for him as a very Hercules; the moon to light his nights, or lead the waters round the earth in tides, cleansing his coasts; elements of nature to be his slaves and messengers; flowers to scent his path; fruits to please his taste; birds to sing for him; fish to feed him; beasts to toil for him and to carry him. Not a cringing slave, but a king crowned with the glory of rule, and with the honour of universal supremacy. Only a little lower than angels; because they are not, like him, encumbered with flesh and blood. This is man as God made him to be.” Here doubtless is the explanation of that “Paradise hunger” which ever and anon posseses the hearts of thought ful men and women, like the sign of the sea-shell longing for its ocean home. “But now we see not yet all things put under him.” I f the words which we have just considered turn us to Genesis 1, those now before us just as really recall Genesis 3. The en trance of sin into the world has de layed the purposes of God for man who is today characterized by servi tude and not by sovereignty, by de gradation and not by dignity. The very beasts of the forest dispute his supremacy; while the histories and hieroglyphics of the empires of the past show him prostrating himself in degrading worship before the ani mals over which he was placed as tributary king (Romans 1 :2 3 ). Wilst, therefore, Psalm 8 and Genesis 1 bear witness to the royalty with which he was originally endowed, the facts of life show how tragically he has failed; and every philosophy of humanity which leaves out of account the one or the other is imperfect and incom plete. These things “answer alike to the noblest aspiration and to the sad dest experience.” “Not yet.” The discoveries of our Newtons, and Edisons, and Marconis, won through patient and long con tinued toil, are but infinitestimal frac tions of those wonderful secrets of Nature which would have been to man (2) Forfeited Because of Sin by Man (verse 8)
as an open book, but for the tragedy of the Fall. (3) Fulfilled in Israel's Messiah as Man (verses 9-10) “But now we see not yet all things was made a little lower than the angels put under him, but we see Jesus, who for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death” — which is the penalty of sin — “for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suf fering.” In these words “transition is made from mankind in general to the man Christ Jesus” ; from the first Adam, to the One of whom he was a type (Romans ,5:14). Psalm 8, there fore. is prophetical as well as histori cal; Christological as well as anthro pological. It is quoted four times in the New Testament as applying to Christ (Matt. 2 1 :1 6 ; I Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1 :2 2 ; Heb. 2 :8 ) ; and it contains for the first time in the Bible, a title which is repeatedly used of the Lord Jesus — “the Son of Man.” We are thus led on from the first man by whom earth’s sovereignty was lost, to the second Man—the Lord from heav en — by whom it is to be restored (I Cor. 15:47). “O loving wisdom o f our God! Incidentally, the words from an other illustration of the profundity of Augustine’s saying: “The New Testament lies concealed in the Old; and the Old stands revealed in the New.” There are, however, more serious consequences than the mere loss of earthly dominion involved in the Fall of man; for that dire event has sep arated him from God by the distance of death. Accordingly, we find that the two main things spoken of in verse 9 are: The Incarnation of Christ — “He was made for a little while lower than the angels” ; and the Crucifixion 25 When all was sin and shame, A second Adam to the fight And to the rescue came.”
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