Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-09-29

way OF SdlYdJlOn. tOr JnOSe VINO en-
tertain it, this belief constitutes an
obstacle in 'the new and living way
1.-The way of the truth" which he
showed.
The essence of his work was the
| illustration or eXemplification of
what is practicable for us; but his
life would furnish no example unless
he were a human person "in all
points tempted like as we are" 1t
was essential to all that he sought
to accomplish that we should follow
his steps," that we should overcome
evil and rise above discordant condi-
tions as he did; that is, from the
same plane or status of being and by
virtue of the same law and power.
The end and aim of his entire en-
deavor was to serve his fellow men,
and there ought to be no doubt as to
the nature and method of his service.
We have his own authority for say
ing that it was teaching; it was en-
tightening the world; it was bearing
witness unto the truth. His entire
! ministry was concrete lesson by
which he objectified the truth or
reality of mans being.
Such service would have been
vain and useless, indeed it would
have been impossible, if the truth
which he proved were not as true for
us as it was and is for him. Happily
for us, it was the reality of mans
being brought to light Hence it was
that Jesus said, Because l live, ye
shall live also"
Jesus, therefore, must have been
human; but the Christ is divine. A
sentence written by Mrs. Eddy will
explain our view of his dual person
ality. This Christ, or divinity oil
the man Jesus, was his divine nature
the godliness which animated him. y
(Science and Health, page 26.)
There is another point that needs
to be emphasized in this connection
1t is this: The belief that Jesus was
able to do what he did because he
was God not only tends to perpetuate
mortal and material concept oil
man, but it also tends to limit and
obscure the knowledge of the only
true God.
To understand the love which Jesus
manifested one must understand tha
Love is God; that is, divine Love, OF
divine Principle, is God. To compre
hend the life which Jesus reflected
one must perceive that divine Life il
God. To appreciate the intelligenc,
which Jesus showed forth one mus
see that God is Mind and that divin,
Mind is God. To grasp the spiritual
ity and truth which he expressed on,
must apprehend that God is Spiri
and is Truth.
To get the meaning of the so-calleC
miracles which Jesus wrought on
, must know the divine law and powe
!; which made them possible. To un
| derstand whatever he did or was, on
: must understand that God is tn
) Principle of every right action an,
r of all true being. Every evidenc
J of good is witness to the Principl
of goodness, and this divine Princi
: pie is God. Hence it was that Jesu
said, He that seeth me seeth Hin
/ that sent me-
5 The object, then, of what is calleu
the incarnation was fulfilled wheI
God was made manifest to human
t thought through man; and the atone
ment or at-one-ment was reveale,
when the real man was proved to b
t inseparable from God and entirel
} separate from evil.
How, then, did the belief tha
J Jesus is God originate? The Jew
had always been monotheists. TIL
t Shema, declaring the oneness of God
| was the cardinal point of their faith
and it was expressly approved b
} Jesus. When and why did his fol
lowers formulate the doctrine of tn
: Trinity?
/ The first part of this question ca,
be answered somewhat definitely
} The growth of this doctrine can b
} traced in the creeds which came int
use by the Christian churches of tn
second and third centuries. AS t
how this belief or doctrine originated
| the evidence is not so clear. It i
possible, however, and perhaps it i
probable, that this theory got il
start from misunderstanding an in
cident related in one of the gospel:
{ After the crucifixion and resurret
tion, when the doubling Thomas wa
: at length convinced that Jesus wa
> alive in spite of all that evil coul
do, he uttered the words, my Lor
Y and my God" OF course this was