a theologico-political treatise [part i]-第12部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！




are　aware　of；　save　the　Idumeans；　and　Jonah　was　chiefly　the　prophet　to　the



Ninevites。　（59）　Isaiah　bewails　and　predicts　the　calamities；　and　hails　the



restoration　not　only　of　the　Jews　but　also　of　other　nations；　for　he　says



（chap。　xvi：9）；　〃Therefore　I　will　bewail　Jazer　with　weeping；〃　and　in　chap。



xix。　he　foretells　first　the　calamities　and　then　the　restoration　of



the　Egyptians　（see　verses　19；　20；　21；　25）；　saying　that　God　shall　send　them　a



Saviour　to　free　them；　that　the　Lord　shall　be　known　in　Egypt；　and；　further；



that　the　Egyptians　shall　worship　God　with　sacrifice　and　oblation；　and；　at



last；　he　calls　that　nation　the　blessed　Egyptian　people　of　God；　all　of　which



particulars　are　specially　noteworthy。







（60）　Jeremiah　is　called；　not　the　prophet　of　the　Hebrew　nation；　but　simply



the　prophet　of　the　nations　（see　Jer：i。5）。　（61）　He　also　mournfully　foretells



the　calamities　of　the　nations；　and　predicts　their　restoration；　for　he　says



（xlviii：31）　of　the　Moabites；　〃Therefore　will　I　howl　for　Moab；　and　I　will



cryout　for　all　Moab〃　（verse　36）；　〃and　therefore　mine　heart　shall　sound



for　Moab　like　pipes；〃　in　the　end　he　prophesies　their　restoration；　as　also



the　restoration　of　the　Egyptians；　Ammonites；　and　Elamites。　（62）　Wherefore　it



is　beyond　doubt　that　other　nations　also；　like　the　Jews；　had　their



prophets；　who　prophesied　to　them。







（63）　Although　Scripture　only；　makes　mention　of　one　man；　Balaam；　to　whom　the



future　of　the　Jews　and　the　other　nations　was　revealed；　we　must　not　suppose



that　Balaam　prophesied　only　once；　for　from　the　narrative　itself　it　is



abundantly　clear　that　he　had　long　previously　been　famous　for　prophesy　and



other　Divine　gifts。　（64）　For　when　Balak　bade　him　to　come　to　him；　he　said



（Num。　xxii：6）；　〃For　I　know　that　he　whom　thou　blessest　is　blessed；　and　he



whom　thou　cursest　is　cursed。〃　（65）　Thus　we　see　that　he　possessed　the　gift



which　God　had　bestowed　on　Abraham。　Further；　as　accustomed　to　prophesy；



Balaam　bade　the　messengers　wait　for　him　till　the　will　of　the　Lord　was



revealed　to　him。　（66）　When　he　prophesied；　that　is；　when　he　interpreted



the　true　mind　of　God；　he　was　wont　to　say　this　of　himself：　〃He　hath　said；



which　heard　the　words　of　God　and　knew　the　knowledge　of　the　Most　High；　which



saw　the　vision　of　the　Almighty　falling　into　a　trance；　but　having　his　eyes



open。〃　（67）　Further；　after　he　had　blessed　the　Hebrews　by　the　command　of　God；



he　began　（as　was　his　custom）　to　prophesy　to　other　nations；　and　to　predict



their　future；　all　of　which　abundantly　shows　that　he　had　always　been　a



prophet；　or　had　often　prophesied；　and　（as　we　may　also　remark　here）　possessed



that　which　afforded　the　chief　certainty　to　prophets　of　the　truth　of　their



prophecy；　namely；　a　mind　turned　wholly　to　what　is　right　and　good；　for　he　did



not　bless　those　whom　he　wished　to　bless；　nor　curse　those　whom　he　wished　to



curse；　as　Balak　supposed；　but　only　those　whom　God　wished　to　be　blessed　or



cursed。　（68）　Thus　he　answered　Balak：　〃If　Balak　should　give　me　his　house　full



of　silver　and　gold；　I　cannot　go　beyond　the　commandment　of　the　Lord　to　do



either　good　or　bad　of　my　own　mind；　but　what　the　Lord　saith；　that　will　I



speak。〃　（69）　As　for　God　being　angry　with　him　in　the　way；　the　same　happened



