CHAP。32。——INWHATWAYGODUSESMAN。
35。ButneitherdoesHeuseafterourfashionofusing。Forwhenweuseobjects,wedosowithaviewtothefullenjoymentofthegoodnessofGod。God,however,inHisuseofus,hasreferencetoHisowngoodness。ForitisbecauseHeisgoodweexist;andsofaraswetrulyexistwearegood。And,further,becauseHeisalsojust,wecannotwithimpunitybeevil;andsofarasweareevil,sofarisourexistencelesscomplete。NowHeisthefirstandsupremeexistence,whoisaltogetherunchangeable,andwhocouldsayinthefullestsenseofthewords,\"IAMTHATIAM,\"and\"Thoushaltsaytothem,IAM
hathsentmeuntoyou;\"(6)sothatallotherthingsthatexist,bothowetheirexistenceentirelytoHim,andaregoodonlysofarasHehasgivenittothemtobeso。Thatuse,then,whichGodissaidtomakeofushasnoreferencetoHisownadvantage,buttooursonly;and,sofarasHeisconcerned,hasreferenceonlytoHisgoodnessWhenwetakepityuponamanandcareforhim,itisforhisadvantagewedoso;butsomehoworotherourownadvantagefollowsbyasortofnaturalconsequence,forGoddoesnotleavethemercyweshowtohimwhoneedsittogowithoutreward。Nowthisisourhighestreward,thatweshouldfullyenjoyHim,andthatallwhoenjoyHimshouldenjoyoneanotherinHim。
CHAP。33。——INWHATWAYMANSHOULDBEENJOYED。
36。Forifwefindourhappinesscompleteinoneanother,westopshortupontheroad,andplaceourhopeofhappinessinmanorangel。Nowtheproudmanandtheproudangelarrogatethistothemselves,andaregladtohavethehopeofothersfixeduponthem。But,onthecontrary,theholymanandtheholyangel,evenwhenwearewearyandanxioustostaywiththemandrestinthem,setthemselvestorecruitourenergieswiththeprovisionwhichtheyhavereceivedofGodforusorforthemselves;andthenurgeusthusrefreshedtogoonourwaytowardsHim,intheenjoymentofwhomwefindourcommonhappiness。Foreventheapostleexclaims,\"WasPaulcrucifiedforyou?
orwereyebaptizedinthenameofPaul?\"(1)andagain:
\"Neitherishethatplantethanything,neitherhethatwatereth;butGodthatgiveththeincrease。\"(2)Andtheangeladmonisheththemanwhoisabouttoworshiphim,thatheshouldratherworshipHimwhoishisMaster,andunderwhomhehimselfisafellow-servant。(3)
37。ButwhenyouhavejoyofamaninGod,itisGodratherthanmanthatyouenjoy。ForyouenjoyHimbywhomyouaremadehappy,andyourejoicetohavecometoHiminwhosepresenceyouplaceyourhopeofjoy。Andaccordingly,PaulsaystoPhilemon,\"Yea,brother,letmehavejoyoftheeintheLord。\"(4)
Forifhehadnotadded\"intheLord,\"buthadonlysaid,\"Letmehavejoyofthee,\"hewouldhaveimpliedthathefixedhishopeofhappinessuponhim,althoughevenintheimmediatecontextto\"enjoy\"isusedinthesenseofto\"usewithdelight。\"Forwhenthethingthatweloveisnearus,itisamatterofcoursethatitshouldbringdelightwithit。Andifyoupassbeyondthisdelight,andmakeitameanstothatwhichyouarepermanentlytorestin,youareusingit,anditisanabuseoflanguagetosaythatyouenjoyit。Butifyouclingtoit,andrestinit,findingyourhappinesscompleteinit,thenyoumaybetrulyandproperlysaidtoenjoyit。AndthiswemustneverdoexceptinthecaseoftheBlessedTrinity,whoistheSupremeandUnchangeableGood。
CHAP。34。——CHRISTTHEFIRSTWAYTOGOD。
38。AndmarkthatevenwhenHewhoisHimselftheTruthandtheWord,bywhomallthingsweremade,hadbeenmadefleshthatHemightdwellamongus,theapostleyetsays:\"Yea,thoughwehaveknownChristaftertheflesh,yetnowhenceforthknowweHimnomore。\"(5)ForChrist,desiringnotonlytogivethepossessiontothosewhohadcompletedthejourney,butalsotobeHimselfthewaytothosewhowerejustsettingout,determinedtotakeafleshlybody。Whencealsothatexpression,\"TheLordcreated(6)meinthebeginningofHisway,\"(7)thatis,thatthosewhowishedtocomemightbegintheirjourneyinHim。Theapostle,therefore,althoughstillontheway,andfollowingafterGodwhocalledhimtotherewardofHisheavenlycalling,yetforgettingthosethingswhichwerebehind,andpressingontowardsthosethingswhichwerebefore,(8)hadalreadypassedoverthebeginningoftheway,andhadnownofurtherneedofit;yetbythiswayallmustcommencetheirjourneywhodesiretoattaintothetruth,andtorestineternallife。ForHesays:\"Iamtheway,andthetruth,andthelife;\"(9)thatis,bymemencome,tometheycome,inmetheyrest。ForwhenwecometoHim,wecometotheFatheralso,becausethroughanequalanequalisknown;andtheHolySpiritbinds,andasitweresealsas,sothatweareabletorestpermanentlyinthesupremeandunchangeableGood。Andhencewemaylearnhowessentialitisthatnothingshoulddetainusontheway,whennotevenourLordHimself,sofarasHehascondescendedtobeourway,iswillingtodetainus,butwishesusrathertopresson;and,insteadofweaklyclingingtotemporalthings,eventhoughthesehavebeenputonandwornbyHimforoursalvation,topassoverthemquickly,andtostruggletoattainuntoHimself,whohasfreedournaturefromthebondageoftemporalthings,andhassetitdownattherighthandofHisFather。
CHAP。35。——THEFULFILLMENTANDENDOFSCRIPTUREISTHELOVEOFGODAND
OUR
NEIGHBOR。
