a theologico-political treatise [part iii]-第8部分

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for　everyone　must　recognize　that　knowledge　of　God　is　not　equal　among　all



good　men。　（22）　Moreover；　a　man　cannot　be　ordered　to　be　wise　any　more　than　he



can　be　ordered　to　live　and　exist。　（23）　Men；　women；　and　children　are　all



alike　able　to　obey　by；　commandment；　but　not　to　be　wise。　If　any　tell　us　that



it　is　not　necessary　to　understand　the　Divine　attributes；　but　that　we　must



believe　them　simply；　without　proof；　he　is　plainly；　trifling。　（24）　For　what



is　invisible　and　can　only；　be　perceived　by　the　mind；　cannot　be　apprehended



by　any；　other　means　than　proofs；　if　these　are　absent　the　object　remains



ungrasped；　the　repetition　of　what　has　been　heard　on　such　subjects　no　more



indicates　or　attains　to　their　meaning　than　the　words　of　a　parrot　or　a　puppet



speaking　without　sense　or　signification。







（25）　Before　I　proceed　I　ought　to　explain　how　it　comes　that　we　are　often　told



in　Genesis　that　the　patriarchs　preached　in　the　name　of　Jehovah；　this　being



in　plain　contradiction　to　the　text　above　quoted。　（26）　A　reference　to　what



was　said　in　Chap。　VIII。　will　readily　explain　the　difficulty。　（27）　It　was



there　shown　that　the　writer　of　the　Pentateuch　did　not　always　speak　of　things



and　places　by　the　names　they　bore　in　the　times　of　which　he　was　writing；　but



by　the　names　best　known　to　his　contemporaries。　（28）　God　is　thus　said　in　the



Pentateuch　to　have　been　preached　by　the　patriarchs　under　the　name　of



Jehovah；　not　because　such　was　the　name　by　which　the　patriarchs　knew



Him；　but　because　this　name　was　the　one　most　reverenced　by　the　Jews。



（29）　This　point；　I　say；　must　necessarily　be　noticed；　for　in　Exodus　it　is



expressly　stated　that　God　was　not　known　to　the　patriarchs　by　this　name；　and



in　chap。　iii：13；　it　is　said　that　Moses　desired　to　know　the　name　of　God。　（30）



Now；　if　this　name　had　been　already　known　it　would　have　been　known　to　Moses。



（31）　We　must　therefore　draw　the　conclusion　indicated；　namely；　that　the



faithful　patriarchs　did　not　know　this　name　of　God；　and　that　the　knowledge　of



God　is　bestowed　and　not　commanded　by　the　Deity。







（32）　It　is　now　time　to　pass　on　to　our　second　point；　and　show　that　God



through　His　prophets　required　from　men　no　other　knowledge　of　Himself　than　is



contained　in　a　knowledge　of　His　justice　and　charity　…　that　is；　of　attributes



which　a　certain　manner　of　life　will　enable　men　to　imitate。　（33）　Jeremiah



states　this　in　so　many　words　（xxii：15；　16）：　〃Did　not　thy　father　eat；　and



drink；　and　do　judgment　and　justice？　and　then　it　was　well　with　him。　（34）　He



judged　the　cause　of　the　poor　and　needy；　then　it　was　well　with　him：　was　not



this　to　know　Me　？　saith　the　Lord。〃　（35）　The　words　in　chap。　ix：24　of　the　same



book　are　equally；　clear。　（36）　〃But　let　him　that　glorieth　glory　in　this；　that



he　understandeth　and　knoweth　Me；　that　I　am　the　Lord　which　exercise　loving…



kindness；　judgment；　and　righteousness　in　the　earth；　for　in　these　things　I



delight；　saith　the　Lord。〃　（37）　The　same　doctrine　maybe　gathered　from　Exod。



xxxiv：6；　where　God　revealed　to　Moses　only；　those　of　His　attributes　which



display　the　Divine　justice　and　charity。　（38）　Lastly；　we　may　call　attention



to　a　passage　in　John　which　we　shall　discuss　at　more　length　hereafter；　the



Apostle　explains　the　nature　of　God　（inasmuch　as　no　one　has　beheld　Him）



through　charity　only；　and　concludes　that　he　who　possesses　charity　possesses；



and　in　very；　truth　knows　God。







