earth," appeared. He spake, and the earth brought forth grass, and herb, and fruit-bearing trees. He spake, and the waters brought forth abundantly the moving creatures that are in it. He spake, and the earth brought forth the living creatures after his kind. And finally, the crown and head of all, “God said, Let us make man,” and God made man, "in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them."

Such is the inspired account of the Creation in the first part of the Bible. Can we read it or hear it read and not desire to express our sense of God's power, guidance, majesty, and goodness? Shall we not say with David in the text? "O come, let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker! Shall we not say with the elders whom Saint John saw in the Revelation, casting their crowns of gold before the throne in token of homage and worship, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power! for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." Or with Moses in his song, "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the Gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders." I am sure such will be the feeling of

arts, brethren, who look upon, as we all do,

the first chapter of Genesis as the true record of the creation. It is calculated to fill us with ennobling thoughts of Him in whom we live, and move, and have our being: Whose Hand made all that we see around us and above us, all the works of Nature, or as we had better call them, "Works of God."

The contemplation of these works moved holy men of old to rapture. Many of the most eloquent psalms are hymns of praise, inspired by the sight of God's work. Notably the one hundred and fourth psalm, "Praise the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, Thou art become exceeding glorious! Thou art clothed with majesty and honour." "Thou deckest Thyself with light, as with a garment, and spreadest out the Heavens like a curtain." "Who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters! and maketh the clouds His chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind!"

And here in this other Psalm, how David's heart burst forth into song, as he gazed on the blue starry heavens. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handy work. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun, which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to run his course. He goeth forth from the uttermost part of the heaven, and runneth about unto the end of it again, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." And here again

in the eighth Psalm,-" I will consider Thy heavens," (which reads as if the writer had just been pondering the first book of Genesis.

"I will consider Thy heavens, even the works of Thy fingers; the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained. Who is man? that Thou art so mindful of him: and the son of man that Thou so regardest him? Thou makest him lower than angels, to crown him with glory and worship. Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands, and Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. All sheep and oxen: yea, and the beasts of the field. The fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea; and whatsoever walketh through the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Governor! how excellent is Thy name in all the world."

And so do we say to-day, while our mind is yet freshly impressed with what we have heard in the first lesson." O Lord, our Governor! how excellent is Thy Name in all the world."

"These are Thy glorious works-Parent of good;
Almighty! Thine this universal frame;

Thus wondrous fair-Thyself how wondrous then!
Unspeakable! Who sittest above the heavens

To us invisible, or dimly seen

In these, Thy lowest works-yet these declare

Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine."

Yes. The goodness, the power, the wisdom, the providence, the presence of God, are abundantly

shown and manifested to us, in all the works of the Creator. There is nothing in all these works, that looked as it were the work of chance; all bear mark of care and design and adaptation of means to the end; all seem to say to the hearing ear-" The hand that made us is Divine." And it is to the worship of this Divine Head, it is the acknowledgment of God as our Creator, that the text calls us,-"O come let us worship and fall down before the Lord our Maker." We all respond to that call, we all say with David, "Great is our God, and great is His power, worthy to be praised: there is no end of His greatness."

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people, ascribe unto the Let the heavens rejoice, let the sea make a noise, "Let the field be joyful, all the trees of the wood "O praise the Lord all

"As for all the Gods of the heathen, they are but idols: but it is the Lord that made the heavens. Glory and worship are before Him, ascribe unto the Lord, O ye kindred of the Lord worship and power. and let the earth be glad and all that therein is." and all that is in it: let rejoice before the Lord." ye hosts! ye servants of His that do His pleasure." "O speak good of the Lord! all ye works of His, in all places of His dominion, praise thou the Lord, O my soul." Yes, the contemplation of God's works seen in the Creation, is calculated to fill our souls with noble and worthy thoughts about God.