The Cairo bulletin., 1904-08-21

sermon the preacher shows how one sin
lures and makes towards of men and
how human nature Is pretty much the
same today as In the time of Adam.
Tie text is Genesis Iii, s, And Adam
and his wife hid themselves"
where was The garden OF Eden"
Is the theme OF n never ending discus
sion Some think Its site was at the
north pole. The site of the garden
does not, however, concern us so much
as the event which took place there.
Man was put on his trial In that gar
den. and he failed. The consequences
OF his disobedience have come down to
us. for all his descendants have been
deprived of the blessings which would
have been theirs had he obeyed God.
] do not wonder that the sterile region
around the north pole should have
seemed a fitting scene for the catas-
trophe In the course of the ages 1t
may have been that the glory and fer
tility Of Eden may have been trans
formed into a region Of ice and snow.
Many have tried to penetrate 1t and
have failed.
IT seems MS II the guardian angel,
with her sword, who once stood at the
gate Of Eden, saying to the first an
cestors of the human race, Thus far
shalt thou go and no farther stands
today with the same warning message
for the children of the twentieth cen
fury. Her garments of the white
wings of dove covered with silver.
and her feathers with yellow gold"
have been changed for the long flowing
robes of spotless snow. She is perhaps
the same sentinel, although her ward
robe of sprngtime has been thickened
into the heavy toga of winter Instead
of swinging in her hand sword of
fire, she now holds in tight grip her
glittering blade of ice
Site OF Garden of Eden.
Some think the garden of Eden was
fragrant with the flowers of CONT
neut which once stretched between
the old world and the new Explor-
ing parties have gone forth and have
claimed that they have located with
their sounding lines the lost Atlantis
They assert that the islands of the
New Hebrides are only the highest
mountain peaks of that famous CONT
nent which was sunk by tidal wave
aud engulfed by earthquake. Some
claim that the garden of Eden was
in Persia, others that it was watered
by the onfowings of the mighty Me-
others that ii was in India and still
Others that ii was In central China.
But here today, in the words OF my
text. we are not concerned with Tie
site Of the garden of Eden, bur with
tho conduct Of our first parents after
they had sinned. No sooner had Adam
and his wife eaten of the forbidden
fruit than they hid themselves, as
frightened hares hide themselves in
the jungles of the forests from the
baying hounds. The voice of God call
ing them 10 confession of their sin was
summons TO judgment which they
would have evaded If they had been
able.
Our first parents hid themselves aft
or they had sinned That is always
the impulse Of the conscious sinner,
He shrinks from meeting the God
whom he has offended. A famous
writer once declared THE sins of the
"a rden of Eden are MS old as the dawn
of creation. yet, like the rising sun,
each day they are ever fresh and have
new applications OR each changing
hour
What we first want to do is to md
ont how Adam and Eve sulked away
into the Edenic Jungles to hide them
selves after they had eaten of the fruit
Of the forbidden tree. then TO ask
whether living men and women are
not now acting in the same way In
trying 10 conceal themselves IN similar
hiding places. want TO show them
how vain are such attempts at con
cealmeat from tho omniscient eye OF |
God and by the help Of the Holy Spirit |
to WOO them from their retreats and |
lead them TO bend in humble contrition |
at the foot Of the cross.
Application of the Text.
Modern application the first. We find |
Adam and Eve hiding away from God |
In the garden of Eden when we see |
men and women stunning tie faces of |
those whom they have wrolged. Wei
find the Satanic retreat Of the first par
adlse In the skulking feet and the
averted gaze and the conspicuous alb
sence Of those who after they have in
jured brother flee his presence even |
as the prodigal son when he desired to /
do wrong planned TO take his goods 1
and leave his fathers house and 20 1
into the far country where he would
not lie in the presence of his parents.
whose hearts the hayward boy was
breaking. II is a peculiar but incon-
trovertible fact that sin, no matter
whether spasmodic or habitual. pro
duccs sense Of humiliation and deg
in the presence Of its victims
whom il has deceived or injured. Thus
lierod. the tctrarcll. although he was
n great Roman governor. trenhlcd
when be Thought. the bchcaded John
the Baptist was risen from the dead.
RcmOrse i terrible casticator She