ORAT.

326 The Son is and hath the Will of The Father. NOTES For in God Will is not one thing, Wisdom another." S. Cyril Alex. ON DE Thes. Ass. 7. t. 5. c. 1. p. 51. « If then the Word Who is in and of The Father is the wisdom and power of The Father, He it is in Whom He willeth, and through Whom He worketh all things, how then was He begotten by will, in Whom the will of The Father is? For we must either feign another Wisdom, as ye say, or if there is no other, but He alone is the Wisdom of the Father, then He is the Will (Boóλnois) also. For the Will of God is in Wisdom," p. 55. (ap. Petav. de Trin. 2. 5. 9.) "He had not then His being by will, as created things, but He was, as the Will of The Father, in Him, being the very Essence of Him Who begat Him;" and de Trin. Dial. 5. ib. p. 555. “If then the will (díanois) be in these different things, and no right-minded person could think that it was thus with the Divine Nature, the Father is not Will, but being conceived of in His own Essence, hath His own Son, as His Coessential and Coeternal Will;" add Marius Victorinus (1. 1. adv. Arium. Bibl. Patr. t. 4. col. 200. 212. ap. Petav. 6. 8. 2.) S. Ambrose (de Fide, v. 17. §. 224. ib. §. 21.) prefers the form that the Son hath the Will of the Father; "Neither did Will nor Power precede The Son; for in what is He inferior, Who hath all things which The Father hath? For He both received all things from The Father by virtue of the Generation, and expresseth The Father wholly by the glory of His Majesty."

Muratori, who cites or alludes to the above, (out of Petavius,) adds S. Clement, Origen, [ap. Pamph. Apol. pro. Orig. t. iv. p. 34. ed. de la Rue.] S. Jerome. Petavius himself cites also Cerealis (lib. adv. Max. c. 9. Bibl. PP. t. 4.) inferring thence, that The Father is neither greater nor anterior to The Son, "since The Father could not be without Will." Ruyz in 1 S. Thomæ (from whom Petavius drew largely) adds Quæstt. ad Orthod. ap. Just. M. q. 144. (Disp. 8. s. 7. n. 16.) Damascen. de Fide i. 18. (ib. n. 19.) Greg. Bætic. de Trin. (Disp. 58. s. 5. n. 14.)

OF PATIENCE.

[Tillemont (H. E. T. 3. p. 262.) seems rightly to have inferred, that the "de Patientia" was written by Tertullian while in the Church; 1) from its general calm subdued tone, so different from that of his Montanistic treatises; 2) from his allowing flight in persecution, c. 13. Lumper (art. iv.) contends that it is Montanistic on the following inadequate grounds; 1) that "the grace of the Divine Spirit" is the Paraclete; but it is only His ordinary aid to faithful Christians; 2) that he prefers widowhood to second marriage, c. 13; but so do all the Fathers except in case of necessity; 3) that he calls a second marriage adultery, c. 12; a wrong interpretation, see ib. 4) that he praises voluntary fasting, c. 13, but see ib. The peculiarity of the Montanists were not voluntary, but compulsory, additional fasts. The Catholics objected to them, that they did not leave them voluntary. 5) L. compares c. 12," this patience waiteth for," &c. with the de Pudic. c. 1. extr.; but there T. is speaking of second marriages as adultery in such sort as, to the last, to exclude from the Church those who contract them. There is no point of resemblance.]

I. I CONFESS to the Lord God it is with sufficient rashness, if it be not even shamelessness, that I venture to write concerning Patience, for the practice of which I am altogether unfit, being a man in whom is no good thing: whereas it is fitting that they who take in hand to set forth and commend any thing, should first be found themselves living in the practice of that thing, and should direct the energy, earnestness, boldness, of their admonitions by the example of their own conversation, so that their words blush not for the lack of their deeds. And I could wish that such blushing might bring its own remedy, so that the shame of not shewing forth. in ourselves that which we go about to advise for others might school us into shewing it forth, were it not that the greatness of some good things, as well as of evils, so overbeareth our powers, that the grace of the Divine Spirit alone can work in us effectually for the comprehension and the performance of them. For that which is the most good is the most in the hands of God, and no other than He Who

PAT.

