Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-19
NO
EVE.


Rev. I. A. Hoyt delivered Sfe lourtu u
his series OF sermons to young men az JUG
First Presbyterian Church.
Making use of the I'd chapter OF Gen-
esis as text, he said: ,ar
Adam was placed in the garden OF Eden
surrounded by everything charming 10 tne
senses and delightful to the soul. he was
the lord of this glorious creation, ana nelu
close communion with his Maker, and YET
he lacked something; there was an unsaEis-
fed want in his nature, and he was con-
scious of it. The animals were brought
before him to name them, and as the long
line passed before him he felt within his
heart that none of them would satisfy the
aching void in his nature. They were al
inferior to him, and God was so greatly
above him. There was nothing wrong in
this sensibility of his nature God. had i'm
planted within him him that social nature,
the image of His own social nature, which
demanded the compsnionship of an equal,
but before this want could be granted, the
desire for it must arise. The Lord caused
deep sleep to fall upon Adam. This
sleep might have been trance-an ecstacy.
This may be the reason OF his rapturous
exclamation the moment he saw Eye,
"This is now bone of my bone and flesh
of my flesh" s-z2. a,fz
Eve was taken from the side of Adam,
and she was presented to him by the Lord.
Grace was in her actions; heaven in her
eve, and beauty in every gesture. What
sculptors have realized in Venus, and the
Madonna were realized In the form OF
Eve, who was made, not FROM the head OF
Adam, as Minerva sprang from the brain
of Joye-nor was she taken from his feet,
but from bis side, thus teaching the lesson
of a co-equal possession of a common ma
ture, and this presents beautiful simile OF
the christian church, which, as Eve was
taken from the side of Adam,
springs forth from the wounded
side of her Lord-her husband.
ssOne flesh" God could have made her
of dust, as He did Adam, but he chose to
take her from the side of Adam, and in this
He laid the true and eternal origin OF mar
riage; one rnan-one woman; az against all
pojygamy; one flesh "united until death do
ms part" as against all divorce. Young
people, when you marry consider this sol
emn lesson-tbat this is the mos important
relation that you can sustain in life, except
the one you sustain with God. This over
rides every earthly tie, and is founded in
the deepest affections Of our nature. See
to it that these affections are placed upon
one worthy of them, and having once
chosen, give your whole heart. Adam
and Eve united in this holy and ten
der affection. Is there in the
universe one who would interrupt this
JOYOUS scene? There IS. The great enemy
of God and man steals upon the woman in
the absence of the man and plies her will
his subtle art. We are introduced into the
conversation in the middle of it; we know
not what has transpired before. The
tempter dwells upon the beauties of Eden
Then we may imagine him saying, "Is thi:
tue that | have heard, that God has for
hidden you to eat of the fruit of this tree p
conveying the impression that there i:
something wrong and unjust in God thus
restraining them. She makes stand; but
it is a feeble one. She ssys-and this j:
| the solitary expression we hear: "The
woman said unto the serpent: We may ca
of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but
of the fruit of the tree which is in the mids
| of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall MOI
| eat of il; lest ye die" She said t'lest u
die" but God had said "thou shalt surely
die" Now the serpent proceeds to make
another assault. He says to the woman
aye shall not surely die. This is mistake
God has threatened you, but he will not ex
ecute his threat. He has said so, but b
Goes not mean it. He is too good to d.
| this" Thus i: is with Satan. He max
us believe, first, that God is not so good t
us as He should have been. Then be say:
"God is better than you think, and he vii
| not punish YOU for this act"
The temp er proceeds, "Eat Of this tres
and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good ant
evil" Why should man desire to know
evil? Why should he wish to know good
and evil? He knew what good was. Eve wa
appealed TO in three ways: First, there wa
an appeal to her eye; next, there wasan az
peal to her higher nature, aud third, she wa
told that to eat of the fruit of that tret
would increase her knowledge. "YoH vii
know more than you do now. There is
whole hemisphere of knowledge whicl
God has kept from you. Eat of this ire
and you will hear sounds you have neve
vet heard, and perceive things you hsV
not vet seen" She yielded to these tempt
atiof 8. Oh the fall that was there, m
brethreD!- Behold the effects Of all evi
dcing-shame. They covered themselVe
| Win US lS3NtSs 1uuc, tuab SlObIluS v
which you are so vain, is the badge of sin
And there was fear. They ran from tn
presence of God and hid themselves 'mids
the trees in the garden, and when made
appear by His commanding voice, they al
tempted to make excuses. Adam, in tn
most cowardly manner attempted to throv
the blame upon Eve, while Eve, with NOR
reason, threw the blame upon the serpen
And God cursed them. The very groun
was cursed beneath Adams feet, and now
with bowed heads and streaming eyes an
breaking hearts, they pass beyond the bound
of Eden. What change was here! 1t is til
change which sin ever produces.
have TO announce to night the sudde
death of young man, who only last SUI
day night SAL among you in excellen
health, and now, in the very morning I
his life, be has been taken away. Lest 20
should forget that you are mortal, God r.
minds you that you are by such lesson
as this, and says, "Young man, prepare
meet thy God" But what blesst
thought is this, that YOU can meet Hin
not as Adam met Him in the garden-nt
in shame-not in fear-but of meeting Hi
with renewed heart; meeting Him vii
assured hope; meeting Him in perfe
confidence.