they be corrupted little or much, as I will show in detail in the next
chapter, though I think the question sufficiently plain from what I have
said already, especially in Chapter II.




CHAPTER XIII - IT IS SHOWN THAT SCRIPTURE TEACHES ONLY VERY SIMPLE
DOCTRINES, SUCH AS SUFFICE FOR RIGHT CONDUCT.

(1) In the second chapter of this treatise we pointed out that the prophets
were gifted with extraordinary powers of imagination, but not of
understanding; also that God only revealed to them such things as are very
simple - not philosophic mysteries, - and that He adapted His
communications to their previous opinions. (2) We further showed in Chap. V.
that Scripture only transmits and teaches truths which can readily be
comprehended by all; not deducing and concatenating its conclusions from
definitions and axioms, but narrating quite simply, and confirming its
statements, with a view to inspiring belief, by an appeal to experience as
exemplified in miracles and history, and setting forth its truths in the
style and phraseology which would most appeal to the popular mind (cf. Chap.
VI., third division).

(3) Lastly, we demonstrated in Chap. VIII. that the difficulty of
understanding Scripture lies in the language only, and not in the
abstruseness of the argument.

(4) To these considerations we may add that the Prophets did not preach only
to the learned, but to all Jews, without exception, while the Apostles were
wont to teach the gospel doctrine in churches where there were public