39。Ofall,then,thathasbeensaidsinceweentereduponthediscussionaboutthings,thisisthesam:thatweshouldclearlyunderstandthatthefulfillmentandtheendoftheLaw,andofallHolyScripture,istheloveofanobjectwhichistobeenjoyed,andtheloveofanobjectwhichcanenjoythatotherinfellowshipwithourselves。Forthereisnoneedofacommandthateachmanshouldlovehimself。Thewholetemporaldispensationforoursalvation,therefore,wasframedbytheprovidenceofGodthatwemightknowthistruthandbeabletoactuponit;andweoughttousethatdispensation,notwithsuchloveanddelightasifitwereagoodtorestin,butwithatransientfeelingrather,suchaswehavetowardstheroad,orcarriages,orotherthingsthataremerelymeans。Perhapssomeothercomparisoncanbefoundthatwillmoresuitablyexpresstheideathatwearetolovethethingsbywhichweareborneonlyforthesakeofthattowardswhichweareborne。
CHAP。36。——THATINTERPRETATIONOFSCRIPTUREWHICHBUILDSUSUPINLOVE
ISNOT
PERNICIOUSLYDECEPTIVENORMENDACIOUS,EVENTHOUGHITBEFAULTY。THE
INTERPRETER,HOWEVER,SHOULDBECORRECTED。
40。Whoever,then,thinksthatheunderstandstheHolyScriptures,oranypartofthem,butputssuchaninterpretationuponthemasdoesnottendtobuildupthistwofoldloveofGodandourneighbor,doesnotyetunderstandthemasheought。If,ontheotherhand,amandrawsameaningfromthemthatmaybeusedforthebuildingupoflove,eventhoughhedoesnothappenupontheprecisemeaningwhichtheauthorwhomhereadsintendedtoexpressinthatplace,hiserrorisnotpernicious,andheiswhollyclearfromthechargeofdeception。Forthereisinvolvedindeceptiontheintentiontosaywhatisfalse;andwefindplentyofpeoplewhointendtodeceive,butnobodywhowishestobedeceived。Since,then,themanwhoknowspractisesdeceit,andtheignorantmanispractisedupon,itisquiteclearthatinanyparticularcasethemanwhoisdeceivedisabettermanthanhewhodeceives,seeingthatitisbettertosufferthantocommitinjustice。Noweverymanwholiescommitsaninjustice;andifanymanthinksthatalieiseveruseful,hemustthinkthatinjusticeissometimesuseful。Fornoliarkeepsfaithinthematteraboutwhichhelies。Hewishes,ofcourse,thatthemantowhomheliesshouldplaceconfidenceinhim;andyethebetrayshisconfidencebylyingtohim。Noweverymanwhobreaksfaithisunjust。Either,then,injusticeissometimesuseful(whichisimpossible),oralieisneveruseful。
41。WhoevertakesanothermeaningoutofScripturethanthewriterintended,goesastray,butnotthroughanyfalsehoodinScripture。Nevertheless,asIwasgoingtosay,ifhismistakeninterpretationtendstobuilduplove,whichistheendofthecommandment,hegoesastrayinmuchthesamewayasamanwhobymistakequitsthehighroad,butyetreachesthroughthefieldsthesameplacetowhichtheroadleads。Heistobecorrected,however,andtobeshownhowmuchbetteritisnottoquitthestraightroad,lest,ifhegetintoahabitofgoingastray,hemaysometimestakecrossroads,orevengointhewrongdirectionaltogether。
CHAP。37。——DANGERSOFMISTAKENINTERPRETATION。
Forifhetakesuprashlyameaningwhichtheauthorwhomheisreadingdidnotintend,heoftenfallsinwithotherstatementswhichhecannotharmonizewiththismeaning。Andifheadmitsthatthesestatementsaretrueandcertain,thenitfollowsthatthemeaninghehadputupontheformerpassagecannotbethetrueone:
andsoitcomestopass,onecanhardlytellhow,that,outofloveforhisownopinion,hebeginstofeelmoreangrywithScripturethanheiswithhimself。Andifheshouldoncepermitthateviltocreepin,itwillutterlydestroyhim。\"Forwewalkbyfaith,notbysight。\"(1)NowfaithwilltotteriftheauthorityofScripturebegintoshake。Andthen,iffaithtotter,loveitselfwillgrowcold。Forifamanhasfallenfromfaith,hemustnecessarilyalsofallfromlove;forhecannotlovewhathedoesnotbelievetoexist。Butifhebothbelievesandloves,thenthroughgoodworks,andthroughdiligentattentiontothepreceptsofmorality,hecomestohopealsothatheshallattaintheobjectofhislove。Andsothesearethethreethingstowhichallknowledgeandallprophecyaresubservient:faith,hope,love。
CHAP。38。——LOVENEVERFAILETH。
42。Butsightshalldisplacefaith;andhopeshallbeswallowedupinthatperfectblisstowhichweshallcome:love,ontheotherhand,shallwaxgreaterwhentheseothersfail。Forifwelovebyfaiththatwhichasyetweseenot,howmuchmoreshallweloveitwhenwebegintosee!Andifwelovebyhopethatwhichasyetwehavenotreached,howmuchmoreshallweloveitwhenwereachit!Forthereisthisgreatdifferencebetweenthingstemporalandthingseternal,thatatemporalobjectisvaluedmorebeforewepossessit,andbeginstoproveworthlessthemomentweattainit,becauseitdoesnotsatisfythesoul,whichhasitsonlytrueandsureresting-placeineternity:aneternalobject,ontheotherhand,islovedwithgreaterardorwhenitisinpossessionthanwhileitisstillanobjectofdesire,fornooneinhislongingforitcansetahighervalueonitthanreallybelongstoit,soastothinkitcomparativelyworthlesswhenhefindsitoflessvaluethanhethought;onthecontrary,howeverhighthevalueanymanmaysetuponitwhenheisonhiswaytopossessit,hewillfindit,whenitcomesintohispossession,ofhighervaluestill。
CHAP。39。——HEWHOISMATUREINFAITH,HOPEANDLOVE,NEEDSSCRIPTURE
NOLONGER。
43。Andthusamanwhoisrestinguponfaith,hopeandlove,andwhokeepsafirmholduponthese,doesnotneedtheScripturesexceptforthepurposeofinstructingothers。Accordingly,manylivewithoutcopiesoftheScriptures,eveninsolitude,onthestrengthofthesethreegraces。Sothatintheircase,Ithink,thesayingisalreadyfulfilled:\"Whethertherebeprophecies,theyshallfail;whethertherebetongues,theyshallcease;
