“There was an epoch in the Night of Time, when a still-existent Being existed—one of an absolutely infinite number of similar Beings that people the absolutely infinite domains of the absolutely infinite space.[16] It was not and is not in the power of this Being—any more than it is in your own—to extend, by actual increase, the joy of his Existence; but just as it _is_ in your power to expand or to concentrate your pleasures (the absolute amount of happiness remaining always the same) so did and does a similar capability appertain to this Divine Being, who thus passes his Eternity in perpetual variation of Concentrated Self and almost Infinite Self-Diffusion. What you call The Universe is but his present expansive existence. He now feels his life through an infinity of imperfect pleasures—the partial and pain-intertangled pleasures of those inconceivably numerous things which you designate as his creatures, but which are really but infinite individualizations of Himself. All these creatures—_all_—those which you term animate, as well as those to whom you deny life for no better reason than that you do not behold it in operation—_all_ these creatures have, in a greater or less degree, a capacity for pleasure and for pain:—_but the general sum of their sensations is precisely that amount of Happiness which appertains by right to the Divine Being when concentrated within Himself_. These creatures are all, too, more or less conscious Intelligences; conscious, first, of a proper identity; conscious, secondly and by faint indeterminate glimpses, of an identity with the Divine Being of whom we speak—of an identity with God. Of the two classes of consciousness, fancy that the former will grow weaker, the latter stronger, during the long succession of ages which must elapse before these myriads of individual Intelligences become blended—when the bright stars become blended—into One. Think that the sense of individual identity will be gradually merged in the general consciousness—that Man, for example, ceasing imperceptibly to feel himself Man, will at length attain that awfully triumphant epoch when he shall recognize his existence as that of Jehovah. In the meantime bear in mind that all is Life—Life—Life within Life—the less within the greater, and all within the _Spirit Divine_.” [16] See pages 102-103—Paragraph commencing “I reply that the right,” and ending “proper and particular God.” THE END. 155 Broadway, NEW YORK. 142 Strand, LONDON. Of late firm of WILEY & PUTNAM. New Works in Press, Or recently published, by GEORGE P. PUTNAM, 155 Broadway, New York. G. P. PUTNAM has the pleasure of announcing that, agreeably to his contract with the distinguished author, he has now in the course of publication _A new, uniform, and complete edition_ OF THE Works of Washington Irving, Revised and enlarged by the Author, _In Twelve Elegant Duodecimo Volumes_,