What Is Lofty Can Be Said In

First Theory . There Is No Providence At All For Anything In The Universe; All Parts Of The Universe, The Heavens And What They Contain, Owe Their Origin To Accident And Chance; There Exists No Being That Rules And Governs Them Or Provides For Them. This Is The Theory Of Epicurus.

This Must Be Our Belief When We Have A Correct Knowledge Of Our Own Self, And Comprehend The True Nature Of Everything; We Must Be Content, And Not Trouble Our Mind With Seeking A Certain Final Cause For Things That Have None, Or Have No Other Final Cause But Their Own Existence, Which Depends On The Will Of God, Or, If You Prefer, On The Divine Wisdom.

You Will Find That There Is No Other Difference Of Opinion As Regards Any Portions Of The Universe, Except That The Philosophers Believe In The Eternity Of The Universe And We Believe In The Creation. Note This.

The Soul Is Subject To Health And Disease, Just As Is The Body. The Health And Disease Of Both . . . Undoubtedly Depend Upon Beliefs And Customs, Which Are Peculiar To Mankind.

It Is Not Unreasonable To Assume That The Works Of God, Their Existence And Preceding Non-existence, Are The Result Of His Wisdom, But We Are Unable To Understand Many Of The Ways Of His Wisdom In His Works. On This Principle The Whole Law Of Moses Is Based; It Begins With This Principle: "and God Saw All That He Had Made, And Behold, It Was Very Good" (gen. I. 31); And It Ends With This Principle: "the Rock, Perfect Is His Work" (deut. Xxxii. 4). Note It.