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On Patience

Tertullian

Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Tertullian

VI.

Of Patience.

[Translated by the Rev. S. Thelwall.]

Chapter I.—Of Patience Generally; And Tertullian’s Own Unworthiness to Treat of It.

I fully confess unto the Lord God that it has been

rash

enough

,

if

not

even

impudent

,

in

me

to

have

dared

compose

a

treatise

on

Patience

,

for

practising

which

I

am

all

unfit

,

being

a

man

of

no

goodness

;

whereas

it

were

becoming

that

such

as

have

addressed

themselves

to

the

demonstration

and

commendation

of

some

particular

thing

,

should

themselves

first

be

conspicuous

in

the

practice

of

that

thing

,

and

should

regulate

the

constancy

of

their

commonishing

by

the

authority

of

their

personal

conduct

,

for

fear

their

words

blush

at

the

deficiency

of

their

deeds

.

And

would

that

this

“

blushing

”

would

bring

a

remedy

,

so

that

shame

for

not

exhibiting

that

which

we

go

to

suggest

to

others

should

prove

a

tutorship

into

exhibiting

it

;

except

that

the

magnitude

of

some

good

things

—

just

as

of

some

ills

too

—

is

insupportable

,

so

that

only

the

grace

of

divine

inspiration

is

effectual

for

attaining

and

practising

them

.

For

what

is

most

good

rests

most

with

God

;

nor

does

any

other

than

He

who

possesses

it

dispense

it

,

as

He

deems

meet

to

each

.

And

so

to

discuss

about

that

which

it

is

not

given

one

to

enjoy

,

will

be

,

as

it

were

,

a

solace

;

after

the

manner

of

invalids

,

who

since

they

are

without

health

,

know

not

how

to

be

silent

about

its

blessings

.

So

I

,

most

miserable

,

ever

sick

with

the

heats

of

impatience

,

must

of

necessity

sigh

after

,

and

invoke

,

and

persistently

plead

for

,

that

health

of

patience

which

I

possess

not

;

while

I

recall

to

mind

,

and

,

in

the

contemplation

of

my

own

weakness

,

digest

,

the

truth

,

that

the

good

health

of

faith

,

and

the

soundness

of

the

Lord’s

discipline

,

accrue

not

easily

to

any

unless

patience

sit

by

his

side

.

So

is

patience

set

over

the

things

of

God

,

that

one

can

obey

no

precept

,

fulfil

no

work

well

-

pleasing

to

the

Lord

,

if

estranged

from

it

.

The

good

of

it

,

even

they

who

live

outside

it

,

honour

with

the

name

of

highest

virtue

.

Philosophers

indeed

,

who

are

accounted

animals

of

some

considerable

wisdom

,

assign

it

so

high

a

place

,

that

,

while

they

are

mutually

at

discord

with

the

various

fancies

of

their

sects

and

rivalries

of

their

sentiments

,

yet

,

having

a

community

of

regard

for

patience

alone

,

to

this

one

of

their

pursuits

they

have

joined

in

granting

peace

:

for

it

they

conspire

;

for

it

they

league

;

it

,

in

their

affectation

of

virtue

,

they

unanimously

pursue

;

concerning

patience

they

exhibit

all

their

ostentation

of

wisdom

.

Grand

testimony

this

is

to

it

,

in

that

it

incites

even

the

vain

schools

of

the

world

unto

praise

and

glory

!

Or

is

it

rather

an

injury

,

in

that

a

thing

divine

is

bandied

among

worldly

sciences

?

But

let

them

look

to

that

,

who

shall

presently

be

ashamed

of

their

wisdom

,

destroyed

and

disgraced

together

with

the

world

(

it

lives

in

)

.

Notes

2
“Nullius boni;” compare Rom. vii. 18.
3
[Elucidation I.]
4
i.e. who are strangers to it.
5
Or, “striving after.”
6
Or, “heathendom”—sæculi.
7
Sæculo.