a theologico-political treatise [part i]-第11节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




on　the　right　hand　and　on　the　left；　and　all　the　other　details；　does　not



affect　us　at　all。　（132）　Everyone　may　believe　as　much　of　it　as　his　reason



allows。







（132）　The　reasonings　by　which　the　Lord　displayed　His　power　to　Job　（if　they



really　were　a　revelation；　and　the　author　of　the　history　is　narrating；　and



not　merely；　as　some　suppose；　rhetorically　adorning　his　own　conceptions）；



would　come　under　the　same　category　…　that　is；　they　were　adapted　to　Job's



understanding；　for　the　purpose　of　convincing　him；　and　are　not　universal；



or　for　the　convincing　of　all　men。







（133）　We　can　come　to　no　different　conclusion　with　respect　to　the　reasonings



of　Christ；　by　which　He　convicted　the　Pharisees　of　pride　and　ignorance；　and



exhorted　His　disciples　to　lead　the　true　life。　（134）　He　adapted　them　to　each



man's　opinions　and　principles。　（135）　For　instance；　when　He　said　to　the



Pharisees　（Matt。　xii：26）；　〃And　if　Satan　cast　out　devils；　his　house　is



divided　against　itself；　how　then　shall　his　kingdom　stand？　（136）　〃He　only



wished　to　convince　the　Pharisees　according；　to　their　own　principles；　not　to



teach　that　there　are　devils；　or　any　kingdom　of　devils。　（137）　So；　too；



when　He　said　to　His　disciples　（Matt。　viii：10）；　〃See　that　ye　despise　not　one



of　these　little　ones；　for　I　say　unto　you　that　their　angels；〃　&c。；　He　merely



desired　to　warn　them　against　pride　and　despising　any　of　their　fellows；　not



to　insist　on　the　actual　reason　given；　which　was　simply　adopted　in　order　to



persuade　them　more　easily。







（138）　Lastly；　we　should　say；　exactly　the　same　of　the　apostolic　signs　and



reasonings；　but　there　is　no　need　to　go　further　into　the　subject。　（139）　If　I



were　to　enumerate　all　the　passages　of　Scripture　addressed　only　to



individuals；　or　to　a　particular　man's　understanding；　and　which　cannot；



without　great　danger　to　philosophy；　be　defended　as　Divine　doctrines；　I



should　go　far　beyond　the　brevity　at　which　I　aim。　（140）　Let　it　suffice；　then；



to　have　indicated　a　few　instances　of　general　application；　and　let　the



curious　reader　consider　others　by　himself。　（141）　Although　the　points　we



have　just　raised　concerning　prophets　and　prophecy　are　the　only　ones　which



have　any　direct　bearing　on　the　end　in　view；　namely；　the　separation　of



Philosophy　from　Theology；　still；　as　I　have　touched　on　the　general　question；



I　may　here　inquire　whether　the　gift　of　prophecy　was　peculiar　to　the　Hebrews；



or　whether　it　was　common　to　all　nations。　（142）　I　must　then　come　to　a



conclusion　about　the　vocation　of　the　Hebrews；　all　of　which　I　shall　do　in　the



ensuing　chapter。























CHAPTER　III。　　OF　THE　VOCATION　OF　THE　HEBREWS；　AND



WHETHER　THE　GIFT　OF　PROPHECY　WAS　PECULIAR　TO　THEM。







（1）　Every　man's　true　happiness　and　blessedness　consist　solely　in　the



enjoyment　of　what　is　good；　not　in　the　pride　that　he　alone　is　enjoying　it；　to



the　exclusion　of　others。　（2）　He　who　thinks　himself　the　more　blessed　because



he　is　enjoying　benefits　which　others　are　not；　or　because　he　is　more　blessed



or　more　fortunate　than　his　fellows；　is　ignorant　of　true　happiness　and



blessedness；　and　the　joy　which　he　feels　is　either　childish　or　envious　and



malicious。　（3）　For　instance；　a　man's　true　happiness　consists　only　in　wisdom；



and　the　knowledge　of　the　truth；　not　at　all　in　the　fact　that　he　is　wiser　than



others；　or　that　others　lack　such　knowledge：　such　considerations　do　not



increase　his　wisdom　or　true　happiness。







（4）　Whoever；　therefore；　rejoices　for　such　reasons；　rejoices　in　another's



misfortune；　and　is；　so　far；　malicious　and　bad；　knowing　neither　true



happiness　nor　the　peace　of　the　true　life。







（5）　When　Scripture；　therefore；　in　exhorting　the　Hebrews　to　obey　the　law；



says　that　the　Lord　has　chosen　them　for　Himself　before　other　nations



（Deut。　x：15）；　that　He　is　near　them；　but　not　near　others　（Deut。　iv：7）；　that



to　them　alone　He　has　given　just　laws　（Deut。　iv：8）；　and；　lastly；　that　He　has



marked　them　out　before　others　（Deut。　iv：32）；　it　speaks　only　according　to　the



understanding　of　its　hearers；　who；　as　we　have　shown　in　the　last　chapter；　and



as　Moses　also　testifies　（Deut。　ix：6；　7）；　knew　not　true　blessedness。　（6）　For



in　good　sooth　they　would　have　been　no　less　blessed　if　God　had　called　all　men



equally　to　salvation；　nor　would　God　have　been　less　present　to　them　for　being



equally　present　to　others；　their　laws；　would　have　been　no　less　just　if　they



