Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/62

 the trees. And God  said:  “Adam,  where  art  thou?”  And  Adam answered: “I  heard  Thy  voice,  and  I was  afraid,  because  I was naked, and  I hid  myself.”  And  God  said:  “Who  has  told thee that  thou  art  naked,  but  that  thou  hast  eaten  of  the  tree whereof I commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldst  not  eat?”  Adam replied: “The  woman  whom  Thou  gavest  me  to  be  my  companion, gave  me  of  the  fruit,  and  I did  eat.”  And  the  Lord  said to the  woman:  “Why  hast  thou  done  this?”  She  replied:  “The serpent deceived  me,  and  I did  eat.”

Sin. Adam and  Eve  transgressed  the  law  of  God. It is  true  that they were  persuaded  to  do  so,  but  still  the  devil  did  not  force  Eve  to eat  of  the  forbidden  tree,  nor  did  Eve  oblige  Adam  to  do  so. It was of their  own  free-will  that  they  sinned.

The manifold  sin  of  Eve, its  origin  and  process. She first  sinned by thought,  in  a twofold  way:  she  doubted  of  God’s  love,  “why  has  He forbidden  us”  without  any  apparent  reason? and next  she  doubted  of His  veracity,  “lest  perhaps ” we  shall  die. Then she  sinned  by  desire,  a desire  of  pride  wishing  to  be  like  God,  and  a desire  of  the  flesh wishing to  eat  of  the  fruit,  because  it  looked  tempting. Lastly she sinned by  deed. Eating of  the  fruit  she  boldly  and  proudly  disobeyed God’s commandment,  and  then  inveigled  Adam  into  the  same  grave  sin of disobedience.

Was their  sin  a grievous  sin? Our  first  parents  undoubtedly  transgressed the  law  of  God  in  an  important  matter,  for  the  prohibition  to eat  of  the  fruit  was  the  only  positive  law  which  God  had  given  them.