Sermons on Several Occasions

1. WHY is there pain in the world; seeing God is "loving to every man, and his mercy is over all his works?" Because there is sin: had there been no sin, there would have been no pain. But pain (supposing God to be just) is the necessary effect of sin. But why is there sin in the world? Because man was created in the image of God; because he is not mere matter, a clod of earth, a lump of clay, without sense or understanding, but a spirit like his Creator, a being endued not only with sense and understanding, but also with a will exerting itself in various affections. To crown all the rest, he was endued with liberty; a power of directing his own affections and actions; a capacity of determining or himself, or of choosing good or evil. Indeed, had not man been endued with this, all the rest would have been of no use: had he not been a free as well as an intelligent being, his understanding would have been as incapable of holiness, or any kind of virtue, as a tree or a block of marble. And having this power, a power of choosing good or evil, he chose the latter: he chose evil. Thus "sin entered into the world," and pain of every kind, preparatory to death.

2. But this plain, simple account of the origin of evil, whether natural or moral, all the wisdom of man could not discover till it pleased God to reveal it to the world. Till then man was a mere enigma to himself; a riddle which none but God could solve. And in how full and satisfactory a manner has he solved it in this chapter! In such a manner as does not indeed serve to gratify vain curiosity, but as is abundantly sufficient to answer a nobler end; to

"Justify the ways of God with men."

To this great end I would, first, briefly consider the preceding part of this chapter; and then, secondly, more particularly weigh the solemn words which have been already recited.

I. 1. In the first place, let us briefly consider the preceding part of this chapter. "Now the serpent was more subtile," or intelligent, "than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made;" (verse 1;)-endued with more understanding than any other animal in the brute creation. Indeed, there is no improbability in the conjecture of an ingenious man, that the serpent was endued with reason, which is now the property of man. And this accounts for a circumstance whic, on any other supposition, would be utterly unintelligible. How comes Eve not to be surprised, yea, startled and affrighted, at hearing the serpent speak and reason; unless she knew that reason, and speech in consequence of it, were the original properties of the serpent? Hence, without showing any surprise, she immediately enters into conversation with him. "And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" See how he, who was a liar from the beginning, mixes truth and falsehood together! Perhaps on purpose, that she might be the more inclined to speak, in order to clear God of the unjust charge. Accordingly, the woman said unto the serpent, (verse 2,)

*The late Dr. Nicholas Robinson.

« הקודם המשך »

ספרים

Sermons on Several Occasions, כרך 3