The Common Principles of the Christian Religion, Sermon 19
Gen. 1. 26, 27. And God said, Let us make man after our own Image, with Eph. 4. 24. and Heb. 3. 10.
WHile we descend from the meditation of the glory of God shining in the Heavens, in Sun, Moon, and Stars, unto the consideration of the Lords framing of Man after this manner, we may fall into admiration with the Psalmist, Psalm 8. Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him, or the Son of man that thou shouldest remember him. It might indeed drown us in wonder, and astonish us, to think what speciall notice He hath taken of such a creature from the very beginning, and put more respect upon him then upon all the more Excellent works of his hands, you find here the Creation of man expressed in other tearms than was used before, He said, let there be light, and it was, let there be dry land. &c. But it is not such a simple word as that, but let us make man according to our image, as if God had called a consultation about it, what, was there any more difficulty in this then the rest of his works? Needed he any advisement about his frame and constitution? No certainly, for there was a great work of power, as curious peeces of Art & wisdome, which were instantly done upon his word, He is not a man that he should advise or consult, as there is no difficulty nor impediment in the way of his power, (He doth all that he pleases, ad nutum, at his very word or nod, so easie are impossibilities to him) so there is nothing hard to his wisedom, no knot but it can loose, nothing so curious or exquisite, but he can as curiously contrive it, as the most common and grosse peeces of the creation, and therefore, He is wonderful in counsell, & excellent in working. But ve have here expressed, as it were, a Counsell of the Holy and Blessed Trinity about Mans Creation, to signifie to us what peculiar respect He puts upon that Creature, and what speciall notice he takes of us, that of his own free purpose and good pleasure he was to single and choose out man from among all other Creatures, for the more eminent demonstration of his glorious attributs of grace, mercy and justice upon him; and likewise to point out the excellency that God did stamp upon man in his Creation beyond the rest of the creatures, as the Apostle showes the excellency of Christ above Angels, To which of the Angels said he at any time, thou art my Son? Heb. 1. 5. So we may say, of which of the creatures said he at any time, come, let us make them in our image, after our likenesse? O how should this make us listen to hear, earnest to know what man once was, how magnified of God and set above the works of his hands? There is a great desire in men to search into their Original, and to trace backward the dark footsteps of antiquity, especially if they be put in expectation of attaining any honourable or memorable extraction? How will men love to hear of the worth of their Ancestors? But what a stupidity doth possesse the most part in relation to the high fountain and head of all, that they do not aim so high as Adam, to know the very estate of humane nature: hence it is, that the most part of people ly still astonished, or rather stupid and senselesse after this great fall of man, because they never look upward to the place and dignity from whence man did fall. It is certain you will never rightly understand your selves, or what ye are, till ye know first what man was made? You cannot imagine what your present misery is, till you once know what that selicity was, in which man was made (let us make man in our image) some have called man a little world, a compend of the world, because he hath heaven and earth, as it were, married together in him; two most remote and distant natures, the dust of the earth, and the immortall Spirit, which is called the breath of God, sweetly linked and conjoyned together, with a disposition and inclination one to another. The Lord was in this piece of workmanship as it were to give a narrow and short compend of all his works, & so did associate in one piece with his marvelous wisdome, being, living, moving, sense and reason, which are scattered abroad in the other creatures, so that a man carries these wonders about with him, which he admires without him. At his bare and simple word this huge frame of the world started out of nothing, but in this he acts the part of a cunning Artificer, let us make man, he makes rather than creats, first raises the walls of flesh, buildeth the house of the body withall its Organs, all its Rooms, and then he puts in a noble & divine guest to dwel in it, He breaths in it the breath of life, he incloseth, as it were, an Angel within it, and marrieth these two together into the most admirable union and communion that can be imagined, so that they make up one man.
But that which the Lord looks most into is this work, and would have us most to consider, is that Image of himself that he did imprint on man (let us make man in our own Image) there was no creature but it had some ingravings of God upon it, some curious draughts and lineaments of his Power, Wisdome and goodnesse upon it, and therefore the Heavens are said, to shew forth his glory, &c. But whatever they have, it is but the lower part of that image, some dark shaddows and resemblances of him, but that which is the last of his works, he maketh it according to his own image, tanquam ab ultima manu, he therein gives out himself to be read and seen of all men as in a glasse, other creatures are made, as it were, according to the similitude of his footstep, ad similitudinem vestigii, but man, ad similitudinem faciei, according to the likenesse of his face (in our image, after our likenesse) It is true, there is one only, Jesus Christ his Son, who is the brightnesse of his glory, and the express substantiall image of his person, who resembleth him perfectly, and throughly in all properties, so that he is alter idem, another-self, both in nature, properties, & operations, so like him, that he is one with him; so that it is rather an onenesse, than a likenesse; but man he created according to his own Image, and gave him to have some likenesse to himself, likenesse I say, not samenesse, or onenesse. That is high indeed to be like God; The notion and expression of it imports some strange thing, how could man be like God, who is infinite, incomprehensible, whose glory is not communicable to another? It is true indeed, in these incommunicable properties he hath not only, no equal, but none to liken him, in these he is to be adored, & admired as infinitely transcending all created perfections & conceptions; but yet in others he has been pleased to hold forth himself to be imitated and followed: and that this might be done, he first stamps them upon man in his first moulding of him, & if ye would know what these are particularly, the Apostle expresses them Col. 3. 