ANSW. After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male
and female, formed the body of the man of the dust of the ground,
and the woman of the rib of the man; endued them with living,
reasonable, and immortal souls, made them after his own image, in
knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, having the law of God
written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it, with dominion over
the creatures, yet subject to fall.
In this answer it is observed,
I. That man was created after all other creatures. There was a sort of
_climax_, or gradation in the work of creation; and that the wisdom and
power of God might be more admired herein, he proceeded from things that
were less to those that were more perfect. Man, who is the most
excellent creature in this lower world, was framed the last, inasmuch as
God designed hereby not only to give a specimen of his power, wisdom,
and goodness, but that the glory of those perfections, which shine forth
in all his other works, might be adored and magnified by him, as a
creature fitted for that purpose. And his being created after all other
things, is not only an instance of the bounty and goodness of God, in
that the world, which was designed to be the place of his abode, should
be stored with all those provisions that were necessary for his
entertainment and delight; but that he might hereby be induced to give
him the glory that was due to his name, and all other creatures, that
were formed before him, might be objects leading him to it.
II. As to what concerns the difference of sex, it is farther observed,
that man was made male and female. Adam was first formed, concerning
whom we read, which is an humbling consideration, that his _body was
formed of the dust of the ground_, from whence he took his name. This
God puts him in mind of, after his fall, when he says, _Dust thou art_,
Gen. iii. 19. And the best of men have sometimes expressed the low
thoughts they have of themselves, by acknowledging this as the first
original of the human nature. Thus Abraham, when standing in the
presence of God, says, _I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord,
which am but dust and ashes_, Gen. xviii. 27. And this character is
considered, as universally belonging to mankind, when it is said, _Then
shall the dust return to the earth, as it was_, Eccles. xii. 7.
As for the woman, it is said, she was formed of the rib of the man. The
reason of her formation is particularly assigned, _It is not good that
the man should be alone, I will make him an help-meet for him_, Gen.
iii. 18. There was a garden planted for his delight, and the beasts of
the earth brought, and given, to him, as his property; and his
sovereignty over them was expressed by his giving names to every living
creature: But these were not fitted to be his companions, though
designed for his use. He was, notwithstanding, alone; therefore God,
designing him a greater degree of happiness, formed one that might be a
partner with him, in all the enjoyments of this life, that hereby he
might experience the blessings of a social life; and that, according to
the laws of nature, by this means the world might be inhabited, and its
Creator glorified, by a numerous seed, that should descend from him.
From Adam’s being first formed, the apostle infers his preeminence of
sex, 1 Tim. ii. 11-13. compared with 1 Cor. xi. 8, 9. though not of
nature; the woman being, in that respect, designed to be a sharer with
him in his present condition, and future expectation. From her being
formed of a rib, or, as some understand it, out of the side of man, some
curious, or over-nice observations have been made, which it is needless
to mention. The account, which the scripture gives of it, is, that her
being part of himself, argued the nearness of relation, and unalienable
affection, which ought to be between man and wife, as Adam observed,
_This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh_, Gen. ii. 23, 24.
and our Saviour, as referring to the same thing, says, _For this cause
shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they
twain shall be one flesh_, Matth. xix. 5.
III. The next thing that may be observed, is, that these were the first
parents of all mankind; for the apostle expressly calls Adam the first
man, 1 Cor. xv. 45. And this is very agreeable to the account which
Moses gives of his creation, on the sixth day, from the beginning of
time. This is a truth so generally received, that it seems almost
needless to insist any farther on the proof thereof. The very heathen,
that knew not who the first man was, nor where, or when, he was created,
did, notwithstanding, allow, in general, that there was one, from whom
all descended; therefore, when the apostle Paul argued with them, that
_God had made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the
face of the earth_, Acts xvii. 26. none of them pretended to deny it.
