(Continued from page 45.)

Man's Place Among the Creatures of God

In pointing out some of the characteristics of man's soul which are not found in that of the animal, we have said that in man it is of a higher quality as of direct impartation from God-by God's in breathing.

God is spirit. He is also called, "The God of the spirits of all flesh," 1:e., of the spirits of all men (Num. 16:22; 27:16). He is "the Father of spirits" (Heb. 12:9). In originating the human soul God stamped His spirit-nature upon it. He made it a soul having the nature of spirit. He did not make man to be pure spirit, as angels are, but somewhat lower than the angels. He gave man a material body with a living rational soul, to occupy a rank above animal souls, yet inferior to that of the angels. By creation, God allied man both to the creatures next below him and the creatures next above him.

It is this complex nature of man that fits him for the position he occupies among the creatures of God. In one sense he ranks among the animals; but. his distinction among them is that he is a living soul allied to spirit beings and to God-an offspring of God (Acts 17:28). He is a "son of God" by creation – connected with the immaterial and invisible creation. In this sense, therefore, he ranks among spirits, and his distinction among these is that he is not purely spirit. While allied to them he is also allied to creatures with whom spirits have nothing in common, except that both are creatures of God. While both are creatures of God, there is a wide gulf between these two ranks in creation, which none of them can pass, or bridge over to unite. The uniting of the two ranks can only be by one so constituted as to partake on one side -with one rank, and on the other side with the other rank. This intermediate and uniting rank is the creature man, who, in the scale of creation fills a position above the animal and below the angels- superior to animals, and inferior to angels.

If Gen. i:26, 27 and 2:7 define what man's nature is-his constitution and the position he occupies in creation, whether material or immaterial – there is yet another consideration to be mentioned. Gen. i:28 speaks of a sovereignty or dominion that God conferred upon man, authorizing him to take possession of the earth to subdue and hold it in subjection (see Hebrew). From these things we see that God designed man to exercise lordship. By creation he was constituted and fitted for the exercise of dominion over all the works of God's hand- the invisible works as well as the visible-fitted by nature and constitution to have all things under his feet.

I anticipate that some will object I am making man's dominion, as conferred on him in Gen. i:28, much larger than it really was; that there it was sovereignty over earthly things merely-not over the whole material creation even, and much less over the invisible. I answer:Apparently so; and with later scripture in mind, I say, Only apparently so. The force of psalm 8:6 seems not always to have been apprehended. I quote from Mr. Darby's translation:"Thou hast made him to rule over the
works of thy hands; thou hast put everything under his feet." I judge this is unqualified. We are to understand "the works of thy hand" and "everything" in the unlimited and absolute sense. I know this maybe opposed; but, clearly, Paul by divine inspiration so understood it. In i Cor. 15:27, after quoting, "Hath put all things under his feet," he remarks, "When He saith, All things are put under him, it is manifest that He is excepted which did put all things under him"-God is excepted from this subjection to the risen, incarnate Son of God. Is anything else excepted ? Nothing. This is Paul's understanding of psalm 8.

But I shall be told:Paul means the Second Man, not the first. Very true; but it proves nothing against what I am advocating. Two things are to be taken into consideration:First, when God created man and gave him dominion, He had the Second Man in mind, and purposed that He (the Second Man) should possess and exercise universal sovereignty over all the created works of God, both invisible and visible. If I am told:Yes; this purpose was in God's mind, but He did not reveal it; He only gave a shadow of it, I answer, If He did give a shadow of it, it was a flint of His full purpose. Though He put a veil over it, it was a hint of the end He had in view. Ephesians r:9, 10 may also be given in objection; but without avail, for the reason that if God in giving a shadow, or hint, of the great purpose He had purposed in Himself put a veil over it, He was saying to man, Here is a mystery, a secret, which in due time I shall reveal to you:it is something for you to think about and look forward to.

