Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 3 · Subsection 7 – Subsection 10
5. Quest. Whether eueryevery man can be said to be a liar.
Origen here mooueth this doubt, if eueryevery man be a liar, then Paul also was a liar, and Dauid, for they were men.
1. Hierome vponupon this place, would hauehave this generall particle, all, to be restrained, and to be taken for the most part: as when S. Paul saith, All seeke their owne: and, Psal. 14.5. All are gone out of the way. But it is euident v. 12. of this chapter, that the Apostle vnderstandeth all, without any exception.
2. Some by omnis, eueryevery one, vnderstand the Iew, or such as were incredulous: gloss. ordinar. But Beza well maketh a difference betweene foreign, disobedient, vnfaithfull, which he affirmed onelyonly of some, and foreign, a liar, which he ascribeth to all without exception.
3. An other answer is, that in respect of God, all men are said to be liars, because God onelyonly is immutable: But in this sense, not onelyonly men but Angels should be said to be liars, for they also are mutable and changeable beeing compared with the Creator.
4. There are then two answers, which will fully satisfie: 1. the Apostle speaketh of men, as they are in themselues by nature, so eueryevery one is apt and prone vntounto lying, not as they are regenerate and renewed by grace, and speake by the spirit of God, as Dauid, and Paul did: Pereus: this solution followeth Augustine in his commentarie vponupon the 116. Psalme, EueryEvery duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page
2. This some expound of the absolute promises of God: for some of his promises are absolute, as those made to the fathers, of the giuing of the lawe, and of the c…ing of Christ: some were conditionall, as that they should for euer inherite the land of Canaan, if they walked in Gods commandements: the first is called by the schoolemen, prop…esia predestinationis, the prophesie of predestination, the other the prophesie comminationis, of commination: and diuerse will hauehave the first kind to be here vnderstood, as Lyranus, Caietan, Perer. Faius. Pareus reiecteth this interpretation, because all the promises of the Lawe and Gospel hauehave annexed the condition of obedience or faith.
3. Some giuegive this sense, by faith, vnderstanding the beleefe of the faithfull reposed in Gods promises: that the infidelitie of some could not evacuate the faith of others: Origen. but by the words following, let God be true, shew that the faith of God, that is, made by him, not faith reposed in him, is here signified.
4. Some thus expound, quantum ad Deum, that God for his part is readie to keepe his promises, if men performe the condition: but if they by their infidelitie depriue themselues of the promise, the fayling is in themselues and not in God, Pareus dub. 1. But this doth not fully satisfie, for if the promises of God should hauehave beene altogether evacuated, though not by any inconstancie in God, but their infidelitie, yet they should hauehave beene without effect: which the Apostle denieth.
5. Chrysostome thus inferreth: that their incredulitie is so farre from laying any fault vponupon God, vt maiorem illius ostendat bonitatem, that it more commendeth his goodnesse, when he seemed to honour those which dishonoured him: So also Beza, the goodnesse of God is so much the more commendable, quanto indigniores sunt, quorum miseretur, the more vnworthie they are, that he hath merciemercy on: But to the incredulous the promises of God were of no effect: they were depriued, Heb. 4.1.
6. Therefore it must be obserued, that the Apostle saith not all, but, some, what though some did not beleeue, Gualter. they then which beleeued not non praeindicabant caeteris, did not hinder or were preiudiciall to those which beleeued, gloss. ordinar. he signifieth, sempa mansisse quosdam, &c. that there were alwaies found among them in that nation, that beleeued in Gods promises, and therefore the promises of God are not evacuate, Calvin. like as, though the Sunne seeme not to rise vntounto those, which are blind, yet he doth rise vntounto those, that are of perfect sight, Gryneus. as then the Sunne should rise, though no m… could see it: yet God hath ordained, both that the Sun should giuegive light, and some should enioy it: So God would shewe himselfe true and stedfast in his promises, though all m… should fall away from him: yet he hath ordained, that as he keepeth truth in his promises, so there should be alwaies some in the Church, which should beleeue them.
Quest. 3. How God is said to be true.
1. The vulgar Latine readeth, God is true, and so some of the fathers hauehave followed that reading, as Cyprian epist. 55. ad Cornel. and Ambrose lib. 3. de side, c. 3. and so the Syrian interpreter: but in the originall Greeke, it is in the imparatiue, foreign, let God be true: which Origen thinketh must be vnderstood, non praeceptive, by way of precept, but pronuntiative, as pronouncing, that God is true: And here it is taken in the same sense, as when we say in the Lords prayer, let thy name be hallowed: then siat, let him be, is here all one, as manifestetur, let him be manifested to be true: sit nobis verax, intelligatur, let him be true to vsus, that is, be so taken and vnderstood to be: Photius: so also Basil lib. 4. cont. Eunem.
2. Now this difference is betweene veracitie, and fidelitie, the first is circa verba, abo… words, that no vntruth be vttered, the other is circa pacta, concerning couenants and premises, in keeping and performing them: faithfulnes and fidelitie alwaies includeth veritie: but there may be veritie in speaking, without fidelitie, when as truth is onelyonly vttered without any promise to performe any thing: But here veracitie is taken for fidelitie: as Psal. 86.15. the Lord is said to be great in kindnes and truth. Tolet.
