innocent, and good; but his nature has been corrupted, as a punishment
for sin." If man, when just out of the hands of his God, could sin,
his nature was imperfect. Why did God suffer him to sin, and his
nature to be corrupted? Why did God permit him to be seduced,
well knowing that he was too feeble to resist temptation? Why did
God create _satan_, an evil spirit, a tempter? Why did not God,
who wishes so much good to the human race, annihilate once for all
so many evil genii, who are naturally enemies of our happiness; or
rather, why did God create evil spirits, whose victories and fatal
influence over mankind, he must have foreseen? In fine, by what
strange fatality in all religions of the world, has the evil principle
such a decided advantage over the good principle, or the divinity?


75. There is related an instance of simplicity, which does honour
to the heart of an Italian monk. One day, while preaching, this
pious man thought he must announce to his audience, that he had,
thank heaven, at last discovered, by dint of meditation, a sure
way of rendering all men happy. "The devil," said he, "tempts men
only to have in hell companions of his misery. Let us therefore
apply to the Pope, who has the keys of heaven and hell; let us prevail
upon him to pray to God, at the head of the whole church, to consent
to a reconciliation with the devil, to restore him to favour, to
reinstate him in his former rank, which cannot fail to put an end
to his malicious projects against mankind." Perhaps the honest
monk did not see, that the devil is at least as useful as God to
the ministers of religion. They have too much interest in their
dissensions, to be instrumental in an accommodation between two
enemies, upon whose combats their own existence and revenues depend.
Let men cease to be tempted and to sin, and the ministry of priests