THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

6 The Harmony of VirtueWilson: But if God in his incomprehensible wisdom andgoodness...Keshav: Incomprehensible indeed. If there is any meaningin words the God you have inscribed can neither be wise norgood. Will you show me the flaw in my position?Wilson: I cannot discover it.Keshav: Then your suspicion is born of your disgust at theconclusion to which I have forced you, and your dislike of mymethod: for I am taking nothing for granted, but am going to theroot of things.Wilson: I am afraid it is.Keshav: Well, shall we go on with the discussion or shouldI stop here?Wilson: Certainly let us go on and not shy at a truth howeverdisagreeable.Keshav: First let me give you a glass of this champagne. Ido not keep any of those infernal concoctions of alcohol andperdition of which you in Europe are so enamoured. Now hereis the conclusion I draw from all that we have been saying: Thereare two positions open to you. One is that of the fanatic. Youmay say that you and those who believe with you are the speciallychosen of God to be the receptacles of his grace and thatall who have heard and rejected his gospel together with thosewho have not so much as imagined its possibility must share asimilar fate and go into the outer darkness where there is wailingand gnashing of teeth. If that is the line you take up, myanswer is that God is an unjust God and the wise will prefer thetorment of the damned to any communion with him. The fanaticof course would be ready with his retort that the potter has aright to do what he will with his vessels. At that point I usuallyabandon the conversation; to tell him that a metaphor is no argumentwould be futile. Even if he saw it, he would reply thatGod's ways are incomprehensible and therefore we should acceptthem without a murmur. That is a position which I havenot the patience to undermine, nor if I had it, have I sufficientself-control to preserve my gravity under the ordeal.Wilson: I at least, Keshav, am not in danger of burdeningyour patience. I have no wish to evade you by such a backdoor