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God said, — Let us make Adam (I prefer using that word) in our image and 
after our likeness ; and let them have dominion over all things, the fish of the 
sea, the fowl of the air, and over everything upon the earth. So God created 
Adam in His own image ; in the likeness of God created He him — male and 
female created He them ; — and observe, He called their name Adam (Gen. v.), 
in the day they were created. In this there is doubtless a glorious truth 
hidden : before the separation of Eve — before the deep sleep upon Adam — 
He called their name Adam, and blessed them ; and all was very good. Now, 
there can be no doubt that Adam, or man, heads-up the entire creation ; that 
every element of the universe is in him — fire, light, magnetism, darkness, &c. ; 
in fact, all the elements of the visible ; and for this plain reason, that he was 
to rule over all. We observe, too, that he is an out-birth of the Eternal : for 
God breathed into him of His own eternal being. He did not breathe the 
breath of life into animals and vegetables, but He did into our ancestor ; 
and hence the reason why man can never rest or be satisfied until he find his 
rest in the Word and Spirit and bosom of God. We notice, too, this fact? 
that man is fallen from his high estate ; so also is the world. Man, we say, 
is fallen from his paradisiacal state into this elementary world, which now 
brings forth its thorns, briars, and thistles. Our roses have thorns — the 
elements their storms, tempests, and discords ; the one pure element is 
divided into four ; and we witness great and seeming contrarieties and 
confusions. All this is very different to its primal state, when all was very 
good. This will solve many difficulties. (Hear, hear.) The results of the fall 
are everywhere apparent — specially we feel this in ourselves. Can any one 
say it is not so ? Does not the whole creation give utterance to this truth — 
that it is in bondage — that it is waiting to be delivered from its bondage of 
corruption, and to be brought into a liberty which it once enjoyed ? The 
Scriptures tell us it shall be accomplished ; that the creation was made 
subject to vanity not willingly (Rom. viii.), and this for a period, and that 
it shall be raised into the glorious liberty of the children of God. I 
wish for a few minutes, however, to refer to our own gradual develop- 
ment from one state to another ; from one of low to one of high degree ; 
from an earthly to a heavenly. Whence these aspirations ? I see two men 
very different in their motives, actions, and desires ; one acting according 
to pride, ambition, covetousness, envy, and the like, selfish in the extreme, 
whose views seem to be bounded by time’s limited horizon ; and I see 
another, whose every desire and motive is to reach and realize eternal things, 
passing by the temporal, almost, to enter into the everlasting ; whose being 
and walk seem wholly centred in communion and fellowship with God ; who 
knows that he is a changed man : yea, that he has emerged from darkness 
and chaos of mind into light, from a state of separation from God into union 
and fellowship with Him ; that, being once darkness, he now feels himself to 
be light in the Lord. How comes all this about ? — whence this change — 
this, what shall we say — this transmutation ? His will, reason, affections, 
imagination, are apparently altered. How is this ? Now he has found 
peace and satisfaction ; the mystery is being solved ; he has found the secret. 
