The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-13

"nut"-Ye shall not surely die-that Is,
not die at all. AS Delitzsch says, "The
brevity and completeness of the express
sion make the contradiction absolute" In
other words, the tempter gives the lie d.
rect TO God (b.) Then he calls in question
Gods goodness: "Elphim knows that in
the day of the eating thereof your eyes will
DC tp ned. and you will bs like Elohim,
knowing good aud evil" The temptor
thus represents God as keeping back from
man higher good--a knowledge like that
of God Hmself q knowledge that will
raise man TO an equality, in that respect,
with God Himself Don't you see how
God grudges you this highest goodi Thus
Satan inspires man with doubt Of Gods
love. and represents God as envious and
jealous OF His creature, man. (c.) Then
the tempter seems TO put within mans
reach the means of raising man to a divine
eminence in knowledge. Ambition and
pride are thus evoked. Thus man was
tempted to rebel against law, holy rule,
loving obedience. He became a law unto
himself as an atheist, an anti.theist, an
adversary to God. endeavoring to defy
himself, as atheists do yet.
III. THE FALL By LISTENING TO THE
SEDUCER. Verses 6-l3)
l. Yielding to temptation. (a.) The fall
came from a yielding to the pleasure OF
sense. Spirit melted, sense, and sense be-
trayei spirit. The woman saw that the
forbidden tree was good for food Per.
ception Of quality precedes desire. Then
she saw that the tree was desirable--such
as ole would long for. desire, lust for.
Desire precedes action. Then she took
nf tho frpft and ata IRA sftr ra
pare james 1. l3-l5) Notice-for the time
being she loses sight of the promise Of
being knowing as Gods, for it is only the
longing for the fruit ms pleasant To the
appetite that prompts the act of disobedi-
ence. She shares the fruit with her hus-
band, who makes no protest, but
eats with his wife of what she has
plucked. (b) IL was great fall. No
longer speculatively but experim entally
they know good and evil-good as that
which they lost, evil as that which they
have found. Suppose that they saw only
the serpent and discerned not the tempter
in his disguise, 1t shows the degrada-
tion OF those mad, In Gcds image to sub
serviency 60 beast All sensual indul-
gence does this. Mere appetite is beastly;
defiance OF God Is devilish. "All
sin begins by being sensual, then
becomes bestisl, and finally. IL the sinner
advances on this course, Satsnic." (De-
litzsch.) Shame is the first effect Of the
fall. Their eyes were indeed opened.
They knew and felt that they were naked.
ITO the pure all things are pure" To
those out OF harmony with God the most
sacred mysteries OF human nature-iod's
masterpieces and profoundest wisdom
cease TO be pure. Nakedness in itself was
not the evil that they came to know, but the
evil was the disobedience that brought
shame after Il, as a consequence OF separa-
ton from God (c.) Fear is another con-
sequence a sin. One Of the functions of
conscience according to the profound
ethics OF Bishop Butler. is apprehension Of
Judgment for sin. This fear was felt by
the SHINING pair, and they hid themselves.
There IL hope OF conversion and reforma
ton where shame aud fear still operate.
2. Called to account. (a.) The fear
felt by the errlng pair was not a false
alarm. GOD did not leave them 10 them