Page:Essays on Catholicism, Liberalism, and Socialism.djvu/145

with weight, number, and measure, arranged them so wisely that his providence would not restrict the free will of man, nor the improper use of this will, however great and calamitous it might be, and to the disregard of his glory. Before proceeding further, it appears to me becoming the dignity of the subject, to give a connected recital of that wonderful tragedy which commenced in heaven and ended in the terrestrial paradise, without noticing the difficulties and objections, which will be answered elsewhere, and which would only serve to obscure the severe and simple beauty of this lamentable history.

We have seen in what manner the Catholic theory is superior to all others, in the entire consistency of all its solutions; and we shall now see in what way the facts upon which it is established, considered in themselves, are superior to any of the primitive histories, however imposing and dramatic they may be. We have, until now, presented the beauty of this theory by comparisons and deductions; now, we shall examine its intrinsic and incomparable excellence.

Before the creation of man, and in ages too remote for human investigations, God created the angels blessed and perfect creatures, to whom it was given to dwell in the serene radiance of the beatific vision, bathed in an ocean of unspeakable delights and perpetual adoration. The angels were pure spirits, and their nature surpassed that of man, who was composed of an immortal soul united to the dust of the earth. In the simplicity of his nature, the angel resembled God, while in his reasoning faculties, his liberty, and his limited wisdom, he was in affinity with man. So, man in his spiritual nature was conformed to the angel, and in his corporeal