V. Whoever considers, that there is but one path which leads to
truth, and that those which lead to error are infinite, will not
be surprised, that mankind who travel by so dim a light, should in
the bulk go astray. The conception which the understanding forms of
things, may be compared to squares, which can only be regular one
way, but may be irregular in an infinite number of ways. Every body,
according to its species, can, by but one mode, be produced rightly
organized, but may be produced a monster by an infinite number. Even in
the heavens, there are but two fixed points to direct the navigator;
all the others are changeable. There are likewise two fixed points
in the sphere of the human understanding, to wit, revelation, and
demonstration: the rest is a group of opinions, that dance about, and
are made to follow one another, according to the caprice of doubtful
and inferior comprehensions. Whoever does not observe attentively these
two points, or at least one of them, according to the hemisphere in
which he navigates; that is, the first in the hemisphere of grace,
and the second in the hemisphere of nature, will never arrive at the
port of truth: for as in very few parts of the terraqueous globe,
the magnetic needle points true to the poles; but in most places has
more or less degrees of variation; even so in very few parts of the
world, does the human understanding attain the pole of its direction;
the pole of revelation, is perceived directly, in only two places,
Europe, and America; in all other parts, it has more or less degrees
of declination: in the heretical countries, the needle is much warped,
more in the Mahometan countries, and more still in the idolatrous ones.
The pole of demonstration, is observed only by the small community of
mathematicians, and even within that small circle, is affected with
declination.
But what necessity is there for beating round the world, to discover,
that in various regions, the common opinion is the reverse of truth;
even among the people who were called God’s people, so far many times
was the voice of the people from being the voice of God, that there was
not the least semblance between them: no sooner was the voice of the
people in unison with the divine voice, than it immediately changed
to the greatest dissonance. Moses propounded to them the laws which
God had given him; and all the people cried with one consent, “What
the Lord has commanded let us do:” how beautiful was the sound of
consonance between the two voices! but no sooner did the chapel-master
Moses, who had put them in tune, turn his back, than the same
congregation, after obliging Aaron to make two idols, lifted up their
voice, and said, “These are the true Gods to whom we owe our liberty:”
what horrible dissonance!
VII. Circumstances of this sort occurred often; but the case of their
petitioning Samuel to give them a king, has something particular in it.
The voice of God promulged by the mouth of the Prophet, dissuaded them
from desiring a king; but how distant was the voice of the people from
concording with the divine organ, for they once and again, repeat their
intreaties to have a king; and on what do they found their request? Why
upon other nations having kings. In this instance, there are two things
which are striking and remarkable; the one is, that though this request
was made by the voice of the whole people, it was erroneous; the other
is, that it’s being qualified by the authority of all other people,
does not amend, or exempt it from error. To sum up the whole, the voice
of the people of Israel, concorded with the voices of all other people,
and it’s being in consonance with that of all those other people,
made it dissonant to the divine voice. Away with those then, who would
govern us by common cries, upon the foundation, that the voice of the
people is the voice of God.