OF THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN

The chiefe questions hereof are, 1. What the image of God in man is. 2. How farre forth it is lost, and how farre it remaineth. 3. How it is repaired in man. 4. How it is in Christ, and how in vs.

1 What the image of God in man is

¹SEing god is not corporeal, neither hath a body: we must consider this image, not in the body, but in the soule of man: and because it is very much darckened, and almost blotted out by sinne, wee must iudge of it not by that state, in which men began to be after sinne was committed, but by the repairing, which commeth by Christ, that is, by the nature of man regenerated. And to conclude, whereas there is but a small beginning of regeneration in this life, we shall at length in the euerlasting life and glorie behold and vnderstand perfitely the image of God wholy restored shining in vs.

²Further, that wee are not to seeke the image of God in the substaunce alone of the soule, but chieflie in the vertues and giftes, with which it was adorned of God in the creation; it is euen thereby manifest, for that the nature and substaunce of the soule remaineth euen in the vnregenerate, but the image of God for the most part is lost: yet notwithstanding, because the soule is an vnderstanding spirite, the more excellent spirite, the more excellent part of mans substance, separable from the body, immortal, the beginning and cause of life, and mouing in a liuing body: wee must confesse that the nature thereof, though vnregenerat, is some shadow of that Diuinitie. But the image of God (seeing the substance as of spiritual natures in generall, so of the minde of man is vnknowne to vs in the mist and darkenes of this life) is to be considered in those faculties and operations, in which wee see man to excell other creatures, and know him by the word & works of God, to bee agreeable and conformed vnto God. These faculties are especially two: The vnderstanding, and will: The inward senses are adioined to the vnderstanding, and the affections to the will.

The image of God in man,³ is a vertue knowing aright the nature, will, and workes of God; and a will freelie obeying God, and a correspondence of all the inclinations, desires, actions, with the will of God: and in a word, a spiritual and vnchangeable puritie of the soule, and the whole man, perfect blessednes & ioy resting in God, and the dignitie of man, and maiestie, whereby hee excelleth and ruleth other creatures. Or, The image of God in man is, 1. The soule it selfe together with the faculties thereof, endewed with reason and will. 2. In the soule, wisedome, and knowledge of God, his will, and workes: euen such as god requireth of vs. 3. A conformity with the lawe of god, or holinesse and righteousnesse, vnder which wee comprehende the heart, and all affections. 4. Felicitie without miserie and corruption; perfect blessednesse, ioie, aboundance of all good thinges, and glorie, wherewith the nature of man was adorned. 5. The rule and dominion of man ouer the creatures, as fishes, foules, and other liuing creatures. In all these thinges the creature after some sort resembleth his creator: yet can he by no meanes be equalled vnto his Creator. For in God all thinges are immense and without measure, and euen his essence infinite.⁴ The Apostle Paul putteth Righteousnesse and holinesse, as the chiefe partes of this image: which yet doe not exclude but presuppose wisedome, and knowledge. For no man can worship God vnknowen. But neither doth Paul exclude perfect blessednes & glorie: for this according to the order of Gods iustice, is necessarily coupled with perfect holinesse, or conformitie with God. Whereupon it foloweth, that where true righteousnesse and holinesse is, there is the absence of all euils, whether of crime and offence, or of paine and punishment. Righteousnesse and holinesse in this text of the Apostle may be taken for one and the same, or distinguished So that Righteousnesse may be meant of the actions, and Holinesse of the qualities. Righteousnesie, that is, a conformitie and congruitie of the will and heart with the minde iudging aright, that is, according to the word of God.

⁵ The first man was of the earth earthlie; the second man the Lord from heauen. As the earthlie was, such are they that are earthlie: and as is the heauenlie, such are they also that are heauenlie. And as wee haue borne the image of the earthlie, so shall wee beare the Image of the heauenlie. The Apostle doth not here take away the image of the heauenlie man from Adam when he as yet stoode; but compareth his nature & estate aswell before as after his fall, with that heauenlie glorie, into which wee are restored by Christ, that is not onely the nature of man corrupted through sin by death, but the degree of the image of God in mans nature before the fall, & before glorification, with that which foloweth his glorification.

2 How far forth the image of god was lost, and how farre it remaineth

⁶THe image of god in man was not wholy lost, but for the greatest part. For there remaineth in all as well the vnregenerate, as regenerate, 1. The incorporeall substance of the soule together with the power thereof: likewise libertie in his will, which whatsoeuer it will, it will freely. 2. Manie motions, as of those things which we know by sense, as are naturall principles; some motions also of god, his will, and workes. 3. Some prints of vertues, and an ablenes concerning outwarde Discipline and behauiour. 4. The fruition of manie good thinges. 5. The Dominion also ouer the creatures is not wholy lost. He is able to rule many and to vse them.

⁷These remnants are therefore preserued of god. 1. That they might be a testimonie of the bountie of god towards those who were vnworthie of it. 2. That god might vse them to the restoring of his image in man. 3. That he may leaue the reprobate without excuse. Now the image of god remaineth not. 1.⁸ In respect of the true, sauing, & sufficient knowledge of god & his will. 2. The integritie & perfectiō of the knowledge of gods workes, & a dexterity of discerning the truth. 3. Rightnes, & cōformitie of al inlinations, desires, and actions in our will, hart and outward parts: by the losse whereof ensue actuall sinnes, and merite eternal damnation. 4. Whole and perfect dominion ouer the creatures. For those beastes which feared man before, now assault him; his enemies are hurtfull vnto him, and doe not obey him. The fieldes bring forth thornes and thistles. 5. The right and interest of vsing these creatures was lost, because hee graunted it to vs his children, not to his enimies. 6. Life euerlasting was lost, and in place thereof is come death both temporal and eternal, with calamities of all sortes: that is, we lost the felicity and happines both of this life and of the life to come.

