a theologico-political treatise [part i]-第2部分

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criminal　charges；　and　words　were　always　allowed　to　pass　free；　such　seditions



would　be　divested　of　every　semblance　of　justification；　and　would　be



separated　from　mere　controversies　by　a　hard　and　fast　line。







（20）　Now；　seeing　that　we　have　the　rare　happiness　of　living　in　a　republic；



where　everyone's　judgment　is　free　and　unshackled；　where　each　may　worship　God



as　his　conscience　dictates；　and　where　freedom　is　esteemed　before　all　things



dear　and　precious；　I　have　believed　that　I　should　be　undertaking　no



ungrateful　or　unprofitable　task；　in　demonstrating　that　not　only　can



such　freedom　be　granted　without　prejudice　to　the　public　peace；　but　also；



that　without　such　freedom；　piety　cannot　flourish　nor　the　public　peace　be



secure。







（21）　Such　is　the　chief　conclusion　I　seek　to　establish　in　this　treatise；　but；



in　order　to　reach　it；　I　must　first　point　out　the　misconceptions　which；　like



scars　of　our　former　bondage；　still　disfigure　our　notion　of　religion；　and



must　expose　the　false　views　about　the　civil　authority　which　many　have　most



impudently　advocated；　endeavouring　to　turn　the　mind　of　the　people；　still



prone　to　heathen　superstition；　away　from　its　legitimate　rulers；　and　so　bring



us　again　into　slavery。　（22）　As　to　the　order　of　my　treatise　I　will　speak



presently；　but　first　I　will　recount　the　causes　which　led　me　to　write。







（23）　I　have　often　wondered；　that　persons　who　make　a　boast　of　professing　the



Christian　religion；　namely；　love；　joy；　peace；　temperance；　and　charity　to　all



men；　should　quarrel　with　such　rancorous　animosity；　and　display　daily　towards



one　another　such　bitter　hatred；　that　this；　rather　than　the　virtues　they



claim；　is　the　readiest　criterion　of　their　faith。　（24）　Matters　have　long



since　come　to　such　a　pass；　that　one　can　only　pronounce　a　man　Christian；



Turk；　Jew；　or　Heathen；　by　his　general　appearance　and　attire；　by　his



frequenting　this　or　that　place　of　worship；　or　employing　the　phraseology　of　a



particular　sect　…　as　for　manner　of　life；　it　is　in　all　cases　the　same。　（25）



Inquiry　into　the　cause　of　this　anomaly　leads　me　unhesitatingly　to　ascribe　it



to　the　fact；　that　the　ministries　of　the　Church　are　regarded　by　the　masses



merely　as　dignities；　her　offices　as　posts　of　emolument　…　in　short；　popular



religion　may　be　summed　up　as　respect　for　ecclesiastics。　（26）　The　spread　of



this　misconception　inflamed　every　worthless　fellow　with　an　intense　desire　to



enter　holy　orders；　and　thus　the　love　of　diffusing　God's　religion　degenerated



into　sordid　avarice　and　ambition。　（27）　Every　church　became　a　theatre；　where



orators；　instead　of　church　teachers；　harangued；　caring　not　to　instruct　the



people；　but　striving　to　attract　admiration；　to　bring　opponents　to　public



scorn；　and　to　preach　only　novelties　and　paradoxes；　such　as　would　tickle



the　ears　of　their　congregation。　（28）　This　state　of　things　necessarily



stirred　up　an　amount　of　controversy；　envy；　and　hatred；　which　no　lapse　of



time　could　appease；　so　that　we　can　scarcely　wonder　that　of　the　old　religion



nothing　survives　but　its　outward　forms　（even　these；　in　the　mouth　of　the



multitude；　seem　rather　adulation　than　adoration　of　the　Deity）；　and　that



faith　has　become　a　mere　compound　of　credulity　and　prejudices　…　aye；



