PART4
Itseemsstrangetome，saidCLEANTHES，thatyou，DEMEA，whoaresosincereinthecauseofreligion，shouldstillmaintainthemysterious，incomprehensiblenatureoftheDeity，andshouldinsistsostrenuouslythathehasnomanneroflikenessorresemblancetohumancreatures。TheDeity，I
canreadilyallow，possessesmanypowersandattributesofwhichwecanhavenocomprehension：Butifourideas，sofarastheygo，benotjust，andadequate，andcorrespondenttohisrealnature，Iknownotwhatthereisinthissubjectworthinsistingon。Isthename，withoutanymeaning，ofsuchmightyimportance？Orhowdoyoumystics，whomaintaintheabsoluteincomprehensibilityoftheDeity，differfromScepticsorAtheists，whoassert，thatthefirstcauseofallisunknownandunintelligible？Theirtemeritymustbeverygreat，if，afterrejectingtheproductionbyamind，Imeanamindresemblingthehuman，（forI
knowofnoother，）theypretendtoassign，withcertainty，anyotherspecificintelligiblecause：Andtheirconsciencemustbeveryscrupulousindeed，iftheyrefusetocalltheuniversalunknowncauseaGodorDeity;andtobestowonhimasmanysublimeeulogiesandunmeaningepithetsasyoushallpleasetorequireofthem。
Whocouldimagine，repliedDEMEA，thatCLEANTHES，thecalmphilosophicalCLEANTHES，wouldattempttorefutehisantagonistsbyaffixinganicknametothem;and，likethecommonbigotsandinquisitorsoftheage，haverecoursetoinvectiveanddeclamation，insteadofreasoning？Ordoeshenotperceive，thatthesetopicsareeasilyretorted，andthatAnthropomorphiteisanappellationasinvidious，andimpliesasdangerousconsequences，astheepithetofMystic，withwhichhehashonouredus？Inreality，CLEANTHES，considerwhatitisyouassertwhenyourepresenttheDeityassimilartoahumanmindandunderstanding。Whatisthesoulofman？Acompositionofvariousfaculties，passions，sentiments，ideas;united，indeed，intooneselforperson，butstilldistinctfromeachother。Whenitreasons，theideas，whicharethepartsofitsdiscourse，arrangethemselvesinacertainformororder;