those limited records shows us no trait which is not
beautiful--a life full of easy tolerance for others, of
kindly charity, of broad-minded moderation, of gentle
courage, always progressive and open to new ideas, and
yet never bitter to those ideas which He was really
supplanting, though He did occasionally lose His temper
with their more bigoted and narrow supporters.
Especially one loves His readiness to get at the spirit
of religion, sweeping aside the texts and the forms.
Never had anyone such a robust common sense, or such a
sympathy for weakness. It was this most wonderful and
uncommon life, and not his death, which is the true
centre of the Christian religion.

Now, let us look at the light which we get from the
spirit guides upon this question of Christianity.
Opinion is not absolutely uniform yonder, any more than
it is here; but reading a number of messages upon this
subject, they amount to this: There are many higher
spirits with our departed. They vary in degree. Call
them "angels," and you are in touch with old religious
thought. High above all these is the greatest spirit
of whom they have cognizance--not God, since God is so
infinite that He is not within their ken--but one who
is nearer God and to that extent represents God. This
is the Christ Spirit. His special care is the earth.
He came down upon it at a time of great earthly
depravity--a time when the world was almost as wicked
as it is now, in order to give the people the
lesson of an ideal life. Then he returned to his own