Page085

Page085

THE


•


PR. ACTIC'AL CHR1STIAN.


CHAPTER~ VI.


mtl'OSlTlOH or I'AlTH.


' ' TIIIJ l" BACTJ: CAL CHB.: lST: lAN


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negular Contributors tl? die ' Vork,- An · IN


BALLOU, ( Editor and Publishing Agent ;) DAVID


, R. LAMSON, GEORGIq W. STACY, n ." NIEL S.


' VHITNEY, WII. LIAM H. FISH, SAMUEL J.


lIIAY.


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1\ hs.,


, V" love all, but can flntter none. Th erefore


we snlioit no person to subscribe who is not willjn~


we should utter nil our 1II0rai convictions as freely


as the wind. blow and the waters run. ' 1' 0 all


such, ofwhatsoever name or persuasion, we make


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and see , if Mly good thing Can come out of Naza­tl'elh."


VOL. J.


D e TOt'edt 0 T ruthan d R i If h teo u s n e IS.


MENDON, MASS., MARCH 15, 1841;


these incipient stages of existpnce. . They all


look forward to a more perfect future. The


operations of the great moral system will not


be consurmnated, till after all men huve risen


to immortality, Then will the mystery of


God he finished.


Having presented these general outlines of


the doctrine before us for ex position. I will


now ent er into U mo re partieular conslderatlon


of th e nature and design of retribution ingen­ernl


: for nil divine retr'ibutlou, wh ether pre­lintiuary


or finul, belongs to one nggregnte,


and IIII~ the same general design.


In the first plac e, J wish to make the proper


distiuction berweeuretriburion s tr ictly so con­sillerell,


14nd mere natural conseqllencell. This


is too frequently overlooked, and things con­founded


together which are in many respects


di stinct. There is abundance of enjoyment


in the world, which is not of the nature of re­ward:


likewise abundance of suflerlng, which


is not of the nature of punishment, ( as J under­stand


terms). All happiness is not the reward


__ ~, nor all misery the punishment of


vi,,,-. Ilnw is this? Let' him thut heareth


I understand. There is no reward without 11Il11­piness,


hilt there is mueh happiness aside from


reward, There can be no punishment with ..


Vlll misery, hilt there may he much misery


with out puni shment. Do we 1I0t dearly see


thn this is the cuse? How many enjoy with-


...."...." .. ot ; out merit- how mnny suffer without crimc?


....~• .1 ~:,," ce when we SIlC an individual blessed


. _ y " U" I w un the possession of great goorl, we are not


, I thence LU eonclude thnt he hns received it liS


~ ...... v I ..... ewnrrt fill' his vir~ ue. · It may hnve come in


. ...............~ ...• I oth er ,, · ays. And wh en we see I: fellow crea­.


'" l" ill grelllliislress or affliction, we are not


I thence to conclude that ' he is proportiountely


I ",. Iilly. !\ Jen are rendered pecnlinrlr happy


• I hy ,.; renl virtue, nud others peculiarly miseru­_


, i, ic hy " ice; Imt not always in the prcsellt


.~; ... ". ''' i" i'': I'(~ ni'Cl) IDl! r causes ot'li iinian hiij'Jl*


•• _..... I .. ,,~.... nd misery, besides personal merit or de -


I .. ierit, Here then we must IIIl1ke a distinction


... ~ I between mere natural consequences, and reiri­...


v I ~ ni; u... There is a cnuse for every effect.-


' v ~...... u u I •.,"'" y ,,,,,, se'l" euce flows out from some


~ u I ~ I .. iiig". If men lire sick , or poor, 01' distress-


• . 1.. 1 • I I' f . ~ II , III JOuV 01° IIIUH , t Jere 18 u euuse or Jl.-


.~ L".... '"" u .. o~.... I .- I Nun.. e has been nhused lit some point,. hy


I . : II'~ ., lIe;. th e p,~ rfcct, ord:,~ \) fcreate(~ thiuas


u I .. u~ .., ,,,,. disturbed. I' or If eve ry thmg was


, I ...... netly in order, th ere would undoubtedly hc


I ,,, a f......, harmony IIIld enjoyment, But wh~


I has violated thi s order ? the sufferer alone, or


... ... ...... ...." i nu.. .., other l' ~ rsolJ? AII, I if we can lenru who


., I : " illfriu~ ed "" COllstilulio, n of . natur. e, the


_. _. , ... _.. I 1I xt quesuon IS, WIIS the offence intentional P


I :;..: rne otrenner know what he WlIS doing? '


..... I V, was he ignorant? But suppose . we find


I ", n. '"" sunerer IS un infant in the crmlle, or


_....._ ..._ 1;; 11 nrlult remarkably innocent lind virtuous­I


.. hat shull we SIIY ?- thllt this sufferer is pun­'


00_ I ; e lied ?- plluish ed without having' sinned! ­~


urs canuor he. It confounds all ideas of


_ --' J I punistunent I And yet, there the miserable be-


.__ . _ _, _.. I ... t> : s- suffering extreme . wretcl. l ed ness in


......_.• I cv",. e'luence of whut another person has done


.__.. _. _ I - l'.: rhaps fOI' what parents, 01' other relutives


.._ lIave Deen guilty of. I'erhups, too, if we conld'


.- uiiy investigate th e matter, it wOllld turn onl,


. ilm tilOse wlto cllus ed ull this suffering, dici it


-, Ignorantly, " allli without nny evil intention;


nay, it is ev ~ n possible thnt th ey , lid it with u


..~:~ - J gOM, tllougll mistaken,' design. But what of


allthis? .. does the couseqllence prove any the


less pain fill ? Not at all. How much lIuch


C ". il is there in 0111' world? _ But this' is mcl'c


lIotlll'll1 conseqnenl" e- not divine I'etrihutiou


III my sense oftlte term. There is a cnuse for


c I It. , It cOllies frolll some violation of nature's


I delicate order. . God is the Author of nature.


I He ol'igin lllly constitnted every heing and thiug


I in II certaiu ord er- to act nnd operllte in a cer­I


taill manner. IIp- nce, if violated, disorder,


I confusion, mischieflind '; voe must be the con­I


scquences. Every creature, body and mind,


I SUlIlIls by nllture iu this position, wilh all its


I liahilities. And liS mllnkind . are so ilJtimately


I connected with ellch other in the relations of


I lIIe, they often shnre indiscriminately the good


.. I and evil which comes by mere nlllurni couse-


No. 22.

Page 85 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841

Ballou, Adin

1840