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On Modesty

Tertullian

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter II.—God Just as Well as Merciful; Accordingly, Mercy Must Not Be Indiscriminate.

“But,” say they, “God is ‘good,

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

’

and

‘

most

good

,

’

and

‘

pitiful

-

hearted

,

’

and

‘

a

pitier

,

’

and

‘

abundant

in

pitiful

-

heartedness

,

’

which

He

holds

‘

dearer

than

all

sacrifice

,

’

‘

not

thinking

the

sinner’s

death

of

so

much

worth

as

his

repentance

’

,

‘

a

Saviour

of

all

men

,

most

of

all

of

believers

.

’

And

so

it

will

be

becoming

for

‘

the

sons

of

God

’

too

to

be

‘

pitiful

-

hearted

’

and

‘

peacemakers

;

’

‘

giving

in

their

turn

just

as

Christ

withal

hath

given

to

us

;

’

‘

not

judging

,

that

we

be

not

judged

.

’

For

‘

to

his

own

lord

a

man

standeth

or

falleth

;

who

art

thou

,

to

judge

another’s

servant

?

’

‘

Remit

,

and

remission

shall

be

made

to

thee

.

’

”

Such

and

so

great

futilities

of

theirs

wherewith

they

flatter

God

and

pander

to

themselves

,

effeminating

rather

than

invigorating

discipline

,

with

how

cogent

and

contrary

(

arguments

)

are

we

for

our

part

able

to

rebut

,

—

(

arguments

)

which

set

before

us

warningly

the

“

severity

”

of

God

,

and

provoke

our

own

constancy

?

Because

,

albeit

God

is

by

nature

good

,

still

He

is

“

just

”

too

.

For

,

from

the

nature

of

the

case

,

just

as

He

knows

how

to

“

heal

,

”

so

does

He

withal

know

how

to

“

smite

;

”

“

making

peace

,

”

but

withal

“

creating

evils

;

”

preferring

repentance

,

but

withal

commanding

Jeremiah

not

to

pray

for

the

aversion

of

ills

on

behalf

of

the

sinful

People

,

—

“

since

,

if

they

shall

have

fasted

,

”

saith

He

,

“

I

will

not

listen

to

their

entreaty

.

”

And

again

:

“

And

pray

not

thou

unto

(

me

)

on

behalf

of

the

People

,

and

request

not

on

their

behalf

in

prayer

and

supplication

,

since

I

will

not

listen

to

(

them

)

in

the

time

wherein

they

shall

have

invoked

me

,

in

the

time

of

their

affliction

.

”

And

further

,

above

,

the

same

preferrer

of

mercy

above

sacrifice

(

says

)

:

“

And

pray

not

thou

unto

(

me

)

on

behalf

of

this

People

,

and

request

not

that

they

may

obtain

mercy

,

and

approach

not

on

their

behalf

unto

me

,

since

I

will

not

listen

to

(

them

)

”

—

of

course

when

they

sue

for

mercy

,

when

out

of

repentance

they

weep

and

fast

,

and

when

they

offer

their

self

-

affliction

to

God

.

For

God

is

“

jealous

,

”

and

is

One

who

is

not

contemptuously

derided

—

derided

,

namely

,

by

such

as

flatter

His

goodness

—

and

who

,

albeit

“

patient

,

”

yet

threatens

,

through

Isaiah

,

an

end

of

(

His

)

patience

.

“

I

have

held

my

peace

;

shall

I

withal

always

hold

my

peace

and

endure

?

I

have

been

quiet

as

(

a

woman

)

in

birth

-

throes

;

I

will

arise

,

and

will

make

(

them

)

to

grow

arid

.

”

For

“

a

fire

shall

proceed

before

His

face

,

and

shall

utterly

burn

His

enemies

;

”

striking

down

not

the

body

only

,

but

the

souls

too

,

into

hell

.

Besides

,

the

Lord

Himself

demonstrates

the

manner

in

which

He

threatens

such

as

judge

:

“

For

with

what

judgment

ye

judge

,

judgment

shall

be

given

on

you

.

”

Thus

He

has

not

prohibited

judging

,

but

taught

(

how

to

do

it

)

.

Whence

the

apostle

withal

judges

,

and

that

in

a

case

of

fornication

,

that

“

such

a

man

must

be

surrendered

to

Satan

for

the

destruction

of

the

flesh

;

”

chiding

them

likewise

because

“

brethren

”

were

not

“

judged

at

the

bar

of

the

saints

:

”

for

he

goes

on

and

says

,

“

To

what

(

purpose

is

it

)

for

me

to

judge

those

who

are

without

?

”

“

But

you

remit

,

in

order

that

remission

may

be

granted

you

by

God

.

”

The

sins

which

are

(

thus

)

cleansed

are

such

as

a

man

may

have

committed

against

his

brother

,

not

against

God

.