（39）　We　have　thus　seen　that　Moses；　Jeremiah；　and　John　sum　up　in　a　very　short



compass　the　knowledge　of　God　needful　for　all；　and　that　they　state　it　to



consist　in　exactly　what　we　said；　namely；　that　God　is　supremely　just；　and



supremely　merciful　…　in　other　words；　the　one　perfect　pattern　of　the　true



life。　（40）　We　may　add　that　Scripture　nowhere　gives　an　express　definition　of



God；　and　does　not　point　out　any　other　of　His　attributes　which　should　be



apprehended　save　these；　nor　does　it　in　set　terms　praise　any　others。



（41）　Wherefore　we　may　draw　the　general　conclusion　that　an　intellectual



knowledge　of　God；　which　takes　cognizance　of　His　nature　in　so　far　as　it



actually　is；　and　which　cannot　by　any　manner　of　living　be　imitated　by　mankind



or　followed　as　an　example；　has　no　bearing　whatever　on　true　rules　of　conduct；



on　faith；　or　on　revealed　religion；　consequently　that　men　may　be　in　complete



error　on　the　subject　without　incurring　the　charge　of　sinfulness。　（42）　We



need　now　no　longer　wonder　that　God　adapted　Himself　to　the　existing　opinions



and　imaginations　of　the　prophets；　or　that　the　faithful　held　different　ideas



of　God；　as　we　showed　in　Chap。　II。；　or；　again；　that　the　sacred　books　speak



very　inaccurately　of　God；　attributing　to　Him　hands；　feet；　eyes；　ears；　a



mind；　and　motion　from　one　place　to　another；　or　that　they　ascribe　to　Him



emotions；　such　as　jealousy；　mercy；　&c。；　or；　lastly；　that　they　describe



Him　as　a　Judge　in　heaven　sitting　on　a　royal　throne　with　Christ　on　His



right　hand。　（43）　Such　expressions　are　adapted　to　the　understanding　of　the



multitude；　it　being　the　object　of　the　Bible　to　make　men　not　learned　but



obedient。







（44）　In　spite　of　this　the　general　run　of　theologians；　when　they　come　upon



any　of　these　phrases　which　they　cannot　rationally　harmonize　with　the　Divine



nature；　maintain　that　they　should　be　interpreted　metaphorically；　passages



they　cannot　understand　they　say　should　be　interpreted　literally。　（45）　But　if



every　expression　of　this　kind　in　the　Bible　is　necessarily　to　be　interpreted



and　understood　metaphorically；　Scripture　must　have　been　written；　not　for　the



people　and　the　unlearned　masses；　but　chiefly　for　accomplished　experts　and



philosophers。







（46）　If　it　were　indeed　a　sin　to　hold　piously　and　simply　the　ideas　about　God



we　have　just　quoted；　the　prophets　ought　to　have　been　strictly　on　their　guard



against　the　use　of　such　expressions；　seeing　the　weak…mindedness　of　the



people；　and　ought；　on　the　other　hand；　to　have　set　forth　first　of　all；　duly



and　clearly；　those　attributes　of　God　which　are　needful　to　be　understood。







（47）　This　they　have　nowhere　done；　we　cannot；　therefore；　think　that　opinions



taken　in　themselves　without　respect　to　actions　are　either　pious　or　impious；



but　must　maintain　that　a　man　is　pious　or　impious　in　his　beliefs　only　in　so



far　as　he　is　thereby　incited　to　obedience；　or　derives　from　them　license



to　sin　and　rebel。　（48）　If　a　man；　by　believing　what　is　true；　becomes



rebellious；　his　creed　is　impious；　if　by　believing　what　is　false　he　becomes



obedient；　his　creed　is　pious；　for　the　true　knowledge　of　God　comes　not　by



commandment；　but　by　Divine　gift。　（49）　God　has　required　nothing　from　man　but



a　knowledge　of　His　Divine　justice　and　charity；　and　that　not　as　necessary　to



scientific　accuracy；　but　to　obedience。



















CHAPTER　XIV　…　DEFINITIONS　OF　FAITH；　THE　FAITH；　AND　THE　FOUNDATIONS



　OF　FAITH；　WHICH　IS　ONCE　FOR　ALL　SEPARATED　FROM　PHILOSOPHY。







（1）　For　a　true　knowledge　of　faith　it　is　abov