The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-01-28
CoRREsPoND NCE.
The Latest scepticism.
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. oath, {


MeSSrS. EdttorS,-Lord Bolingbroke,
Pope, and the principal sceptics of the
last century, took refuge in Epicurean-
ism, regarding this world as not only
endurable, but enjoyable; but the latest
scepticism Of this age takes a gloomy
view of the world, arraigns it as an
imperfect mechanism, easily improva-
BILE by intelligent men, and in the eXis-
tence Of it's manifold evil clearly incon-
sistent with the personality or with
the goodness of God Some of these
blasphemers go so far as to assert that
they would be ASHAMED of themselves
if they could not organize and execute
better system of things" When men
assert that evil blots out the possibility
Of God or Good, they really demand
universe absolutely perfect from the
beginning. Would such universe cer-
tainly mirror forth divine power and
grace Free, responsible beings, are
the highest created eXistences. Among
these, if they are to be thoroughly
tested, evil must some time or other
arise, and extend by their agency to
physical things. Thus in some degree
we realize that
Freedom Involves the Possibility OF
Evil.
and thereby an actuality which even
the Supreme may not prevent, except
by departure from the principle OF
moral rule. Ie fect HberuDo, non no
6tlem, q,tia impossible est post Hbertatem. -"
Evil is so intense that sometimes we
would that it were put an end to at
once. We say, Let present misery
and future anguish in no wise be per-
mitted" We say, "But for sin 1 mi ght
be happy as seraph, enjoy an over
flow Of blessing, have deep insight of
divine goodness, and why should this
goodness not be given at once instead
of having to be wrought out by slow
process and the misery of millions ="
1t may be answered that the highest
and best good to created beings is free
dom, that freedom involves choice, re.
sponsibility, and the possibility of trans
gression. Shall no free existences be
created2 Nothing to love God? MOTH
ing able by choice to say, "Lord, we
are thine, and thou art ours"2 Why
this would be sins most awful triumph
fatal in casting down moral perfection
and goodnessI perverse in turning lib
erty, which is guided by motive and
reason, into supremacy Of blind and in
evitable fatel For God not to create
because free beings must necessarily
have power to abuse his bounty, were
to turn his omnipotence into impotence
indeed. How can we conceive o more
awful triumph of evil than that its dark
and hateful spectre, while yet unborn,
should oversbadow Jehovah himself,
and tie up the hands of the Almighty
from the noblest exercise of His crea-
tive wisdom, and imprison his infinite
riches within his own bosOm-so that
matter should not exist lest it might
issue in chaOs-and no reasonable souls
spring to life to love their God, lest
the dark ogre Of evil should seize upon
them in spite Of all his power and drag
thom down into an abysmal ruin.
What were this but for Divinity to be
discrowned, and the Supreme TO re-
nounoe his own being and murder ere
alton at the birth, lest His fecundity
should be abused and the abusers should
suffer for their crimes?
The existence Of evil is, also, without
a doubt, tho
Means Of Physical and Moral Better.
ment
Let it be granted that physical suffer
ing in relation to tho lower animals is
no incidental nor intorpolatcd thing.
and that historically it is older than
human happiness, and inscparably in