Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-10-17
&eadimg tur the Sabbath*
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
l0rIginal.]
ADAM,S SIN.

ADAM'S SIN.
It is universally acknowlged fact that
man is a sinner, and that sin in some way or
other, was introduced into the world by our
first parents, Adam and Eve 1t is not our
purpose to inquire what relation Adam sus-
tanned to his posterity. This would be an
interesting and profitable subject, and one
with which every one ought to be we'll ac-
quainted. Nothing certainly, we here re-
mark, can be learned respecting the relation
which Adam sustained to his posterity except
from the Bible We cannot reason either
from cause to effect or from effect to cause in
this instance and be sure our conclusions are
correct. The present condition Of the human
family fully corroborates the Bible teaching
on this subject and strengthens the Bible doc
trine, but that is all. This at present is not
our purpose. We propose noticing in a few
particulars in what the sin of Adam consist
ed. In other words, what was the sin of Adam.
Unless we are greatly in error, the correct So
luton of this subject will give us just notion
of the true nature of all sin.
Sin, in its developments and practical work
ings assumes a multitude of forms, and may
be classified under variety Of heads; but
it must be evident that there can be but one
particular state or condition of the soul which
prccedes the development of sin of all kinds
and characters. All sin, we may say, consists
in disobedience; as all Righteousness consists
in obedience. This is true. It is Scriptural
and consonant with right reason we may say
that Adams sin consisted in eating the for
hidden fruit. This is true By eating this
fruit he disobeyed the command of God.
Still it may be asked, why was it sin to eat
the forbidden fruit? 1t will not do to say
that it was sin, simply because God forbade
it. This would place God in the relation to
his subject man Of an arbitrary sovereign,
position which in untenable when we consider
the dealings Of God with his creatures, and
which is at variance with the teachings
of the Bible We are not warranted in say
ing that God ever did anything, or issued any
command, simply because he had the power.
A knowledge of the peculiar relation which
originally existed between God and man, will
give us some idea of the reason why God for.
babe man to eat Of the tree of good and evil.
God sustained to all beings the relation Of
creator, and to man the double relation Of
both creator and father. All other things
depended upon God as creator; but man
depended upon God both as creator and as
child. 1t was good in God as father to
forbid the eating of the fruit Of the tree OF
good and evil, and it was good in man as
son to abstain from its use. The tie which
united God and Adam was simply faith.
Adam was created with faith in God. Not
simply belief in testimony, for there was none
to bear testimony concerning God neither
was it faith founded upon his own intellectual
discernments, for he could not comprehend
any of the attributes Of God. The eternity,
the omnipotence, the omnipresence, the omni-
cience and the self existence of God, were too
great for the finite mind of Adam, in sinless
condition, to fully comprehend. They were
not too great for faith. The bliss Of Adam
depended on his faith. We conclude that
his sin was unbelief Through the temptation
of Satan he was led to doubt God. 1t would
seem from the simple marathon in Genesis that
he was pursuaded to doubt the wisdom of
God to protect him from evil, and to provide
for him that which is good.
The avenues by which this unbelief in the
souls of our first parents came out into the
world were the desires and appetites. So soon
as want of confidence in God was infused
into their souls, unholy desires and beastly
appetites sprang up. The desire to know
good and evil, and also the appetite to eat the
food, commenced to urge them to give their
sin a tangible form and shape. 1t was unbe-
lief led Adam and Eve to doubt the word Of
God, and to listen to the persuasions Of the
tempter. In the New Testament we are ex-
pressly told that without faith in God it is
impossible to please him. The restoration
which is effected in the soul by the Holy
Spirit through the gospel, consists in produ'
cling faith in God. The want Of faith makes
man an alien-a stranger to God. The pos
session of faith constitutes man a son. 1t is
faith enables us to call God our father. "We
are the children of God by faith" God
himself, by the mouth of the prophet Jermiah,
asks the question, how he will restore the pol
luted sinner to the position Of a child? The
answer is, "I will be his father" Unbellef
must of necessity sustain the same relation
to our fall that faith sustains to our restora-
ton. Faith is produced in the soul by the
almighty power of God, and the sinner, dead
in tresspasses and sins, becomes new crea-
ture. Unbelief was produced in the soul of
Adam by Satan, and Adam became sinner
It would not be hard to prove that unbelief,
or the want of faith in God, is the germ of
all sin. 1t is, to use common figure, the
fountain from which all crimes flow. Unbe-
lief is the sin Of sins.
BRING JESUS MORE INTO HoME-Again,
reader, would 1 earnestly press it home
bring Jesus into your home and your clrcum-
stances more than you have hitherto done.
Things do not 60 on we'll in your household,
perhaps, nor in your circumstances either.
You wonder why it is. Wonder not: 1t is
because you bring the Lord so little into
Them How can be it otherwise with him so
little acknowledged How can it be other:
wise, when you are not cast upon him in all
that pertains to you? Change your plan;