the spirit of laws-第123章

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！



1。　Of　Religion　in　General。　As　amidst　several　degrees　of　darkness　we　may　form　a　judgment　of　those　which　are　the　least　thick；　and　among　precipices　which　are　the　least　deep；　so　we　may　search　among　false　religions　for　those　that　are　most　conformable　to　the　welfare　of　society；　for　those　which；　though　they　have　not　the　effect　of　leading　men　to　the　felicity　of　another　life；　may　contribute　most　to　their　happiness　in　this。

I　shall　examine；　therefore；　the　several　religions　of　the　world；　in　relation　only　to　the　good　they　produce　in　civil　society；　whether　I　speak　of　that　which　has　its　root　in　heaven；　or　of　those　which　spring　from　the　earth。

As　in　this　work　I　am　not　a　divine　but　a　political　writer；　I　may　here　advance　things　which　are　not　otherwise　true　than　as　they　correspond　with　a　worldly　manner　of　thinking；　not　as　considered　in　their　relation　to　truths　of　a　more　sublime　nature。

With　regard　to　the　true　religion；　a　person　of　the　least　degree　of　impartiality　must　see　that　I　have　never　pretended　to　make　its　interests　submit　to　those　of　a　political　nature；　but　rather　to　unite　them；　now；　in　order　to　unite；　it　is　necessary　that　we　should　know　them。

The　Christian　religion；　which　ordains　that　men　should　love　each　other；　would；　without　doubt；　have　every　nation　blest　with　the　best　civil；　the　best　political　laws；　because　these；　next　to　this　religion；　are　the　greatest　good　that　men　can　give　and　receive。

2。　A　Paradox　of　M。　Bayle's。　M。　Bayle　has　pretended　to　prove＇1＇　that　it　is　better　to　be　an　Atheist　than　an　Idolater；　that　is；　in　other　words；　that　it　is　less　dangerous　to　have　no　religion　at　all　than　a　bad　one。　〃I　had　rather；〃　said　he；　〃it　should　be　said　of　me　that　I　had　no　existence　than　that　I　am　a　villain。〃　This　is　only　a　sophism　founded　on　this；　that　it　is　of　no　importance　to　the　human　race　to　believe　that　a　certain　man　exists；　whereas　it　is　extremely　useful　for　them　to　believe　the　existence　of　a　God。　From　the　idea　of　his　non…existence　immediately　follows　that　of　our　independence；　or；　if　we　cannot　conceive　this　idea；　that　of　disobedience。　To　say　that　religion　is　not　a　restraining　motive；　because　it　does　not　always　restrain；　is　equally　absurd　as　to　say　that　the　civil　laws　are　not　a　restraining　motive。　It　is　a　false　way　of　reasoning　against　religion　to　collect；　in　a　large　work；　a　long　detail　of　the　evils　it　has　produced　if　we　do　not　give　at　the　same　time　an　enumeration　of　the　advantages　which　have　flowed　from　it。　Were　I　to　relate　all　the　evils　that　have　arisen　in　the　world　from　civil　laws；　from　monarchy；　and　from　republican　government；　I　might　tell　of　frightful　things。　Were　it　of　no　advantage　for　subjects　to　have　religion；　it　would　still　be　of　some；　if　princes　had　it；　and　if　they　whitened　with　foam　the　only　rein　which　can　restrain　those　who　fear　not　human　laws。

A　prince　who　loves　and　fears　religion　is　a　lion；　who　stoops　to　the　hand　that　strokes；　or　to　the　voice　that　appeases　him。　He　who　fears　and　hates　religion　is　like　the　savage　beast　that　growls　and　bites　the　chain　which　prevents　his　flying　on　the　passenger。　He　who　has　no　religion　at　all　is　that　terrible　animal　who　perceives　his　liberty　only　when　he　tears　in　pieces　and　when　he　devours。

The　question　is　not　to　know　whether　it　would　be　better　that　a　certain　man　or　a　certain　people　had　no　religion　than　to　abuse　what　they　have；　but　to　know　what　is　the　least　evil；　that　religion　be　sometimes　abused；　or　that　there　be　no　such　restraint　as　religion　on　mankind。

To　diminish　the　horror　of　Atheism；　they　lay　too　much　to　the　charge　of　idolatry。　It　is　far　from　being　true　that　when　the　ancients　raised　altars　to　a　particular　vice；　they　intended　to　show　that　they　loved　the　vice；　this　signified；　on　the　contrary；　that　they　hated　it。　When　the　Laced？monians　erected　a　temple　to　Fear；　it　was　not　to　show　that　this　warlike　nation　desired　that　he　would　in　the　midst　of　battle　possess　the　hearts　of　the　Laced？monians。　They　had　deities　to　whom　they　prayed　not　to　inspire　them　with　guilt；　and　others　whom　they　besought　to　shield　them　from　it。

