Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

sion. In his unfallen state he had nothing to do but hold communion with his Maker, in his delightful employment of dressing and keeping the garden, but now he was to be torn by briars and thorns.

Such are the bitter wages of sin; but infinitely more bitter would have been their doom, had it not been sweetened by the promise, the foretaste of the everlasting covenant, by which our first parents (although driven from the tree of life in the garden) did behold by faith the promised Seed, of whom the tree of life in Eden was a type, and by which they and all their posterity might be restored to greater happiness than that which they had recently enjoyed previous to their fall. And why would the happiness be greater? Why, for this reason: Man's Edenic felicity was dependant upon his obedience; it was a condition or state in which he could without sin praise his Maker, by voluntary ebullitions of his mind, as it was affected by the contemplation of his glorious works in the creation; but in the second paradise, which the first typified, the love of God in the person of his Son Jesus Christ, will be the ruling passion of the souls in glory. So that if man had not fallen, he would have lived to admire God's majesty and power; but never could he have known in that condition, the length and breadth, and depth and height, of his everlasting love, as manifested in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; through whom alone salvation from sin was preached, by the covenant of mercy proclaimed to Adam, before the "foundation of the world," (this present evil state,) which, as I shall have occasion to shew as I go on, was renewed to

mankind over and over again; and the keep ng in mind the time when the covenant was made, is a key to understand the grand doctrine of reconciliation, by which "God is reconciled to the world, not imputing their trespasses to them," but which, if lost sight of, leaves persons in darkness concerning the freeness of the gospel, as I intend shewing at large, therefore here shall close my general observations on the Edenic dispensation, excepting as I may have occasion to refer back to it for example; therefore I shall now enter upon the history of mankind and the church, from the expulsion of our first parents from Eden down to the present time.

[ocr errors]

66

THE NEW CONDITION OF MAN UNDER THE

CURSE.

In considering of man's estate under the conditions of the curse, we must view him as a prisoner of hope, anxiously looking and waiting for the appearance of the promised Seed, by whom he expected to be delivered from his present miserable condition, as the commencement of the fourth chapter plainly shews-which reads thus : And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man, the Jehovah"-- for so the original reads; the English translation reads, "from the Lord," but the sign of the ablative case (from) is not in the Hebrew: therefore she thought it was the promised Seed she had brought forth. But, alas, she was woefully mistaken, as the sequel proved; for another bitter draught was put into their cup-another lesson in the book of woe they were about to learn.

Verse 2. "And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." And in the following verses it is recorded, that "in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof"-that is, the fattest and first-born of them. "And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering: but unto Cain, and to his offering, he had no respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

CAIN AND ABEL'S OFFERING CONSIDERED.

It is very evident, from the appeal which the Lord made to Cain, as likewise his method of expostulating with him, that it was no secret decree of reprobation which hindered Cain's offering from being accepted, but Cain's own sinful pride and rebellion; as the text plainly shows: First, neither his person nor offering were accepted-sin layed at his door-he was a vain, wicked man of the world, consequently there was no sincerity in his offering he did not worship God by a living faith in the promised Seed, consequently he was not accepted. Secondly, It was not the right kind of offering-it ought to have been an animal, a lamb, a firstling of the flock, like unto that of his brother Abel's, to which the Lord pointed him, when he said to him, "Sin lieth at the door"-which, according to the Hebrew text, signifies a sin offer

one

ing; as, according to Parkhurst, the word N chataath, translated sin, means a sin offering, which it does really express in many other parts of scripture, to which he refers the scholar, of which is Levit. iv. 3, " And if the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people, then let him bring for his sin which he hath sinned a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord (n) for a sin offering. Now, that the word signifies a sin offering, I think is fully confirmed by the sentence which follows in the rest of the verse," And unto thee shall be his (that is Abel's) desire, and thou shalt rule over him." This is evidently the key which opens the mystery; for, Cain being the first born, was consequently entitled to the birthright, therefore claimed priority over his brother Abel, and, in the absence of his father, it was his right to offer the sacrifices; and when he perceived that his brother's offering was accepted, whilst his own was rejected, he concluded that his birthright privileges were forfeited to his brother, therefore his wrath was kindled against him. But the Lord immediately appealed to his conscience, telling him, that if his offering was not accepted, it was because it was not a proper one: nevertheless a sin offering laid at the door, if he would but humble himself to take and offer it, which, if he did, his brother's desire should still be to him, and that he should still rule over him, and retain his birthright authority in the family. But the struggle between his pride and his sense of duty kept going on, until his pride got the better of his reason, and rankled into hatred and murder, which hurried him on to slay his brother. Such is the aw

ful consequence of trifling with sin: for," Such as turn aside into their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of inquity." Psalm cxxv. 5.

Thus Cain, by turning aside to his crooked ways, the Lord permitted Satan to lead him on to murder. So that it was his sin that ruined him ; not any secret decree of reprobation, but his own wilful act, by which he reprobated himself; and upon that point did the Lord challenge him, and to it he could make no answer, seeing his own conscience condemned him and so is it the case with every sinner that perisheth. Therefore, let such as have for a long time been indulging their besetting sin, or sins, beware of their danger; for one step further from God may plunge them into a state of perfect reprobation: for, "He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy," Prov. xxix. 1. For if a man once be given up of God, then is he under the absolute dominion of Satan, to do whatever he chooses to prompt him to and thus was it most awfully exemplified in the case of Cain.

THE MURDER OF ABEL, AND CURSE UPON CAIN.

:

Verse 8." And Cain talked with Abel his brother and it came to pass, that when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not am I my brother's keeper?"

Behold how God makes inquisition for blood; and observe likewise the hardening nature of sin, which prompted Cain to lie to God. But his Maker

« AnteriorContinua »