And, none who own the divine authority of scripture, ever questioned the
account which Moses gives hereof, till a bold writer, about the middle
of the last century, published a book, in which he advanced a new and
fabulous notion; that there was a world of men who lived before Adam was
created[33], and that these were all heathen; and that Moses speaks of
their creation, as what was many ages before Adam, in Gen. i. and of
Adam’s in chap. ii. whom he supposes to have been created in some part
of the world, which was then uninhabited, where he was designed to live,
and to be the father of the church, which was to descend from him; and,
being so far remote from the rest of mankind, he knew not that there was
any other men besides himself, till his family increased, and some of
them apostatized from the faith; and, in particular, Cain, and his
descendents _went out from the presence of the Lord_, and dwelt among
them. And whereas Adam is called, by the apostle Paul, _the first man_,
he supposes that he is styled so only as contra-distinguished from
Christ, who is called _the second man_, designing thereby to compare the
person, whom he supposes to have been the head of the Jewish church,
with him who is the head of the Christian church. And he insists largely
on, and perverts that scripture, in Rom. v. 13. where it is said, _Until
the law, sin was in the world_; as though the sense of it were, that
there was a sinful generation of men in the world, before God erected
his church, and gave laws to it, when he created Adam, as the head and
father thereof; whereas the apostle there speaks of sin’s prevailing in
the world before the law was given by Moses; and as for the historical
account of the creation of man in scripture, it is plain that Moses
speaks of the creation of man in general, male and female, Gen. i. 27.
and, in chap. ii. gives a particular account of the same thing, and
speaks of the manner of the formation of Adam and Eve. Besides, when God
had created Adam, it is expressly said, in Gen. ii. 5. that _there was
not a man to till the ground_, therefore there was no other man living,
which is directly contrary to this chimerical opinion. And, if there had
been a world of men before Adam, what occasion was there for him to be
created out of the dust of the ground? He might have been the father of
the church, and yet descended from one that was then in being, in a
natural way; or, if God designed that he should live at a distance from
the rest of the world, he might have called him from the place of his
abode, as he afterwards did Abraham, without exerting power in creating
him; and he might have ordered him to have taken a wife out of the
world, without creating a woman for that purpose.
It would be too great a digression, nor would it answer any valuable
end, for me to take notice of every particular argument brought in
defence of this notion: but though the book we speak of, be not much
known in the world, yet the notion is defended and propagated by many
Atheists and Deists, who design hereby to bring the scripture-history
and religion in general into contempt; therefore I am obliged, in
opposition to them, to answer an objection or two.
_Object. 1._ If Adam was the first man, and his employment was tilling
the ground, where had he those instruments of husbandry, that were
necessary, in order thereto, and other things, to subserve the various
occasions of life?
_Answ._ This may easily be answered, by supposing that he had a
sufficiency of wisdom to find out every thing that was needful for his
use and service, whatever improvement might be made in manual arts, by
future ages; but this objection, though mentioned amongst the rest, is
not much insisted on. Therefore,
_Object. 2._ There is another objection, which some think a little more
plausible, taken from what is contained in Gen. iv. where we read of
Cain’s killing his brother Abel, which was a little before the _hundred
and thirtieth year_ of the world, as appears, by comparing chap. v. 3.
with chap. iv. 25, in which it is said, _Adam lived an hundred and
thirty years, and begat Seth_; upon which occasion, his wife
acknowledges it as a mercy, that _God had appointed her another seed,
instead of Abel, whom Cain slew_. Now, if we observe the consequence of
this murder; how Cain, as it is said, in chap. iv. 16. _went out from
the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod_; and, in ver.
17. that he _built a city, and called the name of it after the name of
his son, Enoch_; from whence they infer, that, in a little above _an
hundred and thirty_ years after the world was created, there were
several colonies settled in places remote from the land of Eden, where
Adam, and his posterity, dwelt; and the inhabitants of those countries
were of a different religion from him, otherwise Cain’s living among
them would not be styled, his _going out from the presence of the Lord_.
And it is not said, that Cain peopled that land, but he went there, that
is, dwelt, amongst the inhabitants thereof; and it must be by their
assistance that he built this city, inasmuch as it is probable that the
art of building, at this time, was hardly known by our first parents,
and their descendants; but they lived, separate from the world, in
tents, and worshipped God in that way, which they received by divine
revelation, being but few in number, while other parts of the world
might be as much peopled as they are, at this day.
