The nature of evil - 1855 Author:Henry James Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A LETTER EEV. EDWARD BEECHEE. Dear Sir : The unfeigned sympathy with which your recent work, entitled "The Conflict of Ages" has impressed me for your i... more »ntellectual struggles must be my apology for thus publicly addressing you. If the struggle depicted in that work were a strictly individual one, or significant merely of your own intellectual condition, a public appeal would be inappropriate. But your atti- l"tude is very broadly representative. Your the- ologic experience reflects that of numberless thousands, though it is at the same time true that only one here and there is seen lifting his hands to heaven, and loudly imploring deliverance, while the vast majority lock the sullen pain in their own bosoms, and dying, make no sign. I am not actiiated, so far as I am aware, by any presumptuous expectations in aiming to meet the needs of this afflicted brotherhood. I have simply supposed that some of them might willingly listen to one who has shared all their perplexities, setting forth a few of those indisputable truths which have brought him repose. At all events, I anticipate a most agreeable and genial labor in pursuing the train of inquiry opened by your pages, and feel very sure that however great the intellectual differences between us may appear to be, you will find them qualified on my part by a perfect personal tenderness and respect. I cannot help acknowledging at the start, that I shall probably be obliged to animadvert with some severity upon the prevalent Ecclesi- asticism. But I protest with the utmost sincerity in advance, that I have not the remotest intention to reflect upon any individual, and that my criticism is not urged from the interests of any fancied newer or hostile ecclesiasti- cism. We are all of us more or less involved in ...« less