The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-01-20
a. rnr rsrrAnIAs cnuncH.
The 1asarnatgsa Of ahe Divine in ths
SGsnan.


'ssThe Incarnation q the Divine ~ the
Human. was Rev. Ernest @ smiths sub
5eet AT the morning service o. TIE Unitarian
church yesterday. He took for BIS text:
Iahn f4~Ana tzs word was made aesh and
dwelt among aS.
ties. smith said: The doctrine Of the
incarnation hiss been central IN al Christian
theology; It must be ia any deep theology
III Gods life does not touch our human
lives We practically live in Goddess world.
Religion does not Of course, claim that
man can ever perfectly comprehend Deity,
that the finite can measure the depths Of the
Infinite, bat that each soul can know Cod,
not, indeed. In His absoluteness. bat IN
Use manifestation OF Himself IN the world.
and that this knowledge Is trne knowledge.
The doctrine OF the incarnation made this
possible BY bridging the ehasm which was
cnce thought % make an impassah3e gulf
hetween God and maD. The great defect
IN the church doctrine has been its limita-
ton of the incarnation TO one individual
and ore short period OF thirty three years
II bridges the ehasm at one point only in
stead of filling il completely, brings God
into the world for 3 few brief years and
then leaves the weird 20 itself once more.
The bolder doctrine of the incarnation
finds God manifest ia the world at al times
and IN many men. while also bearing
witness tothe supremacy OF that manifesto
don in the life OF Jesus.
That the writer of the fourth gospel
should seem 80 limit this incarnation 70
the historic Jesus need not greatly trouble
ms. We can see how he came to do so. At
the time Of Jesus death, and shortly after,
the doctrine OF a Divine Word or Logos,
was developed by Philo, an Alexandrine
Jew. With him this Divine Word repre-
scented not only the eternal thought of God.
but was also conceived TO be active and
manifest in the lie OF the world Gods
eternal expression OF Himself. The Chris
tIans 40 this time held Jesus 20 be q man.
hit also the promised Messiah, raised into
participation in certain divine attributes.
Now when their trust ia Jesus met this
doctrine OF the eternal word. what mors
natural than that they should identity this
Word with their glorided Master.
But in this Identification the conception
OF Jesus nature was radically changed.
No longer was Jesus conceived Of as man
raised into union with God. bat God tenn
poraTily lowered ard Inundated to human
Ety. Each distinct element lost something
in the union as il was actually made. The
thought Of the eternal word, the active
manifestation OF God Il narrowed and
limited. the idea of uplifted humanity Is
lost. This narrowing conception was forced
upon the church by the DEGREES OF coun-
els, bat in every age some have not been
bound by it, Today we aecept the two
facts. We believe In the wonderful per-
sonaiity of jesus, man whose life pro-
gressiveiy manifested divine attributes,
and we believe that God i eternally and
constantly manifesttng himself In the uni
versc. There need be no conflict here.
This power. always manifest, Simply comes
10 its most perfect expression in che life OF
Jesus
This holder form Of the doctrine saws
that the word IL inearnate ia other human
llves than that OF Jesus. Even In the
second century Justin Martyr tells us that
the divine word or reason dwcit in others
than in Christ, only not 80 completely.
IL was in Moses aad the prophets, Socrates
and Plato we're both illuminated by il.
What is Il but this same idea when we say
that tie divine Is manifest In the higher
spiritual qualities OF men today
We sometimes overlook the deep signifi-
canoe OF actions which are said 10 spring
from human emotions; think that the
fiasi analysis has been made ard The
foundation reached when we say that
integrity. generosity, tenderness aud SELF.
sacrifice belong 10 human nature. Has nor
the nature 30 which these are possible
SEINE divine element ia it, tYs look too
fag Ssay for revelations of TIE divine and
miss the manifestation which are close At
hand. az course The manifestation varies
greatly ia deerees sometimes We can detect
IF u
brishsls in the master spirits Of our own.
no less than other aees.
Tbe divine psty aak sympathy come 70
rs through imam. Maa and God are part.
ness in she work OF providence. Ii the
divine purpose IN thc world appears a
tuses 70 step, or fail, or turn aside
the faslt Is ours alone II j. because we
do net les the divine life Sos through us.
The divine providence Is seen hv the allai
segsi eat Il Is aa ldeAi wiGh no txed form.
shie5 can not he gFaspea Until il becomes
iRearnAte 10 haman ilss. That = srse
saying that "the Creator hears through az
tAe hamsn ears HE has maae A human
mediator sees With every act II divine syn
pathy. When 9ahnssUwn was devastated
~ acod tie divine hep and sympathy
tssae 20 he survivors through tlsousafss
sllglerems chaaness, The tso3spaweY works
- asa aBa Through man. aud thus must
n8sn's splitting come thro2Ka 0aSaa7 5 poaex
acting il mau.
Ia evpgy azc there have been some men
Fesdg % sacrifice personal ease. thn sn-
FfWYsi s. fasa flfe lsssff. i pe0ss BE-, fog tie
$40 az hiEh steals Men Rhc faaesix
against systs upheld hg msase, ravuass8
aEaiuss systems Wasca .egtered he soal
aa8 save thetr Mssz Tug ethsrs fslses nas