LIX. THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL ... 603
LX. THE PRESUMPTION OF SAUL ... 616
LXI. SAUL REJECTED ... 627
LXII. THE ANOINTING OF DAVID ... 637
LXIII. DAVID AND GOLIATH ... 643
LXIV. DAVID A FUGITIVE ... 649
LXV. THE MAGNANIMITY OF DAVID ... 660
LXVI. THE DEATH OF SAUL ... 675
LXVII. ANCIENT AND MODERN SORCERY ... 683
LXVIII. DAVID AT ZIKLAG ... 690
LXIX. DAVID CALLED TO THE THRONE ... 697
LXX. THE REIGN OF DAVID ... 703
LXXI. DAVID’S SIN AND REPENTANCE ... 717
LXXII. THE REBELLION OF ABSALOM ... 727
LXXIII. THE LAST YEARS OF DAVID ... 746
APPENDIX ... 757
INDEX TO SCRIPTURES ... 765
GENERAL INDEX ... 771
Illustrations
ABRAHAM AND ISAAC ... Frontispiece
THE FIRST SABBATH ... 47
THE TWO OFFERINGS ... 75
REVELRY BEFORE THE FLOOD ... 93
THE TOWER OF BABEL ... 121
MELCHIZEDEK BLESSING ABRAHAM ... 136
ABRAHAM VIEWING HIS SLEEPING SON ... 149
THE FLIGHT FROM SODOM ... 162
JACOB RECEIVING THE BLESSING ... 180
JACOB’S DREAM ... 185
GUARDING THE FLOCK BY NIGHT ... 190
JACOB MEETING ESAU ... 199
JOSEPH’S COAT IDENTIFIED ... 210
SCENE ON THE RIVER NILE ... 215
MOSES A SHEPHERD ... 249
MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHARAOH ... 262
THE PASSOVER ... 275
DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL AT THE RED SEA ... 285
THE PRAYER OF MOSES ... 299
MOSES BREAKING THE TABLES ... 321
THE DAILY SACRIFICE ... 346
THE CAMP OF ISRAEL ... 366
THE SMITTEN ROCK ... 415
BALAAM BLESSING ISRAEL ... 445
MOSES VIEWING THE LAND OF PROMISE ... 473
THE FALL OF JERICHO ... 490
REJOICING AT THE FEAST ... 502
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES ... 538
GIDEON AND PHURAH ... 551
THE ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE ... 598
SAMUEL REPROVING SAUL ... 619
BETHLEHEM FROM THE EAST ... 640
DAVID FINDS SAUL ASLEEP ... 669
SAUL AND THE WITCH OF ENDOR ... 678
THE CORONATION OF DAVID ... 701
MODERN JERUSALEM BY MOONLIGHT ... 709
THE MOUNT OF OLIVES ... 733
THE SWEET SINGER OF ISRAEL ... 748
Small Illustrations
SONG OF THE ANGELS AT CREATION ... 33
THE SOLAR SYSTEM ... 43
LANDSCAPE ... 44
SINGING BIRDS ... 51
ANGELS GUARDING ENTRANCE TO EDEN ... 52
GLAD TIDINGS OF SALVATION ... 63
SCENE OF THE CRUCIFIXION ... 70
OFFERINGS OF CAIN AND ABEL ... 71
DEATH OF ABEL ... 79
ENOCH ... 80
TRANSLATION OF ENOCH ... 89
BUILDING THE ARK ... 90
NOAH’S ARK IN THE STORM ... 104
THE ARK AT REST ... 105
LANDSCAPE ... 111
THE RAINBOW OF PROMISE ... 116
THE TOWER OF BABEL ... 117
ABRAM JOURNEYING TOWARD CANAAN ... 125
THE EVENING SACRIFICE ... 131
ABRAHAM AND LOT VIEWING CANAAN ... 132
CROSS AND CROWN ... 145
THE BURNING OF SODOM ... 156
REBEKAH AT THE WELL ... 171
JACOB AND ESAU ... 177
BEER-SHEBA ... 182
JACOB’S FLIGHT ... 183
THE PILLAR AND HEAP OF WITNESS ... 194
THE PRAYER OF VICTORY ... 195
JACOB AND THE ANGEL ... 203
A CITY OF CANAAN ... 204
TOMB OF RACHEL ... 212
AN EGYPTIAN STORE-HOUSE ... 213
SHEPHERD WITH HIS FLOCK ... 223
JOSEPH’S BROTHERS BUYING GRAIN ... 224
THE FINDING OF MOSES ... 241
MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH ... 256
EGYPTIAN BONDAGE ... 257
THE PASCHAL LAMB ... 273
A BUNCH OF HYSSOP ... 280
ISRAELITES LEAVING EGYPT ... 281
THE WATERS OF MARAH ... 291
TABLES OF THE LAW ... 303
THE GOLDEN CALF ... 315
THE ENMITY ... 331
TREES IN BLOSSOM ... 342
OFFERINGS FOR THE TABERNACLE ... 343
THE SCAPEGOAT ... 358
DEATH OF NADAB AND ABIHU ... 359
MOUNT SINAI ... 363
QUAILS ALIGHTING ON THE CAMP ... 374
TOMBS OF PETRA ... 386
GRAPES OF PALESTINE ... 387
DEATH OF KORAH, DATHAN, AND ABIRAM ... 395
THE MAN WHO GATHERED STICKS ... 406
CHRIST, THE SMITTEN ROCK ... 411
A LIFE-GIVING STREAM ... 421
FIERY SERPENTS ... 422
THE SERPENT OF BRASS ... 432
A CITY OF BASHAN ... 433
BALAAM SMITING THE ASS ... 438
THE SEVEN ALTARS OF BALAAM ... 452
IDOLATROUS REVELRY ... 453
MOSES VIEWING CANAAN ... 462
AN ANCIENT LAMP ... 468
MOSES ON MOUNT PISGAH ... 469
THE TRANSFIGURATION ... 480
THE JORDAN OVERFLOWING ITS BANKS ... 481
CROSSING THE JORDAN ... 486
BLOWING THE TRUMPETS BEFORE JERICHO ... 487
MONUMENT ON MOUNT EBAL ... 499
THE FRUIT OF THE VINE ... 504
JOSHUA COMMANDING THE SUN TO STAND STILL ... 505
LANDSCAPE ... 510
SYMBOLS OF VICTORY ... 521
A HARVEST SCENE ... 525
RUTH THE GLEANER ... 530
SYRIAN SPARROWS ... 536
GOING UP TO THE FEAST ... 537
SYMBOLS OF IDOLATRY ... 543
GIDEON’S NIGHT ATTACK ... 559
SAMSON WORKING IN THE MILL ... 560
DEATH OF SAMSON ... 568
SAMUEL PRESENTED TO ELI ... 569
ELI REPROVING HIS SONS ... 575
GAZA ... 581
THE RETURN OF THE ARK ... 591
STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD ... 592
IN THE CARPENTER SHOP ... 602
INSIGNIA OF ROYALTY ... 603
SAUL GOING TO BATTLE ... 616
JONATHAN AND HIS ARMOR-BEARER ... 626
SAUL REPROVED BY A PROPHET ... 627
DAVID THE SHEPHERD BOY ... 637
DAVID AT THE BROOK ... 643
DAVID AND JONATHAN ... 649
PROOF OF DAVID’S MAGNANIMITY ... 660
ABIGAIL BESEECHING DAVID ... 674
DEATH OF SAUL ... 675
VILLAGE OF ENDOR ... 683
CARAVAN CROSSING THE DESERT ... 689
DAVID VIEWING THE RUINS OF ZIKLAG ... 690
HEBRON ... 697
JERUSALEM ... 702
DAVID’S CAPITAL ... 703
SITE OF SOLOMON’S TEMPLE ... 717
OLIVE BRANCH ... 726
TOMBS OF ABSALOM ... 727
SYMBOLS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY ... 746
IN THE BEGINNING
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.”
“He spake, and it was; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
WHY WAS SIN PERMITTED?—1
“GOD is love.” His nature, his law, is love. It ever has been; it ever
will be. “The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,” “whose ways
are everlasting,” changeth not. With him “is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.”
Every manifestation of creative power is an expression of infinite love.
The sovereignty of God involves fullness of blessing to all created
beings. The psalmist says:—
“Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of thy throne:
Mercy and truth go before thy face.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound;
They walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
In thy name do they rejoice all the day;
And in thy righteousness are they exalted.
For thou art the glory of their strength, ...
For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah,
And our King to the Holy One.”[1]
The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time
it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the
total eradication of sin, is also a demonstration of God’s unchanging
love.
The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in his work of beneficence.
He had an associate,—a co-worker who could appreciate his purposes, and
could share his joy in giving happiness to created beings. “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.”[2] Christ, the Word, the only
begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father,—one in nature, in
character, in purpose,—the only being that could enter into all the
counsels and purposes of God. “His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
peace.”[3] His “goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting.”[4] And the Son of God declares concerning himself: “The
Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
I was set up from everlasting.... When he appointed the foundations of
the earth, then I was by him, as one brought up with him; and I was
daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.”[5]
The Father wrought by his Son in the creation of all heavenly beings.
“By him were all things created, ... whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him,
and for him.”[6] Angels are God’s ministers, radiant with the light ever
flowing from his presence, and speeding on rapid wing to execute his
will. But the Son, the anointed of God, the “express image of his
person,” “the brightness of his glory,” “upholding all things by the
word of his power,” holds supremacy over them all. “A glorious high
throne from the beginning,” was the place of his sanctuary; “a scepter
of righteousness,” the scepter of his kingdom.[7] “Honor and majesty are
before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Mercy and truth
go before his face.[8]
The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the
happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord
with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all his
creatures the service of love,—service that springs from an appreciation
of his character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all
he grants freedom of will, that they may render him voluntary service.
So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there
was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God. It was the joy of
the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator. They
delighted in reflecting his glory and showing forth his praise. And
while love to God was supreme, love for one another was confiding and
unselfish. There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies.
But a change came over this happy state. There was one who perverted the
freedom that God had granted to his creatures. Sin originated with him,
who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God, and was highest in
power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, “son of the
morning,” was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. He
stood in the presence of the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of
glory enshrouding the eternal God, rested upon him. “Thus saith the Lord
God: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy
covering.... Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set
thee so. Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up
and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy
ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in
thee.”[9]
Little by little, Lucifer came to indulge the desire for
self-exaltation. The Scripture says: “Thine heart was lifted up because
of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness.”[10] “Thou hast said in thine heart, ... I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God; ... I will be like the Most High.”[11]
Though all his glory was from God, this mighty angel came to regard it
as pertaining to himself. Not content with his position, though honored
above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet homage due alone to the
Creator. Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and
allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their
service and loyalty to himself. And coveting the glory with which the
infinite Father had invested his Son, this prince of angels aspired to
power that was the prerogative of Christ alone.
Now the perfect harmony of heaven was broken. Lucifer’s disposition to
serve himself instead of his Creator, aroused a feeling of apprehension
when observed by those who considered that the glory of God should be
supreme. In heavenly council the angels pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of
God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of
the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of his law. God himself
had established the order of heaven; and in departing from it, Lucifer
would dishonor his Maker, and bring ruin upon himself. But the warning,
given in infinite love and mercy, only aroused a spirit of resistance.
Lucifer allowed his jealousy of Christ to prevail, and became the more
determined.
To dispute the supremacy of the Son of God, thus impeaching the wisdom
and love of the Creator, had become the purpose of this prince of
angels. To this object he was about to bend the energies of that
master-mind, which, next to Christ’s was first among the hosts of God.
