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De Fuga in Persecutione

Tertullian

Section 3

About this work

Author: Tertullian

3. Seeing therefore, too, these cases occur in persecutions

‹ Section 2 Section 4 ›

more

than

at

other

times

,

as

there

is

then

among

us

more

of

proving

or

rejecting

,

more

of

abusing

or

punishing

,

it

must

be

that

their

general

occurrence

is

permitted

or

commanded

by

Him

at

whose

will

they

happen

even

partially

;

by

Him

,

I

mean

,

who

says

,

“

I

am

He

who

make

peace

and

create

evil

,

”

—

that

is

,

war

,

for

that

is

the

antithesis

of

peace

.

But

what

other

war

has

our

peace

than

persecution

?

If

in

its

issues

persecution

emphatically

brings

either

life

or

death

,

either

wounds

or

healing

,

you

have

the

author

,

too

,

of

this

.

“

I

will

smite

and

heal

,

I

will

make

alive

and

put

to

death

.

”

“

I

will

burn

them

,

”

He

says

,

“

as

gold

is

burned

;

and

I

will

try

them

,

”

He

says

,

“

as

silver

is

tried

,

”

for

when

the

flame

of

persecution

is

consuming

us

,

then

the

stedfastness

of

our

faith

is

proved

.

These

will

be

the

fiery

darts

of

the

devil

,

by

which

faith

gets

a

ministry

of

burning

and

kindling

;

yet

by

the

will

of

God

.

As

to

this

I

know

not

who

can

doubt

,

unless

it

be

persons

with

frivolous

and

frigid

faith

,

which

seizes

upon

those

who

with

trembling

assemble

together

in

the

church

.

For

you

say

,

seeing

we

assemble

without

order

,

and

assemble

at

the

same

time

,

and

flock

in

large

numbers

to

the

church

,

the

heathen

are

led

to

make

inquiry

about

us

,

and

we

are

alarmed

lest

we

awaken

their

anxieties

.

Do

ye

not

know

that

God

is

Lord

of

all

?

And

if

it

is

God’s

will

,

then

you

shall

suffer

persecution

;

but

if

it

is

not

,

the

heathen

will

be

still

.

Believe

it

most

surely

,

if

indeed

you

believe

in

that

God

without

whose

will

not

even

the

sparrow

,

a

penny

can

buy

,

falls

to

the

ground

.

But

we

,

I

think

,

are

better

than

many

sparrows

.

Notes

13
Isa. xlv. 7.
14
Deut. xxxii. 39.
15
Zech. xiii. 9.
16
Matt. x. 29.