whethertherebeknowledge,itshallvanishaway。\"(1)
Yetbymeansoftheseinstruments(astheymaybecalled),sogreatanedificeoffaithandlovehasbeenbuiltupinthem,that,holdingtowhatisperfect,theydonotseekforwhatisonlyinpartperfect——ofcourse,Imean,sofarasispossibleinthislife;
for,incomparisonwiththefuturelife,thelifeofnojustandholymanisperfecthere。Thereforetheapostlesays:\"Nowabidethfaith,hope,charity,thesethree;butthegreatestoftheseischarity:\"(2)
because,whenamanshallhavereachedtheeternalworld,whiletheothertwograceswillfail,lovewillremaingreaterandmoreassured。
CHAP。40。——WHATMANNEROFREADERSCRIPTUREDEMANDS。
44。And,therefore,ifamanfullyunderstandsthat\"theendofthecommandmentischarity,outofapureheart,andofagoodconscience,andoffaithunfeigned,\"(3)andisbentuponmakingallhisunderstandingofScripturetobearuponthesethreegraces,hemaycometotheinterpretationofthesebookswithaneasymind。Forwhiletheapostlesays\"love,\"headds\"outofapureheart,\"toprovideagainstanythingbeinglovedbutthatwhichisworthyoflove。Andhejoinswiththis\"agoodconscience,\"inreferencetohope;for,ifamanhastheburthenofabadconscience,hedespairsofeverreachingthatwhichhebelievesinandloves。Andinthethirdplacehesays:\"andoffaithunfeigned。\"Forifourfaithisfreefromallhypocrisy,thenwebothabstainfromlovingwhatisunworthyofourlove,andbylivinguprightlyweareabletoindulgethehopethatourhopeshallnotbeinvain。
ForthesereasonsIhavebeenanxioustospeakabouttheobjectsoffaith,asfarasIthoughtitnecessaryformypresentpurpose;formuchhasalreadybeensaidonthissubjectinothervolumes,eitherbyothersorbymyself。Andsoletthisbetheendofthepresentbook。InthenextIshalldiscuss,asfarasGodshallgivemelight,thesubjectofsigns。
BOOKII。
ARGUMENT。
HAVINGCOMPLETEDHISEXPOSITIONOFTHINGS,THEAUTHORNOWPROCEEDS
TODISCUSSTHESUBJECTOFSIGNS。HEFIRSTDEFINESWHATASIGNIS,ANDSHOWS
THATTHEREARETWOCLASSESOFSIGNS,THENATURALANDTHECONVENTIONAL。
OFCONVENTIONALSIGNS(WHICHARETHEONLYCLASSHERENOTICED),WORDSARE
THEMOSTNUMEROUSANDIMPORTANT,ANDARETHOSEWITHWHICHTHEINTERPRETER
OFSCRIPTUREISCHIEFLYCONCERNED。THEDIFFICULTIESANDOBSCURITIESOF
SCRIPTURESPRINGCHIEFLYFROMTWOSOURCES,UNKNOWNANDAMBIGUOUSSIGNS。
THEPRESENTBOOKDEALSONLYWITHUNKNOWNSIGNS,THEAMBIGUITIESOFLANGUAGE
BEINGRESERVEDFORTREATMENTINTHENEXTBOOK。THEDIFFICULTYARISINGFROM
IGNORANCEOFSIGNSISTOBEREMOVEDBYLEARNINGTHEGREEKANDHEBREWLANGUAGES,INWHICHSCRIPTUREISWRITTEN,BYCOMPARINGTHEVARIOUSTRANSLATIONS,AND
BYATTENDINGTOTHECONTEXT。INTHEINTERPRETATIONOFFIGURATIVEEXPRESSIONS,KNOWLEDGEOFTHINGSISASNECESSARYASKNOWLEDGEOFWORDS;ANDTHEVARIOUS
SCIENCESANDARTSOFTHEHEATHEN,SOFARASTHEYARETRUEANDUSEFUL,MAY
BETURNEDTOACCOUNTINREMOVINGOURIGNORANCEOFSIGNS,WHETHERTHESE
BEDIRECTORFIGURATIVE。WHILSTEXPOSINGTHEFOLLYANDFUTILITYOFMANY
HEATHENSUPERSTITIONSANDPRACTICES,THEAUTHORPOINTSOUTHOWALLTHAT
ISSOUNDANDUSEFULINTHEIRSCIENCEANDPHILOSOPHYMAYBETURNEDTOA
CHRISTIANUSE。ANDINCONCLUSION,HESHOWSTHESPIRITINWHICHITBEHOVES
USTOADDRESSOURSELVESTOTHESTUDYANDINTERPRETATIONOFTHESACREDBOOKS。
CHAP。1。——SIGNS,THEIRNATUREANDVARIETY。
AswhenIwaswritingaboutthings,Iintroducedthesubjectwithawarningagainstattendingtoanythingbutwhattheyareinthemselves,(1)
eventhoughtheyaresignsofsomethingelse,sonow,whenIcomeinitsturntodiscussthesubjectofsigns,Ilaydownthisdirection,nottoattendtowhattheyareinthemselves,buttothefactthattheyaresigns,thatis,towhattheysignify。Forasignisathingwhich,overandabovetheimpressionitmakesonthesenses,causessomethingelsetocomeintothemindasaconsequenceofitself:aswhenweseeafootprint,weconcludethatananimalwhosefootprintthisishaspassedby;andwhenweseesmoke,weknowthatthereisfirebeneath;andwhenwehearthevoiceofalivingman,wethinkofthefeelinginhismind;andwhenthetrumpetsounds,soldiersknowthattheyaretoadvanceorretreat,ordowhateverelsethestateofthebattlerequires。
Nowsomesignsarenatural,othersconventional。Naturalsignsarethosewhich,apartfromanyintentionordesireofusingthemassigns,doyetleadtotheknowledgeofsomethingelse,as,forexample,smokewhenitindicatesfire。Foritisnotfromanyintentionofmakingitasignthatitisso,butthroughattentiontoexperiencewecometoknowthatfireisbeneath,evenwhennothingbutsmokecanbeseen。Andthefootprintofananimalpassingbybelongstothisclassofsigns。Andthecountenanceofanangryorsorrowfulmanindicatesthefeelinginhismind,independentlyofhiswill:andinthesamewayeveryotheremotionofthemindisbetrayedbythetell-talecountenance,eventhoughwedonothingwiththeintentionofmakingitknown。Thisclassofsigns,however,itisnopartofmydesigntodiscussatpresent。Butasitcomesunderthisdivisionofthesubject,Icouldnotaltogetherpassitover。Itwillbeenoughtohavenoticeditthusfar。
CHAP。2。——OFTHEKINDOFSIGNSWEARENOW
CONCERNEDWITH。
