75. Did our first parents receive this Divine free gift for themselves alone?
They received it also for all their descendants; and therefore, according to God's dispensation, not only their natural, but also their supernatural gifts were to descend to the whole human race.
76. On what condition did they receive these supernatural gifts for themselves and their descendants?
On condition that they should remain faithful and obedient to God (Gen. ii. 17).
77. Did our first parents observe this condition?
No; they fell into sin (Gen. iii. 6).
78. What was the sin of Adam?
The sin of Adam was a sin of pride and grave disobedience.
79. Was this transgression a grievous sin?
Yes, it was a very grievous sin; for though they were filled with the knowledge of God, yet they believed the serpent (which is the devil, Apoc. xx. 2) more than God, rebelled against Him, and wanted to be like God (Gen. iii.).
80. What punishment came upon Adam and Eve?
1. They forfeited all their supernatural gifts, and at the same time were also weakened in the faculties of their souls; 2. They were expelled from Paradise, in which God had placed them; and 3. They became liable to eternal damnation.
81. Did our first parents lose these supernatural gifts for themselves only?
No; as by their obedience they would have preserved them not only for themselves, but for all their descendants, so by their disobedience they lost them not only for themselves, but also for us all, and have thereby plunged the whole human race into the greatest misery.
