HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 24-31.-1'/ie sixth day. We pass from the sea and air to the earth. We are being led to man. Notice- I. THE PREPARATION IS coMrLETE. Defore the earth receives the human being, it brings forth all the other creatures, and God sees that they are good-good in his sight, good for man. II. THE PURPOSE OF THE WORK IS BENEVOLENT. Cattle, creeping thing, beast of the earth. So man would see them distinguished-the wild from the domestic, the creeping from the roaming, the clean from the unclean. The division itself suggests the immense variety of the Divine pro:vision for man's wants. III. The incompleteness of the earth when filled with the lower creatures is A TESTIMONY TO THE GREATNESS 01!' MAN'S SPIRITUAL NATURE j for in comparison with the animal races he is in many respects inferior-in strength, swiftness, and generally in the powers which we call instinct. Yet his appearance is the climax of the earth's creation. "Man is one world, and bath another to attend him." Vegetable, marine, animal life generally, the whole earth filled with what God II saw to be good," waits for the rational and spiritual creature who shall be able to recognise their order and wield dominion over them, Steps and stages in creation lend up to the climax, the 11 paragon of animals," the god-like creature, made to be king on the earth.-R.
Vere. 26, 21.-The creation of man. Take it-I. As a revelation of God in his relation to man. II. As a revelation of man to himself. I. Goo IN RELATION TO MAN. 1. As the Father as well as Creator. As to the rest of creation, it is said, "Let be," and "it was." As to man, 11 Let us make in our imag·e." Closely kin by original nature, man is invited to intercourse with the Divine. 2. Tile spiritualif?/ of God's highest creature is the bond of union and fel- lowship. The I1nguuge, "Let us make," suggests the conception of a heavenly GEXJ.:SIS, D THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [cu. 1. h-31,
council or confercnc.c prepnrntory to the creation of mnn ; and the new description of the being to be crenl•~d points to the introduction of a new order of life-the spiritual life, as nbove the vogctable and animal. 3. God intrusts domi1iion nnd authority to man in the earth. Man holds from the first the position of a vicegerent for God. There is tT11st., obedience, responsibility, recognition of Divine supremacy, therefore nil the essential elei:n~nts of religion, in the original constit1;1tion and nppoinlment of our natnre and pos1tJon among the creatures, 4. The ultnnate destiny of man is included in the account of his beginning. He who made him in his image II one of us," will call l,im upward to be among the super-earthly beings surrou~ding the throne of the Highest. The possession of a Divine image is the pledge of eternnl approximation to the Divine presence. The Father call!I the children about hima11lf, II. MAN REVEALED TO BIMSELF, 11 The image and likeness of God." What does that contain ? There is the idea.l humanity. 1. There is an aJfinity in the intellec- tual nature between the human and the Divine. In every rational being, though freble in amount of mentnl capacity, there is a sense of eternal necessary truth. On some lines the creature and the Creator think under the snme le.we of thought, though the distance be immeasurable. 2. Man i,s by original creation absolutely free from 11wral, taint,. He is therefore a fallen being in so far as he is a m,prally imperfect being. He was made like God in purity, innocence, goodness., 3. The resembl;mce must be in spirit as well as in intellect and moral nature. Man was made to be the companion of God and angels, therefore there is in his earthly existence a super- carthly, spiritual nature which must be ultimately revealed. 4. Place and vocation are assigned to man on earth, and that in immediate connection with his likeness to God. He is ruler here that he may be prepared for higher rule elsewhere. He is put in his rank among God's creatures that he may see himself on the ascent to God. Man belongs to two worlds. He is like God, and yet he is male and female, like tl,a lower animals. He is blessed ns other creatures with productive powedo .fill the earth, but be is blessed for the sake of his special vocation, to subdue the earth, not for himself, but for God. 5. Here is the end of: all our endeavour and desire-'--to be perfect men by being like God. Let us be thankful that there is a God-man in whom we are able to find our ideal realised. We grow up into him who is our Head. We see Jesus crowned with glory and honour. When all things are put under him, man will see the original perfection of his creation restored. 6. Man is taught that lie need not leave the earthly spl.ere to be like God. There has been a grand preparation of his habitation. From a mere chaotic mass the earth has by progressive stages reached a state when it can become the scene of a great moral experiment for man's instruction. The god-like is to rule over all other creatures, that he may learn the superiority of the spiritual. Heavenly life, communion, society, and all that is included in the fellowship of man with God, may be developed in the condition' of earth. Grievous error in early Church and Eastern philoaopl;ty-confusion of tlie material and evil Purity does not require an immateiial ·mode of existence. Per- fection of man is perfection of his dominion over earthly conditions, matter in sub- jection to spirit. Abnormal methods, asceticism, self-crucifixion, mere violence to original constitution of man. The '' second Adam " overcame the world not by for- saking it, but by being in it, and yet not of it. 7. God's commandments to man are commandments of Fatherly love. "Behold, I have given you," &c. He not only appoints the service, but he provides the sustenance. 11 Seek ye.first tlte kingdom of God," &c. Here is the union of creative power and providential goodness. We are blessed in an earthly life just as we take it from the hand of God as a trust to be fulfilled for him. And in that obedience and dependence we shall beat be able to reach the ideal humanity. The fallen world has been degrading man, physically, morally, spiritually; he hae been less and less what God made him to be. But he who bas come to restore the kingdom of God has come to uplift man and fill the earth with blessednese.-R. • Ver. 31.-Perfectwn. The first chapter closes with a r'eview of the whole work of the six days. God saw it. Behold, it was very good I 1. The SATISFAC'flON wae in the completion of the earthly order in man, tbe bigh• Nt <:,arthlv being. For God's ''good" is not, like roa.µ's "gocd," a, co1D~ron1ise, toe CU. II 1--3. THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 56