CHAPTER IV. "Sin-stricken world! Why are there clouds to gall thine open brow. Sin-stricken world." The Churchman's Mon. Pen. Mag. Man has therefore broken the commands of his Maker, and thereby fallen from his high state of innocence and happiness, and is become a sinner. Death and sin hath entered into the world, and man's condition now is mortal as to his body, and sinful as to his soul. But he is not left in his fallen and lost state without hope, for after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden tree, they heard, as usual, the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, in the cool of the day,* but, alas, not with that degree of confidence and pleasure as they was wont, for they were afraid of his glorious presence and hid themselves amongst the trees of the garden to avoid, if possible, being seen by him, for they were ashamed and afraid to appear before him. But the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou.* Therefore Adam knowing that he was no longer concealed, was forced to appear before his Maker, whose commands he had broken, to answer for his ungrateful conduct. "He came and with him Eve, more loath, tho' first To offend; discountenanced both, and discomposed: And shame, and perturbation, and despair." *Gen. iii. 9. Milton, Par. Lost. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked.* Therefore we see a guilty conscience needs no accusing for it will accuse itself. And the Lord said unto him, who told thee that thou wast naked. Hast thon eaten of the forbidden fruit; and Adam, to screen himself, said, The woman, whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat. To whom the Lord said, Woman, what is this that thou hast done? And she, to clear herself, cast all the blame upon the serpent; saying, The serpent beguiled me and I did eat. Which when the Lord God heard, without delay, he proceeded to judgment on the accused serpent. "Yet God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied, Because thou hast done this, thou art cur Ibib. iii. 10. sed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field: upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Which was truly accomplished by the Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, when he died upon the cross, and arose from the grave the third day; (for truly thereby he bruised Satan's kingdom, who was the head or stignator of the serpent when he tempted our first parents to pluck and eat the forbidden fruit) for when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.* And unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow, and thy conception, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children. And unto Adam, he said, Because thou 事 Eph. iv. 8. hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and not unto my comman's, and hast partaken of the tree which I commanded thee not to touch, cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow, (that is by servile labour) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles, and weeds shall it bring forth, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; and for thy disobedience thou shalt till the ground; and the bread that thou eatest shall only be procured by the sweat of thy bow, till thou return to the earth, out of it thou was taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return. * So did their Maker pass judgment upon them. But divine justice was mingled with mercy, for their offended Father beheld them with compassion. "Then pitying how they stood Before him naked to the air, that now Must suffer change, Gen. iii. 16-18. |