prejudices　too；　which　degrade　man　from　rational　being　to　beast；　which



completely　stifle　the　power　of　judgment　between　true　and　false；　which　seem；



in　fact；　carefully　fostered　for　the　purpose　of　extinguishing　the　last　spark



of　reason！　（29）　Piety；　great　God！　and　religion　are　become　a　tissue　of



ridiculous　mysteries；　men；　who　flatly　despise　reason；　who　reject　and　turn



away　from　understanding　as　naturally　corrupt；　these；　I　say；　these　of　all



men；　are　thought；　0　lie　most　horrible！　to　possess　light　from　on　High。　（30）



Verily；　if　they　had　but　one　spark　of　light　from　on　High；　they　would　not



insolently　rave；　but　would　learn　to　worship　God　more　wisely；　and　would　be　as



marked　among　their　fellows　for　mercy　as　they　now　are　for　malice；　if　they



were　concerned　for　their　opponents'　souls；　instead　of　for　their　own



reputations；　they　would　no　longer　fiercely　persecute；　but　rather　be　filled



with　pity　and　compassion。







（31）　Furthermore；　if　any　Divine　light　were　in　them；　it　would　appear　from



their　doctrine。　（32）　I　grant　that　they　are　never　tired　of　professing　their



wonder　at　the　profound　mysteries　of　Holy　Writ；　still　I　cannot　discover　that



they　teach　anything　but　speculations　of　Platonists　and　Aristotelians；　to



which　（in　order　to　save　their　credit　for　Christianity）　they　have　made　Holy



Writ　conform；　not　content　to　rave　with　the　Greeks　themselves；　they　want　to



make　the　prophets　rave　also；　showing　conclusively；　that　never　even　in　sleep



have　they　caught　a　glimpse　of　Scripture's　Divine　nature。　（33）　The　very



vehemence　of　their　admiration　for　the　mysteries　plainly　attests；　that



their　belief　in　the　Bible　is　a　formal　assent　rather　than　a　living　faith：　and



the　fact　is　made　still　more　apparent　by　their　laying　down　beforehand；　as　a



foundation　for　the　study　and　true　interpretation　of　Scripture；　the　principle



that　it　is　in　every　passage　true　and　divine。　（34）　Such　a　doctrine　should　be



reached　only　after　strict　scrutiny　and　thorough　comprehension　of　the　Sacred



Books　（which　would　teach　it　much　better；　for　they　stand　in　need　no　human



factions）；　and　not　be　set　up　on　the　threshold；　as　it　were；　of　inquiry。







（35）　As　I　pondered　over　the　facts　that　the　light　of　reason　is　not　only



despised；　but　by　many　even　execrated　as　a　source　of　impiety；　that　human



commentaries　are　accepted　as　divine　records；　and　that　credulity　is　extolled



as　faith；　as　I　marked　the　fierce　controversies　of　philosophers　raging　in



Church　and　State；　the　source　of　bitter　hatred　and　dissension；　the　ready



instruments　of　sedition　and　other　ills　innumerable；　I　determined　to　examine



the　Bible　afresh　in　a　careful；　impartial；　and　unfettered　spirit；　making　no



assumptions　concerning　it；　and　attributing　to　it　no　doctrines；　which　I　do



not　find　clearly　therein　set　down。　（36）　With　these　precautions　I　constructed



a　method　of　Scriptural　interpretation；　and　thus　equipped　proceeded　to



inquire　…　what　is　prophecy？　（37）　In　what　sense　did　God　reveal　himself　to　the



prophets；　and　why　were　these　particular　men　…　chosen　by　him？　（38）　Was　it　on



account　of　the　sublimity　of　their　thoughts　about　the　Deity　and　nature；　or



was　it　solely　on　account　of　their　piety？　（39）　These　questions　being



answered；　I　was　easily　able　to　conclude；　that　the　authority　of　the　prophets



