a theologico-political treatise [part iii]-第2节

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Apostles　did　not　preach　as　prophets；　for　they　did　not　go　to　particular



places；　as　the　prophets　did；　by　the　command　of　God。　（26）　We　read　in



the　Old　Testament　that　Jonah　went　to　Nineveh　to　preach；　and　at　the



same　time　that　he　was　expressly　sent　there；　and　told　that　he　most　preach。



（27）　So　also　it　is　related；　at　great　length；　of　Moses　that　he　went　to　Egypt



as　the　messenger　of　God；　and　was　told　at　the　same　time　what　he　should　say　to



the　children　of　Israel　and　to　king　Pharaoh；　and　what　wonders　he　should　work



before　them　to　give　credit　to　his　words。　（28）　Isaiah；　Jeremiah；　and



Ezekiel　were　expressly　commanded　to　preach　to　the　Israelites。　Lastly；　the



prophets　only　preached　what　we　are　assured　by　Scripture　they　had　received



from　God；　whereas　this　is　hardly　ever　said　of　the　Apostles　in　the　New



Testament；　when　they　went　about　to　preach。　（29）　On　the　contrary；　we　find



passages　expressly　implying　that　the　Apostles　chose　the　places　where　they



should　preach　on　their　own　responsibility；　for　there　was　a　difference



amounting　to　a　quarrel　between　Paul　and　Barnabas　on　the　subject　（Acts　xv：37；



38）。　（30）　Often　they　wished　to　go　to　a　place；　but　were　prevented；　as　Paul



writes；　Rom。　i：13；　〃Oftentimes　I　purposed　to　come　to　you；　but　was　let



hitherto；〃　and　in　I　Cor。　xvi：12；　〃As　touching　our　brother　Apollos；　I　greatly



desired　him　to　come　unto　you　with　the　brethren；　but　his　will　was　not　at　all



to　come　at　this　time：　but　he　will　come　when　he　shall　have　convenient　time。〃







（31）　From　these　expressions　and　differences　of　opinion　among　the　Apostles；



and　also　from　the　fact　that　Scripture　nowhere　testifies　of　them；　as　of　the



ancient　prophets；　that　they　went　by　the　command　of　God；　one　might　conclude



that　they　preached　as　well　as　wrote　in　their　capacity　of　teachers；　and　not



as　prophets：　but　the　question　is　easily　solved　if　we　observe　the　difference



between　the　mission　of　an　Apostle　and　that　of　an　Old　Testament　prophet。　（32）



The　latter　were　not　called　to　preach　and　prophesy　to　all　nations；　but　to



certain　specified　ones；　and　therefore　an　express　and　peculiar　mandate　was



required　for　each　of　them；　the　Apostles；　on　the　other　hand；　were　called　to



preach　to　all　men　absolutely；　and　to　turn　all　men　to　religion。　（33）



Therefore；　whithersoever　they　went；　they　were　fulfilling　Christ's



commandment；　there　was　no　need　to　reveal　to　them　beforehand　what　they　should



preach；　for　they　were　the　disciples　of　Christ　to　whom　their　Master　Himself



said　（Matt。　X：19；　20）：　〃But；　when　they　deliver　you　up；　take　no　thought



how　or　what　ye　shall　speak；　for　it　shall　be　given　you　in　that　same



hour　what　ye　shall　speak。〃　（34）　We　therefore　conclude　that　the　Apostles



were　only　indebted　to　special　revelation　in　what　they　orally　preached　and



confirmed　by　signs　（see　the　beginning　of　Chap。　11。）；　that　which　they　taught



in　speaking　or　writing　without　any　confirmatory　signs　and　wonders



they　taught　from　their　natural　knowledge。　（See　I　Cor。　xiv：6。）　（35）　We　need



not　be　deterred　by　the　fact　that　all　the　Epistles　begin　by　citing　the



imprimatur　of　the　Apostleship；　for　the　Apostles；　as　I　will　shortly　show；



were　granted；　not　only　the　faculty　of　prophecy；　but　also　the　authority　to



teach。　（36）　We　may　therefore　admit　that　they　wrote　their　Epistles　as



Apostles；　and　for　this　cause　every　one　of　them　began　by　citing　the　Apostolic



imprimatur；　possibly　with　a　view　to　the　attention　of　the　reader　by　asserting



that　they　were　the　persons　who　had　made　such　mark　among　the　faithful　by



their　preaching；　and　had　shown　bv　many　marvelous　works　that　they　were



teaching　true　religion　and　the　way　of　salvation。　（37）　I　observe　that　what　is



said　in　the　Epistles　with　regard　to　the　Apostolic　vocation　and　the　Holy



Spirit　of　God　which　inspired　them；　has　reference　to　their　former　preaching；



except　in　those　passages　where　the　expressions　of　the　Spirit　of　God　and　the



Holy　Spirit　are　used　to　signify　a　mind　pure；　upright；　and　devoted　to



God。　（38）　For　instance；　in　1　Cor。　vii：40；　Paul　says：　But　she　is　happier　if



she　so　abide；　after　my　judgment；　and　I　think　also　that　I　have　the　Spirit　of



God。〃　（39）　By　the　Spirit　of　God　the　Apostle　here　refers　to　his　mind；　as



we　may　see　from　the　context：　his　meaning　is　as　follows：　〃I　account　blessed



a　widow　who　does　not　wish　to　marry　a　second　husband；　such　is　my　opinion；　for



I　have　settled　to　live　unmarried；　and　I　think　that　I　am　blessed。〃　（40）　There



