lost spirits in hell. But if you are faithful in the service of God, and guard against sin as much as you can, you will some day join the angels in their everlasting happiness. Which of the two have you imitated hitherto, the good or the bad angels?
Above all things guard against pride; it is, as Holy Scripture say’s, hateful before God and men (Ecclus. 10, 7). Do not be conceited or vain about your clothes, or your appearance, or your knowledge, or your parents’ position, but give glory to God in all things; for you have received everything from Him. The more God has given you, the more you should thank Him. Drive away all vain thoughts, and say very often: “Every good gift comes from Thee, O God; I thank Thee for all that I am and for all that I have!”
Chapter III.
CREATION OF THE FIRST MAN. — PARADISE. — THE FIRST COMMANDMENT —CREATION OF EVE.
[Gen. 2.]
WHEN God created man, He said: “Let Us[1] make man to Our image[2] and likeness, and give him dominion[3] over all animals and over the whole earth.” He then formed [4] a human body of the slime of the earth, breathed into his face the breath of life[5], and man became a living soul[6]. At the same moment God added to the nature of man many favours, and, especially, sanctifying grace, whereby He raised man to a higher likeness of Himself. Thus was made the first man, who was named Adam, that is to say, man taken from the earth. By his nature, man was the image of God: by grace, he was the likeness of God.
- ↑ Let Us. i. e. We will make. When God called into existence the rest of the visible world, He simply said: “Let it be !’’ But in making man, He took, as it were, counsel with Himself, and said: “Let Us make &c.” Why did He speak in that way before creating man? It was in order to prove that man was to be superior to other visible creatures, the first among them all.
- ↑ Our image . i. e. let him be a picture or image of Us, and like unto Us.
- ↑ Dominion, i. e. and let him be lord over all the earth.
- ↑ Formed. To form means to make something skilfully. God Himself made the human body most perfectly out of the earth.
- ↑ Breath of life. The soul, therefore, is not made from the earth, but is a breath of God.
- ↑ Living soul. By what means did man become a living being? God breathed a soul into the human body. The soul is the cause of the body’s life; without it the body cannot live. When the soul is separated from the body, the body dies.
