the commonwealth of oceana-第24章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　or　introduce　it　into　the　Council　of　Religion；　where　all　such　causes　as　those　magistrates　introduce　shall　from　time　to　time　be　heard　and　determined　according　to　such　laws　as　are　or　shall　hereafter　be　provided　by　the　Parliament　for　the　just　defence　of　the　liberty　of　conscience。〃　　　　　This　order　consists　of　three　parts；　the　first　restoring　the　power　of　ordination　to　the　people；　which；　that　it　originally　belongs　to　them；　is　clear；　though　not　in　English　yet　in　Scripture；　where　the　apostles　ordained　elders　by　the　holding　up　of　hands　in　every　congregation；　that　is；　by　the　suffrage　of　the　people；　which　was　also　given　in　some　of　those　cities　by　the　ballot。　And　though　it　may　be　shown　that　the　apostles　ordained　some　by　the　laying　on　of　hands；　it　will　not　be　shown　that　they　did　so　in　every　congregation。　　　　　Excommunication；　as　not　clearly　provable　out　of　the　Scripture；　being　omitted；　the　second　part　of　the　order　implies　and　establishes　a　national　religion；　for　there　be　degrees　of　knowledge　in　divine　things；　true　religion　is　not　to　be　learned　without　searching　the　Scripture；　the　Scriptures　cannot　be　searched　by　us　unless　we　have　them　to　search；　and　if　we　have　nothing　else；　or　（which　is　all　one）　understand　nothing　else　but　a　translation；　we　may　be　（as　in　the　place　alleged　we　have　been）　beguiled　or　misled　by　the　translation；　while　we　should　be　searching　the　true　sense　of　the　Scripture；　which　cannot　be　attained　in　a　natural　way　（and　a　commonwealth　is　not　to　presume　upon　that　which　is　supernatural）　but　by　the　knowledge　of　the　original　and　of　antiquity；　acquired　by　our　own　studies；　or　those　of　some　others；　for　even　faith　comes　by　hearing。　Wherefore　a　commonwealth　not　making　provision　of　men　from　time　to　time；　knowing　in　the　original　languages　wherein　the　Scriptures　were　written；　and　versed　in　those　antiquities　to　which　they　so　frequently　relate；　that　the　true　sense　of　them　depends　in　great　part　upon　that　knowledge；　can　never　be　secure　that　she　shall　not　lose　the　Scripture；　and　by　consequence　her　religion；　which　to　preserve　she　must　institute　some　method　of　this　knowledge；　and　some　use　of　such　as　have　acquired　it；　which　amounts　to　a　national　religion。　　　　　The　commonwealth　having　thus　performed　her　duty　toward　God；　as　a　rational　creature；　by　the　best　application　of　her　reason　to　Scripture；　and　for　the　preservation　of　religion　in　the　purity　of　the　same；　yet　pretends　not　to　infallibility；　but　comes　in　the　third　part　of　the　order；　establishing　liberty　of　conscience　according　to　the　instructions　given　to　her　Council　of　Religion；　to　raise　up　her　hands　to　heaven　for　further　light；　in　which　proceeding　she　follows　that　（as　was　shown　in　the　preliminaries）　of　Israel；　who；　though　her　national　religion　was　always　a　part　of　her　civil　law；　gave　to　her　prophets　the　upper　hand　of　all　her　orders。　　　　　But　the　surveyors。　having　now　done　with　the　parishes；　took　their　leave；　so　a　parish　is　the　first　division　of　land　occasioned　by　the　first　collection　of　the　people　of　Oceana；　whose　function　proper　to　that　place　is　comprised　in　the　six　preceding　orders。　　　　　