And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Ver. 10. O full of all subtilty and all mischief] Gr. ραδιουργια, maleficiency, thou that by long dealing hast gotten a dexterity in evil doing. This was plain dealing, such as Master Philpot, martyr, used to Morgan, and other popelings that set upon him; such as Maris, the blind bishop of Bithynia, used to Julian the Apostate. For when Julian had said to him, Behold, thou art blind; thinkest thou that the Galilean thy God careth for thee? Maris replied, O tu impie Apostata! gratias ago Deo meo, qui me caecum reddidit, ne vultum tuum videam ita ad impietatem prolapsum: O thou wicked apostate! I bless my Lord Christ who hath made me blind, that I might not see thy cursed countenance. When Servetus condemned Zuinglius for his harsh handling of him, he answers, In aliis mansuetus ero; in blasphemiis in Christum non ita: In other things I will use mildness, but not in dealing with those that blaspheme Christ. a Mihi sane Auxentius erit diabolus quamdiu Arianus, said Hilary, I shall think Auxentias to be no better than a devil so long as he continues an Arian.
Enemy of all righteousness] The adulterer is an enemy to chastity, the drunkard to sobriety, &c., but he that hindereth others from heaven is an enemy to all righteousness.
To pervert the right ways] To dig them up, to ditch them over (διαστρεφων), so as they are not passable. The conversion of great men is of great consequence. Hence Paul was so loth to lose the proconsul.
a Epist. in Servet.