be the effect on the divine government? God has given his law--holy,
just, and good--to men, and commanded obedience. He has attached the
penalty to disobedience: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die," "The wages
of sin is death." Eze. 18:20; Rom. 6:23. And in the judgment, the
distinction God makes in character will be plainly declared; for he will
set the righteous on his right hand, but the wicked on the left. Matt.
25:32, 33.

This view of the failure of law, and the absence of all human
accountability, naturally leads to a bold denial of sin and the existence
of crime. The "Healing of the Nations," p. 169, says: "Unto God there is
no error; all is comparatively good." The same work says that God views
error as "undeveloped good." A. J. Davis ("Nature of Divine Revelation,"
p. 521) says: "Sin, indeed, in the common acceptation of that term, does
not really exist."

A discourse from J. S. Loveland, once a minister, reported in the _Banner
of Light_, contained this paragraph:--

"With God there is no crime; with man there is. Crime does not
displease God, but it does man. God is in the darkest crime, as in
the highest possible holiness. He is equally pleased in either
case. Both harmonize equally with his attributes--they are only
different sides of the same Deity."

In "Automatic Writing" (1896), p. 139, a question was asked concerning
evil, meaning sin and crimes among men. The spirit answered that these
were conditions of progress, and were so necessary to elevation that they
were to be welcomed, not hated. The questions and answers are as follows:--

"_Ques._--Can you give us any information in regard to the
so-called Devil--once so firmly believed in?

"_Ans._--Devil is a word used to conjure with.

"_Q._--Well, then, as the word itself doubtless arose from the word
'evil,' which means to us unhappiness, can you give us an
explanation of the existence of evil?

"_A._--Evil--as you who are the greatest sufferers from it, name one
of the conditions of progress--is as necessary, aye, more so, than
what you call good, to your and our elevation to higher spheres.
It is not to be hated, but welcomed. It is the winnowing of the
grain from the chaff. Children of truth, don't worry over what to
you seems evil; soon you will be of us and will understand, and be
rejoiced that what you call evil persists and works as leaven in
t