foolish thing to listen. The evil spirit told her that if she touched and tasted that fruit, she would be as wise as God himself. Try! And Eve

put forth her hand-perhaps drew it back two or three times, and looked round in terror; but the sky was clear over her head, and the sunshine smiling. So she took the fruit and did eat, and then she hastened to her husband, and gave him of the fruit, and he did eat also.

Then a dreadful terror fell upon them. They had disobeyed God, and they were afraid of Him. They had been glad to hear His voice; they had met Him cheerfully whenever He walked in the garden in the cool of the day; but now they trembled as they heard Him coming, and they hid themselves among the trees.

God called to Adam, and Adam was afraid: but at last he came forth; his eyes cast on the ground, his face red with shame; his wife shrinking from the bright gaze of God, and trying to conceal herself behind her husband. God asked them what they had done, and why they were afraid. Adam said, "The woman whom thou gavest me to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." And Eve said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." And there they stood-father and mother of the human race-trembling and afraid. You see how evil and bitter a thing it is to sin against God.

God punished them. He told them that henceforth they should have labour and sorrow-they should work and weep until they died, and returned to the dust out of which they had been made. But He gave them a grand promise. He told them that a Saviour should be born, and that He should destroy the evil spirit, and lift up those who had faith in Him to a better and a brighter home than that which now they must leave for

ever.

Farewell, beautiful garden! Without are thorns and thistles, toil and trouble, and death. No doubt they turned and looked back many times at the garden they might enter no more, but they could not return. For God placed at the gate an angel, with a flaming sword, to keep the way of the tree of life.

character and conduct.

THE DEATII OF ABEL.

Soon after this a son was born to Adam, and they called him Cain ; soon after another son was born, and him they called Abel. When Cain and Abel grew up to be men, Cain became a farmer, and Abel a shepherd. We do not know whether these two brothers were very much like cach other in face and figure, but we do know they were very unlike in Abel loved God with all his heart; Cain did not. It was then the practice to worship God by sacrifice. They killed and burnt the flesh of innocent lambs upon an altar, to show that they were looking to the Saviour who had been promised, and who Himself, as an innocent lamb, should be put to death in the place of the guilty. Abel brought the best lamb of his flock, and offered it with a loving heart, as a sacrifice on an altar. Cain brought some fruits or a sheaf of corn and offered, but without love and peace in his heart. So God was pleased with the offering of Abel, but was displeased with that of Cain.

And when Cain saw that God accepted the offering of Abel, but refused his, he was angry. He did not think that he had done anything wrong: he did not even allow that God was just: he did not try to please God better: he was angry with his brother.

God saw that Cain was angry, for God sees into our hearts, and knows everything. He spoke to Cain, and told him that if he did what was right, he, too, should have favour, even as Abel had; but Cain was jealous of Abel, and even angry with God.

When Cain and Abel were alone in the fields together, a dreadful thing happened. Cain struck down his brother and killed him. Abel was the first man who ever died in this world, and he died by the hand of his brother. No doubt Cain fled away from the scene of his crime, terrified, as his father had been when he had sinned in the beautiful garden. And God called to Cain, and asked him where was Abel. Cain-who was a liar as well as a murderer-said he did not know. But he did know very well where the body lay, all bruised and bleeding-the green carth

THE INVENTION OF USEFUL ARTS.

drawing in the red blood, as if it was ashamed and terrified, and would gladly put it out of sight. And God said to Cain, "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." And God punished Cain. He was from that time forth a wanderer in the world; whatever he sowed yielded no increase, whatever he planted died; and God set a mark on his forehead, so that everybody who saw him, years and years afterwards, knew he was Cain, who murdered Abel.

There was another son born to Adam, and his name was Seth: he was a good man, very different from Cain. And to Seth were born many sons and daughters, and to Cain also were born many children; and so the world came to be peopled. And Adam, our father, died, and Eve, our mother, died; but God was good to their children, and their children's children's children.

You may readily suppose that as the number of people became greater on the earth, many new things were thought of that had never occurred to those who had all the world to themselves. One man invented tents, and tents, you know, are the earliest kind of houses; another built a city; another found out the use of brass and iron; and another-here in the picture is the scene shown-invented music. What a wondering crowd gathered round Jubal-that was his name when he first breathed his music through a simple reed pipe. It was a very plain, simple instrument, but the beginning of all musical instruments. There is a wondrous difference, you know, between beginnings and endings. The acorn becomes an oak; the boy a strong man; the bubbling spring a wide river. Things that are small in their beginnings may be very great in their end.

It is a sorrowful thing to say, but it is the truth, that as people increased in the earth they grew more and more wicked. They did not think of God; did not care for God; did not trust in God; neither loved nor feared Him. They cared to live only for themselves. They seemed to