Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-05-03
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
beginning Jan. ~.
T,- REV IT now r

Topic.-IIow Gods imapa is preserved
m us or lost.-Ccn. i, 20; Col id. lilo. "a
temperance topic)
The dignity of man has been recog-
nized and emphasized from many diff
ferent standpoints. We look at his
physical makeup and are amazed at
the wonderfuness of his body: we ex-
anime his intellectual attributes and
Rre still more surprised; we Behold the
workmanship of his hands under the
direction of his mind and gaze ian won
der and in admiration. Under this
spell we feel Ike eXclaimiuc with the
psalmist. Thou hast made him lit
tie lower than gods and hast crowned
him with glory and honor; Thou hast
put all things under his feet" But
nothing that man can say or think be
gins to express the dignity of man as
il is set forth in the Scriptural asser-
ton that he has been created in the
image of God. And God said, Let us
make man in our own image after our
own likeness. i SO God created man
in His own image, in the image of
God created He him" Here we see
tlIN hiSANSA S4Ni anu tiIS-ll4iN VI
created in the image of God!
The story of man in his relation to
the image of God may be told in three
chapters
l. Man was created in the image
Of God. This does not refer to his
physical appearance. God is spirit,
and mans likeness to Him consists in
his possession Of the attributes that
characterize the spiritual nature of
God-His mental, moral and spiritual
qualities. God thinks, and man was
created with the power to think God
is perfectly holy in all His moral at
tributes, and man was created in per
feet holiness: God is spiritual, and man
was created with a spiritual nature as
well as n physical one. Under these
conditions of perfect likeness God and
man lived upon terms of the most ia
miliar character. God walked with
man In the garden in which He had
placed him. He talked with man. and
their intercourse was like that between
man and man today. Would that it
ever might have remained so and that
man might have escaped separation
lTOH IOu, Will All llS dlteuulHS woes
and sorrows!
2. The image of God in man
was disfgured by sin. The perfect
man was tempted, and, yielding to the
temptation, the image of God in him
was grossly marred. He still possesses
the same attributes as God, but no
longer In the perfection that God pos
sesses them. His thoughts are evil and
his Imagination vain. He still has
moral nature, but 1t is corrupted with
sin. There is still a spiritual side to
his character, but he no longer lives in
perfect spiritual communion with God
His spiritual nature Is debased and his
manhood degraded. And all Is the re-
suit Of sin, yet man persists In sin
There Is no picture in life so sad to
look upon as the image of God debased
and degraded In the image of man.
And nowhere perhaps is this debase-
ment so perceptible as In the case of
drunkenness. To see man under the
influence of intoxicating liquor and to
remember that he possesses the image
Of God Is a sad sight indeed. The mere
thought Of thus degrading the image Of
OOu suOuiu IOrtNtT MAKE lulS pdTllcu-
lar sin loathsome to us and forever
guard us against falling victim to this
prevalent, but most degrading vice.
8. The image Of God disfgured by
sin may be restored In Jesus Christ
the Son of God. Through Adam the
image Of God in all the human race
was marred, but in Christ 1t may be
restored In Adam all died: In Christ
all may be made alive The blessed
news Of the gospel is that in Christ
we may "be renewed in knowledge
after the image of Him who created
u.s." Have we been renewed7 Have
we received again the perfect image
Of God In Christ or do we still possess
the married image of God? II should
take no time for us to decide that we
should accept Christ and His work for
US. and thus again bear the perfect
image Of our God and once again live
in closest fellowship and commnion