Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-01-10
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR JANUARY 13 BY
THE REV. 1. w. HENDERSON.

Subject: Man Made in the Image Of
God. Gen. 1:28:2-3 - Golden
Text, Gen. 1:27 - Memory
Verses, 20, %.
Having created, in order, the heav-
EN- and the earth, light, Heaven,
Earth, vegetation, the sun, the moon,
the stars, the fish, the fowl, the tame
and the wild animals, God creates
man in His own image, after His
own likeness. And having created
man and woman God, blessing them
as creatures of His own heart, deliv-
ers unto them dominion over every
thing alive upon the earth.
The central point of this story is
that man was made in the likeness
of God. To him is given a similar
though not identical creative capac-
ity; to him Is given sight, hearing,
the sense of sound, of taste, of touch.
To him God gave the power of
thought and the added power of the
exercise of a sovereign will. For
God says 'Thou shalt have domin-
ion." God, in man, creates a per-
sonality like unto Himself. A per.
sonality not so full and not so inf
mite, but a personality essentially
the same as His own. God creates
man as ruler and in order to rule
in the likeness of God it is evident
that man must partake in some
measure, at least, of the moral ca.
pacities of God.
The second part of the lesson
deals with the seventh day of crea-
tion, the day on which God finished
His work. This seventh day has
come down to us as the Sabbath, the
day of rest. Here also we find in
simple language the record of great
economic. physical and spiritual
facts. If God had not rested, If God
had not by example, If we may so
say, set apart the seventh day as a
day of rest, we should nevertheless,
as human beings, require one day in
seven for cessation from economic
cares, for the recuperation of our
physical natures, for the culture and
the cultivation of our spiritual ca
pacities. 1t is a well-known fact
that too much attention to business
affairs dulls the fine edge of business
power. 1t Is an equally well-known
fact that we must have at least one
days recreation and rest out of
every seven in order to the proper
health of the functions of the human
body. 1t is scientific physiological
fact that, each day, busy man or
woman uses up precisely one-seventh
more of vitality than is stored up for
any one days use. And as a horse,
who is worked seven days a week
nf,u n,,l
or we shall also become weary, give
one-seventh of our time to rest. This
is the law of God written in the life
and the experience of humanity.
And not less true is it that the pro-
per outstanding of our spiritual re.
sources demands the giving of
an equal and regular portion
of our time to God. The soul
of man needs refreshment and
invigOration as we'll as his body or
his mind Especially is this so in the
case of men who are, by virtue of
their callings in life. brought face
to face with the materialism and the
endless dstracting influences of our
generation. Such men need rest
day, a day of recuperation, a day de.
voted to the Strengthening of the
whole man.
The following notes on the various
verses in the lesson may be found to
be of value:
VS.. 90. us" God is understood
as being surrounded by the angelic
heavenly court, by cherubim and
seraphim, etc. Man." Heb. Adam, a
collective, common noun. Image
lkeness," somewhat synonymous,
double statement of same fact; the
writer throws no immediate light
upon what is the constituency of the
image of God; he probably inferred
that without longer description his
readers would grasp his meaning.
VS.. 81. Created" the third
greatest formation of God. He
created first the heaven and the
earth, and secondly the conscious
life. Man was the third and by a
cumulative process the greatest di.
vine creation.
VS.. 29. Meat" in it's earlier
meaning of food" AS 1t stands we
might be led to suppose that the
writer was announcing vegetarian
diet as a divine decree. But however
much some of us might wish to have
it that way, and despite the undoubt-
ed good points of such a system of
living, the writer hasn't this evident
ly in mind. 1t is likely that in the
peaceful early days they did live on
the fruits of the earth, but the wri-
ter cannot be accused of making a
pro vegetarian argument.
VS.. 80. "Beast-herb," universal
peace, it would seem, ruled then
among men and animals. Life" r.
V. Living SOUL" animal life COM
mon to all creatures, man included.
This is not to be confused with the
spiritual life.
VS.. 81. The" in all except the
first and sixth days it is "a day."
This indicates the Importance of the
first and sixth beyond the others.
VS.. 2, Chap. 2. Ended, K. ".
FINISHED" 1t seems likely that
English is unable to define just what
the writer means here. God finished
all His six days work with the imme-
diate beginning of the seventh day.
and in a certain sense He may be
understood as having finished 1t on
the seventh day by His divine decree
concerning rest. If hallowlng the
day Is labor, then 1t seems that God
did not finish the work till the sew
enth day was started. But II we
consider work" in the common ac-
a,