Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-02-01
(Original.
ORIGIN OF SIM.

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No one will dare deny that men violate the
laws of God. To assert that all men, at all
times, obey the commands Of the Creator and
governor ofths universe, would besto make
an assertion in the face of all observation and
experience The world is full of sin. The
laws of God: both physical and moral. are
broken every day by every human being.
Men may disagree about the origin of sin,
about its nature, about its moral terpitude,
and about its present and eternal consequen.
ces but they can not disagree about its exist
ence. There is no subject in which all are
more Immediately interested than sin. As it
is only the sick man that needs . physician,
90 it is only the sinner that needs Saviour.
Not only so, but none can feel their need OF a
Saviour until they are convinced that they
are sinners, and that sin is exceedingly hate
full in the sight of God. ..# =,
With regard to the origin of sin and the
mode of its Introduction into our world, we
can learn nothing by our unassisted reason.
Without special revelation from God, we
are unable to discover anything more than
the simple fact. The human mind is unable
to comprehend how perfect creature could
be led to desire wrong. The fact that any
creature could desire to do wrong, would seem
to argue its imperfection. The Scriptures
teach US that man was made upright, and the
fact proves that in the state Of his innocency,
he could not desire to do that which God had
forbidden. There is, at this point, mystery
which our minds, blinded by sin, cannot grasp.
All that We can say in explanation is, that
while God made man upright, still he made
him liable to fall. In other words, the fall of
man was possible from the beginning of his
creation. Whether we can understand this or
not, it is consistent with the facts developed
in mans history. He did fall; he became
sinner.
By the origin of sin, we may mean either
the circumstances attending the first violation
of the law of God, or that peculiar state Of
mind into which Adam fell before he violated
the command of his Creator. The particular
act performed was eating the forbidden fruit.
He did what be was charged not to do. But
it may be asked, why did Adam do this ?
What we're his motives2 What we're his
hopes, or what his fears? The history of the
whole transaction is exceedingly brief, and
yetwe may say it is very minute Evidently,
Adam was not made, in any sense whatever,
miserable by the prohibition under which he
was placed. His every want was supplied
without the fruit of the forbidden tree. Alb.
staining from the fruit of that tree caused him
no bodily pain, neither did it cause grief or
sorrow or even uneasiness, of his soul.
The first thing that took place was, be gave
credence to the serpent when he said, Eye
shall not surely die" God said he should
surely die the day he eat the forbidden fruit,
and when the serpent said such would not be
the case, Adam and Eve believed the serpent.
In giving credence to the serpent, they disbe-
lieved God. In other words, before Adam
and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, they lost
faith 10 God. A little reflection will make it
plain that the origin of sin WAS want of
faith. In other words, every violation of the
law of God is preceded by want of faith in
God by the individual who violates the law.
The sinner wants confidence in the promises
of God, and he wants confidence in the threat
nings of God. He who violates the com.
mandments of the Almighty, does not believe
that he is Almighty. He doubts his wisdom
and power to ferret out sin and punish the
transgressor There is lack Of faith in God
as able to bestow all needed good.
This view of the origin of sin, is confirmed
by what is meant by returning to God We
are commanded, in order that we may escape
the dreadful consequences of sin, ito have
faith in God;" ito believe in God )" ito put
our confidence in God;" Ito trust in the
Lord" Again, we are repeatedly told in the
Scriptures that whosoever believes shall be
saved, and that without faith it is impossible
to please God. 1t matters not what we may
have, if we lack faith in God we have moth
ing. The startling announcement which Je'
sus makes is, that "whosoever believeth not
shall be damned" Unbelief is the never.
failing fountain from which flows all our ills
in this world, and it is the source from which
proceed all the pains and agonies of the lost
in world of hopeless despair.