The Indiana State sentinel., 1880-07-14

To-DAY,s LESSON.

To-DAY's LESSON.
Genesis ILL.,, 1-15-he Fall and the Prom
ised-By Rev. David j. Burrell-
EXPLANATORY.
Verse /. Now the serpent was more sub
tile than any beast of the field which the
Lord God, had made. And he said unto the
woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat
of every tree of the garden?"
The serpent here referred to was undoubt-
edly real serpent, but it was so occupied and
used by the devil that it is scarcely an hyper
bole to say that it was the devil himself. He
took possession of it, controlled its move
ments, and spoke through it. In Rev. xii,
19 the devil is called the old serpent. 1t is
a notable fact that among the various tradi-
tions of the fall, which are related among
heather nations, the serpent generally takes
the part of the seducer. There is a natural
reason for this "The serpent is proverbial
for its craft and cunning, Matt. Xxx 49, Its
movements are noiseless and sly; it hides, and
coils itself up, so as not to be seen; and its
attack is sudden and unexpected. One specie
is said to hide itself in the sand in path,
leaving only part of its head exposed, and
then to spring out suddenly upon the passer-
! by"
The tempter begins by calling in question
| the Word of God Doubt is the beginning
of error, and unbelief is the source and foun-
tain of every sin. The DEVILS words, "Hath
God indeed said" ETC., were intended as a
hint that there might have been some mis-
take about it. They cast doubt upon Gods
wisdom and love.
2 And the woman said unto the serpent
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the
| garden.
g. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God hath said. Ye shall
not eat oft, neither shall We touch it lest ye
die.
The only safe plan is to fee from tempta-
ton, or If it be forced upon US, to resist from
the start. Eve began by parleying with the
tempter; whosoever pursues that course will
come off second best.
1t is notnecessary to suppose thatthe fruit
of the forbidden tree was poisonous or other
wise noxious in itself The object in view was
trial of mans character, and for that purpose
any tree would answer The harm lay not
in the tree, but in the sin of destroying the
divine command, eye shall not eat of it,"
4. And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die.
These words of Satan are seemingly true.
Physical death did not at once fall upon
our first parents when they ate the forbid
more dreadful death than that of the body.
''There Is a death whose psngs
Outlive this heeting breath;
Oh, what eternal horrors hang
About the second desthl'
The moment our first parents sinned they,
and all their descendants, passed under the
sentence of spiritual and eternal death,
from which there is deliver
ance except by faith in the atoning
sacrifice of Jesus. See Romans W. II, also
vi, %, Cor xv., 81
5. For God doth know that in the day We
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened;
and we shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil.
1t is also true that Adam and Eve by eat
ing of the tree acquired an experimental
knowledge of good and evil; but oh, how
much better if they and their descendants
han naver come into possession of this dear
| ly-bought knowledge
The word translated "gods" is Elohim and
the reference is to the one true God. THE
tempter here appeals TO a desire of the hu
man heart which has manifested itself in all
ages, the ambition to be like God u Thes. H.,
6. And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that il was pleasant
te the eyes, and tree to be desired to make
one wise she took of the fruit thereof, and
did eat, and gave also unto her husband with
her, and he did eat
Here is the threefold sin Of sensuality,
pleasure and ambition-"the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eve, and the pride of life"
The same threefold temptation may be OBJ
served in the conflict of Christ with Satan in
the wilderness.
How simply and briefly it is told; 'And
they did eat; but what an endless tale of
oI i,,t del
Z. And the eyes OF them both were opened,
and they knew that they were naked; and
they sewed fig leaves together, and made
themselves aprons.
"There is here terrible irony. They had
expected to be as God, knowing good and
evil. but the knowledgeto which they attained
was knowledge of their own shame.
s. And they heard the voice of the Lord
God walking in the garden in the cool of the
day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves
from the presence Of the Lord God amongst
the trees of the garden.
1t is not impossible that the "Voice of the
Lord" here referred to was the appalling
sound of a tempest. Gods voice is often
times, in the Scriptures, heard amid mighty
thupderings. as in Job xxxvii, As. The
word walking" is the same applied in Exc
dus xix, 10, to the voice of the trumpet, and
I
word must here be referred not to God but TO
his voice; his voice ''walked," i. e. sounded
forth impressively, in the gardens, in the
evening of this eventful day.
9. And the Lord God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where art thou?
10. And he said. heard thy voice in the
garden, and 1 was afraid, because / was
naked; and hid myself.
IL. And he said Who told thee that thou
vast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree,
whereof l commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?
Gods questions here were not, of course,
asked for information, but to draw from
Adam voluntary confession of his sin. He
would thus humble the sinner and bring him
to repentance.
12 And the man said, The woman whom
thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of