explicit enough, without doubt, and they are relied on by modern theologians as proof conclusive that a belief in Christ's divinity is necessary to salvation. It will, however, be seen that although they express the advantages of belief, they are entirely silent regarding the disadvantages of unbelief. They do not, therefore, prove that salvation can only be earned by such belief, especially when read side by side with the oft-repeated injunctions of Christ and his disciples, that we should obey his commands, rather than worship him. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" It is needless to repeat here quotations which are to be found in abundance under the Practical Teachings of Christ and the Practical Teachings of the Apostles, and which I have already commented upon under the title Salvation According to Christ (ante p. 101). If I have proved to the satisfaction of the reader that Christ requires us to purify the inner man and lead a new life in obedience to his commands, he will be all the more ready to agree with the following view of this vexed question. If Christ did not insist on our believing it—and reason and justice are all against such a supposition (see the remarks under "The Law for the Heathen," ante p. 92, and "The Law for the Honest Doubter," ante p. 94)—then the best course for all Christians to adopt is to leave every man "to be fully persuaded in his own mind," and no longer to entertain uncharitable or hostile feelings towards those whose minds are so constituted that they cannot comprehend the mystery. If any excuse for such a frame of mind were needed, surely such expressions as the following, by Christ himself, would induce those to pause who denounce unbelievers : "No man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth We might ask the same question apropos of this doctrine that was asked, ante, touching the atonement-"Does the value of Christ's teachings depend upon the peculiar mystery attending his birth or his death, rather than upon their intrinsic merit and beauty?" Surely if Christ's teachings are divine, we need not doubt that they will speak for themselves, and will make that progress in the world which all great truths have done. It is only necessary to glance at the enormous spread of Christianity over the globe to see that this has been the case in the past, and there is no reason to doubt that it will continue to be so in the future. In short, what we have to look to is, Christ's life and teachings, not his birth or his death. Let us take another view of the question. No man knows whence proceeds the soul which inhabits the body of any little child born into the world to-day. For anything we know to the contrary, the spiritual principle in every man now living, emanates at birth from God. This is the general supposition I believe. Man has power, given to him by the Almighty, to procreate the physical organism through which that spirit shall express itself, and according to the amount of perfection there is in the body, so will there be power for the indwelling soul to express itself, in a good or evil life. If, then, we are so much in the dark regarding the mystery attaching to the birth of our own children, how unjust does it not seem for us to condemn and denounce other men who are unable to understand whence emanated the spiritual principle which inhabited the physical organism of a child born into this world 1800 years ago! If the spirit indwelling in Christ came, as he himself tells us, from God, have we any reason to doubt that the soul indwelling in our children also comes from God? and, without presuming to place man on a level with Christ, is it not much more rational to conclude that Christ was simply endowed with more of the Divine Spirit than any other man, before or since, and that in this sense, and in this sense only, was he divine? All men are differently endowed to-day. If we believe that our souls come from God, we must therefore conclude either that some are better endowed—that is, are more divine in their nature than others—or else that all are alike endowed, and the difference between them depends on the different capacities of the body in which the soul is condemned to live on earth. The following passages seem strongly to corroborate the foregoing theories: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple. of God is holy, which temple ye are." (1 Cor. 3: 16.) "And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." (1 John 3.) If the reader agrees with the foregoing conclusions, he will be prepared to admit that the view of Christ's divinity here expressed is one which may be consistently held by a sincere Christian and by the unbeliever also. In conclusion, I would also refer the reader once more to the frequent use of the expression, "The sons of God" (ante p. 75) by the Apostles in their doctrinal teaching. 10. As regards the Trinity, no more need be said than that it is a doctrine we are in no wise bound to believe on pain of damnation. Those who can comprehend it, and find satisfaction in it, may, of course, receive it. Those who cannot so receive it, need give themselves no concern about it, since Christ never taught it as an article of belief, or one having the slightest connection with our salvation. further than to say "Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man it The above certainly expresses a distinct threat against those who blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, but there is no command for us to believe in the Holy Ghost; whereas, on vital points, we find commands and injunctions in abundance. It seems, therefore, quite unwarrantable to build up a doctrine touching the Trinity, and require adherence to it under pain of eternal punishment. * II. The doctrine of natural depravity and original sin seems to have never been taught or sanctioned by Christ himself, but emanated from, or was at least taught by, St. Paul (see the extracts, ante p. 71). Christ, on the contrary, said— "Suffer little children to come unto me, for of such is the 66 Does this agree with St. Paul's statement about our being "by nature the children of wrath"? Rather does it show that Christ pointed to the little child as an emblem of purity and innocence, which others are to imitate; and, in * Bishop Burnet, in his Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles, is unable to quote a single passage from Christ's words in support of this doctrine. Its importance, if true, must be very great since the doctrine of Christ's atonement depends on it. Hence it is incredible that Christ could have omitted all mention of it, or used many expressions which imply the opposite, were it important for us to believe. this respect, it proves the nature of the salvation he offered to be a return to the natural inward purity of the child. The doctrine of natural depravity depends primarily upon the Old Testament account of Adam's fall, in consequence of which, all men were thereafter born into the world sinners, and needed the sacrifice of Christ's life in order to appease the wrath of God and induce Him to save from eternal destruction those on whose behalf Christ should intercede. The notion that a merciful God would condemn all mankind to eternal punishment because one man—thousands of years before we were born-disobeyed God's commandments by stealing an apple, is so preposterous that it is inconceivable how any one can give credence to the fable, and yet it is on this that the whole theory of the atonement rests! We are told that Adam was made after the image of God, and yet he was so imperfectly constituted that he could not resist temptation; and we are led to believe that God--who is "kind to the unthankful and to the evil," and "who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth "-condemned not only Adam, but all his descendants after him down to the time of Moses, to eternal punishment for not being created perfect! If the reader will turn back to the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, ante p. 87, under the headings, "Is God merciful?" and "Salvation for all," I think he will be disposed to admit that this doctrine is opposed to all God has taught us, not only in the Bible, but in the of Book of Nature, regarding His attributes of mercy and justice. Of sin there is, no doubt, more than enough in the world; but to believe one moment that, at birth, the soul proceeds from God, and the next, to assert that we are all, by nature, “ children of wrath," is little less than blasphemy against the Creator. If, on the other hand, it is said the soul does not emanate from God, whence does it originate?-from man or the devil? Seeing that Christ compared the purity of the child |