"So with the heaven of better stars
Of which these are but signs:
So with the stores of wisdom hid
In everlasting mines."
H. BONAR.
THE FIFTH DAY.
"THE MOVING CREATURE THAT HATH LIFE."
"_This is the finger of God._"--EXODUS viii. 19.
"_The Lord ... in whose hand is the soul of every living thing._"--JOB xii.
10.
"_O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all:
the earth is full of Thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are
things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts._"--PSALM civ. 24,
25.
We now come to the time when the empty water, air, and land were filled.
The work of God on the FIFTH DAY is spoken of in verses 20 and 21 of our
chapter. In reading them we noticed that in respect of the "great whales,"
or sea monsters, the word "created" is again used, as it was in the first
verse; and then, as we read the twenty-third verse, we had a little talk
about the words now used for the first time in the story of Creation, "and
God blessed them."
How beautiful it is to see that as soon as God had caused the waters to
"swarm with swarms of living souls" (look at the margin of your Bible as
you read the twentieth verse)--as soon as we read of creatures to whom God
gave a life different from that of a tree or a flower, a life that could
enjoy itself in the home prepared for it--all these living things were
blessed, that is, made happy, by Him who called them into being!
God's world was a happy world for the humblest creature of His hand; and if
it is now a sad world, where the groan of many a suffering animal goes up
to Him who hears the ravens when they cry--whose fault is it?
Did you ever think how kind we ought to be to the creatures which, innocent
themselves, have shared the sorrow brought into the world by man's
disobedience? I heard someone say the other day, "It is terrible to see
animals suffer: to see cattle overdriven, and sheep dying for want of
water, and defenceless creatures cruelly used.
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