The　next　step　in　the　progress　of　the　surveyors　was　to　a　meeting　of　the　nearest　of　them；　as　their　work　lay；　by　twenties；　where　conferring　their　lists；　and　computing　the　deputies　contained　therein；　as　the　number　of　them　in　parishes；　being　nearest　neighbors；　amounted　to　100；　or　as　even　as　might　conveniently　be　brought　with　that　account；　they　cast　them　and　those　parishes　into　the　precinct　which　（be　the　deputies　ever　since　more　or　fewer）　is　still　called　the　hundred；　and　to　every　one　of　these　precincts　they　appointed　a　certain　place；　being　the　most　convenient　town　within　the　same；　for　the　annual　rendezvous；　which　done；　each　surveyor；　returning　to　his　hundred；　and　summoning　the　deputies　contained　in　his　lists　to　the　rendezvous；　they　appeared　and　received　　　　　　The　seventh　order；　requiring；　〃That　upon　the　first　Monday　next　ensuing　the　last　of　January；　the　deputies　of　every　parish　annually　assemble　in　arms　at　the　rendezvous　of　the　hundred；　and　there　elect　out　of　their　number　one　justice　of　the　peace；　one　juryman；　one　captain；　one　ensign　of　their　troop　or　century；　each　of　these　out　of　the　horse；　and　one　juryman；　one　coroner；　one　high　constable；　out　of　the　foot。　The　election　to　be　made　by　the　ballot　in　this　manner。　The　jurymen　for　the　time　being　are　to　be　overseers　of　the　ballot　（instead　of　these；　the　surveyors　are　to　officiate　at　the　first　assembly）；　and　to　look　to　the　performance　of　the　same　according　to　what　was　directed　in　the　ballot　of　the　parishes；　saving　that　the　high　constable　setting　forth　the　urn　shall　have　five　several　suits　of　gold　balls；　and　one　dozen　of　every　suit；　whereof　the　first　shall　be　marked　with　the　letter　A；　the　second　with　the　letter　B；　the　third　with　C；　the　fourth　with　D；　and　the　fifth　with　E：　and　of　each　of　these　suits　he　shall　cast　one　ball　into　his　hat；　or　into　a　little　urn；　and　shaking　the　balls　together；　present　them　to　the　first　overseer；　who　shall　draw　one；　and　the　suit　which　is　so　drawn　by　the　overseer　shall　be　of　use　for　that　day；　and　no　other；　for　example；　if　the　overseer　drew　an　A；　the　high　constable　shall　put　seven　gold　balls　marked　with　the　letter　A　into　the　urn；　with　so　many　silver　ones　as　shall　bring　them　even　with　the　number　of　the　deputies；　who　being　sworn；　as　before；　at　the　ballot　of　the　parish　to　make　a　fair　election；　shall　be　called　to　the　urn；　and　every　man　coming　in　manner　as　was　there　shown；　shall　draw　one　ball；　which；　if　it　be　silver；　he　shall　cast　it　into　a　bowl　standing　at　the　foot　of　the　urn；　and　return　to　his　place：　but　the　first　that　draws　a　gold　ball　（showing　it　to　the　overseers；　who　if　it　has　not　the　letter　of　the　present　ballot；　have　power　to　apprehend　and　punish　him）　is　the　first　elector；　the　second　the　second　elector；　and　so　to　the　seventh；　which　order　they　are　to　observe　in　their　function。　〃The　electors　as　they　are　drawn　shall　be　placed　upon　the　bench　by　the　overseers；　till　the　whole　number　be　complete；　and　then　be　conducted；　with　the　list　of　the　officers　to　be　chosen；　into　a　place　apart；　where；　being　private；　the　first　elector　shall　name　a　person　to　the　first　office　in　the　list；　and　if　the　person　so　named；　being　balloted　by　the　rest　of　the　electors；　attains　not　to　the　better　half　of　the　suffrages　in　the　affirmative；　the　first　elector　shall　continue　nominating　others；　till　one　of　them　so　nominated　by　him　attains　to　the　plurality　of　the　suffrages　in　the　affirmative；　and　be　written　first　competitor　to　the　first　office。　This　done；　the　second　elector　shall　observe　in　his　turn　the　like　order；　and　so　the　rest　of　the　electors；　naming　competitors　each　to　his　respective　office　in　the　list；　till　one　competitor　be　chosen　to　every　office：　and　when　one　competitor　is　chosen　to　every　office；　the　first　elector　shall　begin　again　to　name　a　second　competitor　to　the　first　office；　and　the　rest　successively　shall　name　to　the　rest　of　the　offices　till　two　competitors　be　chosen　to　every　office；　the　like　shall　be　repeated　till　three　competitors　be　chosen　to　every　office。　And　when　three　competitors　are　chosen　to　every　office；　the　list　shall　be　returned　to　the　overseers；　or　such　as　the　overseers；　in　case　they　or　either　of　them　happened　to　be　electors；　have　substituted　in　his　or　their　place　or　places；