THE REV. THOMAS CONNELLAN, - The Gospel Magazine

542 The Gospel Magazine.
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ADAM.
By THE LATE REV. W. H. KRAUSE, M.A.
" And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord
God amongst the trees of the garden."-GENEsls ill. 8.
AD AM was a public character; he was the federal head of the whole
human family, and in this point of view his history is most interesting.
But this is not our main subject upon this occasion; we shall, however,
just touch upon it. There could be nothing more interesting than to
consider the creation of Adam; the sovereignty of God in making this
man so exalted and so dignified; for you remember the 26th verse of
the 1st chapter: "God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our
likeness." Now, when men view the creation of Adam merely as one
part of the great work of creation, they lose a great deal, it appears to
me, of the interesting and mysterious character that attaches itself to
the creation of man in the image of God. I must always view this
declaration as the expression, and utterance, and great prophecy of
the eternal purpose that God would come forth, and Himself appear in
that very humanity. It is a deeply interesting passage, " Let Us make
man in Our image." What image ~ "God is a Spirit," therefore, in
that respect, man could not be said to be made after the image of God;
but it appears to me that man was made after the image of God's own
Son, who from all eternity purposed to take upon Him this very form
of humanity; and when God said, "Let Us make man in Our image,"
the great purpose and plan of God was just uttered and expressed in
the creation of that being who was to have fellowship with God; and
though he fell, yet-never lose sight of this point-Christ and his
people are one, mystically one man; Christ is called "the Last
Adam," His people are called" the body of Christ."
It would be an interesting matter to consider, not only the fact of
the creation of man, but also the exalted position of blessedness which'
Adam enjoyed when he came forth from the Lord's hands, and when
He " breathed into his nostrils the breath of life .." We find him a real
type of the Lord Jesus Christ in the dominion which he had. It seemed
as if God would teach His Church through that type something of the
universal dominion which the Son of God shall have hereafter.
It is interesting, again, to view the element in which Adam lived and
in which his happiness consisted. For, do not think that God will ever
allow an intelligent being to have all his enjoyment in the creature.
Do not think that it was the beauty or the serenity of that garden
which constituted the happiness of Adam. That which infused
happiness into these things-that which made them subservient to the
enjoyment of so intelligent a being, was the blessing which was wrapped
up in them. "God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful,