How are we affected by a proper understanding of the manifestation of divine justice? ¶ 91.

WITHOUT THE GATES

Alas! how changed from bowers of Paradise
  That desolate region, overgrown with thorn
  And thistle rank—­a trackless waste forlorn,
Unblessed by God, o’erarched by sullen skies,
There stand that guilty pair, now sadly wise,
  Their hearts with grief, their feet with briers torn,
  Vainly their faded innocence they mourn,
And toward the gates of Eden turn their eyes. 
No more to see the beauty and the bloom
  Of that blest garden was to sinners given;
To weep and labor wearily their doom,
  Out of God’s holy, blissful presence driven,
Till through life’s sorrows, and death’s dust and gloom,
  By woman’s promised seed they’re blest of heaven.

—­Pollok.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER IV

String 3:  The Abrahamic Promise

Some time after Adam and Eve were driven from Eden children were born to them, who grew to the estate of manhood and womanhood and they in turn had children.  Cain obtained his wife by marrying his sister.  Thus the peoples of earth gradually increased.  They all wandered about in the earth, earning their bread in the sweat of their face.  Some of these children were bad and some were good.  God showed his favor to the good, as he always favors those who are good.  Satan exercised his wicked influence amongst the people and most of them turned to evil.

[93]Noah was a good man and he and the members of his family served the Lord Jehovah.  Sixteen hundred years and more passed from the time of the judgment in Eden (during which time the people became very wicked) and there was great violence in the earth.  God purposed to destroy all the wicked of earth; so he directed Noah to build an ark and to take into the ark the members of his family; and this done, a great flood of waters came upon the earth and all living creatures were destroyed except those in the ark.  There were only eight persons left on the earth after the flood. (Genesis 7:21-23; 1 Peter 3:20) Noah and his sons begat children and the peoples of earth again increased.  Amongst them were some good and some bad.  Amongst those who tried to do the will of God was a man named Abram, which name was later changed to Abraham.  He is spoken of in the Scriptures as the friend of God.  Abraham’s wife was named Sarah.

[94]When Abraham was 75 years of age, Jehovah said to him:  “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:  and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”.  (Genesis 12:1-3) Abraham with his wife and others left