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On Repentance

Tertullian

Chapter 3

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter III.—Sins May Be Divided into Corporeal and Spiritual. Both Equally Subject, If Not to Human, Yet to Divine Investigation and Punishment.

What things, then, they be for which repentance seems just

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

and

due

—

that

is

,

what

things

are

to

be

set

down

under

the

head

of

sin

—

the

occasion

indeed

demands

that

I

should

note

down

;

but

(

to

do

so

)

may

seem

to

be

unnecessary

.

For

when

the

Lord

is

known

,

our

spirit

,

having

been

“

looked

back

upon

”

by

its

own

Author

,

emerges

unbidden

into

the

knowledge

of

the

truth

;

and

being

admitted

to

(

an

acquaintance

with

)

the

divine

precepts

,

is

by

them

forthwith

instructed

that

“

that

from

which

God

bids

us

abstain

is

to

be

accounted

sin

:

”

inasmuch

as

,

since

it

is

generally

agreed

that

God

is

some

great

essence

of

good

,

of

course

nothing

but

evil

would

be

displeasing

to

good

;

in

that

,

between

things

mutually

contrary

,

friendship

there

is

none

.

Still

it

will

not

be

irksome

briefly

to

touch

upon

the

fact

that

,

of

sins

,

some

are

carnal

,

that

is

,

corporeal

;

some

spiritual

.

For

since

man

is

composed

of

this

combination

of

a

two

-

fold

substance

,

the

sources

of

his

sins

are

no

other

than

the

sources

of

his

composition

.

But

it

is

not

the

fact

that

body

and

spirit

are

two

things

that

constitute

the

sins

mutually

different

—

otherwise

they

are

on

this

account

rather

equal

,

because

the

two

make

up

one

—

lest

any

make

the

distinction

between

their

sins

proportionate

to

the

difference

between

their

substances

,

so

as

to

esteem

the

one

lighter

,

or

else

heavier

,

than

the

other

:

if

it

be

true

,

(

as

it

is

,

)

that

both

flesh

and

spirit

are

creatures

of

God

;

one

wrought

by

His

hand

,

one

consummated

by

His

afflatus

.

Since

,

then

,

they

equally

pertain

to

the

Lord

,

whichever

of

them

sins

equally

offends

the

Lord

.

Is

it

for

you

to

distinguish

the

acts

of

the

flesh

and

the

spirit

,

whose

communion

and

conjunction

in

life

,

in

death

,

and

in

resurrection

,

are

so

intimate

,

that

“

at

that

time

”

they

are

equally

raised

up

either

for

life

or

else

for

judgment

;

because

,

to

wit

,

they

have

equally

either

sinned

or

lived

innocently

?

This

we

would

(

once

for

all

)

premise

,

in

order

that

we

may

understand

that

no

less

necessity

for

repentance

is

incumbent

on

either

part

of

man

,

if

in

anything

it

have

sinned

,

than

on

both

.

The

guilt

of

both

is

common

;

common

,

too

,

is

the

Judge

—

God

to

wit

;

common

,

therefore

,

is

withal

the

healing

medicine

of

repentance

.

The

source

whence

sins

are

named

“

spiritual

”

and

“

corporeal

”

is

the

fact

that

every

sin

is

matter

either

of

act

or

else

of

thought

:

so

that

what

is

in

deed

is

“

corporeal

,

”

because

a

deed

,

like

a

body

,

is

capable

of

being

seen

and

touched

;

what

is

in

the

mind

is

“

spiritual

,

”

because

spirit

is

neither

seen

nor

handled

:

by

which

consideration

is

shown

that

sins

not

of

deed

only

,

but

of

will

too

,

are

to

be

shunned

,

and

by

repentance

purged

.

For

if

human

finitude

judges

only

sins

of

deed

,

because

it

is

not

equal

to

(

piercing

)

the

lurking

-

places

of

the

will

,

let

us

not

on

that

account

make

light

of

crimes

of

the

will

in

God’s

sight

.

God

is

all

-

sufficient

.

Nothing

from

whence

any

sin

whatsoever

proceeds

is

remote

from

His

sight

;

because

He

is

neither

ignorant

,

nor

does

He

omit

to

decree

it

to

judgment

.

He

is

no

dissembler

of

,

nor

double

-

dealer

with

,

His

own

clear

-

sightedness

.

What

(

shall

we

say

of

the

fact

)

that

will

is

the

origin

of

deed

?

For

if

any

sins

are

imputed

to

chance

,

or

to

necessity

,

or

to

ignorance

,

let

them

see

to

themselves

:

if

these

be

excepted

,

there

is

no

sinning

save

by

will

.

Since

,

then

,

will

is

the

origin

of

deed

,

is

it

not

so

much

the

rather

amenable

to

penalty

as

it

is

first

in

guilt

?

Nor

,

if

some

difficulty

interferes

with

its

full

accomplishment

,

is

it

even

in

that

case

exonerated

;

for

it

is

itself

imputed

to

itself

:

nor

;

having

done

the

work

which

lay

in

its

own

power

,

will

it

be

excusable

by

reason

of

that

miscarriage

of

its

accomplishment

.

In

fact

,

how

does

the

Lord

demonstrate

Himself

as

adding

a

superstructure

to

the

Law

,

except

by

interdicting

sins

of

the

will

as

well

(

as

other

sins

)

;

while

He

defines

not

only

the

man

who

had

actually

invaded

another’s

wedlock

to

be

an

adulterer

,

but

likewise

him

who

had

contaminated

(

a

woman

)

by

the

concupiscence

of

his

gaze

?

Accordingly

it

is

dangerous

enough

for

the

mind

to

set

before

itself

what

it

is

forbidden

to

perform

,

and

rashly

through

the

will

to

perfect

its

execution

.

And

since

the

power

of

this

will

is

such

that

,

even

without

fully

sating

its

self

-

gratification

,

it

stands

for

a

deed

;

as

a

deed

,

therefore

,

it

shall

be

punished

.

It

is

utterly

vain

to

say

,

“

I

willed

,

but

yet

I

did

not

.

”

Rather

you

ought

to

carry

the

thing

through

,

because

you

will

;

or

else

not

to

will

,

because

you

do

not

carry

it

through

.

But

,

by

the

confession

of

your

consciousness

,

you

pronounce

your

own

condemnation

.

For

if

you

eagerly

desired

a

good

thing

,

you

would

have

been

anxious

to

carry

it

through

;

in

like

manner

,

as

you

do

not

carry

an

evil

thing

through

,

you

ought

not

to

have

eagerly

desired

it

.

Wherever

you

take

your

stand

,

you

are

fast

bound

by

guilt

;

because

you

have

either

willed

evil

,

or

else

have

not

fulfilled

good

.

Notes

2
Luke xxii. 61.
3
Or, “briefly to lay down the rule.”
4
i.e., in the judgment-day. Compare the phrase “that day and that hour” in Scripture.
5
Mediocritas.
6
Prævaricatorem: comp. ad Ux.b. ii. c. ii. ad init.
7
Matt. v. 27, 28; comp. de Idol. ii.