What is Man ?

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 337, 13 August 1889, Page 2

What is Man ?

In the Wesleyan Church on Sabbath morning Mr Scott delivered the first of a series of sermons on the Future Life. The morning was wet end miserable, and the rain cams down in torrents just before the time for service, but there was, notwithstanding, a good attendance, Mr Scott took for his text Psalm VIII, 4, Whet is Man 1 Mentioning that this subject had exercised the minds of philosophers in all ages, he said “We are familiar with his appearance, his abilities, his follies; bnl man proper, what is he 7 ; is he only an improved animal 7 Whence cams ha ? Whither going 7 These and many such questions era of vital interest, and form the theme of these discourses.” He then asked his hearers io look st Gen. IT, 7, and Gen. L 97, and inquired in what respect was man Hke’God 7 The material which composes the body was dealt with, and the difference between animat" and man pointed out, With regard to the tatter he said that the greatest and most palpable differancs was seen in the rotative pro, grass of the two, The animal builds Its nest as ever it did, but man has progressed ; from the rude hut of past times, he has gons on, step by step, until we have the architecture ot the present day. The animal nsas the toole provided by the Creator, but man has, from the flint tools of pre-historic times, improved and improved until we have ths deadly weapons ot modern warfare, and the kooq edged tool ot the mechanic. Perhaps In speech ie the difference most marked : the bird or animal utters its nrv as ever it did, but man has from one speech developed until we have to-day the vast aeon mutation of ancient and modern literature. This difference was stated to he In the tact that man pnsMsses spirit which animals do not. The spirit was shown to bo the part ot man which was imparted when God “ breathed into bls nostrils the breath of life.” The conclusions from this part of the discourse were summed up Io show, Ist: That the erestion of the body was not the creation of men: It was only when ths breath ot the Almighty was imparted that man became a living soul, 2nd ; That man has a twofold nature, temporal and spiritual I and Brd ■ That being made in the image of God refers to the eplritual nature. “ The Image Marred.” Under this heading, thd lecturer showed the present state of maivj producing many texts to show that death fell upon Adam the moment be disobeyed, and, that that death Is called spiritual death, that It is thia death wbteh has been abolished by the atonement of Jesus Christ. And further, that it is quite distinct from the death of the body, which also was a sequence of the great transgression, The lecturer proceeded to say “ That although the nature of man wai changed, that he still possessed the two natures, temporal and epirltnal, end it »« to restore the tatter to lite again that Jesus Christ came. The spirit became injured,' hut not extinguished, and the meaning of re< demption is not the creation of something ia man which had ceased to be, but the renewal of that likeness which was lost in the epoeteoy of Adanf, and brought to light in the Gospel.” Mr Scott explained that time had only permitted him to lay the foundations, and that next Sunday morning they would be asked te consider tbs question ot what is meant in Scripture by ” Lite and DeMb.”