2OO Traces of Unity in the Personal, 



not to be explained away. In the vision of the four 

 cherubim and four wheels, and of the glory of God, 

 which Ezekiel saw in the land of the Chaldeans by the 

 river Chebar, there was " the appearance of a throne, 

 and upon the likeness of the throne the likeness of the 

 appearance of a man above upon it," from the loins 

 upward and from the loins downward irradiant with 

 amber-coloured fire and light, and " this was the appear- 

 ance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." In the 

 vision in the Isle of Patmos, S. John saw, still more 

 distinctly, in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, 

 " One like unto the Son of man," glorified beyond 

 measure, who declared Himself to be " the Alpha and 

 Omega, the First and the Last, alive for evermore." 

 And what S. John saw on this occasion was in keeping 

 with what he had seen at the transfiguration on the 

 mount, and again and again after the resurrection, for it 

 is scarcely to be supposed that the form in which the 

 Saviour then appeared was only that of man. Indeed, it 

 seems to be in accordance with the general tenor of 

 Holy Scripture to believe that there is, as I have said, an 

 anthropomorphic element in the Deity, and that perfect 

 divinity as well as perfect humanity was manifested at 

 all times in the person of Christ, even before the resur- 

 rection. 



Without disembodiment, therefore, man may be the 

 " image of God." His present body, by resurrection, 

 must be changed from the body terrestrial to the body 

 celestial, as the body of Christ was changed by resurrec- 

 tion : and then, even as regards body, the Divine like- 

 ness, which is now marred so terribly, is not wanting in 

 man. This is all. And if so, then there can be little 

 difficulty in advancing further, and seeing more clearly 

 at every step that man may, nay must, be " the image 

 of God " in other respects also. 