has　weight　only　in　matters　of　morality；　and　that　their　speculative　doctrines



affect　us　little。







（40）　Next　I　inquired；　why　the　Hebrews　were　called　God's　chosen　people；　and



discovering　that　it　was　only　because　God　had　chosen　for　them　a　certain　strip



of　territory；　where　they　might　live　peaceably　and　at　ease；　I　learnt　that　the



Law　revealed　by　God　to　Moses　was　merely　the　law　of　the　individual　Hebrew



state；　therefore　that　it　was　binding　on　none　but　Hebrews；　and　not　even



on　Hebrews　after　the　downfall　of　their　nation。　（41）　Further；　in　order　to



ascertain；　whether　it　could　be　concluded　from　Scripture；　that　the　human



understanding　standing　is　naturally　corrupt；　I　inquired　whether　the



Universal　Religion；　the　Divine　Law　revealed　through　the　Prophets　and



Apostles　to　the　whole　human　race；　differs　from　that　which　is　taught　by　the



light　of　natural　reason；　whether　miracles　can　take　place　in　violation　of　the



laws　of　nature；　and　if　so；　whether　they　imply　the　existence　of　God　more



surely　and　clearly　than　events；　which　we　understand　plainly　and　distinctly



through　their　immediate　natural　causes。







（42）　Now；　as　in　the　whole　course　of　my　investigation　I　found　nothing　taught



expressly　by　Scripture；　which　does　not　agree　with　our　understanding；　or



which　is　repugnant　thereto；　and　as　I　saw　that　the　prophets　taught　nothing；



which　is　not　very　simple　and　easily　to　be　grasped　by　all；　and　further；　that



they　clothed　their　leaching　in　the　style；　and　confirmed　it　with　the　reasons；



which　would　most　deeply　move　the　mind　of　the　masses　to　devotion　towards　God；



I　became　thoroughly　convinced；　that　the　Bible　leaves　reason　absolutely　free；



that　it　has　nothing　in　common　with　philosophy；　in　fact；　that　Revelation　and



Philosophy　stand　on　different　footings。　In　order　to　set　this　forth



categorically　and　exhaust　the　whole　question；　I　point　out　the　way　in　which



the　Bible　should　be　interpreted；　and　show　that　all　of　spiritual　questions



should　be　sought　from　it　alone；　and　not　from　the　objects　of　ordinary



knowledge。　（43）　Thence　I　pass　on　to　indicate　the　false　notions；　which　have



from　the　fact　that　the　multitude　…　ever　prone　to　superstition；　and　caring



more　for　the　shreds　of　antiquity　for　eternal　truths　…　pays　homage　to　the



Books　of　the　Bible；　rather　than　to　the　Word　of　God。　（44）　I　show　that　the



Word　of　God　has　not　been　revealed　as　a　certain　number　of　books；　was



displayed　to　the　prophets　as　a　simple　idea　of　the　mind；　namely；　obedience　to



God　in　singleness　of　heart；　and　in　the　practice　of　justice　and　charity；　and



I　further　point　out；　that　this　doctrine　is　set　forth　in　Scripture　in



accordance　with　the　opinions　and　understandings　of　those；　among　whom　the



Apostles　and　Prophets　preached；　to　the　end　that　men　might　receive　it



willingly；　and　with　their　whole　heart。







（45）　Having　thus　laid　bare　the　bases　of　belief；　I　draw　the　conclusion　that



Revelation　has　obedience　for　its　sole　object；　therefore；　in　purpose　no　less



than　in　foundation　and　method；　stands　entirely　aloof　from　ordinary



knowledge；　each　has　its　separate　province；　neither　can　be　called　the



handmaid　of　the　other。







（46）　Furthermore；　as　men's　habits　of　mind　differ；　so　that　some　more　readily



embrace　one　form　of　faith；　some　another；　for　what　moves　one　to　pray　may　move



another　only　to　scoff；　I　conclude；　in　acco