10. in knowledge, in rightousnesse, and holinesse. Eph. 4. 24. This is the Image of him who created him, which the Creator stamped on man, that he might seek him, and set him apart for himself to keep communion with him, and to bless him. There is a spirit given to man with a capacity to know, and to will, And here is a draught and lineament of Gods face, which is not engraven on any sensitive creature; It is one of the most noble and excel…ent operations of life, in which a man is most above beasts, to reflect upon himself & his Creator: There …re naturall instincts given to other things, naturall …ropensions to those things that are convenient to …heir own nature, but none of them have so much …s a capacity to know what they are, or what they …ave, they cannot frame a notion of him who …ave them a beeing, but are only proportionate …o the discerning of some sensible things, and can …each no further: He hath limited the eye within co…ours, and light; he hath set a bound to the care that … cannot act without sounds, and so every sense he …ath assigned his own proper stanse, in which it moves …ut he teaches man knowledge, and he enlarges the …hear of his understanding beyond visible or sensible …hings, to things invisible, to spirits; & this capacity …e hath put in the soul to know all things, and it self …mong the rest; the eye discerns light, but sees not it …lf, but he gives a Spirit to man to know himself, and …is God: and then there is a willing power in the soul by which it diffuses it self towards any thing that is conceived as good, the understanding directing, and the will-commanding according to its direction, and then the whole faculties and senses obeying such commands, which makes up an excellent draught of the image of God: There was a sweet proportion and harmony in Adam, all was in due place, and subordination; the motions of immortall man did begin within, the lamp of reason did shine & give light unto it, & till that went before, here was no stirring, no chusing or refusing, & when reason which was one sparkle of the divine nature, or a ray of Gods light reflected into the soul of man, when once that did appear to the discerning of good & evil, this power was in the soul to apply the whole man accordingly, to chose the good and refuse the evil, it had not been a lively resemblance of God to have a power of knowing and willing simply, unlesse these had been beautified and adorned with supernaturall and divine graces of spiritual light and holinesse, & righteousnesse, these make up the lively colour, and compleat the image of God upon the soul.
There was a Divine Light which did shine in, upon the understanding, ever till sin interposed & Eclipsed it, and from the light of Gods countenance did the sweet heat, & warmnesse of holinesse & uprightnesse in the affections proceed, so that there was nothing but purity and cleannesse in the soul, no darknesse of ignorance, no muddinesse of carnall affections, but the soul pure and transparent, to receive the refreshing and enlightning rayes of Gods glorious countenance, and this was the very face and beauty of the soul, it is that only that is the beauty and excellency of the creature, conformity to God, & this was throughout, in understanding and affections, the understanding conformed to his understanding, discerning between good and evil, and conformed it behoved to be, for it was ou… a ray of that Sun a stream of that fountain of wisdom, and a light derived from that primitive light of Gods understanding, and then the will did sympathize as much with his will, approving and chusing what he approved, & refusing that which he hated: I dem velle atque idem nolle, ea demum firma est amicitia, that was the conjunction, and it is more strict than any …ye among men, there was not two wills, they were, as it were, one the love of God reflecting into the soul, did as it were, carry the soul back again unto him, & that was the conforming principle which fashioned the whole man without and within, …o his likenesse, & to his obedience: Thus man was …ormed for communion with God, this likenesse behoved to be, or they could no: joyn as friends.
But now this calls us to a sad meditation, to think …om whence we have fallen, and so how great our fall …s, to fall from such a blessed estate, that must be great misery: Sathan hath spoyled us of our rich treasure, …hat glorious image of holinesse. And hath drawn …pon our souls the very visage of hell, the lineaments …f his hellish countenance, but the most part of men … stupid, insensible of any thing, as beasts that are fel…d with their fall, that can neither find pain nor rise: … we could but return and consider what are all those …d and woefull consequences of sin in the world, what … strange distemper it hath put in the Creation? What …iseries that one fall hath brought one all mankind? … am sure by these bruises we might conjecture what … strange fall it hath been. Sin did interpose between God & us, and this darkned our souls, & killed them, …e light of knowledge was put out, and the life of ho…nesse extinguished, and now there remains nothing … all that stately building, but some ruines of com…on principles of reason, and honesty engraven on all …ens consciences; which may shew unto us what the …ilding hath been, we have fallen from holinesse, and so from happynesse, our soules are deformed & defiled you see what an ill favoured thing it is, to see a child wanting any members, O if sin were visible, how ugly would the shape of the soul be to us, since it lost the very proportion and visage of it, that is, Gods Image? Let us consider this Doctrine that we may know from whence we have fallen, and into what a gulf of sin and misery we have fallen, that the new news of Jesus Christ a Mediator and Redeemer of fallen man, may be sweet unto us. Thus it pleased the Lord to let his Image be marred & quite spoiled in us, for he had thus design to repair it and renew it better than of old, and for this end he hath created Christ according to his image, he hath stamped that image of holinesse upon his flesh, to be a pattern; and not only so, but a pledge also, of restoring such souls as flee unto him for refuge, unto that primitive glory and excellency: Know then that he hath made his Son like unto us, that we might again be made like unto him, he said, let one of us be made man, in the counsel of Redemption, that so it might again be said, let man be made like unto us, in our image: It is a second Creation must do it, and O that you would look upon your hearts to enquire if it be framed in you, certainly you must again be created into that Image if you belong to Christ: To him be praise & Glory.