independently of his reason; whereas man cannot be conscious of anything independently of reason. It is said, Accept the truth by revelation, by faith. But a man cannot believe independently of reason. If a man believes this and not that, it is only because his reason tells him that this is credible, and that is not. To affirm that a man must not be guided by reason is equivalent to telling a man who has lost his way in dark catacombs that, in order to find his way out, he must extinguish his lamp, and be guided, not by light, but by something else.
But it may be objected that not everyone is endowed with great intellect and a special capacity for expressing his thoughts, and that, in consequence, an inadequate expression of these thoughts may lead to error.
To this I would reply, in the words of the Gospel, that “things hid from the wise and prudent have been revealed unto babes.” And this statement is neither an exaggeration nor a paradox (as people are accustomed to view those passages in the Gospels which do not please them), but is an assertion of the simplest and most indubitable truth, that unto every being in the universe is given a law which he must follow, and that to enable each to recognise this law everyone is endowed with the necessary organs. Thus every man is endowed with reason, and to the reason of
