登陆注册
5155200000004

第4章

(44) I think I have now sufficiently established my second point, so that we can again conclude that a miracle, whether in contravention to, or beyond, nature, is a mere absurdity; and, therefore, that what is meant in Scripture by a miracle can only be a work of nature, which surpasses, or is believed to surpass, human comprehension. (45) Before passing on to my third point, I will adduce Scriptural authority for my assertion that God cannot be known from miracles. (46) Scripture nowhere states the doctrine openly, but it can readily be inferred from several passages. (47) Firstly, that in which Moses commands (Deut. xiii.) that a false prophet should be put to death, even though he work miracles: "If there arise a prophet among you, and giveth thee a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder come to pass, saying, Let us go after other gods . . . thou shalt not hearken unto the voice of that prophet; for the Lord your God proveth you, and that prophet shall be put to death." (48) From this it clearly follows that miracles could be wrought even by false prophets; and that, unless men are honestly endowed with the true knowledge and love of God, they may be as easily led by miracles to follow false gods as to follow the true God; for these words are added: "For the Lord your God tempts you, that He may know whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your mind."(49)Further, the Israelites, from all their miracles, were unable to form a 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 ofGod, 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.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 五灵天

    五灵天

    这是一个五行属性极端恐怖的世界。金、木、水、火、土,相互依赖又相互克制。大陆上的每个人都只有一种属性。且看五行灵体的主角如何在这个复杂世界闯出自己的一片天
  • 逆伐成王

    逆伐成王

    一缕刀芒碎乾坤,两行清泪逆轮回...阴阳大陆,强者主宰天地,弱者卑躬屈膝,冷漠的世界,只有实力才是王道!陈麒,名不见经传的封印之地的小家族少爷,因故被废,得龙皇相助,修复伤势,修逆天功法,踏阴阳之巅,历经磨难,伐天成王!且看陈麒如何为兄弟,屠戮四方,为爱人,逆乱轮回,血与火,爱与恨,只为踏上巅峰!战天,战地,战苍生,只为逆伐成王!
  • 腹黑总裁,宠妻成瘾

    腹黑总裁,宠妻成瘾

    第一次见面,他对她说“嫁给我,我保你一生无忧,护你一世周全。”她欣然允诺,一夕之间嫁入豪门,成为别人口中的顾太太,A市所有女人羡慕嫉妒的对象。却无人知道她早已暗恋他十年。婚后,她被告知他与她结婚只是被逼无奈,并不是出于爱。于是扔下一纸离婚协议书,远走他乡。再回国,他对她说“我许你一世幸福,余生相守到白头。”可是她却挽着未婚夫出现在他面前,告诉他,她已经不爱他了。“不爱了?”“……是,如你所愿,顾景川,我不爱你了。”“爱不爱不是说的,做出来的!”于是,当晚某人和晚晚深入探讨了一下,爱不爱这个问题。
  • 江山战图

    江山战图

    隋末烽烟起,英雄出边荒。河北窦天王,雪夜战金刚;瓦岗枭雄密,火并杀翟让。奸雄宇文氏,弑主谋萧娘;长安李二郎,两战洛阳王。巴陵萧梁帝,跨江取荆襄;东南杜伏威,自号江淮狼。大浪卷苍天,猛将猎隋杨。隋国江山入战图,败者为寇,胜者为王。
  • 蚌精惑后宫:君王遗恨

    蚌精惑后宫:君王遗恨

    我是一只蚌精,眷恋着玉帝的欢爱,而玉帝也说我是他的珍宝。然而,因为仙妖殊途,我和玉帝不能正大光明在一起。为了将我扶正到仙道,玉帝施计要我落入凡间吸取人间帝王的元气。从而,我一步一步接近了皇上……
  • 诸天玩家

    诸天玩家

    王者于废墟中崛起,目光洞穿黑暗,江寒被主神送往洪荒,在这个充满了危机的世界,他该何去何从?
  • 羊皮卷大全集:一生必读的励志经典(超值金版)

    羊皮卷大全集:一生必读的励志经典(超值金版)

    本书收录了常见《羊皮卷》范本的经典,同时融入了最新的励志好书,17部世界级成功宝典以各自的主题让《羊皮卷大全集:一生必读的励志经典(超值金版)》处处闪耀着人类智慧的光芒,并照耀着生命的前程。相传两千多年前,一个贫苦青年海菲在神的指引下,得到秘密流传下来的经商致富秘籍,最终成为了富甲一方的人。这些秘籍书写在羊皮卷上,因此被称为“羊皮卷”。但令人惋惜的是,自海菲之后,再也没有人看到过这些神秘的羊皮卷。虽然那些神秘的羊皮卷已经随着时间的流逝而消失在历史的车轮下,但是富有羊皮卷意义的书籍却从未消失过。
  • Gracious Leadership
  • 山村鬼娇娘

    山村鬼娇娘

    我的未婚妻紫薇被剥皮之后,就成为了我的鬼娇娘,而爷爷用秘法把她复活之后,她又成为了我的人皮新娘,但是一切都好像变得越来越诡异了......
  • 明月入君怀

    明月入君怀

    天下五分,战乱不断,群雄并起,谁主沉浮?那一年,兵荒马乱,元熙国丞相夫人于逃难时诞下一女,天象大变,人心惶惶。揽月峰掌门力排众议将此女抱入临昀宫抚养。一晃数十载少女已长成,却在回府前夜遭人刺杀,坠入山崖,幸得人相救,养伤二载。再回府时,一切早已天翻地覆......