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DEALINGS WITH THE DEAD
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high and noble ends, not yet wholly, but to be wrought out in His own good time, who doeth all things well.

And now, on this tenth day of February, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, as I look back over the ruins of the dead months, I resolve in my soul to Try—and, as near as may be, to approach the standard of goodness and use: for these are the ends sought to be attained by the Order.

To resume: In reply, I said: "Yes, you are, this time, fully understood; you are Thotmor, but adopt the methods of Socrates, because they are best calculated for the purposes of teaching; and these methods are"—" Wisdom's,—and were applied practically by the great teacher," said he, interrupting the sentence, and completing it for me, but not quite as I had intended.

"Now, scholar, answer the first question, and tell me what you think of Nature?"

"I think that Nature is an emanation from the Glorified Person of Deity! Tell me, truly, is God a person?"

"As certainly and truly as that you are an individual, just so certain and truly is God an absolute Being—not a mere king—who, seated on the Throne of thrones, watches the procession of the worlds; but the Ineffable One is a working God, who pursues His march across the vast Eternities, reducing Chaos as He goes, and leaving a train of luminous worlds behind him. You shall know more of this hereafter. Go on: tell me what you think of Nature!"

"The principles, I think, are 'radiations from Jehovah; the purpose and design of this irradiation must be to perfect the universal organism; by a commingling of forces and elements, by mutual and diverse action and