Quest. 9. What is the work of creation?

Ans. The work of creation is, God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

Q. What is it to create?

A. It is to make something out of nothing; and likewise the making of a thing out of matter wholly unfit for it, as man's body out of the dust of the ground, is termed creating.

Q. Who is the creator of all things?

A. God. Q. Out of what did God make all things? A. Of Nothing. Q. How can that be said, seeing man was made of the dust of the earth?

A. Because God made that dust out of nothing.

Q. Can none else create or make a thing out of nothing but God?

A. No; neither man nor angel can create the least atom. Q. Cannot an angel make a living creature ?

A. No, not so much as a fly.

Q. Can an angel turn any thing into nothing?

Q. Can God do this?

A. No.

A. Yes, he could annihilate the whole world as easily as he created it..

Q. Did God employ angels as his instruments in the work of creation ? A. No.

Q. By what means then did God make all things ?

A. By the word of his power; He spake and it was done, Psalm xxiii. 9.

Q. What was that word of power he made use of?

A. That in Gen. i. LET IT BE; as, Let there be light,

Let there be a firmament, and the like.

Q. In what time did God make all things?

A. In six days.

A. Yes.

Q. Could not God have made them in less time? Q. Why then did he take so long time to do it? A. To give us a more distinct view of the order of the creation, and to set us an example of working six days, and resting the seventh./

Q. In what state did God make all things at first?

A. God made all things at first very good, Gen. i. 31. Q. What is the meaning of these words, all very good? A. That, of all the things that were made, there was none of them marred in the making; all of them answered the Creator's design, and were fit to shew forth his glory.

Q. If all God's works are very good, then whose work is sin,' that is so very evil?

A. Sin is none of God's works; it is only the work of the devil, and of man that was tempted by hirr cr

Q. And whose workmanship are the devits, or who made them?

A. God made them angels of light, but they made themselves devils by sin.

Q. When were the angels created?

A. Certainly within the space of the six days mentioned by Moses; for in that time we are told that God finished the creating of the heavens with their hosts, Gen. ii. 1, 2. which must include the angels, who are expressly called the heavenly hosts, Luke ii. 13. And many think they were created on the first day with the empyreal heavens, Gen. i, 1. Job xxxviii. 6, 7.

Q. Why was Moses not more express and particular with respect to the creation of angels ?

A. Because it being his great design to give a history of the church, and its original from the creation of the world, he judged it sufficient for his purpose to give us no more but a short account of the visible creation, to which angels do not belong.

Q. For what end did God make the world ?

4. The Lord hath made all things for himself, and for the manifesting of his glorious perfections, Prov. xvi. 4.

Q. What are the attributes of God which do most gloriously shine forth in the work of creation ?

A. His infinite power, wisdom and goodness.

Q. How is the glory of God's power displayed in making the world?

A. In his bringing all things of a sudden out of the womb of nothing by his bare word, Rom. i. 20.

Q. How doth the glory of God's wisdom shine forth herein ? A. In the amazing variety of creatures, and the beautiful order and harmony of all things; the view whereof made the Psalmist cry out, Psalm civ. 24. O Lord how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.

Q. How is the glory of God's goodness manifested in creation? A. In providing such a commodious habitation for man before he gave him a being, and making all creatures subservient to him, Psalm viii. 3, 4. &c, and xxxiii. 5.

Q. On which day of the cr on did God make light to shine? A. Upon the first day.

Q. Were the sun, moon, and stars, made the first day?

A. No; they were not made till the fourth day of the creation:

Q. How could there be light made before the sun ?

A. It was eather the great Creator to form a bright luminous body, and carry it about to enlighten the world for the first three days, and afterwards place that light in the sun, moon and stars, when they were created.

Q. When were the fishes created?
Q. When was man created ?

Q. What did God do the seventh day?

A. On the fifth day.

A. On the sixth day.

A. He rested from all his works, and sanctified it for his Sabbath.

Q. Was God weary with his work, that he rested after it? A. No; the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is he weary, Isa. xl. 28.

Q. What is to be understood then by God's resting ?
A. His ceasing from work.

Q. What doth God teach us by this example?

4. To cease from the labour of the week, and keep a seventh part of our time holy to the Lord.

Q. Is it not evident from sense and reason, as well as scripture, that the world did not exist from eternity, but was created some few thousand years ago, according to Moses's account?

