________________
JAINISM, CHRISTIANITY & SCIENCE
164
the fruit (the offering) of the labours of the two is not equally acceptable; for one leads to divinity, and the other to damnation and perdition. Abel's offering is preferable for this reason to Cain's. Abel having been born and died, scientific knowledge is acquired by the soul that has turned to divinity, in the fulness of time; for it is the law that he who is once moved by the conception of his own divinity must, sooner or later, attain the wholeness of salvation. Accordingly, Seth is born in the fulness of time; and he calls himself by the name of the Lord.
To turn to Christian 'symbolism, the Messiah is preceded by repentant intellect who is represented by John the Baptist. He is like a voice crying in the wilderness exhorting men to repentance, and baptizing them with water. The significance is this, that when the mind is impressed with the divinity of the soul on the one hand and the terrors of transmigration, on the other, in the course of which one may be thrown into an animal form, or pass into hells and may even sink into the outer darkness,' he then repents of the life of the world. The world, then, appears to him like a wilderness, and he longs to turn over a new leaf, to turn to the faith which leads to salvation and godhood. The Baptism (purification) is only thus far intellectual, and means intelligent conviction, which is, nevertheless, the foundation of the subsequent temple of divinity to be raised on it.
The Messiah baptizes with the Holy Ghost and with fire. The term 'fire' signifies asceticism. In Jewish Esotericism, this fire was described as Intelligent Fire.' The "Pistis Sophia speaks of a very great, very vehement wise fire which will burn up sins.' (The Lost
6
93
