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

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then　prove；　that　the　holders　of　sovereign　power　are　the　depositories　and



interpreters　of　religious　no　less　than　of　civil　ordinances；　and　that　they



alone　have　the　right　to　decide　what　is　just　or　unjust；　pious　or　impious；



lastly；　I　conclude　by　showing；　that　they　best　retain　this　right　and　secure



safety　to　their　state　by　allowing　every　man　to　think　what　he　likes；　and　say



what　he　thinks。







（52）　Such；　Philosophical　Reader；　are　the　questions　I　submit　to　your　notice；



counting　on　your　approval；　for　the　subject　matter　of　the　whole　book　and　of



the　several　chapters　is　important　and　profitable。　（53）　I　would　say　more；　but



I　do　not　want　my　preface　to　extend　to　a　volume；　especially　as　I　know　that



its　leading　propositions　are　to　Philosophers　but　common　places。　（54）　To　the



rest　of　mankind　I　care　not　to　commend　my　treatise；　for　I　cannot　expect　that



it　contains　anything　to　please　them：　I　know　how　deeply　rooted　are　the



prejudices　embraced　under　the　name　of　religion；　I　am　aware　that　in　the　mind



of　the　masses　superstition　is　no　less　deeply　rooted　than　fear；　I　recognize



that　their　constancy　is　mere　obstinacy；　and　that　they　are　led　to　praise　or



blame　by　impulse　rather　than　reason。　（55）　Therefore　the　multitude；　and　those



of　like　passions　with　the　multitude；　I　ask　not　to　read　my　book；　nay；　I　would



rather　that　they　should　utterly　neglect　it；　than　that　they　should



misinterpret　it　after　their　wont。　（56）　They　would　gain　no　good　themselves；



and　might　prove　a　stumbling…block　to　others；　whose　philosophy　is　hampered　by



the　belief　that　Reason　is　a　mere　handmaid　to　Theology；　and　whom　I　seek　in



this　work　especially　to　benefit。　（57）　But　as　there　will　be　many　who　have



neither　the　leisure；　nor；　perhaps；　the　inclination　to　read　through　all　I



have　written；　I　feel　bound　here；　as　at　the　end　of　my　treatise；　to　declare



that　I　have　written　nothing；　which　I　do　not　most　willingly　submit　to　the



examination　and　judgment　of　my　country's　rulers；　and　that　I　am　ready　to



retract　anything；　which　they　shall　decide　to　be　repugnant　to　the　laws　or



prejudicial　to　the　public　good。　（58）　I　know　that　I　am　a　man　and；　as　a



man；　liable　to　error；　but　against　error　I　have　taken　scrupulous　care；　and



striven　to　keep　in　entire　accordance　with　the　laws　of　my　country；　with



loyalty；　and　with　morality。



















CHAPTER　I。　…　Of　Prophecy



（1）　Prophecy；　or　revelation　is　sure　knowledge　revealed　by　God　to　man。　（2）　A



prophet　is　one　who　interprets　the　revelations　of　God　｛insights｝　to　those　who



are　unable　to　attain　to　sure　knowledge　of　the　matters　revealed；　and



therefore　can　only　apprehend　them　by　simple　faith。







（3）　The　Hebrew　word　for　prophet　is　〃naw…vee'〃；　Strong：5030；　＇Endnote　1＇



i。e。　speaker　or　interpreter；　but　in　Scripture　its　meaning　is　restricted　to



interpreter　of　God；　as　we　may　learn　from　Exodus　vii：1；　where　God　says　to



Moses；　〃See；　I　have　made　thee　a　god　to　Pharaoh；　and　Aaron　thy　brother　shall



be　thy　prophet；〃　implying　that；　since　in　interpreting　Moses'　words　to



Pharaoh；　Aaron　acted　the　part　of　a　prophet；　Moses　would　be　to　Pharaoh　as　a



god；　or　in　the　attitude　of　a　god。







（4）　Prophets　I　will　treat　of　in　the　next　chapter；　and　at　present　consider



