possible; it is a greater thing to add, the religion He made possible is one that ought to be universal, for its ideal is the humanest and the most beneficent that has ever come to man. He completely moralized Deity, and therefore religion, and so made it possible-nay, obligatory and imperative to moralise the whole life of man, individual and collective. "This Christ, then, as He stands in universal history, accomplishing those marvels of the Spirit which we have seen indissolubly associated with His person and His name, is an effect; and as He is, the Cause of Him must be. Nay, more, is not the effect only as it were the cause embodied, unspent, persisting in a new form? And how shall we express the idea in this case better than in the evangelical formula, 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us'?" "That which distinguishes Jesus among moralists and founders of religion is the perfect harmony between his doctrine and his character: what he enjoined upon others to do, he did; what he advised them to become, he was. To do the will of his Father was his daily meat and drink. His ardent love of men, his tender and unwearying pity for all that were stained and debased, his sublime abnegation, showed him faithful to himself and to his Father in life and in death. He was an essentially practical master; his character is the noblest and most touching demonstration of his doctrine, and his acts are the best commentary on his words. "A Jew by education and by all the circumstances of his life, he lifted himself in heart and mind so high above national narrowness, he found such a power of generalization in his love of God and men that he was, in reality, not Jewish, but human. While the best and greatest among those who preceded him bear the lively impress of their race, Jesus belonged exclusively to no race. We cannot cite one of the prophets who was not essentially Israelitish; the greatest of the philosophers, and even Socrates himself, are profoundly Greek; Sakyamuni is Hindoo par excellence. Jesus alone surpasses them all, and rules equally over all diversities of race and of nationality; his word and his life have entered into the common fund from which all souls are fed. Humanity rightfully claims these as its own, and notwithstanding its innumerable variations, finds itself entire in them." -COQUEREL. CHAPTER VII The Spiritual Man's Great Teacher "Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in heaven with the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."-Jesus Christ. "Christ loyally worked out the logical implications of his own teaching. He treated the lowest and worst of men as still a man, and therefore a potential son of God. He despised no man; He despaired of no man. He maintained fraternal comrade-like relations with men whom one might be strongly tempted to despise and despair of. He entered into friendly relations with classes which on political, moral or religious grounds were shunned as social outcasts. If there was anything settled in current Jewish opinion, it was that a Publican was to be treated as an unclean Pagan. Jesus dared to disregard this deep-rooted prejudice, and met and ate with Publicans. By so doing, He implicitly proclaimed a great principle, admitting of manifold applications; viz., that no class of men may, on any account be allowed to fall into or remain in the position of persons having no claims on their fellow-men to human relationship, fair treatment, and friendly offices."-DR. BRUCE. WE THE WONDERFUL SAYINGS OF JESUS. WE HAVE already seen that the ethical standard of the Spiritual Man is a divine person. We have also seen that all our acts must be appealed to him, and, consequently, if we can determine what he would have us do, in a given case, then we can be sure that our conduct will be right. But how can we determine just what he would have us do? He does not any longer speak to us personally, as when he was here on the earth; we cannot hear him as did his disciples during the days of his personal ministry. How, then, shall we know what he would have us do? This inquiry at once suggests the record of his sayings and doings which has been left for our guidance and comfort. This record, if carefully and prayerfully studied, will help us to solve every important question of conduct that can possibly come up in our lives. Hence, it is not only important to study his great personality and his own acts, during his personal ministry, but it is equally important to study his teaching, for in this teaching he tells us what he wishes us to do; and as this teaching always corresponds to his own character, we can be sure we are following him when we are following it. Nevertheless, the Spiritual Man will never lose sight of Jesus himself. Indeed, it is one of the striking characteristics of the present age that there is a growing passion with the people for him. Only a quarter of a century ago there were apparent indications that the popularity of the Nazarene was beginning to wane. But that was evidently only an apparent tendency; there was certainly nothing real in it. Nevertheless, it furnished the prophets of evil with a favorable opportunity to predict the ultimate failure of Christianity. But those who took this pessimistic view were, for the most part, those whose wish was father to the thought. But in any case they miscalculated. Scholastic theology has unquestionably lost ground. But this does not prove that the personal Christ has in any respect lost his hold upon the people. Indeed, it is probable that through all the changes that have taken place, as respects Christianity, there has never been a time when the common people were more willing to hear gladly the real Jesus of the New Testament. The protest, if protest there is, has always reference to theological speculations rather than to Jesus the Christ. But, however this may be, it cannot be doubted that the last few years have developed a new passion for the great Teacher. This fact is made evident by numerous signs of the times. The popular phrase, "Back to Christ," though frequently misunderstood and very often greatly abused, is, nevertheless, very suggestive of the deep and widespread feeling to which attention has been called. |