ry creeping thing that creepeth upon the
earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him, male and female created he them."--With Eph. iv.
24.--"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness."--And Heb. iii. 10.--"Wherefore I
was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in
their heart, and they have not known my ways."

While we descend from the meditation of the glory of God shining in the
heavens, in sun, moon, and stars, unto the consideration of the Lord's
framing of man after this manner, we may fall into admiration with the
Psalmist, (Psal. viii.) "Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" It might indeed drown us in
wonder, and astonish us, to think what special notice he hath taken of
such a creature from the very beginning, and put more respect upon him
than upon all the more excellent works of his hands. You find here the
creation of man expressed in other terms than were used before. He said,
"Let there be light," and it was, "let there be dry land," &c. But it is
not such a simple word as that, but "let us make man in our image," as if
God had called a consultation about it. What! was there any more
difficulty in this than in the rest of his works? Needed he any advisement
about his frame and constitution? No certainly, for there was as great
work of power, as curious pieces of art and wisdom, which were instantly
done upon his word. He is not a man that he should advise or consult. As
there is no difficulty nor impediment in the way of his power,--he doth all
that he pleases, _ad nutum_, at his very word or nod, so easy are
impossibilities to him,--so there is nothing hard to his wisdom, no knot
but it can loose, nothing so curious or exquisite but he can as curiously
contrive it, as the most common and gross pieces of the creation, and
therefore, "he is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working." But ye
have here expressed, as it were, a counsel of the holy and blessed Trinity
about man's creation, to signify to us what peculiar respect he puts upon
that creature, and what special notice he takes of us, that of his own
free purpose and good pleasure he was to single and choose out man from
among all other creatures, for the more eminent demonstration of his
glorious attributes of grace, mercy, and justice upon him, and likewise to
p