Nevada County picayune., 1889-05-22
RELIGIOUS COLUMN.
Edited by GEO. A. GARDNER.
The Origin of Evil.

with it's emerald, the DlrdS WnOSe music vocalzes the air with song, the beasts that roam through our primeval solitudes, as well as the far-off stars which twinkle in the azure Armament above. all are full of mystery. Even man himself. lord of this lower creation, is an uneX- plainable enigma, aside from the rev citations of the Bible.
 But the grandest and most unfath- omable mystery in all the univere of God is, the origin of evil. That moral is the cause of physical evil, is generally, if not universally ad- mitted; and the Bible furnishes the only rational account and explana- tion of the introduction of moral evil, or sin, into this world on which we live. But sin, or moral evil, (for we use these terms interchangeably) existed before the creation of Adam, or at least before the fall of man. We can to some extent, understand why Adam sinned, as we learn from Revelation that he was solicited and persuaded to do so by agencies from without external influences were brought to bear upon him, and Tn an evil moment he yielded to these seductive influences. and thus brought death and woe into the world.
 But back of all this, lies the incep- ton and introduction of actual sin into the moral universe. It is gen. erally conceded by believers in the Bible, that the Devil is the first and the oldest sinner, of whom we have any account; that he kept not his first estate of purity and innocency, in which he was created, but fell by transgression, drawing after him a third part of the stars of heaven in his fall; and that no provision has been made in the mercies of God for their future recovery and salvation. There is something therefore, pecu- liar and inexplicable about the sin of the Devil and his angels, which, in the nature of the case, forever de- barred them from the privileges and blessings of eternal life, and consign- ed them to everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power.
 If they were the first sinners, as we have satisfactory reasons to be- lieve they were, then they sinned en- tirely FROM WITHIN themselves. with out any solicitions FROM WITHOUT, AND IN the IMMEDIATE and VISIBLE PRESENCE of the great Jehovah; on account of which, there was no sort of mitigation or palliation for the great crime they had committed, and hence in the councils of Heaven it was ajudged to be an unpardonable crime. Why these arch rebels should have raised the standard of revolt in Heaven itself, when they knew that irremediable ruin would be the cer- tain result, is indeed one of those profound and unfathomable myste- ries before which the mind covers in it's weakness and incapacity; and 1t presents to our consideration perhaps | the most intricate and unsearchable problem, that ever projected It's baleful shadow athwart our pathway through this world of sin and sorrow, But we have a surer word of prophe- cy to which we are admonished to sake heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place and we are also informed that secret things be- long to God, but revealed things to us and our children.
 One of these revealed things, and the one about which we are the most concerned, is the gift of eternal life that is promised to all of Adam s race who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and as an additional incent- i've to our acceptance of this gift, we are repeatedly warned that all who reject it shall suffer the penalty of death and everlasting destruction.
 Let us, therefore, give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip, remembering that our adversary, the devil, goeth about as lion, seeking whom he may devour, and that, by resisting him steadfastly in the faith, he will flee from us and leave us victors on the field of battle. Happily for us, while mysteries surround us on every hand We are not left in the dark