prophecy。







（5）　Now　it　is　evident；　from　the　definition　above　given；　that　prophecy　really



includes　ordinary　knowledge；　for　the　knowledge　which　we　acquire　by　our



natural　faculties　depends　on　knowledge　of　God　and　His　eternal　laws；　but



ordinary　knowledge　is　common　to　all　men　as　men；　and　rests　on　foundations



which　all　share；　whereas　the　multitude　always　strains　after　rarities



and　exceptions；　and　thinks　little　of　the　gifts　of　nature；　so　that；　when



prophecy　is　talked　of；　ordinary　knowledge　is　not　supposed　to　be　included。



（6）　Nevertheless　it　has　as　much　right　as　any　other　to　be　called　Divine；　for



God's　nature；　in　so　far　as　we　share　therein；　and　God's　laws；　dictate　it　to



us；　nor　does　it　suffer　from　that　to　which　we　give　the　preeminence；　except　in



so　far　as　the　latter　transcends　its　limits　and　cannot　be　accounted　for　by



natural　laws　taken　in　themselves。　（7）　In　respect　to　the　certainty　it



involves；　and　the　source　from　which　it　is　derived；　i。e。　God；　ordinary；



knowledge　is　no　whit　inferior　to　prophetic；　unless　indeed　we　believe；　or



rather　dream；　that　the　prophets　had　human　bodies　but　superhuman　minds；　and



therefore　that　their　sensations　and　consciousness　were　entirely　different



from　our　own。







（8）　But；　although　ordinary　knowledge　is　Divine；　its　professors　cannot　be



called　prophets　＇Endnote　2＇；　for　they　teach　what　the　rest　of　mankind　could



perceive　and　apprehend；　not　merely　by　simple　faith；　but　as　surely　and



honourably　as　themselves。







（9）　Seeing　then　that　our　mind　subjectively　contains　in　itself　and　partakes



of　the　nature　of　God；　and　solely　from　this　cause　is　enabled　to　form　notions



explaining　natural　phenomena　and　inculcating　morality；　it　follows　that　we



may　rightly　assert　the　nature　of　the　human　mind　（in　so　far　as　it　is　thus



conceived）　to　be　a　primary　cause　of　Divine　revelation。　（10）　All　that　we



clearly　and　distinctly　understand　is　dictated　to　us；　as　I　have　just　pointed



out；　by　the　idea　and　nature　of　God；　not　indeed　through　words；　but　in　a　way



far　more　excellent　and　agreeing　perfectly　with　the　nature　of　the　mind；　as



all　who　have　enjoyed　intellectual　certainty　will　doubtless　attest。　（11）



Here；　however；　my　chief　purpose　is　to　speak　of　matters　having　reference　to



Scripture；　so　these　few　words　on　the　light　of　reason　will　suffice。







（12）　I　will　now　pass　on　to；　and　treat　more　fully；　the　other　ways　and　means



by　which　God　makes　revelations　to　mankind；　both　of　that　which　transcends



ordinary　knowledge；　and　of　that　within　its　scope；　for　there　is　no　reason　why



God　should　not　employ　other　means　to　communicate　what　we　know　already　by　the



power　of　reason。







（13）　Our　conclusions　on　the　subject　must　be　drawn　solely　from　Scripture；　for



what　can　we　affirm　about　matters　transcending　our　knowledge　except　what　is



told　us　by　the　words　or　writings　of　prophets？　（14）　And　since　there　are；　so



far　as　I　know；　no　prophets　now　alive；　we　have　no　alternative　but　to　read　the



books　of　prophets　departed；　taking　care　the　while　not　to　reason　from



metaphor　or　to　ascribe　anything　to　our　authors　which　they　do　not　themselves



distinctly　state。　（15）　I　must　further　premise　that　the　Jews　never　make　any



mention　or　account　of　secondary；　or　particular　causes；　but　in　a　spirit　of