But he who would have the will of all his creatures free, left none
unguarded to the bewildering sophistry by which rebellion would seek to
justify itself. Before the great contest should open, all were to have a
clear presentation of His will, whose wisdom and goodness were the
spring of all their joy.
The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before him, that in
their presence he might set forth the true position of his Son, and show
the relation he sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared
the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One
encircled both. About the throne gathered the holy angels, a vast,
unnumbered throng—“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands,”[12] the most exalted angels, as ministers and subjects,
rejoicing in the light that fell upon them from the presence of the
Deity. Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven, the King declared
that none but Christ, the only begotten of God, could fully enter into
his purposes, and to him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels
of his will. The Son of God had wrought the Father’s will in the
creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to him, as well as to God,
their homage and allegiance were due. Christ was still to exercise
divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. But in
all this he would not seek power or exaltation for himself contrary to
God’s plan, but would exalt the Father’s glory, and execute his purposes
of beneficence and love.
The angels joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and
prostrating themselves before him, poured out their love and adoration.
Lucifer bowed with them; but in his heart there was a strange, fierce
conflict. Truth, justice, and loyalty were struggling against envy and
jealousy. The influence of the holy angels seemed for a time to carry
him with them. As songs of praise ascended in melodious strains, swelled
by thousands of glad voices, the spirit of evil seemed vanquished;
unutterable love thrilled his entire being; his soul went out, in
harmony with the sinless worshipers, in love to the Father and the Son.
But again he was filled with pride in his own glory. His desire for
supremacy returned, and envy of Christ was once more indulged. The high
honors conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as God’s special
gift, and therefore called forth no gratitude to his Creator. He gloried
in his brightness and exaltation, and aspired to be equal with God. He
was beloved and reverenced by the heavenly host, angels delighted to
execute his commands, and he was clothed with wisdom and glory above
them all. Yet the Son of God was exalted above him, as one in power and
authority with the Father. He shared the Father’s counsels, while
Lucifer did not thus enter into the purposes of God. “Why,” questioned
this mighty angel, “should Christ have the supremacy? Why is he honored
above Lucifer?”
Leaving his place in the immediate presence of the Father, Lucifer went
forth to diffuse the spirit of discontent among the angels. He worked
with mysterious secrecy, and for a time concealed his real purpose under
an appearance of reverence for God. He began to insinuate doubts
concerning the laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that
though laws might be necessary for the inhabitants of the worlds,
angels, being more exalted, needed no such restraint, for their own
wisdom was a sufficient guide. They were not beings that could bring
dishonor to God; all their thoughts were holy; it was no more possible
for them than for God himself to err. The exaltation of the Son of God
as equal with the Father was represented as an injustice to Lucifer,
who, it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor. If this
prince of angels could but attain to his true, exalted position, great
good would accrue to the entire host of heaven; for it was his object to
secure freedom for all. But now even the liberty which they had hitherto
enjoyed was at an end; for an absolute ruler had been appointed them,
and to his authority all must pay homage. Such were the subtle
deceptions that through the wiles of Lucifer were fast obtaining in the
heavenly courts.
There had been no change in the position or authority of Christ.
Lucifer’s envy and misrepresentation, and his claims to equality with
Christ, had made necessary a statement of the true position of the Son
of God; but this had been the same from the beginning. Many of the
angels were, however, blinded by Lucifer’s deceptions.
Taking advantage of the loving, loyal trust reposed in him by the holy
beings under his command, he had so artfully instilled into their
minds his own distrust and discontent that his agency was not
discerned. Lucifer had presented the purposes of God in a false
light,—misconstruing and distorting them, to excite dissent and
dissatisfaction. He cunningly drew his hearers on to give utterance to
their feelings; then these expressions were repeated by him when it
would serve his purpose, as evidence that the angels were not fully in
harmony with the government of God. While claiming for himself perfect
loyalty to God, he urged that changes in the order and laws of heaven
were necessary for the stability of the divine government. Thus while
working to excite opposition to the law of God, and to instill his own
discontent into the minds of the angels under him, he was ostensibly
seeking to remove dissatisfaction, and to reconcile disaffected angels
to the order of heaven. While secretly fomenting discord and
rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole
purpose to promote loyalty, and to preserve harmony and peace.
The spirit of dissatisfaction, thus kindled, was doing its baleful work.
While there was no open outbreak, division of feeling imperceptibly grew
up among the angels. There were some who looked with favor upon
Lucifer’s insinuations against the government of God. Although they had
heretofore been in perfect harmony with the order which God had
established, they were now discontented and unhappy because they could
not penetrate his unsearchable counsels; they were dissatisfied with his
purpose in exalting Christ. These stood ready to second Lucifer’s demand
for equal authority with the Son of God. But angels who were loyal and
true maintained the wisdom and justice of the divine decree, and
endeavored to reconcile this disaffected being to the will of God.
Christ was the Son of God; he had been one with him before the angels
were called into existence. He had ever stood at the right hand of the
Father; his supremacy, so full of blessing to all who came under its
benignant control, had not heretofore been questioned. The harmony of
heaven had never been interrupted; wherefore should there now be
discord? The loyal angels could see only terrible consequences from this
dissension, and with earnest entreaty they counseled the disaffected
ones to renounce their purpose, and prove themselves loyal to God by
fidelity to his government.
In great mercy, according to his divine character, God bore long with
Lucifer. The spirit of discontent and disaffection had never before been
known in heaven. It was a new element, strange, mysterious,
unaccountable. Lucifer himself had not at first been acquainted with the
real nature of his feelings; for a time he had feared to express the
workings and imaginings of his mind; yet he did not dismiss them. He did
not see whither he was drifting. But such efforts as infinite love and
wisdom only could devise, were made to convince him of his error. His
disaffection was proved to be without cause, and he was made to see what
would be the result of persisting in revolt. Lucifer was convinced that
he was in the wrong. He saw that “the Lord is righteous in all his ways,
and holy in all his works;”[13] that the divine statutes are just, and
that he ought to acknowledge them as such before all heaven. Had he done
this, he might have saved himself and many angels. He had not at that
time fully cast off his allegiance to God. Though he had left his
position as covering cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to
God, acknowledging the Creator’s wisdom, and satisfied to fill the place
appointed him in God’s great plan, he would have been reinstated in his
office. The time had come for a final decision; he must fully yield to
the divine sovereignty, or place himself in open rebellion. He nearly
reached the decision to return; but pride forbade him. It was too great
a sacrifice for one who had been so highly honored to confess that he
had been in error, that his imaginings were false, and to yield to the
authority which he had been working to prove unjust.
A compassionate Creator, in yearning pity for Lucifer and his followers,
was seeking to draw them back from the abyss of ruin into which they
were about to plunge. But his mercy was misinterpreted. Lucifer pointed
to the long-suffering of God as an evidence of his own superiority, an
indication that the King of the universe would yet accede to his terms.
If the angels would stand firmly with him, he declared, they could yet
gain all that they desired. He persistently defended his own course, and
fully committed himself to the great controversy against his Maker. Thus
it was that Lucifer, “the light-bearer,” the sharer of God’s glory, the
attendant of his throne, by transgression became Satan, “the adversary”
of God and holy beings, and the destroyer of those whom Heaven had
committed to his guidance and guardianship.
Rejecting with disdain the arguments and entreaties of the loyal angels,
he denounced them as deluded slaves. The preference shown to Christ he
declared an act of injustice both to himself and to all the heavenly
host, and announced that he would no longer submit to this invasion of
his rights and theirs. He would never again acknowledge the supremacy of
Christ. He had determined to claim the honor which should have been
given him, and take command of all who would become his followers; and
he promised those who would enter his ranks a new and better government,
under which all would enjoy freedom. Great numbers of the angels
signified their purpose to accept him as their leader. Flattered by the
favor with which his advances were received, he hoped to win all the
angels to his side, to become equal with God himself, and to be obeyed
by the entire host of heaven.
Still the loyal angels urged him and his sympathizers to submit to God;
and they set before them the inevitable result should they refuse: He
who had created them could overthrow their power, and signally punish
their rebellious daring. No angel could successfully oppose the law of
God, which was as sacred as himself. They warned all to close their ears
against Lucifer’s deceptive reasoning, and urged him and his followers
to seek the presence of God without delay, and confess the error of
questioning his wisdom and authority.
Many were disposed to heed this counsel, to repent of their
disaffection, and seek to be again received into favor with the Father
and his Son. But Lucifer had another deception ready. The mighty
revolter now declared that the angels who had united with him had gone
too far to return; that he was acquainted with the divine law, and knew
that God would not forgive. He declared that all who should submit to
the authority of Heaven would be stripped of their honor, degraded from
their position. For himself, he was determined never again to
acknowledge the authority of Christ. The only course remaining for him
and his followers, he said, was to assert their liberty, and gain by
force the rights which had not been willingly accorded them.
So far as Satan himself was concerned, it was true that he had now gone
too far to return. But not so with those who had been blinded by his
deceptions. To them the counsel and entreaties of the loyal angels
opened a door of hope; and had they heeded the warning, they might have
broken away from the snare of Satan. But pride, love for their leader,
and the desire for unrestricted freedom, were permitted to bear sway,
and the pleadings of divine love and mercy were finally rejected.
God permitted Satan to carry forward his work until the spirit of
disaffection ripened into active revolt. It was necessary for his plans
to be fully developed, that their true nature and tendency might be seen
by all. Lucifer, as the anointed cherub, had been highly exalted; he was
greatly loved by the heavenly beings, and his influence over them was
strong. God’s government included not only the inhabitants of heaven,
but of all the worlds that he had created; and Lucifer had concluded
that if he could carry the angels of heaven with him in rebellion, he
could carry also all the worlds. He had artfully presented his side of
the question, employing sophistry and fraud to secure his objects. His
power to deceive was very great. By disguising himself in a cloak of
falsehood, he had gained an advantage. All his acts were so clothed with
mystery, that it was difficult to disclose to the angels the true nature
of his work. Until fully developed, it could not be made to appear the
evil thing it was; his disaffection would not be seen to be rebellion.
Even the loyal angels could not fully discern his character, or see to
what his work was leading.
Lucifer had at first so conducted his temptations that he himself stood
uncommitted. The angels whom he could not bring fully to his side, he
accused of indifference to the interests of heavenly beings. The very
work which he himself was doing, he charged upon the loyal angels. It
was his policy to perplex with subtle arguments concerning the purposes
of God. Everything that was simple he shrouded in mystery, and by artful
perversion cast doubt upon the plainest statements of Jehovah. And his
high position, so closely connected with the divine government, gave
greater force to his representations.
God could employ only such means as were consistent with truth and
righteousness. Satan could use what God could not,—flattery and deceit.
He had sought to falsify the word of God, and had misrepresented his
plan of government, claiming that God was not just in imposing laws upon
the angels; that in requiring submission and obedience from his
creatures, he was seeking merely the exaltation of himself. It was
therefore necessary to demonstrate before the inhabitants of heaven, and
of all the worlds, that God’s government is just, his law perfect. Satan
had made it appear that he himself was seeking to promote the good of
the universe. The true character of the usurper, and his real object,
must be understood by all. He must have time to manifest himself by his
wicked works.
The discord which his own course had caused in heaven, Satan charged
upon the government of God. All evil he declared to be the result of the
divine administration. He claimed that it was his own object to improve
upon the statutes of Jehovah. Therefore God permitted him to demonstrate
the nature of his claims, to show the working out of his proposed
changes in the divine law. His own work must condemn him. Satan had
claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion. The whole universe
must see the deceiver unmasked.
