Solid food of Scripture; XXXI–XXXII public and private interpretive power
Solid food is contained chiefly in these four: (1) the true and certain accommodation of the prophets to their defined times, places, things, and persons; (2) the exact and full reduction of Levitical shadows to their body and truth exhibited in the New Testament; (3) the fitting application of the divine governance typified through all Scripture to its truth; (4) the neat and undoubted explanation of the whole created universe — which is its Creator's image, and in which the letter, parables, and phrases of all Sacred Scripture lie ready — to its truth described in the same place.
XXXI. The power of interpreting and judging is twofold: public or private. Both rest on vocation and a singular gift. XXXII. The power of privately judging Sacred Scripture's sense in things necessary to salvation belongs to all the faithful, for confirming their own faith and edifying others, according to the law of charity, the measure of the gift received, and the diverse reason of calling. The Leiden theologians rightly draw this from the Synopsis of Purer Theology (disp. 5, th. 29) out of John 10:3; Matt. 7:15; 1 Cor. 10:15; 1 John 4:1. This kind of judging rests on the gift of discernment (1 Cor. 2:15; Heb. 5:14; Phil. 1:10).
The power of publicly judging the truth of interpretation belongs only to those who by peculiar vocation and gift of interpreting are furnished for it. The grades of this vocation are listed in Eph. 4:11; the gift is indicated in Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 14:3, 29. And although in every age there have also been other Christians who by prayers and assiduous reading and meditation of Sacred Scripture received the gift of interpreting the sacred letters for public uses and of proving spirits in fuller measure than some pastors; yet that gift is chiefly to be sought among those whom God has peculiarly called to teach his Church publicly (Mal. 2:6–7).
Latin
Solidus vero cibus his quatuor potissimum continetur: 1. Prophetarum suarum ad sua definita tempora, loca, res & personas vera & certa accommodatione. 2. Umbrarum Leviticarum ad corpus & veritatem suam in N.T. exhibitam exacta & plena reductione. 3. Gubernationis divinae per universam Scripturam typice adumbratae ad veritatem suam convenienti applicatione. 4. Totius creatae universitatis, quae Creatoris sui imago est, & in qua totius sacrae Scripturae litera, parabolae & phrases obviae sunt, ad veritatem suam ibidem descriptam concinna & indubitata explicatione. XXXI. Est autem ea interpretandi, judicandique potestas duplex, vel publica vel privata. Utraque vocatione & dono singulari nititur. XXXII. Potestas privatim judicandi de sacrae Scripturae sensu in rebus ad salutem necessariis est omnium fidelium ad confirmationem fidei propriae & aedificationem alienam, secundum charitatis legem, doni accepti mensuram & vocationis diversam rationem. Hanc Theologi Leidenenses recte deducunt synopsi purioris Theologiae disp.5. thes.29. ex Joh. 10.3. Matth. 7.15. 1. Cor. 10.15. 1. Joh. 4.1. Hocque judicandi genus nititur dono discretionis, 1. Cor. 2.15. Heb. 5.14. Phil. 1.10. Potestas publice judicandi de veritate interpretationis est eorum duntaxat, qui peculiari vocatione & dono interpretandi ad hoc instructi sunt. Hujus vocationis gradus enumerantur Eph. 4.11. Donum vero indicatur Rom. 12.6. 1. Cor. 14.3.29. Et quanquam inter alios quoque Christianos omnibus seculis exstiterunt, qui per preces, assiduamque sacrae Scripturae lectionem & meditationem, donum sacras literas ad usus publicos interpretandi & spiritus probandi ampliori mensura, quam nonnulli pastores acceperint; tamen donum illud inter eos praecipue quaerendum est, quos Deus ad Ecclesiam suam publice docendam peculiariter vocavit, Malach. 2.6.7.