III.

fion of the grand queftion concerning the SECT. origin of moral evil, or to attempt to reconcile its exiftence and confequent puaifhment with the acknowledged attributes and perfections of God. These are questions, of which, if one may judge from the little fuc. cefs with which the acuteft and profoundest reafoners have been ever labouring to folve the difficulties they contain, the full and clear comprehenfion is above the ntellect of man, Yet, as the objection above mentioned is fometimes heard from the mouths of profeffed Chriftians, it must not be paffed by without a few thort obfervations,

WERE the language in queftion to be addreffed to us by an avowed fceptic, though it might not be very difficult to expofe to him the futility of his reatonings, we fhould almost despair of fatisfying him of the foundnefs of our own. We fhould perhaps fuggeft impoffibilities, which might ftand in the way of fuch a fyftem as he would establish: we might indeed point out wherein (arguing from conceffions which he would freely make) his pre-conceptions concerning the conduct of the Supreme Being, had been in fact already contradicted, particularly by the all of natural or moral evil:

existence at

and if thus

CHAP. proved erroneous in one inftance, why might II. they not be fo likewife in another? But though by thefe and fimilar arguments we might at length filence our objector, we could not much expect to bring him over to our opinions. We fhould probably do better, if we were to endeavour rather to draw him off from thofe dark and flippery regions, (flippery in truth they are to every human foot) and to contend with him, where we might tread with firmness and freedom, on fure ground, and in the light of day. Then we might fairly lay before him all the various arguments for the truth of our holy religion; arguments which have been fufficient to fatisfy the wifeft, and the beft, and the ableft of men. We might afterwards infist on the abundant confirmation Chriftianity receives from its being exactly fuited to the nature and wants of man; and we might conclude, with fairly putting it to him, whether all this weight of evidence were to be overbalanced by one difficulty, on a fubject fo confeffedly high and myfterious, confidering too that he must allow, we fee but a part (O how fmall a part!) of the universal creation of God, and that our faculties are wholly incompetent to judge of the schemes of his infinite wifdom. This, if the writer may be permitted

III.

permitted to offer his own judgement, is (at SECT. leaft in general) the best mode, in the cafe of the objection now in queftion, of dealing with unbelievers; and to adopt the contrary plan, feems fomewhat like that of any one, who having to convince fome untutored Indian of the truth of the Copernican fyftem, instead of beginning with plain and fimple propofitions, and leading him on to what is more abftrufe and remote, fhould ftate to him at the outfet fome ftartling problems, to which the understanding can only yield its flow af fent, when constrained by the decifive force of demonftration. The novice, instead of lending himself to fuch a mistaken method. of inftruction, would turn away in difguft, and be only hardened against his preceptor. But it must be remembered, that the prefent work is addreffed to those who acknowledge the authority of the holy Scriptures. And in order to convince all fuch that there is, fomewhere or other, a fallacy in our objector's reafoning, it will be fufficient to eftablish that though the word of God clearly afferts the justice and goodness of the Supreme Being, and alfo the natural depravity of man, yet it no lefs clearly lays down that this natural depravity fhall never be admit ted as an excufe for fin, but that " they

CHAP.

II.

"which have done evil, fhall rife to the re"furrection of damnation *"" That the "wicked fhall be turned into hell, and all "the people that forget God." And it is worthy of remark, that, as if for the very purpose of more effectually filencing those unbelieving doubts which are ever fpringing up in the human heart, our bleffed Saviour, though the meffenger of peace and good will to man, has again and again repeated thefe aweful denunciations.

NOR are the holy Scriptures lefs clear and full in guarding us against fuppofing our fins, or the dreadful confequences of them, to be chargeable on God." Let no man fay when "he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither "tempteth he any man†:" "The Lord is

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46

not willing that any fhould perifht." And in other paffages, where the idea is repelled as injurious to his character,-“ Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? "faith the Lord God; and not that he fhould "return from his ways, and live ||?" "For "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God §." Indeed al

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* John, v. 29. + James, i. 13.

Ezek. xviii. 23.

2 Peter, iii. 9.

§ Ezek. xviii. 32.

most every page of the word of God contains fome warning or invitation to finners; and all these, to a confiderate mind, must be unqueftionable proofs of our prefent pofition.

IT has been the more neceffary not to leave unnoticed the objection which we have been now refuting, becaufe, where not admitted to fuch an unqualified extent as altogether to take away the moral refponfibility of man, and when not avowed in the daring language in which it has been above ftated; it may frequently be obferved to exift in an inferior degree: and often, when not diftinctly formed into fhape, it lurks in fecret, diffusing a general cloud of doubt or unbelief, or lowering our standard of right, or whif pering fallacious comfort, and producing a ruinous tranquillity. It is of the utmost importance to remark, that though the holy Scriptures fo clearly ftate the natural corruption and weaknefs of man, yet they never, in the remoteft degree, countenance, but throughout directly oppofe, the fuppofition to which we are often too forward to liften, that our natural corruption and weaknefs will be admitted as lowering the demands of divine justice, and in fome fort palliating our tranfgreffions of the laws of God.

SECT.

III.