The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 04 · Thomas Hobbes
TO THE SOBER AND DISCREET READER.
It made St. Chrysostom tremble whenever he reflected on the proportion, which those that went the _narrow_ way, bore to those which marched in the _broad_, how _many_ were the called, and how _few_ the chosen, how many they were that were created for and in a capacity of eternal beatitude, and how few attained it. This consideration certainly would make a man look upon the Holy Scriptures, among Christians, as the greatest indulgence of heaven, being all the directions it hath been pleased to afford poor _man_ in so difficult a journey as that of his eternal bliss or misery. But when a man cometh to look into those transcendant writings, he finds them to be the works of a sort of innocent harmless men, that had little acquaintance or familiarity with the world, and consequently not much interested in the troubles and quarrels of several countries; that though they are all but necessary, yet were they written occasionally, rather than out of design; and lastly, that their main business is, to abstract man from this world, and to persuade him to prefer the bare hope of what he can neither _see_, _hear_, nor _conceive_, before all the present enjoyments this world can afford.
This begat a reverence and esteem to them in all those who endeavour to work out their salvation out of them. But if a man, not weighing them in themselves, shall consider the practices of those, who pretend to be the interpreters of them, and to make them fit meat for the people; how that instead of renouncing the world, they endeavour to raise themselves into the greatest promotions, leisure, and luxury; that they make them the decoys of the people, to carry on designs and intrigues of state, and study the enjoyments of this world more than any other people: he will find some grounds to conclude, the practices of such men to be the greatest disturbance, burden, and vexation of the Christian part of the world. The complaint is as true as sad; instead of acquainting the credulous vulgar, with the main end of their functions, and the great business of their embassy, what a great measure of felicity is prepared for them, and how easily it may be forfeited; they involve their consciences in the briars of a thousand needless scruples, they spin out volumes out of half sentences, nay, out of points and accents, and raise endless controversies about things, (were men free from passion and prejudice), in themselves clear enough: and when they have canvassed their questions, till they are weary themselves, and have wearied hearers and readers, and all they have to do with, every one sits down under his own vine, and hugs his own apprehensions; so that after all their pains, bandings, and implacable adhesion to parties, the inconvenience remains still, and we as far from any solid conviction, as at first setting out.
The controversies betwixt _Rome_ and the _Reformation_ are long since beaten out of the pit, by other combatants of their own brood; so that if we speak of _Protestant_ and _Catholic_, they are in a manner content to sit down with their present acquests: for as to conviction, he certainly is a rare _proselyte_, at whose conversion, _interest_, _humour_, _discontent_, _inclination_, are not admitted to the debate. But to come yet nearer our purpose, let us consider our own fractions of fractions of _religion_ here in England, where if that saying, that _it is better to live where nothing is lawful, than where all things_, be as true in _religion_ as _policy_, posterity may haply feel the sad consequence of it. What, I pray, is the effect of so many _sermons_, _teachings_, _preachings_, _exercises_, and _exercising of gifts_, _meetings_, _disputations_, _conferences_, _conventicles_, _printed books_, written with so much distraction and presumption upon God Almighty, and abuse of his Holy Word? Marry this: it is the seminary of many vexatious, endless, and fruitless controversies, the consequence whereof are jealousies, heart-burnings, exasperation of parties, the introduction of factions and national quarrels into matters of religion, and consequently all the calamities of war and devastation. Besides, they are good lawful diversions for the duller sort of _citizens_, who contract diseases for want of motion; they supply the building of pyramids among the Egyptians, by diverting the thoughts of the people from matters of state, and consequently from rebellion.
They find work for _printers_, &c. if the parties interested are troubled with the itch of popularity, and will suffer themselves to be scratched out of somewhat by way of contribution to the impression. Hence is the _stationer’s_ shop furnished, and thence the _minister’s_ study in the country, who having found out the humour of his auditory, consults with his stationer, on what books his money is best bestowed; who very gravely, it may be, will commend _Cole upon the Philippians_ before the excellent, but borrowed, _Caryl upon Job_. But as to any matter of conviction, we see every one _acquiesces_ in his own sentiments, every one hears the teacher who is most to his humour; and when he hath been at church, and pretends to have sat at his feet, comes home and censures him as he pleases. To be yet a little more particular, what shall we think of those vast and involuble volumes concerning _predestination_, _free-will_, _free-grace_, _election_, _reprobation_, &c., which fill not only our libraries, but the world with their noise and disturbance, whereof the least thing we are to expect is _conviction_; every side endeavouring to make good their own grounds, and keep the cudgels in their hands as long as they can? What stir is there between the Molinists and Jansenists about _grace_ and _merits_; and yet both pretend St. Augustin!