to　Moses　when　he　set　out　to　Egypt　by　the　command　of　the　Lord；　and　as　to　his



receiving　money　for　prophesying；　Samuel　did　the　same　（1　Sam。　ix：7；　8）；　if　in



anyway　he　sinned；　〃there　is　not　a　just　man　upon　earth　that　doeth　good　and



sinneth　not；〃　Eccles。　vii：20。　（Vide　2　Epist。　Peter　ii：15；　16；　and



Jude　5：11。）







（70）　His　speeches　must　certainly　have　had　much　weight　with　God；　and　His



power　for　cursing　must　assuredly　have　been　very　great　from　the　number　of



times　that　we　find　stated　in　Scripture；　in　proof　of　God's　great　mercy　to　the



Jews；　that　God　would　not　hear　Balaam；　and　that　He　changed　the　cursing　to



blessing　（see　Deut。　xxiii：6；　Josh。　xxiv：10；　Neh。　xiii：2）。　（71）　Wherefore　he



was　without　doubt　most　acceptable　to　God；　for　the　speeches　and　cursings　of



the　wicked　move　God　not　at　all。　（72）　As　then　he　was　a　true　prophet；　and



nevertheless　Joshua　calls　him　a　soothsayer　or　augur；　it　is　certain　that　this



title　had　an　honourable　signification；　and　that　those　whom　the　Gentiles



called　augurs　and　soothsayers　were　true　prophets；　while　those　whom　Scripture



often　accuses　and　condemns　were　false　soothsayers；　who　deceived　the



Gentiles　as　false　prophets　deceived　the　Jews；　indeed；　this　is　made　evident



from　other　passages　in　the　Bible；　whence　we　conclude　that　the　gift　of



prophecy　was　not　peculiar　to　the　Jews；　but　common　to　all　nations。　（73）　The



Pharisees；　however；　vehemently　contend　that　this　Divine　gift　was　peculiar　to



their　nation；　and　that　the　other　nations　foretold　the　future　（what　will



superstition　invent　next？）　by　some　unexplained　diabolical　faculty。　（74）　The



principal　passage　of　Scripture　which　they　cite；　by　way　of　confirming　their



theory　with　its　authority；　is　Exodus　xxxiii：16；　where　Moses　says　to　God；



〃For　wherein　shall　it　be　known　here　that　I　and　Thy　people　have　found　grace



in　Thy　sight？　is　it　not　in　that　Thou　goest　with　us？　so　shall　we　be



separated；　I　and　Thy　people；　from　all　the　people　that　are　upon　the　face　of



the　earth。〃　（75）　From　this　they　would　infer　that　Moses　asked　of　God　that　He



should　be　present　to　the　Jews；　and　should　reveal　Himself　to　them



prophetically；　further；　that　He　should　grant　this　favour　to　no　other　nation。



（76）　It　is　surely　absurd　that　Moses　should　have　been　jealous　of　God's



presence　among　the　Gentiles；　or　that　he　should　have　dared　to　ask　any　such



thing。　（77）　The　act　is；　as　Moses　knew　that　the　disposition　and　spirit　of　his



nation　was　rebellious；　he　clearly　saw　that　they　could　not　carry　out　what



they　had　begun　without　very　great　miracles　and　special　external　aid　from



God；　nay；　that　without　such　aid　they　must　necessarily　perish：　as　it　was



evident　that　God　wished　them　to　be　preserved；　he　asked　for　this　special



external　aid。　（78）　Thus　he　says　（Ex。　xxxiv：9）；　〃If　now　I　have　found　grace　in



Thy　sight；　0　Lord；　let　my　Lord；　I　pray　Thee；　go　among　us；　for　it　is　a



stiffnecked　people。〃　（79）　The　reason；　therefore；　for　his　seeking　special



external　aid　from　God　was　the　stiffneckedness　of　the　people；　and　it　is　made



still　more　plain；　that　he　asked　for　nothing　beyond　this　special　external　aid



by　God's　answer　…　for　God　answered　at　once　（verse　10　of　the　same　chapter）　…



〃Behold；　I　make　a　covenant：　before　all　Thy　people　I　will　do　marvels；　such　as



have　not　been　done　in　all　the　earth；　nor　in　any　nation。〃　（80）　Therefore



