for brethren to dwell together in unity. . . For there, the Lord hath commanded blessing, and life for evermore. They are all happy, because they all see, love, and enjoy God, as well as the additional pleasures with which He perfects and completes the happiness of His beloved children. They are all filled to overflowing with the happiness of which the Royal Prophet speaks, when he says: "They shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasure. For with Thee is the fountain of life." By their union with the Fountain of Life, which is God Himself, the Blessed see all their desires fulfilled, and knowing not what more to crave, they rest in God as their last end, and enjoy Him for ever.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE ETERNITY OF HEAVEN'S HAPPINESS.

HAVING endeavoured, in the foregoing pages, to form to ourselves some idea of the glorious happiness reserved for us in heaven, there still remains to say something of its crowning glory-the eternity of its duration. This is

* Psalm cxxxii.

+ Psalm xxxv.

not only its crowning glory, but it is, moreover, an essential constituent of that unspeakable joy which now inebriates the souls of the Blessed. A moment's reflection will make this evident.

Let us suppose, for the sake of illustration, that on the last day God should thus speak to the Blessed: "Dearly beloved children, you are now happy, and you shall continue so for a very long time, but not for ever. When I promised you eternal life, I did not really mean a life without end. I alone can live for ever. I have created a little bird whose office it is, every thousand years, to take away from the earth one grain of sand, or a drop of water, and carry it to the place I have appointed. And when it shall have thus removed the whole earth, all the oceans, rivers, and lakes, you shall die a second death, and be no more for ever."

How many ages, do you think, it would take, at that rate, to remove this whole world to another place? Of course, you cannot even form a conception of the countless ages it would require. The most gifted mind is bewildered and lost in those millions and billions of ages. It seems as if that little bird never would come to the last atom; and to us, children of time, that vast duration seems like an eternity. And yet, if such a revelation were made to the Blessed, they would again sorrow and mourn: the tears would again flow from their eyes, because the canker-worm that eats away all

earthly happiness would have found entrance into heaven.

Evidently, then, the eternity of heaven is essential to complete the happiness of God's children.

Among the many defects which mar our happiness in this world, there are three capital ones, which we will consider for a few moments. The happiness of this world is not and cannot be permanent, because we are changeable, because the objects of our happiness are also subject to change, and finally, because death must eventually tear us away from this world.

1. We ourselves are changeable by nature. This is a defect which must cling to us as long as we remain pilgrims here below. The objects which made us so happy in our childhood are no longer able to give us any pleasure. Our growth to mature age has completely changed us in their regard. Where is the man that could now spend the day with the playthings of his childhood? Where is the woman that could spend her time in dressing and adorning a doll? We are changed, and other objects have become necessary. But, in our mature years, we still continue to change, and those objects which make us happy to-day, may, in a few days, be a source of annoyance to us, and even wretchedness.. The changes of the weather, our passions, our health, our associations, a want of success in our undertakings, an unkind word or look-all these,

and a thousand other things, influence us and change our dispositions at times so completely, that nothing in the whole world can make us happy. We are disgusted with everything that only yesterday made us as happy as we could expect to be in this world.

So great is our natural fickleness, that we are continually exposed to change, even in regard to God, and thus lose the only happiness worth possessing - His friendship. For, after having, in all sincerity, promised and even sworn fidelity to Him, we may, at any moment, give way to our passions, and, like Peter deny Him; or like Judas, sell Him for a temporary gratifica

tion.

This fickleness, which so stubbornly clings to us in our present state of existence, and which puts an end to so many of our joys, is entirely removed by our union with God in the Beatific Vision. "We shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is." One of the essential attributes of God is immutability, or the total absence of change, or even of the power to change. He is the self-same for ever. He is, as St. James beautifully expresses it, "The Father of lights, with whom there is no change nor shadow of alteration." By our union with Him we are "made partakers of the Divine Nature," and consequently, of the Divine immutability. Our natural fickleness will

* St. James i. 17.

die in our temporal death, never to rise again, and our whole nature will be clothed with immutability, and remain the self-same for ever.

Hence, we shall no longer be tossed to and fro by every wind of passion, nor by the vicissitudes of present time. We shall no longer, as now, be joyful one day, and then be cast down and sorrowful on the next; in the enjoyment of perfect health one day, and racked with the pangs of disease on the next; enjoying the society of our fellow-beings one day, and finding it intolerable on the next; overflowing now with devotion and the love of God, and then ready to abandon His service in disgust. We shall become immutable, and therefore when millions of ages have rolled by, we shall still be enjoying the same happiness as we did when the vision of God first flashed upon our souls.

2. But there is a second defect which, even if we were immutable ourselves, would prevent our earthly happiness from being permanent, and it is this: the objects from which we derive our happiness are also subject to change. Their beauty fades away; they lose their freshness, and along with it the power of making us happy. It was this defect that marred the happiness of Solomon. His position and circumstances placed within his reach all the pleasures which the heart of man can enjoy here below. He was a king, a husband, and a father; he was filled with