Elements of modern materialism : inculcating the idea of a future state, in which all will be more happy, under whatever circumstances they may be placed, than if they experienced no misery in this life / by Charles Knowlton.

  • Charles Knowlton
Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Elements of modern materialism : inculcating the idea of a future state, in which all will be more happy, under whatever circumstances they may be placed, than if they experienced no misery in this life / by Charles Knowlton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    it as to fulfil these objects or designs. And although many trifling event? o cur, by virtue of this organization, which Were not thought of at the time, still we do not believe that they occur contrary to ihe good pleasure of the Almighty: certainly not contrary lo his permission; and we should think that an Almighty Being would not permit events to occur which displease [make unhappy] him. At any rate, if, in ibis stupendous mac bine,—the universe,— any events occur which displease the Creator, it would be blasphemy for man to talk of blame and culpability ; for certainly the fault, if there be one, is not in the pot. but the potter. I know tha1 mankind have ever been a proud race of ani- mals; and although they daily see other classes of animals suffering pain, sickness and death, men got it into their heads, thousands of years ago, that the Deity never intended, and is displeased at, whatever gives rise to human misery ; or in other words, at whatever they call evil. But as events did occur which these ancient men called evil, they put their head to work to account for the origin of this evil, and the result was, a hideous world of fallen angels, devils, and evil spirits, all of them enemies of God, warring against him to obtain hu- man souls !! But 1 am wandering from my subject ; I did not purpose to treat of devils, but to oiler my notions relative to the Deity, and the relation which subsists between h>m and the events of the universe. Some of these notions 1 have already advan- ced, and I now proceed to offer some of my reasonings in fa- vor of them. I have expressed the opinion that Nature's God is an Al- mighty Designer. He is Almighty, inasmuch as there is none superior to him, and tie may have just what agents- exist, and just what events occur, he pleases. By willing it, he may create a new world or annihilate an old one,—at least, 1 will
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