Even when he was cast out of heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy
Satan. Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God, the
allegiance of his creatures must rest upon a conviction of his justice
and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of the worlds, being
unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not
then have seen the justice of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he
been immediately blotted out of existence, some would have served God
from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not
have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been
utterly eradicated. For the good of the entire universe through
ceaseless ages, he must more fully develop his principles, that his
charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light
by all created beings, and that the justice and mercy of God and the
immutability of his law might be forever placed beyond all question.
Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming
ages,—a perpetual testimony to the nature of sin and its terrible
results. The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and
angels, would show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine
authority. It would testify that with the existence of God’s government
is bound up the well-being of all the creatures he has made. Thus the
history of this terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual
safeguard to all holy beings, to prevent them from being deceived as to
the nature of transgression, to save them from committing sin, and
suffering its penalty.
He that ruleth in the heavens is the one who sees the end from the
beginning,—the one before whom the mysteries of the past and the future
are alike outspread, and who, beyond the woe and darkness and ruin that
sin has wrought, beholds the accomplishment of his own purposes of love
and blessing. Though “clouds and darkness are round about him,
righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.”[14] And
this the inhabitants of the universe, both loyal and disloyal, will one
day understand. “His work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a
God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he.”[15]
[Illustration: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all
the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”]
Footnote 1:
Ps. 89:13-18, Rev. Ver.
Footnote 2:
John 1:1, 2.
Footnote 3:
Isa. 9:6.
Footnote 4:
Micah 5:2.
Footnote 5:
Prov. 8:22-30.
Footnote 6:
Col. 1:16.
Footnote 7:
Heb. 1:3, 8; Jer. 17:12.
Footnote 8:
Ps. 96:6; 89:14.
Footnote 9:
Eze. 28:12-15
Footnote 10:
Eze. 28:17.
Footnote 11:
Isa. 14:13, 14.
Footnote 12:
Rev. 5:11.
Footnote 13:
Ps. 145:17.
Footnote 14:
Ps. 97:2. Rev. Ver.
Footnote 15:
Deut. 32:4.
THE CREATION—2
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them
by the breath of his mouth.” “For he spake, and it was; he commanded,
and it stood fast.” He “laid the foundations of the earth, that it
should not be removed forever.”[16]
As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly
beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and
plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills
and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps
and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth’s
rocky frame-work were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere
produced a luxuriant growth of verdure. There were no loathsome swamps
nor barren deserts. Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye
at every turn. The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than
any that now exist. The air, untainted by foul miasm, was clear and
healthful. The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds
of the proudest palace. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight,
and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God.
After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life, had been
called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the
one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was brought upon
the stage of action. To him was given dominion over all that his eye
could behold; for “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness; and let them have dominion over ... all the earth.” “So God
created man in his own image; ... male and female created he them.”[17]
Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the divine
record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous
conclusions. God created man in his own image. Here is no mystery. There
is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved, by slow degrees
of development, from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such
teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man’s
narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from
the sovereignty of the universe, that they degrade man, and defraud him
of the dignity of his origin. He who set the starry worlds on high, and
tinted with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the
earth and the heavens with the wonders of his power, when he came to
crown his glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of
the fair earth, did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that
gave him life. The genealogy of our race, as given by inspiration,
traces back its origin, not to a line of developing germs, mollusks, and
quadrupeds, but to the great Creator. Though formed from the dust, Adam
was “the son of God.”[18]
He was placed, as God’s representative, over the lower orders of being.
They cannot understand or acknowledge the sovereignty of God, yet they
were made capable of loving and serving man. The psalmist says, “Thou
madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put
all things under his feet, ... the beasts of the field, the fowl of the
air, ... and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.”[19]
Man was to bear God’s image, both in outward resemblance and in
character. Christ alone is “the express image”[20] of the Father; but
man was formed in the likeness of God. His nature was in harmony with
the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things.
His affections were pure; his appetites and passions were under the
control of reason. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God,
and in perfect obedience to his will.
As man came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of lofty stature
and perfect symmetry. His countenance bore the ruddy tint of health, and
glowed with the light of life and joy. Adam’s height was much greater
than that of men who now inhabit the earth. Eve was somewhat less in
stature; yet her form was noble, and full of beauty. The sinless pair
wore no artificial garments; they were clothed with a covering of light
and glory, such as the angels wear. So long as they lived in obedience
to God, this robe of light continued to enshroud them.
After the creation of Adam, every living creature was brought before him
to receive its name; he saw that to each had been given a companion, but
among them “there was not found an help meet for him.”[21] Among all the
creatures that God had made on the earth, there was not one equal to
man. And “God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will
make him an help meet for him.”[22] Man was not made to dwell in
solitude; he was to be a social being. Without companionship, the
beautiful scenes and delightful employments of Eden would have failed to
yield perfect happiness. Even communion with angels could not have
satisfied his desire for sympathy and companionship. There was none of
the same nature to love, and to be loved.
God himself gave Adam a companion. He provided “an help meet for him,”—a
helper corresponding to him,—one who was fitted to be his companion, and
who could be one with him in love and sympathy. Eve was created from a
rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control
him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but
to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him. A
part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was his
second self; showing the close union and the affectionate attachment
that should exist in this relation. “For no man ever yet hated his own
flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it.” “Therefore shall a man leave
his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they
shall be one.”[23]
God celebrated the first marriage. Thus the institution has for its
originator the Creator of the universe. “Marriage is honorable;”[24] it
was one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two
institutions that, after the fall, Adam brought with him beyond the
gates of Paradise. When the divine principles are recognized and obeyed
in this relation, marriage is a blessing; it guards the purity and
happiness of the race, it provides for man’s social needs, it elevates
the physical, the intellectual, and the moral nature.
“And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put
the man whom he had formed.”[25] Everything that God had made was the
perfection of beauty, and nothing seemed wanting that could contribute
to the happiness of the holy pair; yet the Creator gave them still
another token of his love, by preparing a garden especially for their
home. In this garden were trees of every variety, many of them laden
with fragrant and delicious fruit. There were lovely vines, growing
upright, yet presenting a most graceful appearance, with their branches
drooping under their load of tempting fruit, of the richest and most
varied hues. It was the work of Adam and Eve to train the branches of
the vine to form bowers, thus making for themselves a dwelling from
living trees covered with foliage and fruit. There were fragrant flowers
of every hue in rich profusion. In the midst of the garden stood the
tree of life, surpassing in glory all other trees. Its fruit appeared
like apples of gold and silver, and had the power to perpetuate life.
The creation was now complete. “The heavens and the earth were finished,
and all the host of them.” “And God saw everything that he had made,
and, behold, it was very good.”[26] Eden bloomed on earth. Adam and Eve
had free access to the tree of life. No taint of sin, or shadow of
death, marred the fair creation. “The morning stars sang together, and
all the sons of God shouted for joy.”[27]
The great Jehovah had laid the foundations of the earth; he had dressed
the whole world in the garb of beauty, and had filled it with things
useful to man; he had created all the wonders of the land and of the
sea. In six days the great work of creation had been accomplished. And
God “rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And
God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he
had rested from all his work which God created and made.”[28] God looked
with satisfaction upon the work of his hands. All was perfect, worthy of
its divine Author, and he rested, not as one weary, but as well pleased
with the fruits of his wisdom and goodness and the manifestations of his
glory.
After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart,
as a day of rest for man. Following the example of the Creator, man was
to rest upon this sacred day, that as he should look upon the heavens
and the earth, he might reflect upon God’s great work of creation; and
that as he should behold the evidences of God’s wisdom and goodness, his
heart might be filled with love and reverence for his Maker.
In Eden, God set up the memorial of his work of creation, in placing his
blessing upon the seventh day. The Sabbath was committed to Adam, the
father and representative of the whole human family. Its observance was
to be an act of grateful acknowledgment, on the part of all who should
dwell upon the earth, that God was their creator and their rightful
sovereign; that they were the work of his hands, and the subjects of his
authority. Thus the institution was wholly commemorative, and given to
all mankind. There was nothing in it shadowy, or of restricted
application to any people.
God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. He
needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the
seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God, and
meditate upon his power and goodness. He needed a Sabbath, to remind him
more vividly of God, and to awaken gratitude because all that he enjoyed
and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator.
God designs that the Sabbath shall direct the minds of men to the
contemplation of his created works. Nature speaks to their senses,
declaring that there is a living God, the Creator, the Supreme Ruler of
all. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth
his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night
showeth knowledge.”[29] The beauty that clothes the earth is a token of
God’s love. We may behold it in the everlasting hills, in the lofty
trees, in the opening buds and the delicate flowers. All speak to us of
God. The Sabbath, ever pointing to Him who made them all, bids men open
the great book of nature, and trace therein the wisdom, the power, and
the love of the Creator.
Our first parents, though created innocent and holy, were not placed
beyond the possibility of wrong-doing. God made them free moral agents,
capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevolence of his character and
the justice of his requirements, and with full liberty to yield or to
withhold obedience. They were to enjoy communion with God and with holy
angels; but before they could be rendered eternally secure, their
loyalty must be tested. At the very beginning of man’s existence a check
was placed upon the desire for self-indulgence, the fatal passion that
lay at the foundation of Satan’s fall. The tree of knowledge, which
stood near the tree of life in the midst of the garden, was to be a test
of the obedience, faith, and love of our first parents. While permitted
to eat freely of every other tree, they were forbidden to taste of this,
on pain of death. They were also to be exposed to the temptations of
Satan; but if they endured the trial, they would finally be placed
beyond his power, to enjoy perpetual favor with God.
God placed man under law, as an indispensable condition of his very
existence. He was a subject of the divine government, and there can be
no government without law. God might have created man without the power
to transgress his law; he might have withheld the hand of Adam from
touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case man would have been, not
a free moral agent, but a mere automaton. Without freedom of choice, his
obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced. There could have
been no development of character. Such a course would have been contrary
to God’s plan in dealing with the inhabitants of other worlds. It would
have been unworthy of man as an intelligent being, and would have
sustained Satan’s charge of God’s arbitrary rule.
God made man upright; he gave him noble traits of character, with no
bias toward evil. He endowed him with high intellectual powers, and
presented before him the strongest possible inducements to be true to
his allegiance. Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of
eternal happiness. On this condition he was to have access to the tree
of life.
The home of our first parents was to be a pattern for other homes as
their children should go forth to occupy the earth. That home,
beautified by the hand of God himself, was not a gorgeous palace. Men,
in their pride, delight in magnificent and costly edifices, and glory in
the works of their own hands; but God placed Adam in a garden. This was
his dwelling. The blue heavens were its dome; the earth, with its
delicate flowers and carpet of living green, was its floor; and the
leafy branches of the goodly trees were its canopy. Its walls were hung
with the most magnificent adornings,—the handiwork of the great
Master-artist. In the surroundings of the holy pair was a lesson for all
time,—that true happiness is found, not in the indulgence of pride and
luxury, but in communion with God through his created works. If men
would give less attention to the artificial, and would cultivate greater
simplicity, they would come far nearer to answering the purpose of God
in their creation. Pride and ambition are never satisfied, but those who
are truly wise will find substantial and elevating pleasure in the
sources of enjoyment that God has placed within the reach of all.
To the dwellers in Eden was committed the care of the garden, “to dress
it and to keep it.” Their occupation was not wearisome, but pleasant and
invigorating. God appointed labor as a blessing to man, to occupy his
mind, to strengthen his body, and to develop his faculties. In mental
and physical activity, Adam found one of the highest pleasures of his
holy existence. And when, as a result of his disobedience, he was driven
from his beautiful home, and forced to struggle with a stubborn soil to
gain his daily bread, that very labor, although widely different from
his pleasant occupation in the garden, was a safeguard against
temptation, and a source of happiness. Those who regard work as a curse,
attended though it be with weariness and pain, are cherishing an error.