Must we not expect, that the Jesuits will, were it for no other end but to vindicate that reputation of learning they have obtained in the world, endeavour to make good their tenets, though the other were the truer opinion? Is truth then retired to that inaccessible rock that admits no approaches? Or are we all turned Ixions, and instead of enjoying that Juno, entertain ourselves with the _clouds_ of our own persuasions; of which unnatural coition, what other issue can there be but Centaurs and monstrous opinions? To these questions I shall not presume to answer, but in the words of this great author, who answering the charge of _impiety_ laid upon the holding of necessity, says thus; _If we consider the greatest part of mankind, not as they should be, but as they are, that is as men, whom either the study of acquiring wealth and preferment, or whom the appetite of sensual delights, or the impatience of meditating, or the rash embracing of wrong principles, have made unapt to discuss the truth of things, I must confess, &c._
Certainly we have some reason to expect an effectual cure from this man, since he hath so fortunately found out the disease. Now if he in so few sheets hath performed more than all the voluminous works of the _priests and ministers_, and that in points of soul-concernment and Christian interest, as _predestination_, _free-will_, _grace_, _merits_, _election_, _reprobation_, _necessity_, and _liberty_ of actions, and others, the main hinges of human _salvation_; and to do this, being a person, whom not only the averseness of his nature to engage himself in matters of controversy of this kind, but his severer study of the _mathematics_, might justly exempt from any such skirmishes; we may not stick to infer, that the _black-coats_, generally taken, are a sort of ignorant _tinkers_, who in matters of their own profession, such as is the _mending_ and _soldering_ of men’s _consciences_, have made more _holes_ than they found; nay, what makes them more impardonable, they have neither the gratitude nor ingenuity to acknowledge this repairer of their breaches, and assertor of their reputation, who hath now effected what they all this while have been tampering about.
I know this author is little beholden to the _ministers_, and they make a great part of the nation; and besides them, I know there are many illiterate, obstinate, and inconvincible spirits: yet I dare advance this proposition, how bold soever it may seem to some; that this book, how little and contemptible soever it may seem, contains more evidence and conviction in the matters it treats of, than all the volumes, nay libraries, which the _priests_, _jesuits_, and _ministers_ have, to our great charge, distraction, and loss of precious time, furnished us with. Which if so, I shall undertake for any rational man, that all the controversial labours concerning religion in the world, all the polemical treatises of the most ancient or modern, shall never breed any maggots of scruples, or dissatisfactions in his brains, nor shall his eyes or head ever ache with turning them over; but he shall be so resolved in mind, as never to importune God Almighty with impertinent addresses, nor ever become any of those enthusiastical _spiritati_, who, as the most learned Mr. White says, _expound Scripture without sense or reason_, and are not to be disputed with but with the same success as men write on sand, and trouble their neighbours with their dreams, revelations, and spiritual whimsies.
No! here is solid conviction, at least so far as the metaphysical mysteries of our religion will admit. If God be _omnipotent_, he is _irresistible_; if so, _just_ in all his actions, though we, who have as much capacity to measure the justice of God’s actions as a man born blind to judge of colours, haply may not discern it. What then need any man trouble his head, whether he be predestinated or no? Let him live justly and honestly according to the _religion_ of his _country_, and refer himself to God for the rest, since he is the potter, and may do what he please with the vessel. But I leave the reader to find his satisfaction in the treatise itself, since it may be I derogate from it by saying so much before it. This book, I doubt not, will find no worse entertainment than the _Leviathan_, both in regard of its bulk, and that it doth not strike so home at the _ministers_ and _Catholic_ party as that did. And yet here we must complain of want of sufficiency or ingenuity to acknowledge the truths or confute the errors of that book; which till it is done, we shall not count the author an heretic.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.