3. Now the Lord is said to be true, 1. not onelyonly effective, because he effecteth his promises, which he made to Abraham, as concerning the land of promise, and concerni… Christ, Haymo: but essentialiter, he is essentially true and constant in himselfe, he can not lie Man is saide to be true, because he will not sometime lie, though he may and can lie: But God is so true, that he can not lie: neither doth this argue an impotencie of nature in God for as in a man posse mentiri, to can, or be able to lie, argueth an infirmitie, rather then power; so in God it sheweth his power, that he can not lie, because it is contrarie to his na… Faius.
4. It will be obiected, that God sent a lying spirit into the mouthes of Ahabs false prophets: how then is God true, that sendeth forth a lying spirit? Ans. Sathan was indeede the author of that lying, and offered himselfe to goe: God onelyonly permitted and suffered him, & efficaciam erroris dedit, and gaue way, and efficacie of error, and by his iust iudgement deliuered Ahab ouer to be deceiued, and deluded by them: God was no way accessarie vntounto the act of lying. Faius.
5. This saying of the Apostle, God is true, though it be not cited out of any speciall text of Scripture; yet it may be collected out of diuers places, vntounto the which it is agreeable: as, Numb. 23.18. God is not as man, that he should lie. Psal. 85.15. God is great in kindnes and truth. Psal. 36.6. Thy truth reacheth vntounto the clouds. Psal. 89.33. I will not falsifie my truth. Ier. 10.10. The Lord is the God of truth, he is the liuing God, and an euerlasting king: Out of all these places, or any of them may this sentence be alleadged. Pareus, Perer.
4. Quest. How eueryevery man is said to be a lyar.
1. Foure waies is a man giuen to lying. 1. by the circumstance of his nature, because he is mutable, and readie to alter and change his purpose. 2. by the prauitie and peruersnes of his will, in not keeping that which he hath promised. 3. in the vanitie of his minde, in delighting in lies, and giuing eare vntounto fables. 4. in his malice, in inventing and deuising lies many times to beguile and deceiue. Gryneus, Martyr.
2. Hugo thus distinguisheth these kinds of lying: there is triplex vanitas, a threefold vanitie, which a threefold lying followeth: there is vanitas essentiae, the vanitie of mans nature and essence, which is to be mutable and changeable: and this is common to man with all other creatures, and hence is the first kind before spoken of: then there is vanitas miseriae, the vanitie of miserie and wretchednes, which is incident to all liuing things: such is the miserie of mans nature, that neither he can doe what he would, neither yet often will doe that which he can: hence is the peruersnes of the will, in not performing and keeping that which is promised, which is the second kind before spoken of: the third is vanitas culpae, the vanitie of sinne: which is proper onelyonly to the reasonable creature: hence are the two last kinds before spoken of, either to giuegive care vntounto lies, or to deuise them.
3. But there is great difference betweene mentiri, & mendacium dicere, betweene lying, and telling of a lie: one is said to lie, when he doth it anima fallendi, with a mind to deceiue: one may tell a lie, and yet not lie himselfe: when he reporteth that which is false: as many such false and fabulous things, are found in Herodotus and Plinir. Faius.
4. Augustine distinguisheth a lie into three kinds: there is perniciosum, officiosum, iocosum, a pernicious lie, which is to deceiue, and to doe hurt; an officious lie, which is made to preserue an others life; and a lie made in merriment in sport: none of these lies can be iustified, but the first is the worst. But here is no place at large to handle these things: I referre the Reader to the questions vponupon the 9. Commandement in Hexapla vponupon Exodus, chap. 20.
5. Quest. Whether eueryevery man can be said to be a liar.
Origen here mooueth this doubt, if eueryevery man be a liar, then Paul also was a liar, and Dauid, for they were men.
1. Hierome vponupon this place, would hauehave this generall particle, all, to be restrained, and to be taken for the most part: as when S. Paul saith, All seeke their owne: and, Psal. 14.5. All are gone out of the way. But it is euident v. 12. of this chapter, that the Apostle vnderstandeth all, without any exception.
2. Some by omnis, eueryevery one, vnderstand the Iew, or such as were incredulous: gloss. ordinar. But Beza well maketh a difference betweene foreign, disobedient, vnfaithfull, which be affirmed onelyonly of some, and foreign, a liar, which he ascribeth to all without exception.
3. An other answer is, that in respect of God, all men are said to be liars, because God onelyonly is immutable: But in this sense, not onelyonly men but Angels should be said to be liars, for they also are mutable and changeable beeing compared with the Creator.
4. There are then two answers, which will fully satisfie: 1. the Apostle speaketh of men, as they are in themselues by nature, so eueryevery one is apt and prone vntounto lying, not as they are regenerate and renewed by grace, and speake by the spirit of God, as Dauid, and Paul did: Pareus: this solution followeth Augustine in his commentarie vponupon the 116. Psalme, EueryEvery man is a lyar, if man be considered in himselfe, sed gratia Dei verax efficitur, but by the grace of God he is made true: and againe, he alleadgeth that place in the Psalme, I said ye are gods, &c. in tantum non erit homo mendax, in quantum homines erunt dij, as men are gods, so they are not liars: So before him Origen vrging those words of our Sauiour, Ioh. 10.35. If he called them gods, to whome the word of God was, &c. but the word of God came vntounto Dauid, and vntounto Paul, non vti que homines erant, sed dij: therefore they herein were not men, but gods. 2. This must be vnderstood, of a generall pronenes and inclination by nature vntounto lying, not of the very act it selfe of lying: It followeth, because eueryevery man is naturally a liar, that therefore morally he should be a lyar in act: Pareus: so then eueryevery man is said to be a liar, quia mentiri potest, quamvis non mentiatur, because he may and can lie, though alwaies he doe not lie. Tolet.