Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART FIRST. THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE. CHAPTER I. In which are discussed questions pertaining to the Deity, the devil, heaven, hell, the Trinity and,—"Divine Love?" (a poem). Probably there is no man, woman, or child, who has arrived at an age of accountability and who has sound reasoning faculties, that has not pondered over and been puzzled by the problems of human existence. Many theological questions are discussed, questions as to whether or not there is a personal all- powerful being, in bodily form, we call God, and a literal personal Devil; or merely a mysterious mythical nonentity, (called by some, "First cause,") and but an indescribable "Evil Influence." No particular objection is raised to an idealistic, spiritual, or a literal heaventhat is, or is to be, tho opinions differ as to where it is to be, (whether this earth, or some other sphere is to be God's central seat of government). But strenuous objections are raised and determined opposition is offered to a literal, fire-and-brimstone hell, as a future habitation for the devil, his angels, and unredeemed mortals.t In our youth one of the most perplexing questions we were confronted with was to harmonize the very real troubles of pain and sickness, sin and death, with justice to man, who, tho undisputed master and governor of all earthly things, is as helpless as a molecule in the hands of the Creator of the universe.t The student may wade through volumes of books containing the most learned thought of the age, finding a gem of thought here, a bright ideathere; but, unless he has some definite motive, some thought he is determined to demonstrate, magnify, and enlarge upon, little or nothing will be accomplished; for only by faithful and determined pursuit of knowledge along specific lines, may one rise to a...