, and it shows the prevalence of the idea of Reincarnation among
the people of that time). But Jesus promptly brushed away these two
crude, primitive conceptions and interpretations, and in the light of
his superior spiritual knowledge answered: "Neither hath this man
sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be manifest in
him," the explanation of the term "the works of God" being that Jesus
meant thereby the operation of the Laws of Nature imposed by
God--something above punishment for "sins," and which operated according
to invariable physical laws and which affected the just and the unjust
alike, just as do any natural laws. It is now known that many infants
are rendered blind by negligence of certain precautions at birth--this
may have been a case of that kind. We consider any attempt to attribute
physical infirmities to "sin" unconnected with the physical trouble to
be a reversion to primitive theological dogmas, and smacking strongly of
the "devil idea" of theology, of which we have spoken. And Poverty
results from economic conditions, and not as punishment for "Sin." Nor
is Wealth the reward of Virtue--far from it.

But before leaving this phase of the subject we would like to say that
many careful thinkers have been able to discern certain spiritual
benefits that have arisen from physical suffering, or poverty, and that
the sufferers often manifest a high degree of spiritual development and
growth, seemingly by reason of their pain. Not only this, but the divine
faculties of pity, help, and true sympathy, are brought out in others,
by reason thereof. We think that this view of the matter is far more
along the lines of true spirituality than that of want and disease as
"the punishment of sins committed in past lives." Even the human idea
of Justice revolts at this kind of "punishment," and, in fact, the
highest human justice and human law eliminates the idea of "punishment"
altogether, so far as reprisal or revenge is concerned, the penalty
being regarded merely as a deterrent of others, and a warning to the
criminal against further infractions of the law, and as a reformatory
agent--this at least is the theory of Human Law--no matter how
imperfectly it works out in practice--and we cannot think of Divine Law
being less just and equitable, less merciful and loving. The "eye for
eye, tooth for tooth" conception of human justice has been out-lived by
the race in its evolution.

After considering t