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

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us　in　Scripture：　by　the　same　method　the　Apostles；　from　what　they　saw



and　heard；　and　from　what　was　revealed　to　them；　were　enabled　to　form　and



elicit　many　conclusions　which　they　would　have　been　able　to　teach　to　men　had



it　been　permissible。







（43）　Further；　although　religion；　as　preached　by　the　Apostles；　does　not　come



within　the　sphere　of　reason；　in　so　far　as　it　consists　in　the　narration　of



the　life　of　Christ；　yet　its　essence；　which　is　chiefly　moral；　like　the　whole



of　Christ's　doctrine；　can　readily；　be　apprehended　by　the　natural



faculties　of　all。







（44）　Lastly；　the　Apostles　had　no　lack　of　supernatural　illumination　for　the



purpose　of　adapting　the　religion　they　had　attested　by　signs　to　the



understanding　of　everyone　so　that　it　might　be　readily　received；　nor　for



exhortations　on　the　subject：　in　fact；　the　object　of　the　Epistles　is　to　teach



and　exhort　men　to　lead　that　manner　of　life　which　each　of　the　Apostles　judged



best　for　confirming　them　in　religion。　（45）　We　may　here　repeat　our　former



remark；　that　the　Apostles　had　received　not　only　the　faculty　of　preaching　the



history；　of　Christ　as　prophets；　and　confirming　it　with　signs；　but　also



authority　for　teaching　and　exhorting　according　as　each　thought　best。　（46）



Paul　（2　Tim。　i：11）；　〃Whereunto　I　am　appointed　a　preacher；　and　an　apostle；



and　a　teacher　of　the　Gentiles；〃　and　again　（I　Tim。　ii：7）；　〃Whereunto　I　am



ordained　a　preacher　and　an　apostle　（I　speak　the　truth　in　Christ　and　lie



not）；　a　teacher　of　the　Gentiles　in　faith　and　verity。〃　（47）　These　passages；　I



say；　show　clearly　the　stamp　both　of　the　apostleship　and　the　teachership：



the　authority　for　admonishing　whomsoever　and　wheresoever　he　pleased　is



asserted　by　Paul　in　the　Epistle　to　Philemon；　v：8：　〃Wherefore；　though　I　might



be　much　bold　in　Christ　to　enjoin　thee　that　which　is　convenient；　yet；〃　&c。；



where　we　may　remark　that　if　Paul　had　received　from　God　as　a　prophet



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



i