A Theologico-Political Treatise part 3 | Page 6

now quote.
(41) As we have seen that the Apostles wrote their Epistles solely by
the light of natural reason, we must inquire how they were enabled to

teach by natural knowledge matters outside its scope. (42) However, if
we bear in mind what we said in Chap. VII. of this treatise our
difficulty will vanish: for although the contents of the Bible entirely
surpass our understanding, we may safely discourse of them, provided
we assume nothing not told us in Scripture: by the same method the
Apostles, from what they saw and heard, and from what was revealed
to them, were enabled to form and elicit many conclusions which they
would have been able to teach to men had it been permissible.
(43) Further, although religion, as preached by the Apostles, does not
come within the sphere of reason, in so far as it consists in the narration
of the life of Christ, yet its essence, which is chiefly moral, like the
whole of Christ's doctrine, can readily, be apprehended by the natural
faculties of all.
(44) Lastly, the Apostles had no lack of supernatural illumination for
the purpose of adapting the religion they had attested by signs to the
understanding of everyone so that it might be readily received; nor for
exhortations on the subject: in fact, the object of the Epistles is to teach
and exhort men to lead that manner of life which each of the Apostles
judged best for confirming them in religion. (45) We may here repeat
our former remark, that the Apostles had received not only the faculty
of preaching the history, of Christ as prophets, and confirming it with
signs, but also authority for teaching and exhorting according as each
thought best. (46) Paul (2 Tim. i:11), "Whereunto I am appointed a
preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles;" and again (I
Tim. ii:7), "Whereunto I am ordained a preacher and an apostle (I speak
the truth in Christ and lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and
verity." (47) These passages, I say, show clearly the stamp both of the
apostleship and the teachership: the authority for admonishing
whomsoever and wheresoever he pleased is asserted by Paul in the
Epistle to Philemon, v:8: "Wherefore, though I might be much bold in
Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet," &c., where we may
remark that if Paul had received from God as a prophet what he wished
to enjoin Philemon, and had been bound to speak in his prophetic
capacity, he would not have been able to change the command of God
into entreaties. (48) We must therefore understand him to refer to the
permission to admonish which he had received as a teacher, and not as
a prophet. (49) We have not yet made it quite clear that the Apostles

might each choose his own way of teaching, but only that by virtue of
their Apostleship they were teachers as well as prophets; however, if
we call reason to our aid we shall clearly see that an authority to teach
implies authority to choose the method. (50) It will nevertheless be,
perhaps, more satisfactory to draw all our proofs from Scripture; we are
there plainly told that each Apostle chose his particular method (Rom.
xv: 20): "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ
was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation." (51) If
all the Apostles had adopted the same method of teaching, and had all
built up the Christian religion on the same foundation, Paul would have
had no reason to call the work of a fellow-Apostle "another man's
foundation," inasmuch as it would have been identical with his own: his
calling it another man's proved that each Apostle built up his religious
instruction on different foundations, thus resembling other teachers
who have each their own method, and prefer instructing quite ignorant
people who have never learnt under another master, whether the subject
be science, languages, or even the indisputable truths of mathematics.
(52) Furthermore, if we go through the Epistles at all attentively, we
shall see that the Apostles, while agreeing about religion itself, are at
variance as to the foundations it rests on. (53) Paul, in order to
strengthen men's religion, and show them that salvation depends solely
on the grace of God, teaches that no one can boast of works, but only of
faith, and that no one can be justified by works (Rom. iii:27,28); in fact,
he preaches the complete doctrine of predestination. (54) James, on the
other hand, states that man is justified by works, and not by faith only
(see his Epistle, ii:24), and omitting all the disputations of Paul,
confines religion to a very few elements.
(55) Lastly, it is indisputable