a theologico-political treatise [part i]-第2章

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about　the　same　pitch　of　misery；　it　never　assents　long　to　any　one　remedy；　but



is　always　best　pleased　by　a　novelty　which　has　not　yet　proved　illusive。







（16）　This　element　of　inconsistency　has　been　the　cause　of　many　terrible　wars



and　revolutions；　for；　as　Curtius　well　says　（lib。　iv。　chap。　10）：　〃The　mob　has



no　ruler　more　potent　than　superstition；〃　and　is　easily　led；　on　the　plea　of



religion；　at　one　moment　to　adore　its　kings　as　gods；　and　anon　to　execrate　and



abjure　them　as　humanity's　common　bane。　（17）　Immense　pains　have　therefore



been　taken　to　counteract　this　evil　by　investing　religion；　whether　true　or



false；　with　such　pomp　and　ceremony；　that　it　may；　rise　superior　to　every



shock；　and　be　always　observed　with　studious　reverence　by　the　whole　people　…



a　system　which　has　been　brought　to　great　perfection　by　the　Turks；　for　they



consider　even　controversy　impious；　and　so　clog　men's　minds　with　dogmatic



formulas；　that　they　leave　no　room　for　sound　reason；　not　even　enough　to　doubt



with。







（18）　But　if；　in　despotic　statecraft；　the　supreme　and　essential　mystery　be　to



hoodwink　the　subjects；　and　to　mask　the　fear；　which　keeps　them　clown；　with



the　specious　garb　of　religion；　so　that　men　may　fight　as　bravely　for　slavery



as　for　safety；　and　count　it　not　shame　but　highest　honour　to　risk　their　blood



and　their　lives　for　the　vainglory　of　a　tyrant；　yet　in　a　free　state　no　more



mischievous　expedient　could　be　planned　or　attempted。　（19）　Wholly　repugnant



to　the　general　freedom　are　such　devices　as　enthralling　men's　minds　with



prejudices；　forcing　their　judgment；　or　employing　any　of　the　weapons　of



quasi…religious　sedition；　indeed；　such　seditions　only　spring　up；　when　law



enters　the　domain　of　speculative　thought；　and　opinions　are　put　on　trial　and



condemned　on　the　same　footing　as　crimes；　while　those　who　defend　and　follow



them　are　sacrificed；　not　to　public　safety；　but　to　their　opponents'



