Section 16. For there were even in the Apostles' times some who preached the truth not
16. For there were even in the Apostles' times some who preached the truth not in truth, that is, not with truthful mind: of whom the Apostle saith that they preached Christ not chastely, but of envy and strife. And on this account even at that time some were tolerated while preaching truth not with a chaste mind: yet not any have been praised as preaching falsehood with a chaste mind. Lastly, he saith of those, "Whether in pretence or in truth Christ be preached:" but in no wise would he say, In order that Christ may after be preached, let Him be first denied.
Translation:
Even back in the Apostles’ time, there were people who preached the message of Christ, but not with honest intentions. The Apostle said that some preached Christ out of jealousy and rivalry, not out of pure motives. Still, even then, such people were allowed to preach the truth, even though their hearts weren’t pure. But no one was ever praised for preaching lies, even if they did it with a good heart. In the end, the Apostle said, “Whether people preach Christ honestly or out of false motives, Christ is still being preached.” But he never said, “Let us deny Christ now so that later on Christ can be preached.”
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