THE question is often asked-" Since the Lord foreknows all things, why does He suffer any to be born who He foresees will become wicked? or, if born, why does He not take them away in infancy?" A clue to the answer is, we think, furnished by the New Church Writings. In the work on Divine Providence, No. 250, it is shown why the wicked are often advanced to dignities and honours, namely, because they can perform uses. Influenced, indeed, only by selfish ends, they yet actively and vigorously work for the public. Thus, whatever be their motive, the public good is served. If only the good and disinterested were allowed to live, there would not be men enough to carry on the business of the world. On this point hear Swedenborg : 'Suppose there were an infernal kingdom in this world in which the love of self only prevailed, would not every member of it perform uses from the fire of self-love, and the splendour of his own glory, more than in any other kingdom? All such have in their mouths nothing but the public good, and in their hearts nothing but their own good. Seek every means of information, and inquire how many of those who at this day aspire to dignities in the kingdoms of the earth are any others than lovers of self and of the world; you will scarcely find fifty in a thousand who are influenced by the love of God, and, among these, few aspire to dignities. Since, then, they are so few in numbers who are influenced by the love of God, and so many who are influenced by the love of self and of the world, and since the latter loves, from the nature of their fire, are more productive of uses than the love of God is from its fire, how can any one confirm himself against the Divine Providence from the circumstance of the wicked being in greater preeminence and opulence than the good?" (D. P. 250.) Our author, here, is not indeed arguing precisely to the point before us, but yet his argument may be used for our purpose. He is seeking 98 WHY THE WICKED ARE PERMITTED TO BE BORN. to show why, in the order of Providence, the wicked are permitted to rise to dignities and honours, namely, because they can be made to perform uses. Now the same argument may be used for showing why they are permitted to live at all, namely, because they can perform uses. The Creator in forming the universe had a grand plan in view, stretching through eternity. The execution of this plan, once begun, must be carried on. Men are needed to carry it on. He foresaw that the freewill necessary to constitute man truly man, would, in the outset, and before wisdom had come by experience, be abused by many, who would thus pervert their natures and become evil. But He saw that even such could be made instruments for carrying on the great plan, and thus for contributing to the final good and blessedness of the world. That this is the case is evident, not only from the view presented in the above extract, namely, that the wicked, for their own selfish ends, are often the most active in promoting the public good, but also from other considerations. It is possible, for instance, that a bad man may have good children: biography shows this in a thousand instances. Again, these children may themselves have children, grand-children, and great grand-children innumerable, who may be good and useful members of society, and after death angels of heaven. Thus it is possible that from one bad man may in course of time spring a hundred or a thousand good ones, who will be blessed themselves and will bless others through eternity. Now, is all this vast good to be prevented because one man chooses to pervert his nature, and make himself wicked? Yet if this foreseen wicked man had not been allowed to be born, or had been taken away in infancy, all this good would have been prevented, and the world and heaven have been so far defective. This leads us to the contemplation of another grand view presented in the New Church Writings. Those writings teach that heaven is not a promiscuous assemblage of angels, but is a vast orderly system, a grand form composed of innumerable parts; which form, indeed, is no other than the human form. And just as the human form needs to have all its parts complete, and all its various functions in operation, in order to constitute a living man, so the Grand Man-heaven-needs to have all its parts supplied, and all its various functions kept in operation, to the end that the great system may be in its due order, and the spirits who constitute it be sustained in their happiness and blessedness. Moreover, we are instructed that heaven is always perfecting that this great form is always becoming more perfect and beautiful-and that this is effected in proportion to the number of good spirits, or, in other words, good men, who enter it from the world. WHY THE WICKED ARE PERMITTED TO BE BORN. 99 This being understood, it is evident that a certain number of human beings must be born, not only for the sake of the world, but also for the sake of heaven, to the end that that great system may be kept in its order, and all its parts supplied and maintained in their due proportion. For this purpose it is that so many myriads of infants are just born into the world, and then presently are taken away. It is estimated that onethird or one-fourth of the human race die in infancy and childhood. In some parts even of this healthy country, the number of those who die under five years of age is 52 per cent. of the whole number of deaths. Now all these go to swell the numbers of the heavenly host-all these go to constitute the various members and organs, and to perform the various functions, in the grand humanity of heaven. For, as taught by the New Church doctrines, and confirmed by all right reason, and declared by the Divine Word itself, all who die in infancy and childhood are received by the Lord into heaven and become angels. "It is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."