The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 03 (of 11) — Thomas Hobbes — John Shaqi
The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 03 (of 11)
Thomas Hobbes · en
When God speaketh to man, it must be either immediately; or by mediation
of another man, to whom he had formerly spoken by himself immediately.
How God speaketh to a man immediately, may be understood by those well
enough, to whom he hath so spoken; but how the same should be understood
by another, is hard, if not impossible to know. For if a man pretend to
me, that God hath spoken to him supernaturally and immediately, and I
make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce,
to oblige me to believe it. It is true, that if he be my sovereign, he
may oblige me to obedience, so, as not by act or word to declare I
believe him not; but not to think any otherwise than my reason persuades
me. But if one that hath not such authority over me, should pretend the
same, there is nothing that exacteth either belief, or obedience.
For to say that God hath spoken to him in the Holy Scripture, is not to
say God hath spoken to him immediately, but by mediation of the
prophets, or of the apostles, or of the church, in such manner as he
speaks to all other Christian men. To say he hath spoken to him in a
dream, is no more than to say he dreamed that God spake to him; which is
not of force to win belief from any man, that knows dreams are for the
most part natural, and may proceed from former thoughts; and such dreams
as that, from self-conceit, and foolish arrogance, and false opinion of
a man’s own godliness, or other virtue, by which he thinks he hath
merited the favour of extraordinary revelation. To say he hath seen a
vision, or heard a voice, is to say, that he hath dreamed between
sleeping and waking: for in such manner a man doth many times naturally
take his dream for a vision, as not having well observed his own
slumbering. To say he speaks by supernatural inspiration, is to say he
finds an ardent desire to speak, or some strong opinion of himself, for
which he can allege no natural and sufficient reason. So that though God
Almighty can speak to a man by dreams, visions, voice, and inspiration;
yet he obliges no man to believe he hath so done to him that pretends
it; who, being a man, may err, and, which is more, may lie.
[Sidenote: By what marks prophets are known.]