Page:The Last Judgement and Second Coming of the Lord Illustrated.djvu/198

 too great for its accomplishment? Here, then, we reach a great principle, which demands for its realization the perpetuity of the human race; without this, a time must arrive in which one of the means for increasing the felicities of heaven will be taken away, and the number of its inhabitants will have reached a limit; but neither of these results is compatible with the infinite nature of the Divine love. The design for which the world was created was that men should live upon it. The preservation of the means involves the perpetuation of the end. The earth is to remain for ever, just because it is the Divine intention that it should be for ever a residence for men, in order that, from the good among them, provision may be made for increasing the inhabitants of heaven, the immensity of which is such that it will admit of accessions throughout eternity.

Every Divine work has respect to infinity and eternity. The reason why there is such an immense variety in all and everything of creation is, because they derive their origin from the Divine principles, which are infinite, and, therefore, a sort of image of infinity is everywhere displayed, to the end that all may be viewed by the Supreme Being as His own work; and, also, that they may have respect to Him as the Supreme Cause. This fact may be illustrated by what is known to be the results of seeds, which are susceptible of increase without end. From a grain of wheat may be raised, in the course of a hundred years, a sufficient quantity to cover the surface of the whole earth; and, consequently, the produce of a succeeding year would be enough for twenty earths with similar magnitude. This sufficiently shows that the Divine works contain within them an image of infinity.

But man is the chief of God's works; he is the masterpiece of the Supreme Workman, and the purpose for which