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On Repentance

Tertullian

Chapter 10

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter X.—Of Men’s Shrinking from This Second Repentance and Exomologesis, and of the Unreasonableness of Such Shrinking.

Yet most men either shun this work, as being a public

‹ Chapter 9 Chapter 11 ›

exposure

of

themselves

,

or

else

defer

it

from

day

to

day

.

I

presume

(

as

being

)

more

mindful

of

modesty

than

of

salvation

;

just

like

men

who

,

having

contracted

some

malady

in

the

more

private

parts

of

the

body

,

avoid

the

privity

of

physicians

,

and

so

perish

with

their

own

bashfulness

.

It

is

intolerable

,

forsooth

,

to

modesty

to

make

satisfaction

to

the

offended

Lord

!

to

be

restored

to

its

forfeited

salvation

!

Truly

you

are

honourable

in

your

modesty

;

bearing

an

open

forehead

for

sinning

,

but

an

abashed

one

for

deprecating

!

I

give

no

place

to

bashfulness

when

I

am

a

gainer

by

its

loss

;

when

itself

in

some

son

exhorts

the

man

,

saying

,

“

Respect

not

me

;

it

is

better

that

I

perish

through

you

,

i

.

e

.

than

you

through

me

.

”

At

all

events

,

the

time

when

(

if

ever

)

its

danger

is

serious

,

is

when

it

is

a

butt

for

jeering

speech

in

the

presence

of

insulters

,

where

one

man

raises

himself

on

his

neighbour’s

ruin

,

where

there

is

upward

clambering

over

the

prostrate

.

But

among

brethren

and

fellow

-

servants

,

where

there

is

common

hope

,

fear

,

joy

,

grief

,

suffering

,

because

there

is

a

common

Spirit

from

a

common

Lord

and

Father

,

why

do

you

think

these

brothers

to

be

anything

other

than

yourself

?

Why

flee

from

the

partners

of

your

own

mischances

,

as

from

such

as

will

derisively

cheer

them

?

The

body

cannot

feel

gladness

at

the

trouble

of

any

one

member

,

it

must

necessarily

join

with

one

consent

in

the

grief

,

and

in

labouring

for

the

remedy

.

In

a

company

of

two

is

the

church

;

but

the

church

is

Christ

.

When

,

then

,

you

cast

yourself

at

the

brethren’s

knees

,

you

are

handling

Christ

,

you

are

entreating

Christ

.

In

like

manner

,

when

they

shed

tears

over

you

,

it

is

Christ

who

suffers

,

Christ

who

prays

the

Father

for

mercy

.

What

a

son

asks

is

ever

easily

obtained

.

Grand

indeed

is

the

reward

of

modesty

,

which

the

concealment

of

our

fault

promises

us

!

to

wit

,

if

we

do

hide

somewhat

from

the

knowledge

of

man

,

shall

we

equally

conceal

it

from

God

?

Are

the

judgment

of

men

and

the

knowledge

of

God

so

put

upon

a

par

?

Is

it

better

to

be

damned

in

secret

than

absolved

in

public

?

But

you

say

,

“

It

is

a

miserable

thing

thus

to

come

to

exomologesis

:

”

yes

,

for

evil

does

bring

to

misery

;

but

where

repentance

is

to

be

made

,

the

misery

ceases

,

because

it

is

turned

into

something

salutary

.

Miserable

it

is

to

be

cut

,

and

cauterized

,

and

racked

with

the

pungency

of

some

(

medicinal

)

powder

:

still

,

the

things

which

heal

by

unpleasant

means

do

,

by

the

benefit

of

the

cure

,

excuse

their

own

offensiveness

,

and

make

present

injury

bearable

for

the

sake

of

the

advantage

to

supervene

.

Notes

1
[Elucidation III.]
2
Prodactæ.
3
Per. But “per,” according to Oehler, is used by Tertullian as ="propter” —on your account, for your sake.
4
Metus.
5
1 Cor. xii. 26.
6
In uno et altero.
7
See Matt. xviii. 20.
8
i.e. as being His body.
9
Or, “the Son.” Comp. John xi. 41, 42.
10
Or, “by the grace.”