94 



REV. JOHN HUNTLEY SERINE^ I>.D., ON 



on account of the very reverent spirit in which he had dealt with 

 the central mystery of all revelation in approaching it on literary 

 and ethical lines. He thought, however, that it was necessary to 

 remind those present that there was another side of the subject, 

 which Dr. Skrine's scholarly speculations failed to touch. The 

 analogy between the recorded experiences of Jeanne d'Arc and 

 Mary of Nazareth, so far as it was a sound analogy, was only partial 

 and " incommensurate." It left out the most important factor of 

 all those concerned in the conception of the GOD-MAN, namely, 

 the physical effect of what we try to understand by the Church's 

 phrase, " the operation of the Holy Ghost,""^ the Dominuset Vimficans 

 of the Nicene Greed. This belonged in toto to a different order of 

 events from anything whatever contained in the experience of La 

 Pucelle. It was the first term in a sequence of vital changes, which 

 (under the special guidance of Creative and Directive Power) pro- 

 duced (in accordance with the normal course of things) the Holy 

 Child, which was "born of a pure Virgin." Here was the crux of 

 the mystery ; but he thought we should do well to recollect that it 

 was but the first element of that complex mystery which was con- 

 tained in " the New Testament revelation of the Ineffable Personality 

 of the GOD-MAN — incarnate, crucified, risen and glorified — as the 

 outstanding miracle of the universe of Being." Recent advances in 

 biological science " suggested ideas of far-reaching significance in 

 their bearing upon great questions concerning the fundamental 

 Christian verities." He felt sure that if light from science was to 

 be thrown upon this central mystery of Faith, it was in the direction 

 of "Creative Evolution" on the lines suggested by Professor 

 Henslow's Paper last year to this Institute, and more fully 

 expounded by Bergson. 



In conclusion, he thought the value of the paper from the ethical 

 and mystical point of view would have been enhanced if the learned 

 author of it had taken some notice of the efforts of the greatest 

 artists to reproduce for our visual contemplation the deep thoughts 

 and feelings (beyond the expression of words), which moved in their 



See " proper preface " in the Communion Office for Christmas Day. 

 The Latin is very explicit : Qui, operante Spiritu Sancto, verus Homo 

 Jactus est, ex substantia Virginis Marios, matris suce. Cf. the words : 

 i^aTrecTTeikcv 6 6e6s rov viov aVTOV, yevo/xevop €k yvvuLKOs (Gal. iv, 4) — a 

 definite creative act, as distinct from " procreation." 