Obiection. The Heathen haue many great vertues, and atchieue great workes. Therefore it is not true, that the image of god is lost in them. Answere. All these workes are not pleasing to god, because they proceed not from the true knowledge of god, neither are wrought to that end, that all the glorie may redound to god. Those their vertues, are onely of outward behauiour & discipline, but not from the hart, thereby to obey god, whom they flie, and to whose glorie they can doe nothing.

3. How the Image of god is repaired in vs

The repairing of it is wrought by god alone,⁹ who gaue it vnto men: For in whose power it is to giue life, in his also it is to restore it being lost. The maner of restoring it is this. 1. The Father restoreth it by his Son. 2. The Son by the holy Ghost immediately regenerating vs. We are changed into the same image,¹⁰ from glorie to glorie, as by the spirite of the Lord. 3. The holy ghost restoreth it by the word: the gospel is the power of god vnto saluation. 4. This is so done by god,¹¹ as that in this life it is onely begunne in the chosen, and then is confirmed and augmented vnto the end of their life, & is made perfect in the end of this life, as cōcerning the Soule, but as concerning the whole man, at the resurrectiō of the bodies. Wherefore it is to be obserued, who is the author, & what the order and maner of this repairing.

How the Image of God is in Christ, and how in vs

¹²NOw if it be obiected, that this honor is proper vnto Christ to be the image of god, Coloss. 1. and Hebr. 1. it is well knowen that Christ is after an other sort the image of god, than other men. For hee is in respect of his Diuinitie the image not of himselfe, neither of the holy Ghost, but of his eternall father, coeternal, and consubstantiall, and coequall with his Father, in essence, essential properties, and workes, and is that person, by which the Father doth immediatly reueal himselfe in creating and preseruing all thinges, but chiefly in sauing the elect. Secondly, In respect of his humane nature, he is the image of God, & that of the whole Trinitie, because the three persons together bestowed on Christs humanity these giftes, properties, & maiestie, which are the image of God. Now albeit this image of God is created & finite, not immense: yet doth hee by many degrees, and in number of gifts, as in wisedome, righteousnes, power, glorie, far excell al Angels, & men: & after a peculiar maner resembleth the fathers nature and wil vnto vs, in doctrine, vertues, & actions, because as the human nature which he took vnto him, so all the properties & actions thereof, are proper vnto the Substantiall & coeternall word of the eternall father. John. 14. Philip, hee that hath seene me, hath seene my father. Beleeuest thou not that I am in the father, & the father in mee? The wordes that I speake vnto you, I speake not of my selfe; but the father that dwelleth in me, he doth the workes. Angels & holy men are termed the image of god as wel in respect of the son & the holy ghost, as of the eternal father: as it is said, Let vs make man in our image according to our likenes: & that not for the likenes or identity of essence, or some equality: but for the agreeing of some properties, not in degree or essence, but in kind & imitation which are essential & infinit in god, but in the creatures finite & accidental, that is, qualities & motions framed in thē by god to represent in some sort his nature.

They also, who, as in time past the Anthropomorphitae, will haue the image of god to be the forme of mans body;¹³ say that whole Adam was made to the image of God; and therefore according to his body also. But they perceiue not the vsual maner of speaking of a person composed of diuers natures, which is called The communicating of properties, when that is communicated to the whole person in the concrete, which is onely proper to one of the natures; as in the same place: Adam was made a liuing soule. Now as the scripture mentioneth the nature of the soule, so also doth it mention such an Image of God, as agreeth not vnto the bodie.

Again they obiect. Christ is the image of god.¹⁴ But the faithfull beare in their bodie the Image of Christ, Heb. 2. & 4. Philip. 4. Therefore the body also is the image of Christ. There are 4. terms in this Syllogism: because christ is not in his body, but in his Diuinity the image of his father: & in soul or in the gifts or properties thereof, & actions, he is the image of the whole Diuinity or godhead. Wherefore the image of god is in the faithful the same which the image of god is in Christ: neither are they in all thinges like vnto the godhead, in which they are like Christ: because there is somewhat in Christ besides his Diuinity, & the image of the Diuinity which is in the soul, that is, his body, which hath an affinity not with the diuine nature, but with the nature of our bodies. Again they say: The frame of mans body is made with admirable skil & cunning: wherefore there shineth in it & is beheld as in an image the wisedom of the creator. But it foloweth not hereof that the body is the image of god. For so should al things be made to the image of god, seing that in al gods works, his power, wisedome & goodnes doe appeare, which yet the scripture doth not permit: which setteth out onely the reasonable creatures with this title & commendation; & placeth the image of god in those things, which belong not to the body but to the soul. Here also question is made concerning the place of the Apostle, 1. Cor. 11. Man is the image & glory of god;¹⁵ but the woman is the glory of the man: where Paul seemeth to attribute the image of god onely to man, and to take it away from the woman. But the Apostle meaneth, that man only is the image of god, not in respect of his nature, being partaker of diuine wisedome, righteousnes, & ioy; neither in respect of his dominiō ouer other creatures: for these are common to man & woman: but in respect of ciuil, domestical, & ecclesiasticall order,¹⁶ in which he wil haue the publick gouernmēt & administratiō to belong vnto the man, not to the womā.

Quest. Seing that mā was made to the image of God, it is demanded, whence came this state in which now we see all things contrary? Ans. From the sinne of our first Parents.