Milo

20 JANUARY

Paradise lost

‘And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ Genesis 2:16–17
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Romans 7:5–13

The great God had a just right to make such an exception: when he of his mere bounty had given everything else to his creature, man was furnished with sufficient strength to obey and warned of the danger if he rebelled.
The prohibition: Thou shalt not eat—to remind him:
(i) of his state of dependence on God, and that he was not absolute Lord of himself.
(ii) that God was his chief good, and nothing truly desirable but in subordination to him.
(iii) to intimate that he was not as yet established in happiness, but in a state of probation.
The sanction or condition with which this prohibition was attended:
(i) The penalty of disobedience—death:
(a) spiritual, which immediately took place when he had transgressed.
(b) temporal, to which he became immediately subject though the execution was deferred. And,
(c) eternal, which is necessarily opposed to that life which is by the gospel (Romans 6:23) and which is inflicted upon impenitent sinners and was therefore included in the first penalty, for we cannot suppose the righteous Judge would inflict a greater punishment than he had threatened.
(ii) Since he was not to die unless he sinned, a promise of continuance in life and happiness was necessarily implied (Romans 10:5).
This is what is frequently called the ‘Covenant of Works’.
FOR MEDITATION:
LORD, what is man! extremes how wide,
Divine at first, a holy flame
In this mysterious nature join!
Kindled by the Almighty’s breath;
The flesh, to worms and dust allied,
Till, stained by sin, it soon became
The soul, immortal and divine!
The seat of darkness, strife and death.

SERMON SERIES: GENESIS, NO. 4 [2/2], GENESIS 2:15–17

19 JANUARY

Paradise gained

‘And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ Genesis 2:15–17
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Luke 4:1–13

We have reason to believe that before sin brought a curse upon the creation, the whole earth was a Garden of Eden in comparison of[with] what it is now. Yet when all was good, it pleased God to make a further display of his goodness in favour of man, and to enrich and beautify a peculiar spot for his residence. In this paradise man was placed with a general permission of the right and use of all that he could desire—with only the one exception mentioned in my text where we may note the name: the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
On the conduct of our first parents (for they were both included, see 3:2) with respect to this tree, depended their knowledge of that good for which they were created, or the evil which was yet unknown that would be the consequence of disobedience. Note that Adam’s whole duty to God consisted in abstinence from the forbidden fruit—for we have shown that his being made in the divine image signified that he had the law of love, holiness and righteousness written in his heart. But his ability to maintain communion with his Maker was suspended upon his observation of this positive precept.

FOR MEDITATION: ‘I go to prepare a place for you’ (John 14:2).
‘To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God’ (Revelation 2:7).
‘In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him’ (Revelation 22:2–3).

SERMON SERIES: GENESIS, NO. 4 [1/2], GENESIS 2:15–17

18 JANUARY

Ruins restored

‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ Genesis 1:26
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Genesis 1:26–2:3

The subject we are upon is so mysterious and so briefly related that it would be easy to start curious speculations—but it is our wisdom to avoid an attempt of being wise above what is written. Let us fix to what is profitable.
(i) Cause for lamentation: How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed!… The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers … (Lamentations 4:1–2). What an awful difference—instead of dominion, misery and confusion. Instead of the moral image of God, the image of Satan full drawn upon the soul. Nothing remains but immortality and capacity—and these constitute our wretchedness, so that if men have no more than sin has left them, they will one day wish they had been dogs or toads to crawl upon the earth awhile and then be for ever forgot.
(ii) Cause of praise: to say, ‘Blessed be God for Jesus Christ—this ruin is under his hand.’ He is come that we may have life and that we may have it more abundantly [John 10:10]. Believe in him and your souls shall live.

FOR MEDITATION:
Oh! When flesh and heart shall fail,
Let thy love our spirits cheer;
Strengthened thus, we shall prevail
Over Satan, sin and fear:
Trusting in thy precious name,
May we thus our journey end;
Then our foes shall lose their aim,
And the Judge will be our Friend.

SERMON SERIES: GENESIS, NO. 3 [4/4], GENESIS 2:7

17 JANUARY

Made in his image

‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ ‘In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.’ Genesis 1:26, Genesis 5:1
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Colossians 1:15–20

In his own image, or likeness. I will not be scrupulous about distinguishing these expressions. Taken together, I apprehend they signify:
(i) Man was formed in the image of God as his representative here below, honoured with the subordinate dominion of the earth and all its creatures (1:27).
(ii) Perhaps the expression may intimate ‘in the image and likeness of that body which the Word of God would in time take into union with himself.’ For this was in his purpose before either man or the earth was made. Man was therefore formed according to the resemblance of him who now sits upon the throne—the Head of the whole creation.
(iii) The capacities of man bore some faint image of the divine perfections—understanding, consciousness, will, and vast affections—which the possession of all the creatures could not satisfy (verse 20). And this natural dignity and vastness of the soul, which makes it incapable of being satisfied with anything short of an infinite good, still remains under the ruin of the fall—though this likewise becomes a curse and punishment, sin having rendered a union between the soul and its chief good impracticable without the interposition of free grace.
(iv) Man was created in the moral image of God, indeed with a portion of his goodness, holiness and truth, by which he was qualified for communion with his Maker and fully enabled for obedience to his righteous law (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). This image was totally lost and defaced by sin and therefore the work of grace which restores it is called a new creation.
This account agrees likewise to the woman, though she was made afterwards and immediately from the substance of the man.
FOR MEDITATION:
On man in his own image made,
The whole creation homage paid,
How much did GOD bestow?
And owned him, LORD, below!

SERMON SERIES: GENESIS, NO. 3 [3/4], GENESIS 2:7

16 JANUARY

Designed for eternity

‘And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ Genesis 2:7
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Ezekiel 37:1–14

The LORD God formed man. The formation of man’s body:
(i) The materials: the dust of the ground, and yet by nature capable of immortality; for that man was afterwards liable to death was the consequence of sin. Here we may observe that everything is what it is in consequence of the divine appointment. Dust, by the will of God, may be immortal, and stones become bread.
(ii) The expression formed: the word is properly used of the skill and power of the potter over the clay which he moulds according to his own will, and makes it very different from what it was in the mass. Much of the wisdom of God is manifest to an attentive eye in the admirable structure of our bodies. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
The LORD God breathed. The communication of life: he breathed, which seems to import the union of an immortal soul—for the animals were living creatures likewise, yet no such expression is used of them. The life of the soul was distinct from the life of the body and did not, like that, depend upon his obedience, for the wicked are immortal. Only sin perverts this primitive blessing and honour into the greatest curse. Consider this, ye that forget God [Psalm 50:22]—you are not creatures of a day, but designed for eternity.

FOR MEDITATION: O for a new heart, a new sight, that my mind may be active. Leave me not to my own foolishness but lead me and guide me and restore unto me the joy of thy countenance for thy name’s sake. Amen.
Diary, 8 and 17 November, 1755

SERMON SERIES: GENESIS, NO. 3 [2/4], GENESIS 2:7