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

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sound　conception　of　God；　as　their　experience　testified：　for　when　they　had



persuaded　themselves　that　Moses　had　departed　from　among　them；　they



petitioned　Aaron　to　give　them　visible　gods；　and　the　idea　of　God　they　had



formed　as　the　result　of　all　their　miracles　was　…　a　calf！







（50）　Asaph；　though　he　had　heard　of　so　many　miracles；　yet　doubted　of　the



providence　of　God；　and　would　have　turned　himself　from　the　true　way；　if　he



had　not　at　last　come　to　understand　true　blessedness。　（See　Ps。　lxxxiii。）　（51）



Solomon；　too；　at　a　time　when　the　Jewish　nation　was　at　the　height　of　its



prosperity；　suspects　that　all　things　happen　by　chance。　（See　Eccles。　iii：19；



20；　21；　and　chap。　ix：2；　3；　&c。）







（52）　Lastly；　nearly　all　the　prophets　found　it　very　hard　to　reconcile　the



order　of　nature　and　human　affairs　with　the　conception　they　had　formed　of



God's　providence；　whereas　philosophers　who　endeavour　to　understand　things　by



clear　conceptions　of　them；　rather　than　by　miracles；　have　always　found　the



task　extremely　easy　…　at　least；　such　of　them　as　place　true　happiness　solely



in　virtue　and　peace　of　mind；　and　who　aim　at　obeying　nature；　rather　than



being　obeyed　by　her。　（53）　Such　persons　rest　assured　that　God　directs　nature



according　to　the　requirements　of　universal　laws；　not　according　to　the



requirements　of　the　particular　laws　of　human　nature；　and　trial；　therefore；



God's　scheme　comprehends；　not　only　the　human　race；　but　the　whole　of　nature。







（54）　It　is　plain；　then；　from　Scripture　itself；　that　miracles　can　give　no



knowledge　of　God；　nor　clearly　teach　us　the　providence　of　God。　（55）　As　to　the



frequent　statements　in　Scripture；　that　God　wrought　miracles　to　make　Himself



plain　to　man　…　as　in　Exodus　x：2；　where　He　deceived　the　Egyptians；　and　gave



signs　of　Himself；　that　the　Israelites　might　know　that　He　was　God；…　it　does



not；　therefore；　follow　that　miracles　really　taught　this　truth；　but　only　that



the　Jews　held　opinions　which　laid　them　easily　open　to　conviction　by



miracles。　（56）　We　have　shown　in　Chap。　II。　that　the　reasons　assigned　by　the



prophets；　or　those　which　are　formed　from　revelation；　are　not　assigned



in　accordance　with　ideas　universal　and　common　to　all；　but　in　accordance　with



the　accepted　doctrines；　however　absurd；　and　with　the　opinions　of　those　to



whom　the　revelation　was　given；　or　those　whom　the　Holy　Spirit　wished　to



convince。







（57）　This　we　have　illustrated　by　many　Scriptural　instances；　and　can　further



cite　Paul；　who　to　the　Greeks　was　a　Greek；　and　to　the　Jews　a　Jew。　（58）　But



although　these　miracles　could　convince　the　Egyptians　and　Jews　from　their



standpoint；　they　could　not　give　a　true　idea　and　knowledge　of　God；　but　only



cause　them　to　admit　that　there　was　a　Deity　more　powerful　than　anything　known



to　them；　and　that　this　Deity　took　special　care　of　the　Jews；　who　had　just



then　an　unexpectedly　happy　issue　of　all　their　affairs。　（59）　They　could　not



teach　them　that　God　cares　equally　for　all；　for　this　can　be　taught　only　by



philosophy：　the　Jews；　and　all　who　took　their　knowledge　of　God's　providence



from　the　dissimilarity　of　human　conditions　of　life　and　the　inequalities　of



fortune；　persuaded　themselves　that　God　loved　the　Jews　above　all　men；　though



they　did　not　surpass　their　fellows　in　true　human　perfection。







（60）　I　now　go　on　to　my　third　point；　and　show　from　Scripture　that　the　decrees



and　mandates　of　God；　and　consequently　His　providence；　are　merely　the　order



of　nature　…　that　is；　when　Scripture　describes　an　event　as　accomplished　by



God　or　God's　will；　we　must　understand　merely　that　it　was　in　accordance　with



the　law　and　order　of　nature；　not；　as　most　people　believe；　that　nature　had



for　a　season　ceased　to　act；　or　that　her　order　was　temporarily　interrupted。



（61）　But　Scripture　does　not　directly　teach　matters　unconnected　with　its



doctrine；　wherefore　it　has　no　care　to　explain　things　by　their　natural



causes；　nor　to　expound　matters　merely　speculative。　（62）　Wherefore　our



conclusion　must　be　gathered　by　inference　from　those　Scriptural　narratives



which　happen　to　be　written　more　at　length　and　circumstantially　than　usual。



（63）　Of　these　I　will　cite　a　few。







（64）　In　the　first　book　of　Samuel；　ix：15；　16；　it　is　related　that　God　revealed



to　Samuel　that　He　would　send　Saul　to　him；　yet　God　did　not　send　Saul　to



Samuel　as　people　are　wont　to　send　one　man　to　another。　（65）　His　〃sending〃　was



merely　the　ordinary　course　of　nature。　（66）　Saul　was　looking　for　the　asses　he



had　lost；　and　was　meditating　a　return　home　without　them；　when；　at　the



suggestion　of　his　servant；　he　went　to　the　prophet　Samuel；　to　learn　from　him



where　he　might　find　them。　（67）　From　no　part　of　the　narrative　does　it　appear