3。　That　a　moderate　Government　is　most　agreeable　to　the　Christian　Religion；　and　a　despotic　Government　to　the　Mahometan。　The　Christian　religion　is　a　stranger　to　mere　despotic　power。　The　mildness　so　frequently　recommended　in　the　Gospel　is　incompatible　with　the　despotic　rage　with　which　a　prince　punishes　his　subjects；　and　exercises　himself　in　cruelty。

As　this　religion　forbids　the　plurality　of　wives；　its　princes　are　less　confined；　less　concealed　from　their　subjects；　and　consequently　have　more　humanity：　they　are　more　disposed　to　be　directed　by　laws；　and　more　capable　of　perceiving　that　they　cannot　do　whatever　they　please。

While　the　Mahometan　princes　incessantly　give　or　receive　death；　the　religion　of　the　Christians　renders　their　princes　less　timid；　and　consequently　less　cruel。　The　prince　confides　in　his　subjects；　and　the　subjects　in　the　prince。　How　admirable　the　religion　which；　while　it　only　seems　to　have　in　view　the　felicity　of　the　other　life；　continues　the　happiness　of　this！

It　is　the　Christian　religion　that；　in　spite　of　the　extent　of　the　empire　and　the　influence　of　the　climate；　has　hindered　despotic　power　from　being　established　in　Ethiopia；　and　has　carried　into　the　heart　of　Africa　the　manners　and　laws　of　Europe。

The　heir　to　the　empire　of　Ethiopia＇2＇　enjoys　a　principality　and　gives　to　other　subjects　an　example　of　love　and　obedience。　Not　far　thence　may　we　see　the　Mahometan　shutting　up　the　children　of　the　King　of　Sennar；　at　whose　death　the　council　sends　to　murder　them；　in　favour　of　the　prince　who　mounts　the　throne。

Let　us　set　before　our　eyes；　on　the　one　hand；　the　continual　massacres　of　the　kings　and　generals　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans；　and；　on　the　other；　the　destruction　of　people　and　cities　by　those　famous　conquerors　Timur　Beg　and　Jenghiz　Khan；　who　ravaged　Asia；　and　we　shall　see　that　we　owe　to　Christianity；　in　government；　a　certain　political　law；　and　in　war；　a　certain　law　of　nations　　benefits　which　human　nature　can　never　sufficiently　acknowledge。

It　is　owing　to　this　law　of　nations　that　among　us　victory　leaves　these　great　advantages　to　the　conquered；　life；　liberty；　laws；　wealth；　and　always　religion；　when　the　conqueror　is　not　blind　to　his　own　interest。

We　may　truly　say　that　the　people　of　Europe　are　not　at　present　more　disunited　than　the　people　and　the　armies；　or　even　the　armies　among　themselves　were；　under　the　Roman　empire　when　it　had　become　a　despotic　and　military　government。　On　the　one　hand；　the　armies　engaged　in　war　against　each　other；　and；　on　the　other；　they　pillaged　the　cities；　and　divided　or　confiscated　the　lands。

4。　Consequences　from　the　Character　of　the　Christian　Religion；　and　that　of　the　Mahometan。　From　the　characters　of　the　Christian　and　Mahometan　religions；　we　ought；　without　any　further　examination；　to　embrace　the　one　and　reject　the　other：　for　it　is　much　easier　to　prove　that　religion　ought　to　humanise　the　manners　of　men　than　that　any　particular　religion　is　true。

It　is　a　misfortune　to　human　nature　when　religion　is　given　by　a　conqueror。　The　Mahometan　religion；　which　speaks　only　by　the　sword；　acts　still　upon　men　with　that　destructive　spirit　with　which　it　was　founded。

The　history　of　Sabbaco；＇3＇　one　of　the　pastoral　kings　of　Egypt；　is　very　extraordinary。　The　tutelar　god　of　Thebes；　appearing　to　him　in　a　dream；　ordered　him　to　put　to　death　all　the　priests　of　Egypt。　He　judged　that　the　gods　were　displeased　at　his　being　on　the　throne；　since　they　commanded　him　to　commit　an　action　contrary　to　their　ordinary　pleasure；　and　therefore　he　retired　into　Ethiopia。

5。　That　the　Catholic　Religion　is　most　agreeable　to　a　Monarchy；　and　the　Protestant　to　a　Republic。　When　a　religion　is　introduced　and　fixed　in　a　state；　it　is　commonly　such　as　is　most　suitable　to　the　plan　of　government　there　established；　for　those　who　receive　it；　and　those　who　are　the　cause　of　its　being　received；　have　scarcely　any　other　idea　of　policy　than　that　of　the　state　in　which　they　were　born。

When　the　Christian　religion；　two　centuries　ago；　became　unhappily　divided　into　Catholic　and　Protestant；　the　people　of　the　north　embraced　the　Protestant；　and　those　of　the　south　adhered　still　to　the　Catholic。

The　reason　is　plain：　the　people　of　the　north　have；　and　will　for　ever　have；　a　spirit　of　liberty　and　indep