334 PRESENT-DAY RATIONALISM 



Balfour s Apologetics^ pages — repeating himself — in de- 

 scribing the physical evils of the world. 



With regard to pain, we must remember that man 

 could not have pleasure without the possibility of pain. 

 Death by catastrophe is not of longer duration than by 

 disease or old age ; it is generally exceedingly short if 

 not instantaneous. 



I take it, that pessimism about catastrophes arises 

 from a want of Faith and a belief in a future life. 



If Christ's teaching be true, and the promise that 

 " he who willeth to do of the teaching shall know if it be 

 of God," has over and over again been verified by ex- 

 perience ; then His conduct bears witness to another truth 

 — that He showed Himself to be superior to all "evils," 

 throughout the whole period of His ministry. He not only 

 taught His disciples to care nought for them, even if they 

 should be scourged and killed^ but gave Himself up as an 

 example to a torturing death, in full faith of an Eternity. 



It is worth while observing that there is a perfect 

 analogy between external Nature and the internal 

 nature of man. Within the latter are joy and grief, 

 enthusiasm and pessimism, pleasure and pain. So too, 

 is it externally : Nature surrounds us all with untold 

 blessings and sunshine, lor the greater part of mankind 

 and the greater part of their lives. 



But, on the other hand, we are from time to time re- 

 minded that there are and may recur at any lime, 

 volcanic eruptions, storms at sea and floods. 



But man risks them. He builds towns on the flanks 

 or foot of volcanoes. He sends his .^hips all over the 

 oceans, etc. So, too, he travels by rail, knowing all the 

 while that there is always a chance o: an accident. But 

 hj does not care about it in the least. Nothing of these 

 things deters him. 



