His companion looked pleased; however, he observed, that "there was no 'more or less' in faith; that either we believed the whole revealed message, or really we believed no part of it; that we ought to believe what the Church proposed to us on the word of the Church."
"Yet surely the so-called Evangelical believes more than the Unitarian, and the High-Churchman than the Evangelical," objected Charles.
"The question," said his fellow-traveller, "is, whether they submit their reason implicitly to that which they have received as God's word."
Charles assented.
"Would you say, then," he continued, "that the Unitarian really believes as God's word that which he professes to receive, when he passes over and gets rid of so much that is in that word?"
"Certainly not," said Charles.
"And why?"
"Because it is plain," said Charles, "that his ultimate standard of truth is not the Scripture, but, unconsciously to himself, some view of things in his mind which is to him the measure of Scripture."
"Then he believes himself, if we may so speak," said the priest, "and not the external word of God."
"Certainly."