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


has committed The sin. That punitive
justice - directed only to the actual
1g-4aasg es~oT ana e@sra2ssss operate asssa4.ss
any ore else. - a doctrir.. not only OF
reason, bat also Of the word OF God.
Thus we read: The soul that sinneth.
II shall die The son shall not bear the
insauity OF the father. neither shall the
father hear the insqufsy Of The son. the
righteousness OF the righteous shall De
upon ham and the wickedness OF the
wicked shall BE- upon him The only
cases In which one person may be
Justly punished for the act Of another
occur when deed Is done by ones d.
rectton or command or with his an
prevail o. consent. This exception proves
the rule; for the evil moral ansrnus. in
which Hes the essence OF th. wicked
ness Of actions, IS exercised no less By
the principal than by the agent, and as
truly by the Confederate or the as,estor.
or even the secret sympathixer. as by
the Immediate psrpetrator OF a crime
II Is clear that MANKIND did not have
the most remote participation in that
transgression, which not only occurred
before the COMMENCEMENT OF their ex-
isience, but which Also determined the
conditions under which they should
come into being. For, on account OF
Adams SIN. men are born miserable
sinners into a world Of sin and misery.
We acknowledge thai guilt and penalty
are here, but clearly this Is not a case
Of ordinary punitive Justice. Nor does
Paul's contrast Ia the fifth OF Romans
Of our Justification through Christ with
our condemnation In Adam at all CON-
fiiet with this view. The point OF the
apostles argument Is that as we came
under legal guilt through Adam with
out any transgression of our own, SO We
obtain a legal righteousness through
Christ without any obedience Of our
own He does not discuss the nature of
the guilt and OF the righteousness.
But the condemnation OF mankind on
account of the offense OF their first pa
rent is not without analogies In the evils
to which persons are often subjected
by reason Of the conduct of their ma
tural representatives. The children of
the drunkard or of the thief participate
in the disgrace and poverty. In the So
ciaI cstracism. in the physical and nlen-
tai deterioration of their parents. and
this. too. by what seems TO be a wise
and righteous law. So far as the pa
rents are concerned the evils which fall
upon their offspring are proper part
Of their own punishment. As regards
them Providence threatens a true refri-
button and employs strong deterrent
from sin when they are made to know
and feel that their iniQuities shall be
visited upon their children. As regards
the children themselves. their suffer
ings in consequence of conduct Ia which
they themselves took no part, leads
them to understand the exceeding evil
and hatcfulness of ssn far more effectu-
ally than any other natural mode OF
instruction could. Hence the children
of evil parents frequently become the
most determined enemies of their pa
rents vices. The case of those who
embrace sinful ways after they have
experienced the effects OF sin in their
own persons is indeed hopeless. There
fore. also. when the children of the
wicked follow in the footsteps of their
fathers and participate in their crimes,
they call down upon themselves the
condemnation of their parents. because
they are guilty of the same crimes In
short, the giving to ones descendants
share in the effects OF his in-doing
seems 10 be a form OF rectoral righteous
ness closely allied to punitive justice
and even so participating in its natures
that the two things may be included in
one generalization and called by the
same name and II may be held that the
ordinary language of men does not at
ford any better expression of the truth
than that which Is given in the sacred
Scriptures.
The visitation of the errors and crimes
of representative men upon those whom
they have represented is also illustrated
by the way I'm which organizations and
communities are often laden with evil by
the wrong doing of their officers. In this
way. especially. nations have suffered
from the folly or wickedness of their
rulers. But the excellence and the right
eousness of such an arrangement In any
particular case can he better determined
by consideration of the circumstances
of the case than from any general law.
Different considerations at different times
may render 1t reasonable that one man
or set of men should stand as representa-
tive OF others. Adam appears to have
been our federal head in order that hui
man nature I'm its original unfallen con-
dition, might have proper probation. The
result OF this trial showed the wisdom
and justice OF placing the race in a con-
dition OF weakness and ssnfnlness. of sep
aration frora IND a1sd utter spiritual
ruin, and then Of bringing down To earth
the help and blessing OF the Almighty
through the intercession of a divine Re-
deemer In this way man is 10 be raised
to q position. vastly more exalted than
that from which he fell, and is TO be made
secure in the possession of an eternal In
heritance.
II that philosophy OF the fall Of our
first parents which We have now adyo-
Gated he accepted as probably correct.
then we must hold that the condemna
ton Of our race in Alan. though pro-
ceeaing from n kind of punitive justice.
was essentially an act of wisdom and
benevoience The human intellect can not
attain to a full understanding of the rea-
sons and methods of the Divine govern
ment This is not at all TO be claimed or
expected. Who. by searching, can find
out God? But IL should be matter for
rejoicing IL earnest. prayerful study
should result in clearer views of the ex-
ceilsllre of the ways of the Almighty,
ard OF their conformity with those laws
of righteousness which are written In the
inspired word, ard on the heart and con-
science Of mankind. We regard the pri-
mai sentence OF our race very much as
the apostle Paul regarded the disownment
OF the Jewish people when they had re-
3ected their Messiah. He says II was de-
signed in mercy. For God" he SAYS,
hath concluded them all in unbelief. that
he might have mercy upon all. Oh. the
depfh OF the riches both OF the wisdom
and Of the knowledge Of God! How un-
searchahie are His Judgments and His
WAYS past finding out" Is not the chief
key 10 unlock the parpiexing mysteries
or realgiou the fundamental truth that
God is love-