THE REV. THOMAS CONNELLAN, - The Gospel Magazine

546 The Gospel.Magazine.
have presented to us a lesson that ought never to be forgotten; and it
is this, that it is only as we are upheld that any of us can stand; that
there is no inherent power in angel, or in man as he came forth from
the hand of God, to keep him from falling. It seems to teach the
Church of God this lesson. that it is only as we stand in Christ that we
can stand for one mome~t. The reason why the angels did not fall
was, because God kept them; it was because they were" elect angels."
The reason why Adam fell was, because he stood in his own independent
weakness.
I believe there is nothing perfect but what receives its completion
from Christ. I believe that man, as he came out from the hand of God,
was incapable of standing; and the first blast of temptation was too
mnch for him. Now, there is a lesson here for everyone of us to learn.
Do not let the Christian suppose that because he is a child of privilege,
born of the Holy Ghost, an heir of heaven, that therefore all this is
sufficient of itself to keep him from the temptations of Satan. Let
him learn that all his strength is in the Lord Jesus; that he must
receive all his supplies out of the fulness that is in Christ. The very
moment the child of God imagines that it is the work in him that is to
keep him, at that moment he i.~ in danger. When the child of God is
living upon the fulness t):lat is in the Lord Jesus, when he learns to
apprehend what is the real work of the Holy Ghost, that it is His office
to testify of Christ-to take of the things of Christ, and to show them
to the soul; when he thus rightly apprehends the work of the Holy
Ghost, he is safe. When he thinks that it is the work of the Holy
Ghost to make him independently holy, he is in danger. This is an
error which is working its way very subtlely in the present day. There
are books written, and there is teaching abroad, that would lead the
believer to imagine that he can be raised above temptation. You
remember what one said who knew a great deal about temptation­
" the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."
So much as to the weakness of Adam.
The next point we have to consider is the sin of Adam-his transgression
of the law of God. God gave Adam a law, and just such a law
as he pleased. All the clever, reasoning men of the Neologian school
look upon this as a kind of fable or allegory. But, brethren, we would
have you remember, that however insignificant the matter may appear
to be, concerning which the command was given, it was God who gave
it. The sin which this man committed was disobedience to the law
of God. It is in this way that temptation comes to the Lord's people.
They are led away from the simple letter of the Word; they hear from
the lips of their fellow-men that which tends to draw them away from
the Lord; and they listen to the lie of the devil rather than to the truth
of God. This was Adam's sin, he departed from the plain declaration
of the Lord: so that that which we would deem to be the greatest act of
rebellion of which man can be guilty, is trampling upon the truth
of the Lord. And do not imagine that we mean by trampling on the
commands.of God, being disobedient to those commands which tell