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On Patience

Tertullian

Chapter 6

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter VI.—Patience Both Antecedent and Subsequent to Faith.

Accordingly it is patience which is both subsequent and antecedent to faith

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

.

In

short

,

Abraham

believed

God

,

and

was

accredited

by

Him

with

righteousness

;

but

it

was

patience

which

proved

his

faith

,

when

he

was

bidden

to

immolate

his

son

,

with

a

view

to

(

I

would

not

say

the

temptation

,

but

)

the

typical

attestation

of

his

faith

.

But

God

knew

whom

He

had

accredited

with

righteousness

.

So

heavy

a

precept

,

the

perfect

execution

whereof

was

not

even

pleasing

to

the

Lord

,

he

patiently

both

heard

,

and

(

if

God

had

willed

)

would

have

fulfilled

.

Deservedly

then

was

he

“

blessed

,

”

because

he

was

“

faithful

;

”

deservedly

“

faithful

,

”

because

“

patient

.

”

So

faith

,

illumined

by

patience

,

when

it

was

becoming

propagated

among

the

nations

through

“

Abraham’s

seed

,

which

is

Christ

,

”

and

was

superinducing

grace

over

the

law

,

made

patience

her

pre

-

eminent

coadjutrix

for

amplifying

and

fulfilling

the

law

,

because

that

alone

had

been

lacking

unto

the

doctrine

of

righteousness

.

For

men

were

of

old

wont

to

require

“

eye

for

eye

,

and

tooth

for

tooth

”

and

to

repay

with

usury

“

evil

with

evil

;

”

for

,

as

yet

,

patience

was

not

on

earth

,

because

faith

was

not

either

.

Of

course

,

meantime

,

impatience

used

to

enjoy

the

opportunities

which

the

law

gave

.

That

was

easy

,

while

the

Lord

and

Master

of

patience

was

absent

.

But

after

He

has

supervened

,

and

has

united

the

grace

of

faith

with

patience

,

now

it

is

no

longer

lawful

to

assail

even

with

word

,

nor

to

say

“

fool

”

even

,

without

“

danger

of

the

judgment

.

”

Anger

has

been

prohibited

,

our

spirits

retained

,

the

petulance

of

the

hand

checked

,

the

poison

of

the

tongue

extracted

.

The

law

has

found

more

than

it

has

lost

,

while

Christ

says

,

“

Love

your

personal

enemies

,

and

bless

your

cursers

,

and

pray

for

your

persecutors

,

that

ye

may

be

sons

of

your

heavenly

Father

.

”

Do

you

see

whom

patience

gains

for

us

as

a

Father

?

In

this

principal

precept

the

universal

discipline

of

patience

is

succinctly

comprised

,

since

evil

-

doing

is

not

conceded

even

when

it

is

deserved

.

Notes

1
See Gen. xv. 6; Rom. iv. 3, 9, 22; Gal. iii. 6; James ii. 23.
2
i.e. the trial was necessary not to prove his faith to God, who knows all whom He accounts righteous, but “typically” to us.
3
Gal. iii. 16.
4
John i. 17; Rom. vi. 14, 15.
5
Matt. vi. 38, and the references there given.
6
Composuit.
7
See Matt. v. 22; and Wordsworth in loco, who thinks it probable that the meaning is “apostate.”
8
Ps. cxl. 3; Rom. iii. 13; James iii. 8.
9
Matt. v. 44, 45.