are　other　similar　passages　which　I　need　not　now　quote。







（41）　As　we　have　seen　that　the　Apostles　wrote　their　Epistles　solely　by　the



light　of　natural　reason；　we　must　inquire　how　they　were　enabled　to　teach　by



natural　knowledge　matters　outside　its　scope。　（42）　However；　if　we　bear　in



mind　what　we　said　in　Chap。　VII。　of　this　treatise　our　difficulty　will　vanish：



for　although　the　contents　of　the　Bible　entirely　surpass　our　understanding；



we　may　safely　discourse　of　them；　provided　we　assume　nothing　not　told



us　in　Scripture：　by　the　same　method　the　Apostles；　from　what　they　saw



and　heard；　and　from　what　was　revealed　to　them；　were　enabled　to　form　and



elicit　many　conclusions　which　they　would　have　been　able　to　teach　to　men　had



it　been　permissible。







（43）　Further；　although　religion；　as　preached　by　the　Apostles；　does　not　come



within　the　sphere　of　reason；　in　so　far　as　it　consists　in　the　narration　of



the　life　of　Christ；　yet　its　essence；　which　is　chiefly　moral；　like　the　whole



of　Christ's　doctrine；　can　readily；　be　apprehended　by　the　natural



faculties　of　all。







（44）　Lastly；　the　Apostles　had　no　lack　of　supernatural　illumination　for　the



purpose　of　adapting　the　religion　they　had　attested　by　signs　to　the



understanding　of　everyone　so　that　it　might　be　readily　received；　nor　for



exhortations　on　the　subject：　in　fact；　the　object　of　the　Epistles　is　to　teach



and　exhort　men　to　lead　that　manner　of　life　which　each　of　the　Apostles　judged



best　for　confirming　them　in　religion。　（45）　We　may　here　repeat　our　former



remark；　that　the　Apostles　had　received　not　only　the　faculty　of　preaching　the



history；　of　Christ　as　prophets；　and　confirming　it　with　signs；　but　also



authority　for　teaching　and　exhorting　according　as　each　thought　best。　（46）



Paul　（2　Tim。　i：11）；　〃Whereunto　I　am　appointed　a　preacher；　and　an　apostle；



and　a　teacher　of　the　Gentiles；〃　and　again　（I　Tim。　ii：7）；　〃Whereunto　I　am



ordained　a　preacher　and　an　apostle　（I　speak　the　truth　in　Christ　and　lie



not）；　a　teacher　of　the　Gentiles　in　faith　and　verity。〃　（47）　These　passages；　I



say；　show　clearly　the　stamp　both　of　the　apostleship　and　the　teachership：



the　authority　for　admonishing　whomsoever　and　wheresoever　he　pleased　is



asserted　by　Paul　in　the　Epistle　to　Philemon；　v：8：　〃Wherefore；　though　I　might



be　much　bold　in　Christ　to　enjoin　thee　that　which　is　convenient；　yet；〃　&c。；



where　we　may　remark　that　if　Paul　had　received　from　God　as　a　prophet



what　he　wished　to　enjoin　Philemon；　and　had　been　bound　to　speak　in　his



prophetic　capacity；　he　would　not　have　been　able　to　change　the　command　of　God



into　entreaties。　（48）　We　must　therefore　understand　him　to　refer　to　the



permission　to　admonish　which　he　had　received　as　a　teacher；　and　not　as　a



prophet。　（49）　We　have　not　yet　made　it　quite　clear　that　the　Apostles　might



each　choose　his　own　way　of　teaching；　but　only　that　by　virtue　of　their



Apostleship　they　were　teachers　as　well　as　prophets；　however；　if　we



call　reason　to　our　aid　we　shall　clearly　see　that　an　authority　to　teach



implies　authority　to　choose　the　method。　（50）　It　will　nevertheless　be；



perhaps；　more　satisfactory　to　draw　all　our　proofs　from　Scripture；　we　are



there　plainly　told　that　each　Apostle　chose　his　particular　method　（Rom。　xv：



20）：　〃Yea；　so　have　I　strived　to　preach　the　gospel；　not　where　Christ　was



named；　lest　I　should　build　upon　another　man's　foundation。〃　（51）　If



all　the　Apostles　had　adopted　the　same　method　of　teaching；　and　had　all　built



up　the　Christian　religion　on　the　same　foundation；　Paul　would　have　had　no



reason　to　call　the　work　of　a　fellow…Apostle　〃another　man's　foundation；〃



inasmuch　as　it　would　have　been　identical　with　his　own：　his　calling　it



another　man's　proved　that　each　Apostle　built　up　his　religious　instruction　on



different　foundations；　thus　resembling　other　teachers　who　have　each　their





own　method；　and　prefer　instructing　quite　ignorant　people　who　have　never



learnt　under　another　master；　whether　the　subject　be　science；　languages；　or



even　the　indisputable　truths　of　mathematics。　（52）　Furthermore；　if　we　go



through　the　Epistles　at　all　attentively；　we　shall　see　that　the　Apostles；



while　agreeing　about　religion　itself；　are　at　variance　as　to　the　foundations



it　rests　on。　（53）　Paul；　in　order　to　strengthen　men's　religion；　and　show　them



that　salvation　depends　solely　on　the　grace　of　God；　teaches　that　no　one　can



boast　of　works；　but　only　of　faith；　and　that　no　one　can　be　justified　by　works



（Rom。　iii：27；28）；　in　f