'When I look at the marvels of the creation,' said he, 'I bow before the Majesty of Heaven; and when I experience the delights of life, health, and happiness, then my heart dilates in gratitude towards God for all His blessings.' Kennedy maintained that this was not sufficient; it must be an earnest supplication for grace and humility. In Kennedy's opinion Byron had not sufficient humility to understand the truths of the Gospel. At this time, certainly, Byron was not prepared to believe implicitly in the Divinity of Christ. He lacked the necessary faith to do so, but he did not reject the doctrine. 'I have not the slightest desire,' he said, 'to reject a doctrine without having investigated it. Quite the contrary; I wish to believe, because I feel extremely unhappy in a state of uncertainty as to what I am to believe.' He wanted proofs--as so many others have before and since--and without it conviction was impossible. 'Byron,' said Countess Guiccioli, 'would never have contested absolutely the truth of any mystery, but have merely stated that, so long as the testimony of its truth was hidden in obscurity, such a mystery must be liable to be questioned.' Byron had been brought up by his mother in very strict religious principles, and in his youth had read many theological works. He told Dr. Kennedy that he was in no sense an unbeliever who denied the Scriptures, or was content to grope in atheism, but, on the contrary, that it was his earnest wish to increase his belief, as half-convictions made him wretched. He declared that, with the best will in the world, he could not understand the Scriptures. Kennedy, on the other hand, took the Bible to be the salvation of mankind, and was strong in his condemnation of the Catholic Church. He objected to the Roman Communion as strongly as he repudiated and despised Deism and Socinianism. Byron had at this time a decided leaning towards the Roman Communion, and, while deploring hypocrisies and superstitions, deeply respected those who believed conscientiously, whatever that belief might be. He loathed hypocrites of all kinds, and especially hypocrites in religion. 'I do not reject the doctrines of Christianity,' he said; 'I only ask a few more proofs to profess them sincerely. I do not believe myself to be the vile Christian which so many assert that I am.' Kennedy advised Byron to put aside all difficult subjects--such as the origin of sin, the fall of man, the nature of the Trinity, the doctrine of predestination, and kindred mysteries--and to study Christianity by the light of the Bible alone, which contains the only means of salvation. We give Byron's answer in full on Dr. Kennedy's authority: