The Tree of Life in Eden stood With mystic Fruits of Heavenly Food,
Which endless life afford, — That life, by man's transgression lost: — Cast out is man by Angel-host:
Until by Man restored.
In vain the lambs poured forth their blood ; In vain the smoking altars stood;
All unatoned was sin: Must greater be the sacrifice Before the gate of Paradise
Can let the fallen in ?
The Lord of Life His Life must give That man an endless Life may live.
And death's dark doom reverse. The Cross is made the mystic Tree, The Blood that flowed on Calvary
Hath washed away the curse.
» Phillipa Broota.
128 THE TREE OF LIFE
Now Eden's gate is ope'd once more; The guardian Angel's watch is o'er,
And sheathed the flaming sword: The Tree of Life now blooms afresh, Its precious Fruit the very Flesh
Of the Incarnate Word.^
^ Edwin L. Blenkinsopp
Aw I MY Brother's Keeper?
GEN.-NUM. — 9
Literature.
Aitchison (J.), The Children's Ovm, 271.
Assheton (R, 0.), The Kingdom and the Empire, 61
Brooks (P.), The Law of Growth, 116.
Darlow (T. H.), The Upward Galling, 288.
Goodwin (H.), PaHsh Sermons, 4th Ser., 272. ^
Ingram (W. C), Happiness in the Spiritual Life, 228.
McClure (J. G. K.), Loyalty the Soul of Religion, 71.
Miller (J.), Sermons, Literary and Scientific, 1st Ser., 202.
Peabody (F. G.), Mornings in the Gollege Chapel, 2nd Ser., 123.
Robinson (F.), Gollege and Ordination Addresses, 62.
Sinclair (W. M.), Christ and Our Times, 297.
Spurgeon (C. H.), Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, xxiv. No. 1399.
Thomson (W.), Life in the Light of God's Word, 200.
Vaughan (J.), Sermons (Brighton Pulpit), xxi. No. 1199.
Walters (C. E.), The Deserted Christ, 139.
Christian World Pulpit, xlviii. 280 (Pearse).
Church of England Pulpit, xlvi. 265 (Henson).
Church Pulpit Year Book, vi. 265 (Waters).
Churchmanship and Labour, 31 (Russell).
CorUemporary Pulpit, Ist Ser., ix. 354 (Dale).
Lombard Street in Lent, 28 (Farrar).
Oxford University Sermons, 351 (Percival).
»!•
Am I MT BROTHER'S KEEPER?
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not : am I my brother's keeper ? — Gen. iv. 9.
Matthew Arnold was never tired of reminding us that while we go back to the ancient Greeks for lessons in art and beauty and culture, we must go to the Hebrews for instruction in religion and conduct. Every one now agrees that he was right. We feel that the Hebrew people had a genius for religion. We can trace it all through their literature. Whatever be the subjeot-matter — whether it be poetry, history, philosophy, legend or imaginative prose — when touched by the Hebrew genius it is charged with a passion for righteousness, and becomes a vehicle for lessons con- cerning ethics and religion which are the permanent heritage of the race. Gradually as the people developed and became self- conscious, the best of them felt that this national genius was not theirs by accident, but that they had as it were a mission for the world — to teach men to know God. And they looked forward to the day when the earth should be full of the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea. The topic before us is instinct with such religious instruction.
Take a glance at the picture. Abel lay on the green grass, and earth's innocent flowers shuddered under the dew of blood. " And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother ? And he said " — for the first murderer is also the first liar — " I know not ; " and he insolently added — for the first murderer is also the first egotist — " Am I my brother's keeper ? " But the Lord sweeps aside the daring falsehood, the callous question. " And he said. What hast thou done ? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now thou art cursed." And Cain fled to the land of his exile, with the brand of heaven's wrath on his soul, and on his brow.
The lesson which the Old Testament narrative teaches is,
132 AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?
obviously, the sin of social irresponsibility. "We may conveniently approach the subject from the positive aspect — Respondhility, and the duties which it involves — and deal with it in three parts :
I. The Kesponsibility of every Man for his Brother. II. The Special Kesponsibility of the Christian. III. The Kesponsibility of the Church. '
L
The Kesponsibility of Man for Man.
i. God's Question. " The Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother ? "
1. This is not G-od's first question, for He had already ad- dressed to Adam — as to the representative of the human race — that personal inquiry which the Holy Spirit still brings home to every heart convicted of sin, to every man when he first realizes that he is naked before God and longs to hide himself from Him : " Where art thou ? " No ! this is God's second question, " Where is thy brother ? " And just as the first question was addressed to man upon his first conviction of sin, so this second question is addressed to man after his first struggle with his fellow-man. It is asked of the victor concerning the vanquished in the cruel competition of life, " Where is thy brother ? "