3。Conventionalsigns,ontheotherhand,arethosewhichlivingbeingsmutuallyexchangeforthepurposeofshowing,aswellastheycan,thefeelingsoftheirminds,ortheirperceptions,ortheirthoughts。Noristhereanyreasonforgivingasignexceptthedesireofdrawingforthandconveyingintoanother’smindwhatthegiverofthesignhasinhisownmind。Wewish,then,toconsideranddiscussthisclassofsignssofarasmenareconcernedwithit,becauseeventhesignswhichhavebeengivenusofGod,andwhicharecontainedintheHolyScriptures,weremadeknowntousthroughmen——those,namely,whowrotetheScriptures。Thebeasts,too,havecertainsignsamongthemselvesbywhichtheymakeknownthedesiresintheirmind。Forwhenthepoultry-cockhasdiscoveredfood,hesignalswithhisvoiceforthehentoruntohim,andthedovebycooingcallshismate,oriscalledbyherinturn;andmanysignsofthesamekindaremattersofcommonobservation。Nowwhetherthesesigns,liketheexpressionorthecryofamaningrief,followthemovementofthemindinstinctivelyandapartfromanypurpose,orwhethertheyarereallyusedwiththepurposeofsignification,isanotherquestion,anddoesnotpertaintothematterinhand。AndthispartofthesubjectIexcludefromthescopeofthisworkasnotnecessarytomypresentobject。
CHAP。3。——AMONGSIGNS,WORDSHOLDTHECHIEF
PLACE。
4。Ofthesigns,then,bywhichmencommunicatetheirthoughtstooneanother,somerelatetothesenseofsight,sometothatofhearing,averyfewtotheothersenses。For,whenwenod,wegivenosignexcepttotheeyesofthemantowhomwewishbythissigntoimpartourdesire。
Andsomeconveyagreatdealbythemotionofthehands:andactorsbymovementsofalltheirlimbsgivecertainsignstotheinitiated,and,sotospeak,addresstheirconversationtotheeyes:andthemilitarystandardsandflagsconveythroughtheeyesthewillofthecommanders。Andallthesesignsareasitwereakindofvisiblewords。Thesignsthataddressthemselvestotheearare,asIhavesaid,morenumerous,andforthemostpartconsistofwords。Forthoughthebugleandthefluteandthelyrefrequentlygivenotonlyasweetbutasignificantsound,yetallthesesignsareveryfewinnumbercomparedwithwords。Foramongmenwordshaveobtainedfarandawaythechiefplaceasameansofindicatingthethoughtsofthemind。
OurLord,itistrue,gaveasignthroughtheodoroftheointmentwhichwaspouredoutuponHisfeet;(1)andinthesacramentofHisbodyandbloodHesignifiedHiswillthroughthesenseoftaste;andwhenbytouchingthehemofHisgarmentthewomanwasmadewhole,theactwasnotwantinginsignificance。(2)Butthecountlessmultitudeofthesignsthroughwhichmenexpresstheirthoughtsconsistofwords。ForIhavebeenabletoputintowordsallthosesigns,thevariousclassesofwhichIhavebrieflytouchedupon,butIcouldbynoeffortexpresswordsintermsofthosesigns。
CHAP。4。——ORIGINOFWRITING。
5。Butbecausewordspassawayassoonastheystrikeupontheair,andlastnolongerthantheirsound,menhavebymeansoflettersformedsignsofwords。Thusthesoundsofthevoicearemadevisibletotheeye,notofcourseassounds,butbymeansofcertainsigns。Ithasbeenfoundimpossible,however,tomakethosesignscommontoallnationsowingtothesinofdiscordamongmen,whichspringsfromeverymantryingtosnatchthechiefplaceforhimself。Andthatcelebratedtowerwhichwasbuilttoreachtoheavenwasanindicationofthisarroganceofspirit;andtheungodlymenconcernedinitjustlyearnedthepunishmentofhavingnottheirmindsonly,buttheirtonguesbesides,thrownintoconfusionanddiscordance。(3)
CHAP。5。——SCRIPTURETRANSLATEDINTOVARIOUSLANGUAGES。
6。AndhenceithappenedthatevenHolyScripture,whichbringsaremedyfortheterriblediseasesofthehumanwill,beingatfirstsetforthinonelanguage,bymeansofwhichitcouldatthefitseasonbedisseminatedthroughthewholeworld,wasinterpretedintovarioustongues,andspreadfarandwide,andthusbecameknowntothenationsfortheirsalvation。Andinreadingit,menseeknothingmorethantofindoutthethoughtandwillofthosebywhomitwaswritten,andthroughthesetofindoutthewillofGod,inaccordancewithwhichtheybelievethesementohavespoken。
CHAP。6。——USEOFTHEOBSCURITIESINSCRIPTUREWHICHARISEFROMITSFIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE。
7。Buthastyandcarelessreadersareledastraybymanyandmanifoldobscuritiesandambiguities,substitutingonemeaningforanother;andinsomeplacestheycannothituponevenafairinterpretation。
Someoftheexpressionsaresoobscureastoshroudthemeaninginthethickestdarkness。AndIdonotdoubtthatallthiswasdivinelyarrangedforthepurposeofsubduingpridebytoil,andofpreventingafeelingofsatietyintheintellect,whichgenerallyholdsinsmallesteemwhatisdiscoveredwithoutdifficulty。Forwhyisit,Iask,thatifanyonesaysthatthereareholyandjustmenwhoselifeandconversationtheChurchofChristusesasameansofredeemingthosewhocometoitfromallkindsofsuperstitions,andmakingthemthroughtheirimitationofgoodmenmembersofitsownbody;menwho,asgoodandtrueservantsofGod,havecometothebaptismalfontlayingdowntheburdensoftheworld,andwhorisingthencedo,throughtheimplantingoftheHolySpirit,yieldthefruitofatwo-foldlove,alove,thatis,ofGodandtheirneighbor;——howisit,Isay,thatifamansaysthis,hedoesnotpleasehishearersomuchaswhenhedrawsthesamemeaningfromthatpassageinCanticles,whereitissaidoftheChurch,whenitisbeingpraisedunderthefigureofabeautifulwoman,\"Thyteetharelikeaflockofsheepthatareshornwhichcameupfromthewashing,whereofeveryonebearstwins,andnoneisbarrenamongthem?\"(1)
