W. Thou wilt then disagree with thy Bible?
C. Thou wilt allow an explanation of that passage, I suppose?
W. When thou askest me to allow thee to explain, I want thee to understand, that thy explanation is not mine. Thou mayest not explain for me; for possibly thy wisdom may wholly destroy what those, in whom thou believest, have sought to establish. What thou sayest is thy own, and what is thy own, thou shouldst not impute to another. Thou callest us infidels; but we never seek to destroy another’s property, as thou hast proposed by thy offer to explain what thou, perchance, hast no authority for doing. Hast thou read the prohibition?
C. What prohibition?
W. Whosoever addeth unto the sayings of the prophecy of this book, God will add unto him the plagues which are written in this book; and whosoever taketh away the sayings, God will take away his part out of the book of life. What is thy explanation but adding or diminishing the record of another?
C. It is all infidelity to talk as thou dost.
W. Thou sayest, then, that the words of the Bible are infidelity?
C. No; but when thou deniest the instrumentalities of revelation, thou savorest the cause of infidelity.
W. What instrumentalities does revelation require to reveal itself?
C. It requires an explanation.