Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-08-21
oOOs-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-
PULPIT.
Sin S
Small Beginnings
Suggestions - Craving De
sire-Yielding Absorp-
hon-DesnucGon.

SIN anu death through MS Appointed
way--Jesus Christ the Righteous.
Thus we read, He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life; and he
that bclleveth not the Son, shall not
see life; but THE WRATH OF GOD
ABIDETH ON HIM" CJohn III. 36l.
Our Text illustrated.
| The experience OF our first parents
we'll illustrates the lesson of our text.
Mother Ewes desire for knowledge
should have confined itself to the Di-
vine limitations; but she permitted II
to wander dlsluyally. Evidently she
turned over In her mind how wonder
full must be the wisdom ut God, aud
how she would like to possess as much
as the serpent suggested she might
have. II she would but disObey God
and eat the forbidden fruit. We can
imagine that she had qualms Of con-
science that she hesltatcd to dlsObey.
But to even stop tn consider the pleas
ureS. the advantages. the desirubllity
Of trnusgrpsSiuu was To leave her mlnd
open TO fresh assault The scrpent's
next move was to suggest TO her u rea'
son why her Creator had forbidden the
eating OF the fruit. namely, that God
knew that this would make them wise
as himself. aud that be did not wish
for equals in knowledge, but desired TO
keep them In n condition OF mental
slavery through ignorance. Such a
suggestion should have been spurned
by Eve. and was, no doubt, rejected
at first No doubt she brought forth
arguments to prove the merciful kind
nesses aud generosity OF the Creator
and that such an evil, selfish and lgno-
bic spirit as the serpent suggested
could not possibly belong to her Crea.
tor But the wrong was In giving the
least countenunce TO these suggestions
OF dlsobedlence. They should have
been promptly set aside. Stopping TO
expostulate or reason Is merely open
ing the door for further begullement.
In the language OF our text, she was
drawn away by her own desire and
was entlced;' then. when desire had
conceived, the sinful act OF eating the
forbidden fruit resulted.
How does desire concelye7 We an-
swer. The mind entertains the desire,
warns H. vltallzes IL, reflects upon
what advantages or pleasures would
result: enters into aud enjoys those
forbidden pleasures mentally. Thus
Mother Eve reelected that no doubt the
forbidden fruit was specially delicious
to the palate, luscious; more than this.
that the enlightenment OF mind would
bring TO her yistas OF thought far be-
yond anything she and Adam had ever
previously Imagined. Thus her desire
for knowledge conceived and gradual
ly. perhaps IN moments, perhaps In
hours. perhaps In days, developed more
and more the thought OF the joys aud
pleasures 10 result from the act Of dis
obedlence-untll practically the whole
Of life was absorbed In this one desire.
and everything else OF her glorious and
proper blessings ON every hand was
practically forgotten aud ignored,
Finally the Irresistible moment came,
She took the fruit She ate Il; sin was
born. and the wage OF death would
follow In due course.
The main thing TO be noticed Is that
the admission OF evil desire into our
hearts. into our wills, Is the beginning
OF sin-the conception OF sin. After
the conception II Is only Il matter of
llme until II shall be born. unless In
some manner thar sinful desire be
qurnched, be killed. Even then IL will
be with serious consequences that the
wrongly conceived sin will be gotten
rid Of The lesson Is. as the Apostle
suggests In the text. the Keeping of our
hearts. our minds. SO the desires shalt
not conceive therein. This means
loyalty 90 God aud lu the truth and to
righteousness, about which The world
IN general knows little. n means that
muLy kinds uf desires ana ambitions
may be brgutten Ia lhe heart aud lead
On 10 one Kind or another kiud Df sin
ful Development. Let "a then h,urlrr
to the Lard. keep Thy hrait with al,
diligence; fnr ant of 20 me- the issur
OF life" u'rovrrlS H. -.
E,erual lie ur eternal death is lht
issue, not eternal hamilrsa Or eieruai
misery. True, und q ,iul's provision.
all who get eternal life will thereby
get eternal happIness; but all who tail
10 get the eternal life or happiness la
Gods provision will get eternal death,
the Second Death, utter extinction.
AS 81. Peter declares. they shall be "as
brute beasts. made 10 be taken aud
destroyed" III Peter ii. l2l. Aud 81.
Paul says. They shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the
presence OF the Lord"-not with ever
lasting torment QI Thessalonlans 4. %.
Divine Forgiveness Of Sin.
We have seen how sin entered, and
that its wage or penalty OF Divine de-
cree is death-extinetion. And we
have seen that mental, moral and
physical imperfections are merely eie-
ulaufa ~ our dVinU urOcQsS IN this