Adam’s Life
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beloved Son by which man might be saved. But their only hope was
through a life of humble repentance, and faith in the provision made.
All those who could thus accept Christ as their only Saviour, should
be again brought into favor with God through the merits of his Son.
Adam was commanded to learn his descendants the fear of the
Lord, and by his example and humble obedience teach them to highly
regard the offerings which typified a Saviour to come. Adam carefully
treasured what God had revealed to him, and handed it down by word
of mouth to his children and children’s children. By this means the
knowledge of God was preserved. There were some righteous upon
the earth who knew and feared God even in Adam’s day. The Sabbath
was observed before the fall. Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s
command, and ate of the forbidden fruit, they were expelled from Eden;
but they observed the Sabbath after their fall. They had experienced
the bitter fruits of disobedience, and learned that every transgressor of
God’s commands will sooner or later learn that God means just what
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he says, and that he will surely punish the transgressor.
Those who venture to lightly esteem the day upon which Jehovah
rested, the day which he sanctified and blessed, the day which he has
commanded to be kept holy, will yet know that death is the reward of
the transgressor. On account of the special honors God conferred upon
the seventh day, he required his people to number by sevens lest they
should forget their Creator who made the heavens and the earth in six
days and rested on the seventh.
The descendants of Cain were not careful to respect the day upon
which God rested. They chose their own time for labor and for rest,
regardless of Jehovah’s special command. There were two distinct
classes upon the earth. One class were in open rebellion against God’s
law; while the other class obeyed his commandments, and revered his
Sabbath.
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