explaining　natural　phenomena　and　inculcating　morality；　it　follows　that　we
  may　rightly　assert　the　nature　of　the　human　mind　（in　so　far　as　it　is　thus
  conceived）　to　be　a　primary　cause　of　Divine　revelation。　（10）　All　that　we
  clearly　and　distinctly　understand　is　dictated　to　us；　as　I　have　just　pointed
  out；　by　the　idea　and　nature　of　God；　not　indeed　through　words；　but　in　a　way
  far　more　excellent　and　agreeing　perfectly　with　the　nature　of　the　mind；　as
  all　who　have　enjoyed　intellectual　certainty　will　doubtless　attest。　（11）
  Here；　however；　my　chief　purpose　is　to　speak　of　matters　having　reference　to
  Scripture；　so　these　few　words　on　the　light　of　reason　will　suffice。
  （12）　I　will　now　pass　on　to；　and　treat　more　fully；　the　other　ways　and　means
  by　which　God　makes　revelations　to　mankind；　both　of　that　which　transcends
  ordinary　knowledge；　and　of　that　within　its　scope；　for　there　is　no　reason　why
  God　should　not　employ　other　means　to　communicate　what　we　know　already　by　the
  power　of　reason。
  （13）　Our　conclusions　on　the　subject　must　be　drawn　solely　from　Scripture；　for
  what　can　we　affirm　about　matters　transcending　our　knowledge　except　what　is
  told　us　by　the　words　or　writings　of　prophets？　（14）　And　since　there　are；　so
  far　as　I　know；　no　prophets　now　alive；　we　have　no　alternative　but　to　read　the
  books　of　prophets　departed；　taking　care　the　while　not　to　reason　from
  metaphor　or　to　ascribe　anything　to　our　authors　which　they　do　not　themselves
  distinctly　state。　（15）　I　must　further　premise　that　the　Jews　never　make　any
  mention　or　account　of　secondary；　or　particular　causes；　but　in　a　spirit　of
  religion；　piety；　and　what　is　commonly　called　godliness；　refer　all　things
  directly　to　the　Deity。　（16）　For　instance　if　they　make　money　by　a
  transaction；　they　say　God　gave　it　to　them；　if　they　desire　anything；　they　say
  God　has　disposed　their　hearts　towards　it；　if　they　think　anything；　they　say
  God　told　them。　（17）　Hence　we　must　not　suppose　that　everything　is　prophecy　or
  revelation　which　is　described　in　Scripture　as　told　by　God　to　anyone；　but
  only　such　things　as　are　expressly　announced　as　prophecy　or　revelation；　or
  are　plainly　pointed　to　as　such　by　the　context。
  （18）　A　perusal　of　the　sacred　books　will　show　us　that　all　God's　revelations
  to　the　prophets　were　made　through　words　or　appearances；　or　a　combination　of
  the　two。　（19）　These　words　and　appearances　were　of　two　kinds；　1。…　real　when
  external　to　the　mind　of　the　prophet　who　heard　or　saw　them；　2。…　imaginary
  when　the　imagination　of　the　prophet　was　in　a　state　which　led　him　distinctly
  to　suppose　that　he　heard　or　saw　them。
  （20）　With　a　real　voice　God　revealed　to　Moses　the　laws　which　He　wished　to　be
  transmitted　to　the　Hebrews；　as　we　may　see　from　Exodus　xxv：22；　where　God
  says；　〃And　there　I　will　meet　with　thee　and　I　will　commune　with　thee　from　the
  mercy　seat　which　is　between　the　Cherubim。〃　（21）　Some　sort　of　real　voice　must
  necessarily　have　been　employed；　for　Moses　found　God　ready　to　commune　with
  him　at　any　time。　This；　as　I　shall　shortly　show；　is　the　only　instance　of　a
  real　voice。
  （22）　We　might；　perhaps；　suppose　that　the　voice　with　which　God　called　Samuel
  was　real；　for　in　1　Sam。　iii：21；　we　read；　〃And　the　Lord　appeared　again　in
  Shiloh；　for　the　Lord　revealed　Himself　to　Samuel　in　Shiloh　by　the　word　of　the
  Lord；〃　implying　that　the　appearance　of　the　Lord　consisted　in　His　making
  Himself　known　to　Samuel　through　a　voice；　in　other　words；　that　Samuel　heard
  the　Lord　speaking。　（23）　But　we　are　compelled　to　distinguish　between　the
  prophecies　of　Moses　and　those　of　other　prophets；　and　therefore　must　decide
  that　this　voice　was　imaginary；　a　conclusion　further　supported　by　the　voice's
  resemblance　to　the　voice　of　Eli；　which　Samuel　was　in　the　habit　of　hearing；
  and　therefore　might　easily　imagine；　when　thrice　called　by　the　Lord；　Samuel
  supposed　it　to　have　been　Eli。
  （24）　The　voice　which　Abimelech　heard　was　imaginary；　for　it　is　written；
  Gen。　xx：6；　〃And　God　said　unto　him　in　a　dream。〃　（25）　So　that　the　will　of　God
  was　manifest　to　him；　not　in　waking；　but　only；　in　sleep；　that　is；　when　the
  imagination　is　most　active　and　uncontrolled。　（26）　Some　of　the　Jews　believe
  that　the　actual　words　of　the　Decalogue　were　not　spoken　by　God；　but　that　the
  Israelites　heard　a　noise　only；　without　any　distinct　words；　and　during　its
  continuance　apprehended　the　Ten　Commandments　by　pure　intuition；　to　this
