It may well be that such psychological hints are not to be thrown away. Yet it may be doubted whether success on this line is surer tlian under the old metaphysical control. There are curiosities of Psychology as well as of Metaphysics ; and the idea of a subliminal sphere may prove as inade- quate to explain the mystery of the Incarnation as the old ' bloodless ' categories of ' substance ' or 'nature.' The soul of Jesus is not on the dissect- ing table, and a psychology of it is impossible. In particular, it must be asked whether the represen- tation of Jesus as being ordinaril.y absorbed in His human experiences, while having occasional visitations of His own Logos consciousness, is true to the portrait of Christ in the Gospels. Is there any suggestion in the narrative of a move- ment on the part of Jesus, to and fro, between the sub-conscious and the conscious spheres ? Is not the deepest note in His character the continuous- ness of His conscious fellowship with God as of the Son with the Father ? Is there a hint anywhere of a shutting oft' of His Divine consciousness during the greater part of His human experience? There is certainly no indication of the shock which a merely human consciousness would receive if it were suddenly invaded by a Divine consciousness. Is not the dualism of two consciousnesses as fatal to the harmony of the life and character of Christ as that of the 'two natures' ever was? Or, at least, are not the two consciousnesses really co- incident, the Divine being the root of the human, the human being penetrated, formed, and inspired by the Divine ?
In any case, whatever value we may attach to theories of the Person of Christ, whether meta- jical, and whatever may be oui 1 of future Christological study, certain conclusions have established themselves as of permanent importance for Christian thought and experience, (i.) It is jjossible for a Divine Being to have a truly human experience. Thi-v is nothing in tbe nature of God or of man to forMu this. Scripture knows nothing of sucli diMpaiii\ between tlie Divine and human natures as to niaki- the idea of Incarnation an intellectual impossibility. Without doubt, the fact of Incarnation must be" a theme of unending wonder and praise : b\it our view of it ought not to be confoundod by the intru- sion of speculative difficulties whirli ,l,.'iiot lulong to the actual situation. The Son d (in.l lirciuue man. He was born, grew, thou^lit, willcil, |.i;iyrd, rejoiced, sulIei-iMl, died ; .-111.1 in iiii.l ihrunuh .-ill These perfectly Immaii i'X|.cricnccs lie \\a>. .-inil was i-(in- scious of liciim, Ihi- Snii ot" (he I'allicr, 'I'liis I livine consciousness wculd, no il<iiilit, i.rolouii.l!y iiic«lit'v, in His case, these exiieiieiice,. 'I'he I'lleii, i,,i I'l,- stance, of His sinlessness ,-111.1 .if llislili,-il n-i.-iii.ii to God upon the exercise ..f His int.-llc. 1 M,ii 1,1. iii ties must have been such ,-is t.> rais.- His kii..\\ I.-.Il high above that of other men, and would give to 11 what has been called 'intensive infinitude.' Km the Divine consciousness would not make the human
experiences other or less tlian human. Surely it ought to be admitted, once for all, that humanity, as we know it, is not complete, and that it gains completeness only as it approximates to the Divine nature. It is not so correct to say that Jesus Christ was Divine and yet human, as to say He was Divine and therefore human.
(ii.) It follows that the human experiences of such a Being constitute at once a veiling and a manifestation of the Divine glory. In the thinking, feeling, acting, sufi'ering of the Son, the Father is drawing near to His creatures, and achieving for them the purpose both of creation and of redemp- tion. We are to look for the Divinity of Christ, not apart from His Immanity, but within it, in the facts of His character, and in those actions which He performs and those sufl'erings which He endures in closest fellowship with men. His human ex- periences, so far from casting doubt on His Divinity, or seeming to be inconsistent with it, will be its chief demonstration, and will constitute God's mightiest work for us. His most moving appeal to us. This Man is the Word of God incarnate.
(iii.) Knowledge of Christ, accordingly, is per- sonal, and, like all personal knowledge, is ethically conditioned. All constructive statements regard- ing the Person of Christ, accordingly, nmst be, to a de'a-ee not attained in the older formularies of the Church, synthetic and concrete. We rise from a study of the life and character of Jesus, and of the experience of those who have come under His saving influence, with the conviction of His essen- tial Godhead. We confess Him to be the Son of God. But His Godhead is not to be regarded in abstract separation from His humanity. It is the Godliead of One who is profoundly and truly human.
It is Godhead, as it discloses itself in human- ity, which presents itself for our reverent study, and our no less reverent doctrinal statement.
From this point of view alone can the facts of the life of Christ be apprehended. In this light alone can Christ be presented to this genera- tion as the answer to its need, the age-long need of the human spirit, for personal union with God.