The story of Cain.

There is no more pitifully tragic story in all the world than that of Cain, the fratricide. Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve of whom the Scriptures make specific mention. Cain was a tiller of the soil. The riches of the earth were his, and the fulness thereof. With joyful heart, he might have plowed and tilled and garnered, and, at the last, ended a well-spent life in ease and comfort; with praise and thanksgiving, he might have worshipped God, acknowledging gifts already bestowed, and receiving daily more as he pursued his honest toil; with contented mind, he might have mingled with his brothers and sisters, and given unstintingly of his prosperous help in the establishing of man's dominion on earth. But Cain was of a jealous and envious disposition. His mind was darkened with thoughts of avarice and greed and hatred of others who prospered in the new world.

The occupation of Abel.

Cain had a brother named Abel. He was the second son of Adam and Eve mentioned by name in the Scriptures. Abel was a shepherd, a tender of flocks. Abel prospered, too, in his occupation. True, Abel was not so independent of his fellows as was his brother Cain, the tiller of the soil. Abel's calling produced him only meat to eat and wool to wear. He grew no fruits, nor grains, nor vegetables, nor other foods in variety produced by the soil. But Abel was happy and contented. He was unselfish. He loved his brothers and sisters, {198} and rejoiced in their successes. He loved God. And as he tended his flocks, Abel worshipped God who had placed his father and mother, and their children, upon the earth to subdue it.

The brothers' sacrifices.

One day Cain and Abel carried sacrifices to offer to the Lord. Cain brought grudgingly of the fruits of the field. Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof without thought of withholding anything from the Lord. When the sacrifices were presented, "the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect." Now, this difference was not because Abel's offering was better or more desirable than Cain's. The Lord pays not respect to worldly things. The widow's mite is as acceptable to Him as the rich man's millions, if offered in the spirit of truth. For it is the spirit in which a sacrifice is made that counts with the Lord. And Cain did not come in the spirit of love, and thanksgiving, and worship. He gave grudgingly. Perhaps, even, he did not give of the best of his crops. Therefore the Lord did not accept his offering.

The anger of Cain.

Then, when he saw that his own offering was rejected, while Abel's was accepted, Cain became filled with anger, and his countenance fell. The Lord in His mercy spoke to Cain, and declared to him one of the great fundamental truths of life. "Why art thou wroth?" asked the Lord, "and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my {199} commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire." But the anger and the envy of Cain were not appeased.

The murder of Abel.

Not long thereafter, Cain and Abel were together in the field. Cain had brooded over the incident of the offerings. His anger had waxed hot, till it was ready to burst into furious flame. Satan had gained possession of his mind, had filled him with envy, and had inspired him to hate his brother. So, as he talked with his brother in the field, Cain suddenly arose in ungovernable rage and struck his brother down and killed him. It was a day of horror in man's history. It was a day of blackness and blood. Cain was a brother-murderer—a fratricide. And it had come about because he had yielded to anger and envy and hate. Satan had gained possession utterly of his soul. Therefore, Cain was cursed by the Lord and cast out from His presence. In the story of Cain is illustrated wonderfully the truth of the saying of the Wise Man of Israel: "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?"

The lesson at home.

The story of Cain is a story of long ago. But we all know many instances of the ugliness of anger in our own day. In every prison house in the world are confined men who have committed crime in fits of anger. "An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression," said the Man of Wisdom. When a man is ang............