of perfection in Him that it has reached in no other.  If it pleased God in a single instance to hasten the process, the result is not less inspiring and illuminating than it would have been if the divine purpose had been directly and instantly accomplished.  The teachers and leaders have ever been helpers of their fellow-men.  In evolution, as in the race of life, some always move more swiftly than others; and those who are far in advance may, if they choose, become the servants of those who move more slowly.  One Being has appeared in the midst of the ages who is so far superior to all others that He may be regarded as the revelation of the soul’s true goal, but who is, at the same time, so unlike others as to convince many, at least, that He is also the revelation in humanity of a higher power which is cooperating with the soul in its ascent.

In this chapter no attempt will be made to meet the various questions that the formal theologians have raised.  I cannot feel that such subjects as “satisfaction,” “expiation,” “plan of salvation” are of any practical importance, and I leave them to those who care for them.  In the meantime let us ask, What aid does the soul need in its passage through its life on the earth?  It needs light and power.  We do not meditate long on the soul’s advance without realizing that it has been constantly reinforced from outside itself.  This phase of our subject will be considered in the chapter on “The Inseparable Companion.”

It may, I think, be said that what the soul needs more than anything else is light, and that all necessary light has been furnished.  Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World.”  That statement is literally true.  There may be room for perplexity as to the credibility of parts of the New Testament, and as to what is called the miraculous element in history.  There is also room for difference of opinion as to the nature of the person of Jesus, and as to His supernatural mission; but few would deny that, if they could feel sure that He was actually from above, they would accept His message because it contains all the ethical and spiritual knowledge that men need in their earthly lives.

A single assumption is made at the beginning of our study.  It is as follows:  What satisfies our minds and hearts, in their hours of deepest need and brightest illumination, should always be accepted as true until it is proven to be false.

The profoundest subjects of thought and life are illuminated by the ministry and the teaching of Jesus Christ.  The last word concerning these subjects has not yet been spoken.  Even our Bible is but a collection of scattered rays of the true light.  What vaster revelations may come to men in future ages no one can predict.  As growth goes on, the soul will be fitted to receive messages which it could not now understand; but all that men need to know in their present stage of development is clearly revealed in the teaching, and the example, of the Man of Nazareth and Calvary.  He is the brightest light on the deepest and darkest problems.