ing thus separated from his body by the Chakra's edge, bounded into the heavens with a dreadful cry, whilst his ponderous trunk fell cleaving the ground asunder, and shaking the whole earth unto its foundation, with all its islands, rocks, and forests. And from that time the head of Raboo resolved an eternal enmity, and continueth, even unto this day, at times to seize upon the sun and moon.

Now Narayan, having quitted the female figure he had assumed, began to disturb the Asoors with sundry celestial weapons, and from that instant a dreadful battle was commenced, on the ocean's briny strand, between the Asoors. and the Soors. Innumerable sharp and missile weapons. were hurled and thousands of piercing darts and battleaxes fell on all sides. The Asoors vomit blood from the wounds of the Chakra, and fall upon the ground pierced by the sword, the spear, and spiked-club. Heads glittering with polished gold, divided by the Pattees' blade, drop in-cessantly; and mangled bodies, wallowing in their gore, lay like fragments of mighty rocks sparkling with gems and precious stones. Millions of sighs and groans arise on every side; and the sun is overcast with blood, as they clash their arms, and wound each other with their dreadful instruments of destruction. Now the battle is fought with the ironspiked club, and, as they close, with clenched fist; and the din of war ascendeth to the heavens! They cry "Pursue! strike! fell to the ground! so that a horrid and tumultuous noise is heard on all sides.

In the midst of this dreadful hurry and confusion of the fight, Nar and Narayan entered the field together. Narayan

him of his Chakra, the destroyer of the Asoors. The faithful weapon, by name Soodarsan, ready at the mind's call, flew down from heaven with direct and refulgent speed, beautiful, yet terrible to behold. And being arrived, glowing like the sacrificial flame, and spreading terror around, Narayan, with his right arm formed like the elephantine trunk, hurled forth the ponderous orb, the speedy messenger, and glorious ruin of hostile towns; who, raging like the final all-destroying fire, shot bounding with desolating force, killing thousands of the Asoors in his rapid flight, burning and involving, like the lambent flame, and cutting down all that would oppose him. And anon he climbeth the heavens, and now again darteth into the field like a Peesach to feast in blood. Now the dauntless Asoors strive, with repeated strength to crush the Soors with rocks and mountains, which, hurled in vast numbers into the heavens, appeared like scattered clouds, and fell, with all the trees thereon, in millions of fear-exciting torrents, striking violently against each other with a mighty noise; and in their fall the earth, with all its fields and forests, is driven from its foundation: they thunder furiously at each other as they roll along the field, and spend their strength in mutual conflict. Now Nar, seeing the Soors overwhelmed with fear, filled up the path to heaven with showers of golden-headed arrows, and split the mountain summits with his unerring shafts; and the Asoors, finding themselves again sore pressed by the Soors, precipitately flee; some rush headlong into the briny waters of the ocean, and others hide themselves within the bowels of the earth. The rage of the glorious Chakra, Soodarsan,

and he retired into the heavens from whence he came. And the Soors having obtained the victory, the mountain Mandar was carried back to its former station with great respect, whilst the waters also retired, filling the firmament and the heavens with their dreadful roarings. The Soors guarded the Amreeta with great care, and rejoiced exceedingly because of their success; and Eendra, with all his immortal bands, gave the water of life unto Narayan, to keep it for their use." (Mahabharat, book I, chap. 15).

These two accounts agree in all essentials concerning the origin of evil. The Devil was an angel of light, excelling in rank and power. This exalted being became dissatisfied with his position, envied the glory, majesty, and dominion of his Creator, sought by rebellion to dethrone the only God of the universe, was overcome by the allied forces of heaven, and cast down into hell. But though thus defeated in battle, he was not shorn of his power to do evil: for now with more bitterness, with implacable hatred, and increasing craftiness, does he plot against the rule of God and, assisted by innumerable confederates obeying his mandates, tempt and lead into eternal death the souls that God had created for eternal life. The two accounts we have said are sufficiently at one, but each is equally unacceptable, a surd whose root I sought for years to extract, but which I have long since discovered to be an imaginary quantity. There is no possible way to reconcile such a belief with the declared knowledge, wisdom, power, goodness, and justice of the Creator. Would the Devil have made war against God, had he known that it would result in his utter ruin? Would

power, wisdom, — create a being so imperfect in knowledge that the being thus created would involve himself and countless numbers of innocent beings in irretrievable ruin? With unlimited knowledge could not God have seen the failure of the works of his hands? With unlimited power could he not have prevented it? With unlimited goodness could he have permitted it? I declare that the generally accepted dogma of the origin of evil, is nothing less than blasphemous, a horrible libel on the God of the universe; a monstrous superstition revolting to any and every unbiassed and educated mind. It is but a modified form of the old myth of the unending and universal strife between the gods, Ormuzd and Ahriman. The origin of evil is a problem which has given me much trouble, but its difficulties more and more decrease, as I more and more recognise the fact that it is a man-of-straw, a difficulty of man's own creation; that it is an imaginary quantity. The explanation given is such as we should suppose the dark and superstitious mind would give; but, for the reasons given, such as no educated and unbiassed mind is able to receive.

B: THE FALL OF MAN, AND ORIGINAL SIN:

"But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

(II Cor. XI, 3). "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (I Cor. XV. 22).

"Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the

woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the 'field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return."