Page:TheParadiseOfTheChristianSoul.djvu/126



1. O Lord  and  Creator of all  good,  thou  art  good not in  this  or  that  manner, or  in  this  or  that  kind  of goodness,  but  perfectly,  without beginning  or  end,  without limitation,  and  without degree, except  that  in  which, without measure,  thou  preoccupiest  and  embracest  all good.

Thou art  the  very  fulness and universality  of  good; to thee  all  created  things,  from the highest  essence  down  to bare  primary  matter,  owe  all their good  that  they  have  received.

In thy  own  most  pure  essence, thou  possessest  all  excellence, all  perfection,  all happiness, and  all  good. Nor have thy  goodness  and  perfection any  limit  or  end,  because they  are  first  and  primary, and  dependent  upon nothing.

2. From  thee  all  that  is sweet  draws  its  sweetness; all that  is  beautiful  its  beauty; all  that  is  bright  its  splendour; all  that  lives  its  life: all that  feels  its  feeling; all that moves  its  strength; all that has  understanding  its intelligence; all  that  is  perfect its  perfection;  all,  in short,  that  is  good,  in  any way whatever,  derives  from thee its  goodness.

3. Thou  art  great  without quantity, good  without  quality, infinite  without  number, beautiful  without  figure, eternal without  time,  immense without  space,  diffused without  extension,  perfect without  multiplicity, most high  without  situation.

4. Thou  art  the  centre  of the  universe,  to  which  all things are  borne  by  their natural weight,  in  which  all repose, by  which  all  are  sustained; in  thee  are  the  charms of all  love,  the  consummation of all  desire,  the  bounds  of all  motion,  the  satisfaction  of all  appetite.

How great  the  power  of this  supreme  goodness,  by  a. little  ray  of  whose  splendour all created  things  are  so  forcibly attracted! While all of them  desire  and  labour with their  whole  strength, each for  its  own  peculiar good; a good which  yet  is nothing  else  than  a slight trace and  token  of  thy  goodness! It is  this  that  attracts so powerfully  every  creature; this  that  stirs  up  so great  movements  in  the world. For whatever  created thing moves,  and  is  actuated, and works,  is  moved  and  actuated by  the  aspect  of  good. If the  mere  shadow  of  good attracts with  so  much  force, how much  more  the  reality of that  infinite  beauty  and