Essays On Divinity Vol. 3

"...It is true that one often suffers through the evil ac-tions of others; but when one has no part in the offence one must look upon it as a certainty that these suffer-ings prepare for us a greater happiness. The question of physical evil, that is, of the origin of sufferings, has difficulties in common with that of the origin of metaphysical evil, examples whereof are furnished by the monstrosities and other apparent irregularities of the universe. But one must believe that even sufferings and monstrosities are part of order; and it is well to bear in mind not only that it was better to admit these defects and these monstrosities than to violate general laws, as Father Malebranche sometimes argues, but also that these very monstrosities are in the rules, and are in con-formity with general acts of will, though we be not ca-pable of discerning this conformity..."