"Now, children, I am going to apply this to your lesson. More than six thousand years ago, before God had said,—
"'Let there be light, and there was light.'—
"He took counsel of himself, and determined to create a world; and, first of all, he made a plan, or, as the Catechism calls it, a decree. There should be in the new world a great light for the day, called the sun, and a lesser light for the night, called the moon. There should be trees, and fruits, and flowers, each in their season. There should be beasts, and birds, and fishes, and insects. He also determined to make a man and woman, with souls to think and feel. These would be at the head of a race of beings capable of worshipping him, and enjoying him forever. If I lived a hundred years, and talked all the time, I could not begin to tell you all the little minutiæ of God's plan, or decree, about his new world.
"Now, I can only give a very imperfect outline. God decreed, or planned, or determined, that when Adam was formed, he should be a holy being; but as he wished to try him, and see whether he would obey God's holy laws, he decreed that Satan should tempt him to eat the forbidden fruit; and, as he knew that neither Adam nor Eve would resist the temptation, but would fall from holiness to sin, he formed a wonderful plan of redemption through his own Son, who should suffer for the guilty race, that those who accepted him as their ransom, might be saved, and, at length restored to holiness and happiness.
"God is a being of wondrous power, and he knew exactly who would love this dear Saviour whom he had sent into the world. He knew from all eternity that there would be this catechising this evening, and what would be the thoughts of each one of our hearts. Yes, he made a plan of it all, though it seems as insignificant as the planning where a little screw should go in one of our door handles; and he determined, or ordained, beforehand,—or foreordained, as the Catechism has it,—that whatsoever should come to pass should be for his own glory."
"It seems the most blessed thing for us that God did make such a plan," remarked Mrs. Dermott, as her husband ceased speaking.
"Yes, indeed, we can see the sad effects of the want of plan in Mr. Longworth's house; but we cannot conceive the awful results which would have followed had God been changeable; one day governing the world in one way, and the next in another way; and we must bless him to all eternity."
"What does God call this plan?" asked Mrs. Dermott. "I think in the Bible it is nowhere called a decree."
"No, that word is not used. In Proverbs it is called God's counsel.
"'The counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.'