The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 85 



enquiries I desire first to answer briefly 

 and clearly. 



The origin of poison is either 

 natural or supernatural. One reason 

 why God has implanted poison in 

 created things was His purpose to 

 shew us His wonders, and to teach us 

 how to distinguish good from evil 

 how to choose the good and eschew 

 the evil. 



In the same way the tree of life was 

 set in Paradise. Its proper use would 

 have tended to our benefit. Its abuse 

 brought about our fall, and all the suffer- 

 ing that has followed from it. 



The second reason that there is 

 such a thing as poison is God's purpose 

 that we should thereby learn the ugliness 

 and hatefulness of evil, and conceive a 

 desire to substitute that which is good in 

 its place. For God hates nothing that 

 He has made, but rather desires our 

 moral and physical amendment. By 

 eschewing poison we are to be taught 

 how to avoid the evil and choose the 

 good. 



