n；　if　He　preeminently　is　because　He　holds　firmly；　so　to　speak；　towards　Himself；　looking　towards　Himself；　so　that　what　we　must　call　his　being　is　this　self…looking；　He　must　again；　since　the　word　is　inevitable；　make　Himself：　thus；　not　〃as　He　happens　to　be〃　is　He　but　as　He　Himself　wills　to　be。　Nor　is　this　will　a　hazard；　a　something　happening；　the　will　adopting　the　Best　is　not　a　thing　of　chance。　　　　　That　his　being　is　constituted　by　this　self…originating　self…tendence…　at　once　Act　and　repose…　becomes　clear　if　we　imagine　the　contrary；　inclining　towards　something　outside　of　Himself；　He　would　destroy　the　identity　of　his　being。　This　self…directed　Act　is；　therefore；　his　peculiar　being；　one　with　Himself。　If；　then；　his　act　never　came　to　be　but　is　eternal…　a　waking　without　an　awakener；　an　eternal　wakening　and　a　supra…Intellection…　He　is　as　He　waked　Himself　to　be。　This　awakening　is　before　being；　before　Intellectual…Principle；　before　rational　life；　though　He　is　these；　He　is　thus　an　Act　before　Intellectual…Principle　and　consciousness　and　life；　these　come　from　Him　and　no　other；　his　being；　then；　is　a　self…presence；　issuing　from　Himself。　Thus　not　〃as　He　happened　to　be〃　is　He　but　as　He　willed　to　be。　　　　　17。　Or　consider　it　another　way：　We　hold　the　universe；　with　its　content　entire；　to　be　as　all　would　be　if　the　design　of　the　maker　had　so　willed　it；　elaborating　it　with　purpose　and　prevision　by　reasonings　amounting　to　a　Providence。　All　is　always　so　and　all　is　always　so　reproduced：　therefore　the　reason…principles　of　things　must　lie　always　within　the　producing　powers　in　a　still　more　perfect　form；　these　beings　of　the　divine　realm　must　therefore　be　previous　to　Providence　and　to　preference；　all　that　exists　in　the　order　of　being　must　lie　for　ever　There　in　their　Intellectual　mode。　If　this　regime　is　to　be　called　Providence　it　must　be　in　the　sense　that　before　our　universe　there　exists；　not　expressed　in　the　outer；　the　Intellectual…Principle　of　all　the　All；　its　source　and　archetype。　　　　　Now　if　there　is　thus　an　Intellectual…Principle　before　all　things；　their　founding　principle；　this　cannot　be　a　thing　lying　subject　to　chance…　multiple；　no　doubt；　but　a　concordance；　ordered　so　to　speak　into　oneness。　Such　a　multiple…　the　co…ordination　of　all　particulars　and　consisting　of　all　the　Reason…Principles　of　the　universe　gathered　into　the　closest　union…　this　cannot　be　a　thing　of　chance；　a　thing　〃happening　so　to　be。〃　It　must　be　of　a　very　different　nature；　of　the　very　contrary　nature；　separated　from　the　other　by　all　the　difference　between　reason　and　reasonless　chance。　And　if　the　Source　is　precedent　even　to　this；　it　must　be　continuous　with　this　reasoned　secondary　so　that　the　two　be　correspondent；　the　secondary　must　participate　in　the　prior；　be　an　expression　of　its　will；　be　a　power　of　it：　that　higher　therefore　＇as　above　the　ordering　of　reason＇　is　without　part　or　interval　＇implied　by　reasoned　arrangement＇；　is　a　one…　all　Reason…Principle；　one　number；　a　One　greater　than　its　product；　more　powerful；　having　no　higher　or　better。　Thus　the　Supreme　can　derive　neither　its　being　nor　the　quality　of　its　being。　God　Himself；　therefore；　is　what　He　is；　self…related；　self…tending；　otherwise　He　becomes　outward…tending；　other…seeking…　who　cannot　but　be　wholly　self…poised。　　　　　18。　Seeking　Him；　seek　nothing　of　Him　outside；　within　is　to　be　sought　what　follows　upon　Him；　Himself　do　not　attempt。　He　is；　Himself；　that　outer；　He　the　encompassment　and　measure　of　all　things；　or　rather　He　is　within；　at　the　innermost　depth；　the　outer；　circling　round　Him；　so　to　speak；　and　wholly　dependent　upon　Him；　is　Reason…Principle　and　Intellectual…Principle…or　becomes　Intellectual…Principle　by　contact　with　Him　and　in　the　degree　of　that　contact　and　dependence；　for　from　Him　it　takes　the　being　which　makes　it　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　A　circle　related　in　its　path　to　a　centre　must　be　admitted　to　owe　its　scope　to　that　centre：　it　has　something　of　the　nature　of　that　centre　in　that　the　radial　lines　converging　on　that　one　central　point　assimilate　their　impinging　ends　to　that　point　of　convergence　and　of　departure；　the　dominant　of　radii　and　terminals：　the　terminals　are　of　one　nature　with　the　centre；　separate　reproductions　of　it；　since　the　centre　is；　in　a　certain　sense；　the　total　of　terminals　and　radii　impinging　at　every　point　upon　it；　these　lines　reveal　the　centre；　they　are　the　development　of　that　undeveloped。　　　　　In　the　same　way　we　are　to　take　Intellectual…Principle　and　Being。　This　combined　power　springs　from　the　Supreme；　an　outflow　and　as　it　were　development　from　That　and　remaining　dependent　upon　that　Intellective　nature；　showing　forth　That　which；　in　the　purity　of　its　oneness；　is　not　Intellectual…Principle　since　it　is　no　duality。　