T. Thou wilt see, then, that nature is true to God; and when a thing is true to him who made it, it can never be untrue. Even so, is that true to thee which is adapted to thy welfare. But that which is adapted to thy welfare, may not be adapted to the welfare of all minds.
C. Thou makest truth change with the condition of mind, then.
T. Not so. I would say, that conditions change. When the conditions of mind change, that which was true in one relation, may be false in another, because a thing, not changing with the condition of the mind, can not be true to it in all conditions. Thou art satisfied within these walls. To thee, they are necessary and true, being adapted to thy condition of developed wisdom; but thou wilt not say, that such confinement would be true to my happiness, or that my condition would admit of happiness to me therein. When thy wisdom shall be increased, the things which are true to thee now, will give thee no satisfaction, because they will not be adapted to thy condition.
C. Then, what is true to me now, will be false when my wisdom shall be increased.
T. That which is true to thy condition will be eternally true to that condition; but it will not be true to a different condition. Thou wilt remember, that thou must be the judge of all things presented for thy consideration. Laws are eternal; but a knowledge of all the laws of God must be forever finite. What knowledge thou hast of those laws, is true to thee, but greater knowledge will show thee, that what thou regardest as true to thee, will soon not be so regarded; because thy wisdom will see its falsity. And what thy judgment receives as true, is true to thee; and what thy wisdom decides is not true, that thou wilt reject as false. Hence, truth being determined by thy wisdom, must be true to thy wisdom. It can not be true to thee, contrary to thy wisdom; because that which thy mind receives contrary to thy wisdom, is false to thy good, and destructive to thy enjoyment.
C. Thou reasonest well; but the Bible is reasonable, and thou shouldst not set up thy reason contrary thereto.
T. The Bible is one thing, and thy views another. The wisdom of thy interpretation is not reasonable to me.
C. What interpretation of the Bible is reasonable?
T. Thou wilt not say, that a mind can impart that which it does not understand.
C. What then?