On Patience

 1. That virtue of the mind which is called Patience, is so great a gift of God, that even in Him who bestoweth the same upon us, that, whereby He wait

 2. The patience of man, which is right and laudable and worthy of the name of virtue, is understood to be that by which we tolerate evil things with a

 3. Look we then, beloved, what hardships in labors and sorrows men endure, for things which they viciously love, and by how much they think to be made

 4. Nay more for is it not so that even for open wickednesses, not to punish but to perpetrate them, men put up with many most grievous troubles? Do n

 5. When therefore thou shall see any man suffer aught patiently, do not straightway praise it as patience for this is only shown by the cause of suff

 6. But yet, seeing that for lusts’ sake, or even wickednesses, seeing, in a word, that for this temporal life and weal men do wonderfully bear the bru

 7. Though indeed the welfare even of the body is then more providently consulted for if its temporal life and welfare be disregarded for righteousness

 8. But although patience be a virtue of the mind, yet partly the mind exercises it in the mind itself, partly in the body. In itself it exercises pati

 9. It is indeed a greater fight of patience, when it is not a visible enemy that by persecution and rage would urge us into crime which enemy may open

 10. To this man let them look who put themselves to death when they are sought for to have life put upon them and by bereaving themselves of the pres

 11. Let then the Saints hear from holy Scripture the precepts of patience: “My son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand thou in righteousnes

 12. But concerning true patience, worthy of the name of this virtue, whence it is to be had, must now be inquired. For there are some who attribute it

 13. But they answer and speak, saying, “If the will of man without any aid of God by strength of free choice bears so many grievous and horrible distr

 14. They which say these things, do not understand that as well each one of the wicked is in that measure for endurance of any ills more hard, in what

 15. For, as the Divine utterances testify, “God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God dwelleth in him.” Whoso therefore conte

 16. Here some man shall say “If the concupiscence of the bad, whereby it comes that they bear all evils for that which they lust after, be of the wor

 17. Now this election the Apostle demonstrating to be, not of merits going before in good works, but election of grace, saith thus: “And in this time

 18. Whence also the just of old, before the Incarnation of the Word, in this faith of Christ, and in this true righteousness, (which thing Christ is u

 19. Since the case is so, what is man, while in this life he uses his own proper will, ere he choose and love God, but unrighteous and ungodly? “What,

 20. Let thus much have been said with regard to charity, without which in us there cannot be true patience, because in good men it is the love of God

 21. But if it be goaded on and inflamed with deceitful visions and unclean incentives by the devilish spirit, associated and conspiring therewith in m

 22. But the pleasure of the Creator, of which is written, “And from the river of Thy pleasure wilt Thou give them to drink,” is of far other kind, for

 23. But if moreover any not having charity, which pertaineth to the unity of spirit and the bond of peace whereby the Catholic Church is gathered and

 24. But it may well be asked, whether this patience likewise be the gift of God, or to be attributed to strength of the human will, by which patience,

 25. So then, as we are not to deny that this is the gift of God, we are thus to understand that there be some gifts of God possessed by the sons of th

 26. Cry we therefore with the spirit of charity, and until we come to the inheritance in which we are alway to remain, let us be, through love which b

25. So then, as we are not to deny that this is the gift of God, we are thus to understand that there be some gifts of God possessed by the sons of that Jerusalem which is above,74    Gal. iv. 26 and free, and mother of us all, (for these are in some sort the hereditary possessions in which we are “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ:”) but some other which may be received even by the sons of concubines to whom carnal Jews and schismatics or heretics are compared. For though it be written, “Cast out the bondmaid and her son, for the son of the bondmaid shall not be heir with my son Isaac:”75    Gal. iv. 30; and Gen. xxi. 10 and though God said to Abraham, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called:” which the Apostle hath so interpreted as to say, “That is, not they which be sons of the flesh, these be the sons of God; but the sons of the promise are counted for the seed;”76    Gen. xxi. 12; and Rom. ix. 7, 8 that we might understand the seed of Abraham in regard of Christ to pertain by reason of Christ to the sons of God, who are Christ’s body and members, that is to say, the Church of God, one, true, very-begotten, catholic, holding the godly faith; not the faith which works through elation or fear, but “which worketh by love;”77    Gal. v. 6 nevertheless, even the sons of the concubines, when Abraham sent them away from his son Isaac, he did not omit to bestow upon them some gifts, that they might not be left in every way empty, but not that they should be held as heirs. For so we read: “And Abraham gave all his estate unto Isaac; and to the sons of his concubines gave Abraham gifts, and sent them away from his son Isaac.”78    Gen. xxv. 5, 6 If then we be sons of Jerusalem the free, let us understand that other be the gifts of them which are put out of the inheritance, other the gifts of them which be heirs. For these be the heirs, to whom is said, “Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”79    Rom. viii. 15

25. Proinde sicut negandum non est hoc esse donum Dei, ita intelligendum est alia esse Dei dona filiorum illius Jerusalem, quae sursum libera est mater nostra.

CAPUT XXVIII.

Dona filiorum haeredum et dona filiorum exhaeredatorum diversa. (Haec sunt enim quodam modo haereditaria, in quibus sumus haeredes Dei, cohaeredes autem Christi); alia vero quae possunt accipere etiam filii concubinarum, quibus Judaei carnales et schismatici vel haeretici comparantur. Quamvis enim scriptum sit, Ejice ancillam et filium ejus; neque enim haeres erit filius ancillae cum filio meo Isaac (Gal. IV, 26, 30, et Gen. XXI, 10): et Abrahae dixerit Deus, In Isaac vocabitur tibi semen (Gen. XXI, 12, et Rom. IX, 7 et 8): quod sic est Apostolus interpretatus, ut diceret, Id est, non qui filii carnis, hi filii Dei; sed filii promissionis deputantur in semine ut intelligeremus semen Abrahae secundum Isaac propter Christum ad Dei filios pertinere, qui sunt corpus Christi et membra, id est, Ecclesia Dei una, vera, germana, catholica, tenens piam fidem; non eam quae per elationem vel timorem, sed eam quae per dilectionem operatur (Galat. V, 6): tamen etiam filios concubinarum quando a filio suo Isaac dimisit Abraham, nonnulla eis largitus est munera, ne relinquerentur omni modo inanes, non ut tenerentur haeredes. Sic enim legimus: Dedit autem Abraham omnem censum suum Isaac filio suo; et filiis concubinarum suarum dedit Abraham munera, et dimisit eos ab Isaac filio suo (Gen. XXV, 5, 6). Si ergo filii sumus liberae Jerusalem, alia dona exhaeredatorum, alia intelligamus haeredum. Hi enim haeredes sunt, quibus dicitur: Non enim accepistis spiritum servitutis iterum in timorem; 0625sed accepistis spiritum adoptionis filiorum, in quo clamamus, Abba, Pater (Rom. VIII, 14-17).