neither　the　clearness　of　the　narrative　nor　the　blessedness　of　mankind。
  （56）　We　have　now　shown　that　Scripture　can　only　be　called　the　Word
  of　God　in　so　far　as　it　affects　religion；　or　the　Divine　law；　we　must　now
  point　out　that；　in　respect　to　these　questions；　it　is　neither　faulty；
  tampered　with；　nor　corrupt。　（57）　By　faulty；　tampered　with；　and　corrupt；　I
  here　mean　written　so　incorrectly；　that　the　meaning　cannot　be　arrived　at　by　a
  study　of　the　language；　nor　from　the　authority　of　Scripture。　（58）　I　will　not
  go　to　such　lengths　as　to　say　that　the　Bible；　in　so　far　as　it　contains　the
  Divine　law；　has　always　preserved　the　same　vowel…points；　the　same　letters；　or
  the　same　words　（I　leave　this　to　be　proved　by；　the　Massoretes　and　other
  worshippers　of　the　letter）；　I　only；　maintain　that　the　meaning　by；　which
  alone　an　utterance　is　entitled　to　be　called　Divine；　has　come　down　to　us
  uncorrupted；　even　though　the　original　wording　may　have　been　more　often
  changed　than　we　suppose。　（59）　Such　alterations；　as　I　have　said　above；
  detract　nothing　from　the　Divinity　of　the　Bible；　for　the　Bible　would　have
  been　no　less　Divine　had　it　been　written　in　different　words　or　a　different
  language。　（60）　That　the　Divine　law　has　in　this　sense　come　down　to　us
  uncorrupted；　is　an　assertion　which　admits　of　no　dispute。　（61）　For　from　the
  Bible　itself　we　learn；　without　the　smallest　difficulty　or　ambiguity；；　that
  its　cardinal　precept　is：　To　love　God　above　all　things；　and　one's　neighbour
  as　one's　self。　（62）　This　cannot　be　a　spurious　passage；　nor　due　to　a　hasty
  and　mistaken　scribe；　for　if　the　Bible　had　ever　put　forth　a　different
  doctrine　it　would　have　had　to　change　the　whole　of　its　teaching；　for　this　is
  the　corner…stone　of　religion；　without　which　the　whole　fabric　would　fall
  headlong　to　the　ground。　（63）　The　Bible　would　not　be　the　work　we　have　been
  examining；　but　something　quite　different。
  （64）　We　remain；　then；　unshaken　in　our　belief　that　this　has　always　been　the
  doctrine　of　Scripture；　and；　consequently；　that　no　error　sufficient　to
  vitiate　it　can　have　crept　in　without　being　instantly；　observed　by　all；　nor
  can　anyone　have　succeeded　in　tampering　with　it　and　escaped　the　discovery　of
  his　malice。
  （65）　As　this　corner…stone　is　intact；　we　must　perforce　admit　the　same　of
  whatever　other　passages　are　indisputably　dependent　on　it；　and　are　also
  fundamental；　as；　for　instance；　that　a　God　exists；　that　He　foresees　all
  things；　that　He　is　Almighty；　that　by　His　decree　the　good　prosper　and　the
  wicked　come　to　naught；　and；　finally；　that　our　salvation　depends　solely　on
  His　grace。
  （66）　These　are　doctrines　which　Scripture　plainly　teaches　throughout；　and
  which　it　is　bound　to　teach；　else　all　the　rest　would　be　empty　and　baseless；
  nor　can　we　be　less　positive　about　other　moral　doctrines；　which　plainly　are
  built　upon　this　universal　foundation　…　for　instance；　to　uphold　justice；　to
  aid　the　weak；　to　do　no　murder；　to　covet　no　man's　goods；　&c。　（67）　Precepts；　I
  repeat；　such　as　these；　human　malice　and　the　lapse　of　ages　are　alike
  powerless　to　destroy；　for　if　any　part　of　them　perished；　its　loss　would
  immediately　be　supplied　from　the　fundamental　principle；　especially　the
  doctrine　of　charity；　which　is　everywhere　in　both　Testaments　extolled　above
  all　others。　（68）　Moreover；　though　it　be　true　that　there　is　no　conceivable
  crime　so　heinous　that　it　has　never　been　committed；　still　there　is　no　one　who
  would　attempt　in　excuse　for　his　crimes　to　destroy；　the　law；　or　introduce　an
  impious　doctrine　in　the　place　of　what　is　eternal　and　salutary；　men's　nature
  is　so　constituted　that　everyone　（be　he　king　or　subject）　who　has　committed　a
  base　action；　tries　to　deck　out　his　conduct　with　spurious　excuses；　till　he
  seems　to　have　done　nothing　but　what　is　just　and　right。
  （69）　We　may　conclude；　therefore；　that　the　whole　Divine　law；　as　taught　by
  Scripture；　has　come　down　to　us　uncorrupted。　（70）　Besides　this　there　are
  certain　facts　which　we　may　be　sure　have　been　transmitted　in　good　faith。　（71）
  For　instance；　the　main　facts　of　Hebrew　history；　which　were　perfectly　well
  known　to　everyone。　（72）　The　Jewish　people　were　accustomed　in　former　times　to
  chant　the　ancient　history　of　their　nation　in　psalms。　（73）　The　main　facts；
  also；　of　Christ's　life　and　passion　were　immediately　spread　abroad　through
  the　whole　Roman　empire。　（74）　It　is　therefore　scarcely　credible；　unless
