I do not judge of them ignorantly, for I have dipped into their books, where, what is not downright blasphemy and heresy, is mystical and cabalistic.

They affect a cloudy and canting style, as if to keep themselves from being confuted by keeping themselves from being understood.

Their divinity is a riddle, a piece of black art; the Scripture they turn into allegory and parabolical conceits, and thus obscure and debauch the truth.

Argue with them, and they fall to divining; reason with them, and they straightway prophesy.

Then their silent meetings, so called, in the which they do pretend to justify themselves by quoting Revelation, 'There was silence in heaven;' whereas they might find other authorities,--as, for instance in Psalm 115, where hell is expressed by silence, and in the Gospel, where we read of a dumb devil.