a theologico-political treatise [part ii]-第5部分

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conclusions　which　would　teach　me；　in　so　far　as　such　teaching　is　possible；



the　nature　and　properties　of　the　gift。　（119）　But　in　the　case　of　miracles；　as



our　inquiry　is　a　question　purely　philosophical　（namely；　whether　anything　can



happen　which　contravenes　or　does　not　follow　from　the　laws　of　nature）；　I　was



not　under　any　such　necessity：　I　therefore　thought　it　wiser　to　unravel　the



difficulty　through　premises　ascertained　and　thoroughly　known　by　could　also



easily　have　solved　the　problem　merely　from　the　doctrines　and　fundamental



principles　of　Scripture：　in　order　that　everyone　may　acknowledge　this；　I　will



briefly　show　how　it　could　be　done。







（120）　Scripture　makes　the　general　assertion　in　several　passages　that



nature's　course　is　fixed　and　unchangeable。　（121）　In　Ps。　cxlviii：6；　for



instance；　and　Jer。　xxxi：35。　（122）　The　wise　man　also；　in　Eccles。　i：10；



distinctly　teaches　that　〃there　is　nothing　new　under　the　sun；〃　and　in　verses



11；　12；　illustrating　the　same　idea；　he　adds　that　although　something



occasionally　happens　which　seems　new；　it　is　not　really　new；　but　〃hath　been



already　of　old　time；　which　was　before　us；　whereof　there　is　no　remembrance；



neither　shall　there　be　any　remembrance　of　things　that　are　to　come　with



those　that　come　after。〃　（123）　Again　in　chap。　iii：11；　he　says；　〃God　hath　made



everything　beautiful　in　his　time；〃　and　immediately　afterwards　adds；　〃I　know



that　whatsoever　God　doeth；　it　shall　be　for　ever；　nothing　can　be　put　to　it；



nor　anything　taken　from　it。〃







（124）　Now　all　these　texts　teach　most　distinctly　that　nature　preserves　a



fixed　and　unchangeable　order；　and　that　God　in　all　ages；　known　and　unknown；



has　been　the　same；　further；　that　the　laws　of　nature　are　so　perfect；　that



nothing　can　be　added　thereto　nor　taken　therefrom；　and；　lastly；　that　miracles



only　appear　as　something　new　because　of　man's　ignorance。







（125）　Such　is　the　express　teaching　of　Scripture：　nowhere　does　Scripture



assert　that　anything　happens　which　contradicts；　or　cannot　follow　from　the



laws　of　nature；　and；　therefore；　we　should　not　attribute　to　it　such　a



doctrine。







（126）　To　these　considerations　we　must　add；　that　miracles　require　causes　and



attendant　circumstances；　and　that　they　follow；　not　from　some　mysterious



royal　power　which　the　masses　attribute　to　God；　but　from　the　Divine　rule　and



decree；　that　is　（as　we　have　shown　from　Scripture　itself）　from　the　laws　and



order　of　nature；　lastly；　that　miracles　can　be　wrought　even　by　false



prophets；　as　is　proved　from　Deut。　xiii。　and　Matt。　xxiv：24。







（127）　The　conclusion；　then；　that　is　most　plainly　put　before　us　is；　that



miracles　were　natural　occurrences；　and　must　therefore　be　so　explained　as　to



appear　neither　new　（in　the　words　of　Solomon）　nor　contrary　to　nature；　but；　as



far　as　possible；　in　complete　agreement　with　ordinary　events。　（128）　This　can



easily　be　done　by　anyone；　now　that　I　have　set　forth　the　rules　drawn　from



Scripture。　（129）　Nevertheless；　though　I　maintain　that　Scripture　teaches　this



doctrine；　I　do　not　assert　that　it　teaches　it　as　a　truth　necessary　to



salvation；　but　only　that　the　prophets　were　in　agreement　with　ourselves　on



the　point；　therefore　everyone　is　free　to　think　on　the　subject　as　he



likes；　according　as　he　thinks　it　best　for　himself；　and　most　likely　to



conduce　to　the　worship　of　God　and　to　singlehearted　religion。







（130）　This　is　also　the　opinion　of　Josephus；　for　at　the　conclusion　of　the



second　book　of　his　〃Antiquities；〃　he　writes：　Let　no　man　think　this　story



incredible　of　the　sea's　dividing　to　save　these　people；　for　we　find　it　in



ancient　records　that　this　hath　been　seen　before；　whether　by　God's



extraordinary　will　or　by　the　course　of　nature　it　is　indifferent。　（131）　The



same　thing　happened　one　time　to　the　Macedonians；　under　the　command　of



Alexander；　when　for　want　of　another　passage　the　Pamphylian　Sea　divided　to



make　them　way；　God's　Providence　making　use　of　Alexander　at　that　time　as　His



instrument　for　destroying　the　Persian　Empire。　（132）　This　is　attested　by　all



the　historians　who　have　pretended　to　write　the　Life　of　that　Prince。　（133）



But　people　are　at　liberty　to　think　what　they　please。〃







（134）　Such　are　the　words　of　Josephus；　and　such　is　his　opinion　on　faith　in　miracles。























