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THE FIFTH AND SIXTH DAYS.

VERSES 20-31.

The fifth day divides into two parts. First, the creatures of the waters. Second, the birds of the heaven. The sixth gives the creatures of the earth, with man the climax of all.

The waters, with their unrest, are typical of what is evil in a fallen creation. Yet these waters are made to produce most excellent things. The Christian has no difficulty in understanding this. The government of God, which constantly appears under number five, makes "all things"-evil too-"work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to His purpose " (Rom. 8:28).

Again, "We glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope." What blessed things these are, coming out of evil, out of these waters of unrest! But we look for that scene where there shall be "no more sea" to disturb.

These waters produce clean and unclean things, however. There is that evil which corrupts if we come in contact with it. The Lord prayed we should be kept from it. The clean creatures have fins and scales (Lev. n:9, 10). The fins propel the creature through the waters. The scales protect it as an armor. So, if we go through the evil as "strangers and pilgrims," and take unto us "the whole armor of God," we will surely find good, and be productive of good.

The fowl fly above the earth, in the expanse of the heaven. The "influences now are not from beneath, but from above. They are "every winged fowl after its kind." Some are evil birds, unclean, delighting among carcases. Others are beautiful in plumage, or sweet songsters, or rich in productiveness of good. Ephesians 6:12 tells of the evil ones:"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies." They are birds of prey, ready to pounce upon the corpse-like Christian who falls asleep among the dead (Eph. 5:14). It is such who fall a prey to the multitude of heresies on every hand. What but carrion-birds are such things as Unitarianism, Mormonism, Millennial Dawnism, Christian Science, 7th Day Adventism, and more ?

The other birds display the holy influences from above. What plumage more beautiful than the character of Christ produced in a man once wicked and vile ? What song sweeter than the praises which break forth from hearts in tune with heaven ? What fruitfulness is like that which marks men who, once dissolute, or living for self, are now "steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord " ? What transformation through those heavenly influences under which we daily walk!

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth living souls after their kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after their kind."
In the "living souls" of the earth-that earth which has come out of the waters-we have now illustrated the affections, emotions, and desires, of the new man. But here, too, the lesson is practical, not ideal; for we find from Lev. n that there are clean and unclean among the cattle, the creeping things, and the beasts of the earth. We have not here a picture of that time when nothing save the fruit of the new man will be produced, but rather of present conditions when there may, and indeed does, come in that which is not of the new, and therefore must be eliminated and judged. Our rule of life is "new creation." As Christians we belong to an order of life set up in Christ. If we want to know what our new nature is we turn to Christ in whom that nature is perfectly manifested, to God's perfect delight. But the flesh remains in us. Therefore the variety of the creatures of earth as well as of those of the sea and of the heaven. The creation of the man Adam, the crown and full glory of God's work, is on this sixth day, "the figure of Him that was to come"- Christ. Several characters of Christ are suggested in what is said of Adam. Let us look at some of them.

1. " The image of God."

" And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. … So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him." How plainly this figures Christ, "who is image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation " (Col. i; 15) "God manifested in flesh" "the expression of His substance," so that in Him is seen what God is in His essential being. He is the "second Man, out of heaven " (i Cor. 15:47). He is the beginning, or-first, of a new race, "the beginning of the creation of God" (Rev. 3:14). For this "the Word became flesh." He is thus the head of a new humanity, whose end is to be in His own likeness (i Cor. 15:49).

2. '' God said, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth."

In this we think of our Lord as "the Last Adam." "The first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam a quickening spirit" ® Cor. 15:45). It is He who quickens-who gives the life eternal which forms this new humanity.

3. Subdue the earth, and hold in subjection all creatures.

This brings another line of thought-the kingship of Christ. Into His hand all government has been committed, and He is to subject all things unto Himself. He is to take His great power, and reign over the earth during the Millennium. The character of His reign is distinctly the subdual of all enemies, and the bringing all things back to God. i Cor. 15:25-28 is a comprehensive statement of this. "For He must reign until He put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that is annulled is death." This being accomplished, comes "the end, when He gives up the kingdom to Him who is God and Father; when He shall have annulled all rule and all authority and power" (ver. 24). This carries us beyond the Millennium to the eternal state.

4. Adam is marked out as the head of creation, and heir of all its blessings.

This brings before us the thought of Christ as the Head and Heir of all things. He is "Head over all things to the Church "-"Head of all principality and power," and "Heir of all things." God's purpose is to "head up all things in Christ." What grace, what unspeakable grace, to hear Him say to us, "If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ"! (Rom. 8:17.) Looking on the glory of this grace, we cry, "Come, Lord Jesus;" "come quickly." J. B.

(To be continued.)