Gildas Salvianus: The Reformed Pastor

5. All our teaching must be as Plain and Evident as we can make it. For this doth most suite to a Teachers ends. He that would be understood, must speak to the capacity of his hearers, and make it his business to make himself understood. Truth loves the Light, and is most beautiful when most naked. Its a sign of an envious enemy to hide the truth; and a sign of an Hypocrite to do this under pretence of revealing it: and therefore painted obscure Sermons (like the painted glass in the windows that keeps out the light) are too oft the marks of painted Hypocrites. If you would not Teach men, what do you in the Pulpit? If you would, why do you not speak so as to be understood? I know the height of the matter may make a man not understood when he hath studied to make it as plain as he can; but that a man should purposely cloud the matter in strange words, and hide his mind from the people, whom he pretendeth to instruct, is the way to make fools admire his profound learning, and wise men his folly, pride and hypocrisy. And usually its a suspicious sign of some deceitful project and false Doctrine that needeth such a cloak, and must walk thus masked in the open day light. Thus did the followers of Basilides, and Valentinus, and others among the old Heretics; and thus do the Behmenists and other Paracelsians now; who when they have spoken that few may understand them, lest they ⟨p. 124⟩expose their errors to the open view, they pretend a necessity of it, because of mens prejudice, and the unpreparedness of common understandings for the truth. But truth overcomes prejudice by mere light of Evidence, and there is no better way to make a good cause prevail, then to make it as plain, and commonly and throughly known as we can; and it is this Light that will dispose an unprepared mind. And, at best, its a sign that he hath not well digested the matter himself, that is not able to deliver it plainly to another. I mean, as plain as the nature of the matter will bear, in regard of capacities prepared for it by prerequisite truths. For I know that some men cannot at present under stand some truths, if you speak them as plainly as words can express them: as the easiest Rules in Grammar most plainly taught, will be no whit understood by a child that is but learning his Alphabet.

5. All our teaching must be as Plain and Evident as we can make it. For this doth most suite to a Teachers ends. He that would be understood, must speak to the capacity of his hearers, and make it his business to make himself understood. Truth loves the Light, and is most beautiful when most naked. Its a sign of an envious enemy to hide the truth; and a sign of an Hypocrite to do this under pretence of revealing it: and therefore painted obscure Sermons (like the painted glass in the windows that keeps out the light) are too oft the markes of painted Hypocrites. If you would not Teach men, what do you in the Pulpit? If you would, why do you not speak so as to be understood? I know the height of the matter may make a man not understood when he hath studied to make it as plain as he can; but that a man should purposely cloud the matter in strange words, and hide his mind from the people, whom he pretendeth to instruct, is the way to make fools admire his profound learning, and wise men his folly, pride and hypocrisie. And usually its a suspicious sign of some deceitful project and false Doctrine that needeth such a cloak, and must walk thus masked in the open day light. Thus did the followers of Basilides, and Valentinus, and others among the old Hereticks; and thus do the Behmenists and other Paracelsians now; who when they have spoken that few may understand them, lest they