a theologico-political treatise [part i]-第5章

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expressly　says；　Deut。　v：4；〃　God　spake　with　you　face　to　face；〃　i。e。　as　two



men　ordinarily　interchange　ideas　through　the　instrumentality　of　their　two



bodies；　and　therefore　it　seems　more　consonant　with　Holy　Writ　to　suppose　that



God　really　did　create　a　voice　of　some　kind　with　which　the　Decalogue　was



revealed。　（28）　The　discrepancy　of　the　two　versions　is　treated　of　in



Chap。　VIII。







（29）　Yet　not　even　thus　is　all　difficulty　removed；　for　it　seems　scarcely



reasonable　to　affirm　that　a　created　thing；　depending　on　God　in　the　same



manner　as　other　created　things；　would　be　able　to　express　or　explain　the



nature　of　God　either　verbally　or　really　by　means　of　its　individual



organism：　for　instance；　by　declaring　in　the　first　person；　〃I　am　the　Lord



your　God。〃







（30）　Certainly　when　anyone　says　with　his　mouth；　〃I　understand；〃　we　do　not



attribute　the　understanding　to　the　mouth；　but　to　the　mind　of　the　speaker；



yet　this　is　because　the　mouth　is　the　natural　organ　of　a　man　speaking；　and



the　hearer；　knowing　what　understanding　is；　easily　comprehends；　by　a



comparison　with　himself；　that　the　speaker's　mind　is　meant；　but　if　we　knew



nothing　of　God　beyond　the　mere　name　and　wished　to　commune　with　Him；　and　be



assured　of　His　existence；　I　fail　to　see　how　our　wish　would　be　satisfied　by



the　declaration　of　a　created　thing　（depending　on　God　neither　more　nor　less



than　ourselves）；　〃I　am　the　Lord。〃　（31）　If　God　contorted　the　lips　of　Moses；



or；　I　will　not　say　Moses；　but　some　beast；　till　they　pronounced　the　words；



〃I　am　the　Lord；〃　should　we　apprehend　the　Lord's　existence　therefrom？







（32）　Scripture　seems　clearly　to　point　to　the　belief　that　God　spoke　Himself；



having　descended　from　heaven　to　Mount　Sinai　for　the　purpose　…　and　not　only



that　the　Israelites　heard　Him　speaking；　but　that　their　chief　men　beheld　Him



（Ex：xxiv。）　（33）　Further　the　law　of　Moses；　which　might　neither　be　added　to



nor　curtailed；　and　which　was　set　up　as　a　national　standard　of　right；　nowhere



prescribed　the　belief　that　God　is　without　body；　or　even　without　form　or



figure；　but　only　ordained　that　the　Jews　should　believe　in　His　existence　and



worship　Him　alone：　it　forbade　them　to　invent　or　fashion　any　likeness　of　the



Deity；　but　this　was　to　insure　purity　of　service；　because；　never　having　seen



God；　they　could　not　by　means　of　images　recall　the　likeness　of　God；　but　only



the　likeness　of　some　created　thing　which　might　thus　gradually　take　the　place



of　God　as　the　object　of　their　adoration。　（34）　Nevertheless；　the　Bible



clearly　implies　that　God　has　a　form；　and　that　Moses　when　he　heard　God



speaking　was　permitted　to　behold　it；　or　at　least　its　hinder　parts。







（35）　Doubtless　some　mystery　lurks　in　this　question　which　we　will　discuss



more　fully　below。　（36）　For　the　present　I　will　call　attention　to　the　passages



in　Scripture　indicating　the　means　by　which　God　has　revealed　His　laws　to　man。







（37）　Revelation　may　be　through　figures　only；　as　in　I　Chron：xxii。；　where　God



displays　his　anger　to　David　by　means　of　an　angel　bearing　a　sword；　and　also



in　the　story　of　Balaam。







（38）　Maimonides　and　others　do　indeed　maintain　that　these　and　every　other



instance　of　angelic　apparitions　（e。g。　to　Manoah　and　to　Abraham　offering　up



Isaac）　occurred　during　sleep；　for　that　no　one　with　his　eyes　open　ever　could



see　an　angel；　but　this　is　mere　nonsense。　（39）　The　sole　object　of　such



commentators　seems　to　be　to　extort　from　Scripture　confirmations　of



Aristotelian　quibbles　and　their　own　inventions；　a　proceeding　which　I　regard



as　the　acme　of　absurdity。







（40）　In　figures；　not　real　but　existing　only　in　the　prophet's　imagination；



God　revealed　to　Joseph　his　future　lordship；　and　in　words　and　figures　He



revealed　to　Joshua　that　He　would　fight　for　the　Hebrews；　causing　to　appear　an



angel；　as　it　were　the　Captain　of　the　Lord's　host；　bearing　a　sword；　and　by



