'Searching for articles of faith in the by-paths and corners of secret places, leads not to faith': Jeremy Taylor, the Reformed tradition, and the literal sense of Scripture

In his sermon 'The Minister's Duty in Life and Doctrine' - preached at the primary visitation of his diocese in 1661 - Jeremy Taylor set out three reasons why "in all the interpretations of Scripture, the literal sense is to be presumed and chosen, unless there be evident cause to the contrary":

1. That God hath plainly and literally described all his will, both in belief and practice, in which our essential duty, the duty of all men, is concerned. 2. That, in plain expressions, we are to look for our duty, and not in the more secret places and darker corners of the Scripture. 3. That you may regularly, certainly, and easily do your, duty to the people, if you read and literally expound the plain sayings, and easily expressed commandments, and promises, and threatenings of the Gospel, and the Psalms, and the prophets.

On this basis he then warned his clergy against setting aside "the literal sense" of Scripture in favour of "a spiritual and mystical interpretation":

If the letter of the story infers any indecency or contradiction, then it is necessary that a spiritual or mystical sense be thought of; but never else is it necessary. It may in other cases be useful, when it does advantage to holiness; and may be safely used, if used modestly; but because this spiritual or mystical interpretation, when it is not necessary, cannot be certainly proved, but relies upon fancy, or at most some light inducement, no such interpretation can be used as an argument to prove an article of faith, nor relied upon in matters of necessary concern. The "three measures of meal," in the Gospel, are but an ill argument to prove the blessed and eternal Trinity: and it may be, the three angels that came to Abraham will signify no more than the two that came to Lot, or the single one to Manoah or St. John. This Divine mystery relies upon a more sure foundation; and he makes it unsure that causes it to lean upon an unexpounded vision, that was sent to other purposes. "Non esse contentiosis et infidelibus sensibus ingerendum," said St. Austin of the book of Genesis. Searching for articles of faith in the by-paths and corners of secret places, leads not to faith but to infidelity, and by making the foundations unsure, causes the articles to be questioned ... But because it seldom happens that they can be proved, therefore you are not to feed your flocks with such herbs whose virtue you know not, of whose wholesomeness or powers of nourishing you are wholly, or for the most part, ignorant.

Taylor's emphasis on the literal interpretation of holy Scripture and rejection of mystical readings is, of course, a characteristically Protestant stance. Indeed, we might even suggest that Taylor's understanding of the literal sense has more in common with with a Reformed than Lutheran approach. This is also seen in Taylor's treatment of the Psalms, which was very much closer to the Reformed 'ecclesial' reading than it was to the Lutheran Christological reading. As G. Sujin Pak has stated, examining the differences in interpretation of Psalms 8 and 16 offered by Bucer and Calvin in contrast to Luther:

While Luther used these two psalms to teach the doctrines of Trinity, the two natures of Christ, the nature of Christ's kingdom and the doctrine of justification by faith alone, Bucer and Calvin emphasized the teachings these psalms give for the consolation and comfort of God's church - whether in reference to God's providence (Calvin) or in reference to the restorative and saving work of Christ for the church (Bucer) ... in terms of biblical interpretive method, we see that while for Luther the historical context of these psalms is first and foremost the life and death of Jesus Christ, for Bucer and Calvin it is first and foremost the life of David. The validity and helpfulness of humanistic tools and emphases, such as attention to Hebrew grammar, positive use of Jewish exegesis, and the theme of the excellence of humanity, also figure more prominently in the Reformed exegeses of these psalms.

With regards to Psalm 8, the interpretation given by Calvin and Bucer starkly contrasts with Luther's insistence that this psalm addresses "the workings of the Trinity ... the dominion and kingship of Christ":

Calvin and Bucer interpret the main content of Psalm 8 to be the celebration of God's fatherly beneficence to humankind. The movement of the text for them is that in the first verses God's infinite greatness and authorship of all things are praised, and these call humanity to awaken to pious praise of God. The middle section of Psalm 8 then brings in a contrast between the infinite greatness of God and the lowliness of humanity, and yet God shows great favor to humanity and crowns humanity with gifts. Thus, the phrase "You have made him a little lower than angels" (Ps. 8,5) is interpreted by Calvin and Bucer as referring to the excellence of humanity - that humanity is the most divine of all creatures. Finally, the last verses of Psalm 8 (verses 6 to 8) are understood also concerning humanity - that God has given to humanity dominion over the works of God's hands.

As is abundantly clear from Taylor's collect accompanying Psalm 8, he sides with the reading offered by Calvin and Bucer, not Luther:

O Lord God, Father of men and Angels, God of all the Creatures, who hast created all things in a wonderfull order, and hast made them all conveyances of thy mercies to mankinde, give us great and dreadfull apprehensions of thy glory and immensity, thy Majesty and mercy, that we may adore thee as our Creator, love thee as our Redeemer, fear thee as our God, obey thee as our Governour, and praise thee as the author and fountain of all perfections, and all good which thou hast communicated to thy creatures, that they may all in their proportions doe thee service, who hast to that end made the world, and redeemed us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

On the Lutheran view that Psalm 8 refers to the Incarnation, therefore, we might hear Taylor's counsel to his clergy: "This Divine mystery relies upon a more sure foundation".

Similarly, whereas Luther approved of the Trinitarian interpretation of Genesis 18, Taylor's rejection of a mystical reading of Abraham's Three Visitors - also stated by him elsewhere - echoed Calvin's treatment of that reading:

The mystery which some of the ancient writers have endeavored to elicit from this act; namely, that Abraham adored one out of the three, whom he saw, and, therefore perceived by faith, that there are three persons in one God, since it is frivolous, and obnoxious to ridicule and calumny, I am more than content to omit.

Mindful of Taylor's wider theological and ecclesiastical commitments - on, for example, Original Sin and episcopacy - we might be somewhat surprised that he urges his clergy to expound Scripture in a characteristically Reformed manner. It does, however, cohere with other aspects of Taylor's thought: his Reformed understanding of partaking of Christ in the Eucharist and of images in light of the second Commandment. As such, it is a reminder that - despite an obviously significant critique of aspects of Reformed theology and order -  the Reformed tradition shaped and influenced Taylor (and other Laudians) to a much greater extent than some rather simplistic accounts of 'anti-Calvinism' suggest.