Ruin in Eden

Ome master in Israel who wanted to help the memories of his hearers has said that the three things to be preached above everything else are the three R’s — Ruin, Redemption, and Regeneration. He spake wisely and well. /How will men seek salvation if they do not feel their ruin Where is their salvation save in the atoning blood? What is salvation but being created anew unto holiness? It is a noteworthy fact that, in Holy Scripture, there are three third chapters which deal with these things in the fullest manner. The third of Genesis reveals Ruin; the third of Romans teaches Redemption; the third of John sets forth Regeneration. Will our young friends be so good as to read those chapters through with care, at home? It is also worthy of mention that not only does each of these chapters teach its own R, but that it also teaches the other two R’s. In the third of Genesis we have not only Ruin, but we have the Redeemer in “the seed of the woman,” and we have Regeneration in the expression, “I will put enmity between thee and. the woman.” /God’s regenerating power creates a hatred of evil in the chosen sed The same you will find in the other chapters; for the third of Romans contains a fearful description of the sin and ruin of men; and in the third of John, after you have read, “Ye must be born again,” not far from it you find it written, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have eternal life.” Believe any of these great truths, and the rest follow as a necessary consequence.

I pray you, never regard that story of the serpent as a fable. It is said, nowadays, that it is a mere allegory. Yet there is nothing in the Book to mark where history ends and parable begins: it all runs on as actual history; and as Bishop Horsley forcibly remarks, “If any part of this narrative be allegorical, no part is naked matter of fact.” It seems to me that if there was only an allegorical serpent, there was an allegorical Paradise, with allegorical rivers, and allegorical trees; and the men and women were both allegorical, and the chapter which speaks of their creation is an allegory; and the only thing that exists is an allegorical heaven and an allegorical earth. If the Book of Genesis be an allegory, it is an allegory all through; and you have an allegorical Abraham, with allegorical circumcision, an allegorical Jacob and an allegorical Judah; and it is not unfair to push the theory onward, and impute to Judah allegorical descendants called Jews. But if you borrow any money of this race, you will not find them allegorical when you have to pay. Lit is idle to call the narrative of the Fall a mere allegory; one had better say at once that he does not believe the Book. There is something sane about that declaration, although it be folly; but to say, “Oh, yes, it is a venerable volume, and worthy to be studied; but it is padded out with many an allegory,” is to say something which confutes itself, if you come to look into it. The Book is intended to be real history, and it contains some portions which, by the consent of everybody, are real history; but Moses could not be an historian, and yet set mere fables before us as a part of his story. To write a jumble of allegory and of fact causes a man to lose the character of a reliable historian, and we had better repudiate him at ee was a real serpent, as there was a real Paradise; there was a real Adam and Eve, who stood at the head of our race, and they really sinned, and our race is really fallen. Believe this/

When Satan, “that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan’’ — as the Apocalypse calls him — determined to tempt Eve, in order that he might destroy the race in which God evidently took much delight, he could not appear to the woman asa spirit. Spirits are not to be discerned by the eye; since a pure spirit is a thing which none of the outward senses of human beings can apprehend. An immaterial spirit must be invisible; and therefore he must embody himself in some way or other before he can be seen. That Satan has power to enter into living bodies is clear, for he did so upon a very large scale with regard to men in the days of Christ. He and his legions were even compelled to enter into the bodies of swine rather than be cast into the deep. Being compelled to have an embodiment, the master evil spirit perceived the serpent to be at that time among the most subtle of all creatures; and therefore he entered into the serpent, as feeling that he would be most at home in that animal. Out of the serpent he spoke to Eve, as though the serpent itself had spoken. There was an actual and material serpent, but the evil spirit who is

known as “the old serpent” was there, possgssing the natural serpent with all his masterly cunning. Cruelly determining to lead the human race into sin, that he might thus ruin it and triumph over God, the fallen angel did not hesitate to assume a reptile form. Well might Milton make him say — “© foul descent! that I, who erst contended

With gods to sit the highest, am now constrain’d

Into a beast; and, mix’d with bestial slime,

This essence to incarnate, and imbrute,

That to the height of deity aspired!”

Notice, carefully, that when the Lord comes to deal with the serpent, He does not question him as to his guilt, and the reason of it; and the reason is, perhaps, that the guilt of the arch-enemy was self-evident; or, better still, because the Lord had no design of mercy for him. He meant to make no covenant of grace for the devil or his angels; for He took not up angels, though He took up the seed of Abraham. In the infinite sovereignty of God He passed by the fallen angels, but He chose to raise fallen man. Those who cavil at’the doctrine of election should answer this question: “Why is it that God has left devils without hope, and yet has sent His Son to redeem mankind? Is not divine sovereignty manifested here?” We can give no answer to the question, “What is man that. God thus visits him with distinguishing grace?” save this — “He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and He will have compassion on whom He will have compassion.” Intending, therefore, no forgiveness to this evil spirit, the Lord put no questions to him. His interrogation of our first parents was a sign of mercy When God chides with a man’s conscience, it is with the view of blessing him. Do I speak to one whose sense of sin is aroused, who is accused by the Word of God, who feels the Spirit of God working within as a spirit of bondage? You may be hopeful because it is so. If God had meant to destroy you, He would have left you alone, even as He left the serpent without a word of expostulation, and He would have passed sentence upon you speedily. The very rebukes of God are tokens of His favour towards men. With the serpent — that is, with the evil spirit — God had no upbraidings, but dealt at once by way of doom. He pronounced a sentence upon the serpent which, while it was terrible to him, is most encouraging to us; and so far as our first parents understood it, it must have been a sun of light to their dark, depressed souls. For many a year this was the lone star of believing hearts: this gospel of the serpent’s doom. Satan was their enemy; he had done them wrong. He. was also God’s enemy, and God would fight against him, and call them into His battle. He would raise up One who would suffer, but would win the victory — One whom He calls “the seed of the woman.” By Him Satan’s head would be bruised; and, in that very fact, the race of man would be unspeakably blest.