We

profess

,

in

short

,

in

our

prayer

,

that

we

will

grant

remission

to

our

debtors

;

but

it

is

not

becoming

to

distend

further

,

on

the

ground

of

the

authority

of

such

Scriptures

,

the

cable

of

contention

with

alternate

pull

into

diverse

directions

;

so

that

one

(

Scripture

)

may

seem

to

draw

tight

,

another

to

relax

,

the

reins

of

discipline

—

in

uncertainty

,

as

it

were

,

—

and

the

latter

to

debase

the

remedial

aid

of

repentance

through

lenity

,

the

former

to

refuse

it

through

austerity

.

Further

:

the

authority

of

Scripture

will

stand

within

its

own

limits

,

without

reciprocal

opposition

.

The

remedial

aid

of

repentance

is

determined

by

its

own

conditions

,

without

unlimited

concession

;

and

the

causes

of

it

themselves

are

anteriorly

distinguished

without

confusion

in

the

proposition

.

We

agree

that

the

causes

of

repentance

are

sins

.

These

we

divide

into

two

issues

:

some

will

be

remissible

,

some

irremissible

:

in

accordance

wherewith

it

will

be

doubtful

to

no

one

that

some

deserve

chastisement

,

some

condemnation

.

Every

sin

is

dischargeable

either

by

pardon

or

else

by

penalty

:

by

pardon

as

the

result

of

chastisement

,

by

penalty

as

the

result

of

condemnation

.

Touching

this

difference

,

we

have

not

only

already

premised

certain

antithetical

passages

of

the

Scriptures

,

on

one

hand

retaining

,

on

the

other

remitting

,

sins

;

but

John

,

too

,

will

teach

us

:

“

If

any

knoweth

his

brother

to

be

sinning

a

sin

not

unto

death

,

he

shall

request

,

and

life

shall

be

given

to

him

;

”

because

he

is

not

“

sinning

unto

death

,

”

this

will

be

remissible

.

“

(

There

)

is

a

sin

unto

death

;

not

for

this

do

I

say

that

any

is

to

request

”

—

this

will

be

irremissible

.

So

,

where

there

is

the

efficacious

power

of

“

making

request

,

”

there

likewise

is

that

of

remission

:

where

there

is

no

(

efficacious

power

)

of

“

making

request

,

”

there

equally

is

none

of

remission

either

.

According

to

this

difference

of

sins

,

the

condition

of

repentance

also

is

discriminated

.

There

will

be

a

condition

which

may

possibly

obtain

pardon

,

—

in

the

case

,

namely

,

of

a

remissible

sin

:

there

will

be

a

condition

which

can

by

no

means

obtain

it

,

—

in

the

case

,

namely

,

of

an

irremissible

sin

.

And

it

remains

to

examine

specially

,

with

regard

to

the

position

of

adultery

and

fornication

,

to

which

class

of

sins

they

ought

to

be

assigned

.

Notes

1
See Matt. xix. 17; Mark x. 18; Luke xviii. 19.
2
See Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7.
3
Hos. vi. 6; Mic. vi. 8; Matt. ix. 13; xii. 7.
4
Ezek. xviii. 23, 32; xxxiii. 11.
5
1 Tim. iv. 10.
6
1 John iii. 1, 2.
7
Luke vi. 36.
8
Matt. v. 9.
9
Comp. Matt. x. 8; but the reference seems to be to Eph. iv. 32, where the Vulgate reads almost as Tertullian does, “donantes invicem, sicut et Deus in Christo donavit vobis.”
10
Matt. vii. 1; Luke vi. 37.
11
Comp. Rom. xiv. 4.
12
Comp. Luke vi. 37.
13
See Rom. xi. 22.
14
Comp. Isa. xlv. 21; Rom. iii. 26.
15
Comp. Job v. 18; Deut. xxxii. 39.
16
Isa. xlv. 7.
17
Jer. xiv. 11, 12; vii. 16; xi. 14.
18
Jer. xi. 14.
19
Jer. vii. 16.
20
Comp. Ex. xx. 5; xxxiv. 14; Deut. iv. 24; v. 9; vi. 15; Josh. xxiv. 19; Nahum i. 2.
21
Gal. vi. 7.
22
Comp. Rom. xv. 5; Ps. vii. 12 (in LXX.).
23
Isa. xlii. 14.
24
Comp. Ps. xcvii. 3.
25
Comp. Matt. x. 28; Luke xii. 4, 5.
26
Matt. vii. 2; Luke vi. 37.
27
Or rather incest, as appears by 1 Cor. v. 1.
28
1 Cor. v. 5.
29
See 1 Cor. vi. 1–6; v. 12.
30
Luke xi. 4.
31
Comp. John xx. 23.
32
1 John v. 16, not quite verbatim.