THE UNIVERSAL AND ABSOLUTE RELIGION 389 



counted, every tear put in God's bottle. For every deprivation 

 and bereavement rightly received, there is provided a compensa- 

 tion in the grace of God, so that when life's programme is wrought 

 out, it will appear that " the sufferings of this present time are not 

 worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." 

 How adapted then is Christianity at once wherever it finds 

 human life and under whatsoever conditions, to commend itself to 

 all, with every assurance that the grace which it offers covers all 

 the experiences and conditions of life. It undertakes not only to 

 justify the soul from its sins, but to redeem the whole life also; to 

 guide it into a course, a career, and to a divine goal. Surely, then, 

 if the human soul anywhere, in any land, would find a religion 

 which promises to take account of the hard and painful externals 

 in its life and lot, and turn it all into present and eternal well- 

 being, where can it find it so well as in Christianity? 



V 



Another element in Christianity which adapts it to become the 

 universal and absolute religion is its ultimate aim. That aim is 

 to create the Godlike in personal character. The confidence that such 

 a goal may be reached is grounded in the fact that the work of 

 Christ, as set forth in the Scriptures on its subjective side, is to form 

 Christ himself within the soul as " the hope of glory." Through 

 sin the human soul has been thrown off its centre. It is Christ's 

 work by the divine spirit to recentre the soul in God, and by a 

 progressive method to habituate the soul to live its life in God. 

 Thus a new spontaneity of righteousness is begotten. By exercise 

 in this new freedom it progressively becomes second nature to 

 act as God wills, until in the end the whole being promises to be 

 conformed to the likeness of Christ. Professor James concludes his 

 remarkable book Varieties of Religious Experiences by saying: " We 

 have business with God; and he who opens himself to that business, 

 fulfills his destiny." Where did Professor James get that idea? 

 Certainly not outside the Christian revelation? For there only is 

 it to be found. There, indeed, it is gloriously found in the person 

 of Jesus as the head of the new creation. 



Look for a moment at the gospel picture of the transfigured 

 Christ, and then at the contrasting picture which follows it. The 

 first picture is that of Christ in his glory, his whole person, even 

 his garments, shot through and through with his own inner light, 

 and holding fellowship with the glorified personages of heaven. 

 The voice comes from heaven, exclaiming, " This is my Son, my 

 chosen: hear him ; ' ' " this is what I mean by Sonship," the Christ 

 of the Incarnation, the second Adam, accepting his cross, refusing 