this　means　communicating　verbally。　（41）　The　forsaking　of　Israel　by



Providence　was　portrayed　to　Isaiah　by　a　vision　of　the　Lord；　the　thrice　Holy；



sitting　on　a　very　lofty　throne；　and　the　Hebrews；　stained　with　the　mire　of



their　sins；　sunk　as　it　were　in　uncleanness；　and　thus　as　far　as　possible



distant　from　God。　（42）　The　wretchedness　of　the　people　at　the　time　was　thus



revealed；　while　future　calamities　were　foretold　in　words。　I　could　cite　from



Holy　Writ　many　similar　examples；　but　I　think　they　are　sufficiently　well



known　already。







（43）　However；　we　get　a　still　more　clear　confirmation　of　our　position　in　Num



xii：6；7；　as　follows：　〃If　there　be　any　prophet　among　you；　I　the　Lord　will



make　myself　known　unto　him　in　a　vision〃　（i。e。　by　appearances　and　signs；　for



God　says　of　the　prophecy　of　Moses　that　it　was　a　vision　without　signs）；　〃and



will　speak　unto　him　in　a　dream　〃　（i。e。　not　with　actual　words　and　an　actual



voice）。　（44）　〃My　servant　Moses　is　not　so；　with　him　will　I　speak　mouth　to



mouth；　even　apparently；　and　not　in　dark　speeches；　and　the　similitude　of　the



Lord　he　shall　behold；〃　i。e。　looking　on　me　as　a　friend　and　not　afraid；　he



speaks　with　me　（cf。　Ex　xxxiii：17）。







（45）　This　makes　it　indisputable　that　the　other　prophets　did　not　hear　a　real



voice；　and　we　gather　as　much　from　Deut。　xxiv：10：　〃And　there　arose　not　a



prophet　since　in　Israel　like　unto　Moses　whom　the　Lord　knew　face　to　face；〃



which　must　mean　that　the　Lord　spoke　with　none　other；　for　not　even　Moses　saw



the　Lord's　face。　（46）　These　are　the　only　media　of　communication　between



God　and　man　which　I　find　mentioned　in　Scripture；　and　therefore　the　only　ones



which　may　be　supposed　or　invented。　（47）　We　may　be　able　quite　to　comprehend



that　God　can　communicate　immediately　with　man；　for　without　the　intervention



of　bodily　means　He　communicates　to　our　minds　His　essence；　still；　a　man　who



can　by　pure　intuition　comprehend　ideas　which　are　neither　contained　in　nor



deducible　from　the　foundations　of　our　natural　knowledge；　must　necessarily



possess　a　mind　far　superior　to　those　of　his　fellow　men；　nor　do　I　believe



that　any　have　been　so　endowed　save　Christ。　（48）　To　Him　the　ordinances　of　God



leading　men　to　salvation　were　revealed　directly　without　words　or　visions；　so



that　God　manifested　Himself　to　the　Apostles　through　the　mind　of　Christ　as　He



formerly　did　to　Moses　through　the　supernatural　voice。　（49）　In　this　sense　the



voice　of　Christ；　like　the　voice　which　Moses　heard；　may　be　called　the　voice



of　God；　and　it　may　be　said　that　the　wisdom　of　God　（；i。e。　wisdom　more　than



human）　took　upon　itself　in　Christ　human　nature；　and　that　Christ　was　the　way



of　salvation。　（50）　I　must　at　this　juncture　declare　that　those　doctrines



which　certain　churches　put　forward　concerning　Christ；　I　neither　affirm　nor



deny；　for　I　freely　confess　that　I　do　not　understand　them。　（51）　What　I　have



just　stated　I　gather　from　Scripture；　where　I　never　read　that　God　appeared　to



Christ；　or　spoke　to　Christ；　but　that　God　was　revealed　to　the　Apostles



through　Christ；　that　Christ　was　the　Way　of　Life；　and　that　the　old　law　was



given　through　an　angel；　and　not　immediately　by　God；　whence　it　follows　that



if　Moses　spoke　with　God　face　to　face　as　a　man　speaks　with　his　friend　（i。e。



by　means　of　their　two　bodies）　Christ　communed　with　God　mind　to　mind。







（52）　Thus　we　may　conclude　that　no　one　except　Christ　received　the　revelations



of　God　without　the　aid　of　imagination；　whether　in　words　or　vision。　（53）



Therefore　the　power　of　prophecy　implies　not　a　peculiarly　perfect　mind；　but　a



peculiarly　vivid　imagination；　as　I　will　show　more　clearly　in　the　next



chapter。　（54）　We　will　now　inquire　what　is　meant　in　the　Bible　by　the



Spirit　of　God　breathed　into　the　prophets；　or　by　the　prophets　speaking　with



the　Spirit　of　God；　to　that　end　we　must　determine　the　exact　signification　of



the　Hebrew　word　roo'…akh；　Strong：7307；　commonly　translated　spirit。







（55）　The　word　roo'…akh；　Strong：7307；　literally　means　a　wind；　e。。q。　the　south



wind；　but　it　is　frequen