men. Those evils which, as consequences of sin, are inflicted on the reconciled, are conceived as being in themselves divinely purposed, but also and predominantly as means of their education; thus they are given the form of moral ends. On the other hand, the interpretation of evils as punishments carries with it the implication that, on the principle of retribution, they are an end in themselves. In this sense, too, it is considered a matter of indifference whether the penal value of evils is acknowledged