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De Fuga in Persecutione

Tertullian

Section 4

About this work

Author: Tertullian

4. Well, then, if it is evident from whom

‹ Section 3 Section 5 ›

persecution

proceeds

,

we

are

able

at

once

to

satisfy

your

doubts

,

and

to

decide

from

these

introductory

remarks

alone

,

that

men

should

not

flee

in

it

.

For

if

persecution

proceeds

from

God

,

in

no

way

will

it

be

our

duty

to

flee

from

what

has

God

as

its

author

;

a

twofold

reason

opposing

;

for

what

proceeds

from

God

ought

not

on

the

one

hand

to

be

avoided

,

and

it

cannot

be

evaded

on

the

other

.

It

ought

not

to

be

avoided

,

because

it

is

good

;

for

everything

must

be

good

on

which

God

has

cast

His

eye

.

And

with

this

idea

has

perhaps

this

statement

been

made

in

Genesis

,

“

And

God

saw

because

it

is

good

;

”

not

that

He

would

have

been

ignorant

of

its

goodness

unless

He

had

seen

it

,

but

to

indicate

by

this

expression

that

it

was

good

because

it

was

viewed

by

God

.

There

are

many

events

indeed

happening

by

the

will

of

God

,

and

happening

to

somebody’s

harm

.

Yet

for

all

that

,

a

thing

is

therefore

good

because

it

is

of

God

,

as

divine

,

as

reasonable

;

for

what

is

divine

,

and

not

reasonable

and

good

?

What

is

good

,

yet

not

divine

?

But

if

to

the

universal

apprehension

of

mankind

this

seems

to

be

the

case

,

in

judging

,

man’s

faculty

of

apprehension

does

not

predetermine

the

nature

of

things

,

but

the

nature

of

things

his

power

of

apprehension

.

For

every

several

nature

is

a

certain

definite

reality

,

and

it

lays

it

on

the

perceptive

power

to

perceive

it

just

as

it

exists

.

Now

,

if

that

which

comes

from

God

is

good

indeed

in

its

natural

state

(

for

there

is

nothing

from

God

which

is

not

good

,

because

it

is

divine

,

and

reasonable

)

,

but

seems

evil

only

to

the

human

faculty

,

all

will

be

right

in

regard

to

the

former

;

with

the

latter

the

fault

will

lie

.

In

its

real

nature

a

very

good

thing

is

chastity

,

and

so

is

truth

,

and

righteousness

;

and

yet

they

are

distasteful

to

many

.

Is

perhaps

the

real

nature

on

this

account

sacrificed

to

the

sense

of

perception

?

Thus

persecution

in

its

own

nature

too

is

good

,

because

it

is

a

divine

and

reasonable

appointment

;

but

those

to

whom

it

comes

as

a

punishment

do

not

feel

it

to

be

pleasant

.

You

see

that

as

proceeding

from

Him

,

even

that

evil

has

a

reasonable

ground

,

when

one

in

persecution

is

cast

out

of

a

state

of

salvation

,

just

as

you

see

that

you

have

a

reasonable

ground

for

the

good

also

,

when

one

by

persecution

has

his

salvation

made

more

secure

.

Unless

,

as

it

depends

on

the

Lord

,

one

either

perishes

irrationally

,

or

is

irrationally

saved

,

he

will

not

be

able

to

speak

of

persecution

as

an

evil

,

which

,

while

it

is

under

the

direction

of

reason

,

is

,

even

in

respect

of

its

evil

,

good

.

So

,

if

persecution

is

in

every

way

a

good

,

because

it

has

a

natural

basis

,

we

on

valid

grounds

lay

it

down

,

that

what

is

good

ought

not

to

be

shunned

by

us

,

because

it

is

a

sin

to

refuse

what

is

good

;

besides

that

,

what

has

been

looked

upon

by

God

can

no

longer

indeed

be

avoided

,

proceeding

as

it

does

from

God

,

from

whose

will

escape

will

not

be

possible

.

Therefore

those

who

think

that

they

should

flee

,

either

reproach

God

with

doing

what

is

evil

,

if

they

flee

from

persecution

as

an

evil

(

for

no

one

avoids

what

is

good

)

;

or

they

count

themselves

stronger

than

God

:

so

they

think

,

who

imagine

it

possible

to

escape

when

it

is

God’s

pleasure

that

such

events

should

occur

.