hatred　and　cruelty。　（20）　If　deeds　only　could　be　made　the　grounds　of



criminal　charges；　and　words　were　always　allowed　to　pass　free；　such　seditions



would　be　divested　of　every　semblance　of　justification；　and　would　be



separated　from　mere　controversies　by　a　hard　and　fast　line。







（20）　Now；　seeing　that　we　have　the　rare　happiness　of　living　in　a　republic；



where　everyone's　judgment　is　free　and　unshackled；　where　each　may　worship　God



as　his　conscience　dictates；　and　where　freedom　is　esteemed　before　all　things



dear　and　precious；　I　have　believed　that　I　should　be　undertaking　no



ungrateful　or　unprofitable　task；　in　demonstrating　that　not　only　can



such　freedom　be　granted　without　prejudice　to　the　public　peace；　but　also；



that　without　such　freedom；　piety　cannot　flourish　nor　the　public　peace　be



secure。







（21）　Such　is　the　chief　conclusion　I　seek　to　establish　in　this　treatise；　but；



in　order　to　reach　it；　I　must　first　point　out　the　misconceptions　which；　like



scars　of　our　former　bondage；　still　disfigure　our　notion　of　religion；　and



must　expose　the　false　views　about　the　civil　authority　which　many　have　most



impudently　advocated；　endeavouring　to　turn　the　mind　of　the　people；　still



prone　to　heathen　superstition；　away　from　its　legitimate　rulers；　and　so　bring



us　again　into　slavery。　（22）　As　to　the　order　of　my　treatise　I　will　speak



presently；　but　first　I　will　recount　the　causes　which　led　me　to　write。







（23）　I　have　often　wondered；　that　persons　who　make　a　boast　of　professing　the



Christian　religion；　namely；　love；　joy；　peace；　temperance；　and　charity　to　all



men；　should　quarrel　with　such　rancorous　animosity；　and　display　daily　towards



one　another　such　bitter　hatred；　that　this；　rather　than　the　virtues　they



claim；　is　the　readiest　criterion　of　their　faith。　（24）　Matters　have　long



since　come　to　such　a　pass；　that　one　can　only　pronounce　a　man　Christian；



Turk；　Jew；　or　Heathen；　by　his　general　appearance　and　attire；　by　his



frequenting　this　or　that　place　of　worship；　or　employing　the　phraseology　of　a



particular　sect　…　as　for　manner　of　life；　it　is　in　all　cases　the　same。　（25）



Inquiry　into　the　cause　of　this　anomaly　leads　me　unhesitatingly　to　ascribe　it



to　the　fact；　that　the　ministries　of　the　Church　are　regarded　by　the　masses



merely　as　dignities；　her　offices　as　posts　of　emolument　…　in　short；　popular



religion　may　be　summed　up　as　respect　for　ecclesiastics。　（26）　The　spread　of



this　misconception　inflamed　every　worthless　fellow　with　an　intense　desire　to



enter　holy　orders；　and　thus　the　love　of　diffusing　God's　religion　degenerated



into　sordid　avarice　and　ambition。　（27）　Every　church　became　a　theatre；　where



orators；　instead　of　church　teachers；　harangued；　caring　not　to　instruct　the



people；　but　striving　to　attract　admiration；　to　bring　opponents　to　public



scorn；　and　to　preach　only　novelties　and　paradoxes；　such　as　would　tickle



the　ears　of　their　congregation。　（28）　This　state　of　things　necessarily



stirred　up　an　amount　of　controversy；　envy；　and　hatred；　which　no　lapse　of



time　could　appease；　so　that　we　can　scarcely　wonder　that　of　the　old　religion



nothing　survives　but　its　outward　forms　（even　these；　in　the　mouth　of　the



multitude；　seem　rather　adulation　than　adoration　of　the　Deity）；　and　that



faith　has　become　a　mere　compound　of　credulity　and　prejudices　…　aye；



prejudices　too；　which　degrade　man　from　rational　being　to　beast；　which



completely　stifle　the　power　of　judgment　between　true　and　false；　which　seem；



in　fact；　carefully　fostered　for　the　purpose　of　extinguishing　the　last　spark



of　reason！　（29）　Piety；　great　God！　and　religion　are　become　a　tissue　of



ridiculous　mysteries；　men；　who　flatly　despise　reason；　who　reject　and　turn



away　from　understanding　as　naturally　corrupt；　these；　I　say；　these　of　all



men；　are　thought；　0　lie　most　horrible！　to　possess　light　from　on　High。　（30）



Verily；　if　they　had　but　one　spark　of　light　from　on　High；　they　would　not



insolently　rave；　but　would　learn　to　worship　God　more　wisely；　and　would　be　as



marked　among　their　fellows　for　mercy　as　they　now　are　for　malice；　if　they



were　concerned　for　their　opponents'　souls；　instead　of　for　their　own



reputations；　they　would　no　longer　fiercely　persecute；　but　rather　be　filled



with　pity　and　compassion。







（31）　Furthermore；　if　any　Divine　light　were　in　them；　it　would　appear　from



their　doctrine。　（32）　I　grant　that　they　are　never　tired　of　professing　their



wonder　at　the　profound　mysteries　of　Holy　Writ；　still　I　cannot　discover　that



they　teach　anything　but　speculations　of　Platonists　and　Aristotelians；　to



which　（in　order　to　save　their　credit　for　Christianity）　they　have　made　Holy



Writ　conform；　not　content　to　rave　with　the　Greeks　themselves；　they　want　to



make　the　prophets　rave　also；　showing　conclusively；　that　never　even　in　sleep



have　they　caught　a　glimpse　of　Scripture's　Divine　nature。　（33）　The　very



vehemence　of　their　admiration　for　the　mysteries　plainly　attests；　that



their　belief　in　the　Bible　is　a　formal　assent　rather　than　a　living　faith：　and



the　fact　is　made　still　more　apparent　by　their　laying　down　beforehand；　as　a



foundation　for　the　study　and　true　interpretation　of　Scripture；　the　principle



that　it　is　in　every　passage　true　and　divine。　（34）　Such　a　doctrine　should　be



reached　only　after　strict　scrutiny　and　thorough　comprehension　of　the　Sacred



Books　（which　would　teach　it　much　better；　for　they　stand　in　need　no　human



factions）；　and　not　be　set　up　on　the　threshold；　as　it　were；　of　inquiry。







（35）　As　I　pondered　over　the　facts　that　the　light　of　reason　is　not　only



despised；　but　by　many　even　execrated　as　a　source　of　impiety；　that　human



commentaries　are　accepted　as　divine　records；　and　that　credulity　is　extolled



as　faith；　as　I　marked　the　fierce　controversies　of　philosophers　raging　in



Church　and　State；　the　source　of　bitter　hatred　and　dissension；　the　ready



instruments　of　sedition　and　other　ills　innumerable；　I　determined　to　examine



the　Bible　afresh　in　a　careful；　impartial；　and　unfettered　spirit；　making　no



assump