If man had met with nothing in the state of the earth
that stood in the way of his will or pleasure; if he had met with
nothing in the shape of difficulty or inconvenience, it would have been
a terrible calamity. All man's powers are developed and perfected by
exertion; and without exertion,--without vigorous exertion--he would
not, as at present constituted, be capable of enjoying life. Man cannot
be happy without work. We therefore believe that it was wise and kind in
God, independent of Adam's sin, to make impassable morasses, and barren
deserts, &c., to exercise man's powers of mind and body in _draining_
the morasses, and _fertilizing_ the deserts. We believe that the earth
was very good; but we believe that the rough and rugged rocks, the
horrid precipices, huge chasms, dreary caverns, with the deep impassable
morasses, and the deserts of barren sands, were _parts_ of the earth's
goodness,--were manifestations both of the wisdom and goodness of God.
Wesley thinks there _were_ mountains on the earth before sin was
committed, but that their sides were not _abrupt_ or _difficult of
ascent_; that they rose and fell by almost _insensible degrees_. This
passage also goes on the false supposition, that whatever things would
be likely to render great exertion necessary on the part of man, would
be an evil; whereas such things are among man's greatest blessings.
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