~ first sin. 
16 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE. 
THE FIRST SIN. 
At the Baptist church, Manchester, 
‘ Sunday, Jan. 31, Rev. Theodore L. 
Frost delivered an interesting sermon on 
‘* The First Sin.’’ Mr. Frost took for 
his text Genesis 3: 6—‘‘She took of 
the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave 
- also unco her husband with her; and he 
: did eat.”’ 
‘Tam sure,’’ said Mr. Frost, “‘that 
we found a great deal of truth as we 
studied the creation and the possibilities 
of the first two human beings that came 
into this world. I feel that we were 
strengthened and helped after we con- 
sidered the first institution, the first mar- 
riage. The first three scenes in the 
human race are indeed bright scenes, 
but the fourth is one of sadness, a scene 
of degradation and disgrace. 
* I should like to speak therefore on the 
Notice in the first place the 
temptation to the first sin. Many phil- 
osophers have recognized the evil in hu- 
man nature, but they seem to hesitate to 
take up the problem of evil in life. In- 
dividuals have tried to explain sin, but 
after we have studied all the philosophers, 
the only true explanation of sin is that 
which isfound in the Holy Scriptures 
from God. At the very bottom of the 
first sin we find marks of the evil one; 
that same evil spirit who is leading many 
astray today was the basis of the first sin. 
** For some reason Adam was separ- 
ated from his wife, and Eve was left 
alone. As she was thinking, one of the 
animals of the garden came up to her 
and began to speak. The animal was 
possessed of the evil one, and he used 
the vocal cords of the beast so that it 
could talk. The first thing he does is to 
say, © Did God say that ye shall not eat 
of any tree of the garden?’ He intend- 
ed to awaken doubt. “That is always the 
way. Notice thathe used the general 
name for God. [The tempter did not 
want to call woman’s attention to her 
personal relation with God, that God 
was her convenant God. He wanted to 
get woman away from God as far as 
possible. He tried to awaken doubt. 
Once awaken doubt and it is very easy 
to awaken superstitious fears. 
“The woman answered and _ said, 
“Yes, we can eat of all the trees of the 
garden, but of one we can not eat, for 
in the day that we touch that tree we 
shall surely die.” The woman fails to 
recognize the temptation. She does not 
see that the tempter in animal form is 
trying to lead her away from God. She 
fails to see that she is being tempted. 
We very often fail to recognize the evil 
one. She began tothink that perhaps 
God had been hard on her, in not let- 
ting her and her husband eat of every 
tree in the garden. 
; ‘© The devil was ready with an answer. 
Ye shall not surely die,’ says the 
tempter. He denied God’s truth. He 
said God had not spoken the truth. 
‘Then he even mocks God by using the 
words that God used. Instead of death 
the devil promises something better. Is 
not the devil today making many fair 
promises, and holding out many bright 
things to people everywhere? Don’t be 
fooled. The devil was aliar from the 
very beginning. 
“Notice in the second place the act 
of sin, a brief and sad story. “That beau- 
tiful creature had been undermined. 
She looked up to the tree and it looked 
pretty. She saw that the fruit was good 
to look upon. She reached up and took 
hold of the forbibben fruit. She ate. 
She took the first bite, and then Adam 
came up. She could easily influence 
him to partake of the fruit. 
‘* Notice in the third place the signi- 
ficance of the act. ‘These beautiful 
creatures looked at the trees and_ said, 
‘They are ours.’ God says ‘No, 
they are not all yours. The tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil belongs to 
me.’ The boundary was made very 
plain and simple, and it was stated in 
very plain language. Truethey honored 
and revered God, but all that God re- 
quested of man and woman was to be 
just to their Creator, that they use their 
own trees and that they be just in their 
dealings with him. The first sin was an 
act of disobedience, but it was more an 
act of injustice. 
“The first lesson in morality is not 
obedience. A good many children obey 
before they understand voluntary acts. 
The first lesson is the inculcation of fair 
play. It was the first lesson that the hu- 
man race failed to learn.. Some people 
today need to learn this lesson of justice 
forthey do not treat their fellow men 
fairly. Sometimes they do not want to 
treat God fairly. This first sin was a 
fall from the heights of justice to the 
depths of injustice. 
““ Notice in the fourth place the con- 
sequences of the act. As soon as_ these 
beautiful c’eatures had tasted of the for- 
bidden fruit, their eyes were opened, and 
they realized that they were not clothed. 
They felt that their clothing had been 
taken away. They were no longer 
clothed in the garment of innocence. 
‘They were naked in the hideousness of 
se BOSHCOISOESOI OSD DED VIOIVSSSSOO FSSSESIOOIOSSSOIOSOOOSSS 
A SOLID FOUNDATION 
1881 
their sin. The ground was cursed. 
Work was no longer work, but toil. 
They were driven from the garden and 
the ground not only brought forth roses 
and fruits, but herbs. “The consequence 
of their sin was paradise lost. The evil 
of the first sin is felt today through the 
tremendous force of heredity which has 
been going on throughout the ‘world 
since that time. 
‘* Notice in the last place God’s rela- 
tion towards these first two sinners: 
Man’s sin and God’s grace and mercy. 
What did God do? Did he let the 
tragedy go on? He called unto man _ 
and clothed him in outward attire. Do 
you doubt that God is not interested in 
the human race. Does he not love us 
still? Go back and read about the crdss 
on Calvary. Is that not a proof that ~ 
God still loves the human race? 
“* Only one taste and the human race 
was corrupted. Only one sin and per- 
haps a life is wrecked forever. Why 
are men so selfish and will not share 
with God? God has his part in our 
varden of life. Why are we so foolish? 
Are we getting happiness? I don’t be- 
lieve there is a man or woman who is 
getting satisfaction who is unfair and un- 
just towards God. I am going to ap- 
peal to you onthe ground of pure justice, 
on the ground of fair play. You want 
man to be fairin play. God hasa claim 
upon our lives because He has made us. 
God has paid that terrible price for our — 
redemption by the agony on that cross — 
on Calvary. That makes another obli- 
gation on our part towards God. Why — 
not use him fair. He is seeking for ~ 
2) 
us. 
se ee” CU ee 
JAMES BEATON 
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