Obs. 4. Man is made after God's own image: ' Let us make man after our image and likeness,' Gen. i. 26. In other creatures there are vestigia ; we may track God by his works, but man is his very imao-e and likeness. I shall not be large in this argument. This ima^-e of God consisteth in three things — (1.) In his nature, which was in- tellectual. God gave him a rational soul, spiritual, simple, immortal, free in its choice ; yea, in the body there were some rays and strictures of the divine glory and majesty. (2.) In those qualities of ' know- ledge,' Col. iii. 10 ; ' righteousness,' Eccles. vii. 29 ; and ' true holi-
^ • Canticum novum et vetus homo male concordant.' — Aug. in Psalm.
296 AN ExrusiTiox, WITH notks, [Jas. III. 9.
ness,' Eph. iv. 24. (3.) In his state, in a happy confluence of all inward and outward blessin.i^s, as the enjoyment of God, power over the creatures, &c. But now this ima<^e is in a i^reat part defaced and lost, and can only be restored in Christ. Well, then, this was the great privilege of our creation, to be made like God : the more we resemble him the more happy. Oh! remember the height of your original. We press men to walk worthy their extraction. Those potters that were of a servile spirit disgraced the kingly family and line of which they came, ] Chron. iv. 22. Plutarch saith of Alexander, that he was wonts to heighten ids courage by remembering he came of the gods.^ Re- member you were made after the image of God ; do not deface it in yourselves, or render it liable to contempt, by giving others occasion to revile you.
Ol)S. "). It is a dissuasive from slandering and evil-speaking of others, to consider they are made after God's image. I shall inquire — (1.) How this can be a motive. (2.) Wherein the force of it lieth.
1. How can this be a motive, since the image and likeness of God is defaced and lost by the fall ? I answer — He speaketh of new crea- tures especially, in whom Adam's loss is repaired and made up again in Christ : Col. iii. 10, ' Ye have put on the new man, which is re- newed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.' So Eph. iv. 24, ' That ye put on the new man, which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness.' God is tender of his new creatures ; intem])erance of tongue against saints is dangerous : as he said, ' Take heed what you do ; this man is a Roman,' so take heed what you speak ; these are Christians, created after God's image, choice pieces, whom God liath restored out of the common ruins. (2.) He may speak it concerning all men, for there are some few relics of God's image in all, as Epiphanius wall argueth out of that Gen. ix. G, * Who- so slieddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed ; for in the image of God made he him.' hi which reason there would be no force, if there were not after sin some relics of God left in man, though much deformed. So this saying in James, being promiscuously sjioken of all kind of men, it argueth, that in them as yet reniaineth some similitude of God, as tiie simplicity and immor- tality of the soul ; some moral inclinations instead of true holiness ; some common notices of the nature and will of God instead of saving knowledge ; which, though they cannot make us happy, yet serve to leave us inexcusable. So also some pre-eminence above other creatures, as we have a nnnd to know God, capable of divine illumination and grace ; and in the fabric of the body and countenance there is some majesty and excellency above the beasts, as also in the relics of domi- nion and authority spoken of before. And lo(;k, as we reverence the drizzled picture of a friend, and the ruins of a stately edifice, so some respect is due to these remains of our primitive integrity.
2. Wherein lieth the force of the argiuiient— cursing man made after the image of God y I answer — (1.) (jiod hath made man his deputy to receive love and common respects ; higher respects of trust and worship are to be carried out to God alone ; but in other things^
' ' Quoties diis genitum se putavit, toties in barbaros, nmlto ferocius et insoleutius pugTjavit.'
JaS. III. 10.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 297
Christians, the poorest of them, are Christ's receivers. Hence those expressions, ' He that despiseth you, despiseth me,' Luke x. 16 ; and * Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these little ones, ye did it not to me/ Mat. xxv. (2.) The image of God is that which we can come at : we would blast all excellency : ^ we go as far as our malice can reach. As they say, the panther, when she cannot come at the man, rendeth his picture ; so do we deal with God. (3.) God himself is wronged by the injury done to his image ; as among men the contempt and despite is done to the king himself which is done to his image or coin ; as Mat. xxiii. 18, to ' swear by the altar,' which was the symbol of God's presence, was to swear by God.- (4.) This is the fence God hath placed against injury: Gen. ix. 6, ' For in the image of God made he him.' It is referred, not to the slayer, as it he had sinned against those common notices of justice and right continued in his conscience, but of the man slain, he is the image of God : God hath honoured this lump of flesh by stamping his own image upon him ; and who would offer violation to the image of the great King ? Now to speak evil against him is to wrong the image of God. All God's works are to be looked upon and spoken of with reverence, much more his image.