here Paul has always touched men closest is in the earnestness and
difficulty of his struggle for the good life, and in the sense of a
celestial aid,--he calls it "the love of Christ,"--which somehow brings
habitual victory in the conflict, and sheds peace in its pauses, and
gives assurance of ultimate triumph and perfect fruition.

The main theme for which Paul contends in most of his epistles was vital
to the life of the early church,--that its members were not to be held to
observance of the Jewish ritual. In support of that theme, Paul develops
his philosophy of the universe. The main lines of that philosophy are
essentially these: that when God had created man, man's sin incurred the
penalty of death; that God chose the Jews as his peculiar people, and
gave them the code of laws contained in the books of Moses; that the law
was too difficult for weak human nature to perfectly obey, so that death
still reigned on earth, with dire penalty impending in the afterworld;
that God then had recourse to another plan. He sent his Son into the
world, who became a man, taking on him that fleshly nature which is the
occasion and the symbol of human transgression, but which he wore in
perfect holiness. God then caused this fleshly nature of Jesus to die
upon the cross, while the spiritual nature outlived the perishing body,
appeared in radiant form to men, and returned to the eternal realm. By
this visible sign God made proclamation to mankind, "Die unto sin by
forsaking sin, and I will give you holiness which issues in eternal life.
The death and resurrection of my son, Jesus Christ, are the token and
promise of my free gift, which only asks your acceptance. Accept it, by
turning from sin, and you shall receive the sense of companionship with
Christ, and the consciousness of a divine power working in you and in the
world. Of set laws you have no longer need; rites and ceremonies were
but the type of the reality which now is freely given to you. Your sole
obligation is to love; your fidelity to that shall constantly merge in
the sense of joyful freedom; the imperfect attainment of earth shall
issue into the eternal felicity of heaven."

In such language we try to restate Paul's philosophy. Thus, or somewhat
thus, he thought. Just how he thought we can never be sure, nor does it
matter. The mould of his belief was so different from ours that all
which closely concerns us is to discern if we can what was the kernel of
g