The Harrison times., 1912-02-10
Jesus Was Poet of
Human Soul
by Rev. ]. EDWARD KIRBYE
Pastor Of Piynsuth Congregational Church,
DsS hsiseS, lows

Robert Browning has sometimes
been called the poet Of the soul, This
has been said OF him because he
analyses, sees deeply, feels intensely,
loves romantically and interprets
wisely; but | am sure that Jesus
Christ is a greater poet OF the human
soul, ! say poet, because there is
distinct literary charm, an intelIec'
tual height, an imaginative quality,
wise insight into the soul of man, In
this message which he is speaking
He knew men, and that statement
from one of the sacred writer's has
great deal OF meaning In It. He knew
God more intensely than others, He
may have lacked education, He may
have associated with the schools In
Jerusalem and imbibed their culture,
but no one ever emphasized more
deeply felt more intensely, inter
preted more wisely than did Jesus
Christ, Jesus Christ Is analyst Of
the moods Of the soul and offers a
solution to its problems, He reveals
to man the heart Of the divine,
lie is not philosopher in the ordi'
nary acceptance of this term A phil.
osopher is one who Is skilled in so
phistry, In science one who looks up
on reason as the infallible guide, who
schools himself to think and practice
only at the dictates Of cool reason.
That is the meaning Of the word phil
osophy Jesus did not forsake his
reason, but in the sense that we un-
derstand philosophy, He did not aim
at this achievement but he did be
leye that he saw the moods Of the
soul Of man and believed that there
were highways OF progress out and
beyond the reaches Of the stole epi
curean philosophy Of his day and he
challenged these to an intellectual
combat You cannot fail to see his
underlying principles In this sermon
He had thought them out carefully,
had seen them In their relations and
believed fully on their wisdom and
practicability,
Jesus is not scientist A scientist
Is one who amasses knowledge, re.
yerely tests It, co.ordinates and sysle'
matizes IT, until he reduces It to an
accuracy, especially with reference
70 the laws Of nature, He Is not par
Cicularly interested In humanity, eS'
ceptng as this humanity serves ms
good. Jesus did not do that lie had
no laboratory made no experimental
tests
His only logic was truth IN all It's
relations, as II loomed large upon the
horizon Of his soul Jesus was the
post.thinkor In Gods outol.doors The
human heart and men In human rola'
lions engaged his thought and atten'
ton The altruistIc motive was al
ways uppormost, And yet, while Jesus
was not distinctly a scientist, his
psychology Is IN harmony with the
most modern interpretations Of the
moods Of the human mind, and some
Of the principles Of modern pedagogy
are very forcibly expressed IN the
sermon on the mount,
Jesus Is not Il theoogian In the ordi.
nary acceptance Of that term, nor In
the acceptance Of the term as II was
known IN Jerusalem IN his day The
thcoIogian emphasized the value Of
law, the logic Of the law and the logic
Of theory. Jesus did not do that
Jesus said very cmph0tIcally that man
was much greater than the law, and
much more important than theory
that law was made for man and not
man for law, and out Of thIa value he
placed upon the human soul he re-
constructed a thought Of the father
hood Of God, the brotherhood OF man
aud the essential value Of his own per
sonality which makes his doctrine
unique. But human interest was noy.
or sacrificed to the interest Of n the
ory or an ecclesiastical proposition
II is not Of Christ them the philos.
ophor the teacher, the scientist or the
thcoIogNn but the Christ who was IN.
torostod IN the multitude bocauso he
believed that he had remedies for
theIr Ills, healing for their sIcknossos
life instcad Of death hope instead Of
sorrow Ike this thought Of Mat
thow IN introducing Jesus to us In this
wonderful Germon "And aeoing the
multitude, he went up into mountain" i"
The multitude interested him, They
were upon his heart They had left
their cares their tasks, their ankle.
tics, their chickering's and had como
10 hear hN