The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 268

INTRODUCTION

228

God gave to man from way that he was partaker

question 38 in

such a

:

"

the dust of the earth a body, of immortality not

by virtue

by a superadded grace. As to his soul, God His image and after His likeness, and gave him a

of his nature, but

formed him in

hence not belonging to his nature]. He so tempered his desires that they continually obey the dictates of reason. Besides this He has poured into him the original righteousness, and gave him dominion over all other creatures." The view of Socinus, and of Arminius who followed him closely, is totally different. It is a well-known fact that the Socinians denied the Godhead of Christ, who, as they taught, was born a mere man. But (and by this they misled the Poles and Hungarians) they acknowledged that He had become God. Hence after His Resurrection He could be worshiped as God. But in what sense? That the divine nature was g^ven Him? Not at all. In Scripture, magistrates, being clothed with the divine majesty which enabled them to exercise authority, are called "gods." This applies to Jesus, who, after His Resurrection, received of the Father power over all creatures in an eminent degree. Hence He is absolutely clothed with divine majesty. If a sinner, as a magistrate, is called god, how much more can we conceive of Christ as being called God, simply to express that He was clothed with divine authority? In order to support this false view of Christ's Godhead, the Socinians falsified the doctrine of the image of God, and made it equivalent to man's dominion over the animals. This was in their opinion also a kind of higher majesty, containing something divine, which was the image of God. Hence the first Adam, being clothed with majesty and dominion over a portion of creation, was therefore of God's offspring and created in His image. And the second Adam, Christ, also clothed with majesty and dominion over creation, the Scripture therefore calls God. That the Remonstrants also adopted this doubly false representation appears conclusively from what the moderate professor A Limborch wrote in the beginning of the eighteenth century " This image consisted in the power and exalted position which God gave By this dominion he shows most clearly to man above all creation. the image of God in the earth." He adds: " That in order to exercise this power, he was endowed with glorious talents. But these are only means. Dominion over the animals is the principal thing." Hence we infer that the bravest and coarsest tamer of animals. free will; morem'er [prceterea, besides,

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