INTRODUCTION.

Usual Form of the Argument.—Another Species of Proof.—Earthly Life of Jesus, not sufficiently investigated.—Ms Humanity alone, assumed here.—Inspiration, not essential in this Argument—General historical Validity of the Gospels assumed.—The Life they record, not mythical, but real.—“Behold the Man”

BOOK FIRST.

THE OUTER CONDITIONS OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

PART I.

HIS SOCIAL POSITION.

His Mother, her views respecting Him, and their Origin.—The Influence of these on Him.—Nothing else in the early Life of Jesus, favorable to his subsequent Elevation.—His Poverty, Hindrances in this to His Ministry.—“The Carpenter.”—His want of Formal Education, and of Patronage

PART II.

THE SHORTNESS OF HIS EARTHLY COURSE.

Duration of His Ministry.—His Death.—Earthly Causes of it.—Intolerance of the World, and His own unconquerable Will.—xShortness of His Life in Relation to the Form of His Work. In Relation to His Influence on succeeding Ages

PART Ill.

THE AGE AND PLACE IN WHICH HE APPEARED.

Moral Condition of the Age.—Gentile World.—Judea.—Galilee.—Nazareth.

Mythical Theory.—Irreconcilable with the outer Conditions of Christ’s Life.—These, undoubted Facts.—Not Myths.—Not founded on Messianic ideas

BOOK SECOND

THE WORK OF CHRIST AMONG MEN.

PART I.

HIS OWN IDEA OF HIS PUBLIC LIFE.

His Public Position, an Act of His own Will.—His Claim to Messiahship.—His Idea of Messiahship.—Not Temporal but Spiritual.—Not National but Universal.—Jesus, in this Respect, alone in His Age, His Country, the World

PART II.

THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS MINISTRY.

Dealt with the Age and the Country, collectively.—Their character.—Christ the Incarnate Conscience of both.—He, not conscious of personal Guilt—Began by rebuking, in order to reform the Nation

PART III.

THE MARKED CHARACTER OF HIS PUBLIC APPEARANCES.

I. Severity.—Moral Condition of Palestine.—Scenes of His early Ministry.—Scribes and Pharisees.—Formalism, Hypocrisy. II. Tenderness.—Instances and Source. III. Simplicity.—General character of His Life.—Relation of His Teaching to Times, Places, Persons.—His Words and Illustrations. IV. Authority.—Testimony of His Hearers.—Claim to Connection with God

PART IV.

HIS TEACHING.

CHAPTER I.

PRELIMINARY, GENERAL VIEWS.

Record of Christ’s Teaching.—No formal Account of it prepared.—Mind of Christ, sole Fountain of the Truths announced in the Gospels.—Summary of His Teaching.—A universal spiritual reign of God on Earth.—“Kingdom of Heaven,” etc., etc., etc.

CHAPTER II.

THE SOUL.

SECTION I.—REALITY AND GREATNESS OF THE SOUL.

Ignorance of Matter and Spirit.—Idea of the Soul Intuitional.—Universal Indifference to the Soul.—Jesus reveals it.—No formal proof of it.—His Teaching based on it.—Origin of the Soul.—Attributes.—Gospels teach its unutterable Worth.—Determines Man’s Place in the Scale of Being

SECTION II.—THE SOUL’S ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMMORTALITY.

Accountability belongs to the Rational and Moral Nature.—Activity, Unconscious, Instinctive, Intelligent, and Voluntary.—xiiGround of Responsibility.—The Doctrine in Christ’s Teaching.—Last Judgment.—Immateriality and Immortality.—Moral Conditions of Life.—Perdition of the Soul.—Sin and Death.—Element of Eternal Life.—“Life and Immortality brought to light by the Gospel.”

CHAPTER III.

GOD.

SECTION I.—GOD’S SPIRITUALITY, UNITY, AND MORAL PERFECTION.

