council, faying, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, &c. And in this beginning of the unfolding of eternal love, may be traced the manifold wifdom of God con. cerning the revelation of his Son in the world, and the manifeftation of himself in the human nature. We have no evidence that the angels, however perfect, were created in the image of God; on the contrary, by the emphafis that is laid in the fcriptures upon man's being created in the image of God, the idea that this glory belonged originally to both natures, is ftrongly objected.

Four things appear to be intended in the fcriptures relative to the image of God, in which man was created, viz. his capacity for marriage union; his infpiration with the breath of life; his being crowned with glory and honor, and his being a covenant fubject. Of which things, the two firft, as belonging to his creation, will be briefly noticed under this head; the two laft confifling in acts of Providence, will be noticed in feparate fections.

1. It is faid, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them, Gen. i. 27. Again, In the likeness of God made he him: male and female created he them, chap v, 1, 2.-By these words being fo connected, it has. been understood that fomething was thereby intended relative to the image of God, in this circumftance of the formation of the human nature; not merely, however, that man was created male and female, which does not

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diftinguifh him from other creatures, but in his capacity for marriage union, which diftinguishes him from all other created beings.

The Apostle, speaking of this fubject, illuf. trates the relation of husband and wife, by the union that fubfifts between Chrift and the church.—Eph, v. Wives, fubmit your felves unto your own hufbands, as unto the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Chrift is the head of the church: And he is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, as the church is fubject unto Chrift, fo let the wives be unto their own hufbands in every thing. Hufbands, love your wives even as Chrift alfo loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might fanctify and cleanfe it, by the washing of water by the Word, That he might prefent it to himself a glorious church, not having Spot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing; but that it fhould be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies; he that loveth his wife loveth himfef. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. For we are members of his body, of his flefh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and Jhall be joined to his wife, and they two fhall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak of Chrift and the church-The marriage union, therefore, is fuch as that which fubfifts between Chrift and the church; and it has been fhewn, that the union of Chrift and believers, is of the fame nature with that fubfilling between the Father and the Son; and

is often used in the fcriptures to illuftrate that glory of the divine nature; in each cafe the twain are one. It is then apparent that this endowment in the formation of man refpects the great divine myftery of Chrift, who is the image of God.

Hence it may be inferred, that the bond of marriage is of the most facred nature, far superior to that of a merely civil institution; and, relating fo particularly to the image of God, the violation of it must be criminal in the highest degree. The purity of marriage is called the holiness of the Lord which he lov ed, Mal. ii. 11. And the arguments to enforce it are fuch as thefe, Have we not one Father? Hath not one God created us? And did he not make one? Yet had he the refidue of the Spirit: and wherefore one? That he might feek a godly feed: therefore take heed to your Spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. Jeremiah clofely connects this fin with that of murder. Why trimmest thou thy way to feek love. Alfo in thy fkirts is found the blood of the fouls of the poor innocents, chap. ii. -Under the law, all profanations of facred things were punishable with death; and as marriage was of a facred nature, adultery was to be fo punished; this matter related to God's altar; hence, it was charged upon the violators of the marriage covenant, that they had profaned the holiness of the Lord; and this have ye dine again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears.

But, though it be known what is the just judgment of God in this cafe, it may not be

inferred, that civil magistrates ought therefore to punish the crime with fuch severity; for a punishment according to the peculiar defert of the fin, in this, and some other cafes, feems to have been particularly referved. to the divine province. Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.-My object in this remark is merely to state the nature of the fin, and not how it is to be punished,

The reafon affigned for the divine law, Whofo fheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be fhed, is only this; for in the imag of God made be man. What therefore God hath. joined together, let not man put afunder.

2. It is also faid, when the Lord God had formed man of the dust of the ground, that he breathed into his noftrils the breath of life; and he became a living foul. Thus man received immediately from his Maker the vital fpirit of the creation; by which breath, fomething more is intended than merely animal life. It was this that endowed Adam with his vast understanding, and distinguifhed him from all the other creatures, and gave him a capacity to hold the dominion over them.-So that in this refpect alfo, man was created in the image of God, and Adam was the figure of the Lord Christ.

This endowment was nothing less than an infpiration of the Divine Spirit, the power of which was fhewn in the fkill with which Adam gave the name of every creature; for the Lord brought them unto him, to fee what he would call them; and whatfoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name there.

of. Names were originally used to fignify the characters or natures of beings and things; and, doubtlefs, in Adam's giving a name to every creature, he defignated its nature, and this he could do with perfect precision, and without the least mistake; for whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

It appears, therefore, that Adam poffeffed a certain divine infpiration, by which he could look intuitively into the natures of the creatures, and difcern at once, even before he had ufed or improved them, what were their powers, and their use and defign.-Indeed, this infpiration fo unfolded the reafon of things, as led him to take prophetic views of the natural state of the creation: this appears by his faying, when the woman was brought unto him, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: She fhall be called Woman, becaufe fhe was taken out of Man.-Therefore Shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one fl.fh.

Thus was Adam capacitated for the domi nion of the world. It was evidence that Jefus was the Christ, that he knew all men, and needed not that any fhould tefiify of man: for he knew what was in man: for in this appeared his ability to govern and judge the world

So Adam needed not to be told what was the name or nature of any creature; for at one glance he could difcover it, and in this was manifefted his ability to fland where he was placed by his Maker, in the image of God at the head of the creation.