'If thou doest not well, sin croucheth at the door: and
unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over
him.'--GENESIS iv. 7 (R. V.).

These early narratives clothe great moral and spiritual truths in
picturesque forms, through which it is difficult for us to pierce.
In the world's childhood God spoke to men as to children, because
there were no words then framed which would express what we call
abstract conceptions. They had to be shown by pictures. But these
early men, simple and childlike as they were, had consciences; and
one abstraction they did understand, and that was sin. They knew the
difference between good and evil.

So we have here God speaking to Cain, who was wroth because of the
rejection of his sacrifice; and in dim, enigmatical words setting
forth the reason of that rejection. 'If thou doest well, shalt thou
not be accepted?' Then clearly his sacrifice was rejected because it
was the sacrifice of an evil-doer. His description as such is given
in the words of my text, which are hard for us to translate into our
modern, less vivid and picturesque language. 'If thou doest not
well, sin lieth at the door; and unto thee shall be his desire, and
thou shalt rule over him.' Strange as the words sound, if I mistake
not, they convey some very solemn lessons, and if well considered,
become pregnant with meaning.

The key to the whole interpretation of them is to remember that they
describe what happens after, and because of, wrong-doing. They are
all suspended on 'If thou doest not well.' Then, in that case, for
the first thing--'sin lieth at the door.' Now the word translated