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On Repentance

Tertullian

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter II.—True Repentance a Thing Divine, Originated by God, and Subject to His Laws.

But if they acted as men who had any part in God

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

,

and

thereby

in

reason

also

,

they

would

first

weigh

well

the

importance

of

repentance

,

and

would

never

apply

it

in

such

a

way

as

to

make

it

a

ground

for

convicting

themselves

of

perverse

self

-

amendment

.

In

short

,

they

would

regulate

the

limit

of

their

repentance

,

because

they

would

reach

(

a

limit

)

in

sinning

too

—

by

fearing

God

,

I

mean

.

But

where

there

is

no

fear

,

in

like

manner

there

is

no

amendment

;

where

there

is

no

amendment

,

repentance

is

of

necessity

vain

,

for

it

lacks

the

fruit

for

which

God

sowed

it

;

that

is

,

man’s

salvation

.

For

God

—

after

so

many

and

so

great

sins

of

human

temerity

,

begun

by

the

first

of

the

race

,

Adam

,

after

the

condemnation

of

man

,

together

with

the

dowry

of

the

world

after

his

ejection

from

paradise

and

subjection

to

death

—

when

He

had

hasted

back

to

His

own

mercy

,

did

from

that

time

onward

inaugurate

repentance

in

His

own

self

,

by

rescinding

the

sentence

of

His

first

wrath

,

engaging

to

grant

pardon

to

His

own

work

and

image

.

And

so

He

gathered

together

a

people

for

Himself

,

and

fostered

them

with

many

liberal

distributions

of

His

bounty

,

and

,

after

so

often

finding

them

most

ungrateful

,

ever

exhorted

them

to

repentance

and

sent

out

the

voices

of

the

universal

company

of

the

prophets

to

prophesy

.

By

and

by

,

promising

freely

the

grace

which

in

the

last

times

He

was

intending

to

pour

as

a

flood

of

light

on

the

universal

world

through

His

Spirit

,

He

bade

the

baptism

of

repentance

lead

the

way

,

with

the

view

of

first

preparing

,

by

means

of

the

sign

and

seal

of

repentance

,

them

whom

He

was

calling

,

through

grace

,

to

(

inherit

)

the

promise

surely

made

to

Abraham

.

John

holds

not

his

peace

,

saying

,

“

Enter

upon

repentance

,

for

now

shall

salvation

approach

the

nations

”

—

the

Lord

,

that

is

,

bringing

salvation

according

to

God’s

promise

.

To

Him

John

,

as

His

harbinger

,

directed

the

repentance

(

which

he

preached

)

,

whose

province

was

the

purging

of

men’s

minds

,

that

whatever

defilement

inveterate

error

had

imparted

,

whatever

contamination

in

the

heart

of

man

ignorance

had

engendered

,

that

repentance

should

sweep

and

scrape

away

,

and

cast

out

of

doors

,

and

thus

prepare

the

home

of

the

heart

,

by

making

it

clean

,

for

the

Holy

Spirit

,

who

was

about

to

supervene

,

that

He

might

with

pleasure

introduce

Himself

there

-

into

,

together

with

His

celestial

blessings

.

Of

these

blessings

the

title

is

briefly

one

—

the

salvation

of

man

—

the

abolition

of

former

sins

being

the

preliminary

step

.

This

is

the

(

final

)

cause

of

repentance

,

this

her

work

,

in

taking

in

hand

the

business

of

divine

mercy

.

What

is

profitable

to

man

does

service

to

God

.

The

rule

of

repentance

,

however

,

which

we

learn

when

we

know

the

Lord

,

retains

a

definite

form

,

—

viz

.

,

that

no

violent

hands

so

to

speak

,

be

ever

laid

on

good

deeds

or

thoughts

.

For

God

,

never

giving

His

sanction

to

the

reprobation

of

good

deeds

,

inasmuch

as

they

are

His

own

(

of

which

,

being

the

author

,

He

must

necessarily

be

the

defender

too

)

,

is

in

like

manner

the

acceptor

of

them

,

and

if

the

acceptor

,

likewise

the

rewarder

.

Let

,

then

,

the

ingratitude

of

men

see

to

it

,

if

it

attaches

repentance

even

to

good

works

;

let

their

gratitude

see

to

it

too

,

if

the

desire

of

earning

it

be

the

incentive

to

well

-

doing

:

earthly

and

mortal

are

they

each

.

For

how

small

is

your

gain

if

you

do

good

to

a

grateful

man

!

or

your

loss

if

to

an

ungrateful

!

A

good

deed

has

God

as

its

debtor

,

just

as

an

evil

has

too

;

for

a

judge

is

rewarder

of

every

cause

.

Well

,

since

,

God

as

Judge

presides

over

the

exacting

and

maintaining

of

justice

,

which

to

Him

is

most

dear

;

and

since

it

is

with

an

eye

to

justice

that

He

appoints

all

the

sum

of

His

discipline

,

is

there

room

for

doubting

that

,

just

as

in

all

our

acts

universally

,

so

also

in

the

case

of

repentance

,

justice

must

be

rendered

to

God

?

—

which

duty

can

indeed

only

be

fulfilled

on

the

condition

that

repentance

be

brought

to

bear

only

on

sins

.

Further

,

no

deed

but

an

evil

one

deserves

to

be

called

sin

,

nor

does

any

one

err

by

well

-

doing

.

But

if

he

does

not

err

,

why

does

he

invade

(

the

province

of

)

repentance

,

the

private

ground

of

such

as

do

err

?

Why

does

he

impose

on

his

goodness

a

duty

proper

to

wickedness

?

Thus

it

comes

to

pass

that

,

when

a

thing

is

called

into

play

where

it

ought

not

,

there

,

where

it

ought

,

it

is

neglected

.

Notes

1
Sæculi dote. With which he had been endowed. Comp. Gen. i. 28; Ps. viii. 4–8.
2
i.e., man.
3
Orbi.
4
Componeret.
5
Comp. Matt. iii. 1, 2; Mark i. 4; Luke iii. 4–6.
6
i.e., man’s salvation.
7
See the latter part of c. i.
8
Viderit.
9
Or, “defending.”