THE CHURCH AND MAN'S ORIGIN 199 



the thing made say of Him that made it, He made 

 me not? Shall the thing formed say of Him that 

 formed it, He had no sense?" 



Psalm cii:i4 "He knoweth how we are 

 formed; He is mindful that we are dust." 



Wisdom xv :y "The potter moulds soft clay, 

 and toilfully makes for us every kind of vessel; 

 of one and the same sort of clay, he moulds ves- 

 sels for cleanly purposes and those for quite the 

 contrary purposes. And what is to be the use 

 of every vessel, the potter judges. Yea, in wicked 

 toil he moulds a vain god from the same clay; 

 he who but a little before was made of earth, 

 and after a little while will go unto the earth 

 from which he was taken . . . He was ignorant 

 of Him that moulded him; yea, of Him that in- 

 spired into him an active soul, and breathed into 

 him a living spirit." 



Romans ixrzo "Oh, man, who in the world 

 art thou that art answering God back? Does 

 the thing made say to its maker, Why hast thou 

 made me so? Has not the potter power over the 

 clay, so that of the same lump he may make one 

 jar for noble, another for common use?" 



Yea, man, who art thou that wouldst rise 

 against the Potter who made thee? "Woe to 

 thee, that settest thyself against thy Maker, thou 

 shred of an earthen pot!" 



And what, we ask in the next place, is to pre- 

 vent us from taking literally the beautiful Scrip- 