_Answ._ But to this it may be answered that as this chimerical opinion
sets aside; or perverts the scripture-account of things, so the
absurdity of it may be easily manifested. And,
1. If they suppose that the number of Adam’s posterity were small, and
inconsiderable, when Cain slew his brother, and built the city
before-mentioned, this will appear to be an ungrounded conjecture, if
the blessing, which God conferred on man in his first creation, of
_increasing, multiplying, and replenishing the earth_, Gen. i. 28. took
place, as it doubtless did, and that in an uncommon degree, the
necessity of things requiring it; therefore it is not absurd to suppose,
that, at least, as many children were generally born at a birth, and in
as early an age of the mother’s life, as have been, or are, in any
uncommon instances in latter ages. It is also very probable, that the
time of child-bearing continued many years longer than it now doth, in
proportion to the number of years, in which the life of man exceeded the
present standard thereof; and if the age of man was extended to eight or
nine hundred years, we may conclude that there were but few that died
young. If these things be taken for granted, which seem not, in the
least, improbable, any one, who is curious in his enquiries about this
matter, and desires to know what a number of people might be born in
_one hundred and thirty years_, will find it will be so great, that they
might spread themselves through many countries, far distant from the
place where Adam dwelt; and therefore there is no need to suppose, that
those, with whom Cain dwelt in the _land of Nod_, were persons that
lived before Adam was created. But, that this may more abundantly
appear, let it be farther considered,
2. That though we read of Cain’s _going out from the presence of the
Lord_, and his dwelling _in the land of Nod_, and _building a city_,
immediately after the account of Abel’s death, and therefore it is taken
for granted, that this was done soon after, that is, about the _hundred
and thirtieth year_ of the world; yet there is no account that this was
done immediately, or some few years after, in scripture, which contains
the history of the life of Cain, in a few verses, without any
chronological account of the time, when these things were said to be
done by him, and therefore it seems probable, that this was done some
hundreds of years after Cain slew Abel; so that we need not enquire what
a number of persons might be in the world in _one hundred and thirty
years_, but in _seven or eight hundred years_, and then the world might
be almost as full of people, as it is now at present, and then the
greatest part of the world might be also degenerate, and strangers to
the true religion; so that Cain might easily be said to go out of the
presence of the Lord, and choose to live with those that were apostates
from him, and served other gods; therefore no advantage is gained
against the scripture-history by those, who in contempt of it, defend
this ill-grounded opinion.
Thus we have considered man, as created male and female, and our first
parents, as the common stock, or root, from whence all descended; we
shall now take a view of the constitution, or frame of the human nature,
and consider,
IV. The two constituent parts of man, namely, the soul and body. With
respect to the former of these, he is, as it were allied to angels, or,
to use the scripture-expression, _made a little lower_ than them, Psal.
viii. 5. As to the other, which is his inferior part, to wit, the body,
he is _of the earth, earthy_, and set upon a level with the lower parts
of the creation. And here we shall,
1. Consider the body of man, inasmuch as it was first formed before the
soul; and according to the course and laws of nature, it is first
fashioned in the womb, and then the soul is united to it, when it is
organized, and fitted for its reception: There are many things very
wonderful in the structure of human bodies, which might well give
occasion to the inspired writer to say, _I am fearfully and wonderfully
made_, Psal. cxxxix. 14. This is a subject that would afford us much
matter to enlarge on, and from thence, to take occasion to admire the
wisdom and goodness of God in this part of his work.
Many things might be observed from the shape, and erect posture thereof,
and the several conveniences that arise from thence, and how we are
hereby instructed that we were not born to look downwards to the earth,
but up to heaven, from whence our chief happiness is derived. We might
here consider the various parts of the body, whereof none are
superfluous or redundant, and their convenient situation for their
respective uses; the harmony and contexture thereof, and the
subserviency of one part to another; and particularly, how it is so
ordered by the wisdom of the Creator, that those parts, which are most
necessary for the preservation of life, which, if hurt, would occasion
immediate death, are placed most inward, that they might be sufficiently
defended from all external injuries that might befal them; and also the
disposition of those parts, that are the organs of sense, and their
contexture, whereby they are fitted to exert themselves, in such a way,
as is most proper to answer the ends thereof. We might also consider the
temperature of the body, whereby its health and vigour is maintained;
and that vast variety that there is in the countenances, and voices of
men, in which there is hardly an exact similitude in any two persons in
the world; and the wise end designed by God herein, for the advantage of
mankind in general; these things might have been particularly insisted
on, and have afforded many useful observations; but to enlarge on this
head, as it deserves, would be to divert too much from our present
design; and it will be very difficult for any one to treat on this
subject with more advantage than it has been done by several learned and
judicious writers, being set in a much clearer light than it has been in
former ages, by those improvements, which have been lately made in
anatomy; and it is insisted on so particularly, and with such
demonstrative evidence, by them, that I shall rather choose to refer the
reader to those writings, in which it is contained, than insist on
it[34].
