The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-01-10
SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
JANUARY IA.
Lesson Text: s'Adam's Sin and Gods
Grace" Gen. fii., l-l5-GoIden
Text: 4 Cor. xv., Com {;
mentary.

mentary.
l. "Now, the serpent was more subtle than
any beast Of the field which the Lord God
had made. And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said. Ys shall not eat OF every
tree Of the garden?" In the first two chap
tiers all Is perfect, and God walks with man,
and man communes with God Now comes
the wicked one In the guise OF q serpent
full OF hatred of God and man. See his aliases
In Rev. XII: 9; x., 9, and his end In Rev.
Xxx, 10. He begins his work by insinuating
that God does not love His children or He !.
would not keep any thing from them.
2. "And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat Of the fruit Of the trees OF ths'.
garden" We cannot blame the woman for !.
talking with him, for she probably had not i
heard OF him who spoke to her through the
serpent. We know him and deserve to suffer
II we hold any parley with him. See Eph.
w.. IL; Jas. iv. Pet. vs., ,s.9.
8. but OF the fruit OF the tree which is
Ye shall not eat of It. neither shall ye touch.
1t, lest ye die" She both added TO and di-
minished what God had said. Compare care
fully chapters II II 7, and let us give good
heed to Deut. iv., q; xH., 81; Jer. :EH.,3.
Our part Is to be simply obedIent and trust
ful and shun every insinuation and doubt.
4. "And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die" What deliberate
lie When hespeaketh q lie, he speaketh Of
his own, for he rs liar and the father Of Il Z.
John viii, ~. All liars shall have their
portion with him Grew. XXI, 81. One would
think that such an attack upon God would
With an enemy OF God. But what shall ne
say of professed friends of Sod who to-day
teach that there is no hell and not even g
devil? q n
5. .sFor God doth know that in the day ye
eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened
and We shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil" This seems to have been bis own am
bition (ses Isa. xiv, ~, and he Will yet find
man willing to be filed with It u Thesa. I
H., 8, 4)! We know that when he shall APP
pear we shall be Like Him, and then shall We
know ever as weare known q John ILL.,,
Cor. Kilt, 12), but this is TO be reached by
death to self, trust in the sacrifice OF Christ
and obedience to Him, never In any other
way (Acts w., 12). ~ Z " ~,
6. "And when the woman saw, etc. sh6t
took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave
also unto her husband with her, and he did
eat This Is the history of every temptation
and sin, the outward object. the inward COM
motion, the increase and triumph Of passion
ate desire, the degradation and ruin OF soul
SO with Achan. he saw he coveted he took
Joshua vii, 21). Adam and Eve had eyery-
thing and yet sinned. Christ seemed TO have
nothing, yet stood firm. 81,
Z. aAnd the eyes of them both were
opened, and they knew that they were naked,
and they sewed fig leaves together and made;
themselves aprons This was an eye OPEN
ing that has left us blind by nature In the
right direction ever since, as we need to be
anointed and. have our eyes opened to be-
hold spiritual things (Rey. M., IS Z. Ps.5
cxi1., 18). What contrast between the
garments of light which they lost and these
sslf-made aprons! Fig leaves may well re.
present profession without reality lMath.s :
xxi. 19). .
s. "And they heard the voice Of the Lord
God, and Adam and his wife hid them
selves" What sight is this Gods dear
children hiding from their loving father
and thinking that trees can cover them.
What fools sin makes OF us. and how blinded
must be the mind thar seeks to hide from
the only true friend! Such has been the
sinners conduct ever since, vainly seeking
9. "And the Lord God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where art thou = from
the fail to the end OF the Bible story It Is .
God Of love seeking lost and strayhg people
and man In his blindness hiding or running
away from God. What does your soul say
In response to .sWhere art thou" Mine
replies, Lord, Thou knowest am In Thee,
and Thou art to me the Rock OF Ages tisa.
xvi, margin).t Once and for long tims
I tried to hide from Thee, but now Thou nast
taught me to hide in Thee.
10: .And he said heard Thy voice In the
garden, and was afraid, because: was
naked. and I hid myself" Here is the flrst
fear IN Scripture, and it follows hard on un-
belief and distrust OF God. There will be no
fear where there Is confidence In God, ZOE
His perfect love casteth out fear Il John W.,
l8) so that II our hearts can say, Behold,
God Ia nv salvation" we should also add,
"I will trust and not be sfraid" Qsa. xii, y.
Some are afraid Of the voice Of God In HIS
word because they prefer their own thousnfs
and ways.
naked? Hast thou eaten Of the tree where.
of commanded thee that thou shoqidst not
eat?" God OF course knew the whole story,
hut before we can be forgiven there must Do
on our part conviction OF sin and confession
Of the same. This God would give to Adam
and draw from him that he might forgive
him (see Prov. xviii, 13. and I John l., y.
/ "a. "And the man said, The woman whom
thou payest to be with me, she gave me OF
the tree. and did eat" This sounds very
badly. Adam, thou hast fallen very Tar ana
broueht us down with thee, for some OF rs
have laiked tnat wcy. But see the sln. He
finds fault with the gift of God and lays the
blame on her. Now see Jesus, who has
taken upon Himself all the guilt of His body,
the church, and borne 1t, that He might pre-
sent her to Himself without spot (Eph. ",
27).
is. "And the Lord God said unto the wo.
man, What is this that thou hast done2 And
the woman said, The serpent besuiled me,
and did eat" She did not ask, as some do
now, why God allowed the serpent to come
to her, and why God did not keep her from
falling, but she makes confession and pleads
guilty. And both having now confessed the
way Is open for the revelation OF Gods sal
vation by grace (Rom. ILL.,, 10. 24).
IA. "And the Lord God said unto the SER
pent, Because thou hast done this. thou art
cursed above all CATTLE" etc. What kind OF
creature the serpent was before this and
of what form We are not told.A But 1t Is evi-
dent he did not 60 upon his belly as now.
Eve will tell US when we see her II 1t Is worth
while to know.
is. "And will put enmity between thee
and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed. He shall bruiss thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel" The Lord God
speaks to the enemy in the serpent and In
the first clause declares the woman's restora-
ton to God and her hatred OF the devil. all
brought about by God Himself, who says, II
will put ut"-Lesson Helper.
Dogs as Railroad Passengers.
Dogs In Belgium, it appears, from a rather
singular case that has just been heard before
the law courts of that country, are raised TO
the dignity OF passengers, II their owners
choose to take them into railway carriage
with themselves. The point on which opin-
lon differed has just been settled. the qres-