How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!— Isaiah 52:7.
Mighty is the word salvation and great its import to struggling humanity. It means not only redemption, but victory born of the conquest over all that is false, debasing, discordant, and material in origin, or destiny. Like the wide horizon it engirdles all men, and like the air is everywhere present, the hope of nations, the ultimate of faith, and the reward of overcoming evil with Good, hate with Love, and matter with Mind. Its universality is its might, and its divine nature its jewelled crown. Humanity demands and yearns for freedom from sin, disease, sorrow and death. Like an imprisoned bird no rest exists for it, till the fetters of human limitation and matter are broken, and it is free to soar above earth's fogs and toiling into the heavenly altitudes, wherein abideth God, and man's spiritual dominion over all things is made manifest. The way of salvation has been brought to the ages by the great spiritual leaders of history, God's representatives and mouthpieces. The monotheistic Hebrew nation was rich in these leaders, and through, successive decades gave to all true searchers for the One God, as much light as the age could appropriate.
At one epoch of human progress, the salvation through faith in One Supreme Being was voiced by Abraham; at another the salvation of the law and worship of One God, and consequent condemnation of the worship of god's many, was taught by Moses, who embodied in the Decalogue spiritual truths, which had they been spiritually discerned and heeded by the religionists of his age, would not only have ushered in more exalted views of God and His universe, but would have prepared the way for the reception of our Saviour, who came fulfilling the law, by elaborating, elucidating, demonstrating, and completing it, through precept and example. Each age had its prophets, who heralded a coming salvation and reign of peace. At this stage of human growth and spiritual unfolding, salvation was presented through Christ Jesus to all Israel, and also to the whole heathen world, buried deep in its worship of deified human passions, under title of the gods. He revealed salvation as dependent upon a right understanding of God and His laws governing man and the universe. He declared that mental and bodily freedom meant escape from passion, personal sense, disease, evil thinking and death, through the acquisition and living of the Christ life, or the thinking of holy, pure, Godlike thoughts, as opposed to the indulgence of fleshly, material thoughts. He taught the naturalness, not the mystery of deific law, government and control, unmasked hypocritical tendencies in worship, prayer and living, and through the revelation and demonstration of the natural and simple law of Divine Mind, healed sin and disease,' and finally overcame death; for by (mortal) man came death, by man came also the resurrection and the life. Thus in reviewing salvation as given to the world through Christ Jesus, we at once see its mighty breadth, efficacy, divine origin and spiritual ultimate to each individual.
