of God.

Therefore, it cannot be said there was a time when man was not. All that
we can say is that this terrestrial globe at one time did not exist, and
at its beginning man did not appear upon it. But from the beginning which
has no beginning, to the end which has no end, a Perfect Manifestation
always exists. This Man of Whom we speak is not every man; we mean the
Perfect Man. For the noblest part of the tree is the fruit, which is the
reason of its existence. If the tree had no fruit, it would have no
meaning. Therefore, it cannot be imagined that the worlds of existence,
whether the stars or this earth, were once inhabited by the donkey, cow,
mouse and cat, and that they were without man! This supposition is false
and meaningless. The word of God is clear as the sun. This is a spiritual
proof, but one which we cannot at the beginning put forth for the benefit
of the materialists. First we must speak of the logical proofs, afterward
the spiritual proofs.

51: THE SPIRIT AND MIND OF MAN HAVE EXISTED FROM THE BEGINNING

Question.--Does man in the beginning possess mind and spirit, or are they
an outcome of his evolution?

Answer.--The beginning of the existence of man on the terrestrial globe
resembles his formation in the womb of the mother. The embryo in the womb
of the mother gradually grows and develops until birth, after which it
continues to grow and develop until it reaches the age of discretion and
maturity. Though in infancy the signs of the mind and spirit appear in
man, they do not reach the degree of perfection; they are imperfect. Only
when man attains maturity do the mind and the spirit appear and become
evident in utmost perfection.

So also the formation of man in the matrix of the world was in the
beginning like the embryo; then gradually he made progress in perfectness,
and grew and developed until he reached the state of maturity, when the
mind and spirit became visible in the greatest power. In the beginning of
his formation the mind and spirit also existed, but they were hidden;
later they were manifested. In the womb of the world mind and spirit also
existed in the embryo, but they were concealed; afterward they appeared.
So it is that in the seed the tree exists, but it is hidden and concealed;
when it develops and grows, the complete tree appears. In the same way the
growth and development of all beings is gradual; this is the universal
divine organization and the natural system. T