"'Certainly; and I feel you have his spirit, the spirit of truth, in your heart.'
"'Well what is God!'
"'The absolute being. "I am that I am," is the inspired answer given by the greatest of books, the Bible.'
"'But do you know nothing more of his nature? Has the great book revealed no more to man?'
"'Christians say God is triune—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.'
"'What say the traditions of the old secret societies to which you belong?'
"'The same. Has not this circumstance struck you? Official and triumphant religion, as well as the faith that is proscribed, agree exactly in relation to the nature of God. I might mention creeds which existed earlier than Christianity, in whose theology you would find the same truth. India, Egypt, Greece, have known God in three persons. We will come to this again, however. From God, let us pass to man. What is man?'
"'After one difficult question, you ask another, which is not less so. The Oracle of Delphi has declared that all wisdom lay in this—"Man, know thyself!"'
"'The oracle was right. From nature, well understood, all wisdom emanates. So, too, does all morality, all organization, all true politics. Let me ask again, what is man?'
"'An emanation from God——'