CHAPTER　VII。　　…　　OF　THE　INTERPRETATION　OF　SCRIPTURE







（1）　When　people　declare；　as　all　are　ready；　to　do；　that　the　Bible　is　the　Word



of　God　teaching　man　true　blessedness　and　the　way　of　salvation；　they



evidently　do　not　mean　what　they；　say；　for　the　masses　take　no　pains　at　all　to



live　according　to　Scripture；　and　we　see　most　people　endeavouring　to　hawk



about　their　own　commentaries　as　the　word　of　God；　and　giving　their　best



efforts；　under　the　guise　of　religion；　to　compelling　others　to　think　as　they



do：　we　generally　see；　I　say；　theologians　anxious　to　learn　how　to　wring　their



inventions　and　sayings　out　of　the　sacred　text；　and　to　fortify；　them　with



Divine　authority。　（2）　Such　persons　never　display；　less　scruple　or



more　zeal　than　when　they；　are　interpreting　Scripture　or　the　mind　of　the　Holy



Ghost；　if　we　ever　see　them　perturbed；　it　is　not　that　they　fear　to　attribute



some　error　to　the　Holy　Spirit；　and　to　stray　from　the　right　path；　but　that



they　are　afraid　to　be　convicted　of　error　by；　others；　and　thus　to　overthrow



and　bring　into　contempt　their　own　authority。　（3）　But　if　men　really　believed



what　they　verbally　testify　of　Scripture；　they　would　adopt　quite　a　different



plan　of　life：　their　minds　would　not　be　agitated　by　so　many　contentions；　nor



so　many　hatreds；　and　they　would　cease　to　be　excited　by　such　a　blind　and　rash



passion　for　interpreting　the　sacred　writings；　and　excogitating　novelties



in　religion。　（4）　On　the　contrary；　they　would　not　dare　to　adopt；　as　the



teaching　of　Scripture；　anything　which　they　could　not　plainly　deduce



therefrom：　lastly；　those　sacrilegious　persons　who　have　dared；　in　several



passages；　to　interpolate　the　Bible；　would　have　shrunk　from　so　great　a



crime；　and　would　have　stayed　their　sacrilegious　hands。







（5）　Ambition　and　unscrupulousness　have　waxed　so　powerful；　that　religion　is



thought　to　consist；　not　so　much　in　respecting　the　writings　of　the　Holy



Ghost；　as　in　defending　human　commentaries；　so　that　religion　is　no　longer



identified　with　charity；　but　with　spreading　discord　and　propagating



insensate　hatred　disguised　under　the　name　of　zeal　for　the　Lord；　and　eager



ardour。







（6）　To　these　evils　we　must　add　superstition；　which　teaches　men　to　despise



reason　and　nature；　and　only　to　admire　and　venerate　that　which　is　repugnant



to　both：　whence　it　is　not　wonderful　that　for　the　sake　of　increasing　the



admiration　and　veneration　felt　for　Scripture；　men　strive　to　explain　it　so　as



to　make　it　appear　to　contradict；　as　far　as　possible；　both　one　and　the　other：



thus　they　dream　that　most　profound　mysteries　lie　hid　in　the　Bible；　and　weary



themselves　out　in　the　investigation　of　these　absurdities；　to　the　neglect　of



what　is　useful。　（7）　Every　result　of　their　diseased　imagination　they



attribute　to　the　Holy　Ghost；　and　strive　to　defend　with　the　utmost　zeal　and



passion；　for　it　is　an　observed　fact　that　men　employ　their　reason　to　defend



conclusions　arrived　at　by　reason；　but　conclusions　arrived　at　by　the　passions



are　defended　by　the　passions。







（8）　If　we　would　separate　ourselves　from　the　crowd　and　escape　from



theological　prejudices；　instead　of　rashly　accepting　human　commentaries　for



Divine　documents；　we　must　consider　the　true　method　of　interpreting　Scripture



and　dwell　upon　it　at　some　length：　for　if　we　remain　in　ignorance　of　this　we



cannot　know；　certainly；　what　the　Bible　and　the　Holy　Spirit　wish　to　teach。







（9）I　may　sum　up　the　matter　by　saying　that　the　method　of　interpreting



Scripture　does　not　widely　differ　from　the　method　of　interpreting　nature　…　in



fact；　it　is　almost　the　same。　（10）　For　as　the　interpretation　of　nature



consists　in　the　examination　of　the　history　of　nature；　and　therefrom



deducing　definitions　of　natural　phenomena　on　certain　fixed　axioms；　so



Scriptural　interpretation　proceeds　by　the　examination　of　Scripture；　and



inferring　the　intention　of　its　authors　as　a　legitimate　conclusion　from　its



fundamental　principles。　（11）　By　working　in　this　manner　everyone　will



always　advance　without　danger　of　error　…　that　is；　if　they　admit　no



principles　for　interpreting　Scripture；　and　discussing　its　contents　save　such



as　they　find　in　Scripture　itself　…　and　will　be　able　with　equal　security　to



discuss　what　surpasses　our　understanding；　and　what　is　known　by　the　natural



light　of　reason。







（12）　In　order　to　make　clear　that　such　a　method　is　not　only　correct；　but　is



also　the　only　one　advisable；　and　that　it　agrees　with　that　employed　in



interpreting　nature；　I　must　remark　that　Scripture　very　often　treats　of



matters　which　cannot　be　deduced　from　principles　known　to　reason：　for　it　is



chiefly　made　up　of　narratives　and　revelation：　the　narratives　generally



contain　miracles　…　that　is；　as　we　have　shown　in　the　last　chapter；　relations



of　extraordinary　natural　occurrences　adapted　to　the　opinions　and　judgment　of



the　historians　who　recorded　them：　the　revelations　also　were　adapted　to　the



opinions　of　the　prophets；　as　we　showed　in　Chap。　II。；　and　in　themselves



surpassed　human　comprehension。　（13）　Therefore　the　knowledge　of　all　these　…



that　is；　of　nearly　the　whole　contents　of　Scripture；　must　be　sought　from



Scripture　alone；　even　as　the　knowledge　of　nature　is　sought　from　nature。　（14）



As　for　the　moral　doctrines　which　are　also　contained　in