All that I shall farther observe is, that there is something wonderful
in that natural heat that is continued in the bodies of men, for so many
years together, and in the motion of the heart, the circulation of the
blood and juices, the continual supply of animal spirits, and their
subserviency to muscular motion: these things, and many other of the
like nature, are all wonderful in the bodies of men.
If it be objected, that there are other creatures, who, in some
respects, excel men, as to what concern their bodies, and the powers
thereof; as the vulture, and many other creatures, in quickness of sight
and hearing; the dog in the sense of smelling, and many others excel
them in strength and swiftness; and some inanimate creatures, as the
sun, and other heavenly bodies, in beauty.
To this it may be answered: That the bodies of men must be allowed to
have a superior excellency, if considered as united to their souls, and
rendered more capable of glorifying God, and enjoying that happiness,
which no creatures, below them, are capable of. It is true, man is not
endowed with such quickness of sense, strength of body, and swiftness of
motion, as many other creatures are; some of which endowments tend to
the preservation of their own lives: others are conducive to the
advantage of man, who has every thing, in the frame of his nature,
necessary to his happiness, agreeable to his present station of life,
for his glorifying God, and answering higher ends than other creatures
were made for; so that if we judge of the excellencies of the human
nature, we must conceive of man, more especially as to that more noble
part of which he consists. Accordingly,
2. We shall consider him as having[35] a rational and immortal soul,
which not only gives a relative excellency to the body, to which it is
united, and, by its union therewith, preserves it from corruption, but
uses the various organs thereof, to put forth actions, which are under
the conduct of reason; and that which renders it still more excellent,
is, that it is capable of being conversant about objects abstracted from
matter, and of knowing and enjoying God. And whatsoever obstructions it
may meet with from the temperament of the body, to which it is united,
or what uneasiness soever it may be exposed to from its sympathy
therewith; yet none of those things, which tend to destroy the body, or
separate it from the soul, can affect the soul so far, as to take away
its power of acting, but when separate from it, it remains immortal, and
is capable of farther improvements, and a greater degree of happiness.
We might here proceed to prove the immortality of the soul; but that we
shall have occasion more particularly to do, under a following
answer[36], when we consider the souls of believers, as made perfect in
holiness, and thereby fitted for, and afterwards received into heaven,
having escaped the grave, (in which the body is to be detained until the
resurrection) which is the consequence of its immortality. And therefore
we proceed,
V. To consider another excellency of the human nature, as man was made
after the image of God. To be made a little lower than the angels, as
he is represented by the Psalmist, in Psal. viii. 5. is a very great
honour conferred on him: But what can be said greater of him, than
that he was made after the image of God? However, though this be a
scripture-expression, denoting the highest excellency and privilege,
yet it is to be explained consistently with that infinite distance
that there is between God and the creature. This glorious character,
put upon him does not argue him to partake of any divine perfection;
nor is it inconsistent with the nothingness of the best of finite
beings, when compared with God; for whatever likeness there is in man
to him, there is, at the same time, an infinite dissimilitude, or
disproportion, as was before observed, when we considered the
difference between those divine attributes, which are called
incommunicable, from others, which some call communicable.
