he would have been ridiculously foolish; for a full grown man, as Adam was when he came out of his Maker's hands, who is childish, is contemptible: surely "the soul without knowledge is not good," Prov. xix. 2. If Adam were created in such ingorance, how did he know the nature of the animals, and of his wife? Gen. ii. 19-23. He certainly knew God, he was accustomed to his visits, Gen. iii. 8, and was acquainted with his law, Gen. ii. 16, 17. iii. 2, 3, surely not only by divine revelation, but also by creation; for if that law be still written in the hearts of his posterity; according to Rom. ii. 14, 15, how much more was it then written in his heart, when he came new and pure out of the hands of his Maker. After the fall, his eyes were indeed opened,, and he knew that he was naked," Gen. iii. 7, but this doth not imply that he knew not before that he was without any clothing; for otherwise sin would have made him wiser, and the lying promises of Satan, "that his eyes should be opened, and that he should like God know both good and evil,” Gen. iii. 5. would not then have been detestable. It remains therefore certain that Adam knew God, and his obligation to him, by the image of God, by which he knew, as by a beam from God's own light, what God knew, and what he would reveal to him. For the knowledge that depicts God, is not barely a common and literal apprehension of divine things, but "a seeing of the light in God's light," Psalm xxxvi. 9, and “an inshining of God into the heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God," 2 Cor. iv. 6. Now such a knowledge and seeing of God must necessarily produce a divine holinsss in the soul; for "we, beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory," 2 Cor. iii. 18. And therefore the moral goodness of God's image consists also (2) "in true righteousness and holiness," by which man surrendered himself with a perfect heart to the Lord, to do his will, according to that law and truth of God, which his understanding represented to him to be holy, just and good. That the image of God consisted in this also, the apostle teacheth us when he saith, Eph. iv. 24. " And put on the new man, which after God is created in true righteousness, and holiness." So our translators render the Greek words, according to the usual style of the scriptures: but others, following more the order of the Greek words read, "in righteousness and holiness of truth." The sense is the same righteousness and holiness are two words, which design one and the same thing, but with great beauty, and with a strong emphasis, as if we should say, a righteous holiness, and a holy rightcousness. But if we will distinguish the words, and consider each as signifying something different from the other, we must then refer righteousness, not to a right to demand life, inasmuch as Adam had not that right, and it moreover doth not now flow from the image of God, but from the imputed righteousness of Christ; but we must refer the righteousness of the image of God to our neighbour, and the holiness to God: and so these two words express the whole sum of the law, which was innate to man with the image of God. Man being endowed with such a rational and virtuous soul, was also created lord of all the creatures, that he might govern and make use of them, as the vicegerent of God, under him, and to his service: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea," &c. saith the Lord, Gen. i. 26, 29. The Socinians, who will not allow that man had any original righteousness before the fall, and are nevertheless forced to believe that man was created after the image of God, say that the image of God consisted only in dominion. But how could man govern the creatures according to the will of God, if he had no virtuous goodness? The creature would have groaned against him, as it doth now against its sinful and rigorous lord, Rom. viii. 19-22. That the image of God consists nevertheless partly in dominion, and that this dominion is not only a consequence of the image, this Paul teacheth us, when he saith that "the man," on account of his dominion over the woman, "is the image and glory of God;" and that "the woman, on account of her dominion under and by reason of the man, "is the glory of the man," 1 Cor. xi. 7. Inasmuch as this excellency of the soul presently extended itself to the body, and the image of God pertaineth to the whole man, therefore man was immortal, not only according to the soul, but also according to the body, which being created of the dust of the earth, and consisting of flesh and blood, could die; but would, through the sustaining power of God, have continued alive for ever, if man had not sinned. For how could such a destructive and horrible evil as death is befall man, while he was not guilty of any iniquity? Death was threatened only in consequence of sin, Gen. i. 17, and "the wages of sin is death," Rom. vi. 23. God did not, moreover, pronounce the sentence of death upon Adam, until he had sinned, Gen. iii. 13. That the image of God consists in immortality, this Paul saith, 1 Cor. xv. 49, where he teaches that when we shall receive our immortality again, "we shall bear the image of the heavenly." The image of God, in which man was created, had its ends, and served (1) That man might rightly know his Creator." For to this end was his understanding filled with such a clear light, that he might behold God in his glory and loveliness. (2) "That he might love him heartily." For God's law of love was innate to him with the image of God through that righteousness and holiness. When he pursued this through the image of God, it served also, that he might (3) "live with God in eternal happiness." For when he knew and loved God so, the Lord could not but manifest his pleasure in him by a reciprocal love, and this would render him happy. By such a conduct, so worthy of God, he fulfilled the law of the covenant, which promised him eternal happiness; for which end he had also the tree of life, in order to seal that happy life to him by a sacBut the chief end of the divine image was, (4) "that he might glorify and praise God" for since he knew that God was the most worthy, and since he loved and enjoyed him as such, he could not but exalt him in the highest degree. rament, Gen. ii. 9. The Remonstrants imagine that these things could not be the ends of God's image, no, not according to our opinion, because God would then have failed of his end by the fall of Adam, and of all mankind in him, and because we teach that God created the greatest part of mankind to be damned; but this is a horrible calumny : we do not teach that God created man to be damned, as if the creation of man were a cause of his damnation: sin alone is the cause of his damnation, on