y. The chief speculative doctrines taught
in Scripture are the existence of God, or a Being Who made all things,
and Who directs and sustains the world with consummate wisdom;
furthermore, that God takes the greatest thought for men, or such of
them as live piously and honorably, while He punishes, with various
penalties, those who do evil, separating them from the good. All this is
proved in Scripture entirely through experience--that is, through the
narratives there related. No definitions of doctrine are given, but all
the sayings and reasonings are adapted to the understanding of the
masses. Although experience can give no clear knowledge of these things,
nor explain the nature of God, nor how He directs and sustains all
things, it can nevertheless teach and enlighten men sufficiently to
impress obedience and devotion on their minds.

It is not, I think, sufficiently clear what persons are bound to believe
in the Scripture narratives, and in what degree they are so bound, for
it evidently follows from what has been said that the knowledge of and
belief in them is particularly necessary to the masses whose intellect
is not capable of perceiving things clearly and distinctly. Further, he
who denies them because he does not believe that God exists or takes
thought for men and the world, may be accounted impious; but a man who
is ignorant of them, and nevertheless shows by natural reason that God
exists, as we have said, and has a true plan of life, is altogether
blessed--yes, more blessed than the common herd of believers, because
besides true opinions he possesses also a true and distinct conception.
Lastly, he who is ignorant of the Scriptures and knows nothing by the
light of reason, though he may not be impious or rebellious, is yet less
than human and almost brutal, having none of God's gifts.

We must here remark that when we say that the knowledge of the sacred
narrative is particularly necessary to the masses, we do not mean the
knowledge of absolutely all the narratives in the Bible, but only of the
principal ones, those which, taken by themselves, plainly display the
doctrine we have just stated, and have most effect over men's minds.

If all the narratives in Scripture were necessary for the proof of this
doctrine, and if no conclusion could be drawn without the general
consideration of every one of the histories contained in the sacred
writings, truly the conclusion and demonstration of such doctrine would