TREATISE XI.

ON THE BENEFIT OF PATIENCE.

TREAT.

XI.

vid. iii. 1. pref.

[This Treatise was written about A.D. 256, during the Baptismal controversy, in order to lead both sides in the argument to forbearance and kind feeling.]

HAVING to speak of patience, dearest brethren, and to set forth its fruits and blessings, how can I better begin, than by saying that I feel your patience to be necessary, even for this present hearing of me? since now to hear me and learn of me, cannot be done without patience. For it is then that wholesome words and reasoning are received with true profit, when the things spoken are listened to with patience. Nor do I find, dearest brethren, among the other paths of secta, heavenly discipline, in which the school of our hope and faith is guided to the attainment of divine rewards, any thing more excellent either for the aid of good living, or for the increase of glory, than that we who have attached ourselves to the precepts of the Lord, in the obedience of fear and devotion, should specially, in all carefulness, watch unto patience. Of this indeed philosophers profess a pursuit, but in them patience is as false, as their wisdom is false. For how can he be either wise or patient, who knows not that wisdom and patience which is of God? Since He Himself gives warning concerning those who seem to themselves to be wise in this Isaiah world and says, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Likewise blessed Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, and sent for the calling and building of the Gentiles, bears witness and Col. 2,8. teaches, saying, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after

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Philosophers not patient, Christians only.

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the elements of the world, and not after Christ, because in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead. And in another place, he says, Let no man deceive himself; if Cor. 3, any man among you thinketh himself to be wise, let him become a fool unto this world, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, I will rebuke the wise in their own craftiness; and again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are foolish. Wherefore, if true wisdom be not with them, neither can true patience be; for if he be the patient man, who is humble and mild, and we find philosophers to be neither humble nor mild, but well satisfied with themselves, and because self-satisfied dissatisfying God, it is evident that there true patience cannot be, where there is found the insolent daring of a claim of liberty, and the immodest forwardness of an exposed and uncovered bosom.

2. But for us, dearest brethren, who are philosophers not in words but in deeds; who profess wisdom not in garb but in truth, who are acquainted rather with the experience of virtues than their boast, and who do not speak great things, but live them; let us, as servants and worshippers of God, shew that patience in spiritual submission which we learn by heavenly instructions. For this virtue is common to us with God. Patience begins from Him, from Him its brightness and dignity takes its source. The origin and greatness of patience proceeds from God its Author. Man ought to love that thing which is dear to God. The divine Majesty in loving that which is good, commends it. If God is our Lord and Father, let us follow after the patience of Him who is both Lord to us and Father, for it belongs to servants to be obedient, and it becomes not children to be degenerate. But in God what patience and how abundant is it, that in the contempt of His majesty and honour, most patiently enduring profane temples instituted by men, and earthen images, and sacrilegious rites, He makes the day to spring and the light of the sun to arise, Mat. 5, equally on the good and the evil; and when He waters the earth with rain, none is excluded from His bounties, but alike on the just and the unjust He yields the undistinguished showers. We see, according to an impartial equality of patience, for sinful men and for innocent, for the religious and the impious, for

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TREAT. them that thank Him and for the unthankful, at the nod of God seasons obeying them, elements serving them, winds breathing, fountains flowing, the crops of corn swelling, fruits of the vineyard mellowing, trees stocked with apples, groves putting on their verdure, and meadows flowering. And while God is offended by frequent, yea by unceasing sins, He refrains His wrath, and patiently awaits for the day of retribution once for all appointed. And while He has vengeance in His power, He rather long keeps patience; enduring, that is, in His compassion, and putting off, to the end that if it be possible a wickedness long continuing may one time change, and man involved in the contagion of errors and sins, though late, may yet turn to the Lord, according to His own warning Ezek. 18, and instruction; I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, but rather that he should return and live. And again Joel 2, the Prophet; Return to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and gracious and patient, and of great pity, and repenteth Him toward the evil which He hath inflicted. This also the blessed Apostle Paul repeating, and calling Rom. 2, back the sinner to repentance, sets forth and says, Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the patience and goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up unto thyself wrath in the day of wrath, and of revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds. He calls God's judgment just, because it is late, because it is long and much postponed; that by the long patience of God man may gain provision unto life. And penalty is then revealed upon the ungodly and the sinner, when penitence can now no more avail the offender.

