a theologico-political treatise [part iii]-第4章

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been　corrupted。　（14）　From　these　considerations　everyone　will　be　able　to



judge　that　I　have　neither　said　anything　against　the　Word　of　God　nor　given



any　foothold　to　impiety。







（15）　A　thing　is　called　sacred　and　Divine　when　it　is　designed　for　promoting



piety；　and　continues　sacred　so　long　as　it　is　religiously　used：　if　the　users



cease　to　be　pious；　the　thing　ceases　to　be　sacred：　if　it　be　turned　to　base



uses；　that　which　was　formerly　sacred　becomes　unclean　and　profane。　（16）　For



instance；　a　certain　spot　was　named　by　the　patriarch　Jacob　the　house　of　God；



because　he　worshipped　God　there　revealed　to　him：　by　the　prophets　the　same



spot　was　called　the　house　of　iniquity　（see　Amos　v：5；　and　Hosea　x：5）；　because



the　Israelites　were　wont；　at　the　instigation　of　Jeroboam；　to　sacrifice　there



to　idols。　（17）　Another　example　puts　the　matter　in　the　plainest　light。　（18）



Words　gain　their　meaning　solely　from　their　usage；　and　if　they　are　arranged



according　to　their　accepted　signification　so　as　to　move　those　who　read　them



to　devotion；　they　will　become　sacred；　and　the　book　so　written　will　be　sacred



also。　（19）　But　if　their　usage　afterwards　dies　out　so　that　the　words　have　no



meaning；　or　the　book　becomes　utterly　neglected；　whether　from　unworthy



motives；　or　because　it　is　no　longer　needed；　then　the　words　and　the　book　will



lose　both　their　use　and　their　sanctity：　lastly；　if　these　same　words　be



otherwise　arranged；　or　if　their　customary　meaning　becomes　perverted　into　its



opposite；　then　both　the　words　and　the　book　containing　them　become；　instead



of　sacred；　impure　and　profane。







（20）　From　this　it　follows　that　nothing　is　in　itself　absolutely　sacred；　or



profane；　and　unclean；　apart　from　the　mind；　but　only　relatively　thereto。　（21）



Thus　much　is　clear　from　many　passages　in　the　Bible。　（22）　Jeremiah　（to　select



one　case　out　of　many）　says　（chap。　vii：4）；　that　the　Jews　of　his　time



were　wrong　in　calling　Solomon's　Temple；　the　Temple　of　God；　for；　as　he　goes



on　to　say　in　the　same　chapter；　God's　name　would　only　be　given　to　the　Temple



so　long　as　it　was　frequented　by　men　who　worshipped　Him；　and　defended



justice；　but　that；　if　it　became　the　resort　of　murderers；　thieves；　idolaters；



and　other　wicked　persons；　it　would　be　turned　into　a　den　of　malefactors。







（23）　Scripture；　curiously　enough；　nowhere　tells　us　what　became　of　the　Ark　of



the　Covenant；　though　there　is　no　doubt　that　it　was　destroyed；　or　burnt



together　with　the　Temple；　yet　there　was　nothing　which　the　Hebrews　considered



more　sacred；　or　held　in　greater　reverence。　（24）　Thus　Scripture　is　sacred；



and　its　words　Divine　so　long　as　it　stirs　mankind　to　devotion　towards　God：



but　if　it　be　utterly　neglected；　as　it　formerly　was　by　the　Jews；　it　becomes



nothing　but　paper　and　ink；　and　is　left　to　be　desecrated　or　corrupted：　still；



though　Scripture　be　thus　corrupted　or　destroyed；　we　must　not　say　that　the



Word　of　God　has　suffered　in　like　manner；　else　we　shall　be　like　the　Jews；　who



said　that　the　Temple　which　would　then　be　the　Temple　of　God　had　perished　in



the　flames。　（25）　Jeremiah　tells　us　this　in　respect　to　the　law；　for　he　thus



chides　the　ungodly　of　his　time；　〃Wherefore；　say　you　we　are　masters；　and　the



law　of　the　Lord　is　with　us？　（26）　Surely　it　has　been　given　in　vain；　it　is　in



vain　that　the　pen　of　the　scribes　〃　（has　been　made）　…　that　is；　you　say



falsely　that　the　Scripture　is　in　your　power；　and　that　you　possess　the　law　of



God；　for　ye　have　made　it　of　none　effect。







（27）　So　also；　when　Moses　broke　the　first　tables　of　the　law；　he　did　not　by



any　means　cast　the　Word　of　God　from　his　hands　in　anger　and　shatter　it　…　such



an　action　would　be　inconceivable；　either　of　Moses　or　of　God's　Word　…　he　only



broke　the　tables　of　stone；　which；　though　they　had　before　been　holy　from



containing　the　covenant　wherewith　the　Jews　had　bound　themselves　in



obedience　to　God；　had　entirely　lost　their　sanctity　when　the　covenant　had



