impossible to love them whom he does not and cannot love. Hence, we
shall never love Lucifer, nor any of those fallen spirits who sided
with him in his rebellion against God, and became demons on that
account. Nor shall we ever love any of those who lived a bad life,
stubbornly persisted in their sins, and died at enmity with God. They
have, by their own act, excommunicated themselves, as it were, from
the heart of God. They have, consequently, made it impossible for Him
ever to love them. They have also made it impossible for us to love
them, even were they father, mother, or any one else that was dear to
us in this world. If we can no longer love them, we shall certainly
not lose a single degree of our happiness on finding that they are
not in heaven.

4. The fourth and last consideration I place before you is, that if
the salvation of all their own were necessary for the happiness of
the blessed, it might follow that very few, if any, could be happy in
heaven. For it may be that there are only very few, if any, among the
blessed, who see every member of their family, all their relatives
and friends, around them in the abode of bliss. It would follow, too,
that even the angels are unhappy; for, before the rebellion of
Lucifer and his accomplices, they certainly loved each other, and
probably with more perfection and intensity than we ever loved any
one in this world. And now they see a vast multitude of their former
friends and associates in endless misery. Are they unhappy on that
account? Certainly not. It is evident, then, that if we once admit
that the salvation of our own is necessary for our individual
happiness, we find ourselves compelled to admit also that heaven is a
place of sadness and mourning, since there are many there who are not
surrounded by those whom they loved in this world. The absurdity
which necessarily follows from such an admission is, by itself, a
sufficient answer to the difficulty.

Once more: Remember that, in heaven, we shall be like God, because
we shall see Him as he is. We shall, therefore, be like God in
beatitude. Now, is God made unhappy because some of His creatures
have refused him obedience and love, and have, in consequence, lost
themselves forever? Certainly not. And did He ever love those same
creatures as much as we love father, or mother, brother, sister, or
friend? Certainly He did. His love for them was so great, that ours,
however pure and ardent, sinks into insignif