The Marrow of Christianity

SECTION 1. Of Adams Condition before his fall.

THe condition of Adam in his innocercy before his fall, war, 1. A condition of humane perfection, an upright and perfect man, this is the conclusion of wisdome, Eccles. 7.29. Loe, this onely have I found that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.

Obj. But it is said, Gen. 1.27. that God created man in his own Image, in the Image of God created he him therefore it seemes that Adam had more in him then perfect humani◊y, that he was partaker of the divine nature.

Answ. For the clearing of his Scripture, two things are to be considered. 1. what is meant by the Image of God? 2. 2. what is not mean, by it? 1. what we are to understand by the Image of God in which Adam was crea◊ed: 1. reason, wisdome and understanding, Adam was made a reasonable wise and understanding man: in this particular he was in the Image of God: A wise God; there is no searching of his understanding. Esa. 46.28. Adam had the Image of Gods wisdome, not the wisdome of God, not the thing it selfe, it dwelled in God fully, it was essentiall in him, but imparted to Adam, it was, and is in God essentially, he is wisdome it selfe, Adam was but the Image, God himselfe the substance. That this Image was in man at first, appeares first from Scripture, Gen. 2.19.20. the Lord brought all the creation, to wit, sensitive Creatures before Adam, that he might give names unto them, or to see what he p. 3would call them: God would now put him to the imploying of that reason and understanding he had given unto him, a perfection of reason above all other Creatures. 2. It appeares from naturall experience, hence it is, that there is so much enquiring after a perfection of humane reason, so much studying of Arts, as Philosophy, Logick, Rhetorick, &c. but from these corrupted reliques, or principles of reason yet remaining in faine man, striving after, and hardly being satisfied, wi◊hout the perfection of reason, able to give a reason of all things, and this your heathen Philosophers have gone far in, and this is that may be attained in an high measure, and yet be but a reasonable morall man, nay, were it possible to attaine that perfection that was in Adam, yet it would be no more then a morall and humane perfection, and this is that which many who beare the name of Christians too much presse after and glory in, as if without this wisdome there could be no knowledge of the minde of Christ, thus did the Greekes seeke after wisdome. 1 Cor. 1.22. the Greekes being the deepest in the knowledge of humane Arts, p. 4and of the nature and cause of things, therefore they would judge of the Gospel according to reason, they seeke after naturall wisdome: but saith the Apostle, we preach Christ to the Greekes, foolishnesse; so indeed is the Gospel in the ministery of it meer folly to the highest naturall understanding in the world, nay it is that which the wisdome of the Gospel destroyes, where it comes in power, he destroyes, the wisdome of the wise, and brings to nought the understanding of the prudent, 1 Cor. 1.19. and here lies the great mistery of mistake, I had almost said, of Iniquity, we seeke after the knowledge of God in the wisdome of the first Adam, how many are there that would confine the knowledge of God unto this wisdome who are not ashamed to say that Philosophy is the mother of Theologie, and without this naturall wisdome men must come short in the knowledge of God? when the truth is, the first Adam was of the earth, earthly, the second is the Lord from heaven, and they who have but the first Adams wisdome are still of the earth, earthly, the wisdome of the first Adam comes infinitely short of bringing us to the knowledge p. 5of God in the spirit, but it is by the wisdome of the second Adam, who is the Lord from heaven, and the wisdome of the father, we attaine the knowledge of God in the spirit; which wisdome destroyes, and brings to nought the wisdome of the first Adam, 1 Cor. 1.19. Chap. 2.6.7.8. and 3 Chap. 18.19.20.

p. 5Note that all unbe◊ievers and car◊all professors are in the wisdome of the first Ad◊m, all believers spiritually made alive by Jesus, being delivered from themselves, are in the wisdome of the second Ad◊m, the Lord Jesus who is the wisd◊me of the Father, 1 Cor. 1.24.

2. Adam was in the Image of God, that was in a perfect morall pure and sinlesse condi◊ion, he was made upright, innocent without sin, but he sought out many inventions.

Qu. How may a morall purity and righteousnesse be said to be the Image of God?

Answ. 1. God was, and is perfectly, essentially, and spiritually pure, Adam was but the Image or Character of this purity, as it is possible to draw a compleate Image or Caracter of a living man in peece of stone or timber, and we say and speake truly, that it is the p. 6Image or likenesse of a living man, yet it is not a living man, nor hath it any part of mans nature in him: even so was Adam in the Image of God, there was not onely the wisdome of God in creating of him, but the properties of God in some measure imparted to him, yet not partaker of the divine nature, righteousnesse, and freedome from sin was morally in him, yet not partaker of that spirituall holinesse that is in God.

But secondly and more principally in the first Adam who was earthly, was the Image of the second who was the Lord from heaven, so that all the righteousnesse, holinesse, wisdome, &c. of the first Adam, was but an Image of the second Adam, and that morall and humane perfection in the first, and those remaining principles that yet remained in his nature was at the highest and yet is but an Image, as a drawn Character in a peece of timber or stones: of the second; the spiri◊uall and divine nature which dwelt in Christ bodily, and is communicated spiritually unto all the spirituall posterity of the Lord Jesus, who in himselfe and in p. 7his saints is the substance of that Image which was in the first Adam.