The Pastor's Son

, his wife, and Walter entered the li

leasantly, "have you decided wher

like to start at the be

ith excitement. Still he made no comment about it, but answered, "ve

sfied to start anywher

eading until we come to something that you do not understand. Then you may stop

pastor started to read Genesis, chapter 1, and there

question, but did not. Now he asked, "father, what is

image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air and over the c

d is Spirit,

y, why do

n in His image and likeness, does

pastor. "Then my bod

only the soul that is in the body that is her

make our bodies,

ave you never read that G

that verse about God's mak

and likeness,' that means ju

just like me, and in that case God would have

his verse is only speaking of the soul; you will see fa

se, where it reads: 'And let them have dominion over

rsonally, I think it means that we will have this dominion after we die and enter

will be fish and fowl in he

rybody knows there will be no fish a

ion over them if there are

tinue and these things will clear up as we proceed," said the pastor,

ted to ask on this subject, but he thoug

aw everything He had made, and behold it was very good, and the evening and the morning

t God made was good,

t have made me sick, for sickn

e you are right,"

ered that Walter had on a previous occasion said something similar. Just what would be the best answer to make he did not know, so thought he would ask Wal

at was made, so everything must be good. Besides, I cannot conceive of a just God making me suffer for a sin some one e

trate to him the injustice of punishing one person for the deeds of another. Then the thought came, "Shall man be more just than God?" There was something here he did not u

the world. He decided he must have more time to think about this before he could answer the boy, so said, "We know that God is good and just

verse: "Thus the heavens and earth were finished and all the hosts of them." He now cast an anxious look over at Walter, expecting him

on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and H

creation, father

nd on the seventh He rested; that is why w

Walter asked, "What is meant by that mist, father?" The pastor tried to find some reasonable answer, but could not, so he replied, "I suppose it was something like the fogs we sometimes see rising from the ground." He had come to the conclusion tha

y to say anything more on the subject just then. The pastor continued his reading, Genesis 2, 7th verse. "And the Lord G

explain that vers

when I told you that in Genesis 1.26, God only made the soul or

he soul or spirit is in the image and likeness of God, but the body is not, it

r said, "That all seems very plain to me no

ase again, and did not look for any further trouble. Then turning to Walter, he was a little surpr

n, for He had finished His first one on the sixth day and rested from His work on the s

could this mean; where did Walter get these queer thoughts from; were they in reality queer? The idea of a second creation was absurd, yet the Bible said, Genesis 2. 1, "thus the heavens and earth were finished and all the hosts of them." There it was plain enough, it spoke both of heaven and earth, "and on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made." Did God make a mistake in the first creation and so start in aga

there really two creations, one

ely incapable of making a rational one. And then he remembered that he had said it didn't make any difference to him what part of the Bible they started with, as he was very famil

fear of awakening his father's suspicion, for if his father had the least idea that he had secured his information from the Christian Science text-book, "

, so he said: "Father, don't you think your explanation about tha

could it

tarts in with a 'but'? It reads, 'But there went up a mist,'

t the word 'but'

the fact that here was something that God did not make, for now

made everything that was made, and as I have seen a mist many times,

and then I would have to admit that God made me sick, and I can never believe that, for Genesis 1, 31st verse reads, 'And God saw

e, for I know as we progress with our lessons you will see it in a differ

n? Then that verse would read, 'But there went up a misapprehen

could a misapprehension water the whole face of the ground?

cert

o be a spiritual meaning to

er, why do

of 'face,' and the word 'people,' instead of 'ground'; then the verse would read like this, 'But there arose a misapprehension from the earth and deceived the whole intelligence of the people.' If we

been surprised at what they had heard Walter say, now they were both surprised and bewildered. The mother was the first to speak and

ignoramous that thinks he knows something of the Bible, simply because he has read it once or twice, that a

ing, the same as you do when you interpret some of the sayings, or parables, of Jesus; anywa

udes the thought of a mistake and a re-creation. God made everything that was made in six days, and if He made everything in that time, there would no

d in a more simple way so that all may understand. It ent

red to him and it seemed reasonable, so he voiced it, and now that he said it, he felt satisfied that the first

on was not the correct solution, yet he could not find words to express his thoughts. Then he thought of his precious "Science and Health"; if I could only look into that for a f

ssed. I'm sure you must be tired,

ny more evenings this winter, and we must not think we can learn all the Bib

reation, father. I shall spend to-morrow thinking and studying on that subje

ge." The pastor had no idea that Walter had any other source of information than the family Bible, but Walter was thinking of his key to the scriptures by Mrs. Eddy, with which he pro

the lesson has been very interesting to me, so do not worry. I am sure it did me good." Then tur

now good-night an

s room. As soon as he was gone, father and mother looked at each

etting better,"

ed and cheerful in his whole

d the right medicine at

s surely gaining rapidly in health, and has taken more than an ordinary interest in the Bible; some of his questions were very absurd, but this is simply becaus

r's room the mother softly opened the door, looked at her sleeping boy, silently clos

is "Science and Health." He then seated himself and said, "I'm sure I saw this all explained in the book; I wonder what part I will find it in; I should think it would be in the explanation of Genesis." Turning to Genesis, he read until he came to page 524, line 14, then exclaimed, "Here it is, plain as day; it wasn't