X. 2.

328 Heathens attestvalue of patience, Xtian has God for its rule.

DE possesseth "dispenseth it to each" as He seeth fit. Wherefore it will be a sort of comfort to reason about that which it is not permitted us to enjoy, like sickly persons, who, while they lack health, know not how to be silent about its blessings. In like manner I, wretched man that I am, ever sick with the fever of impatience, must needs sigh for, and call upon, and speak all my thoughts upon, that healthy state of patience which I possess not, when I call to mind, and, in the contemplation of mine own weakness, ruminate on the thought that the good health of Faith and soundness in the Lord's Religion do not easily result to any one, unless Patience sit at his side. Such an object is it made to the things of God, that no one, who is a stranger to patience, can obey any commandment or do any work pleasing to the Lord. 1 caca Its good quality even they, who live blindly', honour with the title of the highest virtue. Philosophers indeed, who are accounted creatures of some wisdom, ascribe so much to it, that, while they disagree among themselves in the various humours of their sects, and the strife of rival opinions, yet having a common regard for patience alone, in respect of this one alone of their pursuits they are joined in peace in this they conspire together: in this they are 2 in re- confederate: this they pursue with one mind in2 aspiring after virtue: it is in patience that they set up the whole display of their wisdom. There is strong testimony on its side, when it advanceth even the vain sects of worldly philosophy unto praise and glory. Or is there not rather an injury done to it, when a divine thing is made to grovel amongst the doings of this world? But no matter for them, who shall presently be ashamed of their own wisdom, when it is, together with the world, destroyed and brought to dishonour.

stored

a

II. To us it is no human affectation of cynical indifference, schooled by a stupid apathy, which giveth authority for the exercise of patience, but the divine ordering of a lively and heavenly rule, setting forth God Himself as the example of patience, first as the Being Who scattereth the dew of this Mat. 5, light over the just and the unjust equally, Who suffereth the offices of the seasons, the services of the elements, the

45.

Patience in the Incarnation, childhood and Ministry of Xt.329 tributes of the whole creation, to come alike to the worthy and the unworthy; bearing with those most unthankful nations, who worship the follies of their own craft, and the works of their own hands, and persecute His name, His household'; bearing with covetousness, with iniquity, nomen with wantonness, with the maliciousness which daily waxeth liam insolent, so that by His own patience He robbeth Himself; restored seeing that the greater part believe not in the Lord for this reason, because that for so long a time they have not known restored that He is wroth with the world.

fami

2 insole

scentem

Eccles.

III. And this instance indeed of Divine patience, being 8, 11. as it were afar off, may perchance be reckoned among those things which be too high for us. But what shall we say of that which hath in a manner been handled among men 1 John 1, 1. openly in the world? God suffereth Himself to be conceived in the womb of a mother, and abideth the time, and being born waiteth to grow up, and being grown up is not eager to be acknowledged, but putteth a further slight upon Himself, and is baptized by His own servant, and repelleth the attacks of the tempter by words only. When from the Lord He became the Master, teaching man to escape death, having well learned, for salvation's sake, the forgiving spirit of offended patience, He strove not, He Is. 42, 2. cried not; neither did any hear His voice in the streets: the shattered reed He did not break, the smoking flax He did not quench. For there was no lying voice in the Prophet, yea rather in the testimony of God Himself, Who put His own Spirit in His Son with perfection of patience. None that desired to cleave unto Him did He not receive; no man's table or house did He despise; yea', Himself ministered to the washing of His disciples' feet. He scorned not the sinners nor the publicans. He was not angry even with that city which would not receive Him, when even His disciples would have desired that fires from heaven should presently appear against a town so scornful. He healed the Luke 9,

3.

54.

РАТ.

53.

X. 4.

330

Patience of Christ a witness of His Divinity.

DB unthankful; He gave place to those that laid snares for Him. This were but little, if He had not had in His own company even His own betrayer, and yet did not determinately make Is. 53,7. him known. But when He is delivered up, when He is led as a sheep to the slaughter, for so He openeth not His mouth more than the lamb when in the power of his shearer: He Mat. 26, at whose side, if He had desired it, legions of angels from Heaven would at one word have been present, approved not the avenging sword of even a single disciple". In Malchus ver. 52. the patience of the Lord was wounded. Wherefore also He cursed the works of the sword for ever after", and, by the restoration of soundness to him whom He had not Himself hurt, He made satisfaction through Patience the mother of Mercy. I pass in silence the Crucifixion, for it was for that that He had come into the world; yet was there need of insults also that He might undergo death? But being about to depart, He desired to be filled to the full with the pleasure of patience. He is spit upon, is beaten, is mocked, is foully clothed, still more foully crowned. Wondrous constancy in patience! He Who had purposed to hide Himself in the form of man, followed none of the example of man's impatience! In this especially ought ye, O Pharisees, to have acknowledged the Lord; none among men could have worked patience such as this. Such and so great proofs,-whose greatness is with the nations indeed a diminishing, but with us is the cause and building up of Faith,manifest clearly enough to those, to whom it is given to believe, not only by the discourses of the Lord' in teaching, but by His sufferings in enduring, that patience is the nature of God, the effect and excellency of a sort of innate property.

IV. Wherefore if we see all good and well-disposed servants having their conversation according to the disposition of their Lord, (if indeed the art of deserving favour be obedience, and the rule of obedience a tractable subjection,) how much more ought we to be found in our

g others "educentis" "of one who endo sed etiam passionibus Domini susdrew the sword."

h See de Cor. c. 11. p. 176.

1 non sermonibus modo in præcipi

tinendo. Rig. conjectures passionibus in sustinendo, the cod. P. having Dni.