It would carry us beyond the purpose of this article to dwell upon the various arguments and analogies by which it was sought to illus trate the nature of this triunity in God, or to describe the varying types of theory which were elaborated in subsequent theological discussion. Those who desire to pursue the subject further can do so by the aid of such standard treatises as Neander's or Milman's of the Church,' or Fisher's (History of Christian Doc trine.' The various forms of Trinitarian belief are sketched and discussed in Prof. L. L. Paine's (Evolution of Trinitarianism.' The orthodox doctrine of incarnation was that the Son, the second person of the Trinity, united himself with ((human nature'— some times defined as impersonal, sometimes as per sonal. ((Two whole, complete natures in one person' was the formula. In modern times these definitions have been modified or rejected by those who have adopted a different philos ophy of the Trinity from that on which the definitions proceed.
Amidst the many diversities of opinion and theory the great common conviction of all Chris tians is that Jesus Christ is the supreme Re vealer of God and the Saviour of men. The manner in which he effects their salvation has been variously explained and illustrated accord ing to the conceptions entertained at different times of the ethical character of God. But whether Christ was believed to have paid a debt of honor to God or to have experienced a vicari ous punishment for us, or to have safeguarded the divine government, or to have furnished a supreme example and incentive to goodness in all these and other theories of atonement he is recognized as the Way to the Father.
These few statements respecting three great doctrinal topics may serve as illustrations of the historic theories which have been, in some cases, sanctioned by ecclesiastical authority, and, in others, rendered almost equally binding by tradition, and of their modification by the ap plication to them of modern historical and phil osophical methods of investigation and thought Its Ethical Character and Requirements. —While, officially considered, Christianity has had the character of a doctrinal system, with its authorized theories and binding beliefs, prac tically its chief value and power have lain in its ethical teachings and influence. Theologians have placed great stress upon the various formu las and definitions which have been elaborated from time to time, but of these the vast mass of Christians have never had more than the vaguest knowledge. Dogmaticians have often held that Christianity was primarily a body of officially defined doctrines, but for most be lievers it has certainly not been such but rather a series of moral duties and requirements—a certain line of action or kind of life.
This view of Christianity is more germane to the teaching of Jesus than the dogmatic view. He promulgated no creed, elaborated no system, championed no set of formulas. His teaching was doctrinal in the sense that there underlay it certain conceptions of the moral nature of God and man and a certain view of their rela tions. But Jesus advanced no such technical theories on these subjects as were developed in Mater Christian thought. Metaphysics, in gen eral, was foreign to the Jewish mind. Hence the teaching of Jesus naturally moved wholly in the ethical sphere. His teaching about God concerned itself almost wholly with the moral character and disposition of God. This char acter he illustrated by practical, human anal ogies.
Jesus' favorite name for God, as we have seen, was "Father'; that is, original, creative and sustaining love. In that conception of God the whole ethical character of his religion is rooted. The Father delights to give, to serve, to bless. He bestows his benefits upon all, even the evil and unthankful. He freely forgives, upon repentance, not (until seventy times,' but "until seventy times seven.) Now, the pri mary requirement of Christianity is that men should be like God; or, as Jesus expressed it, that they should be sons of their Father; that is, morally kindred to him in spirit and action. Jesus represented himself as having come into the world to reveal God in this character and perfectly to illustrate in himself the Godlike type of life. He would be servant of all; he came to minister and to give his life for others. His followers must do the same. They must take up his cross of sacrifice and self-renuncia tion and follow after him. As he laid down his life for men, so must they lay down their lives for one another.
With all its faults and failures, despite its divisions and bitter enmities, Christianity has done much to leaven the world with the spirit which its Founder thus described and en joined. It has cared for the sick and the poor, instructed the ignorant and sheltered the help less. To education, to literature and to art the Christian religion has imparted a powerful im pulse. No impartial student of history can question the great contribution• which Chris tianity has made to human progress in culture and philanthropy.