Accordingly he put the question to Mr. Upton whether it was a doctrine
of the Church of England; that is, whether it came under the
subscription to the Articles. He could obtain no answer. Yet if he did
_not_ believe this doctrine, he felt the whole fabric of his faith shake
under him. Close upon it came the doctrine of the Atonement.

It is difficult to give instances of this kind, without producing the
impression on the reader's mind that Charles was forward and captious in
his inquiries. Certainly Mr. Upton had his own thoughts about him, but
he never thought his manner inconsistent with modesty and respect
towards himself.

Charles naturally was full of the subject, and would have disclosed his
perplexities to Sheffield, had he not had a strong anticipation that
this would have been making matters worse. He thought Bateman, however,
might be of some service, and he disburdened himself to him in the
course of a country walk. What was he to do? for on his entrance he had
been told that when he took his degree he should have to sign the
Articles, not on faith as then, but on reason; yet they were
unintelligible; and how could he prove what he could not construe?

Bateman seemed unwilling to talk on the subject; at last he said, "Oh,
my dear Reding, you really are in an excited state of mind; I don't like
to talk to you just now, for you will not see things in a
straightforward way and take them naturally. What a bug-bear you are
conjuring up! You are in an Article lecture in your second year; and
hardly have you commenced, but you begin to fancy what you will, or will
not think at the end of your time. Don't ask about the Articles now;
wait at least till you have seen the lecture through."

"It really is not my way to be fussed or to fidget," said Charles,
"though I own I am not so quiet as I ought to be. I hear so many
different opinions in conversation; then I go to church, and one
preacher deals his blows at another; lastly, I betake myself to the
Articles, and really I cannot make out what they would teach me. For
instance, I cannot make out their doctrine about faith, about the
sacraments, about predestination, about the Church, about the
inspiration of Scripture. And their tone is so unlike the Prayer Book.
Upton has brought this out in his lectures most clearly."

"Now, my most respectable friend," said Bateman, "do think for a moment
what men have signed the Articles. Perhaps King Charles himself;
certainl