Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1929
“And the Lord said unto Cain, Why are you angry? And why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And unto you shall be his desire and you shall rule over him.” Genesis 4:6, 7.
SINNERS are not all of the laughing sort—Cain’s mind was angry and his heart was heavy. The short life of the vicious is not always a merry one. See, here you have a man who is utterly without God, but he is not without sorrow. His countenance has fallen, his looks are sullen—he is a miserable man. There are many ungodly people still in the world who are not happy in the condition in which they find themselves. The present does not content them and they have no future from which to borrow the light of hope. The service of sin is hard to them and yet they do not quit it for the service of the Lord. They are in danger of having two Hells—one in this life and another in the world to come!
They have a religion of their own, even as Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground, but it yields them no comfort, for God has no respect to their offering and, therefore, they are displeased about it. The things of God bring an increase to their inward wretchedness—it was after a sacrifice that Cain’s countenance fell. Many unrenewed hearts quarrel with God at His own altar—quarrel by presenting what He never commanded and then by growing angry because He rejects their will-worship! They attend the means of Grace, but they are not saved nor comforted, and they do not like it. They pray, after a fashion, but they are not heard—and they feel indignant at the slight. They read the Scriptures, but no cheering promise is ever applied to their hearts—and they grow fierce at their failure. They see another accepted, as Abel was, and this excites their jealousy and envy gnaws at their heart. They are angry with God, with their fellow man and with everything about them! Their countenance falls and they are in a morose mood which fits them for any cruel word or deed. Can you not see their sullen looks?
They would very much like to have the enjoyments of religion. They would like to have peace of conscience. They would like to be uplifted beyond all fear of death and they would like to be as happy as Christian people are, but they do not want to pay the price, namely, obedience to God by faith in Jesus Christ! They would willingly bring an offering to God according to their own choice and taste, but they do not care to come with “the Lamb” as their Sacrifice—they cannot accept the Atonement made by our Lord’s laying down His life for us. They wish to have the reward of obedient faith while yet they have their own way! They would reap the harvest without sowing the seed. They would gather clusters without planting vines. They would win the wages without serving the Master of the vineyard! But as this cannot be and never will be, they are full of bitter feeling. Since sin and sorrow are sure to be, sooner or later, married together— and since only by walking in the ways of God can we hope to find peace and rest—they quarrel with the Divine arrangement, grow inwardly miserable and show it by their sullen looks and growling words.
They are in a bitter state of heart and it is fair to ask each one of them, “Why are you angry?” Alas, they are not angry with themselves, as they ought to be, but angry with God—and often they are angry with God’s chosen and envious of them—even as Cain was malicious and vindictive towards Abel. “Why should my neighbor be saved, and not I? Why should my brother rejoice because he has peace with God while I cannot get it? Why should my own sister be converted and sing of Heaven and I, who have gone to the same place of worship and have joined in the same prayers and hymns, seem to be left out in the cold?” Such questions might be useful to them, but instead of looking into their own hearts to see what is wrong there—instead of judging themselves and trying to get right with God—they inwardly blame the Lord or the persons whom they think to be more favored than themselves! The blessings of Grace are to be had by them, but they refuse to take them and yet quarrel with those who accept them! They play the part of the dog in the manger,
who could not eat the hay, himself, and would not let the horses do so. They will not accept Christ and yet grumble because others have Him.
It is one of the sure signs of the seed of the serpent—that they will always be at enmity with the Seed of the woman. This is one of the marks of distinction between those who walk after the flesh and those who walk after the spirit, for as Ishmael mocked Isaac, so the child of the flesh mocks the child of promise even to this day! As soon as the two sons born to Adam were grown up, the great division was seen—he who was of the Wicked One slew the man who, by faith, offered a more acceptable sacrifice. This division has never ceased and never will cease while the race of man remains on earth under the reign of God’s long-suffering! By this shall you know to which seed you belong—whether you are of those who hate the righteous, or of those who are hated for Christ’s sake.