ich they guard in person.
Allotted to different parts, they occupy lofty forts constructed of
crystal and precious stones, which surpass in durability all that may be
found in the region of earth. They are immortal, and subject to no
feebleness nor decay of force in discharging their duties.

"'Beyond this region again are beings in immediate and continual
relation with the supreme King, constantly occupied in His service, and
never replaced by others. They are allowed to approach the Lord, to
contemplate the throne of His Majesty and to adore Him, enjoying the
sight of Him continually and without intermission. They have the
gentlest natures, great spiritual beauty, and a keen faculty of
penetration and of arriving at the truth. To each has been assigned a
distinct place and fixed rank, which can be shared by no one. Highest of
all is that unique being, the nearest to the Lord, and the parent of all
the rest. Active Intelligence[40]; it is by his mediation that the word
and commandment of the Lord go forth to all the other beings of
creation.

"'In this highest region all are pure spirits, having no relation to
matter, except in so far as innate desire may set them in movement or
cause them to move others. From such desire only, the Lord himself is
absolutely exempt.

"'Those who think that He had a beginning are in complete error, and
those who think to describe Him fully are beside themselves. In relation
to Him all description and comparison are impossible. Those who attempt
to describe Him can only indicate the distance which separates Him from
all human attributes; the beauty of being is represented in scriptural
language by His Face and His infinite bounty by His Hand. If even one of
the cherubims wished to contemplate His essence, he would be dazzled and
frustrated by His glory. Since beauty is the veil of beauty, His
manifestation must always remain a mystery, in the same way as the sun,
when lightly obscured by a cloud allows its disc to be seen, but when it
blazes forth in all its splendour, its disc is veiled from human eye by
excess of light. The Lord, however, is always communicating His
splendour to His creation without grudging or reserve; He imparts
Himself generously and the plenitude of His bounty is without limit: He
who has the least glimpse of His beauty remains entranced by it for
ever; sometimes saints of extraordinary attainments who have given
themselves up to Him and have been favoured by Hi