The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

to wit, because he doth sometimes rage openly, & sometimes he creepeth in craftily under lies, he hath also two kinds of lying and deceiving either when he overthroweth the word of God with false doctrines & gross superstitions, or else when he doth craftily feign that he is a friend of the word, and so doth insinuate himself subtly, yea he doth never hurt more deadly, than when he transformeth himself into an angel of light. Now we perceive to what end that so gorgeous a title did tend, wherewith he did extol Paul and his companions: name lie▪ because it was not so convenient for him, to make open war against the gospel, he went about to overthrow the credit thereof by secrete shifts. For if Paul had admitted that testimony, there should have been no longer any difference between the wholesome doctrine of Christ, and the mocks of Satan. The light and brightness of the gospel should have been entangled in the darkness of lying, and so quite put out.

to wit, bicause he doth somtimes rage openly, & sometimes hee creepeth in craftily vnder lyes, hee hath also two kindes of lying and deceiuing either when he ouerthroweth the worde of God with false doctrines & grosse superstitions, or els when he doth craftily feigne that he is a friend of the word, and so doth insinuate himself subtilly, yea he doth neuer hurt more deadly, thā whē he transfourmeth himselfe into an angell of light. Now wee perceiue to what end that so gorgeous a title did tend, wherwith he did extoll Paul and his companions: name lie▪ because it was not so conuenient for him, to make open warre against the gospel, he went about to ouerthrow the credite thereof by secrete shifts. For if Paul had admitted that testimonie, there should haue been no longer any difference between the wholsome doctrine of Christ, and the mockes of Satan. The light and brightnesse of the gospel should haue been intangled in the darknesse of lying, and so quite put out.

But the question is why God doth grant Satan so great liberty, as to suffer him to deceive miserable men, and to bewitch them with true divinations. For omitting the disputations which some men move concerning his foresight, I take this for a plain lease, that he doth prophesy and foretell things to come, and which re hidden only through Gods sufferance. But God seemeth by this eanes to lay open men who are reckless or careless, to his subtlety, so that they cannot beware. For seeing that prophesies breath out divine power, mens minds must needs be touched with reverence so often as they come abroad unless they contemn God. I answer, that Satan hath never so much liberty granted him of god, save only that the unthankful world may he punished which is so desirous of a lie, that it had rather be deceived, then obey the truth. For that is a general evil,