THE sons of men are constantly contemplating the problem of their salvation from the woes which beset them. Sin, disease, poverty, sorrow, death—evil in its many forms—seem to companion with them; and from their toils they would be freed. Mortals have longed for, sought for, this deliverance probably from the beginning of their existence upon the earth. And it is certain that, through the period of recorded religious history, many have hoped that salvation would come through another, God-endowed and God-empowered.
Mortals, then, have searched, and continued to search, for a means of saving themselves. Consider, for example, the phase of evil belief called disease. Are not many devoting themselves to the study and practice of what is called medical science for the purpose of either healing mankind or alleviating human suffering? Probably few among these devotees think that through material means complete freedom from disease will ever be attained. Their efforts are in consequence largely devoted to its prevention, and to stemming the course which it may tend to run. Perfect health, with life on earth indefinitely prolonged, may be the ideal of a few of these, but whoever bases his thinking and practice on matter as real, can have little hope that the human race will be saved "to the uttermost"—even to the extent of the overcoming of death.
Thinkers along other lines are also attempting to benefit mankind. Investigations in natural science are being conducted very largely with that in view. And it has to be acknowledged that much has been done by chemists and physicists to benefit mortals temporarily. The same can be said of the science of education. The human mind has greatly benefited by it, the logical faculty having been developed, and the power of observation increased. Reason has thus been able in many instances to supplant guesswork, with its faulty judgments. Further, the study of ethics has helped to establish morality on a more rational basis, thus greatly benefiting society. But after all has been said in favor of these and similar efforts, it has to be acknowledged that mortals remain to a great extent unsaved and unprotected. For sin, disease, and death are still the scourges of mortal existence.
