The listeners knitted their brows, but no one spoke.  Uncle Zed continued:  “Well, here is a little more.  Perhaps this will clear it up:  ’The greatest of selves, the ultimate Self of the universe, is God....  My God is my deeper self and yours too.  He is the self of the universe, and knows all about it....  By Deity we mean the all-controling consciousness of the universe, as well as the unfathomable, all unknowable, and unknowable abyss of being beyond’.”

Uncle Zed carefully folded his papers and placed them back in his pocket.  He looked about him, but his friends appeared as if they had had a volley of Greek fired at them.  “Well” he said, “why don’t some of you say something?”

“Please pass the pickles,” responded Mrs. Trent.

When the merriment had ceased, uncle Zed continued:  “There is some truth in these definitions.  God is all that which they try to express, and vastly more.  The trouble is these men talk about the attributes of God, and confound these with the being and personality of the Great Parent.  I may describe the scent of the rose, but that does not define the rose itself.  I cannot separate the rose from its color or form or odor, any more than I can divorce music from the instrument.  These vague and incomplete definitions have had much to do with the unbelief in the world.  Tom Paine wrote a book which he called the ‘Age of Reason’ on the premise that reason does away with God.  Isn’t that it, Dorian?”

“All agnostic writers seem to think that there is no reason in religion, and at times they come pretty near proving it too,” replied Dorian.

“That is because they base their arguments on the religions of the world; but the restored gospel of Jesus Christ rests largely on reason.  Why, I can prove, contrary to the generally accepted opinion, by reason alone that there must be a God.”

“We shall be glad to hear it,” said the school teacher.  The eating was about over, and so they all sat and listened attentively.

“We do not need to quote a word of scripture,” continued Uncle Zed.  “All we need to know is a little of the world about us, a little of the race and its history, and a little of the other worlds out in space, all of which is open to anybody who will seek it.  The rest is simply a little connected thought.  Reason tells me that there can be no limits to time or space or intelligence.  Time always has been, there can be no end to space, and intelligence cannot create itself.  Now, with limitless time and space and intelligence to work with, what have we?  The human mind, being limited, cannot grasp the limitless; therefore, we must make arbitrary points of beginning and ending.  Now, let us project our thought as far back into duration as we can—­count the periods by any thinkable measurements, years, centuries, ages, aeons, anything you please that will help.  Have we arrived at a point when there is no world, no life, no intelligence?  Certainly not.  Somewhere in space, all that we see here and now will be seen to exist.  Go back from this point to a previous period, and then count back as far as you wish; there is yet time and space and intelligence.