  opinion　I　myself　once　inclined；　seeing　that　the　words　of　the　Decalogue　in
  Exodus　are　different　from　the　words　of　the　Decalogue　in　Deuteronomy；　for　the
  discrepancy　seemed　to　imply　（since　God　only　spoke　once）　that　the　Ten
  Commandments　were　not　intended　to　convey　the　actual　words　of　the　Lord；　but
  only　His　meaning。　（27）　However；　unless　we　would　do　violence　to　Scripture；　we
  must　certainly　admit　that　the　Israelites　heard　a　real　voice；　for　Scripture
  expressly　says；　Deut。　v：4；〃　God　spake　with　you　face　to　face；〃　i。e。　as　two
  men　ordinarily　interchange　ideas　through　the　instrumentality　of　their　two
  bodies；　and　therefore　it　seems　more　consonant　with　Holy　Writ　to　suppose　that
  God　really　did　create　a　voice　of　some　kind　with　which　the　Decalogue　was
  revealed。　（28）　The　discrepancy　of　the　two　versions　is　treated　of　in
  Chap。　VIII。
  （29）　Yet　not　even　thus　is　all　difficulty　removed；　for　it　seems　scarcely
  reasonable　to　affirm　that　a　created　thing；　depending　on　God　in　the　same
  manner　as　other　created　things；　would　be　able　to　express　or　explain　the
  nature　of　God　either　verbally　or　really　by　means　of　its　individual
  organism：　for　instance；　by　declaring　in　the　first　person；　〃I　am　the　Lord
  your　God。〃
  （30）　Certainly　when　anyone　says　with　his　mouth；　〃I　understand；〃　we　do　not
  attribute　the　understanding　to　the　mouth；　but　to　the　mind　of　the　speaker；
  yet　this　is　because　the　mouth　is　the　natural　organ　of　a　man　speaking；　and
  the　hearer；　knowing　what　understanding　is；　easily　comprehends；　by　a
  comparison　with　himself；　that　the　speaker's　mind　is　meant；　but　if　we　knew
  nothing　of　God　beyond　the　mere　name　and　wished　to　commune　with　Him；　and　be
  assured　of　His　existence；　I　fail　to　see　how　our　wish　would　be　satisfied　by
  the　declaration　of　a　created　thing　（depending　on　God　neither　more　nor　less
  than　ourselves）；　〃I　am　the　Lord。〃　（31）　If　God　contorted　the　lips　of　Moses；
  or；　I　will　not　say　Moses；　but　some　beast；　till　they　pronounced　the　words；
  〃I　am　the　Lord；〃　should　we　apprehend　the　Lord's　existence　therefrom？
  （32）　Scripture　seems　clearly　to　point　to　the　belief　that　God　spoke　Himself；
  having　descended　from　heaven　to　Mount　Sinai　for　the　purpose　…　and　not　only
  that　the　Israelites　heard　Him　speaking；　but　that　their　chief　men　beheld　Him
  （Ex：xxiv。）　（33）　Further　the　law　of　Moses；　which　might　neither　be　added　to
  nor　curtailed；　and　which　was　set　up　as　a　national　standard　of　right；　nowhere
  prescribed　the　belief　that　God　is　without　body；　or　even　without　form　or
  figure；　but　only　ordained　that　the　Jews　should　believe　in　His　existence　and
  worship　Him　alone：　it　forbade　them　to　invent　or　fashion　any　likeness　of　the
  Deity；　but　this　was　to　insure　purity　of　service；　because；　never　having　seen
  God；　they　could　not　by　means　of　images　recall　the　likeness　of　God；　but　only
  the　likeness　of　some　created　thing　which　might　thus　gradually　take　the　place
  of　God　as　the　object　of　their　adoration。　（34）　Nevertheless；　the　Bible
  clearly　implies　that　God　has　a　form；　and　that　Moses　when　he　heard　God
  speaking　was　permitted　to　behold　it；　or　at　least　its　hinder　parts。
  （35）　Doubtless　some　mystery　lurks　in　this　question　which　we　will　discuss
  more　fully　below。　（36）　For　the　present　I　will　call　attention　to　the　passages
  in　Scripture　indicating　the　means　by　which　God　has　revealed　His　laws　to　man。
  （37）　Revelation　may　be　through　figures　only；　as　in　I　Chron：xxii。；　where　God
  displays　his　anger　to　David　by　means　of　an　angel　bearing　a　sword；　and　also
  in　the　story　of　Balaam。
  （38）　Maimonides　and　others　do　indeed　maintain　that　these　and　every　other
  instance　of　angelic　apparitions　（e。g。　to　Manoah　and　to　Abraham　offering　up
  Isaac）　occurred　during　sleep；　for　that　no　one　with　his　eyes　open　ever　could
  see　an　angel；　but　this　is　mere　nonsense。　（39）　The　sole　object　of　such
  commentators　seems　to　be　to　extort　from　Scripture　confirmations　of
  Aristotelian　quibbles　and　their　own　inventions；　a　proceeding　which　I　regard
  as　the　acme　of　absurdity。
  （40）　In　figures；　not　real　but　existing　only　in　the　prophet's　imagination；
  God　revealed　to　Joseph　his　future　lordship；　and　in　words　and　figures　He
  revealed　to　Joshua　that　He　would　fight　for　the　Hebrews；　causing　to　appear　an
  angel；　as　it　were　the　Captain　of　the　Lord's　host；　bearing　a　sword；　and　by
  this　means　communicating　verbally。　（41）　The　forsaking　of　Israel　by
  Providence　was　portrayed　to　Isaiah　by　a　vision　of　the