been　violated　by　the　worship　of　the　calf；　and　were；　therefore；　as　liable　to



perish　as　the　ark　of　the　covenant。　（28）　It　is　thus　scarcely　to　be　wondered



at；　that　the　original　documents　of　Moses　are　no　longer　extant；　nor　that　the



books　we　possess　met　with　the　fate　we　have　described；　when　we　consider　that



the　true　original　of　the　Divine　covenant；　the　most　sacred　object　of　all；　has



totally　perished。







（29）　Let　them　cease；　therefore；　who　accuse　us　of　impiety；　inasmuch　as　we



have　said　nothing　against　the　Word　of　God；　neither　have　we　corrupted　it；　but



let　them　keep　their　anger；　if　they　would　wreak　it　justly；　for　the　ancients



whose　malice　desecrated　the　Ark；　the　Temple；　and　the　Law　of　God；　and　all



that　was　held　sacred；　subjecting　them　to　corruption。　（30）　Furthermore；



if；　according　to　the　saying　of　the　Apostle　in　2　Cor。　iii：3；　they　possessed



〃the　Epistle　of　Christ；　written　not　with　ink；　but　with　the　Spirit　of　the



living　God；　not　in　tables　of　stone；　but　in　the　fleshy　tables　of　the　heart；〃



let　them　cease　to　worship　the　letter；　and　be　so　anxious　concerning　it。







（31）　I　think　I　have　now　sufficiently　shown　in　what　respect　Scripture　should



be　accounted　sacred　and　Divine；　we　may　now　see　what　should　rightly　be



understood　by　the　expression；　the　Word　of　the　Lord；　debar　（the　Hebrew



original）　signifies　word；　speech；　command；　and　thing。　（32）　The　causes　for



which　a　thing　is　in　Hebrew　said　to　be　of　God；　or　is　referred　to　Him；　have



been　already　detailed　in　Chap。　I。；　and　we　can　therefrom　easily　gather　what



meaning　Scripture　attaches　to　the　phrases；　the　word；　the　speech；　the



command；　or　the　thing　of　God。　（33）　I　need　not；　therefore；　repeat　what　I



there　said；　nor　what　was　shown　under　the　third　head　in　the　chapter　on



miracles。　（34）　It　is　enough　to　mention　the　repetition　for　the　better



understanding　of　what　I　am　about　to　say　…　viz。；　that　the　Word　of　the　Lord



when　it　has　reference　to　anyone　but　God　Himself；　signifies　that　Divine　law



treated　of　in　Chap。　IV。；　in　other　words；　religion；　universal　and　catholic



to　the　whole　human　race；　as　Isaiah　describes　it　（chap。　i：10）；　teaching　that



the　true　way　of　life　consists；　not　in　ceremonies；　but　in　charity；　and　a　true



heart；　and　calling　it　indifferently　God's　Law　and　God's　Word。







（35）　The　expression　is　also　used　metaphorically　for　the　order　of　nature　and



destiny　（which；　indeed；　actually　depend　and　follow　from　the　eternal　mandate



of　the　Divine　nature）；　and　especially　for　such　parts　of　such　order　as　were



foreseen　by　the　prophets；　for　the　prophets　did　not　perceive　future　events　as



the　result　of　natural　causes；　but　as　the　fiats　and　decrees　of　God。　（36）



Lastly；　it　is　employed　for　the　command　of　any　prophet；　in　so　far　as　he　had



perceived　it　by　his　peculiar　faculty　or　prophetic　gift；　and　not　by　the



natural　light　of　reason；　this　use　springs　chiefly　from　the　usual　prophetic



conception　of　God　as　a　legislator；　which　we　remarked　in　Chap。　IV。



（37）　There　are；　then；　three　causes　for　the　Bible's　being　called



the　Word　of　God：　because　it　teaches　true　religion；　of　which　God　is　the



eternal　Founder；　because　it　narrates　predictions　of　future　events　as



though　they　were　decrees　of　God；　because　its　actual　authors　generally



perceived　things　not　by　their　ordinary　natural　faculties；　but　by　a



power　peculiar　to　themselves；　and　introduced　these　things　perceived；



as　told　them　by　God。







（37）　Although　Scripture　contains　much　that　is　merely　historical　and　can　be



perceived　by　natural　reason；　yet　its　name　is　acquired　from　its　chief　subject



matter。







（38）　We　can　thus　easily　see　how　God　can　be　said　to　be　the　Author　of　the



Bible：　it　is　because　of　the　true　religion　therein　contained；　and　not　because



He　wished　to　communicate　to　men　a　certain　number　of　books。　（39）　We　can　also



learn　from　hence　the　reason　for　the　division　into　Old　and　New　Testament。



（40）　It　was　made　because　the　prophets　who　preached　religion　before　Christ；



preached　it　as　a　nation