had　been　ordained　for　all；　and　they　themselves　would　have　been　no　less　wise。



（7）　The　miracles　would　have　shown　God's　power　no　less　by　being　wrought　for



other　nations　also；　lastly；　the　Hebrews　would　have　been　just　as　much　bound



to　worship　God　if　He　had　bestowed　all　these　gifts　equally　on　all　men。







（8）　When　God　tells　Solomon　（1　Kings　iii：12）　that　no　one　shall　be　as　wise　as



he　in　time　to　come；　it　seems　to　be　only　a　manner　of　expressing　surpassing



wisdom；　it　is　little　to　be　believed　that　God　would　have　promised　Solomon；



for　his　greater　happiness；　that　He　would　never　endow　anyone　with　so　much



wisdom　in　time　to　come；　this　would　in　no　wise　have　increased　Solomon's



intellect；　and　the　wise　king　would　have　given　equal　thanks　to　the　Lord　if



everyone　had　been　gifted　with　the　same　faculties。







（9）　Still；　though　we　assert　that　Moses；　in　the　passages　of　the　Pentateuch



just　cited；　spoke　only　according　to　the　understanding　of　the　Hebrews；　we



have　no　wish　to　deny　that　God　ordained　the　Mosaic　law　for　them　alone；　nor



that　He　spoke　to　them　alone；　nor　that　they　witnessed　marvels　beyond　those



which　happened　to　any　other　nation；　but　we　wish　to　emphasize　that



Moses　desired　to　admonish　the　Hebrews　in　such　a　manner；　and　with　such



reasonings　as　would　appeal　most　forcibly　to　their　childish　understanding；



and　constrain　them　to　worship　the　Deity。　（10）　Further；　we　wished　to　show



that　the　Hebrews　did　not　surpass　other　nations　in　knowledge；　or　in　piety；



but　evidently　in　some　attribute　different　from　these；　or　（to　speak　like　the



Scriptures；　according　to　their　understanding）；　that　the　Hebrews　were　not



chosen　by　God　before　others　for　the　sake　of　the　true　life　and　sublime　ideas；



though　they　were　often　thereto　admonished；　but　with　some　other　object。　（11）



What　that　object　was；　I　will　duly　show。







（12）　But　before　I　begin；　I　wish　in　a　few　words　to　explain　what　I　mean　by　the



guidance　of　God；　by　the　help　of　God；　external　and　inward；　and；　lastly；　what



I　understand　by　fortune。







（13）　By　the　help　of　God；　I　mean　the　fixed　and　unchangeable　order　of　nature



or　the　chain　of　natural　events：　for　I　have　said　before　and　shown　elsewhere



that　the　universal　laws　of　nature；　according　to　which　all　things　exist　and



are　determined；　are　only　another　name　for　the　eternal　decrees　of　God；　which



always　involve　eternal　truth　and　necessity。







（14）　So　that　to　say　that　everything　happens　according　to　natural　laws；　and



to　say　that　everything　is　ordained　by　the　decree　and　ordinance　of　God；　is



the　same　thing。　（15）　Now　since　the　power　in　nature　is　identical　with　the



power　of　God；　by　which　alone　all　things　happen　and　are　determined；　it



follows　that　whatsoever　man；　as　a　part　of　nature；　provides　himself　with　to



aid　and　preserve　his　existence；　or　whatsoever　nature　affords　him　without　his



help；　is　given　to　him　solely　by　the　Divine　power；　acting　either　through



human　nature　or　through　external　circumstance。　（16）　So　whatever　human　nature



can　furnish　itself　with　by　its　own　efforts　to　preserve　its　existence；　may



be　fitly　called　the　inward　aid　of　God；　whereas　whatever　else　accrues　to



man's　profit　from　outward　causes　may　be　called　the　external　aid　of　God。







（17）　We　can　now　easily　understand　what　is　meant　by　the　election　of　God。　（18）



For　since　no　one　can　do　anything　save　by　the　predetermined　order　of　nature；



that　is　by　God's　eternal　ordinance　and　decree；　it　follows　that　no　one　can



choose　a　plan　of　life　for　himself；　or　accomplish　any　work　save　by　God's



vocation　choosing　him　for　the　work　or　the　plan　of　life　in　question；　rather



than　any　other。　（19）　Lastly；　by　fortune；　I　mean　the　ordinance　of　God　in　so



far　as　it　directs　human　life　through　external　and　unexpected　means。　（20）



With　these　preliminaries　I　return　to　my　purpose　of　discovering　the　reason



why　the　Hebrews　were　said　to　be　elected　by　God　before　other　nations；　and



with　the　demonstration　I　thus　proceed。







（21）　All　objects　of　legitimate　desire　fall；　generally　speaking；　under　one　of　these　three　categories：







　　　　1。　The　knowledge　of　things　through　their　primary　causes。



　　　　2。　The　government　of　the　passions；　or　the　acquirement　of　the　habit　of



　　　　　　　virtue。



　　　　3。　Secure　and　healthy　life。







（22）　The　means　which　most　directly　conduce　towards　the　first　two　of　these



ends；　and　which　may　be　considered　their　proximate　and　efficient　causes　are



contained　in　human　nature　itself；　so　that　their　acquisition　hinges　only　o