The rich often look down with contempt upon the working classes; but
this is wholly at variance with God’s purpose in creating man. What are
the possessions of even the most wealthy, in comparison with the
heritage given to the lordly Adam? Yet Adam was not to be idle. Our
Creator, who understands what is for man’s happiness, appointed Adam his
work. The true joy of life is found only by the working men and women.
The angels are diligent workers; they are the ministers of God to the
children of men. The Creator has prepared no place for the stagnating
practice of indolence.
While they remained true to God, Adam and his companion were to bear
rule over the earth. Unlimited control was given them over every living
thing. The lion and the lamb sported peacefully around them, or lay down
together at their feet. The happy birds flitted about them without fear;
and as their glad songs ascended to the praise of their Creator, Adam
and Eve united with them in thanksgiving to the Father and the Son.
The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God, but
students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. They were
visited by angels, and were granted communion with their Maker, with no
obscuring vail between. They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree
of life, and their intellectual power was but little less than that of
the angels. The mysteries of the visible universe—“the wondrous works of
Him who is perfect in knowledge”[30]—afforded them an exhaustless source
of instruction and delight. The laws and operations of nature, which
have engaged men’s study for six thousand years, were opened to their
minds by the infinite Framer and Upholder of all. They held converse
with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its
life. With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth
among the waters, to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam
was familiar. He had given to each its name, and he was acquainted with
the nature and habits of all. God’s glory in the heavens, the
innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, “the balancings of the
clouds,”[31] the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night,—all
were open to the study of our first parents. On every leaf of the forest
or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and
sky, God’s name was written. The order and harmony of creation spoke to
them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever discovering some
attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love, and called forth
fresh expressions of gratitude.
So long as they remained loyal to the divine law, their capacity to
know, to enjoy, and to love, would continually increase. They would be
constantly gaining new treasures of knowledge, discovering fresh springs
of happiness, and obtaining clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the
immeasurable, unfailing love of God.
[Illustration: “All thy works shall praise thee.”]
Footnote 16:
Ps. 33:6, 9; 104:5.
Footnote 17:
Gen. 1:26, 27.
Footnote 18:
Luke 3:38.
Footnote 19:
Ps. 8:6-8.
Footnote 20:
Heb. 1:3.
Footnote 21:
Gen. 2:20
Footnote 22:
Gen. 2:18.
Footnote 23:
Eph. 5:29; Gen. 2:24.
Footnote 24:
Heb. 13:4.
Footnote 25:
Gen. 2:8.
Footnote 26:
Gen. 2:1-3.
Footnote 27:
Job 38:7.
Footnote 28:
Gen. 1:31.
Footnote 29:
Ps. 19:1, 2.
Footnote 30:
Job 37:16.
Footnote 31:
Job 37:16.
THE TEMPTATION AND FALL—3
No longer free to stir up rebellion in heaven, Satan’s enmity against
God found a new field in plotting the ruin of the human race. In the
happiness and peace of the holy pair in Eden, he beheld a vision of the
bliss that to him was forever lost. Moved by envy, he determined to
incite them to disobedience, and bring upon them the guilt and penalty
of sin. He would change their love to distrust, and their songs of
praise to reproaches against their Maker. Thus he would not only plunge
these innocent beings into the same misery which he was himself
enduring, but would cast dishonor upon God, and cause grief in heaven.
Our first parents were not left without a warning of the danger that
threatened them. Heavenly messengers opened to them the history of
Satan’s fall, and his plots for their destruction, unfolding more fully
the nature of the divine government, which the prince of evil was trying
to overthrow. It was by disobedience to the just commands of God that
Satan and his host had fallen. How important, then, that Adam and Eve
should honor that law by which alone it was possible for order and
equity to be maintained.
The law of God is as sacred as himself. It is a revelation of his will,
a transcript of his character, the expression of divine love and wisdom.
The harmony of creation depends upon the perfect conformity of all
beings, of everything, animate and inanimate, to the law of the Creator.
God has ordained laws for the government, not only of living beings, but
of all the operations of nature. Everything is under fixed laws, which
cannot be disregarded. But while everything in nature is governed by
natural laws, man alone, of all that inhabits the earth, is amenable to
moral law. To man, the crowning work of creation, God has given power to
understand his requirements, to comprehend the justice and beneficence
of his law, and its sacred claims upon him; and of man unswerving
obedience is required.
Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation;
their happy estate could be retained only on condition of fidelity to
the Creator’s law. They could obey and live, or disobey and perish. God
had made them the recipients of rich blessings; but should they
disregard his will, he who spared not the angels that sinned, could not
spare them; transgression would forfeit his gifts, and bring upon them
misery and ruin.
The angels warned them to be on their guard against the devices of
Satan; for his efforts to ensnare them would be unwearied. While they
were obedient to God, the evil one could not harm them; for, if need be,
every angel in heaven would be sent to their help. If they steadfastly
repelled his first insinuations, they would be as secure as the heavenly
messengers. But should they once yield to temptation, their nature would
become so depraved that in themselves they would have no power, and no
disposition, to resist Satan.
The tree of knowledge had been made a test of their obedience and their
love to God. The Lord had seen fit to lay upon them but one prohibition
as to the use of all that was in the garden; but if they should
disregard his will in this particular, they would incur the guilt of
transgression. Satan was not to follow them with continual temptations;
he could have access to them only at the forbidden tree. Should they
attempt to investigate its nature, they would be exposed to his wiles.
They were admonished to give careful heed to the warning which God had
sent them, and to be content with the instruction which he had seen fit
to impart.
In order to accomplish his work unperceived, Satan chose to employ as
his medium the serpent,—a disguise well adapted for his purpose of
deception. The serpent was then one of the wisest and most beautiful
creatures on the earth. It had wings, and while flying through the air
presented an appearance of dazzling brightness, having the color and
brilliancy of burnished gold. Resting in the rich-laden branches of the
forbidden tree, and regaling itself with the delicious fruit, it was an
object to arrest the attention and delight the eye of the beholder. Thus
in the garden of peace lurked the destroyer, watching for his prey.
The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating herself from her
husband while occupied in their daily labor in the garden; with him she
would be in less danger from temptation than if she were alone. But
absorbed in her pleasing task, she unconsciously wandered from his side.
On perceiving that she was alone, she felt an apprehension of danger,
but dismissed her fears, deciding that she had sufficient wisdom and
strength to discern evil and to withstand it. Unmindful of the angels’
caution, she soon found herself gazing, with mingled curiosity and
admiration, upon the forbidden tree. The fruit was very beautiful, and
she questioned with herself why God had withheld it from them. Now was
the tempter’s opportunity. As if he were able to discern the workings of
her mind, he addressed her: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?”[32] Eve was surprised and startled as she
thus seemed to hear the echo of her thoughts. But the serpent continued,
in a musical voice, with subtle praise of her surpassing loveliness; and
his words were not displeasing. Instead of fleeing from the spot, she
lingered wonderingly to hear a serpent speak. Had she been addressed by
a being like the angels, her fears would have been excited; but she had
no thought that the fascinating serpent could become the medium of the
fallen foe.
To the tempter’s ensnaring question she replied: “We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the
woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.”
By partaking of this tree, he declared, they would attain to a more
exalted sphere of existence, and enter a broader field of knowledge. He
himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit, and as a result had acquired
the power of speech. And he insinuated that the Lord jealously desired
to withhold it from them, lest they should be exalted to equality with
himself. It was because of its wonderful properties, imparting wisdom
and power, that he had prohibited them from tasting or even touching it.
The tempter intimated that the divine warning was not to be actually
fulfilled; it was designed merely to intimidate them. How could it be
possible for them to die? Had they not eaten of the tree of life? God
had been seeking to prevent them from reaching a nobler development, and
finding greater happiness.
Such has been Satan’s work from the days of Adam to the present, and he
has pursued it with great success. He tempts men to distrust God’s love
and to doubt his wisdom. He is constantly seeking to excite a spirit of
irreverent curiosity, a restless, inquisitive desire to penetrate the
secrets of divine wisdom and power. In their efforts to search out what
God has been pleased to withhold, multitudes overlook the truths which
he has revealed, and which are essential to salvation. Satan tempts men
to disobedience, by leading them to believe they are entering a
wonderful field of knowledge. But this is all a deception. Elated with
their ideas of progression, they are, by trampling on God’s
requirements, setting their feet in the path that leads to degradation
and death.
Satan represented to the holy pair that they would be gainers by
breaking the law of God. Do we not to-day hear similar reasoning? Many
talk of the narrowness of those who obey God’s commandments, while they
themselves claim to have broader ideas, and to enjoy greater liberty.
What is this but an echo of the voice from Eden, “In the day ye eat
thereof”—transgress the divine requirement—“ye shall be as gods”? Satan
claimed to have received great good by eating of the forbidden fruit,
but he did not let it appear that by transgression he had become an
outcast from heaven. Though he had found sin to result in infinite loss,
he concealed his own misery, in order to draw others into the same
position. So now the transgressor seeks to disguise his true character;
he may claim to be holy; but his exalted profession only makes him the
more dangerous as a deceiver. He is on the side of Satan, trampling upon
the law of God, and leading others to do the same, to their eternal
ruin.
Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not save her
from the penalty of sin. She disbelieved the words of God, and this was
what led to her fall. In the Judgment, men will not be condemned because
they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe
the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is
truth. Notwithstanding the sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is
always disastrous to disobey God. We must set our hearts to know what is
truth. All the lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in
his word are for our warning and instruction. They are given to save us
from deception. Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves. Whatever
contradicts God’s word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan.
The serpent plucked the fruit of the forbidden tree, and placed it in
the hands of the half-reluctant Eve. Then he reminded her of her own
words, that God had forbidden them to touch it, lest they die. She would
receive no more harm from eating the fruit, he declared, than from
touching it. Perceiving no evil results from what she had done, Eve grew
bolder. When she “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.” It was grateful to the taste,
and as she ate, she seemed to feel a vivifying power, and imagined
herself entering upon a higher state of existence. Without a fear she
plucked and ate. And now, having herself transgressed, she became the
agent of Satan in working the ruin of her husband. In a state of
strange, unnatural excitement, with her hands filled with the forbidden
fruit, she sought his presence, and related all that had occurred.
An expression of sadness came over the face of Adam. He appeared
astonished and alarmed. To the words of Eve he replied that this must be
the foe against whom they had been warned; and by the divine sentence
she must die. In answer she urged him to eat, repeating the words of the
serpent, that they should not surely die. She reasoned that this must be
true, for she felt no evidence of God’s displeasure, but on the contrary
realized a delicious, exhilarating influence, thrilling every faculty
with new life, such, she imagined, as inspired the heavenly messengers.
Adam understood that his companion had transgressed the command of God,
disregarded the only prohibition laid upon them as a test of their
fidelity and love. There was a terrible struggle in his mind. He mourned
that he had permitted Eve to wander from his side. But now the deed was
done; he must be separated from her whose society had been his joy. How
could he have it thus? Adam had enjoyed the companionship of God and of
holy angels. He had looked upon the glory of the Creator. He understood
the high destiny opened to the human race should they remain faithful to
God. Yet all these blessings were lost sight of in the fear of losing
that one gift which in his eyes outvalued every other. Love, gratitude,
loyalty to the Creator,—all were overborne by love to Eve. She was a
part of himself, and he could not endure the thought of separation. He
did not realize that the same Infinite Power who had from the dust of
the earth created him, a living, beautiful form, and had in love given
him a companion, could supply her place. He resolved to share her fate;
if she must die, he would die with her. After all, he reasoned, might
not the words of the wise serpent be true? Eve was before him, as
beautiful, and apparently as innocent, as before this act of
disobedience. She expressed greater love for him than before. No sign of
death appeared in her, and he decided to brave the consequences. He
seized the fruit, and quickly ate.
After his transgression, Adam at first imagined himself entering upon a
higher state of existence. But soon the thought of his sin filled him
with terror. The air, which had hitherto been of a mild and uniform
temperature, seemed to chill the guilty pair. The love and peace which
had been theirs was gone, and in its place they felt a sense of sin, a
dread of the future, a nakedness of soul. The robe of light which had
enshrouded them, now disappeared, and to supply its place they
endeavored to fashion for themselves a covering; for they could not,
while unclothed, meet the eye of God and holy angels.
They now began to see the true character of their sin. Adam reproached
his companion for her folly in leaving his side and permitting herself
to be deceived by the serpent; but they both flattered themselves that
He who had given them so many evidences of his love, would pardon this
one transgression, or that they would not be subjected to so dire a
punishment as they had feared.
Satan exulted in his success. He had tempted the woman to distrust God’s
love, to doubt his wisdom, and to transgress his law, and through her he
had caused the overthrow of Adam.
But the great Lawgiver was about to make known to Adam and Eve the
consequences of their transgression. The divine presence was manifested
in the garden. In their innocence and holiness they had joyfully
welcomed the approach of their Creator; but now they fled in terror, and
sought to hide in the deepest recesses of the garden. But “the Lord God
called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I
heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked,
and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast
thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not
eat?”
Adam could neither deny nor excuse his sin; but instead of manifesting
penitence, he endeavored to cast the blame upon his wife, and thus upon
God himself: “The woman whom _thou gavest_ to be with me, she gave me of
the tree, and I did eat.” He who, from love to Eve, had deliberately
chosen to forfeit the approval of God, his home in Paradise, and an
eternal life of joy, could now, after his fall, endeavor to make his
companion, and even the Creator himself, responsible for the
transgression. So terrible is the power of sin.
When the woman was asked, “What is this that thou hast done?” she
answered, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” “Why didst thou
create the serpent? Why didst thou suffer him to enter Eden?”—these were
the questions implied in her excuse for her sin. Thus, like Adam, she
charged God with the responsibility of their fall. The spirit of
self-justification originated in the father of lies; it was indulged by
our first parents as soon as they yielded to the influence of Satan, and
has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Instead of
humbly confessing their sins, they try to shield themselves by casting
the blame upon others, upon circumstances, or upon God—making even his
blessings an occasion of murmuring against him.
The Lord then passed sentence upon the serpent: “Because thou hast done
this, thou art cursed 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.” Since it had been employed as Satan’s medium, the
serpent was to share the visitation of divine judgment. From the most
beautiful and admired of the creatures of the field, it was to become
the most groveling and detested of them all, feared and hated by both
man and beast. The words next addressed to the serpent applied directly
to Satan himself, pointing forward to his ultimate defeat and
destruction: “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.”
Eve was told of the sorrow and pain that must henceforth be her portion.
And the Lord said, “Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee.” In the creation, God had made her the equal of Adam.
Had they remained obedient to God—in harmony with his great law of
love—they would ever have been in harmony with each other; but sin had
brought discord, and now their union could be maintained and harmony
preserved only by submission on the part of the one or the other. Eve
had been the first in transgression; and she had fallen into temptation
by separating from her companion, contrary to the divine direction. It
was by her solicitation that Adam sinned, and she was now placed in
subjection to her husband. Had the principles enjoined in the law of God
been cherished by the fallen race, this sentence, though growing out of
the results of sin, would have proved a blessing to them; but man’s
abuse of the supremacy thus given him, has too often rendered the lot of
woman very bitter, and made her life a burden.
Eve had been perfectly happy by her husband’s side in her Eden home;
but, like restless modern Eves, she was flattered with the hope of
entering a higher sphere than that which God had assigned her. In
attempting to rise above her original position, she fell far below it. A
similar result will be reached by all who are unwilling to take up
cheerfully their life duties in accordance with God’s plan. In their
efforts to reach positions for which he has not fitted them, many are
leaving vacant the place where they might be a blessing. In their desire
for a higher sphere, many have sacrificed true womanly dignity, and
nobility of character, and have left undone the very work that Heaven
appointed them.
To Adam the Lord declared: “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice
of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,
saying, Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in
sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and
thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of
the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou
art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
It was not the will of God that the sinless pair should know aught of
evil. He had freely given them the good, and had withheld the evil. But,
contrary to his command, they had eaten of the forbidden tree, and now
they would continue to eat of it—they would have the knowledge of
evil—all the days of their life. From that time the race would be
afflicted by Satan’s temptations. Instead of the happy labor heretofore
appointed them, anxiety and toil were to be their lot. They would be
subject to disappointment, grief, and pain, and finally to death.
Under the curse of sin, all nature was to witness to man of the
character and results of rebellion against God. When God made man, he
made him ruler over the earth and all living creatures. So long as Adam
remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjection to him. But when
he rebelled against the divine law, the inferior creatures were in
rebellion against his rule. Thus the Lord, in his great mercy, would
show men the sacredness of his law, and lead them, by their own
experience, to see the danger of setting it aside, even in the slightest
degree.
And the life of toil and care which was henceforth to be man’s lot was
appointed in love. It was a discipline rendered needful by his sin, to
place a check upon the indulgence of appetite and passion, to develop
habits of self-control. It was a part of God’s great plan for man’s
recovery from the ruin and degradation of sin.
The warning given to our first parents—“In the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die”[33]—did not imply that they were to die
on the very day when they partook of the forbidden fruit. But on that
day the irrevocable sentence would be pronounced. Immortality was
promised them on condition of obedience; by transgression they would
forfeit eternal life. That very day they would be doomed to death.
In order to possess an endless existence, man must continue to partake
of the tree of life. Deprived of this, his vitality would gradually
diminish until life should become extinct. It was Satan’s plan that Adam
and Eve should by disobedience incur God’s displeasure; and then, if
they failed to obtain forgiveness, he hoped that they would eat of the
tree of life, and thus perpetuate an existence of sin and misery. But
after man’s fall, holy angels were immediately commissioned to guard the
tree of life. Around these angels, flashed beams of light having the
appearance of a glittering sword. None of the family of Adam were
permitted to pass that barrier to partake of the life-giving fruit;
hence there is not an immortal sinner.
The tide of woe that flowed from the transgression of our first parents,
is regarded by many as too awful a consequence for so small a sin; and
they impeach the wisdom and justice of God in his dealings with man. But
if they would look more deeply into this question, they might discern
their error. God created man after his own likeness, free from sin. The
earth was to be peopled with beings only a little lower than the angels;
but their obedience must be tested; for God would not permit the world
to be filled with those who would disregard his law. Yet, in his great
mercy, he appointed Adam no severe test. And the very lightness of the
prohibition made the sin exceedingly great. If Adam could not bear the
smallest of tests, he could not have endured a greater trial, had he
been intrusted with higher responsibilities.
Had some great test been appointed Adam, then those whose hearts incline
to evil would have excused themselves by saying, “This is a trivial
matter, and God is not so particular about little things.” And there
would be continual transgression in things looked upon as small, and
which pass unrebuked among men. But the Lord has made it evident that
sin in any degree is offensive to him.
To Eve it seemed a small thing to disobey God by tasting the fruit of
the forbidden tree, and to tempt her husband also to transgress; but
their sin opened the flood-gates of woe upon the world. Who can know, in
the moment of temptation, the terrible consequences that will result
from one wrong step?
Many who teach that the law of God is not binding upon man, urge that it
is impossible for him to obey its precepts. But if this were true, why
did Adam suffer the penalty of transgression? The sin of our first
parents brought guilt and sorrow upon the world, and had it not been for
the goodness and mercy of God, would have plunged the race into hopeless
despair. Let none deceive themselves. “The wages of sin is death.” The
law of God can no more be transgressed with impunity now than when
sentence was pronounced upon the father of mankind.
After their sin, Adam and Eve were no longer to dwell in Eden. They
earnestly entreated that they might remain in the home of their
innocence and joy. They confessed that they had forfeited all right to
that happy abode, but pledged themselves for the future to yield strict
obedience to God. But they were told that their nature had become
depraved by sin; they had lessened their strength to resist evil, and
had opened the way for Satan to gain more ready access to them. In their
innocence they had yielded to temptation; and now, in a state of
conscious guilt, they would have less power to maintain their integrity.
In humility and unutterable sadness they bade farewell to their
beautiful home, and went forth to dwell upon the earth, where rested the
curse of sin. The atmosphere, once so mild and uniform in temperature,
was now subject to marked changes, and the Lord mercifully provided them
with a garment of skins as a protection from the extremes of heat and
cold.
As they witnessed, in drooping flower and falling leaf, the first signs
of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn
over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a
cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the
scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion
of every living thing.
The garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man had become an
outcast from its pleasant paths.[34] The fallen race were long permitted
to gaze upon the home of innocence, their entrance barred only by the
watching angels. At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the divine
glory was revealed.[35] Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God.
Here they renewed their vows of obedience to that law the transgression
of which had banished them from Eden. When the tide of iniquity
overspread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their
destruction by a flood of waters, the hand that had planted Eden
withdrew it from the earth. But in the final restitution, when there
shall be “a new heaven and a new earth,”[36] it is to be restored more
gloriously adorned than at the beginning.
Then they that have kept God’s commandments shall breathe in immortal
vigor beneath the tree of life;[36] and through unending ages the
inhabitants of sinless worlds shall behold, in that garden of delight, a
sample of the perfect work of God’s creation, untouched by the curse of
sin,—a sample of what the whole earth would have become, had man but
fulfilled the Creator’s glorious plan.
Footnote 32:
See Genesis 3.
Footnote 33:
Gen. 2:17.
Footnote 34:
See Gen. 4:16.
Footnote 35:
The glory of God was revealed “between the cherubim;” afterward called
the shekinah, it abode in the holy of holies, the center of Israel’s
worship. See Ex. 25:22; Ps. 80:1; Isa. 37:16.
Footnote 36:
Rev. 2:7; 21:1; 22:14.
THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION—4
The fall of man filled all heaven with sorrow. The world that God had
made was blighted with the curse of sin, and inhabited by beings doomed
to misery and death. There appeared no escape for those who had
transgressed the law. Angels ceased their songs of praise. Throughout
the heavenly courts there was mourning for the ruin that sin had
wrought.
The Son of God, heaven’s glorious Commander, was touched with pity for
the fallen race. His heart was moved with infinite compassion as the
woes of the lost world rose up before him. But divine love had conceived
a plan whereby man might be redeemed. The broken law of God demanded the
life of the sinner. In all the universe there was but one who could, in
behalf of man, satisfy its claims. Since the divine law is as sacred as
God himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for its
transgression. None but Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of
the law, and bring him again into harmony with Heaven. Christ would take
upon himself the guilt and shame of sin,—sin so offensive to a holy God
that it must separate the Father and his Son. Christ would reach to the
depths of misery to rescue the ruined race.
