CHAPTER XLI
Ce. f" é gee, | £ a i
Tertullian's Apology for the Christians. gods, Why will he not be persuaded to think that the Being who has done him the good without any thanks for his blessings, 1s the same Being that does him the evil for his ingratitude, since every person is so far guilty as he is unthankful ?
However, if we enter into a comparison of past -and present calamities, we shall find the account much abated since the coming of Christianity ; for since that time the innocence of Christians has tempered the iniquities of the age, and there have been a set of men who knew the right way of deprecating the-vengeance of God.
Lastly, when we are in great want of rain, and the year in anxiety about the succeeding fruits, then you are at your baths and debauches, and offering your water sacrifices to Jupiter,} and ordering processions on barefoot for the people.
You look for heaven in the capitol, and gape to the clouds upon the ceiling to \ dissolve in rain, without ever turning your eyes to the true heaven,
~ and applying to the true God, who is the only help in time of need.
But then in this great drought, we Christians sympathize with the world and dry up ourselves as it were with fasting, and are exceedingly temperate in all respects, differing the most frugal meals of life, and rolling in sackcloth and ashes ; and in this pitiable posture
~ we knock aloud for admission of our prayers with as much importunity as if we would bring odium upon heaven for denying our petition ; and when we have, as it were, extorted pity from our God by the violence of prayer, then, forsooth, your Jove must have the honour of the grant.
CHAPTER XLI.
CONCERNING THE CAUSE AND REASON OF PUBLIC CALAMITIES.
Ir is not Christians therefore but yourselves who are the bane of human affairs; you are the men who are continually drawing down
~ judgments upon the world, you who set aside the true God, and set up images in His stead.
For certainly it is more reasonable to 1 Aguilicia Jovi immolamus.
These Aquilecia were the sacrifices offered to Jupiter under great scarcity of water, propter aguam eliciendam ; and thence
— called Jupiter Elicius, according to that of Ovid. Fast. lib. 3.
Eliciunt calo te Jrupiter, wnde minores Nune quog. ; te celebrant, Eliciung. ; vocant,
~~ Lertultian's Apology for the Christians.
believe that ours is the God provoked, who is in contempt among you, and not those you have in worship.
Or verily yours are very unjust kinds of deities, who revenge themselves upon their worshippers for the sake of Christians who will not worship them, and make no distinction between friends and foes.
But this, say you, reflects equally upon the God of Christians, for He makes no difference between them and heathens.
But would you understand the economy of His providence, you would forbear this reflection ; for He who has once determined at the end of the world to give every man his everlasting doom according to his works, will not anticipate His own appointed season, and make that difference now, which He has said He will not make till the conclusion of the world.
In the meanwhile, therefore, the divine providence smiles and frowns upon all mankind without distinction, and scatters good and evil with an indifferent hand, that the pious and the impious might have both a taste of happiness and misery during this present state
of things; and because we know the reason of these proceedings from God Himself, therefore we have a due sense both of His kindness and severity, but both to you are contemptible ;. and therefore it follows that all the evils which are sent by God upon _the world are sent for our admonition and your punishment.
But we are no ways concerned with what befalls us here, because in the first place our great.concern is to get out of the world as fast as we can; and because in the next place what misfortunes do fall, we
'know that they are your provocations which have pulled them down ; and when they do fall upon us, as without a miracle they _ must, considering how we are blended together in this world, we rejoice and are exceeding glad to find the miseries foretold verified in ourselves ; and this sensible fulfilling of divine prophecies gives new life to our faith, and wing to our hope.
_ But'if it be as you say, that they be the gods you worship who do you all this mischief, and for our sakes too, why do you continue such ungrateful and unjust gods in worship, who are so much obliged to vindicate and assist you to the utmost of their almightiness against the Christians ?