nobody and nothing. Sin should be conceived of only

as a delusion. This true conception would remove mortals' [15]

ignorance and its consequences, and advance the second

stage of human consciousness, repentance. The first

state, namely, the knowledge of one's self, the proper

knowledge of evil and its subtle workings wherein evil

seems as real as good, is indispensable; since that which [20]

is truly conceived of, we can handle; but the misconcep-

tion of what we need to know of evil,—or the concep-

tion of it at all as something real,—costs much. Sin