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.”56    Ps. 26 (Heb. xxvii), 12. “Mentitur eorum iniquitas sibi.” LXX. ἐψεύσατο ἡ ἀδικία ἑαυτῇ. Heb. and E.V. “And such as breathe out cruelty.” 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.

CAPUT XIV.

29. Exempla Scripturae veteris, si quae ibi narrantur hominum mendacia, non esse imitanda. Ut non imitanda Judae fornicatio, ita nec mendacium Thamar. Quia ergo non inveniunt mendaces haeretici 0539 in Testamenti Novi litteris imitanda exempla mendacii, copiosissimos se esse existimant in hac disputatione, qua opinantur esse mentiendum, cum de veteribus propheticis Libris, quia non ibi apparet nisi intelligentibus paucis quo referantur significativa dicta vel facta veracia, multa sibi videntur invenire ac proferre mendacia. Sed habere cupientes quibus se tueantur velut imitanda exempla fallendi, se ipsos fallunt, et mentitur eorum iniquitas sibi (Psal. XXVI, 12). Illae autem personae, quas credendum ibi non est prophetare voluisse, si quid faciendo vel dicendo finxerunt voluntate fallendi; quamvis ex ipsis quoque factis earum sive dictis aliquid propheticum possit exsculpi, per illius omnipotentiam praeseminatum atque dispositum, qui bene uti novit etiam malis hominum; tamen quantum ad ipsas attinet, sine dubitatione mentitae sunt. Sed non ideo debent imitanda existimari, quia in eis reperiuntur Libris qui sancti et divini merito nominantur. Habent enim conscripta et mala hominum et bona; illa vitanda, ista sectanda: et quaedam ita posita ut de illis etiam prolata sit sententia, quaedam vero tacito ibi judicio nobis judicanda permissa; quoniam non solum nos nutriri manifestis, verum et exerceri oportebat obscuris.