hand, in the places where He
appeared to His disciples; but in these matters they might, without
injury to Gospel teaching, have been deceived, as was the case with
other prophets.... But Paul, to whom Christ afterwards appeared,
rejoices that he knew Christ, not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
_From a letter to Henry Oldenburg_ (Jan. 1676).

CHAPTER IV

OF THE VOCATION OF THE HEBREWS[6]

Every man's true happiness and blessedness consist solely in the
enjoyment of what is good, not in the pride that he alone is enjoying
it, to the exclusion of others. He who thinks himself the more blessed
because he is enjoying benefits which others are not, or because he is
more blessed or more fortunate than his fellows, is ignorant of true
happiness and blessedness, and the joy which he feels is either childish
or envious and malicious. For instance, a man's true happiness consists
only in wisdom, and the knowledge of the truth, not at all in the fact
that he is wiser than others, or that others lack such knowledge: such
considerations do not increase his wisdom or true happiness.

Whoever, therefore, rejoices for such reasons, rejoices in another's
misfortune, and is, so far, malicious and bad, knowing neither true
happiness nor the peace of the true life.

When Scripture, therefore, in exhorting the Hebrews to obey the law,
says that the Lord has chosen them for Himself before other nations
(Deut. x. 15); that He is near them, but not near others (Deut. iv. 7);
that to them alone He has given just laws (Deut. iv. 8); and, lastly,
that He has marked them out before others (Deut. iv. 32); it speaks only
according to the understanding of its hearers, who, as we have shown in
the last chapter, and as Moses also testified (Deut. ix. 6, 7), knew not
true blessedness. For in good sooth they would have been no less blessed
if God had called all men equally to salvation, nor would God have been
less present to them for being equally present to others; their laws
would have been no less just if they had been ordained for all, and they
themselves would have been no less wise. The miracles would have shown
God's power no less by being wrought for other nations also; lastly, the
Hebrews would have been just as much bound to worship God if He had
bestowed all these gifts equally on all men.

When God tells Solomon (1 Kings iii. 12) that no one shall be as wise as
he in time to come, it seems to be only a manner of expressi