The second consideration is that until the creation of man, whatever God's purposes were, whatever the end He had before Him, no basis had been laid on which the incarnation of the Son of God could be possible. The thought that the infinite Creator could take the position and condition of mere matter is revolting; or that of the living plant is likewise unworthy. The possibility of His becoming a living impersonal soul-a mere animal-we cannot entertain. All these suggestions are not merely impossible and shocking, but blasphemous. If then God had in mind a creature whose nature His Son could assume, His very purpose necessitated the creation of such a creature. If God's thought was to have a creature connected with the material creation spiritualized and elevated to the position of supremacy over pure spirit-beings, He must needs make a creature so constituted that in the nature of his being there is a basis for this spiritualization. How evident it is that when God created and constituted man to be a living personal soul with a super sensuous nature, the basis was laid for his ultimate spiritualization-for the final destiny in which the lower or corporeal nature should become conformable to the higher or spirit-nature.

Again, Scripture warrants our belief that it was God's eternal purpose that His two creations should be, at least finally, so linked together as to be an abiding unity, under the incarnate Son as its Head:the immaterial and the material creations-the invisible and the visible-so united under a Second Man, the Last Adam, that the tabernacle of God should be in very deed with men. But this implies the spiritualization of the material universe itself. This we know will be the result of the baptism of fire through which the first heavens and earth are to pass; 1:e., the whole visible creation is to be put into a spiritual condition in which both God, who is spirit, and men, who have a corporeal nature, can fittingly dwell together. The basis of this indissoluble union of the invisible and visible was laid when God made His creature, man.

This purpose of God-this wonderful end before the mind of God from everlasting-will be finally attained and fully realized when the incarnate Son of God shall have annulled all rule and authority and power; when He shall have put all enemies under His feet; when He shall have annulled the last enemy, death. It is then the incarnate Son will hand the kingdom to God, uniting the immaterial and the material spheres in an eternal embrace. Through the Son of Man God will thus fill all things -be all in all. But the basis of the possibility of all this was laid when God made the creature, man, who forms the link between the visible and invisible spheres.

We may conclude then that when God commissioned man to multiply and fill the earth, and conferred lordship on him, if not in plain speech revealing it, He was parabolically suggesting to him his ultimate destiny-a higher stage of human existence, a higher form of human life. It was a prophecy of God's ultimate thought for him, a being destined for a higher stage of life and blessedness.

We have been thinking of man, thus far, as fresh from the hand of his Creator-as originally constituted. We have seen the complex nature of his being. We have found his position in the creation of God, and his rank among the various orders of creatures – the highest rank -of material beings, and lowest of spirit beings, and thus the link between them. We have also seen that in humanity a basis was laid for the incarnation of the Son of God, making possible a still higher position than that in which man stood as the intermediate link between the two created spheres, and thus destined to be exalted above the angels.

Now if we recognize all this, we discern in man a creature designed by God to know and to enjoy Him-a creature made to be in fellowship with and a worshiper of God. How far man has come short of this is not the subject of our consideration here, nor need we stop now to consider the reasons why man has failed to fulfil the grand mission that was committed to him. The fact that he has not attained to his great mission in no way militates against his having the nature and constitution for it, which the Scriptures represent him to possess, or the rank in creation which they show he occupies. It is in place now to ask, Being what he was by creation, was man mortal ? Was he subject to dissolution? That there was in him a capability of dissolution, all will readily admit, but that is not the same thing as being necessarily subject to dissolution. If there was not this necessity, was man capable of abiding endlessly in the condition in which he was created ? Supposing him to so abide, would that be attaining the ends of his creation ?Would that be reaching the destiny for which he was designed ?

Having seen that as created there was a basis for the spiritualization of man's corporeal nature, we must say he was capable of being transformed from a condition capable of dissolution into one in which it is impossible. What bearing has this on the questions, Was man as originally created mortal? or Did he in some sense possess conditional immortality ?

The answer to this is reserved until we have looked at other scriptures. I only urge now that we must keep in mind, as we proceed with our inquiry, what we have found man's nature and constitution to be, as Gen. i and 2 unfold them. C. Crain

(To be continued.)