Moses　had　in　view　nothing　beyond　the　special　election　of　the　Jews；　as　I　have



explained　it；　and　made　no　other　request　to　God。　（81）　I　confess　that　in



Paul's　Epistle　to　the　Romans；　I　find　another　text　which　carries　more　weight；



namely；　where　Paul　seems　to　teach　a　different　doctrine　from　that　here　set



down；　for　he　there　says　（Rom。　iii：1）：　〃What　advantage　then　hath　the　Jew？　or



what　profit　is　there　of　circumcision？　（82）　Much　every　way：　chiefly；　because



that　unto　them　were　committed　the　oracles　of　God。〃







（83）　But　if　we　look　to　the　doctrine　which　Paul　especially　desired　to　teach；



we　shall　find　nothing　repugnant　to　our　present　contention；　on　the　contrary；



his　doctrine　is　the　same　as　ours；　for　he　says　（Rom。　iii：29）　〃that　God　is　the



God　of　the　Jews　and　of　the　Gentiles；　and〃　（ch。　ii：25；　26）　〃But；







if　thou　be　a　breaker　of　the　law；　thy　circumcision　is　made　uncircumcision。



（84）　Therefore　if　the　uncircumcision　keep　the　righteousness　of　the　law；



shall　not　his　uncircumcision　be　counted　for　circumcision？〃　（85）　Further；　in



chap。　iv：verse　9；　he　says　that　all　alike；　Jew　and　Gentile；　were　under　sin；



and　that　without　commandment　and　law　there　is　no　sin。　（86）　Wherefore　it　is



most　evident　that　to　all　men　absolutely　was　revealed　the　law　under　which　all



lived　…　namely；　the　law　which　has　regard　only　to　true　virtue；　not　the　law



established　in　respect　to；　and　in　the　formation　of　a　particular　state　and



adapted　to　the　disposition　of　a　particular　people。　（87）　Lastly；　Paul



concludes　that　since　God　is　the　God　of　all　nations；　that　is；　is　equally



gracious　to　all；　and　since　all　men　equally　live　under　the　law　and　under　sin；



so　also　to　all　nations　did　God　send　His　Christ；　to　free　all　men　equally　from



the　bondage　of　the　law；　that　they　should　no　more　do　right　by　the



command　of　the　law；　but　by　the　constant　determination　of　their　hearts。　（88）



So　that　Paul　teaches　exactly　the　same　as　ourselves。　（89）　When；　therefore；　he



says　〃To　the　Jews　only　were　entrusted　the　oracles　of　God；〃　we　must　either



understand　that　to　them　only　were　the　laws　entrusted　in　writing；　while　they



were　given　to　other　nations　merely　in　revelation　and　conception；　or　else　（as



none　but　Jews　would　object　to　the　doctrine　he　desired　to　advance）　that　Paul



was　answering　only　in　accordance　with　the　understanding　and　current　ideas　of



the　Jews；　for　in　respect　to　teaching　things　which　he　had　partly　seen；　partly



heard；　he　was　to　the　Greeks　a　Greek；　and　to　the　Jews　a　Jew。







（90）　It　now　only　remains　to　us　to　answer　the　arguments　of　those　who　would



persuade　themselves　that　the　election　of　the　Jews　was　not　temporal；　and



merely　in　respect　of　their　commonwealth；　but　eternal；　for；　they　say；　we　see



the　Jews　after　the　loss　of　their　commonwealth；　and　after　being　scattered　so



many　years　and　separated　from　all　other　nations；　still　surviving；　which　is



without　parallel　among　other　peoples；　and　further　the　Scriptures　seem　to



teach　that　God　has　chosen　for　Himself　the　Jews　for　ever；　so　that　though　they



have　lost　their　commonwealth；　they　still　nevertheless　remain　God's　elect。







（91）　The　passages　which　they　think　teach　most　clearly　this　eternal　election；　are　chiefly：



（1。）　Jer。　xxxi：36；　where　the　prophet　testifies　that　the　seed　of　Israel



shall　for　ever　remain　the　nation　of