Before the Father he pleaded in the sinner’s behalf, while the host of
heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words
cannot express. Long continued was that mysterious communing,—“the
counsel of peace”[37] for the fallen sons of men. The plan of salvation
had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is “the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world;”[38] yet it was a struggle, even
with the King of the universe, to yield up his Son to die for the guilty
race. But “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.”[39] O, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world
that did not love him! Who can know the depths of that love which
“passeth knowledge”? Through endless ages, immortal minds, seeking to
comprehend the mystery of that incomprehensible love, will wonder and
adore.
God was to be manifest in Christ, “reconciling the world unto
himself.”[40] Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible
for him, in himself, to come into harmony with Him whose nature is
purity and goodness. But Christ, after having redeemed man from the
condemnation of the law, could impart divine power, to unite with human
effort. Thus by repentance toward God and faith in Christ, the fallen
children of Adam might once more become “sons of God.”[41]
The plan by which alone man’s salvation could be secured, involved all
heaven in its infinite sacrifice. The angels could not rejoice as Christ
opened before them the plan of redemption; for they saw that man’s
salvation must cost their loved Commander unutterable woe. In grief and
wonder they listened to his words as he told them how he must descend
from heaven’s purity and peace, its joy and glory and immortal life, and
come in contact with the degradation of earth, to endure its sorrow,
shame, and death. He was to stand between the sinner and the penalty of
sin; yet few would receive him as the Son of God. He would leave his
high position as the Majesty of heaven, appear upon earth and humble
himself as a man, and by his own experience become acquainted with the
sorrows and temptations which man would have to endure. All this would
be necessary in order that he might be able to succor them that should
be tempted.[42] When his mission as a teacher should be ended, he must
be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and be subjected to every
insult and torture that Satan could inspire them to inflict. He must die
the cruelest of deaths, lifted up between the heavens and the earth as a
guilty sinner. He must pass long hours of agony so terrible that angels
could not look upon it, but would vail their faces from the sight. He
must endure anguish of soul, the hiding of his Father’s face, while the
guilt of transgression—the weight of the sins of the whole world—should
be upon him.
The angels prostrated themselves at the feet of their Commander, and
offered to become a sacrifice for man. But an angel’s life could not pay
the debt; only He who created man had power to redeem him. Yet the
angels were to have a part to act in the plan of redemption. Christ was
to be made “a little lower than the angels for the suffering of
death.”[43] As he should take human nature upon him, his strength would
not be equal to theirs, and they were to minister to him, to strengthen
and soothe him under his sufferings. They were also to be ministering
spirits, sent forth to minister for them who should be heirs of
salvation.[43] They would guard the subjects of grace from the power of
evil angels, and from the darkness constantly thrown around them by
Satan.
When the angels should witness the agony and humiliation of their Lord,
they would be filled with grief and indignation, and would wish to
deliver him from his murderers; but they were not to interpose in order
to prevent anything which they should behold. It was a part of the plan
of redemption that Christ should suffer the scorn and abuse of wicked
men; and he consented to all this when he became the redeemer of man.
Christ assured the angels that by his death he would ransom many, and
would destroy him who had the power of death. He would recover the
kingdom which man had lost by transgression, and the redeemed were to
inherit it with him, and dwell therein forever. Sin and sinners would be
blotted out, nevermore to disturb the peace of heaven or earth. He bade
the angelic host to be in accord with the plan that his Father had
accepted, and rejoice that, through his death, fallen man could be
reconciled to God.
Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven. The glory and blessedness of
a world redeemed, outmeasured even the anguish and sacrifice of the
Prince of life. Through the celestial courts echoed the first strains of
that song which was to ring out above the hills of Bethlehem,—“Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”[44] With
a deeper gladness now than in the rapture of the new creation, “the
morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for
joy.”[45]
To man the first intimation of redemption was communicated in the
sentence pronounced upon Satan in the garden. The Lord declared, “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.”[46]
This sentence, uttered in the hearing of our first parents, was to them
a promise. While it foretold war between man and Satan, it declared that
the power of the great adversary would finally be broken. Adam and Eve
stood as criminals before the righteous Judge, awaiting the sentence
which transgression had incurred; but before they heard of the life of
toil and sorrow which must be their portion, or of the decree that they
must return to dust, they listened to words that could not fail to give
them hope. Though they must suffer from the power of their mighty foe,
they could look forward to final victory.
When Satan heard that enmity should exist between himself and the woman,
and between his seed and her seed, he knew that his work of depraving
human nature would be interrupted; that by some means man would be
enabled to resist his power. Yet as the plan of salvation was more fully
unfolded, Satan rejoiced with his angels, that, having caused man’s
fall, he could bring down the Son of God from his exalted position. He
declared that his plans had thus far been successful upon the earth, and
that when Christ should take upon himself human nature, he also might be
overcome, and thus the redemption of the fallen race might be prevented.
Heavenly angels more fully opened to our first parents the plan that had
been devised for their salvation. Adam and his companion were assured
that notwithstanding their great sin, they were not to be abandoned to
the control of Satan. The Son of God had offered to atone, with his own
life, for their transgression. A period of probation would be granted
them, and through repentance, and faith in Christ, they might again
become the children of God.
The sacrifice demanded by their transgression, revealed to Adam and Eve
the sacred character of the law of God; and they saw, as they had never
seen before, the guilt of sin, and its dire results. In their remorse
and anguish they pleaded that the penalty might not fall upon Him whose
love had been the source of all their joy; rather let it descend upon
them and their posterity.
They were told that since the law of Jehovah is the foundation of his
government in heaven as well as upon the earth, even the life of an
angel could not be accepted as a sacrifice for its transgression. Not
one of its precepts could be abrogated or changed to meet man in his
fallen condition; but the Son of God, who had created man, could make an
atonement for him. As Adam’s transgression had brought wretchedness and
death, so the sacrifice of Christ would bring life and immortality.
Not only man but the earth had by sin come under the power of the wicked
one, and was to be restored by the plan of redemption. At his creation,
Adam was placed in dominion over the earth. But by yielding to
temptation, he was brought under the power of Satan. “Of whom a man is
overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”[47] When man became
Satan’s captive, the dominion which he held, passed to his conqueror.
Thus Satan became “the god of this world.”[48] He had usurped that
dominion over the earth which had been originally given to Adam. But
Christ, by his sacrifice paying the penalty of sin, would not only
redeem man, but recover the dominion which he had forfeited. All that
was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second. Says the
prophet, “O Tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion,
unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion.”[49] And the apostle
Paul points forward to the “redemption of the purchased possession.”[50]
God created the earth to be the abode of holy, happy beings. The Lord
“formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not
in vain, he formed it to be inhabited.”[51] That purpose will be
fulfilled, when, renewed by the power of God, and freed from sin and
sorrow, it shall become the eternal abode of the redeemed. “The
righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.” “And there
shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be
in it; and his servants shall serve him.”[52]
Adam, in his innocence, had enjoyed open communion with his Maker; but
sin brought separation between God and man, and the atonement of Christ
alone could span the abyss, and make possible the communication of
blessing or salvation from heaven to earth. Man was still cut off from
direct approach to his Creator, but God would communicate with him
through Christ and angels.
Thus were revealed to Adam important events in the history of mankind,
from the time when the divine sentence was pronounced in Eden, to the
flood, and onward to the first advent of the Son of God. He was shown
that while the sacrifice of Christ would be of sufficient value to save
the whole world, many would choose a life of sin rather than of
repentance and obedience. Crime would increase through successive
generations, and the curse of sin would rest more and more heavily upon
the human race, upon the beasts, and upon the earth. The days of man
would be shortened by his own course of sin; he would deteriorate in
physical stature and endurance, and in moral and intellectual power,
until the world would be filled with misery of every type. Through the
indulgence of appetite and passion, men would become incapable of
appreciating the great truths of the plan of redemption. Yet Christ,
true to the purpose for which he left heaven, would continue his
interest in men, and still invite them to hide their weakness and
deficiencies in him. He would supply the needs of all who would come
unto him in faith. And there would ever be a few who would preserve the
knowledge of God, and would remain unsullied amid the prevailing
iniquity.
The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual
reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin, and a confession
of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress
upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death.
To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful
ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which only God could
give. It was the first time he had ever witnessed death, and he knew
that had he been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man
or beast. As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought
that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. This scene
gave him a deeper and more vivid sense of the greatness of his
transgression, which nothing but the death of God’s dear Son could
expiate. And he marveled at the infinite goodness that would give such a
ransom to save the guilty. A star of hope illumined the dark and
terrible future, and relieved it of its utter desolation.
But the plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the
salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the
earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might
regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate
the character of God before the universe. To this result of his great
sacrifice—its influence upon the intelligences of other worlds, as well
as upon man—the Saviour looked forward when just before his crucifixion
he said: “Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of
this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will
draw all unto me.”[53] The act of Christ in dying for the salvation of
man would not only make heaven accessible to men, but before all the
universe it would justify God and his Son in their dealing with the
rebellion of Satan. It would establish the perpetuity of the law of God,
and would reveal the nature and the results of sin.
From the first, the great controversy had been upon the law of God.
Satan had sought to prove that God was unjust, that his law was faulty,
and that the good of the universe required it to be changed. In
attacking the law, he aimed to overthrow the authority of its Author. In
the controversy it was to be shown whether the divine statutes were
defective and subject to change, or perfect and immutable.
When Satan was thrust out of heaven, he determined to make the earth his
kingdom. When he tempted and overcame Adam and Eve, he thought that he
had gained possession of this world; “because,” said he, “they have
chosen me as their ruler.” He claimed that it was impossible that
forgiveness should be granted to the sinner, and therefore the fallen
race were his rightful subjects, and the world was his. But God gave his
own dear Son—one equal with himself—to bear the penalty of
transgression, and thus he provided a way by which they might be
restored to his favor, and brought back to their Eden home. Christ
undertook to redeem man, and to rescue the world from the grasp of
Satan. The great controversy begun in heaven was to be decided in the
very world, on the very same field, that Satan claimed as his.
It was the marvel of all the universe that Christ should humble himself
to save fallen man. That he who had passed from star to star, from world
to world, superintending all, by his providence supplying the needs of
every order of being in his vast creation,—that he should consent to
leave his glory and take upon himself human nature, was a mystery which
the sinless intelligences of other worlds desired to understand. When
Christ came to our world in the form of humanity, all were intensely
interested in following him as he traversed, step by step, the
blood-stained path from the manger to Calvary. Heaven marked the insult
and mockery that he received, and knew that it was at Satan’s
instigation. They marked the work of counter-agencies going forward;
Satan constantly pressing darkness, sorrow, and suffering upon the race,
and Christ counteracting it. They watched the battle between light and
darkness as it waxed stronger. And as Christ in his expiring agony upon
the cross cried out, “It is finished!” a shout of triumph rung through
every world, and through heaven itself. The great contest that had been
so long in progress in this world was now decided, and Christ was
conqueror. His death had answered the question whether the Father and
the Son had sufficient love for man to exercise self-denial and a spirit
of sacrifice. Satan had revealed his true character as a liar and a
murderer. It was seen that the very same spirit with which he had ruled
the children of men who were under his power, he would have manifested
if permitted to control the intelligences of heaven. With one voice the
loyal universe united in extolling the divine administration.
If the law could be changed, man might have been saved without the
sacrifice of Christ; but the fact that it was necessary for Christ to
give his life for the fallen race, proves that the law of God will not
release the sinner from its claims upon him. It is demonstrated that the
wages of sin is death. When Christ died, the destruction of Satan was
made certain. But if the law was abolished at the cross, as many claim,
then the agony and death of God’s dear Son were endured only to give to
Satan just what he asked; then the prince of evil triumphed, his charges
against the divine government were sustained. The very fact that Christ
bore the penalty of man’s transgression, is a mighty argument to all
created intelligences, that the law is changeless; that God is
righteous, merciful, and self-denying; and that infinite justice and
mercy unite in the administration of his government.
