order to live, must make the best of the world he is born in; he must
adapt himself to its capabilities as a cabin-passenger to those of his
cabin. He must not load himself with moral and intellectual fittings
which the ship cannot carry, and which will therefore have to be thrown
overboard. He (the Bishop) has chosen to live a real life; and has
equipped himself accordingly."

"And, supposing he displays what Mr. Gigadibs considers the courage of
his convictions, and flings his dogmas overboard,--what will he have
gained? Simply that his uncertainty has changed sides. Believing, he had
shocks of unbelief. Disbelieving, he will have shocks of belief (note a
fine passage, vol. iv. p. 245): since no certainty in these matters is
possible."

"But," says Gigadibs; "on that principle, your belief is worth no more
than my unbelief."

"Yes," replies the Bishop, "it is worth much more in practice, if no
more in theory. Life cannot be carried on by negations. Least of all
will religious negations be tolerated by those we live with. And the
more definite the religion affirmed, the better will the purposes of
life be advanced by it."

"Not those of a noble life," argues Gigadibs, "nor in the judgment of
the best men. You are debasing your standard by living for the many
fools who cannot see through you, instead of the wiser few who can."

To which the Bishop replies that he lives according to the nature which
God has given him, and which is not so ignoble after all; and that he
succeeds with wise men as well as with fools, because they do not see
through him either: because their judgment is kept in constant
suspension as to whether he can believe what he professes or cannot;
whether, in short, he is a knave or a fool. The proposition is vividly
illustrated; and a few more obvious sophistries complete this portion of
the argument.

Gigadibs still harps upon the fact that conformity cannot do the work of
belief; and the Bishop now changes his ground. "He conforms to
Christianity in the _wish_ that it may be true; and he thinks that this
wish has all the value of belief, and brings him as near to it as the
Creator intends. The human mind cannot bear the full light of truth; and
it is only in the struggle with doubt and error that its spiritual
powers can be developed." He concedes, in short, that he is much more in
earnest than he appeared; and the concession is confirmed when he goes
on to declare that we live by our instin