Not Very Hurtful by Amanda Warren

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 9, 1872

Not Very Hurtful.

By Amanda Warren

THESE words were spoken by a friend when discussing the merit and demerit of a certain article of food. In other words, it will be only a small transgression, and we shall not feel the bad effect very much. No doubt Eve reasoned much in this way when she partook of the forbidden fruit. The tree was beautiful. She looked at it and said, or thought, What handsome looking fruit! Surely it must have a delicious flavor. Now there is not enough in one taste to do much harm if it should not prove to be good; and besides I will give part of it to Adam. With these thoughts, she picked one, only one. Not of very much importance, was it? But the Lord, who can read the heart, looked not with any allowance even at this supposed small sin. His law stood as ever, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Not necessary, then, that they should eat all of that forbidden fruit. Just one piece was enough to forfeit their right to their Eden glory, and bring upon them ruin and death. We may wonder at their folly and mourn over their loss when, in our own hearts, there is a greater desire to eat forbidden fruit than there was in theirs. And can we hope that that God who is no respecter of persons will deal more leniently with us than he did with them? If for only one sin Eden was lost, shall we hope to regain it while one sin lies buried in our heart even though it be comparatively small?

AMANDA WARREN.