29. Because, therefore, lying
heretics find not in the books of the New Testament any
precedents of lying which are meet to be imitated, they
esteem themselves to be most copious in their disputation wherein
they opine that it is right to lie, when from the old prophetical
books, because it doth not appear therein, save to the few who
understand, to what must be referred the significative sayings and
doings which as such be true, they seem to themselves to find out
and allege many that be lies. But desiring to have, wherewith they
may defend themselves, precedents of deceit seemingly meet to be
imitated, they deceive themselves, and “their iniquity lieth unto
itself.” Those
persons, however, of whom it is not there to be believed that they
wished to prophesy, if in doing or saying they feigned aught with
will of deceiving, however it may be that from the very things also
which they did or said somewhat prophetical may be shapen out, being by His omnipotence afore deposited therein as a seed and pre-disposed, Who knoweth how to turn to good account even the ill-deeds of men, yet as far as regards the persons themselves, without doubt they lied. But they ought not to be esteemed meet for imitation simply for that they are found in those books which are deservedly called holy and divine: for those books contain the record of both the ill deeds and the good deeds of men; the one to be eschewed, the other to be followed after: and some are so put, that upon them is also sentence passed; some, with no judgment there expressed, are left permitted for us to judge of: because it was meet that we should not only be nourished by that which is plain, but exercised by that which is obscure.