Foundation of all Religion.—Being of God assumed in the Gospels.—An original Intuitions—Proof in our Nature of Divine Spirituality.—Angelic Souls.—Spirituality includes Life and Intelligence.—Vegetable, Animal, Intellectual, Moral Life.—The original parental Life.—Infinite Intelligence.—Christ at Jacob’s Well.—One Infinite, accounts for existing Phenomena.—More than One, contradictory.—Dualism.—Polytheism.—A Supreme among the Gods.—Christ proclaiming Unity.—Heathen Sentiments and Presentiments.—Gods of Paganism, their Character.—Jewish Misrepresentations.—The God of Christ, perfect Excellence

SECTION II.-GOD’S PATERNITY.

Type in Men, Reality in God.—Childship of all Souls.—In Soul alone, a Likeness to God.—Authority in God.—Love.—Great Family of God.—Introduction of Moral Evil.—Fatherhood of God in the Teaching of jesus.—Parental Love, the moving Power of the Universe

CHAPTER IV.

THE RECONCILIATION OF THE SOUL AND GOD.

Departure from God, Root and Essence of Evil.—Ever-widening.—Retributive Character.—Ruin of Spiritual Nature.—Union and Separation of Minds.—End of Christ’s Mediation, of His Death, and of His Life in Reconciliation

PART V.

THE ARGUMENT FROM HIS WORK TO HIS DIVINITY.

Human Systems of Religions Truth.—Mohammedanism.—Hindooism and Buddhism.—Talmudism.—Ancient Jewish Scriptures.—Stoicism, earlier and later.—Errors and Excellences.—Socraticism or Platonism.—Philo-Judæas.—Life of Socrates.—His Death.—His Faith and Hopes.—Christian Views of them and him.—Christianity contrasted with Teaching of Socrates.—Solution, Christ’s true Divinity

BOOK THIRD.

THE SPIRITUAL INDIVIDUALITY OF CHRIST.

PART I.

HIS ONENESS WITH GOD.

Communion between the created and the untreated Mind.—Human Side of the Doctrine.—Effort to conceive of God.—Faith in His Nearness to us.—In His Love.—Sense of Dependence.—Veneration.—Trust.—God listening and responding to the Soul.—To Christ, God the greatest Reality.—Christ alone with God.—Habitual, original Union.—Walked with God.

PART II.

THE FORMS OF HIS CONSCIOUSNESS.

Nature of Consciousness.—Its Universality.—Value of its Testimony.—Christ’s Consciousness.—Its Highest Development.—Expressed to the Last.—Interpretation of it.—Proof of Validity of his Claims.

PART III.

THE TOTALITY OF HIS MANIFESTATION BEFORE THE WORLD.

True Man.—Peculiar Susceptibility.—Sufferings and Provocations.—Unconquerable Patience.—Absolute spiritual Perfection.—Simplicity and Freshness.—Uniform Perfection.—Jesus a Manifestation, not an effort.—A pure Original, not an Imitation.—Alone in History.

PART IV.

THE MOTIVE OF HIS LIFE.

Absence of Selfishness.—Presence of pure and lofty Motives.—His active Goodness.—Views of the Soul.—Love of Man as Man.—Gave His Life, a Sacrifice.

PART V.

HIS FAITH IN GOD, TRUTH AND THE REDEMPTION OF MAN.

Foreknowledge of His death.—His Solitariness.—Never disappointed.—Truth a Provision for the Wants, Cure for the Evils of the World.—Attributes of God.—Expressions and Proofs of Christ’s Assurance.—Institution of the Supper.—Interpretation of these Facts.

PART VI.

THE ARGUMENT FROM HIS SPIRITUAL CHARACTER TO HIS DIVINITY.

Moral Aspects and outward Facts of Christ’s History.—A Character such as His, not once realized.—Interests of Truth and Virtue.—Moral Condition of Mankind, charged upon God.—Humanity in Christ peculiarly conditioned.—Idea of Incarnation universal.—A Primitive Revelation.—A universal Want.—xvProvision for this Want made once for all—Higher nature in Christ, not higher office merely.—His absolute Divinity.—This secured Aids and Influences, incommunicable to others

CONCLUSION.

Incarnation of Jesus sheds Light on all the Wonders of His History.—Supernatural Birth.—Resurrection and Ascension.—Miracles of His Life.—Spiritual Meaning.—Typical Character.—Sophistry of Strauss.—Extraordinary Tokens of Divinity Demanded.—Voice of God.—The World summoned to hear and believe