(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN THE DOCTRINE OF IMMANENCE.

SPECIAL TEXT: "Thou [God] are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?" (Habakkuk i:13.)

[Footnote A: Under this subdivision of the lesson should be considered especially the matter in note m, this lesson, and the lessons cited from Year Books II and IV above and a review of the lessons cited from former Year Books in note.]

DISCUSSION.

1. Incompatibility of Immanence and Evil Stated: It is conceded that the conception of God Immanent in the universe—everywhere existing and everywhere dynamic power, though not everywhere equally manifested, carries with it many and great difficulties that attend upon all forms of human thinking when seeking the harmony that one feels must exist in the things that are—in truth.

For example: one naturally would say, as soon as the conception of the Immanence of God takes firm lodgment in his mind,—"why, then, if God is in his world everywhere present, and everywhere, not only powerful, but all-powerful; not only knowing, but all-knowing; not only good but all-good, holy in fact, and cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance^[A]—why then is there evil in the world, physical suffering, and moral wrong, injustice, cruelty?^[B] Why is the sum of human misery so great?^[C] Why is the sum of human happiness so small?^[D] Why do the good suffer adversity? Why does prosperity so frequently, in this world at least, attend upon the wicked? In the words of the Hebrew prophet addressed to God: "Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue, when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he"?^[E] Why do the sins of the wicked involve the innocent—why are the innocent made to suffer with the guilty?^[F] Why does truth make such tardy appearance in the world, and why of so partial rather than of universal distribution? How can freedom co-exist, that is, the freedom of man as a free moral agent, co-exist with the Sovereign will of the All-Powerful and Immanent God?^[G]

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., Sec. i:31. Also Habakkuk i:13 and Psalms v:4-6.]

[Footnote B: "We cry out for some explanation—for some philosophy which shall show us how evil is consistent with the infinite goodness." (Le Conte, "Conceptions of God," p. 71.)]

[Footnote C: "How terribly large is the proportion of evil? comparing the number of those who are or have been happy, with the number of those who are or have been unhappy, can we say that the great pessimist was very far wrong in calling this the worst possible—he did not say the worst conceivable—world". (Goldwin Smith, discussing "Evolution, Immortality, and Christianity," in North American Review, October, 1907, p. 196.)]

[Footnote D: "The great quest of humanity is happiness. But was the world created to make us happy? I've studied people in all places and conditions and everywhere I've found, when you get below the surface, that it's mostly the insincere individual who says, 'I am a happy man.'" (Thomas A. Edison, the great American Inventor in a Vienna-Austria Interview on "Success in Life," reported in New York World, October 25. 1911.)]

[Footnote E: Habakkuk i:13.]

[Footnote F: See Seventy's Year Book II, Lessons III and IX. Also Year Book IV, Lessons IV and VII and VIII.]

[Footnote G: In order that it may be seen that this is regarded really as doubtful by some powerful minds, and also as a question of grave importance, I quote the following presentation of it by Professor Howison, and which he prints in italics in the work from which I quote it: "Can the reality of human free-agency, of moral responsibility and universal moral aspiration, of unlimited spiritual hope for every soul,—can this be made out, can it even be held, consistently with the theory of an Immanent God? This, for a few awakened minds at least, now becomes the 'burning question.' * * * At all events, the time has come when the question whether this is not so should be raised with all emphasis, and examined to the end. For if our genuine freedom is to disappear when we accept the religion whose God is the Immanent Spirit, then the new religion is in truth a decline from the highest conceptions of the historic faith, and in this regard has no advantage over the religion of the 'Unknowable.'" ("Conceptions of God," p. 30.)]

Professor Le Conte has a valuable passage apropos these questions which I consider too valuable to omit at this point, though it makes rather an extended quotation. On the great question of moral evil, its nature, its origin, its reason—a question inseparably connected with the conception of God, he says:

"In a general way I agree with his [Professor Royce's] explanation of the dark problem of evil. Evil cannot be the true meaning and real outcome of the universe; on the contrary, it means the necessary means of the highest good. * * * Our moral and religious nature is just as fundamental and essential as our scientific and rational nature. As science is not simply passionless acquisition of knowledge, but also enthusiasm for truth, so morality is not passionless rules of best conduct, but impassioned love of righteousness. And this last is what we call religion; for religion is morality touched and vivified with noble emotion. Now, the necessary postulate of science, without which scientific activity would be impossible, is a rational order of the universe; and, similarly, the necessary postulate of religion, without such religious activity would be impossible, is a moral order of the universe. As science postulates the final triumph of reason, so religion must postulate the final triumph of righteousness. Science believes in the rational order, or in law, in spite of apparent confusion; she knows that disorder is only apparent, only the result of ignorance; and her mission is, to show this by reducing all appearances, all phenomena, to law. So also religion is right in her unshakable belief in the moral order, in spite of apparent disorder or evil; she knows that evil is only apparent, the result of our ignorance and our weakness; and her mission is, to show this by helping on the triumph of moral order over disorder. We may, if we like,—as many indeed do,—reject the faith in the Infinite Goodness, and thereby paralyze our religious activity; but then, to be consistent, we must also reject the faith in the Infinite Reason, and thereby paralyze our scientific activity.

