free moral agents to believe his word, obey his
commandments and live, or believe the tempter, disobey and
perish. They both ate, and the great wisdom they obtained was
the knowledge of sin, and a sense of guilt. The covering of light
about them soon disappeared, and under a sense of guilt, and
loss of their divine covering, a shivering seized them, and they
tried to cover their exposed forms. The Lord would not have
them investigate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, for then they
would be exposed to Satan masked. He knew that they would be
perfectly safe if they touched not the fruit.
Our first parents chose to believe the words, as they thought,
of a serpent; yet he had given them no tokens of his love. He had
done nothing for
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their happiness and benefit; while God had given them everything
that was good for food, and pleasant to the sight. Everywhere the
eye might rest was abundance and beauty; yet Eve was deceived
by the serpent, to think that there was something withheld which
would make them wise, even as God. Instead of believing
and confiding in God, she basely distrusted his goodness, and
cherished the words of Satan.
After Adam’s transgression he at first imagined that he felt
the rising to a new and higher existence. But soon the thought
of his transgression terrified him. The air that had been of a
mild and even temperature, seemed to chill them. The guilty pair
had a sense of sin. They felt a dread of the future, a sense of
want, a nakedness of soul. The sweet love, and peace, and happy,
contented bliss, seemed removed from them, and in its place a
want of something came over them that they never experienced
before. They then for the first turned their attention to the
external. They had not been clothed, but were draped in light
as were the heavenly angels. This light which had enshrouded
them departed. To relieve the sense of lack and nakedness which
they realized, their attention was directed to seek a covering for
their forms; for how could they meet the eye of God and angels
unclothed?
Their crime is now before them in its true light. Their
transgression of God’s express command assumes a clearer
character. Adam censured Eve’s folly in leaving his side, and
being deceived by the serpent. They both flattered themselves
that God, who had given them everything to make them happy,
might yet excuse their disobedience, because of his great love to
them, and that their
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punishment would not be so dreadful, after all.
Satan exulted in his success. He had now tempted the woman
to distrust God, to question his wisdom, and to seek to penetrate
his all-wise plans. And through her he had also caused the
overthrow of Adam, who, in consequence of his love for Eve,
disobeyed the command of God, and fell with her.
The news of man’s fall spread through Heaven—every harp
was hushed. The angels cast their crowns from their heads in
sorrow. All Heaven was in agitation. The angels were grieved at
the base ingratitude of man, in return for the rich bounties God
had provided. A council was held to decide what must be done
with the guilty pair. The angels feared that they would forth the
hand, and eat of the tree of life, and thus perpetuate a life of sin.
The Lord visited Adam and Eve, and made known to them the
consequence of their disobedience. As they hear God’s majestic
approach, they seek to hide themselves from his inspection,
whom they delighted, while in their innocence and holiness, to
meet. “And 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 shouldest not
eat?” This question was asked by the Lord, not because he
needed information, but for the conviction of the guilty pair. How
didst thou become ashamed and fearful? Adam acknowledged
his transgression, not because he was penitent for his great
disobedience, but to cast reflection upon God.
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“The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me
of the tree, and I did eat.” The woman was then addressed:
“What is this that thou hast done?” Eve answered, “The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat.” The Lord then addressed 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.” As the serpent had
been exalted above the beasts of the field, he should be degraded
beneath them all, and be detested by man, inasmuch as he was the
medium through which Satan acted. “And unto Adam he said,
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.”
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God cursed the ground because of their sin in eating of the
tree of knowledge, and declared, “In sorrow shalt thou eat of it
all the days of thy life.” He had apportioned them the good, but
withheld the evil. Now God declares that they shall eat of it, that
is, they should be acquainted with evil all the days of their life.
The race from that time forward was to be afflicted by Satan’s
temptations. A life of perpetual toil and anxiety was appointed
unto Adam, instead of the happy, cheerful labor he had hitherto
enjoyed. They should be subject to disap
