east liable to reverses, which is founded and directed by
far-seeing and careful men; while, on the other hand, a society
constituted by men without trained skill, depends in a great measure on
fortune, and is less constant. If, in spite of all, such a society lasts
a long time, it is owing to some other directing influence than its own;
if it overcomes great perils and its affairs prosper, it will perforce
marvel at and adore the guiding Spirit of God (in so far, that is, as
God works through hidden means, and not through the nature and mind of
man), for everything happens to it unexpectedly and contrary to
anticipation, it may even be said and thought to be by miracle. Nations,
then, are distinguished from one another in respect to the social
organization and the laws under which they live and are governed; the
Hebrew nation was not chosen by God in respect to its wisdom nor its
tranquillity of mind, but in respect to its social organization and the
good fortune with which it obtained supremacy and kept it so many years.
This is abundantly clear from Scripture. Even a cursory perusal will
show us that the only respects in which the Hebrews surpassed other
nations, are in their successful conduct of matters relating to
government, and in their surmounting great perils solely by God's
external aid; in other ways they were on a par with their fellows, and
God was equally gracious to all. For in respect to intellect (as we have
shown in the last chapter) they held very ordinary ideas about God and
Nature, so that they cannot have been God's chosen in this respect; nor
were they so chosen in respect of virtue and the true life, for here
again they, with the exception of a very few elect, were on an equality
with other nations: therefore their choice and vocation consisted only
in the temporal happiness and advantages of independent rule. In fact,
we do not see that God promised anything beyond this to the patriarchs
or their successors; in the law no other reward is offered for obedience
than the continual happiness of an independent commonwealth and other
goods of this life; while, on the other hand, against contumacy and the
breaking of the covenant is threatened the downfall of the commonwealth
and great hardships. Nor is this to be wondered at; for the ends of
every social organization and commonwealth are (as appears from what we
have said, and as we will explain more at length hereafter) security and
comfort; a commonw