The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-04


TO trace TIE operations Of providence
and Of grace to the workings OF = d.
vine wis6am. 70 show 30 ali the SWEET
reasonahseness and The exceeding ex-
eellence OF the ways Of Gca--theSe are
ends worthy Of the efforts Of the earnest
and pkous thinker. For the Almighty
nkrs.sslf does not giye rs philosophy
OF His government He presents great
facts ard laws and would have Us seek
al understanding OF these through
praye~faI study.
We may now be prepared for sosrae
theoretical thoughts concerning the fail
OF man. ard these must be presented
not as diyin@ly revealed truths. but
SIMPLY as suggestions commencing
themselves as having more or less prob
ability.
FIRST. then. we say that the failure OF
Adam 20 continue in his state OF limo
cence apparently justified a change in
Gods method of dealing with the HUI
man race. II seems 70 have shown the
necessity for such a change. Any care
fui student Of Genesis can see that the
probation there described was that OF
man in adult maturity. and as we
think. created in that condition. Adam
had also that perfection which belonged
20 him as rational being made IN the
. likeness OF God This is the principal
fact recorded respecting the original
state OF man. Hence. In the opening
verse OF the fifth chapter of Genesis. the
historian. recurring 10 what had al
ready been taught In the first chapter,
says: This Is the book OF the genera
tons OF Adam. In the day that God
created man N the likeness u cd made
He him; male and female created He
them: and blessed them and called their
name Adam. In the day when they were
created. But while ulaa was gifted
with high iateiIect and was wholly In
clfned to what is right and good. he was
nevertheless capable of being led into
error and Of being overcome by tempta-
ton, as was evidenced by his fall.
The practical problem now arose
whether the ends sought after by the
divine wisdom could not be better
effected by bringing man into the world
as helpless infant and with nature
already persaaed with sinful tendencies
than to deal with him as a being irrne-
diateiy made in maturity and perfection.
As a matter OF fact notable advantages
attend the present method Of the origin
and development OF human life. From
the first hour OF his existence man is
now taught lessons of the weakness
and limitations OF his nature; of his
dependence upon the aid and care Of
others; OF subsection To rightful author
ity and guidance: of the need of pru-
deFice and uprightness in his personal
/ conduct. Of the terrible power OF sin
and the sad sufferings Of the trans
gressor: OF the might and goodness OF
an all-surrounding Providence: If the
wisdom of life Of piety. and faith. and
prayer. Above all the maynard heart
OF man Is directed by all the experiences
of earth to place its hope In God and to
accept OF the salvation offered In the
Gospel OF Jesus Christ. Thus the neces-
sary inexperience and the natural in
stability which gave the sub;lety OF
satansso speedy victory over our first
parents are succeeded by that heavenly
wisdom which redeeans the soul from all
evil and unites 1t eternaliy to its God.
1t may be asked, Might not the AL
mighty have created man at the first
as an imperfect being and placed him
in a condition Of labor and suffering?
This may be admieted so far as the
beyond question the intention OF God
srona the beginning was to subject the
children OF men to those yery consil-
lions under which they now exist. But
We suppose that the history of the gar
den OF Eden justified the ways of God
IN man.
A second remark Tessts5 to the
ground OF that legal representation of
as a..
participated in the fan OF their first pa
rent. Theoiogians agree that Adam was
''fhe federal head" OF mankind. but
they differ concerning the reas rs which
rendered this headship legitimate and
right. Some say that ii was the
sovereign appointment OF God. This
may be allowed. provided 1t be granted
that the arrangement was not an arbi-
trary one. but dictated By supreme wis
dom. Adam certainly would not have
been made the representative OF men
had he not been specially fit to repre-
sent them; and as Christ, OF necessity.
took upon Him our nature in order that
He might become head OF His people.
50 our first parent could not have
undergone probation for us had not he
also been human.
Some have found the chief qualifca-
ton OF Adam IN the fact that he was
the primal progenitor OF mankind. This
consideration doubtless bore it's part.
Blu; mere descent from a common pa
rent could never have made HIM our
representative had not the fathers na-
ture been communicated to his poster
ity. There seems to have been a neces-
sity for n fixity of species. For this
reason some distinguished doctors hold
that Adam represented the race because
at the first he literally was the race
and contained in himself all his de-
scendants. somewhat as q genus COM
prcflerds all the Individuals composing
1t. They say that we are guilty OF
Adams sin because we ourselves really
took part in il. This explanation which
IS that Of a medieval realism, Is fanci-
ful anf unsatisfactory. The truth from
which IL has derived vitality is that hu-
mainly. n a mature and perfect form,
was given In Adam a fair and favora BILE
trial THE first father was the repYesen-
tatiye Of the race. not because he In
ciuded his descendants collectively, but
because he was fhe perfect type and
ex.T1plar 81 unfaileu human nature
There is no need that every ether man
should have a probation like his. be-
cause there Is no likelihood that any
other trial would have different result.
II was better that provldenca should
proceed upon a change 81 plan.
Another poins cf Inquiry relates to the
nature 90 that guilt under which man