Doesthehearerlearnanythingmorethanwhenhelistenstothesamethoughtexpressedintheplainestlanguage,withoutthehelpofthisfigure?Andyet,Idon’tknowwhy,I
feelgreaterpleasureincontemplatingholymen,whenIviewthemastheteethoftheChurch,tearingmenawayfromtheirerrors,andbringingthemintotheChurch’sbody,withalltheirharshnesssofteneddown,justasiftheyhadbeentornoffandmasticatedbytheteeth。Itiswiththegreatestpleasure,too,thatIrecognizethemunderthefigureofsheepthathavebeenshorn,layingdowntheburthensoftheworldlikefleeces,andcomingupfromthewashing,i。e。,frombaptism,andallbearingtwins,i。e。,thetwincommandmentsoflove,andnoneamongthembarreninthatholyfruit。
8。ButwhyIviewthemwithgreaterdelightunderthataspectthanifnosuchfigureweredrawnfromthesacredbooks,thoughthefactwouldremainthesameandtheknowledgethesame,isanotherquestion,andoneverydifficulttoanswer。Nobody,however,hasanydoubtaboutthefacts,boththatitispleasanterinsomecasestohaveknowledgecommunicatedthroughfigures,andthatwhatisattendedwithdifficultyintheseekinggivesgreaterpleasureinthefinding。——Forthosewhoseekbutdonotfindsufferfromhunger。Those,again,whodonotseekatallbecausetheyhavewhattheyrequirejustbesidethemoftengrowlanguidfromsatiety。Nowweaknessfromeitherofthesecausesistobeavoided。AccordinglytheHolySpirithas,withadmirablewisdomandcareforourwelfare,soarrangedtheHolyScripturesasbytheplainerpassagestosatisfyourhunger,andbythemoreobscuretostimulateourappetite。Foralmostnothingisdugoutofthoseobscurepassageswhichmaynotbefoundsetforthintheplainestlanguageelsewhere。
CHAP。7。——STEPSTOWISDOM:FIRST,FEAR;SECOND,PIETY;THIRD,KNOWLEDGE;
FOURTH,RESOLUTION;FIFTH,COUNSEL;SIXTH,PURIFICATIONOFHEART;SEVENTH,STOPOR
TERMINATION,WISDOM。
9。Firstofall,then,itisnecessarythatweshouldbeledbythefearofGodtoseektheknowledgeofHiswill,whatHecommandsustodesireandwhattoavoid。Nowthisfearwillofnecessityexciteinusthethoughtofourmortalityandofthedeaththatisbeforeus,andcrucifyallthemotionsofprideasifourfleshwerenailedtothetree。Nextitisnecessarytohaveourheartssubduedbypiety,andnottoruninthefaceofHolyScripture,whetherwhenunderstooditstrikesatsomeofoursins,or,whennotunderstood,wefeelasifwecouldbewiserandgivebettercommandsourselves。Wemustratherthinkandbelievethatwhateveristherewritten,eventhoughitbehidden,isbetterandtruerthananythingwecoulddevisebyourownwisdom。
10。Afterthesetwostepsoffearandpiety,wecometothethirdstep,knowledge,ofwhichIhavenowundertakentotreat。
ForinthiseveryearneststudentoftheHolyScripturesexerciseshimself,tofindnothingelseinthembutthatGodistobelovedforHisownsake,andourneighborforGod’ssake;andthatGodistobelovedwithalltheheart,andwithallthesoul,andwithallthemind,andone’sneighborasone’sself——thatis,insuchawaythatallourloveforourneighbor,likeallourloveforourselves,shouldhavereferencetoGod。(1)AndonthesetwocommandmentsItouchedinthepreviousbookwhenIwastreatingaboutthings。(2)Itisnecessary,then,thateachmanshouldfirstofallfindintheScripturesthathe,throughbeingentangledintheloveofthisworld——i。e。,oftemporalthings——hasbeendrawnfarawayfromsuchaloveforGodandsuchaloveforhisneighborasScriptureenjoins。ThenthatfearwhichleadshimtothinkofthejudgmentofGod,andthatpietywhichgiveshimnooptionbuttobelieveinandsubmittotheauthorityofScripture,compelhimtobewailhiscondition。Fortheknowledgeofagoodhopemakesamannotboastful,butsorrowful。AndinthisframeofmindheimploreswithunremittingprayersthecomfortoftheDivinehelpthathemaynotbeoverwhelmedindespair,andsohegraduallycomestothefourthstep,——thatis,strengthandresolution,(3)——inwhichhehungersandthirstsafterrighteousness。Forinthisframeofmindheextricateshimselffromeveryformoffataljoyintransitorythings,andturningawayfromthese,fixeshisaffectiononthingseternal,towit,theunchangeableTrinityinunity。
11。Andwhen,totheextentofhispower,hehasgazeduponthisobjectshiningfromafar,andhasfeltthatowingtotheweaknessofhissighthecannotendurethatmatchlesslight,theninthefifthstep——thatis,inthecounselofcompassion(4)——hecleanseshissoul,whichisviolentlyagitated,anddisturbshimwithbasedesires,fromthefilthithascontracted。Andatthisstageheexerciseshimselfdiligentlyintheloveofhisneighbor;
andwhenhehasreachedthepointoflovinghisenemy,fullofhopesandunbrokeninstrength,hemountstothesixthstep,inwhichhepurifiestheeyeitselfwhichcanseeGod,(5)sofarasGodcanbeseenbythosewhoasfaraspossibledietothisworld。
FormenseeHimjustsofarastheydietothisworld;andsofarastheylivetoittheyseeHimnot。Butyet,althoughthatlightmaybegintoappearclearer,andnotonlymoretolerable,butevenmoredelightful,stillitisonlythroughaglassdarklythatwearesaidtosee,becausewewalkbyfaith,notbysight,whilewecontinuetowanderasstrangersinthisworld,eventhoughourconversationbeinheaven。(6)Andatthisstage,too,amansopurgestheeyeofhisaffectionsasnottoplacehisneighborbefore,orevenincomparisonwith,thetruth,andthereforenothimself,becausenothimwhomhelovesashimself。Accordingly,thatholymanwillbesosingleandsopureinheart,thathewillnotstepasidefromthetruth,eitherforthesakeofpleasingmenorwithaviewtoavoidanyoftheannoyanceswhichbesetthislife。Suchasonascendstowisdom,whichistheseventhandlaststep,andwhichheenjoysinpeaceandtranquillity。
