222 BRIGHT SIDE OF THE 



based upon self-interest; but upon self-interest ap- 

 plied to a future life. For this he was indebted to the 

 age in which he lived. He was superior as a prophet 

 to Isaiah, as Newton as an astronomer was superior to 

 Kepler, Kepler to Copernicus, Copernicus to Ptolemy, 

 Ptolemy to Hipparchus, and Hipparchus to the un- 

 known Egyptian or Chaldsean priest who first began to 

 register eclipses and to catalogue the stars. Jesus was 

 a carpenter by trade, and was urged by a prophetic 

 call to leave his workshop and to go forth into the 

 world, preaching the gospel which he had received. 

 The current fancies respecting the approaching de- 

 struction of the world, the conquest of the Evil Power, 

 and the reign of God had fermented in his mind, and 

 had made him the subject of a remarkable hallucina- 

 tion. He believed that he was the promised Messiah 

 or Son of Man, who would be sent to prepare the 

 world for the kingdom of God, and who would be ap- 

 pointed to judge the souls of men, and to reign over 

 them on earth. He was a man of the people, a rustic 

 and an artizan : he was also an imitator of the ancient 

 prophets, whose works he studied, and whose words 

 were always on his lips. Thus he was led as man and 

 prophet to take the part of the poor. He sympa- 

 thised deeply with the outcasts, the afflicted, and the 

 oppressed. To children and to women, to all who suf- 

 fered and shed tears ; to all from whom men turned 

 with loathing and contempt : to the girl of evil life, 

 who bemoaned her shame ; to the tax-gatherer, who 

 crouched before his God in humility and woe : to the 

 sorrowful in spirit, and the weak in heart ; to the 

 weary and the heavy laden Jesus appeared as a shin- 

 ing angel with words sweet as the honey-comb, and 

 bright as the golden day. He laid his hands on the 



