Questions on Chapter 8.

Him who had fitted up for his children so beautiful an abode. When the light of day appeared in the east, and the songs of morning burst upon his ear, man’s heart would be attuned to worship, and the bowers of paradise would resound with the notes of his grateful praise. Thus the recurrence of day and night would alike bring seasons of holy devotion. With what delighted anticipation would he look forward to the periods set apart for communion with the Holy One! He noted not the slow-moving of the hours, for he knew no suffering, no grief; he hid not his face and wept, for as yet he knew no sin. But, alas, he fell from this glorious estate! He “forsook the fountain of living waters” and turned to an impure stream. In an evil hour he listened to the voice of the tempter: and sweet must have been his charming to cause man to forget the voice of his Father, God, saying to him, “In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die!” Let us now, in conclusion, take a general survey of the material and intellectual universe, as spoken into being by the omnific fiat of Jehovah. What, we ask, was the grand object of God in calling into being this stupendous fabric of creation? It could not have been requisite for the promotion of his own essential happiness, for he was perfectly and independently happy in the possession of his own inimitable perfections. The great moving principle in the Deity, which resulted in the work of creation, we are led to believe, from all that we know of the divine character and administration, was benevolence, or love. He designed to exhibit his own perfections, and to show forth his own declarative glory, in the happiness of millions of intelligent existences. Infinite wisdom saw that happiness would be promoted by creation; infinite love delighted in this noble end; and infinite power spoke the word, and a universe appeared in being. Myriads of sentient existences have thus been permitted to taste the streams of bliss, and all that fill the station assigned them may rejoice forever in ascriptions of praise to Him “in whom they live, and move, and have their being.”

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER 8.

QUESTION 1. What was man’s primeval twofold nature?

2. Was his soul created out of nothing?

3. In what did the divine image, in which man was created, consist?

4. What is the evidence that it embraced spirituality?

5. That it embraced knowledge?

6. That it embraced holiness?

7. That it embraced immortality?

8. Did this immortality apply also to the body?

9. Was the body created naturally immortal?

10. What may we suppose was the design of the “tree of life?”

11. What is the evidence that man was originally happy?

12. What was the grand design of God in producing creation?