a theologico-political treatise [part iii]-第3章

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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　fact；　he　preaches　the　complete　doctrine　of



predestination。　（54）　James；　on　the　other　hand；　states　that　man　is　justified



by　works；　and　not　by　faith　only　（see　his　Epistle；　ii：24）；　and　omitting　all



the　disputations　of　Paul；　confines　religion　to　a　very　few　elements。







（55）　Lastly；　it　is　indisputable　that　from　these　different　ground；　for



religion　selected　by　the　Apostles；　many　quarrels　and　schisms　distracted　the



Church；　even　in　the　earliest　times；　and　doubtless　they　will　continue　so　to



distract　it　for　ever；　or　at　least　till　religion　is　separated　from



philosophical　speculations；　and　reduced　to　the　few　simple　doctrines　taught



by　Christ　to　His　disciples；　such　a　task　was　impossible　for　the　Apostles；



because　the　Gospel　was　then　unknown　to　mankind；　and　lest　its　novelty　should



offend　men's　ears　it　had　to　be　adapted　to　the　disposition　of



contemporaries　（2　Cor。　ix：19；　20）；　and　built　up　on　the　groundwork　most



familiar　and　accepted　at　the　time。　（56）　Thus　none　of　the　Apostles



philosophized　more　than　did　Paul；　who　was　called　to　preach　to　the　Gentiles；



other　Apostles　preaching　to　the　Jews；　who　despised　philosophy；　similarly；



adapted　themselves　to　the　temper　of　their　hearers　（see　Gal。　ii。　11）；　and



preached　a　religion　free　from　all　philosophical　speculations。　（57）　How　blest



would　our　age　be　if　it　could　witness　a　religion　freed　also　from　all　the



trammels　of　superstition！



















CHAPTER　XII　…　OF　THE　TRUE　ORIGINAL　OF　THE　DIVINE　LAW；　AND



　WHEREFORE　SCRIPTURE　IS　CALLED　SACRED；　AND　THE　WORD　OF　GOD。



　HOW　THAT；　IN　S0　FAR　AS　IT　CONTAINS　THE　WORD　OF　GOD；



　IT　HAS　COME　DOWN　TO　US　UNCORRUPTED。







（1）　Those　who　look　upon　the　Bible　as　a　message　sent　down　by　God　from　Heaven



to　men；　will　doubtless　cry　out　that　I　have　committed　the　sin　against　the



Holy　Ghost　because　I　have　asserted　that　the　Word　of　God　is　faulty；



mutilated；　tampered　with；　and　inconsistent；　that　we　possess　it　only　in



fragments；　and　that　the　original　of　the　covenant　which　God　made　with　the



Jews　has　been　lost。　（2）　However；　I　have　no　doubt　that　a　little　reflection



will　cause　them　to　desist　from　their　uproar：　for　not　only　reason　but　the



expressed　opinions　of　prophets　and　apostles　openly　proclaim　that　God's



eternal　Word　and　covenant；　no　less　than　true　religion；　is　Divinely　inscribed



in　human　hearts；　that　is；　in　the　human　mind；　and　that　this　is　the　true



original　of　God's　covenant；　stamped　with　His　own　seal；　namely；　the　idea　of



Himself；　as　it　were；　with　the　image　of　His　Godhood。







（3）　Religion　was　imparted　to　the　early　Hebrews　as　a　law　written　down；



because　they　were　at　that　time　in　the　condition　of　children；　but　afterwards



Moses　（Deut。　xxx：6）　and　Jeremiah　（xxxi：33）　predicted　a　time　coming　when　the



Lord　should　write　His　law　in　their　hearts。　（4）　Thus　only　the　Jews；　and



amongst　them　chiefly　the　Sadducees；　struggled　for　the　law　written　on



tablets；　least　of　all　need　those　who　bear　it　inscribed　on　their　hearts　join



in　the　contest。　（5）　Those；　therefore；　who　reflect；　will　find　nothing　in　what



I　have　written　repugnant　either　to　the　Word　of　God　or　to　true　religion　and



faith；　or　calculated　to　weaken　either　one　or　the　other：　contrariwise；　they



will　see　that　I　have　strengthened　religion；　as　I　showed　at　the　end　of



Chapter　X。；　indeed；　had　it　not　been　so；　I　should　certainly　have　decided　to



hold　my　peace；　nay；　I　would　even　have　asserted　as　a　way　out　of　all



difficulties　that　the　Bible　contains　the　most　profound　hidden



mysteries；　however；　as　this　doctrine　has　given　rise　to　gross　superstition



and　other　pernicious　results　spoken　of　at　the　beginning　of　Chapter　V。；　I



have　thought　such　a　course　unnecessary；　especially　as　religion　stands　in　no



need　of　superstitious　adornments；　but　is；　on　the　contrary；　deprived　by　such



trappings　of　some　of　her　splendour。







（6）　Still；　it　will　be　said；　though　the　law　of　God　is　written　in　the　heart；



the　Bible　is　none　the　less　the　Word　of　God；　and　it　is　no　more　lawful　to　say



of　Scripture　than　of　God's　Word　that　it　is　mutilated　and　corrupted。　（7）　I



fear　that　such　objectors　are　too　anxious　to　be　pious；　and　that　they　are　in



danger　of　turning　religion　into　superstition；　and　worshipping　paper　and　ink



in　place　of　God's　Word。







（8）　I　am　certified　of　thus　much：　I　have　said　nothing　unworthy　of　Scripture



or　God's　Word；　and　I　have　made　no　assertions　which　I　could　not　prove　by　most



plain　argument　to　be　true。　（9）　I　can；　therefore；　rest　assured　that　I　have



advanced　nothing　which　is　impious　or　even　savours　of　impiety。







（10）　from　what　I　have　said；　assume　a　licence　to　sin；　and　without　any　reason；



at　I　confess　that　some　profane　men；　to　whom　religion　is　a　burden；　may；　the



simple　dictates　of　their　lusts　conclude　that　Scripture　is　everywhere　faulty



and　falsified；　and　that　therefore　its　authority　is　null；　but　such　men　are



beyond　the　reach　of　help；　for　nothing；　as　the　pro　verb　has　it；　can　be　said



so　rightly　that　it　cannot　be　twisted　into　wrong。　（11）　Those　who　wish　to　give



rein　to　their　lusts　are　at　no　loss　for　an　excuse；　nor　were　those　men　of　old



who　possessed　the　original　Scriptures；　the　ark　of　the　covenant；　nay；　the



prophets　and　apostles　in　person　among　them；　any　better　than　the　people　of



to…day。　（12）　Human　nature；　Jew　as　well　as　Gentile；　has　always　been　the　same；



and　in　every　age　virtue　has　been　exceedingly　rare。







（13）　Nevertheless；　to　remove　every　scruple；　I　will　here　show　in　what　sense



the　Bible　or　any　inanimate　thing　should　be　called　sacred　and　Divine；



also　wherein　the　law　of　God　consists；　and　how　it　cannot　be　contained　in　a



certain　number　of　books；　and；　lastly；　I　will　show　that　Scripture；　in　so　far



as　it　teaches　what　is　necessary　for　obedience　and　salvation；　cannot　have



been　corrupted。　（14）　From　these　considerations　everyone　will　be　able　to



judge　that　I　have　neither　said　anything　against　the　Wor