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On Patience

Tertullian

Chapter 16

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XVI.—The Patience of the Heathen Very Different from Christian Patience. Theirs Doomed to Perdition. Ours Destined to Salvation.

This is the rule, this the discipline, these the works

‹ Chapter 15

of

patience

which

is

heavenly

and

true

;

that

is

,

of

Christian

patience

,

not

false

and

disgraceful

,

like

as

is

that

patience

of

the

nations

of

the

earth

.

For

in

order

that

in

this

also

the

devil

might

rival

the

Lord

,

he

has

as

it

were

quite

on

a

par

(

except

that

the

very

diversity

of

evil

and

good

is

exactly

on

a

par

with

their

magnitude

)

taught

his

disciples

also

a

patience

of

his

own

;

that

,

I

mean

,

which

,

making

husbands

venal

for

dowry

,

and

teaching

them

to

trade

in

panderings

,

makes

them

subject

to

the

power

of

their

wives

;

which

,

with

feigned

affection

,

undergoes

every

toil

of

forced

complaisance

,

with

a

view

to

ensnaring

the

childless

;

which

makes

the

slaves

of

the

belly

submit

to

contumelious

patronage

,

in

the

subjection

of

their

liberty

to

their

gullet

.

Such

pursuits

of

patience

the

Gentiles

are

acquainted

with

;

and

they

eagerly

seize

a

name

of

so

great

goodness

to

apply

it

to

foul

practises

:

patient

they

live

of

rivals

,

and

of

the

rich

,

and

of

such

as

give

them

invitations

;

impatient

of

God

alone

.

But

let

their

own

and

their

leader’s

patience

look

to

itself

—

a

patience

which

the

subterraneous

fire

awaits

!

Let

us

,

on

the

other

hand

,

love

the

patience

of

God

,

the

patience

of

Christ

;

let

us

repay

to

Him

the

patience

which

He

has

paid

down

for

us

!

Let

us

offer

to

Him

the

patience

of

the

spirit

,

the

patience

of

the

flesh

,

believing

as

we

do

in

the

resurrection

of

flesh

and

spirit

.

Notes

1
One is finite, the other infinite.
2
Obsequii.
3
And thus getting a place in their wills.
4
i.e. professional “diners out.” Comp. Phil. iii. 19.