I hold to the premise that we should interpret Scripture literally. As the Westminster Confession and the Second London Confession put it (1.9)

… the true and full sense of any Scripture … [is] not many but one.

According to R. C. Sproul Luther held to the position that we should seek the plain meaning of the Word. Dr. Sproul explains sensus literalis in the podcast Literal Interpretation, A Broadcast with R. C. Sproul. In this podcast Dr. Sproul answers the question “What does it mean to interpret the Bible literally?”. It seems to me that many conservative Christians in the Ressourcement/Retrieval/Renewal Movement are advocating the quadriga (the fourfold interpretation) of Scripture rather than sensus literalis. I consider this aspect of the Retrieval Movement to be counter-productive to the maintenance of the principal goals of the Protestant Reformation.

I recommend this podcast to anyone who wants to consider this issue: Literal Interpretation, A Broadcast with R. C. Sproul.