religion；　piety；　and　what　is　commonly　called　godliness；　refer　all　things



directly　to　the　Deity。　（16）　For　instance　if　they　make　money　by　a



transaction；　they　say　God　gave　it　to　them；　if　they　desire　anything；　they　say



God　has　disposed　their　hearts　towards　it；　if　they　think　anything；　they　say



God　told　them。　（17）　Hence　we　must　not　suppose　that　everything　is　prophecy　or



revelation　which　is　described　in　Scripture　as　told　by　God　to　anyone；　but



only　such　things　as　are　expressly　announced　as　prophecy　or　revelation；　or



are　plainly　pointed　to　as　such　by　the　context。







（18）　A　perusal　of　the　sacred　books　will　show　us　that　all　God's　revelations



to　the　prophets　were　made　through　words　or　appearances；　or　a　combination　of



the　two。　（19）　These　words　and　appearances　were　of　two　kinds；　1。…　real　when



external　to　the　mind　of　the　prophet　who　heard　or　saw　them；　2。…　imaginary



when　the　imagination　of　the　prophet　was　in　a　state　which　led　him　distinctly



to　suppose　that　he　heard　or　saw　them。







（20）　With　a　real　voice　God　revealed　to　Moses　the　laws　which　He　wished　to　be



transmitted　to　the　Hebrews；　as　we　may　see　from　Exodus　xxv：22；　where　God



says；　〃And　there　I　will　meet　with　thee　and　I　will　commune　with　thee　from　the



mercy　seat　which　is　between　the　Cherubim。〃　（21）　Some　sort　of　real　voice　must



necessarily　have　been　employed；　for　Moses　found　God　ready　to　commune　with



him　at　any　time。　This；　as　I　shall　shortly　show；　is　the　only　instance　of　a



real　voice。







（22）　We　might；　perhaps；　suppose　that　the　voice　with　which　God　called　Samuel



was　real；　for　in　1　Sam。　iii：21；　we　read；　〃And　the　Lord　appeared　again　in



Shiloh；　for　the　Lord　revealed　Himself　to　Samuel　in　Shiloh　by　the　word　of　the



Lord；〃　implying　that　the　appearance　of　the　Lord　consisted　in　His　making



Himself　known　to　Samuel　through　a　voice；　in　other　words；　that　Samuel　heard



the　Lord　speaking。　（23）　But　we　are　compelled　to　distinguish　between　the



prophecies　of　Moses　and　those　of　other　prophets；　and　therefore　must　decide



that　this　voice　was　imaginary；　a　conclusion　further　supported　by　the　voice's



resemblance　to　the　voice　of　Eli；　which　Samuel　was　in　the　habit　of　hearing；



and　therefore　might　easily　imagine；　when　thrice　called　by　the　Lord；　Samuel



supposed　it　to　have　been　Eli。







（24）　The　voice　which　Abimelech　heard　was　imaginary；　for　it　is　written；



Gen。　xx：6；　〃And　God　said　unto　him　in　a　dream。〃　（25）　So　that　the　will　of　God



was　manifest　to　him；　not　in　waking；　but　only；　in　sleep；　that　is；　when　the



imagination　is　most　active　and　uncontrolled。　（26）　Some　of　the　Jews　believe



that　the　actual　words　of　the　Decalogue　were　not　spoken　by　God；　but　that　the



Israelites　heard　a　noise　only；　without　any　distinct　words；　and　during　its



continuance　apprehended　the　Ten　Commandments　by　pure　intuition；　to　this



opinion　I　myself　once　inclined；　seeing　that　the　words　of　the　Decalogue　in



Exodus　are　different　from　the　words　of　the　Decalogue　in　Deuteronomy；　for　the



discrepancy　seemed　to　imply　（since　God　only　spoke　once）　that　the　Ten



Commandments　were　not　intended　to　convey　the　actual　words　of　the　Lord；　but



only　His　meaning。　（27）　However；　unless　we　would　do　violence　to　Scripture；　we



must　certainly　admit　that　the　Israelites　heard　a　real　voice；　for　Scripture



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



compa