CCXCV. There is added a parallel passage from II Pet. III. 9

For God of himself wills all men to be saved no less than he wills the same men rich in faith and distinguished by knowledge of the truth. The twin—

—testimonies of the Scriptures¹, which must altogether be compared with Paul’s words, excellently support this doctrine. And first there must be compared what Peter answers to those who called the last judgment of Christ into doubt, or even altogether denied it, for this reason: that they did not yet perceive punishments being exacted from the impious and wicked. He answers in these words²: οὐ βραδύνει ὁ κύριος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ὥς τινες βραδύτητα ἡγοῦνται, ἀλλὰ μακροθυμεῖ³ εἰς ἡμᾶς, μὴ βουλόμενός τινας ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλὰ πάντας εἰς μετάνοιαν χωρῆσαι. That is, according to the Vulgate interpretation: “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some suppose; but deals patiently for your sake, willing not that any should perish, but that all should return to penance.” Here it must first be explained a) what βραδύνει τῆς ἐπαγγελίας is; b) who are those τινες βραδύτητα ἡγοῦνται; c) to what the phrase ἀλλὰ μακροθυμεῖ εἰς ἡμᾶς looks; and d) by what connection it is bound with the following. Then 1) the sense of the whole verse must be elicited, and 2) Peter’s doctrine must be compared with Paul’s sentence.

Accordingly, after adducing the words οὐ βραδύνει ὁ κύριος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, Grotius⁴ thus translates them: “the Lord does not delay the thing promised”; then he adds: “I would suppose that τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, the things promised, had been written, as in Isa. XLVI.13, σωτηρίαν οὐ βραδύνω, ‘I do not delay salvation.’” But 1) there is no Greek codex which does not read τῆς ἐπαγγελίας and which prefers τὰς ἐπαγγελίας. In addition, 2) although βραδύνω be taken in an active signification, as it is taken by the Vulgate interpreter, nevertheless there is no need to alter the received reading; rather, it is sufficient either, with Drusius⁵, to observe that permutations of cases are not infrequent among the sacred writers, and therefore that it cannot be wonderful if βραδύνω, taken actively, is construed not with the accusative but with the genitive case; or to supply the discourse—

—and after τῆς ἐπαγγελίας to understand in the mind the substantive ἀναπλήρωσιν or τελείωσιν, or another similar to these which designates fulfillment. Moreover, 3) the very manner of construction sufficiently intimates that βραδύνειν is employed here no otherwise than often elsewhere⁶, in an intransitive notion, and therefore that the phrase οὐ βραδύνει ὁ κύριος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας is most fittingly rendered either, with the ancient interpreter⁷, “the Lord is not tardy in his promises,” or, with Jerome⁸, “the Lord does not delay in the promise.”

Peter adds, ὥς τινες βραδύτητα ἡγοῦνται, “as some suppose tardiness,” as though he said: the Lord does not delay in confirming his promises by the event, as some judge concerning delay and tardiness—those, namely, who, because they do not yet see punishments divinely exacted from the impious, conclude that they will never be exacted. But who must be understood by the appellation τῶν τινων? Certainly none other than the ἐμπαῖκται καὶ ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι, mockers and false teachers⁹, whom this manner alone of interpreting the divine tardiness befitted. Therefore, those who are called τινες, some, are lying and false teachers.

Having rejected the judgment of the ψευδοδιδασκάλων, false teachers, Peter immediately discloses the genuine origin of the divine tardiness in inflicting punishments, saying: ἀλλὰ μακροθυμεῖ εἰς ἡμᾶς, “but he is long-suffering toward us,” indulges us, and for our sake and on our account defers vengeance. For God’s μακροθυμία, long-suffering, is supreme because his χρηστότης, benignity, is supreme¹⁰, by which he sustains even the σκεύη ὀργῆς, vessels of wrath, ἐν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ, with incredible patience¹¹. Therefore, if you ask concerning the cause of that tardiness with which God inflicts the punishments threatened, Peter exhibits this to you and teaches that it is situated both in that long-suffering by which God approaches punishment almost unwillingly, and in that love by which he pursues the faithful signified by the pronoun ἡμᾶς, us, and most benignly provides for their salvation.

Concerning this matter no doubt will be possible for you if you furthermore regard the connection—

—by which these words are joined with those which follow. For immediately it is added, μὴ βουλόμενός τινας ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλὰ πάντας εἰς μετάνοιαν χωρῆσαι, “since he does not will any to perish, but all to return to penance.” Now two things from these are most manifest. And first it is most manifest that the word πάντας, by force of the opposed τινας, can only be taken most fully, and must be understood concerning absolutely all both collectively and distributively. Next, it is no less evident that the phrases ἀλλὰ μακροθυμεῖ εἰς ἡμᾶς and μὴ βουλόμενός τινας ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλὰ πάντας εἰς μετάνοιαν χωρῆσαι are mutually related in that relation by which the thesis coheres with the hypothesis, and by which a universal proposition is joined with a particular proposition subordinated to it. For God is slow to take vengeance and uses long-suffering and patience toward us who have believed because he is so disposed in mind that, insofar as depends upon himself, he does not will even one man to perish, and conversely, insofar as depends upon himself, he wills each and all to convert themselves to penance, return to a better mind, and obtain eternal salvation.