the universe, it appears that, in the opinion of these philosophers, the
consummation of all things must be near. Once that humanity, faithful to
their doctrine, shall have pronounced the lofty utterance, "I am God,
and there is none else," the world will no longer have any reason for
existing.

Such is the system of which we have to follow out the consequences. Let
us take as our point of comparison the old ideas which we are urged to
abandon.

We usually explain human destinies by the concurrence of two causes,
infinitely distinct, since the one is creative and the other created,
but both of which we hold for real: man, and God. Humanity has received
from its Author the free power which we call will, and the law of that
will which we name conscience. The law proceeds from God, the liberty
proceeds from God; but the acts of the created will, when it violates
its law and revolts against its Author, are the creation of the
creature. God is the eternal source of good, and liberty is a good; but
God is not the source of evil, which is distinctly a revolt against Him,
the abuse of the first of His gifts. Together with will, man has
received understanding, and gives himself to the search after truth.
Truth is the object of the understanding, its Divine law. Error is a
deviation from the law of the understanding, as evil is a deviation from
the law of the will. Lastly, with will and understanding, man has
received the faculty of feeling. This faculty applies itself to the
world of bodies, from which we receive pain or pleasure. But our faculty
of feeling does not stop there. Above the animal life, the mind has
enjoyments which are proper to it, and the object of which is beauty.
Beauty is not only in nature and in works of art, it is everywhere, in
whatever attracts our love. The sciences are beautiful, and the harmony
of the truths which are discovered in their order and mutual dependence
causes us to experience a feeling similar to that produced by the most
delightful music. Virtue is beautiful; it shines in the view of the
conscience with the purest brightness, and, as was said by one of the
ancients, if it could reveal itself to our eyes in a sensible form, it
would excite in our souls feelings of inexpressible love. Vice is ugly
when once stripped of the delusive fascination of the passions; the
vicious excesses of the lower nature are ugly and repulsive as soon as
the intoxication is over. Error is ugly too; there are