for everyone must recognize that knowledge of God is not equal among all
good men. (22) Moreover, a man cannot be ordered to be wise any more than he
can be ordered to live and exist. (23) Men, women, and children are all
alike able to obey by, commandment, but not to be wise. If any tell us that
it is not necessary to understand the Divine attributes, but that we must
believe them simply, without proof, he is plainly, trifling. (24) For what
is invisible and can only, be perceived by the mind, cannot be apprehended
by any, other means than proofs; if these are absent the object remains
ungrasped; the repetition of what has been heard on such subjects no more
indicates or attains to their meaning than the words of a parrot or a puppet
speaking without sense or signification.

(25) Before I proceed I ought to explain how it comes that we are often told
in Genesis that the patriarchs preached in the name of Jehovah, this being
in plain contradiction to the text above quoted. (26) A reference to what
was said in Chap. VIII. will readily explain the difficulty. (27) It was
there shown that the writer of the Pentateuch did not always speak of things
and places by the names they bore in the times of which he was writing, but
by the names best known to his contemporaries. (28) God is thus said in the
Pentateuch to have been preached by the patriarchs under the name of
Jehovah, not because such was the name by which the patriarchs knew
Him, but because this name was the one most reverenced by the Jews.
(29) This point, I say, must necessarily be noticed, for in Exodus it is
expressly stated that God was not known to the patriarchs by this name; and
in chap. iii:13, it is said that Moses desired to know the name of God. (30)
Now, if this name had been already known it would have been known to Moses.
(31) We must therefore draw the conclusion indicated, namely, that the
faithful patriarchs did not know this name of God, and that the knowledge of
God is bestowed and not commanded by the Deity.