장음표시 사용
221쪽
CHAP. I.- η patianee general*; and Tertulliana Orontimo thinesa io treat of it. FULLY consess unio tho Lord God that it hasbeen rasti enough, is not even impudent, in malo havo dared compose a treatiso on Patience, forpraefising Which I am ali un fit, Ming a man os no goodness; Whereas it were becoming that such as havsaddressed themselves to the demonstration and commendationos some particular thing, should themsolves fidit be conspicuous in the practice of that thing, and should regulate the constancy of their commonishing by the auctority ostheir personat conduci, for fear their Words blusti at tho deficiency of their deods. And would that this μblushing Would bring a remedy, so that shamo for not exhibiting that vhich We go to suggest to others should prove a tutorshipinio exhibiting it; excepi that the magnitude of some good things usi as of somo ills too-is insupportabie, so thatonly the grace of divino inspiration is effectuat for attaining and practising them. For What is most good resis most With God ; nor does any other than He who possesses it dispenso it, as He duoms meet to each. And so to discuss about that whicli it is not gi ven one to enjoy, Will be, as it Were, a solace; aster the mannor os invalliis, Who, since they aro Withouthealth, know not how to be silent about iis blessings. So I, most miserabie, ever sich With the heats of impatience, mustos necessity figli aster, and involie, and persistently plead ior,
3 Nullius boni; V compare Rom. Vii. 18.
222쪽
206TERTULLIANUS that health os patience whicli I possess not; while Ι recall
digest, sthe truth,J that the good health of faith, and thesoundness of the Lord's discipline, accrue not eastly to any unless patience sit by his fide. So is patience set over thethings of God, that one can obey no precepi, sulfit no Workwell-pleasing to the Lord, is estranged from it. The good of it, even they Who live oulside it, honour With the nameos hi est viriue. Philosophere indeed, Who are accounted animais of some considerable wisdom, assign it so hio a place, that, While they are mutuatly at discord with the various fancies of their secis and rival ries of their sentimenta, Fet, having a community of regard sor patience alone, to this oneos their pursutis they have joined in granting peace: for it
Viriue, they unanimousty pursue; concerning patience theyox bit ali their ostentation os Wisdom. Grand testimonythis is to it, in that it incites even the vain schools of the
CHAP. II.-God Himself an Gample os patienoe. To -- no human affectation os canine' equanimity, m doliod y by insensibility, furnishos the warrant for exercising patience; but the divino arrangement of a living and cete
tiat discipline, holding up foro us God Himseli in tho very
223쪽
good ossices o the seasons, the services of the clemenis, the
tributes of entire nature, to acerue at once to Worthy and
mith the worid. CHAP. III. esus Christ in His incarnation and woia a more imitabia erample thereos
224쪽
nought of man's impatiencel Hence, even more than from
225쪽
to them to whom it is gi ven to belleve, that patience is God's nature, the effect and excellence of some inherent proprie
CHAP. IV.-Duty of timitating our mater taught us by flaves and beasta. But obedient imitation is founded on patience. Therefore, it me see ali servants of probity and right seel-ing shaping their conduci sultably to the disposition of thoirlord; ii, that is, the art oi deseruing favour is obedience, Whilo tho rulo os obedience is a compliant subjection; ho much more does it bellove ua in be found with a character in
euce as great as are the comminations themselves Which tho
then, screaturesJ whicli God mahes subject in us bo botterthan wo in tho disciplino os obediencel' Finalty, stho
226쪽
patience are briefly, and as it vere in the compendium os aprescriptive rute, established. CHAP. V.-Aa God is the author os patienee, so the devit is of
Novorthelem, the proceedingy os a discussion on the necessaries of faith is not idie, becauso it is not un fruitsul. Inodification no loquaci is base, is it be base at any time.' Andso, is the disco se bo concerning sume particular good, thei Obsequii.
227쪽
bom and detected in our adversary, that from this considera
perdition ' first was malicious or impatient-Ι scorn to inquire : since manifest it is that eithor impatienco took iis rise together Uith malice, or elso malice from impatience;
that subsequently they conspired bet oen themselves; and that they greW up indivisibie in ono paternat bosom. But, hoWever; having been instructed, by his own experiment, What an aid unto sinning was that which ho had been thosiret to feel, by means of which he had entered on his courseos delinqueneri he called the fame to his assistance for tho
228쪽
212 TERTULLLANUS thrasting of man into crime. The Woman,' immediateb onbeing met by him-I may say so Without rastiness-Was, through his very speech With her, breasted on by a spiritinsected with impatience: so certain is it that she would never have sinnia at all, ii she had honoured tho divine edici by maintaining her patience funder i to the end. What sol tho factJ that sho endured not to have been metalone; but in the presence of Adam, not yet her husband, not yet bound to lend her his ears, alis is impatient of heeping silence, and mahes him the transmitter of that whita stio had imbibed from the Evit Ono' Therofore another human being, ino, perishes throuo the impatienceoi the one ; presently, too, perishes of himseli, through hisom impatience committed in each respect, both in regardos God's premonition and in regata of the devit's cheate ;not enduring in observe the former nor in refute the lalter.
tienco ; Who, content at that time mitti malediction only, refrained in the devit's caso from the instant infliction of punishment. Else What crime, before this gulit os imp tience, is imputed to man Innocent he was, and in intimato friendship with God, and the hvsbandman of paradiso. But hen once he succumbed to impatience, he quite coased tota os sweet favo - to God; ho quite coased to ba able toendure things celestiat. ΤhenceforWard, a creature' invento earth, and ejected from tho sight of God, he boons in booasily turned by impatience unis every use offensive to God. For straightWay that fimpatienceJ conceived of the devit's Med, produced, in the secundiu of malice, anger as her son ; and whon brought sortii, trained him in her oWn aris. For that
very thing which had immersed Adam and Eve in death,
229쪽
- PATIENCE. 213 tauot their son, too, to beon with murdor. It would boidie sor me to ascribo this to impatience, ii Cain, that fidit homicide and fidit fratricide, had borne mitti equanimity and not impatiently the refusal by the Lord of his own oblations it ho is not wroth with his own brother-is, finalty, he
his par , it is not possibis that it can be perfected sin de J. Who severi committed adultery without impatience of lust 'Μoreover, is in females tho sale of their modesty is forced
impatience of contemning gain' that filiis saleJ is regulated.' These I mentionJ as the principat delinquencies in the si tof the Lord;' for, to speah compendiously, every sin is ascri
230쪽
214 TERTULLIANUS able to impatience. Evil ' is impatience os modI Nono
immodest is not impatient of modesty: dishonest of hones*: impiores of pies; unquiet os quietness. In order that eachindividual may become erit, he will be unabis to persevere 'in being good. HOW, thereiore, can such a hydra of delinquencies sali to offend the Lord, the Disapprover of eviis 'Is it not manifest that it was throngli impatience that Israel
io rove through individual cases there M as no instance in
Accordingly it is patience Whicli is both subsequent and antecedent to faith. In shori, Abraham belleved God, and was accredited by Him milli righteousness ; ' but it was