Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-08-20
Calnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, ID. d.

lures and makes towards of men and
how human nature is pretty much the
same today as i'm the time of Adam.
The text is Genesis iii. :. And Adam
and his wife hid themselves
Where was the garden of Eden?"
Is the theme OF a never ending discus
sion. Some think its site was at the
north pole. The site of the garden
as the event which took place there.
Man was put on his trial i'm 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.
l do not wonder that the sterile region
around the north pole should have
seemed fitting scene for the catas-
trophe. In the course of the ages IL
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 il and
have failed.
Ii seems as II the guardian angel.
with her sword, who once stood ut 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 warming message
for the children of the twentieth cen
tury. Her garments of the white
Gil
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 springtime has been thickencd
into the heavy tOga of winter. Instead
of swinging I'm 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 n CONT
nent which once stretched between
the old world ard 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
and engulfed by earthquake. Some
claim that the garden of Eden was
in Persia, others that il was watered
by the onfiowings of the mighty Nile.
others that ii was I'm India and still
a. la, al
But here today, in the words Of my
text. we are not concerned with the
site of the garden of Eden. but with
the 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 to confession of their sin was
a summons to Judgment which they
would have evaded If they had been
able
Our first parents hid themselves aft
er they had sinncd That is always
the impulse of the conscious sinner.
He shrinks from meeting the God
whom he has offended. A famous
writer once declared. 1.-The sins of the
garden Of Eden are as old as the dawn
Of creation. yet. like the rising sun.
each day they are ever fresh and have
new applications for each changing
hour"
What we first want to do is to find
out 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 I'm the same way In
trying 10 conceal themselves I'm similar
hiding places. want TO show them
how vain are such attempts at con-
cealment from the omniscient eye OF
God and by the help of the Holy Spirit
to WOO them from their retreats and
lead them to bend I'm 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 the faces of
those whom they have wronged. We
find the Satanic retreat of the first par
adise i'm the skulking feet and the
averted gaze and the conspicuous alb
sencc 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
and leave his fathers house and go
into the far country where he would
not bc i'm the presence Of his parents.
whose hearts the hayward boy was
breaking. 1t Is peculiar but incon-
trOvertible fact that sin. no matter
whether spasmodic or habitual. pro
duces sense of humiliation and deg
radiation I'm the presence of its victims
whom IL has deceived or injured. Thus
Herod. the tetrarch. although ne was
n great Roman governor. trembled
when he thought the beheaded John
the Baptist was risen from the dead.
Remorse Is terrible castigatOr. She
has In her hand the grip of an un-
breakable steel wise. She yields a
whip which has thousand lashes.