Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III. GEEAT PRINCIPLES AND SMALL DUTIES. John xin. 14. IF I THEN, YOUR LORD AND MASTER, HAVE WASHED YOUR FEET, YK OIXJHT ALSO TO WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET. Eveby fiction that has ever laid strong hold on human belief is the mistaken image of some great truth; to which reason will direct its search, while half-reason is content with laughing at the superstition, and unreason with believing it. Thus, the doctrine of the Incarnation faithfully represents the impression produced by the ministry and character of Christ. It is the dark shadow thrown across the ages of Christendom by his mortal life, as it inevitably sinks into the distance. It is but the too literal description of the real elements of his history; a mistake of the morally, for the physically divine ; a reference to celestial descent of that majesty of soul which, even in the eclipse of grief, seemed too great for any meaner origin. Indeed, how better could we speak of the life of Jesus than in the language of this doctrine; as the submission of a most heavenly spirit to the severest burden of the flesh,—the voluntary immersion within the shades of deep suffering of a godlike mind, visibly radiant with light unknown to others, and betraying its relation to eternity, whilemaking the weary pilgrimage of time ? It was the peculiarity of his greatness that it—stooped, I will not say, but—penetrated without stooping, to the humblest wants; not simply stepped casually aside to look at the most ignominious sorrows, but went directly to them, and lived wholly in them; scattered glorious miracles and sacred truths along the hidden bye-paths and in the mean recesses of existence ; serving the mendicant and the widow, blessing the child, healing the leprosy of body and of soul, and kneeling to wash even the traitor's .feet... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.