If it be enquired, wherein the image of God in man consists? It would be
preposterous and absurd, to the last degree, to suppose that this has
any respect to the lineaments of the body; for there is a direct
opposition rather than similitude, between the spirituality of the
divine nature, and the bodies of men. And, indeed, it would have been
needless to have mentioned this, had not some given occasion for it, by
perverting the sense of those scriptures, in which God is represented,
in a metaphorical way, in condescension to our common mode of speaking,
as though he had a body, or bodily parts; from whence they have
inferred, that he assumed a body, at first, as a model, according to
which he would frame that of man; which is not only absurd, but
blasphemous, and carries it own confutation in it.
There are others, who suppose that man was made after the image of
Christ’s human nature, which, though it doth not altogether contain so
vile a suggestion as the former, yet it is groundless and absurd,
inasmuch as Christ was made after the likeness of man, as to what
concerns his human nature, Phil. ii. 7. and man, in that respect, was
not made after his image.
And to this let me add, that when the scripture speaks of man, as made
after the image of God, it plainly gives us ground to distinguish
between it and that glory which is peculiar to Christ, who is said not
only to be made after his image, but to be the _image of the invisible
God_, Col. i. 15. and the _express image of his person_, Heb. i. 3. and
therefore that there is, in this respect, such a similitude between the
Father and Son, as cannot, in any sense be applied to the likeness,
which is said to be between God and the creature.
Moreover, when we speak of man, as made after the image of God, as
consisting in some finite perfections communicated to him, we must
carefully fence against the least supposition, as though man were made
partaker of any of the divine perfections. It is true, the apostle
speaks concerning believers, as being made _partakers of the divine
nature_, 2 Pet. i. 4. for the understanding of which we must take heed,
that we do not pervert the mind of the Holy Ghost herein; for nothing is
intended by this expression, in which the image of God is set forth, but
a sanctified nature, or, as I would rather choose to render it, _a
divine nature_, derived from, and, in some respects, conformed to him
but yet infinitely below him.
This image of God in man, in this answer, is said to consist
particularly in three things.
1. In knowledge. This is what we generally call the natural image of God
in man, which he is endowed with, as an intelligent creature; not that
the degree of knowledge, which the best of men are capable of, contains
in it any thing properly divine as to its formal nature; for there is a
greater disproportion between the infinite knowledge of the divine mind,
and that of a finite creature, than there is between the ocean and a
drop of water: But it signifies, that as God has a comprehensive
knowledge of all things, man has the knowledge of some things, agreeable
to his finite capacity, communicated to him; and thus we are to
understand the apostle’s words, when he speaks of man’s being _renewed
in knowledge, after the image of him that created him_, Col. iii. 10.
2. It consists in righteousness and holiness. This some call the moral
image of God in man; or, especially if we consider it as restored in
sanctification, it may more properly be called his supernatural image,
and it consists in the rectitude of the human nature, as opposed to that
sinful deformity and blemish, which renders fallen man unlike to him.
Therefore we must consider him, at first, as made upright, Eccles. vii.
29. so that there was not the least tincture, or taint of sin, in his
nature, or any disposition, or inclination to it; but all the powers and
faculties of the soul were disposed to answer the ends of its creation,
and thereby to glorify God.
And to this some add, that the image of God, in man, consisted in
blessedness; so that as God is infinitely blessed in the enjoyment of
his own perfections, man was, in his way and measure, blessed, in
possessing and enjoying those perfections, which he received from God.
But, though this be true, yet I would rather choose to keep close to the
scripture mode of speaking, which represents the image of God in man, as
consisting _in righteousness and true holiness_, Eph. iv. 24.
Man, being thus made after the image of God, is farther said in this
answer, to have the law of God written in his heart, and, power to
fulfil it. Herein God first made, and then dealt with him as a
reasonable creature, the subject of moral government; and, that this law
might be perfectly understood, it was written on his heart, that hereby
he might have a natural knowledge of the rule of his obedience, and
might, with as little difficulty, be apprised of his duty to God, as he
was of any thing that he knew, as an intelligent creature.
And inasmuch as he was indispensably obliged to yield obedience to this
law, and the consequence of violating it would be his ruin, God, as a
just and gracious Sovereign, gave him ability to fulfil it; so that he
might not, without his own fault, by a necessity of nature, rebel
against him, and so plunge himself into inevitable misery.
