Expositions of Holy Scripture

This is a religion book. These are still the two lies which wile us to sin: 'It will do you no harm', and 'You are cheating yourselves out of good by not doing it'. Then comes the yielding to the tempter. As long as the prohibition was undoubted, and the fatal results certain, the fascinations of the forbidden thing were not felt. But as soon as these were tampered with, Eve saw 'that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes'. So it is still. Weaken the awe-inspiring sense of God's command, and of the ruin that follows the breach of it, and the heart of man is like a city without walls, into which any enemy can march unhindered.