For that Love is as intense as it is universal. Yes; think of its intensity, as well as its scope. Surely, such Divine Love will attain its end. All the methods that Divine Wisdom sees to be necessary will be used, so that Divine Love will not fail. This looks like the completeness we would expect from Divine plans and purposes. Anything less would seem like a failure of Him who is Eternal Love as well as Eternal Wisdom.
Think over this matter reverently, and I believe you will arrive at the conclusion we are trying to recommend. When we realize that Infinite Love is changeless, and that it is united with Infinite Power, and Infinite Wisdom, as well as with Infinite Justice, we cannot but believe that it will have the victory. O, yes; we believe that the present abnormal conditions will be done away with; that grace will triumph over sin; that suffering will disappear; that all the ransomed of the Lord shall yet come to Zion with songs!
VI.
THEORY OF EQUALITY.
Abraham Tucker's View—Ingenious and Reverent—Variety of
Endowment—Maximum of Happiness—Imparting and Receiving New
Ideas—Compensations—Infinite Justice.
When I was a lad I met with an old book entitled "Equality," by Abraham Tucker. The main idea of the book, so far as I can recollect, was, that as God is infinitely just, He must treat all His creatures with absolute equality. As such a thing is evidently not in force now, the idea was that the future life will exactly rectify all the inequalities of the present, so that upon the whole there will be perfect equality. It was an ingenious and reverent theory; but on turning it over in my mind just now, I find some formidable objections to it.
For one thing, the inequalities that prevail now, when not painful, give us no serious discontent. In fact, except in extreme cases, we rather approve and enjoy them. No doubt we have a love of variety; but apart from that, we rather delight to have superiors and inferiors. It is pleasant to have some one to whom we can look up, as better endowed than ourselves; and it is pleasant to have others who can look up to us. And our best and most ethical judgment approves of this feeling. In particular, there is no feeling so ennobling as reverence; but there would be no proper place for reverence if we were equal. It would not, therefore, be easy to think that an ideal state of society demands equality.
Again: Analogy points decisively the same way. If we look above us we find that there are among the angels, thrones, dominions, principalities and powers. If we look below us, we find a striking variety among the animals. In either case, there is not equality; and so far as we know, no compensations to produce equality. It would be hard to believe that there ever will be such compensations in the case of the human race.
Moreover: The theory of equality in the long run would seem to require that some deteriorate, which is extremely unlikely, in view of the fact that the normal law of God's universe is advancement.
Then, further: We cannot conceive of equality of endowment as producing the maximum of happiness. It is a great joy to impart a new idea; and it is a great joy to receive one. But if all were equal, there could be no joy, either of imparting or receiving; which is contrary to our idea of the highest perfection and blessedness.