ForthefearofGodisthebeginningofwisdom。(7)Fromthatbeginning,then,tillwereachwisdomitself,ourwayisbythestepsnowdescribed。
CHAP。8。——THECANONICALBOOKS。
12。Butletusnowgobacktoconsiderthethirdstepherementioned,foritisaboutitthatIhavesetmyselftospeakandreasonastheLordshallgrantmewisdom。Themostskillfulinterpreterofthesacredwritings,then,willbehewhointhefirstplacehasreadthemallandretainedtheminhisknowledge,ifnotyetwithfullunderstanding,stillwithsuchknowledgeasreadinggives,——thoseofthem,atleast,thatarccalledcanonical。
Forhewillreadtheotherswithgreatersafetywhenbuiltupinthebeliefofthetruth,sothattheywillnottakefirstpossessionofaweakmind,nor,cheatingitwithdangerousfalsehoodsanddelusions,fillitwithprejudicesadversetoasoundunderstanding。
Now,inregardtothecanonicalScriptures,hemustfollowthejudgmentofthegreaternumberofcatholicchurches;andamongthese,ofcourse,ahighplacemustbegiventosuchashavebeenthoughtworthytobetheseatofanapostleandtoreceiveepistles。Accordingly,amongthecanonicalScriptureshewilljudgeaccordingtothefollowingstandard:topreferthosethatarereceivedbyallthecatholicchurchestothosewhichsomedonotreceive。Amongthose,again,whicharenotreceivedbyall,hewillprefersuchashavethesanctionofthegreaternumberandthoseofgreaterauthority,tosuchasareheldbythesmallernumberandthoseoflessauthority。If,however,heshallfindthatsomebooksareheldbythegreaternumberofchurches,andothersbythechurchesofgreaterauthority(thoughthisisnotaverylikelythingtohappen),Ithinkthatinsuchacasetheauthorityonthetwosidesistobelookeduponasequal。
13。NowthewholecanonofScriptureonwhichwesaythisjudgmentistobeexercised,iscontainedinthefollowingbooks:——FivebooksofMoses,thatis,Genesis,Exodus,Leviticus,Numbers,Deuteronomy;onebookofJoshuathesonofNun;oneofJudges;oneshortbookcalledRuth,whichseemsrathertobelongtothebeginningofKings;nextfourbooksofKings,andtwoofChronicles——theselastnotfollowingoneanother,butrunningparallel,sotospeak,andgoingoverthesameground。Thebooksnowmentionedarehistory,whichcontainsaconnectednarrativeofthetimes,andfollowstheorderoftheevents。Thereareotherbookswhichseemtofollownoregularorder,andareconnectedneitherwiththeorderoftheprecedingbooksnorwithoneanother,suchasJob,andTobias,andEsther,andJudith,andthetwobooksofMaccabees,andthetwoofEzra,(1)whichlastlookmorelikeasequeltothecontinuousregularhistorywhichterminateswiththebooksofKingsandChronicles。NextaretheProphets,inwhichthereisonebookofthePsalmsofDavid;andthreebooksofSolomon,viz。,Proverbs,SongofSongs,andEcclesiastes。Fortwobooks,onecalledWisdomandtheotherEcclesiasticus,areascribedtoSolomonfromacertainresemblanceofstyle,butthemostlikelyopinionisthattheywerewrittenbyJesusthesonofSirach。(2)Stilltheyaretobereckonedamongthepropheticalbooks,sincetheyhaveattainedrecognitionasbeingauthoritative。TheremainderarethebookswhicharestrictlycalledtheProphets:twelveseparatebooksoftheprophetswhichareconnectedwithoneanother,andhavingneverbeendisjoined,arereckonedasonebook;thenamesoftheseprophetsareasfollows:——Hosea,Joel,Amos,Obadiah,Jonah,Micah,Nahum,HabakkukZephaniah,Haggai,Zechariah,Malachi;thentherearethefourgreaterprophets,Isaiah,Jeremiah,Daniel,Ezekiel。
TheauthorityoftheOldTestament(3)iscontainedwithinthelimitsoftheseforty-fourbooks。ThatoftheNewTestament,again,iscontainedwithinthefollowing:——FourbooksoftheGospel,accordingtoMatthew,accordingtoMark,accordingtoLuke,accordingtoJohn;fourteenepistlesoftheApostlePaul——onetotheRomans,twototheCorinthians,onetotheGalatians,totheEphesians,tothePhilippians,twototheThessalonians,onetotheColossians,twotoTimothy,onetoTitus,toPhilemon,totheHebrews:twoofPeter;threeofJohn;
oneofJude;andoneofJames;onebookoftheActsoftheApostles;
andoneoftheRevelationofJohn。
CHAP。9。——HOWWESHOULDPROCEEDINSTUDYINGSCRIPTURE。
14。InallthesebooksthosewhofearGodandareofameekandpiousdispositionseekthewillofGod。Andinpursuingthissearchthefirstruletobeobservedis,asIsaid,toknowthesebooks,ifnotyetwiththeunderstanding,stilltoreadthemsoastocommitthemtomemory,oratleastsoasnottoremainwhollyignorantofthem。Next,thosemattersthatareplainlylaiddowninthem,whetherrulesoflifeorrulesoffaith,aretobesearchedintomorecarefullyandmorediligently;andthemoreoftheseamandiscovers,themorecapaciousdoeshisunderstandingbecome。
