some of the Soul-inspired patriarchs gave good proofs of understanding God. Jacob wrestled with a man, that is, strove against the belief of Life and Intelligence in matter, “until day-break;” until the light of science shone upon his understanding, enabling him to restore the shrank sinew; this was the spiritual sense; the literal — the hour of dawn. The shrank sinew he restored, understanding simply that he possessed control over matter, and that man is immortal, the image and likeness of God, that cannot lose one jot of its completeness. When Jacob became the demonstrator, even in a limited capacity of this Truth, he was named Israel, the chosen of Wisdom, and thereafter those building on this foundation, were of the house of Israel.
Why Jesus of Nazareth stood higher in the scale of being, and rose proportionately beyond other men in demonstrating God, we impute to his spiritual origin. He was the offspring of Soul, and not sense; yea, the Son of God. The science of being was revealed to the virgin mother, who, in part proved the great Truth, that God is the only origin of man. The conception of Jesus illustrated this Truth, and finished the example of creation. Jesus was the idea of this Principle, but born of woman, that is, having in part a personal origin, he blended the idea of Life, that is God, with the belief of Life in matter, and became the connecting link between science and personal sense; “and took upon himself flesh,” became apparent as the half-way position of positive science; thus to mediate between God and man; in other words, to present the idea of God that revealed Life outside of matter, in contradistinc-
