this doctrine. All organic forms on earth enjoy but a transitory life. They are born, they grow to maturity, they die. But until they arrive at maturity, their state is one of constant progress. They are continually advancing with greater or less rapidity, continually increasing in strength, continually unfolding new beauties and capabilities. This goes on until the period of full maturity is reached. Then decay—and decay is but another term for death—commences. This is the case with every plant, tree, animal, and even with man considered in respect to his material organism. Death is not sudden but gradual when it takes place in an orderly way. It is the conclusion of a process, the whole of which from beginning to end is a dying process. Man is not dying for only a few minutes or hours, but usually for many years. He begins to die shortly after he has attained to the fulness of bodily strength and stature, and when the freshness and bloom of carly manhood have begun to depart. But up to this time there is physical growth, progress, a continual unfolding of bodily powers.
Now, there is no death in heaven; consequently no decay. All is life there. And since in all living things on earth there is constant progress up to the time when death commences, therefore (reasoning analogically) we must conclude that progress in heaven is unending. Analogy justifies the inference, that, so long as there is orderly life without decay in any created subject, so long must there continue to be a progressive improvement in the recipient forms, and a constant increase in the fulness and perfection of that life.
Moreover, the angelic heavens are continually increas-