3. It is farther observed, that the image of God, in man, consisted in
man’s dominion over the creatures. This is expressly revealed in
scripture, when God says, _Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth_, Gen. i. 26. and
the Psalmist describes this dominion in other words, though not much
differing, as to the general import thereof, when he says, _Thou madest
him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all
things under his feet: All sheep and oxen; yea, and the beasts of the
field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever
passeth through the paths of the seas_, Psal. viii. 6-8. This dominion
consisted in the right which he had to use and dispose of the inferior
creatures, for his comfort and delight, and to serve him, in all things
necessary, for the glorifying his Creator, though he had no right, nor
inclination, in his state of integrity, to abuse them, as fallen man
does, in various instances.
VI. The last thing observed in this answer, is that notwithstanding the
advantageous circumstances, in which man was created, yet he was subject
to fall; by which we are not to understand that he was forced or
compelled to fall, through any necessity of nature; for that would have
been inconsistent with the liberty of his will to what was good, or that
rectitude of nature, whereby he was not only fitted to perform perfect
obedience, but to avoid every thing that has a tendency to render him
guilty before God, and thereby to ruin him.
As for the devil, he had no power to force the will; nor could he lay
any snare to entangle and destroy man, but what he had wisdom enough,
had he improved his faculties as he ought, to have avoided: But,
notwithstanding all this, it is evident that he was subject to fall, for
that appears by the event; so that, though he had no disposition to sin
in his nature, for God could not create a person in such a state, since
that would render him the author of sin, yet he did not determine to
prevent it; though this, as will be hereafter considered, was a
privilege which man would have attained to, according to the tenor of
the covenant he was under, had he performed the conditions thereof, and
so would have been confirmed in holiness and happiness; but this, it is
certain, he was not at first, because he fell: But of this, more under a
following answer.
Footnote 33:
_This book, which is called, Systema Theologicum, in which this matter
is pretended to be defended, was published by one Peirerius, about the
middle of the last century; and, being written in Latin, was read by a
great many of the learned world: And, inasmuch as the sense of many
scriptures is strained by him to defend it, and hereby contempt was
cast upon scripture in general, and occasion given to many, who are so
disposed, to reproach and burlesque it; therefore some have thought it
worth their while to take notice of, and confute this new doctrine;
after which, the author thereof, either being convinced of his error
thereby, as some suppose, or being afraid lest he should suffer
persecution for it, recanted his opinion, and turned Papist._
Footnote 34:
_See Ray’s wisdom of God, in the work of creation, Part. II. and
Derham’s Physico. Theology, Book V._
Footnote 35:
The _Origin_ of the soul, at what time it enters into the body,
whether it be _immediately_ created at its entrance into the body, or
comes out of a _pre-existent state_, are things that cannot be known
from any fitness or reasonableness founded in the nature of things;
and yet it is as necessary to believe this is done according to
_certain reasons_ of wisdom and goodness, as to believe there is a
God.
Now, who can say that it is the same thing, whether human souls are
created _immediately_ for human bodies, or whether they come into them
out of some _pre-existent state?_ For aught we know, one of these ways
may be exceeding _fit_ and _wise_, and the other as entirely _unjust_
and _unreasonable_; and yet, when Reason examines either of these
ways, it finds itself _equally perplexed_ with difficulties, and knows
not which to chuse: but if souls be immaterial [as all philosophy now
proves] it must be one of them.
And perhaps, the reason why God has revealed so little of these
matters in holy Scripture itself, is, because any more particular
revelation of them, would but have perplexed us with greater
difficulties, as not having capacities or ideas to _comprehend_ such
things. For, as all our natural knowledge is confined to ideas
borrowed from _experience_, and the use of our _senses_ about _human
things_; as Revelation can only teach us things that have some
likeness to what we already know; as our notions of equity and justice
are very limited, and confined to certain actions between man and man;
so, if God had revealed to us more particularly, the origin of our
souls, and the reason of their state in human bodies, we might perhaps
have been exposed to greater difficulties by such knowledge, and been
less able to vindicate the justice and goodness of God, than we are by
our present ignorance. HUMAN REASON.
Footnote 36:
_See Quest._ lxxxvi.
Quest. XVIII.