The Washington herald., 1915-03-14
By DIR. W. w. BAKER.

Continued from last Sunday
Let US now turn 10 a few Of the great
dogmas OF Christianity, and see how
they gain-they do not lose-when they
are seen BY the eye Of the Mystic. when
they are contemplated in the light OF
the Spirit For II is worth while to take
a few Of these, and show how different
they are in dogma and in mysticism.
albeit X is true that there is ever 4
reality under the dogma, and the Mystic
sees the truth through the Veil that
oftentines covers it. He gives you more,
he does not really take away; he does not
rob you OF your priceless treasure. he only
shows YOU new points of beauty that up
to that point you had missed. II is as
though you had a jewel In a casket and.
looking upon il, were fascinated by the
beauty Of the one facet you see: but the
Mystic takes the jewel and lifts II high
into the sunlight so that all the facets
send back the light. and 1t shines with
a brilliance and a beauty and splendor
that it never had before.
Let US see II that be not true. Let me
take first OF ALL, BECAUSE II Is the one
rightly nearest to the heart. the greatest
question of the nature of the Christ. OF
His relation to the believer, or His place
in the heart.
Now on the nature Of the Christ there
has been many a dogmatic statement.
You find Il more or less defined in the
great Christian creeds written by Mys-
tics, repeated by DogmatiCs: they are
taken as dogmas instead of as efforts to
syllable out a truth too mighty for
human words perfectly to explain. For
when you hear them repeated over and
over again. when perchancr you repeat
them without any depth OF thought be-
hind them in your minds. you see only
the dogma ard not the truth behind 1t,
and may even shrink from that you mis-
understand because the light OF the
Spirit Is wanting You have there the
Christ who is spoken of as Very God OF
Very God. the Only-Begotten of the
Father. How does the Mystic see that
truth? What to him is the Christ when
thus Dramatically defined? He sees IN
him the very image of Divinity. truly
the very Son Of God. in whom the Spirit
i. ever begotten of the Eternal Father.
tine Spirit that ever descends to become
incarnate in matter. to suffer. to rise
again triumphant, carrying with Him
the manhood into God. He sees in that
statement of the splendor Of the Christ
not an isolated figure but humanity
seen as one, humanity in all the splendor
of It's unity. humanity in all the Divinity
of its birthright. perfect God and perfect
man, Inc human race tUt "ou-btSottNIi'
tn ascend to the God whence it derived.
He does not deny Christ-the Mystic new
er denies: he affirms Christ in the whole
Of humanity q whom the Christ is the
symbol and the promise. Because In Him
humanity rose up triumphant. therefore
all men shall rise in Him, and know the
reality Of the Divinity embodied in the
flesh.
lust as He is very God. SO are His
brethren who do not Yet realize their
own Divinity And in the proclamation
of that mighty manhood all humanity
rises triumphant and knows itself as
verify divine. "First-born among many
brethren that is the name that was
given TO Him: but there would be no
brotherhood were He divided from us by
tho vast gulf that. according to this
low separates God and man. Because
cod is in Him. He is also in us: because
Cod became man in Him. He is also be-
coming man in us. And so We fall back
on those great words of the Christ when
in His life on earth He was accused or
bla spheny: us it not written In your
law I said. Ye are Gods: III he called
Them Gods unto whom the word OF God
Eve and the scripture cannot be brok-
on. saw yc OF Him. whom the Father
hath sarctified. and sent into the world.
Thou b,asphemest: because I said, ! am
tn Son of God?'' He is not less divine
because His, brethren are also divine.
People say We Thcosophists drag Him
dovnward: no. not that: We lift human
itv IN TO Him. II is not pulling down
but a splendid rising. an ascension into
heaven for the whole race OF men.
The Mystic sees in the life OF Christ on
earth not only the history OF a perfect
life. though that 1t Is. hut also the his
tory NJ humanity Born in weakness.
raised in power: passing through all the
stages of the great fpitiations: born under
the Star that shonet above the manager:
baptized into the divine life when the
Spirit of God descends upon Him: trans
figured in the mountain when the realiza-