New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-02-20


{ his fOrmnlo which reduce metaphysics 10 sort o
lgsbTe redercd his theory inaccessible 70 the mnt
AIDE; aDonc his contemporaries no engaged we s'iiyu'
attention, in France Of only lew ioy ih.ehe.ts' 'u
we're eager TO combat rather than TO understand nhd
Judge him; an object OF tcrrOr 10 pious men, who Only
heard vacnc echoes ~ his name an object Of curiosity
rather than OF profound study TO hDertnes ana nee
thinkers who cXtoled him. rs tho dcv0tees det"stcu
him without compFehenaipg him. he Hppealedto pubic
opinion as little else tlan destroyer an chpclloNot
whose formidable criticism shook the whoie cdiiee "
tradition As theOrist he exercised but feeble ana
indirect influence on She French mtrd uat be retu ncu
to u.s. after century and hell horne IN triumph ~
& ermany, which. more accessible To- ms doginhic
thought was ueyeTtL eless itse very SLOW 10 give MN
cntrauce The clinin OF ideas requires notvthstnnd
ing thai We should attempt TO indicate the Piincipa
outlines of this great character. ~
Born outside tle pale If Christianity, the child OF
proscribed religion and race bat arancised nom the
preulices ard beliefs peculiar TO TINS race, inc jew
BarRch SpinoZa did rot commence, lIAo Dtschfles w
setting apart the established religion To conform 70 !. -
practice; be naced himself on the contrary. OUTSIDE o
an religious forms those OF his iatlrS
without having adopted any "f inc Cnristun gro ~
and hegrn by applying ne e,ome.i'cai nc'n91 w 70,
i've theology and to politics that - to what DcsSuIuS
had alstaiucd from examining He Undertook new
cxamir alton of the Holy Scriptures, taking care nc
says, TO affirm nothing 10 recognize nothing Is
doctrine except what the Scriptures themselves tanS
him clearly \ Protestant might have admitted ui-
basic; but Spiuo2a ves not long in laying down prh
cipl superior The Scriptures 90 Judge the Scrpne
aud special reyclition.-ihc permanent nn' universal
rev eaton OF God in the mind Of man. On when - en-
lsTlyed the ycralle original OF The Jaw 81 Go''
Only means. he says. Of verifying thc ilYlnty OF 1e
y ripturcs is prove that they teach true virtue ms
prncipe alone directly renders useless all positive in.
ology everything that rests ON traditional iaots e
arrives at The result both ny TINS ooginhio mn
alton aud by the criticism Of the holy boots Aii'f
examination he decides that the hr't tNe.e
books Of the Old Testament were not the works oI 30
SEES OF the other authors e. whom they are aiue"
and were only edited In their present form by fsdrs
TINT the four books Of EsdtHe, Nehemiah, Daniel ana
Esther we're postcrur 10 judas M4ccab;eusi tht th'
holy books selected arbitrarily. from man, "lne'
books hy the Phaiisces Of the second Temple Iic see
no certainty therefore I'm the historical narrative, oi
the Bible least o details. As regards the u rh
clcs understood IN TIE common manner a. l'Nhs'ou
Of the laws of nature ly the divine power. Ic lHoth
them impossible; for the universal laws Of niiurr 10y
which eyery thing is made and determined are n"ihtE
else then lie eternal DEGREES Of Cod which are tteih
truths and ALWAYS imply absolute necessity. III h"d
contrary his essence" rs TO the prophets thy
were oily .!ons men, in whom strong imafrnaiion
prodoninatcd, and who taught Viriuc. lhefo nav
been such among ell nuions
Tie Scripture should not. therefore ho searched Tor
facts hut for ideas ard preceps. Now according 10
him. tie Scriptures hy no means cornin mel sc,
but only ciics The mysteries II trlnsccndcnt heol
ory which it j. cndcayoed TO find therein are scholastic
visions. 10 love God aad our fows-iLis is all that
tic Scriptures teach man. What i boif-hn ounll"
tent omnipres sent omniscient being who c1tenis h
prov violence over al things who rewards NItne emu
Furnishes crime; God Of Justice and mercy. A. To his
nature the holy books 10 not dcrEc - any more thAh
our own, except that tLgy cal u eternal Religion,
which s the object of the Scripture has Tor iis end
only The regulation Of morals spccugiun. seionce 10
not concern II. Religion ana philosophy lave edch ttcF
II follows more or less explicitly from all that frc
ccdcs that the higher sphere II that Of philosophy Tat
pure reason alone al abstract truth; That religion
teaches only relative truth God conceived from the
point Of view OF bis relations with mnn.
