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Page 27
--_Saul._ Browning.
VII
_THE PLACE OF JESUS CHRIST_
In the ascent of the soul do light and power come to its assistance from
outside and from above? Is evolution alone a sufficient guarantee that
it will some time reach its goal? These are not so much questions of
theory as of fact, and as such will be treated in this chapter.
Light and power have come to the race in its struggles upward from one
source as from no other. In history one figure appears colossal and
unique. Whether we classify Jesus Christ with men, or regard Him as a
special divine manifestation is of little consequence in our inquiry. If
He is the consummate flower of the evolutionary process, then, because
of some unexplained influence, that process reached a degree of
perfection in Him that it has reached in no other. If it pleased God in
a single instance to hasten the process, the result is not less
inspiring and illuminating than it would have been if the divine purpose
had been directly and instantly accomplished. The teachers and leaders
have ever been helpers of their fellow-men. In evolution, as in the race
of life, some always move more swiftly than others; and those who are
far in advance may, if they choose, become the servants of those who
move more slowly. One Being has appeared in the midst of the ages who is
so far superior to all others that He may be regarded as the revelation
of the soul's true goal, but who is, at the same time, so unlike others
as to convince many, at least, that He is also the revelation in
humanity of a higher power which is cooperating with the soul in its
ascent.
In this chapter no attempt will be made to meet the various questions
that the formal theologians have raised. I cannot feel that such
subjects as "satisfaction," "expiation," "plan of salvation" are of any
practical importance, and I leave them to those who care for them. In
the meantime let us ask, What aid does the soul need in its passage
through its life on the earth? It needs light and power. We do not
meditate long on the soul's advance without realizing that it has been
constantly reinforced from outside itself. This phase of our subject
will be considered in the chapter on "The Inseparable Companion."
It may, I think, be said that what the soul needs more than anything
else is light, and that all necessary light has been furnished. Jesus
said, "I am the Light of the World." That statement is literally true.
There may be room for perplexity as to the credibility of parts of the
New Testament, and as to what is called the miraculous element in
history. There is also room for difference of opinion as to the nature
of the person of Jesus, and as to His supernatural mission; but few
would deny that, if they could feel sure that He was actually from
above, they would accept His message because it contains all the ethical
and spiritual knowledge that men need in their earthly lives.
A single assumption is made at the beginning of our study. It is as
follows: What satisfies our minds and hearts, in their hours of deepest
need and brightest illumination, should always be accepted as true until
it is proven to be false.
The profoundest subjects of thought and life are illuminated by the
ministry and the teaching of Jesus Christ. The last word concerning
these subjects has not yet been spoken. Even our Bible is but a
collection of scattered rays of the true light. What vaster revelations
may come to men in future ages no one can predict. As growth goes on,
the soul will be fitted to receive messages which it could not now
understand; but all that men need to know in their present stage of
development is clearly revealed in the teaching, and the example, of the
Man of Nazareth and Calvary. He is the brightest light on the deepest
and darkest problems.
Let us try to understand and define the place of Jesus Christ in the
ascent of the soul.
Jesus Christ has given the world a rational and satisfying doctrine of
God. Other teachers have tried to answer the inquiry, Does God exist?
Jesus treated that question as an astronomer treats the sun. No sane
scientist would fill his pages with speculations as to the reality of
the sun. It moves and shines in the heavens; beginning with that fact,
the astronomer asks concerning the function which the sun performs in
the solar system and in the universe.
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