A. Yes; it is clearly evident from the lateness of the invention of arts, the foundation of cities, the erecting of states, and the writing of histories, none of which do we find so ancient as the time of the creation fixed by Moses. Besides, the being of mountains and valleys is a plain demonstration that the earth was not from eternity; for, seeing the rain still washeth down some earth from the heights, if the smallest quantity, should but come down once in a thousand years, it is certain the mountains would have been entirely levelled in an infinite course of years, so that no height had now appeared. Q. Would it not be profitable for us to mediate much upon the beautiful and stupendous creation ?

A. Yes; it would make us little in our own eyes, raise in us an awful sense and veneration of God's power and majesty, cause us to hate sin that brings disorder into this beautiful frame, and help us to trust to our Maker's power and goodness in all our straits and difficulties.

Quest. 10. How did God create man?

Ans. God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, with dominion over the creatures,

Q. Which is the principal creature upon this earth ?
A. Man.

Q. Why then was he made after all other creatures?

A. Because God thought fit to make the world as an house ready furnished for him, before he would create man to inhabit it.

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Q. What sort of a creature is man?

A. A compound being of soul and body, created male and female.

Q. What is male and female?

A. Man and woman.

Q. How many men did God create at first ?

A. Only one man and one woman.

Q. What are the two constituent parts of man?

A. Soul and body.

Q. What is the soul of man?

A. It is a spirit, rational, invisible and immortal, by which a man exerts all vital and intelligent acts, lives, moves, understands and wills.

Q. How was man's soul made?

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A. God breathed into him, and he became a living soul. Q. Of what was man's body made?

A. Adam's body was made of the dust of the ground, and Eve's was made of a rib from Adam's side.

Q. Can the body live without the soul?

Q. Can the soul live without the body?
Q. After whose image did God create man?
A. After his own image.

A. No.

A. Yes.

Q. Did this lie in man's body or in any bodily shape or like,

ness

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A.. No; but in man's soul, which is a spirit endowed with natural faculties and mortal qualities, that bear some resemblance of its Maker.

Q. Wherein doth the soul resemble God in its natural faculties? 4. As it is an immortal spirit, endowed with understanding, will and memory,

Q. Wherein did man at first resemble God in moral qualities? ; A. In his knowledge, righteousness, holiness and dominion over the creatures.

Q. What knowledge was man endowed with at his first crea. tion?

A. He had a vast knowledge of God, of his law and will, of his works and creatures; and these in the lower world he knew well how to use and govern. And as an instance of his knowledge, he gave names to all the living creatures, suit,

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able to their natures, at the first sight of them, Gen. ii. 19, 20. Q. What was that righteousness which man had at his first creation?

A. He had an upright and righteous will, which inclined him to do justice to all his fellow creatures.

Q. Wherein did his holiness lie?

A. In the purity of his soul and its affections, whereby he was inclined to hate all sin, love what was pure and pleasant to God, and study a perfect conformity to his holy law, both in heart and life,

Q. Did not this holiness of nature fit man for communion with God, and enable him to keep his law perfectly?

A. Yes.

Q. Was not holiness the principal part of God's image in man?

A. Yes; and still it is the excellency of man in any state, whether in earth or heaven, seeing it is by this that he resembles God.

Q. Doth not knowledge beautify man too?

A. Yes; very much, if attended with holiness; but know. ledge without holiness is rathar the resemblance of the devil than of God, Gen. iii. 1. Acts xiii. 10.

Q. Was the dominion man at first had over the creatures any part of God's image in man?

A. Yes; for by it he resembled God in his authority and government.

Q. What was that dominion which man had at first over the ?

creatures

A. It was that authority which was given him over the fish of the sea, fowls of the air, and beasts of the earth; with power to rule, use and dispose of them at his pleasure; they all being subjected to his orders.

Q. Hath not man now lost this dominion in a great measure ? A. Yes; for with respect to the most part of creatures, man now is either a terror to them, or they to him, which is one of the bitter fruits of the fall. Since man hath rebelled against God, no wonder the creatures prove rebellious and disobedient to him.

Quest. 11. What are God's works of providence? Ans. God's works of providence, are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving, and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.