§ 1.
The sound, and safe, and cautious, and truth-loving mind,—whatsoever things God hath put within the power of man,1 and hath submitted to our knowledge, in those it will into throughly exercise itself with all readiness, and in them will make progress, by such daily exercise facilitating its own improvement. And these are, partly, such as fall under our very sight, partly such as are openly and unambiguously expressed in terms in the Divine Scriptures. And therefore Parables ought to be expounded by things not in themselves ambiguous. For so both he who solves the question, runs no risk in doing so, and the Parables will receive like solution from all, and the body of truth remains entire, its members harmoniously arranged, and no shock incurred. But as to connecting with solutions of Parables, invented by each man according to his will, what is neither openly said, nor set before men’s eyes;—why, in that way the rule of truth will be found with no one, but according to the number of expounders of Parables, so many truths shall we see contending with each other, and setting up contradictory doctrines, much like the questions of the Heathen Philosophers.
§ 2.
And so on this plan a man will be always seeking but will never find,2 because he will have cast away the very rule of discovery. And when the Bridegroom is come, he who hath his lamp unprepared, shining with no radiance of open light, hath recourse to such as distort in the dark their solutions of parables, forsaking him who by open proclamation bestows free admission where He is, and so is excluded from His marriage Chamber. Since then all the Scriptures, both Prophecies and Gospels may be heard openly, and unequivocably, and alike, by all, though not all believe; since they set forth one only God, exclusive of others, Who made all by His Word, visible and invisible, in heaven and in earth, in water and under the earth;—as we have demonstrated from the very words of the Scriptures, the creature itself also wherein we are, witnessing the same by what comes in sight, viz. that there is One Who made and governs it:—very dull must they appear, who against so clear revelation close their eyes, and will not see the Light of preaching, but chain themselves back and think each of them to have found a god of his own by their dark solutions of Parables. For that concerning the imaginary Father of those who hold opposite opinions nothing is said openly or incontrovertibly in any Scripture at all, even they themselves witness, in saying, that the Saviour taught all the aforesaid in secret, not to all, but to some of the disciples, who are able to receive it; and to such as understand His meanings in arguments and riddles and parables. And they go so far as to say, that the God who is preached is not the same as the Father, who by parables and riddles is signified to be the Father.
§ 3.
Now since the Parables may receive many solutions, to affirm out of them concerning the investigation of God,3 leaving what is certain and undoubted and true, this is the part of persons quite throwing themselves headlong into peril, and wanting all reason; as who that loves truth will not confess? And what is this, but building one’s house not upon the firm and strong and conspicuous rock,4 but upon the shifting sand? Whence also to overturn the aforesaid building is easy.