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Ad Martyras

Tertullian

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Grant now, O blessed, that even to Christians the prison is

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

unpleasant

;

yet

we

were

called

to

the

warfare

of

the

living

God

in

our

very

response

to

the

sacramental

words

.

Well

,

no

soldier

comes

out

to

the

campaign

laden

with

luxuries

,

nor

does

he

go

to

action

from

his

comfortable

chamber

,

but

from

the

light

and

narrow

tent

,

where

every

kind

of

hardness

,

roughness

and

unpleasantness

must

be

put

up

with

.

Even

in

peace

soldiers

inure

themselves

to

war

by

toils

and

inconveniences

—

marching

in

arms

,

running

over

the

plain

,

working

at

the

ditch

,

making

the

testudo

,

engaging

in

many

arduous

labours

.

The

sweat

of

the

brow

is

on

everything

,

that

bodies

and

minds

may

not

shrink

at

having

to

pass

from

shade

to

sunshine

,

from

sunshine

to

icy

cold

,

from

the

robe

of

peace

to

the

coat

of

mail

,

from

silence

to

clamour

,

from

quiet

to

tumult

.

In

like

manner

,

O

blessed

ones

,

count

whatever

is

hard

in

this

lot

of

yours

as

a

discipline

of

your

powers

of

mind

and

body

.

You

are

about

to

pass

through

a

noble

struggle

,

in

which

the

living

God

acts

the

part

of

superintendent

,

in

which

the

Holy

Ghost

is

your

trainer

,

in

which

the

prize

is

an

eternal

crown

of

angelic

essence

,

citizenship

in

the

heavens

,

glory

everlasting

.

Therefore

your

Master

,

Jesus

Christ

,

who

has

anointed

you

with

His

Spirit

,

and

led

you

forth

to

the

arena

,

has

seen

it

good

,

before

the

day

of

conflict

,

to

take

you

from

a

condition

more

pleasant

in

itself

,

and

has

imposed

on

you

a

harder

treatment

,

that

your

strength

might

be

the

greater

.

For

the

athletes

,

too

,

are

set

apart

to

a

more

stringent

discipline

,

that

they

may

have

their

physical

powers

built

up

.

They

are

kept

from

luxury

,

from

daintier

meats

,

from

more

pleasant

drinks

;

they

are

pressed

,

racked

,

worn

out

;

the

harder

their

labours

in

the

preparatory

training

,

the

stronger

is

the

hope

of

victory

.

“

And

they

,

”

says

the

apostle

,

“

that

they

may

obtain

a

corruptible

crown

.

”

We

,

with

the

crown

eternal

in

our

eye

,

look

upon

the

prison

as

our

training

-

ground

,

that

at

the

goal

of

final

judgment

we

may

be

brought

forth

well

disciplined

by

many

a

trial

;

since

virtue

is

built

up

by

hardships

,

as

by

voluptuous

indulgence

it

is

overthrown

.

Notes

1
1 Cor. ix. 25.