So much for a rational justification of the indestructible faith religion has in the Infinite Righteousness, even in the presence of abounding evil. It is founded on the same ground as our indestructible faith in the reign of law in the natural world, and is just as reasonable. Why is it, then, it may be asked, that every one is willing to admit the postulate of science, while so many doubt that of religion? I answer: partly because of feebleness of our moral life in comparison with our physical life; but mainly because the steady advance of science, with its progressive conquest of chaos, and its extension of the domain of order and law, is a continual verification of the postulate of science, and justification of our faith therein; while, on the contrary, the progress of morality and religion is uncertain and often unrecognized, the increase of righteousness and decrease of evil doubtful and even denied. In the presence of such uncertainty, our faith is often sorely tried. We cry out for some explanation—for some philosophy which shall show us how evil is consistent with the Infinite Goodness. We know it is, for that is a necessary postulate. But—how?"^[A]

[Footnote A: The Conception of God—Le Conte's paper, pp. 70-71.]

This philosophy so earnestly asked for I trust is found in the New Dispensation of the Gospel, the light from the revelations in which, I believe, warrant the conclusions in the above paragraph of the Lesson text, and also the conclusions reached in the lessons of previous Year Books cited in note f. Then Professor Le Conte himself gives a reasonably good explanation for the existence of moral evil, which it is only just should be given here since I have quoted him up to the question of why evil exists. This is his answer: "It is that the existence or at least the possibility of a moral being like that of man [should exist]. There are some things which God himself cannot do, viz., such things as are contrary to his essential nature, and such things as are a contradiction in terms and therefore absurd and unthinkable. Such a thing would be a moral being without freedom to choose right or wrong. God could not make man eternally and of necessity sinless, for then he would not be man at all. To make him incapable of virtue, of righteousness, of holiness, for he must acquire these for himself by free choice, by struggle and conquest."^[A]

[Footnote A: The Conception of God, p. 72.]

2. Things Seen and Known but in Part: One may not find the complete answer to all the questions of the second paragraph of this lesson, which make up largely the sum of difficulties for the theist, who believes in God Immanent in the world; but they are somewhat lessened by remembering that here on our plane of human life we know things but in fragments—"We know in part:" We see as through a glass, darkly; not face to face; and will have to await the time of more perfect knowing and seeing before we shall comprehend things as they are in their entirety.

A fine illustration of the mistaken conclusions men form by judging of things seen only in part is to be found in the Prophet Malachi:

"Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

"Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

"And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

"And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not"^[A]

[Footnote A: Mal. iii:13-18.]

All which tends to establish the thought that this world is the scene of struggle and trial for man, not the place of his full triumph and reward. "In this world your joy is not full [saith the Lord], but in me your joy is full. Therefore care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul; and seek the face of the Lord, always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life."^[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. and Cov., Sec. ci:36-38.]

3. Amid Broken Harmonies: We may be helped somewhat in our present earth-view of things, by holding in consciousness the fact that we live at present in our world amid broken harmonies, under the effects of "the fall," for a wise purpose in God; in a sphere of trial and test; in a purposely arranged department of God's great university for the instruction of the spirits of men in certain all-important matters,^[M] involving also our union with earth elements, leading to a fulness of joy, and without which union men cannot receive a fulness of joy.^[B] Therefore we may say that in our earth-life things are not in a normal state; but in confusion; under stress of special trial and development that shall ultimate in higher and better things—in the golden age of the earth and of humanity, predicted by sages and poets—the millennium of the seers and prophets of God, and the apostles of the Christ—these all bid us hope for higher and better things than we have known on our present plane of existence—a world where we shall no longer see as through a glass darkly, "but face to face;" when we shall no longer know only in part, but know even as we are known; when that which is in part "shall be done away," and that "which is perfect is come."^[C]

[Footnote M: "Religion accounts for the existence of evil as probationary, resistence to the evil being a training of humanity to good." (Goldwin Smith in "North American Review," October, 1907. In connection with this statement see Seventy's Year Book II, Lesson III; also Lesson VIII, IX, X, which deal with "The Fall," "The Purpose of Man's Earth Life," and the "Problem of Evil.")]

[Footnote B: Doc. and Cov., Sec. xciii:32-35.]

[Footnote C: I Cor. xiii.]

There remaineth then a rest for the people of God.^[A] They may look for a city "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."^[B] The vision of St. John, in which he saw descending out of heaven the New Jerusalem, is yet to be realized in fact. Also what he heard proclaimed by "a great voice"—

[Footnote A: Heb. iv:9.]

[Footnote B: Heb. xi:10.]

"Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."^[A]

[Footnote A: Revelation xxi; also xxii.]