the vehicle of
evil; and we must distinguish between the darkness of Matter and moral
darkness, though there is a spiritual correspondence between them. The
true development of Man consists in the self-expansion of the Divine
Spirit working through his mind, and thence upon his psychic and
physical organisms, but this can only be by the individual's
_willingness to receive_ that Spirit. Where the hindrance to this
working is only caused by ignorance of the true relation between
ourselves and the Divine Spirit, and the desire for truth is present,
the True Light will in due course disperse the darkness. But on the
other hand, if the hindrance is caused by _unwillingness_ to be led by
the Divine Spirit, then the Light cannot be _forced_ upon any one, and
for this reason Jesus said: "This is the condemnation, that light is
come into the World, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he
that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John iii: 19-21). In physical
science these things have an exact parallel in "Ohm's Law" regarding the
resistance offered by the conductor to the flow of the electric
current. The correspondence is very remarkable and will be found more
fully explained in a later chapter. The Primary Darkness, both of
Substance and of Mind, has to be taken into account, if we would form an
intelligent conception of the twofold process of Involution and
Evolution continually at work in ourselves, which, by their combined
action, are able to lead to the limitless development both of the
individual and of the race.

According to all teaching, then, both ancient and modern, all life and
energy have their source in a Primary Life and Energy, of which we can
only say that IT IS. We cannot conceive of any time when it was not,
for, if there was a time when no such Primary Energizing Life existed,
what was there to energize it? So we are landed in a _reductio ad
absurdum_ which leaves no alternative but to predicate the Eternal
Existence of an All-Originating Living Spirit.

Let us stop for a moment to consider what we mean by "Eternal." When,
do you suppose, twice two began to make four? And when, do you
suppose, twice two will cease to make four? It is an eternal
principle, quite independent of time or conditio