"(1) God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor by any absolute necessity of nature, determined to do good or evil. (2) Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which is good and well-pleasing to God; but yet mutably, so that he might fall from it."
-- Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter IX (excerpt)
"Man as man implies sovereignty -- sovereignty over his environment, over other creatures, over himself. Man's self-consciousness, his sense of uniqueness, his conservation of memory and culture, his tool-making ability, his capacity for thought and speech, the capacity he has to think abstractly and have self-knowledge -- all evidence his sovereignty. He is unique also in his search for truth, in his ethical aspirations, and in his concern for moral values. That man can know God but can corrupt these God-like attributes must be recognized before man can be truly understood. Otherwise man is constantly deceived by his own powers, and disappointed by his own weaknesses."
"...human monarchy is grounded, not in human power, but in Yahweh's gracious sovereignty alone. God has caused man to have dominion, and God continues to crown man with the insignia of such an office:
"Yet You have made him little less than God, and crowns him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands, You have put all things under his feet." Psalm 8:5-6.
-- James Houston, I Believe in the Creator, p. 77.