ForamongthethingsthatareplainlylaiddowninScripturearetobefoundallmattersthatconcernfaithandthemanneroflife,——towit,hopeandlove,ofwhichIhavespokeninthepreviousbook。Afterthis,whenwehavemadeourselvestoacertainextentfamiliarwiththelanguageofScripture,wemayproceedtoopenupandinvestigatetheobscurepassages,andindoingsodrawexamplesfromtheplainerexpressionstothrowlightuponthemoreobscure,andusetheevidenceofpassagesaboutwhichthereisnodoubttoremoveallhesitationinregardtothedoubtfulpassages。Andinthismattermemorycountsforagreatdeal;butifthememorybedefective,norulescansupplythewant。
CHAP。10。——UNKNOWNORAMBIGUOUSSIGNSPREVENTSCRIPTUREfROMBEINGUNDERSTOOD。
15。Nowtherearetwocauseswhichpreventwhatiswrittenfrombeingunderstood:itsbeingvailedeitherunderunknown,orunderambiguoussigns。Signsareeitherproperorfigurative。Theyarecalledproperwhentheyareusedtopointouttheobjectstheyweredesignedtopointout,aswesayboswhenwemeananox,becauseallmenwhowithususetheLatintonguecallitbythisname。Signsarefigurativewhenthethingsthemselveswhichweindicatebythepropernamesareusedtosignifysomethingelse,aswesaybos,andunderstandbythatsyllabletheox,whichisordinarilycalledbythatname;butthenfurtherbythatoxunderstandapreacherofthegospel,asScripturesignifies,accordingtotheapostle’sexplanation,whenitsays:\"Thoushaltnotmuzzletheoxthattreadethoutthecorn。\"(4)
CHAP。11。——KNOWLEDGEOFLANGUAGES,ESPECIALLYOFGREEKANDHEBREW,NECESSARY
TO
REMOVEIGNORANCEorSIGNS。
16。Thegreatremedyforignoranceofpropersignsisknowledgeoflanguages。
AndmenwhospeaktheLatintongue,ofwhomarethoseIhaveundertakentoinstruct,needtwootherlanguagesfortheknowledgeofScripture,HebrewandGreek,thattheymayhaverecoursetotheoriginaltextsiftheendlessdiversityoftheLatintranslatorsthrowthemintodoubt。Although,indeed,weoftenfindHebrewwordsuntranslatedinthebooksasforexample,Amen,Halleluia,Racha,Hosanna,andothersofthesamekind。Someofthese,althoughtheycouldhavebeentranslated,havebeenpreservedintheiroriginalformonaccountofthemoresacredauthoritythatattachestoit,asforexample,AmenandHalleluia。Someofthem,again,aresaidtobeuntranslatableintoanothertongue,ofwhichtheothertwoIhavementionedareexamples。Forinsomelanguagestherearewordsthatcannotbetranslatedintotheidiomofanotherlanguage。
Andthishappenschieflyinthecaseofinterjections,whicharewordsthatexpressratheranemotionofthemindthananypartofathoughtwehaveinourmind。Andthetwogivenabovearesaidtobeofthiskind,Rachaexpressingthecryofanangryman,Hosannathatofajoyfulman。Buttheknowledgeoftheselanguagesisnecessary,notforthesakeofafewwordslikethesewhichitisveryeasytomarkandtoaskabout,but,ashasbeensaid,onaccountofthediversitiesamongtranslators。ForthetranslationsoftheScripturesfromHebrewintoGreekcanbecounted,buttheLatintranslatorsareoutofallnumber。ForintheearlydaysofthefaitheverymanwhohappenedtogethishandsuponaGreekmanuscript,andwhothoughthehadanyknowledge,wereiteversolittle,ofthetwolanguages,venturedupontheworkoftranslation。
CHAP。12。——ADIVERSITYOFINTERPRETATIONSISUSEFUL。ERRORSARISING
FROMAMBIGUOUS
WORDS。
17。AndthiscircumstancewouldassistratherthanhindertheunderstandingofScripture,ifonlyreaderswerenotcareless。Fortheexaminationofanumberoftextshasoftenthrownlightuponsomeofthemoreobscurepassages;forexample,inthatpassageoftheprophetIsaiah,(1)onetranslatorreads:\"Anddonotdespisethedomesticsofthyseed;\"(2)anotherreads:\"Anddonotdespisethineownflesh。\"(3)Eachoftheseinturnconfirmstheother。Fortheoneisexplainedbytheother;because\"flesh\"maybetakeninitsliteralsense,sothatamanmayunderstandthatheisadmonishednottodespisehisownbody;and\"thedomesticsofthyseed\"maybeunderstoodfigurativelyofChristians,becausetheyarespirituallybornofthesameseedasourselves,namely,theWord。Whennowthemeaningofthetwotranslatorsiscompared,amorelikelysenseofthewordssuggestsitself,viz。,thatthecommandisnottodespiseourkinsmen,becausewhenonebringstheexpression\"domesticsofthyseed\"intorelationwith\"flesh,\"kinsmenmostnaturallyoccurtoone’smind。Whence,Ithink,thatexpressionoftheapostle,whenhesays,\"IfbyanymeansImayprovoketoemulationthemwhicharemyflesh,andmightsavesomeofthem;\"(4)thatis,thatthroughemulationofthosewhohadbelieved,someofthemmightbelievetoo。AndhecallstheJewshis\"flesh,\"onaccountoftherelationshipofblood。Again,thatpassagefromthesameprophetIsaiah:(5)\"Ifyewillnotbelieve,yeshallnotunderstand,\"(6)anotherhastranslated:\"Ifyewillnotbelieve,yeshallnotabide。\"(7)Nowwhichoftheseistheliteraltranslationcannotbeascertainedwithoutreferencetothetextintheoriginaltongue。Andyettothosewhoreadwithknowledge,agreattruthistobefoundineach。Foritisdifficultforinterpreterstodiffersowidelyasnottotouchatsomepoint。Accordinglyhere,asunderstandingconsistsinsight,andisabiding,butfaithfeedsusasbabes,uponmilk,inthecradlesoftemporalthings(fornowwewalkbyfaith,notbysight);(8)as,moreover,unlesswewalkbyfaith,weshallnotattaintosight,whichdoesnotpassaway,butabides,ourunderstandingbeingpurifiedbyholdingtothetruth;——forthesereasonsonesays,\"Ifyewillnotbelieve,yeshallnotunderstand;\"buttheother,\"Ifyewillnotbelieve,yeshallnotabide。\"
