THEISM A ND EVOL UTION. 299 



constructing other watches in succession, and of wind- 

 ing up, regulating, cleaning, repairing its offspring, 

 there is no one who would not be free to admit, that 

 the inventor would possess a virtue of operation in- 

 comparably superior to his fellow-men. It serves to 

 manifest the love and goodness of the Creator ; since 

 the Divine communication is more complete. Love 

 shows itself in the desire of communicating its own 

 perfection to the object of love ; it is essentially self- 

 diffusive. By bestowing on the creature existence 

 which is a likeness to His own existence, the Crea- 

 tor communicates of His own, so to say, to the ob- 

 ject of His charity ; but by bestowing likewise an in- 

 trinsic activity proportioned in each case to the 

 exigencies of the particular nature, he completes the 

 similitude. By this consummation of the creature 

 He causes it to partake, in its own proper measure, 

 of the diffusiveness of His goodness. There is 

 nothing of solitariness in nature. By the very con- 

 stitution of things, being is impelled to impart to 

 being of its own perfection. Not only does the sub- 

 stantial form bestow upon the matter a specific deter- 

 mination, and the matter sustain the form in being; 

 not only does accident give its complement of per- 

 fection to substance, and substance give and preserve 

 the being of accident ; not only does part conspire 

 with part towards the completeness of the whole, 

 and the whole delight in the welfare of each part ; 

 but substance generates substance, accident, in its 

 way, accident, and the whole visible universe is knit 

 together in the solidarity of a common need and of 

 mutual support. Passing upwards, the orders of 