[Illustration: “It was the marvel of all the universe that Christ should
humble himself to save fallen man.”]
Footnote 37:
Zech. 6:13.
Footnote 38:
Rev. 13:8.
Footnote 39:
John 3:16.
Footnote 40:
2 Cor. 5:19.
Footnote 41:
1 John 3:2.
Footnote 42:
Heb. 2:18.
Footnote 43:
Heb. 2:9; 1:14.
Footnote 44:
Luke 2:14.
Footnote 45:
Job 38:7.
Footnote 46:
Gen. 3:15.
Footnote 47:
2 Peter 2:19.
Footnote 48:
2 Cor. 4:4.
Footnote 49:
Micah 4:8.
Footnote 50:
Eph. 1:14.
Footnote 51:
Isa. 45:18.
Footnote 52:
Ps. 37:29; Rev. 22:3.
Footnote 53:
John 12:31, 32.
APOSTASY
“There were giants in the earth in those days.”
“When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, but became vain in
their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
CAIN AND ABEL TESTED—5
Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam, differed widely in character. Abel had
a spirit of loyalty to God; he saw justice and mercy in the Creator’s
dealings with the fallen race, and gratefully accepted the hope of
redemption. But Cain cherished feelings of rebellion, and murmured
against God because of the curse pronounced upon the earth and upon the
human race for Adam’s sin. He permitted his mind to run in the same
channel that led to Satan’s fall,—indulging the desire for
self-exaltation, and questioning the divine justice and authority.
These brothers were tested, as Adam had been tested before them, to
prove whether they would believe and obey the word of God. They were
acquainted with the provision made for the salvation of man, and
understood the system of offerings which God had ordained. They knew
that in these offerings they were to express faith in the Saviour whom
the offerings typified, and at the same time to acknowledge their total
dependence on him for pardon; and they knew that by thus conforming to
the divine plan for their redemption, they were giving proof of their
obedience to the will of God. Without the shedding of blood, there could
be no remission of sin; and they were to show their faith in the blood
of Christ as the promised atonement, by offering the firstlings of the
flock in sacrifice. Besides this, the first-fruits of the earth were to
be presented before the Lord as a thank-offering.
The two brothers erected their altars alike, and each brought an
offering. Abel presented a sacrifice from the flock, in accordance with
the Lord’s directions. “And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his
offering.”[54] Fire flashed from heaven, and consumed the sacrifice. But
Cain, disregarding the Lord’s direct and explicit command, presented
only an offering of fruit. There was no token from heaven to show that
it was accepted. Abel pleaded with his brother to approach God in the
divinely prescribed way; but his entreaties only made Cain the more
determined to follow his own will. As the eldest, he felt above being
admonished by his brother, and despised his counsel.
Cain came before God with murmuring and infidelity in his heart in
regard to the promised sacrifice and the necessity of the sacrificial
offerings. His gift expressed no penitence for sin. He felt, as many now
feel, that it would be an acknowledgment of weakness to follow the exact
plan marked out by God, of trusting his salvation wholly to the
atonement of the promised Saviour. He chose the course of
self-dependence. He would come in his own merits. He would not bring the
lamb, and mingle its blood with his offering, but would present _his_
fruits, the products of _his_ labor. He presented his offering as a
favor done to God, through which he expected to secure the divine
approval. Cain obeyed in building an altar, obeyed in bringing a
sacrifice; but he rendered only a partial obedience. The essential part,
the recognition of the need of a Redeemer, was left out.
So far as birth and religious instruction were concerned, these brothers
were equal. Both were sinners, and both acknowledged the claims of God
to reverence and worship. To outward appearance their religion was the
same up to a certain point; but beyond this the difference between the
two was great.
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than
Cain.”[55] Abel grasped the great principles of redemption. He saw
himself a sinner, and he saw sin, and its penalty death, standing
between his soul and communion with God. He brought the slain victim,
the sacrificed life, thus acknowledging the claims of the law that had
been transgressed. Through the shed blood he looked to the future
sacrifice, Christ dying on the cross of Calvary; and trusting in the
atonement that was there to be made, he had the witness that he was
righteous, and his offering accepted.
Cain had the same opportunity of learning and accepting these truths as
had Abel. He was not the victim of an arbitrary purpose. One brother was
not elected to be accepted of God, and the other to be rejected. Abel
chose faith and obedience; Cain, unbelief and rebellion. Here the whole
matter rested.
Cain and Abel represent two classes that will exist in the world till
the close of time. One class avail themselves of the appointed sacrifice
for sin; the other venture to depend upon their own merits; theirs is a
sacrifice without the virtue of divine mediation, and thus it is not
able to bring man into favor with God. It is only through the merits of
Jesus that our transgressions can be pardoned. Those who feel no need of
the blood of Christ, who feel that without divine grace they can by
their own works secure the approval of God, are making the same mistake
as did Cain. If they do not accept the cleansing blood, they are under
condemnation. There is no other provision made whereby they can be
released from the thralldom of sin.
The class of worshipers who follow the example of Cain includes by far
the greater portion of the world; for nearly every false religion has
been based on the same principle,—that man can depend upon his own
efforts for salvation. It is claimed by some that the human race is in
need, not of redemption, but of development,—that it can refine,
elevate, and regenerate itself. As Cain thought to secure the divine
favor by an offering that lacked the blood of a sacrifice, so do these
expect to exalt humanity to the divine standard, independent of the
atonement. The history of Cain shows what must be the result. It shows
what man will become apart from Christ. Humanity has no power to
regenerate itself. It does not tend upward, toward the divine, but
downward, toward the satanic. Christ is our only hope. “There is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
“Neither is there salvation in any other.”[56]
True faith, which relies wholly upon Christ, will be manifested by
obedience to all the requirements of God. From Adam’s day to the present
time the great controversy has been concerning obedience to God’s law.
In all ages there have been those who claimed a right to the favor of
God even while they were disregarding some of his commands. But the
Scriptures declare that by works is “faith made perfect;” and that,
without the works of obedience, faith “is dead.”[57] He that professes
to know God, “and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him.”[58]
When Cain saw that his offering was rejected, he was angry with the Lord
and with Abel; he was angry that God did not accept man’s substitute in
place of the sacrifice divinely ordained, and angry with his brother for
choosing to obey God instead of joining in rebellion against him.
Notwithstanding Cain’s disregard of the divine command, God did not
leave him to himself; but he condescended to reason with the man who had
shown himself so unreasonable. And the Lord said unto Cain, “Why art
thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?”[59] Through an angel
messenger the divine warning was conveyed: “If thou doest well, shalt
thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the
door.”[59] The choice lay with Cain himself. If he would trust to the
merits of the promised Saviour, and would obey God’s requirements, he
would enjoy his favor. But should he persist in unbelief and
transgression, he would have no ground for complaint because he was
rejected by the Lord.
But instead of acknowledging his sin, Cain continued to complain of the
injustice of God, and to cherish jealousy and hatred of Abel. He angrily
reproached his brother, and attempted to draw him into controversy
concerning God’s dealings with them. In meekness, yet fearlessly and
firmly, Abel defended the justice and goodness of God. He pointed out
Cain’s error, and tried to convince him that the wrong was in himself.
He pointed to the compassion of God in sparing the life of their parents
when he might have punished them with instant death, and urged that God
loved them, or he would not have given his Son, innocent and holy, to
suffer the penalty which they had incurred. All this caused Cain’s anger
to burn the hotter. Reason and conscience told him that Abel was in the
right; but he was enraged that one who had been wont to heed his counsel
should now presume to disagree with him, and that he could gain no
sympathy in his rebellion. In the fury of his passion, he slew his
brother.
Cain hated and killed his brother, not for any wrong that Abel had done,
but “because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”[60]
So in all ages the wicked have hated those who were better than
themselves. Abel’s life of obedience and unswerving faith was to Cain a
perpetual reproof. “Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”[61] The
brighter the heavenly light that is reflected from the character of
God’s faithful servants, the more clearly the sins of the ungodly are
revealed, and the more determined will be their efforts to destroy those
who disturb their peace.
[Illustration: “When Cain saw that his offering was rejected, he was
angry with the Lord and with Abel.”]
The murder of Abel was the first example of the enmity that God had
declared would exist between the serpent and the seed of the
woman,—between Satan and his subjects and Christ and his followers.
Through man’s sin, Satan had gained control of the human race, but
Christ would enable them to cast off his yoke. Whenever, through faith
in the Lamb of God, a soul renounces the service of sin, Satan’s wrath
is kindled. The holy life of Abel testified against Satan’s claim that
it is impossible for man to keep God’s law. When Cain, moved by the
spirit of the wicked one, saw that he could not control Abel, he was so
enraged that he destroyed his life. And wherever there are any who will
stand in vindication of the righteousness of the law of God, the same
spirit will be manifested against them. It is the spirit that through
all the ages has set up the stake and kindled the burning pile for the
disciples of Christ. But the cruelties heaped upon the follower of Jesus
are instigated by Satan and his hosts because they cannot force him to
submit to their control. It is the rage of a vanquished foe. Every
martyr of Jesus has died a conqueror. Says the prophet, “They overcame
him [‘that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan’] by the blood of
the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their
lives unto the death.”[62]
Cain the murderer was soon called to answer for his crime. “The Lord
said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not; am I
my brother’s keeper?”[63] Cain had gone so far in sin that he had lost a
sense of the continual presence of God and of his greatness and
omniscience. So he resorted to falsehood to conceal his guilt.
Again the Lord said to Cain, “What hast thou done? The voice of thy
brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” God had given Cain an
opportunity to confess his sin. He had had time to reflect. He knew the
enormity of the deed he had done, and of the falsehood he had uttered to
conceal it; but he was rebellious still, and sentence was no longer
deferred. The divine voice that had been heard in entreaty and
admonition pronounced the terrible words: “And now art thou cursed from
the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood
from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth
yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in
the earth.”
Notwithstanding that Cain had by his crimes merited the sentence of
death, a merciful Creator still spared his life, and granted him
opportunity for repentance. But Cain lived only to harden his heart, to
encourage rebellion against the divine authority, and to become the head
of a line of bold, abandoned sinners. This one apostate, led on by
Satan, became a tempter to others; and his example and influence exerted
their demoralizing power, until the earth became so corrupt and filled
with violence as to call for its destruction.
In sparing the life of the first murderer, God presented before the
whole universe a lesson bearing upon the great controversy. The dark
history of Cain and his descendants was an illustration of what would
have been the result of permitting the sinner to live on forever, to
carry out his rebellion against God. The forbearance of God only
rendered the wicked more bold and defiant in their iniquity. Fifteen
centuries after the sentence pronounced upon Cain, the universe
witnessed the fruition of his influence and example, in the crime and
pollution that flooded the earth. It was made manifest that the sentence
of death pronounced upon the fallen race for the transgression of God’s
law was both just and merciful. The longer men lived in sin, the more
abandoned they became. The divine sentence cutting short a career of
unbridled iniquity, and freeing the world from the influence of those
who had become hardened in rebellion, was a blessing rather than a
curse.
Satan is constantly at work, with intense energy and under a thousand
disguises, to misrepresent the character and government of God. With
extensive, well-organized plans and marvelous power, he is working to
hold the inhabitants of the world under his deceptions. God, the One
infinite and all-wise, sees the end from the beginning, and in dealing
with evil his plans were far-reaching and comprehensive. It was his
purpose, not merely to put down the rebellion, but to demonstrate to all
the universe the nature of rebellion. God’s plan was unfolding, showing
both his justice and his mercy, and fully vindicating his wisdom and
righteousness in his dealings with evil.
