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—is the object of this Part of the present Work. And this, our purpose, we shall endeavour to effect in the following manner. First, by showing that God is not the author of the evil and consequent unhappiness that exist in the world, and that its existence is contrary to His wish and desire. If this point be made out, it will be evident, that difficulties in regard to His Goodness will be obviated. But, in the second place, it will be our endeavour to show (and in this part of our task the main difficulty will lie) that the existence of evil does not impeach even His Wisdom—when the subject is rightly viewed; and this we shall seek to accomplish, by showing that the existence of evil could not, in the nature of things, have been absolutely prevented; for that such prevention would imply positive contradiction. Now, it will be admitted by all who reflect, that even Omnipotence can not do what involves a contradiction—can not do, in the same place and at the same time, two things that are exactly opposite; for example (to use a common and familiar illustration) no power can create two neighbouring hills without a valley between them; for this implies a contradiction, since the two hills would not be two, but one, if there were no valley between. Or, to take a more suitable illustration: God is, indeed, Omnipotent, yet He cannot lie. And why can He not? Because He is Truth itself; and to lie, or to utter what is untrue, would therefore be contrary to His essential nature. Now, it is impossible even for the Divine Being to act against His essential Nature, because that implies a contradiction; for all action proceeds from an impelling power in the actor, and plainly there cannot be any impelling power in a being to do what is contrary to its essential