The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. They were visited by angels, and were granted communion with their Maker, with no obscuring veil between. They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree of life, and their intellectual power was but little less than that of the angels. The mysteries of the visible universe--"the wondrous works of Him which is 51 perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16)--afforded them an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. The laws and operations of nature, which have engaged men's study for six thousand years, were opened to their minds by the infinite Framer and Upholder of all. They held converse with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life. With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth among the waters to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam was familiar. He had given to each its name, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits of all. God's glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, "the balancings of the clouds," the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night--all were open to the study of our first parents. On every leaf of the forest or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky, God's name was written. The order and harmony of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love and called forth fresh expressions of gratitude.

Det hellige par var ikke alene børn under Guds faderlige omsorg, men også elever, der fik undervisning af den alvise Skaber. De fik besøg af engle og havde samfund med deres skaber uden noget dækkende slør imellem. De var fulde af livskraft, som tilflød dem fra livets træ, og deres forstandsevner stod kun lidt under englenes. Det synlige univers' hemmeligheder - "den Alvises underværker", Job 37, 16 - var for dem en uudtømmelig kilde til undervisning og fryd. Naturlovene, der har optaget menneskenes studier gennem seks tusinde år, åbnedes for deres forstand af altets evige Skaber og Opholder. De betragtede blade, blomster og træer og lærte disses livshemmeligheder at kende. Adam var kendt med ethvert levende væsen, lige fra den stærke livjatan, som bolterer sig i vandet, til det mindste insekt, der svæver i solskinnet. Han havde givet hvert enkelt navn, og han kendte alles natur og vaner. Guds herlighed og himmelrummet, de utallige verdener i deres ordnede baner, "skyernes svæven", lysets og lydens og dagens og nattens hemmeligheder - alt lå åbent for vore første forældres studium. På hvert blad i skoven, på hver sten i bjergene, i hver skinnende stjerne, på jorden, i luften og på himmelen var Guds navn skrevet. Skaberværkets orden og harmoni talte til dem om uendelig visdom og kraft. De opdagede stadig interessante ting, der fyldte deres hjerte med dybere kærlighed og fremkaldte nye udtryk for taknemmelighed.