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3. And that we may be enabled, dearest brethren, more fully to understand, that patience is a thing of God, and that whoever is kind and patient and mild, is an imitator of God his Father, therefore was it that the Lord giving in His Gospel instructions unto salvation, and drawing forth divine admonitions, in order to form His disciples unto perfection, Mat. 5, set it forth and said, Ye have heard that it is said, Thou 43-48. shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy; but I say

unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them which per

secute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, who maketh His sun to rise on the good and on the evil, and raineth on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward shall ye have ; do not even the publicans the same? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. He saith that thus we become perfect sons of God; thus He shewed and taught we are brought unto fulness, after being made again in heavenly birth, if the patience of God our Father abide in us, if the divine Likeness which Adam had lost by sin, become manifested and shine forth in our acts.

4. Neither, dearest brethren, did Jesus Christ our God and Lord only teach us this in words, but fulfilled it also in His deeds. And since He had said that to this end He came down to do the will of His Father, among the other wonders of His virtues, by which He expressed the proofs of a divine Majesty, He preserved also the patience of His Father, by continuance of endurance. In fine, all His actions, even from His first coming, are marked by patience as their companion; because first descending out of that heavenly height, into earthly places, the Son of God scorned not to put on the flesh of man; and while He Himself was not a sinner, to bear the sins of others. Meantime, putting off His immortality, He suffers Himself to be made mortal, that He, the innocent, may be slain for the salvation of the guilty. The Lord is baptized by the servant, and He who was to give remission of sins, Himself disdains not to wash His body in the laver of regeneration. He for Tit.3, 5. forty days doth fast, by whom all others are fattened; He hungers and suffers famine, that they who had been in famine of the word and of grace, may be filled with bread of heaven. He withstands the Devil tempting them, and content with only having conquered His foe, contends against him no longer than by words. He did not preside over His Disciples, as over servants in a Lord's power, but gently and mildly He loved them with a brother's affection. He condescended also to wash the feet of the Apostles; that, since He being Lord, dealt thus toward His servants, He might by His example teach, what manner of man a fellow-servant ought to be, towards his fellows and equals. Nor need it be wondered at, that He became such unto the obedient, who in long pa

TREAT. tience could bear with Judas even unto extremity, taking XI. food with His enemy, knowing the domestic foe, yet not

publicly revealing him, nor refusing the kiss of the betrayer. Moreover, in His bearing with the Jews, how great was His equanimity, and how great His patience! Bending the unbelieving unto faith by persuading them, softening the unthankful by yielding to them, answering with gentleness to them that used contradiction, in clemency bearing with the proud, and with humility giving way to the persecutors; even unto the hour of His Cross and passion ready to gather together men who slew the Prophets and were ever rebellious against God. And in His very passion and Cross, before they were come to the cruelty of death and the shedding of blood, what reproaches of reviling were patiently heard by Him, what sufferings of contumely endured! so that He received with patience the spittings of revilers, who a little before had with His spittle vid.supr. made eyes for a blind man; and He in whose Name the Devil

i. 4. ii. 4.

viii. 8.

vit.

with his angels is now by His servants scourged, Himself suffered scourging; He was crowned with thorns, who crowns Martyrs with eternal flowers; He smitten on the face with palms, who yields true palms to them that conquer; He stripped of His earthly raiment, who clothes others with the robe of immortality; He received gall for food, who gave the propina- food of heaven, and He had vinegar to drink, who instituted the cup of salvation. He innocent, He just, yea innocency itself and justice itself, is numbered with the transgressors; and truth is pressed with false testimonies, the future Judge is judged, and the Word of God led in silence to the slaughter. And while the stars are confounded before the Cross of the Lord, the elements disturbed, earth quakes, night shuts out day, and the sun, so he be not forced to witness the crime of the Jews, draws back both his rays and eyes, He speaks not, and moves not, nay in His very passion makes no profession of His Majesty: all things even unto the end are perseveringly and unceasingly endured, to the end that a full and perfect patience may be finished in Christ. And after all these things, He gives acceptance even to His murderers, if they come turning unto Him; and with saving patience, bountiful to preserve, He shuts His Church to none; those adversaries, those blasphemous, those ever enemies of His Name, if they