THE SECOND BOOK. 183 



-vhich springeth from reason, sense, induction, argument ac 

 cording to the laws of heaven and earth; the other that 

 which is imprinted upon the spirit of man by an inward 

 instinct, according to the law of conscience, which is a 

 sparkle of the purity of his first estate : in which latter 

 sense only he is participant of some light and discerning 

 touching the perfection of the moral law; but how? sum 

 cient to check the vice but not to inform the duty So 

 then the doctrine of religion, as well moral as mystical, 

 God attaine d but by inspiration and revelation from 



(4) The use notwithstanding of reason in spiritual thing s 

 and the latitude thereof, is very great and general : for it is 

 not for nothing that the apostle calleth religion &quot; our reason 

 able service of God ; &quot; insomuch as the very ceremonies and 

 figures of the old law were full of reason and signification 

 much more than the ceremonies of idolatry and magic, that 

 are full of non-significants and surd characters. But most 

 specially the Christian faith, as in all things so in thfc 

 deserveth to be highly magnified ; holding and preserving 

 the golden mediocrity in this point between the law of the 

 heathen and the law of Mahomet, 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 Mahomet on the other side 

 mterdicteth argument altogether : the one having the very 

 face of error and the other of imposture ; whereas the Faith 

 /fe mf h admit and re J ect disputation with diff erence 

 (5) The use of human reason in religion is of two sorts 

 the former in the conception and apprehension of the 

 mysteries of God to us revealed; the other, in the inferring 

 and deriving of doctrine and direction thereupon. The former 

 extendetn to the mysteries themselves; but how? by way of 

 illustration, and not by way of argument. The latter con- 

 sisteth indeed of probation and argument. In the former we 

 see God vouchsafed to descend to our capacity, in the exprel! 

 sing of His mysteries in sort as may be sensible unto us -and 

 doth graft His revelations and holy doctrine upon the notions 

 of our reason, and applieth His inspirations to open our under 

 standing, as the form of the key to the ward of the lock For 

 the latter there is allowed us a use of reason and argument 

 secondary and respective, although not original and absolute 

 *or after the articles and principles of religion are placed and 

 exempted from examination of reason, it is then permitted 

 unto us to make denvations and inferences from and according 



