a theologico-political treatise [part iii]-第6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！




no　knowledge　is　commended　in　the　Bible　save　that　which　is　necessary



for　enabling　all　men　to　obey　God　in　the　manner　stated；　and　without　which



they　would　become　rebellious；　or　without　the　discipline　of　obedience。







（11）　Other　speculative　questions；　which　have　no　direct　bearing　on　this



object；　or　are　concerned　with　the　knowledge　of　natural　events；　do　not　affect



Scripture；　and　should　be　entirely　separated　from　religion。







（12）　Now；　though　everyone；　as　we　have　said；　is　now　quite　able　to　see　this



truth　for　himself；　I　should　nevertheless　wish；　considering　that　the　whole　of



Religion　depends　thereon；　to　explain　the　entire　question　more　accurately　and



clearly。　（13）　To　this　end　I　must　first　prove　that　the　intellectual



or　accurate　knowledge　of　God　is　not　a　gift；　bestowed　upon　all　good　men



like　obedience；　and；　further；　that　the　knowledge　of　God；　required　by　Him



through　His　prophets　from　everyone　without　exception；　as　needful　to　be



known；　is　simply　a　knowledge　of　His　Divine　justice　and　charity。　（14）　Both



these　points　are　easily　proved　from　Scripture。　（15）　The　first　plainly



follows　from　Exodus　vi：2；　where　God；　in　order　to　show　the　singular　grace



bestowed　upon　Moses；　says　to　him：　〃And　I　appeared　unto　Abraham；　unto　Isaac；



and　unto　Jacob　by　the　name　of　El　Sadai　（A。　V。　God　Almighty）；　but　by　my　name



Jehovah　was　I　not　known　to　them〃　…　for　the　better　understanding　of　which



passage　I　may　remark　that　El　Sadai；　in　Hebrew；　signifies　the　God　who



suffices；　in　that　He　gives　to　every　man　that　which　suffices　for　him；　and；



although　Sadai　is　often　used　by　itself；　to　signify　God；　we　cannot　doubt　that



the　word　El　（God；　｛power；　might｝）　is　everywhere　understood。　（16）



Furthermore；　we　must　note　that　Jehovah　is　the　only　word　found　in　Scripture



with　the　meaning　of　the　absolute　essence　of　God；　without　reference　to



created　things。　（17）　The　Jews　maintain；　for　this　reason；　that　this　is；



strictly　speaking；　the　only　name　of　God；　that　the　rest　of　the　words　used　are



merely　titles；　and；　in　truth；　the　other　names　of　God；　whether　they　be



substantives　or　adjectives；　are　merely　attributive；　and　belong　to　Him；　in



so　far　as　He　is　conceived　of　in　relation　to　created　things；　or　manifested



through　them。　（18）　Thus　El；　or　Eloah；　signifies　powerful；　as　is　well　known；



and　only　applies　to　God　in　respect　to　His　supremacy；　as　when　we　call　Paul　an



apostle；　the　faculties　of　his　power　are　set　forth　in　an　accompanying



adjective；　as　El；　great；　awful；　just；　merciful；　&c。；　or　else　all　are



understood　at　once　by　the　use　of　El　in　the　plural　number；　with　a　singular



signification；　an　expression　frequently　adopted　in　Scripture。







（19）　Now；　as　God　tells　Moses　that　He　was　not　known　to　the　patriarchs　by　the



name　of　Jehovah；　it　follows　that　they　were　not　cognizant　of　any　attribute　of



God　which　expresses　His　absolute　essence；　but　only　of　His　deeds　and　promises



that　is；　of　His　power；　as　manifested　in　visible　things。　（20）　God　does　not



thus　speak　to　Moses　in　order　to　accuse　the　patriarchs　of　infidelity；　but；



on　the　contrary；　as　a　means　of　extolling　their　belief　and　faith；　inasmuch



as；　though　they　possessed　no　extraordinary　knowledge　of　God　（such　as



Moses　had）；　they　yet　accepted　His　promises　as　fixed　and　certain；　whereas



Moses；　though　his　thoughts　about　God　were　more　exalted；　nevertheless　doubted



about　the　Divine　promises；　and　complained　to　God　that；　instead　of　the



promised　deliverance；　the　prospects　of　the　Israelites　had　darkened。







（21）　As　the　patriarchs　did　not　know　the　distinctive　name　of　God；　and　as　God



mentions　the　fact　to　Moses；　in　praise　of　their　faith　and　single…heartedness；



and　in　contrast　to　the　extraordinary　grace　granted　to　Moses；　it　follows；　as



we　stated　at　first；　that　men　are　not　bound　by；　decree　to　have　knowledge　of



the　attributes　of　God；　such　knowledge　being　only　granted　to　a　few　of　the



faithful：　it　is　hardly　worth　while　to　quote　further　examples　from　Scripture；



for　everyone　must　recognize　that　knowledge　of　God　is　not　equal　among　all



good　men。　（22）　Moreover；　a　man　cannot　be　ordered　to　be　wise　any　more　than　he



can　be　ordered　to　live　and　exist。　（23）　Men；　women；　and　children　are　all



alike　able　to　obey　by；　commandment；　but　not　to　be　wise。　If　any　tell　us　that



it　is　not　necessary　to　understand　the　Divine　attributes；　but　that　we　must



believe　them　simply；　without　proof；　he　is　plainly；　trifling。　（24）　For　what