+ Thus we have the great consolation of knowing that in the very worst of times, and in the most wicked age, so large a part of the human race are certainly saved and become angels. But now, in order that so many infants may be born, it is necessary that there should be a certain number of adults, who may be the instruments for their being brought into existence. But every one who arrives at adult age must, by the very constitution of humanity, be allowed his free-will; and that freedom he may abuse if he chooses, and make himself wicked. Yet this wicked man may, in the Lord's hands, become an instrument of vast use, by being the parent of infants whom the Lord early takes to himself. Out of the lowest dens of iniquity, in the great cities of the earth, how many little spirits are daily ascending to the regions of the blessed! Here, then, is a reason why many of those who the Lord even foresees will choose to be wicked are permitted to grow up to adult age-namely, that they may become instruments not only of use in the world, but for enlarging and perfecting heaven itself, through the offspring born from them. Whereas, if only the good were allowed to grow up, there would not be infants enough born to carry on the great Divine plan, and to fill all the various parts and provinces of the Grand Man-heaven. But still further. Providence looks through the future, and prepares for it: the Divine eye looks on through future ages, and sees the "good time coming." He foresaw, in creating man, that some would abuse their * Matt. xviii. 14. 100 WHY THE WICKED ARE PERMITTED TO BE BORN. freedom, and that during the first ages of the world evil and disorder would prevail. But the Lord is ever "Out of evil still educing good, And better thence again, and better still, In infinite progression." In laying the foundation of the great structure of human happiness, man has had, as it were, to delve in the earth, and to work painfully amid the mud and mire of life. Men were needed to perform this work, and even the rough and the bad could perform it. But the edifice is now rising out of the ground into the light of day, and it will soon be seen to show its graceful proportions and display its sparkling ornaments, and it will stand, at length, "A thing of beauty and of joy for ever." "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold," saith the Lord, "I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires, and I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones, and all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children."* Here we have a picture of the humanity that is yet to be; or, what is the same thing, of a beautiful Church to be erected on this earth, a lovely Dispensation of truth and goodness to be established amongst mankind. This earth is yet to be the abode of peace and happiness: men will "beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, neither shall they learn war any more." But this happy, prosperous, and peaceful state of the world was to be attained through ages of combat and struggle and toil, wherein mankind gained wisdom by experience, and learned to distinguish between the true and the false, the real and the apparent-in a word, between good and evil. But during these ages of the preparatory state men were to be born, and toil and die in the carrying on of this great work, in the erecting of this great structure. And since, as above shown, even the wicked could be made instruments of use, and assist in the work, and as there was need of men to perform it, whether good or bad, hence, from the necessity of the case, some were allowed to be born and to grow up, even though it was foreseen that they would abuse and pervert their natures, and thus hurt themselves, though compelled to serve others and to benefit the world. But here the question may be asked-"Is it just that any one human being should be sacrificed for the good of others-that a single soul should be lost, even though it were to build up and to people a nation * Isaiah liv. 11-13. WHY THE WICKED ARE PERMITTED TO BE BORN. 101 or a world, or even heaven itself?" To this we would answer, there is no sacrifice in the case. No one needs to be wicked, no one needs to be lost. Every human being that is born is gifted with free-will, and thus may become good and happy if he chooses. The doctrine of the New Church expressly declares that all may be saved. No one is allowed to be born, or at least to grow up, whose hereditary nature is so bad that its evil propensities are irresistible or may not be overcome. In proof of this, it is stated by our author, when speaking of a certain species of adultery, that from such connections children are seldom permitted to be born; or if born, they are taken away in infancy. No matter, therefore, what may be the appearance-no matter what may be the surroundings of a child, or the seemingly evil influences under which he is brought up—no matter what the circumstances in which a man may be placed-it is as certain as that God exists and that He is love and mercy itself, that no human being is allowed to be born who may not be saved and go to heaven if he will. If, therefore, any are not saved, it is their own fault. This is the express teaching of the New Church doctrines, as it is of all right reason and of Scripture. 66 It may be said "If the Lord foresees that a man will be lost, is it not the same as fore-ordaining that he should be lost?" We answer— No! It is as different as looking on and seeing a person do a thing is different from compelling him to do it. But," continues the arguer, "the result is the same to the sufferer. Why does the Creator allow any being to be born who He foresees will even voluntarily choose to be evil?" To this question the answer has been already given-Because He has need of human instruments to carry on the great work of benevolence which He has planned. Every one of these human instruments may, while serving others, be himself served and blessed and made happy if he chooses. That is enough; we need not go beyond that assurance. If any one does not choose to be good, but loves evil more than good, he is allowed to have his own way; but the great plan cannot be set aside for him if he will not work for his own good, he must be made to work for the good of others. And even the disorderly and unhappy state which he himself chooses and will not be drawn from, is made by the good Creator as tolerable for him as is possible. Moreover, it is to be considered that, even for themselves, it is better that the wicked should exist, than not exist at all. Without this view, I confess that the argument would not be complete;-without this consideration, it would not seem to me perfectly just that those foreseen to be wicked should be created. In considering this point, we are to forget the old idea of hell as a place of perpetual burning and torture, and |