the city, after the name of his son, Enoch."

Now, there are some lessons quite on the surface of this narrative. Thus we mark the difference in the

sacrifice of the two brothers - the one "of the fruit of the ground," the other an animal sacrifice. Again, the

offering of Cain is described merely in general terms; while Abel's is said to be "of the firstlings of his flock"

- the first being in acknowledgment that all was God's, "and of the fat thereof," that is, of the best. So also

we note, how faithfully God warns, and how kindly He points Cain to the way of escape from the power of

sin. On the other hand, the murderous deed of Cain affords a terrible illustration of the words in which the

Lord Jesus has taught us, that angry bitter feelin gs against a brother are in reality murder (Matthew 5:22),

showing us what is, so to speak, the full outcome of self-willedness, of anger, envy, and jealousy. Yet

another lesson to be learned from this history is, that our sin will at the last assuredly find us out, and yet

that no punishment, however terrible, can ever have the effect of changing the heart of a man, or altering his

state and the current of his life. To these might be added the bitter truth, which godless men will perceive all

too late, that, as Cain was at the last driven forth from the ground of which he had taken possession, so

assuredly all who seek their portion in this world will find their hopes disappointed, even in those things for

which they had sacrificed the "better part." In this respect the later teaching of Scripture (Psalm 49) seems to

be contained in germ in the history of Cain and Abel.

If from these obvious lessons we turn to the New Testament for further light on this history, we find in the

Epistle of Jude (ver. 2) a general warning against going "in the way of Cain;" while St. John makes it an

occasion of admonishing to brotherly love:

"Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his

own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." (1 John 3:12)

But the fullest information is derived from the Epistle to the Hebrews, where we read, on the one hand, that

"without faith it is impossible to please God," and, on the other, that "by faith Abel offered unto God a more

exc ellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:

and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh." (Hebrews 11:4)

Scripture here takes us up, as it were, to the highest point in the lives of the two brothers - their sacrifice -

and tells us of the presence of faith in the one, and of its absence in the other. This showed itself alike in the

manner and in the kind of their sacrifice. But the faith which prompted the sacrifice of Abel, and the want of

faith which characterized that of Cain, must, of course, have existed and appeared long before. Hence St.

John also says that Cain "was of that wicked one," meaning that he had all along yielded himself to the

power of that tempter who had ruined our first parents. A little consideration will explain this, and, at the

same time, bring the character and conduct of Cain into clearer light.

After the fall the position of man towards God was entirely changed. In the garden of Eden man's hope of

being confirmed in his estate and of advancing upwards depended on his perfect obedience. But man

disobeyed and fell. Henceforth his hope for the future could no longer be derived from perfect obedience,

which, indeed, in his fallen state was impossible. So to speak, the way of "doing" had been set before him,

and it had ended, through sin, in death. God in His infinite grace now opened to man another path. He set

before him the hope of faith. The promise which God freely gave to man was that of a Deliverer, who would

bruise the head of the serpent, and destroy his works. Now, it was possible either to embrace this promise

by faith, and in that case to cling to it and set his heart thereon, or else to refuse this hope and turn away

from it. Here, then, at the very opening of the history of the kingdom, we have the two different ways which,

as the world and the kingdom of God, have ever since divided men. If we further ask ourselves what those

would do who rejected the hope of faith, how they would show it in their outward conduct, we answer, that

they would naturally choose the world as it then was; and, satisfied therewith, try to establish themselves in

the earth, claim it as their own, enjoy its pleasures and lusts, and cultivate its arts. On the other hand, one

who embraced the promises would consider himself a pilgrim and a stranger in this earth, and both in heart

and outward conduct show that he believed in, and waited for, the fulfillment of the promise. We need