ld have been imperfect--that is to say, there would have been
no man, and this chief member, which in the body of the world is like the
brain and mind in man, would have been missing. The world would then have
been quite imperfect. It is thus proved that if there had been a time when
man was in the animal kingdom, the perfection of existence would have been
destroyed; for man is the greatest member of this world, and if the body
was without this chief member, surely it would be imperfect. We consider
man as the greatest member because, among the creatures, he is the sum of
all existing perfections. When we speak of man, we mean the perfect one,
the foremost individual in the world, who is the sum of spiritual and
apparent perfections, and who is like the sun among the beings. Then
imagine that at one time the sun did not exist, but that it was a planet;
surely at such a time the relations of existence would be disordered. How
can such a thing be imagined? To a man who examines the world of existence
what we have said is sufficient.

There is another more subtle proof: all these endless beings which inhabit
the world, whether man, animal, vegetable, mineral--whatever they may
be--are surely, each one of them, composed of elements. There is no doubt
that this perfection which is in all beings is caused by the creation of
God from the composing elements, by their appropriate mingling and
proportionate quantities, the mode of their composition, and the influence
of other beings. For all beings are connected together like a chain; and
reciprocal help, assistance and interaction belonging to the properties of
things are the causes of the existence, development and growth of created
beings. It is confirmed through evidences and proofs that every being
universally acts upon other beings, either absolutely or through
association. Finally, the perfection of each individual being--that is to
say, the perfection which you now see in man or apart from him, with
regard to their atoms, members or powers--is due to the composition of the
elements, to their measure, to their balance, to the mode of their
combination, and to mutual influence. When all these are gathered
together, then man exists.

As the perfection of man is entirely due to the composition of the atoms
of the elements, to their measure, to the method of their combination, and
to the mutual influence and action of the different beings--then, since man
was produced ten or