Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/73

 unless we  confess  them. Moreover, Cain  had  no  true  contrition,  and  all hope of  pardon  depends  on  that. He, however,  had  given  up  hope, and despaired  of  God’s  mercy.

Free-will. There are  those  who  yield  to  their  evil  passions,  and then say  that  they  could  not  help  it. Is it  true  that  they  could  not have helped  it? Could not  Cain  have  acted  differently  from  what  he did? God Himself  had  said  to  him:  “Keep  your  lust  under.”  We  are not obliged  to  follow  our  evil  inclinations,  for  we  have  free-will,  and can overcome  our  passions  if  we  choose.

The necessity  of  grace.  Grace  is,  however,  necessary  to  enable the free-will  of  man  to  choose  what  is  right. Cain had  received sufficient grace,  and  if  he  had  corresponded  with  it,  he  would  have been quite  able  to  overcome  his  envy  and  hatred,  and  would  never have become  a murderer. Even after  his  sin  he  would  have  been  able to obtain  pardon,  if  he  had  not  resisted  the  grace  of  God  which  urged him to  repent.

The wonderful  working  of  divine  grace  for  the  good  of  man  is shown  to  us  very  plainly  in  this  story  of  Cain. Think how  much  God did both  to  keep  him  from  sinning,  and  to  bring  him  to  repentance, after he  had  sinned,  so  that  his  soul  might  be  saved. First, He  drew Cain’s attention  to  his  ruling  passions  of  envy  and  anger,  in  order  to bring  him  to  a knowledge  of  himself. Then He  promised  him  a reward and blessing  if  he  would  correct  himself,  and  threatened  him  with  speedy punishment if  he  let  himself  be  led  on  to  do  an  evil  deed. Lastly, He stirred  him  up,  and  exhorted  him  not  to  be  led  away  by  his  evil  desires, but to  have  dominion  over  them. Even after  the  terrible  deed  was done, Almighty  God  did  not  at  once  reject  the  murderer,  and  even while reproaching  him  for  his  crime,  tried  to  move  his  heart. He wished Cain to  recognise  the  horror  of  his  deed,  to  abhor  it,  and  repent  of  it. He even  asked  him  where  his  brother  was,  in  order  to  make  the  confession of  his  guilt  easier  to  him. It was  only  when  Cain  proved  to  be hard-hearted  and  impenitent  that  God  pronounced  judgment  on  him. Even then,  the  sentence  was  not  an  eternal  one; it  was  only  temporal (“cursed be  thou  on  the  earth”),  and  might  have  led  him  to  repentance and amendment. God protected  the  life  of  this  wretch  by  a special mark, in  order  to  give  him  more  time  for  repentance. How good  and merciful is  God  who,  as  it  were,  pursues  the  sinner  so  indefatigably, and tries  in  so  many  ways  to  move  his  heart,  so  as  to  save  him  from eternal damnation!

Resistance of  grace.  Sins  against  the  Holy  Ghost. Man, having free-will, is  able  to  resist  grace  which,  much  as  it  may  move  him  and incline him  towards  what  is  good,  does  not  force  him. Cain’s terrible example shows  us  to  what  resistance  of  grace  can  lead. He would not listen  to  God’s  loving  exhortation  to  overcome  his  envy  and  anger, but cherished  them  in  his  heart,  till  his  anger  waxed  fiercer  and  turned