MAN'S MORAL NATURE.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2602, 10 May 1877, Page 2

MAN'S MORAL NATURE.

(To the Editor of the Evening Star.) 6ib, —The question of why moral evil was permitted to exist has been a puzzler from generation to generation in almost every nation—why, the infinite God ," who is omnipotent and as good ai he is great" allowed it to exist at all, when He could have made man so that it was natural to do right and very difficult to do wrong? By your permission I should like to offer my humble remarks upon the great question— not that I pretend to have solved it; but after reading-and thinking about it for twenty years, I will endeavor to .give you the result:—Th« very greatness of man's nature turns upon this point; the very fact that he can sin or do wrong shows him to have a great nature; no other animal can sin, they go by instinct and do right, but not so with man. If he was to always go by instinct and passions, he would go far wrong. H« nas faculties and large powers, Suck as intellect, conscience, and a free wilft&*l choose or refuse good or evil. God could ' not make mau what he is without grant* ing him those powers; for he 'could not be made to have then) and not have them at tie same lime. The. very knotty question just lays in this point: God could have male man to go lii-e a correct watch, so that he could not go wrong, bat then he would not be the same being he is now, for his very greatness consists in his being made free to dp right or wrong, and from this .very greatness' springs the moral evil. Where would the virtue and greatness of, man be: if he could not do anything ° different" to what he does? The only alternative then with God was either id make man as he is now, or to make him. inferior. Infinite wisdom decided to make him as he is, subject toward evil, ratherthanmakehim inferior. Human suffering is almost under the same cloud. If a God of infinite, power, and goodness could have made us always happy without any suffering, why did he not do it ? This is not quite so difficult io understand, as, the other. This is' the gre;.'; schooling -process ; man could not be msJe great without suffering; we learn om* wisest lessons by this discipline that Tre could 'not pos? sibly learn any-other way. The noblest man we know of was Jesus of Nazareth, and was made perfect. through suffering. -We admit that, there are sometimes sufi fering, such as takes place at shipwrecks and railway accidents, that we at present cannot reconcile»with infinite power, and wisdom. We might understand this better if we saw the end from the beginning. This not being the case it is very improper for us to sit in judgment upon God!s action, for how can finite being judge the ways of the infinite, for Hia great designs are unfathomable by us; but it is plain for us, who are dependents, ; to trust and rely upon the infinite wisdom and goodness of God, and not to be. too scepiical and jealous, that God is not managing well some part of His universe, but that we shall see by-and-bye that all will end well. Whether we love God or, not, or whether we know it or not, He is ever doing.his best in working for our highest interest^ and must finally accomplish a great and' grand result. And whether we work with .him or against him we cannot prevent him from fulfilling, his g:eat purposes. And one of his great agents to bring about this great end is suffering. And our ma?'n duty is, to find out what part we have to act in the great drama of life, and not to be too anxious about what has to be in the future, but trust the Father of, us all. If we could but believe the above, who could but veneraie and love the great and gocl Being ?—X am, &c,

J. Hoew. • Upper Albert street, May Bth, 1877.