The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-01-16

John S:34 r. ".
There are four natural divisions to
this chapter In Genesis. /. The
Temptation Wv. 1-5 II. The Fall, Wv.
6, z; III. The Trial, W. S-13; w. The
Sentence w. 14-24.
l. The Temptation Wv. 1-5. En-
vironment certainly did not cause our
parents in the garden, to fall How
long after the creation of man this
event occurred no one knows. Was
1t real serpent? Why not? Did not
Adam name all the animals? 1t is no
stretch Of imagination to believe the
tradition that he conversed with them
till driven from the garden True Mil
ton and not Genesis says this was Sa-
tan, yet Milton had Scripture author
ity, Rev 1879. We are also taught
that Satan can assume DISCUSSES, 2
Cor 11:14, etc.
The point of attack was to question |
the word of God; this is always the
open doorway to all sin. False the
ology always leads in the end to false
conduct. God had forbidden to eat Of |
but one tree, chapter 2:17, but here |
Satan takes a partial truth to make |
a lie. "Ye shall not eat of the fruit |
of all the trees" v. Or. W Eve did |
what Jesus did when he was tempted
replied with the words of God w. 2 |
and 8. But though she saw through
Satan's misrepresentation, she made
the collosal mistake of parleying
Gaining that much ground Satan goes
a step further 1t is not death she
need to be fearful Of; God would rath-
er prevent her becoming like himself
hence the prohibition not to partake
of the fruit of the tree.
Ewes Mistake.
your eyes shall be opened i.
the woman saw" Human curiosity
and wrong ambition for clearer
knowledge have ever been fruitful
sources of failure. Eve made the mis-
take of adding to Gods words GID
and of allowing herself to see the one
prohibition of the garden rather than
the myriads of privileges
II. The Fall, Wv 8, Z. The next
step was but the entering wedge. The
appeal was to the eyes, 'it was de-
light to the eyes" v. R. w., "she took
of it," see l John 2:16. When God
gave command not to eat, he knew
the danger of touching, 2 Cor. GIT.
There was of courSe possible escape,
l Cor 1913, even yet, but scarcely
so. Eve had gone too far, hence she,
and then Adam partook.
Adams Fault.
Adams fault was that he listened to
his wifes persuasion ". 10. Their
desire for present advantage, be
come like God" overcame the fear of
a future displeasure and illustrates
the Hebrew word for sin, missing the
mark" Immediately their eyes were
opened. What they saw now was not
desirable to look upon" and they
made themselves girdles from the
leaves of the fig trees. Man has ever
since been seeking to cover his own
shame.
III. The Trial Wv. 8:13. Commit
iniquity and human nature seeks con-
cealment. Innocence never seeks COW
er. Sin makes towards of us all. AS
the cool Of the day approaches God
walks In the garden. OF course he
misses Adam and calls Where art
thou?" From that day on his call has
resounded but man heeds not the call.
w. The Sentence Wv, 14-24. Adam
sought to throw the blame upon Eve
and indirectly upon God who had CIV
en- him Eve. No excuse but seeks to
evade responsibility. We see, how
ever, in the words OF this section three
great facts presented. First, the re-
lation between the human race and
the race of serpents. Everything that
is evil, repulsive and vile is summa-
rized in that phrase that old serpent"
Rev. 1873. The trickery of serpent,
its venom, its noiselessness, its re-
sort to dark places, and mans natural
instinct to kill snake, all put togeth-
er, Is but summary of the curse as
recorded in verses IA and 15.
Second, the everlasting conflict be-
tween man and the powers of evil.
One reason we know this garden story
is true is that 1t squares with our ev-
cry day experience. 1t Is as true to
life as the laws of mathematics. The
power of sin, its appeal to pride, to
lust, to ambition, to the pleasure of
the eyes, to any and all of the emo
tions, and the counter pull Of an out
ragged conscience are too vivid re-
ality in our lives to be denied. And
lastly there is the prophecy Of one
who should conquer this power and
bring all things subject to himself
He who was to conquer that last en-
emy, death, Cor 1924, 26. Having
thus partaken Of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil" thereby
incurring the curse Of labor and toll
upon them God avoided the possibility
of their partaking of "the tree of life
and live forever" by sending them out
of the garden and effectually prevent
ing their return " "a. But the tree of
life was not lost forever and now we
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