It is as undeniable as the difference between Men's being in, and out
of their Wits, that Reason ought to be to Rational Creatures the Guide
of their Belief: That is to say, That their Assent to any thing,
ought to be govern'd by that proof of its Truth, whereof Reason is the
Judge; be it either Argument, or Authority, for in both Cases Reason
must determine our Assent according to the validity of the Ground it
finds it Built on: By Reason being here understood that Faculty in us
which discovers, by the intervention of intermediate Ideas, what
Connection Those in the Proposition have one with another: Whether
_certain_; _probable_; or _none at all_; according whereunto, we ought
to regulate our Assent. If we do not so, we degrade our selves from
being Rational Creatures; and deprive our selves of the only Guide God
has given us for our Conduct in our Actions and Opinions.

Authority yet is not hereby so subjected to Reason, as that a
Proposition which we see not the Truth of, may not nevertheless be
Rationally assented to by us.

For tho' Reason cannot from the Evidence of the thing it self induce
our assent to any Proposition, where we cannot perceive the Connexion
of the Ideas therein contain'd; yet if it appears that such a
Proposition was truly reveal'd by God, nothing can be more Rational
than to believe it: since we know that God can neither Deceive, nor be
Deceived: That there are Truths above our Conception, and that God may
(if he so pleases) communicate these to us by Supernatural Revelation.

The part of Reason then, in regard of such a Proposition as this, is,
only to examine whether it be indeed a Divine Revelation: which should
Reason not attest to the Truth of; it is then evidently Irrational to
give, or require assent to it as being so.