that　Saul　had　any　command　from　God　to　visit　Samuel　beyond　this　natural



motive。







（68）　In　Psalm　cv。　24　it　is　said　that　God　changed　the　hearts　of　the



Egyptians；　so　that　they　hated　the　Israelites。　（69）　This　was　evidently　a



natural　change；　as　appears　from　Exodus；　chap。i。；　where　we　find　no　slight



reason　for　the　Egyptians　reducing　the　Israelites　to　slavery。







（70）　In　Genesis　ix：13；　God　tells　Noah　that　He　will　set　His　bow　in　the　cloud；



this　action　of　God's　is　but　another　way　of　expressing　the　refraction　and



reflection　which　the　rays　of　the　sun　are　subjected　to　in　drops　of　water。







（71）　In　Psalm　cxlvii：18；　the　natural　action　and　warmth　of　the　wind；　by　which



hoar　frost　and　snow　are　melted；　are　styled　the　word　of　the　Lord；　and　in



verse　15　wind　and　cold　are　called　the　commandment　and　word　of　God。







（72）　In　Psalm　civ：4；　wind　and　fire　are　called　the　angels　and　ministers　of



God；　and　various　other　passages　of　the　same　sort　are　found　in　Scripture；



clearly　showing　that　the　decree；　commandment；　fiat；　and　word　of　God　are



merely　expressions　for　the　action　and　order　of　nature。







（73）　Thus　it　is　plain　that　all　the　events　narrated　in　Scripture　came　to　pass



naturally；　and　are　referred　directly　to　God　because　Scripture；　as　we　have



shown；　does　not　aim　at　explaining　things　by　their　natural　causes；　but　only



at　narrating　what　appeals　to　the　popular　imagination；　and　doing　so　in　the



manner　best　calculated　to　excite　wonder；　and　consequently　to　impress　the



minds　of　the　masses　with　devotion。　（74）　If；　therefore；　events　are　found　in



the　Bible　which　we　cannot　refer　to　their　causes；　nay；　which　seem　entirely　to



contradict　the　order　of　nature；　we　must　not　come　to　a　stand；　but　assuredly



believe　that　whatever　did　really　happen　happened　naturally。　（75）　This　view



is　confirmed　by　the　fact　that　in　the　case　of　every　miracle　there　were　many



attendant　circumstances；　though　these　were　not　always　related；　especially



where　the　narrative　was　of　a　poetic　character。







（76）　The　circumstances　of　the　miracles　clearly　show；　I　maintain；　that



natural　causes　were　needed。　（77）　For　instance；　in　order　to　infect　the



Egyptians　with　blains；　it　was　necessary　that　Moses　should　scatter　ashes　in



the　air　（Exod。　ix：　10）；　the　locusts　also　came　upon　the　land　of　Egypt　by　a



command　of　God　in　accordance　with　nature；　namely；　by　an　east　wind　blowing



for　a　whole　day　and　night；　and　they　departed　by　a　very　strong　west　wind



（Exod。　x：14；　19）。　（78）　By　a　similar　Divine　mandate　the　sea　opened　a　way　for



the　Jews　（Exo。　xiv：21）；　namely；　by　an　east　wind　which　blew　very　strongly　all



night。







（79）　So；　too；　when　Elisha　would　revive　the　boy　who　was　believed　to　be　dead；



he　was　obliged　to　bend　over　him　several　times　until　the　flesh　of　the　child



waxed　warm；　and　at　last　he　opened　his　eyes　（2　Kings　iv：34；　35）。







（80）　Again；　in　John's　Gospel　（chap。　ix。）　certain　acts　are　mentioned　as



performed　by　Christ　preparatory　to　healing　the　blind　man；　and　there　are



numerous　other　instances　showing　that　something　further　than　the　absolute



fiat　of　God　is　required　for　working　a　miracle。







（81）　Wherefore　we　may　believe　that；　although　the　circumstances　attending



miracles　are　not　related　always　or　in　full　detail；　yet　a　miracle　was　never



performed　without　them。







（82）　This　is　confirmed　by　Exodus　xiv：27；　where　it　is　simply　stated　that



〃Moses　stretched　forth　his　hand；　and　the　waters　of　the　sea　returned　to　their



strength　in　the　morning；〃　no　mention　being　made　of　a　wind；　but　in　the　song



of　Moses　（Exod。　xv：10）　we　read；　；Thou　didst　blow　with　Thy　wind　（i。e。　with　a



very　strong　wind）；　and　the　sea　covered　them。〃　（83）　Thus　the　attendant



circumstance　is　omitted　in　the　history；　and　the　miracle　is　thereby　enhanced。







（84）　But　perhaps　someone　will　insist　that　we　find　many　things　in　Scripture



which　seem　in　nowise　explicable　by　natural　causes；　as　for　instance；　that　the



sins　of　men　and　their　prayers　can　be　the　cause　of　rain　and　of　the　earth's



fertility；　or　that　faith　can　heal　the　blind；　and　so　on。　（85）　But　I　think



I　have　already　made　sufficient　answer：　I　have　shown　that　Scripture　does　not



explain　things　by　their　secondary　causes；　but　only　narrates　them　in　the



order　and　the　style　which　has　most　power　to　move　men；　and　especially



uneducated　men；　to　devotion；　and　therefore　it　speaks　inaccurately　of　God　and



of　events；　seeing　that　its　object　is　not　to　convince　the　reason；　but　to



attract　and　lay　hold　of　the　imagination。　（86）　If　the　Bible　were　to　describe



the　destruction　of　an　empire　in　the　style　of　political　historians；　the



masses　would　remain　unstirred；　whereas　the　contrary　is　the　case　when　it



adopts　the　method　of　poetic　description；　and　refers　all　things



immediately　to　God。　（87）　When；　therefore；　the　Bible　says　that　the　earth　is



barren　because　of　men's　sins；　or　that　the　blind　were　healed　by