adornments,--it may be in that
hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence, "Thou art
weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."(878)

29. THE ORIGIN OF EVIL.

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To many minds, the origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a
source of great perplexity. They see the work of evil, with its terrible
results of woe and desolation, and they question how all this can exist
under the sovereignty of One who is infinite in wisdom, in power, and in
love. Here is a mystery, of which they find no explanation. And in their
uncertainty and doubt, they are blinded to truths plainly revealed in
God's word, and essential to salvation. There are those who, in their
inquiries concerning the existence of sin, endeavor to search into that
which God has never revealed; hence they find no solution of their
difficulties; and such as are actuated by a disposition to doubt and
cavil, seize upon this as an excuse for rejecting the words of Holy Writ.
Others, however, fail of a satisfactory understanding of the great problem
of evil, from the fact that tradition and misinterpretation have obscured
the teaching of the Bible concerning the character of God, the nature of
His government, and the principles of His dealing with sin.

It is impossible to explain the origin of sin so as to give a reason for
its existence. Yet enough may be understood concerning both the origin and
the final disposition of sin, to make fully manifest the justice and
benevolence of God in all His dealings with evil. Nothing is more plainly
taught in Scripture than that God was in no wise responsible for the
entrance of sin; that there was no arbitrary withdrawal of divine grace,
no deficiency in the divine government, that gave occasion for the
uprising of rebellion. Sin is an intruder, for whose presence no reason
can be given. It is mysterious, unaccountable; to excuse it, is to defend
it. Could excuse for it be found, or cause be shown for its existence, it
would cease to be sin. Our only definition of sin is that given in the
word of God; it is "the transgression of the law," it is the outworking of
a principle at war with the great law of love which is the foundation of
the divine government.

Before the entrance of evil, there was peace and joy throughout the
universe. All was in perfect harmony with the Creator's will. Love for God
was supreme, love for one another impa