vin] The Evolution of Transcendence 235 



transmigration on just these grounds that without 

 conscious identity, identity is meaningless. 



We will face this last point first, for if really depends 

 on a confusion of thought. The doctrine of transmigra- 

 tion is an ethical doctrine which attempts to solve the 

 moral problem of the universe by desiderating successive 

 incarnations. Our objection was, that the moral pro- 

 blem was left unsolved if the being was not aware that 

 in each stage he was receiving the due reward of deeds 

 in former lives, because there would merely be an entity 

 that was rewarded or punished for another entity's 

 doings. Without experienced continuity the moral pro- 

 blem is no nearer to solution, because in each stage the 

 being is conscious of his own sufferings and joys, but not 

 of any previous existence whose actions determined 

 these. From this point of view we urged that a re- 

 incarnation would not be the reincarnation of the same 

 person. Further, it is important to note that each 

 successive incarnation is imposed from without, as a 

 judgment of the value of previous existence by an im- 

 partial and exterior judge. 



All this is totally inapplicable to the Incarnation of 

 Christ. The problem here is not a moral one, and no 

 question of an outside Being imposing certain conditions 

 of Incarnation comes in. God ' chose ' for Himself, as a 

 necessary part of the whole, implicit in the self-deter- 

 mination of his Being as Love, that He must become 

 Incarnate. Without Incarnation the complete identity 

 of experience between God and men, which is the neces- 

 sary presupposition of perfect union, would be impos- 

 sible ; so creation would be vain. 



Thus, though Christ did not experience the full con- 

 sciousness of the Eternal series, God did experience the 

 full consciousness of Christhood. The greater includes 

 the less, but not the less the greater. There is no question, 

 then, of dual consciousness or of lost identity, but only 