Tho TlcooglrO-P Political Trcntsc ~ Srinorl raisel
lively agitation among Protestant theolopans; the pro
cct6rs ana friends OF tAc audaoous philosopher The
usirious hrothcfs Dc VIZ, persisted meanwhile; Cal
,inistic fanaticism revived ia Holland. Spnozt Nas
lcuccd, and his Wioc idea was lot Tn'ca, Iuiii itT
U had expired, ttl !Duns, NORA out by Do a"iiiui
nediiaions.
In Tho Thcooglco Poiicl Trcatisc Do lad above all
l'tacled hat DO called error: IN LIcs BIS great os'
n gmO1s work. De establishes Truth. Entering meta
rl .ice bv tho same raih NalehIsncie who're The
reDch philosopher paLf's. b" goes on 90 tie en1. 10
Ilm 10 Malelrarche. nan. ihc libclinr b'lhf ms
better tln Mnehrnuche The on-fquenccs OF this pri
.ip'o II the particular blss LIS 30 Dfce 81 DIS 9wn.
be- has vii moro libsriyi oreN ilun Tot g"od DO
las no substance Of bio be- = not being ~ The
rue sense Oftls WOrif lc - mode az tho Only b1lg
finite and relative mode Of he absolute and nIltc
being. DE huiuan soul IA mode Of tie ihougAt ~
God destacd TO fau in time AID 70 become The io "a Il
body God IL ~ thar is that j.. al that j. fcniy and
Josi ey AL that sbssls nficr the elimination Of acct
tents md phenomena. The tue srbsfunccs defined by
Descartc-. thought and cricnt"n, nre only tie two
attributes ~ The onN substance or a. beast
he only essential attribute II God tla We eau know
They bs only Two uuiv,rsts. o general Mcas l4i
,eings entities the human IIec lisch are vain sb-
tractlOhs.
Here IS the meaning of HAT nega,lon a. absolute
ight EXPRESSED IN the Iheoloy leo Political Treatise,
ma heh contrasts singuafy with tie pIoccpt %
be Scripture mutual love There ia no natural law
equity between ,ince there are only individuals
win 10 common typ, with no natural order of rcla.
ions and for these individuals there exists toward
;od neither merit nor dcme since their individuality
only apparent and has neither liberty nor force ofs
,Vn.
The consequence Of this principle would seem 10 be
he absolute ncgaoG 81 good aud evil entire indii,r
nee entire abandonment to fatality during The Illusion
hat We call life. and after death The ToGbsOrpton Of
Lo Bdi, idual Into uuiIy II Il nothing Of the sort
mere exists In trutb neither good nor eyn neither
yard punishment ia the positive and direct sense
by religions. but there are IN the individual
more or less Joy (happines,, improvement aud being
according no moro or lees closely approaches pure
nd infinite reRsou,-that H. his true nature There
re 10 crmina sinners; but theTe are unfoTtuBatc-,
nndmcn: those 10 live buried Ia Ito senses IN appear
noes I'm separation from their true being IN apartial
cath Man regains the OHly true liberty whom he dc.
aches himself phenomena TO attach himself TO that
hich really Il and which does not pass away. With
betty. be regnius Immortality. The reasoning and
hlosophc soul dies In external nature but 10 revive IN
;Oi II l0ses At death. the senses. memory. imsgina
ion, MI that pertains O phenomena. aud Keeps the etcr.
al reason cOnceyiBg nothing longer except Infinite
bought and infinite extension; u lives not as real
eing brt eternal idea In God; snoh 1t be-
Dro its terrestrial life as such u subssts alters II
uly mode Of the diYiue thought; hut this mode j.
npeTshablc. Herein ~ the sovereign good. lbs good
e philosopher desires Tor otl for himself the more
trongy as lie knows God more, that Is. as he knows
etter the unity of ali apparent beings Ia the real being
Arrived at This hight Spnoza finds therefore again
a unity right charity. mOihlity But does ho really
nd h6ertyi What i liberty. tho principle Of which IL
OF in oursolyesi We can chnnge nothing in our des
ny IL Is the eternal DEGREES that make us philosophc
ons or vulgar souls Now these last, that Is the great
majority Of mankind, being composed almost solely OF
images and passions and well nigh strangers 10 reason
erIsh almost entirely at death since they lose then all
he accidents Of life and do not comprehend In exchange
he absolute truth Of which they had no Idea earth
rLus only the who bsve livod without law. but
hose who have followed religion. the law Of morals