yet stronger evidence for the existence of a supremely wise and intelligent Ruler of the universe, than for admitting the conclusion to which such invincible objections would lead us, that there is no such Ruler at all. These difficulties can only be met obliquely, and by an ad absurdum argumentation. Such are the "origin of evil," and some of its consequences; such the sufferings and death of the brute creation, and of innocent infancy. These problems, baffled reason in vain strives to solve, except in the way just mentioned; and for any direct solution, remits us to the logic of faith and hope· not of syllogism or induction.

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But what are ordinarily called "mysteries of Providence,” and about which irreligious men, and sometimes religious men too, make such a hubbub, are none at all to me; nor, I fancy, to you, (if you reflect,) in spite of that little bit of current cant for which I have ventured to rebuke you; nay, I will dare to say, they can be no objection to any Theist in the world; to none who profess to believe in a Divine Government of the universe at all. As to Atheists, they need not surely wonder at anything; nor, of course, can they blame anybody for anything that may befall them. They might, on their theory, as well "bay the moon," or chide the winds for howling, as profess to find any thing unaccountable in blind chance or a blind necessity; for of what, on any such hypothesis, can there be any account? To them, all must be "mystery ;" and perhaps the greatest mystery of all ought to be, that the world jogs on as well as it does! But to Theists, say such things as you mention are no mysteries; and if you ask for my proof, it is this: that I have never met with the man, nor have you, nor has any one else that I ever heard of, who would deliberately lay his hand on his heart, and say, "The dispensations of God have been such to me, that not only I cannot see the goodness and mercy of them all, which may well be,but I deny the justice of them. I do not mean that I do not see the connection between this or that trouble and some immediately preceding conduct, for this may also happen to anybody, but I dare to say that, on the whole retrospect of my life, the conduct of God has been unjust to me; that I have on the whole suffered

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58 MYSTERIES OF PROVIDENCE OFTEN NONE. LET. XVII.

more than I deserved." I repeat, I have never known any man who has been willing to say any such thing; to affirm, "If I were admitted to plead my own cause with God, I would accuse him of having given me, on the entire balance of my life, more evil than I have merited." Now I say that unless you can find such a man, there is, practically, an end of "mysteries" in the case. That no man, with even that self-partiality which is the characteristic of us all, will deliberately venture (I will except, if you like, half a dozen madmen in as many centuries) to accuse God of injustice, shows us that there is really no "mystery " in the matter;- for where is the mystery, if, whatever the sufferings and calamities which befall us, each man for himself is ready to affirm, “I have received less of evil than I have deserved?

You may say, perhaps, "Yes, each man may say it for himself, but he finds it difficult to see it in the case of others." Exactly; but that is the very source of the fallacy; it is because we judge of others by the outside, and of ourselves by the inside; of them, - for it is little that each man knows of his fellows' interior and far more important history; and of ourselves, from our consciousness.

by our eyes by the little

very

This last alone must speak, and if it lets judgment go by default, by declining the challenge I have referred to (as in each man it does), it is sufficient to answer the objection of "mystery!" You see, in the present case, it is your friend Thomas D you are thinking of, and not yourself, when you express yourself thus half repiningly. For aught I can see, you suffered just as "unaccountable things" ten years ago, and I lately; and yet you and I were not at all more disposed, for ourselves, to think our case hard," as people say, than I dare say T. D—— is to judge his

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own so.

You will say, perhaps, "But is it not rather an uncharitable thing, when we see great and strangely accumulated calamities befalling any one, to suppose that there is some special concealed iniquity that calls for them?" It would be, undoubtedly, most uncharitable thus to judge; but neither is it necessary. It may be (and I doubt not often is), some concealed iniquity, of which

