Genesis 1:31

God saw everything that he had made and it was very good.

He contemplated it and pronounced his approval upon the entire finished creation. Nothing but what was good, unless perverted, could come from the hand of an all-wise and benevolent Creator. Even after the distortion which has been caused by sin, there are countless proofs of the benevolence and perfection of the divine works.. blasphemer of Portugal, King Alphonso, asserted that if he had been consulted he could have suggested. better world, and the great modern blasphemer, Ingersoll, has got off as original the same blasphemy, but those who look deeper see that for such. creature as sin has made man this is the best possible world. When completed nothing had been corrupted or impaired by sin.

The evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Each day, or period, begins with evening, for darkness was upon the earth before light. The Jews always followed the order of Genesis and began the new day with the evening,. necessity also from the fact that their calendar, the beginning of their months, their year, and the time of the feasts were regulated by the new moon, which, of course, was always seen first in the evening.

CREATION IN THE BIBLE AND IN SCIENCE.--Whether we regard the six days as six periods of indefinite duration, of which the day was. symbol, or as six natural days, all scientists are agreed that the place assigned to man in the order of creation is that agreed upon by science. Man was the last of the creations, and his fossils or remains are found only in the most recent formations. Nor can it be doubted that the general order of the creations, given In this chapter, are in harmony with the teachings of science. The successive stages are: 1. The creation of matter; its condition of "waste and empty" chaos, the divine influence imparting to it active properties, the production of light. 2. The separation of the fluid mass into waters and vapors or clouds, waters below and waters above. 3. Separation of land and water; beginnings of vegetation. 4. Sun, moon and stars appear. 5. Animal life, beginning in the waters and followed by winged fowl. 6. Terrestrial animals, followed by man. "In the succession," says Prof. Dana in his Manual of Geology, p. 745, "we observe not merely an order of events, like that deduced from science; there is. system in the arrangement, and. far-reaching prophecy, to which philosophy could not have attained, however instructed."