(2) The all must be infinite, for there is nothing else to define, confine, bound, limit; or restrict the all.  It must be Infinite in Time, or eternal,—­it must have always continuously existed, for there is nothing else to have ever created it, and something can never evolve from nothing, and if it had ever “not been,” even for a moment, it would not “be” now,—­it must continuously exist forever, for there is nothing to destroy it, and it can never “not-be,” even for a moment, because something can never become nothing.  It must be Infinite in Space—­it must be Everywhere, for there is no place outside of the all—­it cannot be otherwise than continuous in Space, without break, cessation, separation, or interruption, for there is nothing to break, separate, or interrupt its continuity, and nothing with which to “fill in the gaps.”  It must be Infinite in Power, or Absolute, for there is nothing to limit, restrict, restrain, confine, disturb or condition it—­it is subject to no other Power, for there is no other Power.

(3) The all must be immutable, or not subject to change in its real nature, for there is nothing to work changes upon it nothing into which it could change, nor from which it could have changed.  It cannot be added to nor subtracted from; increased nor diminished; nor become greater or lesser in any respect whatsoever.  It must have always been, and must always remain, just what it is now—­the all—­there has never been, is not now, and never will be, anything else into which it can change.

The all being Infinite, Absolute, Eternal and Unchangeable it must follow that anything finite, changeable, fleeting, and conditioned cannot be the all.  And as there is Nothing outside of the all, in Reality, then any and all such finite things must be as Nothing in Reality.  Now do not become befogged, nor frightened—­we are not trying to lead you into the Christian Science field under cover of Hermetic Philosophy.  There is a Reconciliation of this apparently contradictory state of affairs.  Be patient, we will reach it in time.

We see around us that which is called “Matter,” which forms the physical foundation for all forms.  Is the all merely Matter?  Not at all!  Matter cannot manifest Life or Mind, and as Life and Mind are manifested in the Universe, the all cannot be Matter, for nothing rises higher than its own source—­nothing is ever manifested in an effect that is not in the cause—­nothing is evolved as a consequent that is not involved as an antecedent.  And then Modern Science informs us that there is really no such thing as Matter—­that what we call Matter is merely “interrupted energy or force,” that is, energy or force at a low rate of vibration.  As a recent writer has said “Matter has melted into Mystery.”  Even Material Science has abandoned the theory of Matter, and now rests on the basis of “Energy.”