Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

RECONSTRUCTING THE NATURAL ORDER 375from all other beings, subsisting in Himself, intelligent,free, and the Creator of all things out of nothing, isthe foundation of human society and of morality. Tore-establish this doctrine in the minds and hearts ofmen, corrupted by a false worship which for ages hadobscured it, and was itself tainted with unspeakableprofanations, was a task of the greatest difficulty. Atthe time of Constantine it had been accomplished bythe Church through the joint and simultaneous actionof her teaching, pastoral, and sacerdotal office. Not onlydid the whole of this action turn upon the Person ofChrist, but the fact that it did so turn led to the resultthat every "/ doctrine was brought O out in the form of aconcrete fact. Let us observe this with regard to thatmaster doctrine the Being of God as above set forth.St. Paul ended his address to the philosophers, inwhich he so clearly and precisely challenged them to_ »accept the God who was the Author and Preserver oftheir being, with the words, " Because God has appointeda day wherein He will judge the world in»equity by the Man whom He has appointed, givingassurance of it to all by raising Him up from tbedead." The Resurrection of Christ was a fact whichall could comprehend. It formed the basis of theApostolic teaching. But it led on to the further doctrinethat He was the Messiah and the Son of God.Now in what sense was He the Son of God ? Andwhat was His work as Messiah ? Here again thedoctrine when unfolded led up to the mysteries of theRedemption and Incarnation, and to the primalmystery of all, that God was one in Nature yet threein Person, and that the Fathership, the Sonship, andthe Procession of the Spirit made a triple personalityin the one divine Essence. The preaching of Jesus