  nearly　everybody；　consented　thereto；　which　we　cannot　suppose；　that
  successive　generations　have　handed　down　the　broad　outline　of　the　Gospel
  narrative　otherwise　than　as　they　received　it。
  （74）　Whatsoever；　therefore；　is　spurious　or　faulty　can　only　have　reference　to
  details　…　some　circumstances　in　one　or　the　other　history　or　prophecy
  designed　to　stir　the　people　to　greater　devotion；　or　in　some　miracle；　with　a
  view　of　confounding　philosophers；　or；　lastly；　in　speculative　matters
  after　they　had　become　mixed　up　with　religion；　so　that　some　individual
  might　prop　up　his　own　inventions　with　a　pretext　of　Divine　authority。
  （75）　But　such　matters　have　little　to　do　with　salvation；　whether
  they　be　corrupted　little　or　much；　as　I　will　show　in　detail　in　the　next
  chapter；　though　I　think　the　question　sufficiently　plain　from　what　I　have
  said　already；　especially　in　Chapter　II。
  CHAPTER　XIII　…　IT　IS　SHOWN　THAT　SCRIPTURE　TEACHES　ONLY　VERY　SIMPLE
  DOCTRINES；　SUCH　AS　SUFFICE　FOR　RIGHT　CONDUCT。
  （1）　In　the　second　chapter　of　this　treatise　we　pointed　out　that　the　prophets
  were　gifted　with　extraordinary　powers　of　imagination；　but　not　of
  understanding；　also　that　God　only　revealed　to　them　such　things　as　are　very
  simple　…　not　philosophic　mysteries；　…　and　that　He　adapted　His
  communications　to　their　previous　opinions。　（2）　We　further　showed　in　Chap。　V。
  that　Scripture　only　transmits　and　teaches　truths　which　can　readily　be
  comprehended　by　all；　not　deducing　and　concatenating　its　conclusions　from
  definitions　and　axioms；　but　narrating　quite　simply；　and　confirming　its
  statements；　with　a　view　to　inspiring　belief；　by　an　appeal　to　experience　as
  exemplified　in　miracles　and　history；　and　setting　forth　its　truths　in　the
  style　and　phraseology　which　would　most　appeal　to　the　popular　mind　（cf。　Chap。
  VI。；　third　division）。
  （3）　Lastly；　we　demonstrated　in　Chap。　VIII。　that　the　difficulty　of
  understanding　Scripture　lies　in　the　language　only；　and　not　in　the
  abstruseness　of　the　argument。
  （4）　To　these　considerations　we　may　add　that　the　Prophets　did　not　preach　only
  to　the　learned；　but　to　all　Jews；　without　exception；　while　the　Apostles　were
  wont　to　teach　the　gospel　doctrine　in　churches　where　there　were　public
  meetings；　whence　it　follows　that　Scriptural　doctrine　contains　no　lofty
  speculations　nor　philosophic　reasoning；　but　only　very　simple　matters；　such
  as　could　be　understood　by　the　slowest　intelligence。
  （5）　I　am　consequently　lost　in　wonder　at　the　ingenuity　of　those　whom　I　have
  already　mentioned；　who　detect　in　the　Bible　mysteries　so　profound　that　they
  cannot　be　explained　in　human　language；　and　who　have　introduced　so　many
  philosophic　speculations　into　religion　that　the　Church　seems　like
  an　academy；　and　religion　like　a　science；　or　rather　a　dispute。
  （6）　It　is　not　to　be　wondered　at　that　men；　who　boast　of　possessing
  supernatural　intelligence；　should　be　unwilling　to　yield　the　palm　of
  knowledge　to　philosophers　who　have　only　their　ordinary；　faculties；　still　I
  should　be　surprised　if　I　found　them　teaching　any　new　speculative
  doctrine；　which　was　not　a　commonplace　to　those　Gentile　philosophers　whom；　in
  spite　of　all；　they　stigmatize　as　blind；　for；　if　one　inquires　what　these
  mysteries　lurking　in　Scripture　may　be；　one　is　confronted　with　nothing　but
  the　reflections　of　Plato　or　Aristotle；　or　the　like；　which　it　would
  often　be　easier　for　an　ignorant　man　to　dream　than　for　the　most　accomplished
  scholar　to　wrest　out　of　the　Bible。
  （7）　However；　I　do　not　wish　to　affirm　absolutely　that　Scripture　contains　no
  doctrines　in　the　sphere　of　philosophy；　for　in　the　last　chapter　I　pointed　out
  some　of　the　kind；　as　fundamental　principles；　but　I　go　so　far　as　to　say　that
  such　doctrines　are　very　few　and　very　simple。　（8）　Their　precise　nature　and
  definition　I　will　now　set　forth。　（9）　The　task　will　be　easy；　for　we　know　that
  Scripture　does　not　aim　at　imparting　scientific　knowledge；　and；　therefore；　it
  demands　from　men　nothing　but　obedience；　and　censures　obstinacy；　but　not
  ignorance。
  （10）　Furthermore；　as　obedience　to　God　consists　solely　in　love　to　our
  neighbour　…　for　whosoever　loveth　his　neighbour；　as　a　means　of　obeying　God；
  hath；　as　St。　Paul　says　（Rom。　xiii：8）；　fulfilled　the　law；　…　it　follows　that
  no　knowledge　is　commended　in　the　Bible　save　that　which　is　necessary
  for　enabling　all　men　to　obey　God　in　the　manner　stated；　and　wit