South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-05-22
WITH THE LOCAL PASTORS
RAPS FIG LEAF
HIDERS OF SIN
Rev. 7. J. Parsons Says Many
Today Adopt Eden Method
When in Shame.

THE hideous sin OF adultery il
stalking around in polite society
with the fig leaf of divorce hanging
loosely about it's lecherous form. Be-
cause sin in many forms is popular
lied and every commandment in the
decalogue has been laid upon the
IA BILE by a two-thirds majority; the
fitting emblem for modern society
is an apron of fig leaves, large
enough 10 cover the shame. but in
adequate TO cover the SIM" said Rev
T. j. Parsons. pastor Of Quincy
Street Baptist church. Sunday eve
ming in his address on the subject
The Fig Leaves Of Eden"
He said the only way the wis
dom of this world expresses itself
is In attacking the Bible account OF
the fall of man. as recorded in the
third chapter Of Genesis. In fur
tier charging on his subject, Rev.
Parsons said
"All generations OF human beings
in every part of the world have cor
roborated the Bible account that
somewhere something happened to
cause fundamental degeneracy TO
the human soul, and yet no gener-
alton has been willing TO accept the
blame. but shifted the burden of re-
sponsibility upon the shoulders Of an
unknown ancestor.
The strange thing about sin and
its attendant consequences is that
we repudiate what Gods Word says
about the first sin and then turn
around and resort 10 the very same
expediencies ourselves, proving that
we are indisputably the true chill
dren OF Adam and Eve.
Sin Great Eye Opener.
Sin is a great eye opener. and
as soon as our first parents had
slnned against God they sewed fig
leaves together and made them
selves aprons. This shows that they
were not trying to cover the sin
So much, but rather the shame of il.
There has been much joking about
the fig leaves of Eden. and by people
who should have known better; but
let me tell you there was no joke
about it to the original participants.
And the sad thing about it is, we
are playing the same game today.
People are not so much concern
ed about abstaining from sin as they
are to hide the shame of sin behind
the fig leaves of responsibility. In
the days of slavery, plantation own
ers boldly defended the system, and
even preachers tried TO put up a
defense for IL by quoting from the
Scriptures. But the apron of re-
spectability has been torn from the
nude form of human slavery, and
who could be found to defend the
system today? For many years the
accused liquor traffic hid behind the
fig leaves of legality and respecta-
bility. 1t was the same monster
then as now, the offspring of hell,
and Il will never be anything elst.
It's fig leaves of reform and conven-
ton resolutions but poorly veil its
real nature. The hideOus sin OF
adultery is stalking around in polite
society with the tig leaf OF divorce
hanging loosely about it's lecheous
form. Because sin in many forms
is pOpularized and every command
ment in the Decalogue has been laid
upon the table by twO-thirds ma
jority. the fitting emblem for mod
ern society is an apron Of fig leaves
large enough TO cover the shame,
but inadequate 10 cover the sin.
First Sacrifice.
What a striking contrast is
Gods covering for sin. as revealed
in the 21st verse Of the same chap
ter. There we are told that God
made coats of skins and clothed
Adam and Eve with them. To the
casual reader that means little or
nothing. but TO the devout reader of
Gods Word there is a wealth of
in the passage. Innocent
lives had been given up TO furnish
those coats. and innocent blood had
been split Here, no doubt. was
given the first lesson in vicarious
Offer up to God more acceptable
sacrifice than Cain, and foreshad-
owed the sacrifice OF the Lamb OF
God. who taketh away the sin OF
the world. Mans method is an
apron OF expediency; Gods method
is a robe of righteousness which
covers the whole man. IL we say
we have no sin, we deceive our
selves; If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive our
sins. and 10 cleanse Us from all I'M
a ohtao,1cpaSo