Sh pete 
XXv. 4] THE SECOND BOOK. — 255 
and magic, that are full of non-significants and surd cha- 
racters. But most specially the Christian faith, as in all 
things so in this, deserveth to be highly magnified; hold- 
ing and preserving the golden mediocrity in this point 
between the law of the heathen and the law of Mahumet, 
which have embraced the two extremes. For the religion 
of the heathen had no constant belief or confession, but 
left all to the liberty of argument; and the religion of 
Mahumet on the other side interdicteth argument alto- 
gether: the one having the very face of error, and the ' 
other of imposture: whereas the Faith doth both admit 
‘ and reject disputation with difference. 
5. The use of human reason in religion is of two sorts: 
\fe former, in the conception and apprehension of the 
mysteries of God to us revealed; the other, in the in- 
erring and deriving of doctrine and direction thereupon. 
The former extendeth to the mysteries themselves ; but 
how? by way of illustration, and not by way of argument. 
The latter consisteth indeed of probation and argument. 
In the former we see God vouchsafeth to descend to our 
capacity, in the expressing of his mysteries in sort as may 
be sensible unto us; and doth grift his revelations and 
holy doctrine upon the notions of our reason, and applieth 
his inspirations to open our understanding, as the form of 
the key to the ward of the lock. For the latter, there is 
allowed us an use of reason and argument, secondary and 
respective, although not original and absolute. For after 
the articles and principles of religion are placed and ex- 
empted from examination of reason, it is then permitted 
unto us to make derivations and inferences from and 
according to the analogy of them, for our better direction, 
In nature this holdeth not; for both the principles are 
examinable by induction, though not by a medium or 