The holy inhabitants of other worlds were watching with the deepest
interest the events taking place on the earth. In the condition of the
world that existed before the flood they saw illustrated the results of
the administration which Lucifer had endeavored to establish in heaven,
in rejecting the authority of Christ, and casting aside the law of God.
In those high-handed sinners of the antediluvian world, they saw the
subjects over whom Satan held sway. The thoughts of men’s hearts were
only evil continually.[64] Every emotion, every impulse and imagination,
was at war with the divine principles of purity and peace and love. It
was an example of the awful depravity resulting from Satan’s policy to
remove from God’s creatures the restraint of his holy law.
By the facts unfolded in the progress of the great controversy, God will
demonstrate the principles of his rules of government, which have been
falsified by Satan and by all whom he has deceived. His justice will
finally be acknowledged by the whole world, though the acknowledgment
will be made too late to save the rebellious. God carries with him the
sympathy and approval of the whole universe as step by step his great
plan advances to its complete fulfillment. He will carry it with him in
the final eradication of rebellion. It will be seen that all who have
forsaken the divine precepts have placed themselves on the side of
Satan, in warfare against Christ. When the prince of this world shall be
judged, and all who have united with him shall share his fate, the whole
universe as witnesses to the sentence will declare. “Just and true are
thy ways, thou King of saints.”[65]
[Illustration: “The history of Cain shows ... what man will become apart
from Christ.”]
Footnote 54:
Gen. 4:4.
Footnote 55:
Heb. 11:4.
Footnote 56:
Acts 4:12.
Footnote 57:
James 2:22, 17.
Footnote 58:
1 John 2:4.
Footnote 59:
Gen. 4:6, 7.
Footnote 60:
1 John 3:12.
Footnote 61:
John 3:20.
Footnote 62:
Rev. 12:11, 9.
Footnote 63:
Gen. 4:9-12.
Footnote 64:
Gen. 6:5.
Footnote 65:
Rev. 15:3.
SETH AND ENOCH—6
To Adam was given another son, to be the inheritor of the divine
promise, the heir of the spiritual birthright. The name Seth, given to
this son, signified “appointed,” or “compensation;” “for,” said the
mother, “God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain
slew.”[66] Seth was of more noble stature than Cain or Abel, and
resembled Adam more closely than did his other sons. He was a worthy
character, following in the steps of Abel. Yet he inherited no more
natural goodness than did Cain. Concerning the creation of Adam it is
said, “In the likeness of God made He him;” but man, after the fall,
“begat a son in his _own_ likeness, after _his_ image.”[67] While Adam
was created sinless, in the likeness of God, Seth, like Cain, inherited
the fallen nature of his parents. But he received also the knowledge of
the Redeemer, and instruction in righteousness. By divine grace he
served and honored God; and he labored, as Abel would have done, had he
lived, to turn the minds of sinful men to revere and obey their Creator.
“To Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos:
then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah.”[66] The faithful had
worshiped God before; but as men increased, the distinction between the
two classes became more marked. There was an open profession of loyalty
to God on the part of one, as there was of contempt and disobedience on
the part of the other.
Before the fall, our first parents had kept the Sabbath, which was
instituted in Eden; and after their expulsion from Paradise they
continued its observance. They had tasted the bitter fruits of
disobedience, and had learned what every one that tramples upon God’s
commandments will sooner or later learn,—that the divine precepts are
sacred and immutable, and that the penalty of transgression will surely
be inflicted. The Sabbath was honored by all the children of Adam that
remained loyal to God. But Cain and his descendants did not respect the
day upon which God had rested. They chose their own time for labor and
for rest, regardless of Jehovah’s express command.
Upon receiving the curse of God, Cain had withdrawn from his father’s
household. He had first chosen his occupation as a tiller of the soil,
and he now founded a city, calling it after the name of his eldest son.
He had gone out from the presence of the Lord, cast away the promise of
the restored Eden, to seek his possessions and enjoyment in the earth
under the curse of sin, thus standing at the head of that great class of
men who worship the god of this world. In that which pertains to mere
earthly and material progress, his descendants became distinguished. But
they were regardless of God, and in opposition to his purposes for man.
To the crime of murder, in which Cain had led the way, Lamech, the fifth
in descent, added polygamy, and, boastfully defiant, he acknowledged
God, only to draw from the avenging of Cain an assurance of his own
safety. Abel had led a pastoral life, dwelling in tents or booths, and
the descendants of Seth followed the same course, counting themselves
“strangers and pilgrims on the earth,” seeking “a better country, that
is, an heavenly.”[68]
For some time the two classes remained separate. The race of Cain,
spreading from the place of their first settlement, dispersed over the
plains and valleys where the children of Seth had dwelt; and the latter,
in order to escape from their contaminating influence, withdrew to the
mountains, and there made their home. So long as this separation
continued, they maintained the worship of God in its purity. But in the
lapse of time they ventured, little by little, to mingle with the
inhabitants of the valleys. This association was productive of the worst
results. “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair.”[69] The children of Seth, attracted by the beauty of the
daughters of Cain’s descendants, displeased the Lord by intermarrying
with them. Many of the worshipers of God were beguiled into sin by the
allurements that were now constantly before them, and they lost their
peculiar, holy character. Mingling with the depraved, they became like
them in spirit and in deeds; the restrictions of the seventh commandment
were disregarded, “and they took them wives of all which they chose.”
The children of Seth went “in the way of Cain;”[70] they fixed their
minds upon worldly prosperity and enjoyment, and neglected the
commandments of the Lord. Men “did not like to retain God in their
knowledge;” they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was darkened.” Therefore “God gave them over to a mind void of
judgment.”[71] Sin spread abroad in the earth like a deadly leprosy.
For nearly a thousand years, Adam lived among men, a witness to the
results of sin. Faithfully he sought to stem the tide of evil. He had
been commanded to instruct his posterity in the way of the Lord; and he
carefully treasured what God had revealed to him, and repeated it to
succeeding generations. To his children and children’s children, to the
ninth generation, he described man’s holy and happy estate in Paradise,
and repeated the history of his fall, telling them of the sufferings by
which God had taught him the necessity of strict adherence to his law,
and explaining to them the merciful provisions for their salvation. Yet
there were but few who gave heed to his words. Often he was met with
bitter reproaches for the sin that had brought such woe upon his
posterity.
Adam’s life was one of sorrow, humility, and contrition. When he left
Eden, the thought that he must die thrilled him with horror. He was
first made acquainted with the reality of death in the human family,
when Cain, his first-born son, became the murderer of his brother.
Filled with the keenest remorse for his own sin, and doubly bereaved in
the death of Abel and the rejection of Cain, Adam was bowed down with
anguish. He witnessed the wide-spreading corruption that was finally to
cause the destruction of the world by a flood; and though the sentence
of death pronounced upon him by his Maker had at first appeared
terrible, yet after beholding for nearly a thousand years the results of
sin, he felt that it was merciful in God to bring to an end a life of
suffering and sorrow.
Notwithstanding the wickedness of the antediluvian world, that age was
not, as has often been supposed, an era of ignorance and barbarism. The
people were granted the opportunity of reaching a high standard of moral
and intellectual attainment. They possessed great physical and mental
strength, and their advantages for acquiring both religious and
scientific knowledge were unrivaled. It is a mistake to suppose that
because they lived to a great age their minds matured late; their mental
powers were early developed, and those who cherished the fear of God and
lived in harmony with his will, continued to increase in knowledge and
wisdom throughout their life. Could illustrious scholars of our time be
placed in contrast with men of the same age who lived before the flood,
they would appear as greatly inferior in mental as in physical strength.
As the years of man have decreased, and his physical strength has
diminished, so his mental capacities have lessened. There are men who
now apply themselves to study during a period of from twenty to fifty
years, and the world is filled with admiration of their attainments. But
how limited are these acquirements in comparison with those of men whose
mental and physical powers were developing for centuries!
It is true that the people of modern times have the benefit of the
attainments of their predecessors. The men of masterly minds, who
planned and studied and wrote, have left their work for those who
follow. But even in this respect, and so far as merely human knowledge
is concerned, how much greater the advantages of the men of that olden
time! They had among them for hundreds of years him who was formed in
God’s image, whom the Creator himself pronounced “good,”—the man whom
God had instructed in all the wisdom pertaining to the material world.
Adam had learned from the Creator the history of creation; he himself
witnessed the events of nine centuries; and he imparted his knowledge to
his descendants. The antediluvians were without books, they had no
written records; but with their great physical and mental vigor, they
had strong memories, able to grasp and to retain that which was
communicated to them, and in turn to transmit it unimpaired to their
posterity. And for hundreds of years there were seven generations living
upon the earth contemporaneously, having the opportunity of consulting
together, and profiting each by the knowledge and experience of all.
The advantages enjoyed by men of that age to gain a knowledge of God
through his works have never been equaled since. And so far from being
an era of religious darkness, that was an age of great light. All the
world had opportunity to receive instruction from Adam, and those who
feared the Lord had also Christ and angels for their teachers. And they
had a silent witness to the truth, in the garden of God, which for so
many centuries remained among men. At the cherubim-guarded gate of
Paradise the glory of God was revealed, and hither came the first
worshipers. Here their altars were reared, and their offerings
presented. It was here that Cain and Abel had brought their sacrifices,
and God had condescended to communicate with them.
Skepticism could not deny the existence of Eden while it stood just in
sight, its entrance barred by watching angels. The order of creation,
the object of the garden, the history of its two trees so closely
connected with man’s destiny, were undisputed facts. And the existence
and supreme authority of God, the obligation of his law, were truths
which men were slow to question while Adam was among them.
Notwithstanding the prevailing iniquity, there was a line of holy men
who, elevated and ennobled by communion with God, lived as in the
companionship of heaven. They were men of massive intellect, of
wonderful attainments. They had a great and holy mission,—to develop a
character of righteousness, to teach a lesson of godliness, not only to
the men of their time, but for future generations. Only a few of the
most prominent are mentioned in the Scriptures; but all through the
ages, God had faithful witnesses, true-hearted worshipers.
Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat a son.
After that he walked with God three hundred years. During these earlier
years, Enoch had loved and feared God, and had kept his commandments. He
was one of the holy line, the preservers of the true faith, the
progenitors of the promised seed. From the lips of Adam he had learned
the dark story of the fall, and the cheering one of God’s grace as seen
in the promise; and he relied upon the Redeemer to come. But after the
birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn
into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own
obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And as he saw the
child’s love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he
felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that first-born
son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of God to men in
the gift of his Son, and the confidence which the children of God may
repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite, unfathomable love of God
through Christ, became the subject of his meditations day and night; and
with all the fervor of his soul he sought to reveal that love to the
people among whom he dwelt.
Enoch’s walk with God was not in a trance or a vision, but in all the
duties of his daily life. He did not become a hermit, shutting himself
entirely from the world; for he had a work to do for God in the world.
In the family and in his intercourse with men, as a husband and father,
a friend, a citizen, he was the steadfast, unwavering servant of the
Lord.
His heart was in harmony with God’s will; for “can two walk together,
except they be agreed?”[72] And this holy walk was continued for three
hundred years. There are few Christians who would not be far more
earnest and devoted if they knew that they had but a short time to live,
or that the coming of Christ was about to take place. But Enoch’s faith
waxed the stronger, his love became more ardent with the lapse of
centuries.