the world suspected nothing (for such cases do often come to light), which is at the bottom of the matter; but as the world knows nothing, the world should say nothing, no, nor even surmise anything; there are plenty of other alternatives. It may be subtle evils, of which man, till better taught by discipline, thinks little, but which, in the estimate of God, may be of great moment, that require correction; it may be spiritual, and not social or moral vices, which are thus chastised; it may be, not flagrant acts, but habits of mind and feeling and temper, for which a man may not be thought much worse by his fellows, but which, unsubdued, may bar heaven's gates against him; it may be religious apathy, ingratitude, thoughtlessness, which thus need rebuking; the visitation may be not directly punitive at all, though not inequitable in relation to the man's entire conduct; it may be designed as corrective of what is still evil in him, or as a means of developing nobler forms of good; it may be for the mere pruning of a too florid and unfruitful virtue, which runs out into luxuriant foliage of talk and spiritual pride. But still, to return to my first assertion; as the man himself does not accuse the justice of God, but avows that he believes His proceedings equitable, you, without forming any hypothesis of the special reasons for them, ought to have done with "mysteries." It is not uncharitable to the man to suppose there is no injustice, when he declares there is none; and as it appears that each of us thinks the same in his own case, we are not uncharitable in thus adopting the man's own estimate of himself; for it seems, we think no worse of him than we do of ourselves; and though we are commanded to "love our neighbours as ourselves," I know not where it is written that we are to love him better than ourselves. Excuse this long "prelection," on an expression which I am sure, on reflection, you will see the impropriety of. To judge of God's proceedings towards anybody on earth besides ourselves (so long as the window in each man's breast remains shut), is just as wise as to criticise the sentence of a judge, without knowing anything of the law or the evidence, or to pronounce on the prescriptions of a physician without knowing either his science or the sym

ptoms of the patient. Each man must judge for himself; and in that case, it seems each man gives a sentence for God; and till you find a man who does not, let us cease to talk of the mysteries of Providence in such cases as those of T. D—. If you say you mean nothing more than that the phenomena are unaccountable to you, that is very true; only then you ought, in strictness, no more to speak about the mysteries of Providence than the mysteries of T. D.

I am very sorry to hear that my young friend Edward exhibits such a love for the class of amusements you mention. Innocent they may be in themselves, as you say, and within certain limits they are; but pursued with avidity and recommended by indolence (to which they are welcome and which they tend to feed), they ever lie on the frontiers of vice, and a vacant mind easily crosses the line. Yet I doubt whether it will be wise to attempt to argue with him much, perhaps not at all, on the abstract impropriety of his course. You, with thirty years more experience of life and human nature on your shoulders, may know, and do know full well, that the very greenest and most innocent looking "by-path meadow" in the world, may lead, by little and little, to the most dreadful deflections from the "highroad" to virtue and happiness; while it may be quite impossible to show this to an inexperienced youth; not to say, that if he does not see it, argument will but make him, in all probability, more obstinate, besides weakening parental authority. If he were only ten years of age, this course might do, but at eighteen or

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nineteen it is hardly practicable, and never wise. Take my advice; never seem, at this comparatively harmless point, even to know of his gaiety; but have him down into the country, and, as idleness seems to have been his bane, let plenty of employment be the antidote. As he is fond, you say, of his profession, excite in him emulation to excel (which is easily done), by stimulating him to exertion, and then heartily praising him for it. Give him all proper indulgences, but of a totally different cast, if possible, from those he has lately been prone to; and thus try what Chalmers calls the 'expulsive power of a new affection." You remember the coachman who said to the gentleman on the box, "Do you see that off leader there, sir?" "Yes what of him?" "He always shies, sir, when he comes to that 'ere gate. I must give him something to think on." No sooner said than up went the whirling thong, and came down full of its sting on the skittish leader's haunches. He had "something else to think on," no time for panic or affected panic, and flew past the gate like lightning. If we can but give youth, in time, "something else to think on," we may keep out of their minds, by pre-occupation, more evil than we can ever directly expel. One of the essential properties of matter may be said to be also one of the essential properties of mind, — impenetrability; it is as impossible that two thoughts can co-exist in the same mind at the same time, as that two particles of matter can occupy the same space. I shall be anxious to hear again.

Ever yours,

R. E. H. G.

My dear Evans,

LETTER XIX.

To Captain Evans, in India.

Pentonville, Wednesday, May 12, 1841.

So much for home gossip, of which Kate is so unconscionably greedy. Now for a question I wish you could get answered for me. I have heard, but can hardly believe it, that