18。Andveryoftenatranslator,towhomthemeaningisnotwellknown,isdeceivedbyanambiguityintheoriginallanguage,andputsuponthepassageaconstructionthatiswhollyalientothesenseofthewriter。Asforexample,sometextsread:\"Theirfeetaresharptoshedblood;\"(9)forthewordozus
amongtheGreeksmeansbothsharpandswift。Andsohesawthetruemeaningwhotranslated:\"Theirfeetareswifttoshedblood。\"Theother,takingthewrongsenseofanambiguousword,fellintoerror。Nowtranslationssuchasthisarenotobscure,butfalse;andthereisawidedifferencebetweenthetwothings。Forwemustlearnnottointerpret,buttocorrecttextsofthissort。Forthesamereasonitis,thatbecausetheGreekwordhoskosmeansacalf,somehavenotunderstoodthatmoskeumata(1)areshootsoftrees,andhavetranslatedtheword\"calves;\"andthiserrorhascreptintosomanytexts,thatyoucanhardlyfinditwritteninanyotherway。Andyetthemeaningisveryclear;foritismadeevidentbythewordsthatfollow。For\"theplantingsofanadultererwillnottakedeeproot,\"(2)isamoresuitableformofexpressionthanthe\"calves;\"(3)becausethesewalkuponthegroundwiththeirfeet,andarenotfixedintheearthbyroots。
Inthispassage,indeed,therestofthecontextalsojustifiesthistranslation。
CHAP。13。——HOWFAULTYINTERPRETATIONSCAN
BEEMENDED。
19。Butsincewedonotclearlyseewhattheactualthoughtiswhichtheseveraltranslatorsendeavortoexpress,eachaccordingtohisownabilityandjudgment,unlessweexamineitinthelanguagewhichtheytranslate;andsincethetranslator,ifhebenotaverylearnedman,oftendepartsfromthemeaningofhisauthor,wemusteitherendeavortogetaknowledgeofthoselanguagesfromwhichtheScripturesaretranslatedintoLatin,orwemustgetholdofthetranslationsofthosewhokeepratherclosetotheletteroftheoriginal,notbecausethesearesufficient,butbecausewemayusethemtocorrectthefreedomortheerrorofothers,whointheirtranslationshavechosentofollowthesensequiteasmuchasthewords。Fornotonlysinglewords,butoftenwholephrasesaretranslated,whichcouldnotbetranslatedatallintotheLatinidiombyanyonewhowishedtoholdbytheusageoftheancientswhospokeLatin。Andthoughthesesometimesdonotinterferewiththeunderstandingofthepassage,yettheyareoffensivetothosewhofeelgreaterdelightinthingswheneventhesignsofthosethingsarekeptintheirownpurity。Forwhatiscalledasolecismisnothingelsethantheputtingofwordstogetheraccordingtoadifferentrulefromthatwhichthoseofourpredecessorswhospokewithanyauthorityfollowed。Forwhetherwesayinterhomines(amongmenorinterhominibus,isofnoconsequencetoamanwhoonlywishestoknowthefacts。Andinthesameway,whatisabarbarismbutthepronouncingofawordinadifferentwayfromthatinwhichthosewhospokeLatinbeforeuspronouncedit?
Forwhetherthewordignoscere(topardon)shouldbepronouncedwiththethirdsyllablelongorshort,isnotamatterofmuchconcerntothemanwhoisbeseechingGod,inanywayatallthathecangetthewordsout,topardonhissins。Whatthenispurityofspeech,exceptthepreservingofthecustomoflanguageestablishedbytheauthorityofformerspeakers?
20。Andmenareeasilyoffendedinamatterofthiskind,justinproportionastheyareweak;andtheyareweakjustinproportionastheywishtoseemlearned,notintheknowledgeofthingswhichtendtoedification,butinthatofsigns,bywhichitishardnottobepuffedup,(4)seeingthattheknowledgeofthingsevenwouldoftensetupourneck,ifitwerenothelddownbytheyokeofourMaster。Forhowdoesitpreventourunderstandingittohavethefollowingpassagethusexpressed:\"Qaeestterrainquaistiinsiduntsupeream,sibonaestannequam;elquaesuntcivitates,inquibusipsiinhabitantinipsis?\"(5)AndI
ammoredisposedtothinkthatthisissimplytheidiomofanotherlanguagethanthatanydeepermeaningisintended。Again,thatphrase,whichwecannotnowtakeawayfromthelipsofthepeoplewhosingit:\"Superipsumautemflorietsanctificatiomea,\"(6)surelytakesawaynothingfromthemeaning。Yetamorelearnedmanwouldpreferthatthisshouldbecorrected,andthatweshouldsay,notfloriet,butflorebit。Nordoesanythingstandinthewayofthecorrectionbeingmade,excepttheusageofthesingers。Mistakesofthiskind,then,ifamandonotchoosetoavoidthemaltogether,itiseasytotreatwithindifference,asnotinterferingwitharightunderstanding。Buttake,ontheotherhand,thesayingoftheapostle:\"QuodstultumestDei,sapientiusesthominibus,etquodinfirmumestDei,fortiusesthominibus。\"(7)
IfanyoneshouldretaininthispassagetheGreekidiom,andsay,\"QuodstultumestDei,sapientiusesthominumetquodinfirmumestDeifortiusesthominum,\"(8)aquickandcarefulreaderwouldindeedbyaneffortattaintothetruemeaning,butstillamanofslowerintelligenceeitherwouldnotunderstanditatall,orwouldputanutterlyfalseconstructionuponit。FornotonlyissuchaformofspeechfaultyintheLatintongue,butitisambiguoustoo,asifthemeaningmightbe,thatthefollyofmenortheweaknessofmeniswiserorstrongerthanthatofGod。Butindeedeventheexpressionsapientiusesthominibus(strongerthanmen)isnotfreefromambiguity,eventhoughitbefreefromsolecism。Forwhetherhominibusisputasthepluralofthedativeorasthepluraloftheablative,doesnotappear,unlessbyreferencetothemeaning。Itwouldbebetterthentosay,sapientiusestguamhomines,andfortiusestquamhomines。