is　invisible　and　can　only；　be　perceived　by　the　mind；　cannot　be　apprehended



by　any；　other　means　than　proofs；　if　these　are　absent　the　object　remains



ungrasped；　the　repetition　of　what　has　been　heard　on　such　subjects　no　more



indicates　or　attains　to　their　meaning　than　the　words　of　a　parrot　or　a　puppet



speaking　without　sense　or　signification。







（25）　Before　I　proceed　I　ought　to　explain　how　it　comes　that　we　are　often　told



in　Genesis　that　the　patriarchs　preached　in　the　name　of　Jehovah；　this　being



in　plain　contradiction　to　the　text　above　quoted。　（26）　A　reference　to　what



was　said　in　Chap。　VIII。　will　readily　explain　the　difficulty。　（27）　It　was



there　shown　that　the　writer　of　the　Pentateuch　did　not　always　speak　of　things



and　places　by　the　names　they　bore　in　the　times　of　which　he　was　writing；　but



by　the　names　best　known　to　his　contemporaries。　（28）　God　is　thus　said　in　the



Pentateuch　to　have　been　preached　by　the　patriarchs　under　the　name　of



Jehovah；　not　because　such　was　the　name　by　which　the　patriarchs　knew



Him；　but　because　this　name　was　the　one　most　reverenced　by　the　Jews。



（29）　This　point；　I　say；　must　necessarily　be　noticed；　for　in　Exodus　it　is



expressly　stated　that　God　was　not　known　to　the　patriarchs　by　this　name；　and



in　chap。　iii：13；　it　is　said　that　Moses　desired　to　know　the　name　of　God。　（30）



Now；　if　this　name　had　been　already　known　it　would　have　been　known　to　Moses。



（31）　We　must　therefore　draw　the　conclusion　indicated；　namely；　that　the



faithful　patriarchs　did　not　know　this　name　of　God；　and　that　the　knowledge　of



God　is　bestowed　and　not　commanded　by　the　Deity。







（32）　It　is　now　time　to　pass　on　to　our　second　point；　and　show　that　God



through　His　prophets　required　from　men　no　other　knowledge　of　Himself　than　is



contained　in　a　knowledge　of　His　justice　and　charity　…　that　is；　of　attributes



which　a　certain　manner　of　life　will　enable　men　to　imitate。　（33）　Jeremiah



states　this　in　so　many　words　（xxii：15；　16）：　〃Did　not　thy　father　eat；　and



drink；　and　do　judgment　and　justice？　and　then　it　was　well　with　him。　（34）　He



judged　the　cause　of　the　poor　and　needy；　then　it　was　well　with　him：　was　not



this　to　know　Me　？　saith　the　Lord。〃　（35）　The　words　in　chap。　ix：24　of　the　same



book　are　equally；　clear。　（36）　〃But　let　him　that　glorieth　glory　in　this；　that



he　understandeth　and　knoweth　Me；　that　I　am　the　Lord　which　exercise　loving…



kindness；　judgment；　and　righteousness　in　the　earth；　for　in　these　things　I



delight；　saith　the　Lord。〃　（37）　The　same　doctrine　maybe　gathered　from　Exod。



xxxiv：6；　where　God　revealed　to　Moses　only；　those　of　His　attributes　which



display　the　Divine　justice　and　charity。　（38）　Lastly；　we　may　call　attention



to　a　passage　in　John　which　we　shall　discuss　at　more　length　hereafter；　the



Apostle　explains　the　nature　of　God　（inasmuch　as　no　one　has　beheld　Him）



through　charity　only；　and　concludes　that　he　who　possesses　charity　possesses；



and　in　very；　truth　knows　God。







（39）　We　have　thus　seen　that　Moses；　Jeremiah；　and　John　sum　up　in　a　very　short



compass　the　knowledge　of　God　needful　for　all；　and　that　they　state　it　to



consist　in　exactly　what　we　said；　namely；　that　God　is　supremely　just；　and



supremely　merciful　…　in　other　words；　the　one　perfect　pattern　of　the　true



life。　（40）　We　may　add　that　Scripture　nowhere　gives　an　express　definition　of



God；　and　does　not　point　out　any　other　of　His　attributes　which　should　be



apprehended　save　these；　nor　does　it　in　set　terms　praise　any　others。



（41）　Wherefore　we　may　draw　the　general　conclusion　that　an　intellectual



knowledge　of　God；　which　takes　cognizance　of　His　nature　in　so　far　as　it



actually　is；　and　which　cannot　by　any　manner　of　living　be　imitated　by　mankind



or　followed　as　an　example；　has　no　bearing　whatever　on　true　rules　of　conduct；



on　faith；　or　on　revealed　religion；　consequently　that　men　may　be　in　complete



error　on　the　subject　without　incurring　the　charge　of　sinfulness。　（42）　We



need　now　no　longer　wonder　that　God　adapted　Himself　to　the　existing　opinions



and　imaginations　of　the　prophets；　or　that　the　faithful　held　different　ideas



of　God；　as　we　showed　in　Chap。　II。；　or；　again；　that　the　sacred　books　speak



very　inaccurately　of　God；　attributing　to　Him　hands；　feet；　eyes；　ears；　a



mind；　and　motion　from　one　place　to　another；　or　that　they　ascribe　to　Him



emotions；　such　as　jealousy；　mercy；　&c。；　or；　lastly；　that　they　describe



Him　as　a　Judge　in　heaven　sitting　on　a　royal　throne　with　Christ　on　His



right　hand。　（43）　Such　expressions　are