account of which God punisheth him, as he threatened according to his eternal decree, in which he purposed to pass by certain persons with his grace, and to punish them justly : but besides this, we say, that when God created man in his image, he did not intend to effect that all inen should live with him in eternal happiness: for this would then undoubtedly be accomplished; since he always obtains his end by his almighty power, on account of the unchangeableness of his counsel: for "he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will," Eph. i. 11. We must also distinguish between the end of the worker and of the work. The end of God's work, to wit, the creation of man in his image, was indeed, that he might, by knowing and loving God, live with him in eternal happiness for the image of God qualified him for this end, and urged him to pursue it but this was not the end of the Worker, even of God: for he intended to render the glory of his justice, mercy and grace, wonderful in fallen men, and for this end he suffered them to fall. See Rom. xi. 32. And God hath also obtained this end. : The Jesuites aesert that this image was a supernatural gift, bestowed upon man in order to restrain the furious lusts of the flesh, as it were, with a golden bridle and therefore that man, having lost that image, is now indeed without that supernatural gift; but that his nature is not therefore so corrupt, as we teach. In opposition to which we say, that the image of God, and particularly that virtuous goodness, or original righteousness, did not constitute any essential part of man, by which he was made man, as his soul and body do; but it is evident that this righteousness, and permit me to say in a good sense, supernatural grace was nevertheless natural to man, that is, his nature could not have been good, if he had not been created in the image of God. For (a) the image of God was innate to man with his nature, Gen. i. 26, 27. (b) His nature would not otherwise have been created good, since a man without knowledge, righteousness and holiness is sinful and hateful to God. See this Eph. iv. 18. (c) Man could not then have pursued nor obtained the end of his creation; for how can he, who is naturally without knowledge, and filled with fleshly lusts, warring against his spirit, know, love and praise God aright? (d) Adam, though fallen, hath transmitted the remains of God's image with his nature, to his posterity; for "the Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law," Rom. ii. 14, 15. How much more would he then, if he had continued to stand, have transmitted the divine image itself to his seed? but this would not have been possible, if the image of God had not been natural to him. What our adversaries object here, that man could not then have fallen, is of no force, because Adam, although naturally good, was nevertheless created changeable, and was capable of being seduced. Were not the angels created naturally good and holy? and some of them nevertheless fell. How dare our adversaries then reproach us in such a shameless manner, and say that we teach that man was created by God so wicked and perverse? They give us reason to suspect them of such A wicked opinion. For if man were created so ignorant, and with a certain evil lusting, then God created him wicked and perverse, inasmuch as ignorance, and lusting after evil is wicked and perverse. They will doubtless allow that man fell through his natural inclinations to evil, (admitting that these inclinations were not sinful in themselves.) Ought not man then to be excused, since he only fol lowed his natural and innate inclination? yea, ought not God to be arcused, since he created man with such an inclination, and no better? but our adversaries have need of such cloaks of shame, if they will defend with any plausibility their unviolated reason, and indifferent freewill. Is man nevertheless so wicked and perverse, and did not God create him so, but good and in his image, "whence then proceeds this depravity of human nature?" We ought to know this, it concerns us, that knowing the ground of our disease, we may seek in a right manner to be healed. The wisest of kings had found that "man himself had sought out many inventions," Eccl. vii. 29. And the instructor, explaining this more particularly from the word of God, leads us to "the fall of our first parents, whereby our nature is become so corrupt." If we will form proper conceptions of our corruption through the fall of Adam, we must know that God entered into a covenant of works with Adam, and that Adam was able to keep the covenant. We have shown before on the second Lord's Day the nature and reality of this covenant. We must now see that he could keep the cove nant. For God would not otherwise have made a covenant with him, it would indeed have been to no purpose. Adam's understanding and will being endued with original righteousness, he was able to know and love God perfectly, and thus to fulfil the condition of the cove nant. He needed without doubt, God's preventing influence: but we may nevertheless say, that he had an ability to continue in the covenant, on account of his habitual virtuousness, in consequence of his having been created in the image of God, as a man in health hath an ability to do his daily work, although he needeth the ordinary influence of God for that also, according to Acts xvii. 28. For that God created man independent in his actions, so that, when left to himself, he could do his duty without the preventing influence of God, is a most absurd imagination for man would then have been made a God, who could govern himself, of and by himself. We must also know that Adam and Eve, the first human couple, 16 were our parents, of whom God hath made the whole race of men, as we have shown before. Now when God entered into a covenant with Adam, be established it with ve also, yet so that she was reckoned in her husband. And therefore the misery of their posterity is generally referred more to Adam than to Eve. But God did not enter into a covenant with Adam, as a private person, who should stand or fall only for himself, but also as the father, and as the head of all mankind, who should descend from him, and for whom he should stand and fall: as kings and princes enter into covenants with one another, not only for themselves, but also for their children and subjects, who exist now, and will exist hereafter. ner did God establish the covenant of works with Adam, and in him, as the head, with the whole human race. For the appendix of the covenant of works, to wit, the law of marriage, Gen. i. 28. ii. 24, 25, was given to Adam, and in him to all his posterity. See this Matt. xix. 3, 4, 5, 6. Eph. v. 31. All Adam's posterity were crea And in this man |