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 veiy^-foce of error, and the 

 other of imposture : wherea^he^ Faitp doth both admit 

 and reject disputation with difference. 



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 in 

 ferring 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 



