The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-12-12
"S0ME DIFFICULTIES OF UN-
REIJEF.u

history is characterized by much
intellectual and moral importance,
says Christian Life. 1t is an eager
and restless age, and its eagerness
and restlessness mostly proceed from
noble impulses, 1t Eants for know
ledge as the hart pants after the
water brook. 1t chafes and frets
when it meets with problems which
battle it's power to solve them. 1t
cannot solve the mystery of existence,
yet it is evermore attempting it, and
thereby learns (as Goethe would say
how to keep within the limits of the
movable. 1t harnesses itself with
the problem of evil, and herein lies
the proof that it is essentially re-
ligious age. IL it were heartless,
frivolous age, the ills and woes of
humankind would not lie 80 heavily
upon it's consciences as they do. Its
doubts and questionings are born OF
its divine discomfort. 1t wants to
to know why God permits evil to ex-
ist at all. 1t has a right to know;
and if it is not satisfied with the
theory of the origin of evil present
ed in the systems orthodoxy hitherto
most widely prevalent in Christen-
dom, it does we'll to look elsewhere.
Let us remark, however, that in all
speculations on these subjects two
considerations should be constantly
borne in mind. A universe without
unsolved problems, cosmos which
we could exhaust, would pail upon
us for lack of interest.
1t would be absolutely distressing
for beings mentally and morally con-
stituted as we are to live in it. Sooner
or later we would want to quit it. To
phrase the thought otherwise, life
without mystery would be life Olsen
chanted. A world with no perplexi
ties, no troubles, no sorrows, no dis
satisfactions, would be world which
would lull all our souls into slum
berous and merely inert kind of ex-
istence; the conditions would be
wanting which develop intellectual
and spiritual life. Furthermore, we
must all acknowledge that there is no
Joy, no rapture, that we can know
equivalent to the JOY and rapture of
discovering truth for ourselves, be it
spiritual or physical truth. OF this
transcendent blessedness we should
be utterly deprived if it were possible
for us to know all things as we our
selves are known of God.
Noticing a recent tract entitled
Some Difficulties of Belief, the article
from which the above is taken, says:
"The author handles his chosen
theme with a mastery grasp, in a
thoroughly philosophic spirit, and
with a clearness and cogency which
leave nothing to be desired. He
shows that the difficulties of men
who are troubled with ''honest
doubts" about the existence or good
ness of God, arise mainly from their
taking too narrow views of the moral
government of the universe.
He has evidently a tender SYM
patty with those thousands of think
ers, Gin revolt from the audacities of
irreverent theologies," who are taking
all theologies to the task, and asking
from them who and what that Being
is OF whom they have claimed to know
SO much, and why he does not come
with observation to make the crooked
straight and the rough plain. Such
a demand as this, however, naturally
as it has been provoked by the da-
ring of men who have claimed to ex-
plore the Infinite Mind, is, as our
author points out, based upon a total
ignoring of our mental limitations;
it is nothing less than the plea that
man ought to be equal to God before
he can believe in God" 1t is not, he
adds, in the possibility of this age, or
perhaps of any age, to give an ex-
PLANTATION of the moral mysteries of
life which should be las clear as the
stars in the sky" but there are GER
tain general principles which we know
must be true, and which help us.
These general principles it is the OBJ
ject of the tract to expound, as also
to expose the fallacy that God is
utterly unknowable because in His
essence he it utterly inscrutable. To
thinkers of the class we have just
described, nothing better could be
offered. The following is a brief
specimen of Mr.. Williams's method
of treating his subject:
Says the Anti-Theist. "Give me
mathematical demonstration, of the ex-
istence of God, and l will believe"
When the Anti-Theist requires mathe-
NAUTICAL demonstration. he asks for what
is ignorant or dishonest. Mathematics
have nothing to do with the settlement