No　more　than　in　the　circle　are　the　lines　or　circumference　to　be　identified　with　that　Centre　which　is　the　source　of　both：　radii　and　circle　are　images　given　forth　by　indwelling　power　and；　as　products　of　a　certain　vigour　in　it；　not　cut　off　from　it。　　　　　Thus　the　Intellective　power　circles　in　its　multiple　unity　around　the　Supreme　which　stands　to　it　as　archetype　to　image；　the　image　in　its　movement　round　about　its　prior　has　produced　the　multiplicity　by　which　it　is　constituted　Intellectual…Principle：　that　prior　has　no　movement；　it　generates　Intellectual…Principle　by　its　sheer　wealth。　　　　　Such　a　power；　author　of　Intellectual…Principle；　author　of　being…　how　does　it　lend　itself　to　chance；　to　hazard；　to　any　〃So　it　happened〃？　　　　　What　is　present　in　Intellectual…Principle　is　present；　though　in　a　far　transcendent　mode；　in　the　One：　so　in　a　light　diffused　afar　from　one　light　shining　within　itself；　the　diffused　is　vestige；　the　source　is　the　true　light；　but　Intellectual…Principle；　the　diffused　and　image　light；　is　not　different　in　kind　from　its　prior；　and　it　is　not　a　thing　of　chance　but　at　every　point　is　reason　and　cause。　　　　　The　Supreme　is　cause　of　the　cause：　it　is　cause　preeminently；　cause　as　containing　cause　in　the　deepest　and　truest　mode；　for　in　it　lie　the　Intellective　causes　which　are　to　be　unfolded　from　it；　author　as　it　is　not　of　the　chance…　made　but　of　what　the　divine　willed：　and　this　willing　was　not　apart　from　reason；　was　not　in　the　realm　of　hazard　and　of　what　happened　to　present　itself。　　　　　Thus　Plato；　seeking　the　best　account　of　the　necessary　and　appropriate；　says　they　are　far　removed　from　hazard　and　that　what　exists　is　what　must　exist：　if　thus　the　existence　is　as　it　must　be　it　does　not　exist　without　reason：　if　its　manner　of　being　is　the　fitting；　it　is　the　utterly　self…disposing　in　comparison　with　its　sequents　and；　before　that；　in　regard　to　itself：　thus　it　is　not　〃as　it　happened　to　be〃　but　as　it　willed　to　be：　all　this；　on　the　assumption　that　God　wills　what　should　be　and　that　it　is　impossible　to　separate　right　from　realization　and　that　this　Necessary　is　not　to　God　an　outside　thing　but　is；　itself；　His　first　Activity　manifesting　outwardly　in　the　exactly　representative　form。　Thus　we　must　speak　of　God　since　we　cannot　tell　Him　as　we　would。　　　　　19。　Stirred　to　the　Supreme　by　what　has　been　told；　a　man　must　strive　to　possess　it　directly；　then　he　too　will　see；　though　still　unable　to　tell　it　as　he　would　wish。　　　　　One　seeing　That　as　it　really　is　will　lay　aside　all　reasoning　upon　it　and　simply　state　it　as　the　self…existent；　such　that　if　it　had　essence　that　essence　would　be　subject　to　it　and；　so　to　speak；　derived　from　it；　none　that　has　seen　would　dare　to　talk　of　its　〃happening　to　be；〃　or　indeed　be　able　to　utter　word。　With　all　his　courage　he　would　stand　astounded；　unable　at　any　venture　to　speak　of　This；　with　the　vision　everywhere　before　the　eyes　of　the　soul　so　that；　look　where　one　may；　there　it　is　seen　unless　one　deliberately　look　away；　ignoring　God；　thinking　no　more　upon　Him。　So　we　are　to　understand　the　Beyond…Essence　darkly　indicated　by　the　ancients：　is　not　merely　that　He　generated　Essence　but　that　He　is　subject　neither　to　Essence　nor　to　Himself；　His　essence　is　not　His　Principle；　He　is　Principle　to　Essence　and　not　for　Himself　did　He　make　it；　producing　it　He　left　it　outside　of　Himself：　He　had　no　need　of　being　who　brought　it　to　be。　Thus　His　making　of　being　is　no　〃action　in　accordance　with　His　being。〃　　　　　20。　The　difficulty　will　be　raised　that　God　would　seem　to　have　existed　before　thus　coming　into　existence；　if　He　makes　Himself；　then　in　regard　to　the　self　which　He　makes　He　is　not　yet　in　being　and　as　maker　He　exists　before　this　Himself　thus　made。　　　　　The　answer　is　that　we　utterly　must　not　speak　of　Him　as　made　but　sheerly　as　maker；　the　making　must　be　taken　as　absolved　from　all　else；　no　new　existence　is　established；　the　Act　here　is　not　directed　to　an　achievement　but　is　God　Himself　unalloyed：　here　is　no　duality　but　pure　unity。　Let　no　one　suspect　us　of　asserting　that　the　first　Activity　is　without　Essence；　on　the　contrary　the　Activity　is　the　very　reality。　To　suppose　a　reality　without　activity　would　be　to　make　the　Principle　of　all　principles　deficient；　the　supremely　complete　becomes　incomplete。　To　make　the　Activity　something　superadded　to　the　essence　is　to　shatter　the　unity。　If　then　Activity　is　a　more　perfect　thing　than　essence　and　the　First　is　all　perfect；　then　the　Activity　is　the　First。　　　　　By　having　acted；　He　is　what　He　is　and　there　is　no　question　of　〃existing　before　bringing　Himself　into　existence〃；　when　He　acted　He　was　not　in　some　state　that　could　b