PRINT OF JOHN

ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE

FOURTH EDITION.

THE more I have contemplated the view of the divine character and government which is exhibited in the following pages, and the more the engagements of life have brought me acquainted with the wants of the human mind in this state of discipline, and therefore of vicissitude and suffering, the more deep has become my conviction, that, were the opinions which it is the object of this work to establish generally believed and considered, they would promote, in an incalculable measure, the virtue and happiness of mankind. This conviction coincides with that of the wisest and best men whom I have the pleasure of knowing. My sense of the importance of rendering this view of the moral government of the Deity as complete as possible is therefore stronger than ever, and under this impression I have entered, in this edition, into a more close and connected investigation of the origin, the nature, and the tendency of evil. I have considered, separately and in detail, the several classes of evil, namely, natural and moral evil, and the evils which have hitherto been found inseparable from the social state, namely, poverty, dependence, and servitude. I have endeavored to show why these evils exist in the creation of a Being of almighty power, of infinite wisdom, and of perfect goodness. I have endeavored to lead the mind to the calm and serious consideration of principles which seem adequate to divest it of doubt, where doubt must be unhappiness, and to conduct it to a conclusion which, if once embraced from conviction, must secure it from misery.

I look back to the quiet and contemplative hours which were devoted to these inquiries with the feeling, not unmixed with melancholy, with which we reflect on our departed pleasures.

And yet there is a closer connexion than there might at first sight seem, between these subjects and those which now much more exclusively occupy my attention. The real end of both is the same; for the object of each is alike to extend the knowledge, to mitigate the suffering, and to increase the happiness, of mankind; and without doubt this is the great business of life. Whoever succeeds in it most is the wisest, the ablest, and the happiest of his race; and even he whose measure of success is not great cannot be without satisfaction, so long as he is conscious of the wish and the effort to accomplish more.

London, Trinity Square,

March, 1822.

PREFACE.

Ir it be reasonable to refer the formation of the earth and of all the objects and beings on its surface to an intelligent agent, and if we cannot doubt that we are entirely dependent upon our Creator for all which we possess and hope, it must be of unspeakable importance, to ascertain what his character really is; and if there be indeed reason to believe that, in fashioning our frame, and appointing that it should undergo at a certain period a total disorganization, he do not by that change design to destroy us, but to qualify us for a higher state and fer nobler pursuits, no inquiry can be so interesting as that which relates to our destiny in the ages which are before us.

Were it possible to arm ourselves against the calamities of life, as Perseus is fabled to have been armed by the gods for his far-famed expedition, he who should commence the career of existence without his helmet, falchion, and ægis, would be universally regarded as destitute of reason; but that individual is infinitely better prepared to encounter the evil with which he has to combat, who believes in the doctrine of a Providence, and knows the ground of his belief-that is, who views all events with the eye, and meets them with the feeling, of a Christian philosopher. With this belief, no combination of circumstances can make him, for any considerable period, unhappy; without it, nothing can afford him a pleasure of which Wisdom ought not to fear to participate, and with which Philosophy ought not to blush to be content.

It was under the influence of this conviction, that the author of the following work commenced it with a trembling mind, afraid to undertake a task of so much magnitude and interest. But appearing to himself to have formed a clear, consistent, and cheering view of the nature and object of the dispensations of the great Parent of mankind, and having, in the retirement of

private life, been a witness, on occasions which to him were deeply impressive, of the tendency of that view to heighten the pleasure of the hour of enjoyment, and to sustain the mind in the day of sorrow, he thought that, by directing the attention of his fellow-Christians to a comprehensive and connected investigation of the subject, he might possibly contribute something to the removal of their doubts and the confirmation of their faith. If, in any degree, he have succeeded in this object, his success will ever appear to him invaluable.

In one part of the work, an expression or two occur, which some persons may consider strong, and perhaps uncandid, relative to doctrines which appear to him unjust, malevolent, and immoral; but he trusts the spirit which this volume breathes will secure him from the suspicion of attributing any thing of injustice, malevolence, or immorality, to the persons who maintain the opinions which he condemns. The intelligent inquirer will have made but little progress in his religious investigation, before he learns the necessity of distinguishing between rectitude of character and excellence of system-between the malignant tendency of a creed, and the benignity of the heart which embraces it. Neither justice nor charity can exist, unless this distinction be constantly kept up; and it is because it is so seldom made, that justice and charity are, among theologians, scarcely any thing but a name.

The author would particularly solicit the attention of his readers, and especially of those who may be believers in the doctrine of Limited Punishment, terminated by Destruction, to that part of the work in which this subject is discussed. He has there endeavored to meet, fairly and fully, all the arguments, as far as he has been able to learn them, which are urged in support of the hypothesis. Feeling, as he does, a thorough persuasion, that each is satisfactorily answered, and that, on the other hand, difficulties are stated against the doctrine, which are insuperable, he cannot but think that the reasoning which appears to his own mind so forcible may possibly make some impression on that of the candid and patient inquirer. He is well aware, however, of the different estimate which different per