CHAPTER XIII.

THE FALL OF MAN; OR, THE MYSTERIOUS BOX.

QUESTION XIII. _Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?_

ANSWER. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the state wherein they were created, by sinning against God.

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VERY many times, during the week following the story of Edward, did the children discuss the probabilities of his obtaining the prize.

"I do wonder what was in the box," exclaimed Helen.

"I can't think, or even guess," responded Walter; "but I could hold on for one month, I know. Just think how silly 'twould be to go and look when he was certain of knowing so soon, and of having such a reward besides."

"I hope he kept the agreement," said Anna, "because his uncle said if he opened the box, he would be very much hurt."

"Perhaps it was a spring lock," suggested Walter, "that would catch his fingers and tear them right off."

On Thursday evening the little ones were punctually in their places, which, as Mrs. Dermott remarked, was a proof of Walter's great interest in the lesson, as it was bright moonlight night, and he had been enjoying a fine skate in front of the house.

Anna repeated the answer in course, and then Mrs. Dermott asked, "Who were our first parents, my dear?"

"Adam and Eve."

Mr. Dermott having taken his seat, said, "Walter, what is it to be left to the freedom of one's will?"

"I always thought," replied the boy, "that it meant you might do a thing or not, just as you chose."

"A very good definition, my boy! When God had placed Adam and Eve in their beautiful home, he said,—

"'Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.'

"Would God have told Adam not to eat of it, and threatened him with death provided he did, if he was not left free to act in any way he chose?"

"No, sir. If God knew he would be obliged to eat it, I don't believe he would have told him not to."

"Do you suppose Edward, about whom I told you, had the freedom of his will?"

"Yes, sir."

"It would have been foolish for his uncle to tell him to be sure not to touch the box, and to offer him a reward for not touching it, if he knew that he could not act according to his own choice. Satan evidently thought that our first parents could eat of the forbidden fruit, or abstain from eating, as they chose; for he presented many arguments to induce them to partake of it. These would have been breath spent in vain, if he was sure they would eat of it. Poor Eve yielded to his wicked solicitations; and when—

"'She saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat.'

"By what arguments she prevailed upon him to disobey the only command of their Maker, the Bible does not inform us. Having eaten the forbidden fruit, the covenant of life was forfeited; they fell from the state of purity and holiness, wherein they were created, by sinning against God."

"We will now return to the history of Edward. One, two, three weeks of the month had passed away, and Mrs. Rowe had entirely forgotten the conversation about the box; but she had noticed that for a day or two her son had not appeared well. She determined to question him upon the subject.

"She was sitting after dinner with her husband, who had not yet left the house, when they were startled by a loud scream of distress. Starting to their feet, they knew not which way to run, when there came another prolonged, agonizing cry. Rushing up stairs in the direction in which the sound seemed to proceed, they distinctly heard dreadful groans from the attic.

"There lay poor Edward upon the floor, his hands pressed convulsively to his side, from which the blood was oozing through the clothes. The fatal box was opened, and a pistol, which had been so arranged as to protect the contents, had gone off when the boy lifted the lid."

[Illustration: Edward opening the fatal box.]

"Mr. Rowe tore open his clothes and tried to stanch the blood, while the almost distracted mother flew down stairs to send for a physician. For weeks Edward lay in bed after the ball had been extracted, suffering the most acute pain, and tortured by bitter remorse for his conduct. The physician at length told his mother that he feared her poor boy would never again be perfectly well.

"After two months, he was able to sit bolstered up in a large chair, when his uncle came to visit him. Upon talking with him for an hour, the gentleman went to the attic and brought from thence the box which had occasioned his young nephew so much trouble. He told him that while he was in India, a young man assisted him in packing his goods for his return home. He had a quantity of gold which he wished to bring, and this young man begged his acceptance of this box with the pistol, which he thought would betray any robbers who might approach it. He, then, without loading the fire-arms, explained to the boy how it had been arranged; after which, he took out a false bottom to the box, and displayed to the gaze of the astonished youth a greater number of gold pieces than he had ever seen together.

"'Perhaps,' added the gentleman, addressing his sister, 'it would have been better for me to have told Edward what consequences would certainly follow if he disobeyed my orders, and persisted in gratifying his curiosity. I intended to make him a present, and thought it would be a pleasant and profitable lesson to him. But I calculated too much upon the strength of his moral principle.'"

"But, father," cried Walter eagerly, "didn't his uncle give him any of the gold?"

Mr. Dermott smiled as he replied, "You know, my boy, I told you that this was not a true story, but a parable."

"O, I'm glad," said Anna, with a sigh of relief. "I thought Edward would have to be sick all his life."

"'Tis fearful building upon any sin; One mischief entered, brings another in; The second pulls a third, the third draws more, And they for all the rest set ope the door: Till custom take away the judging sense, That to offend we think it no offence."