19. And, beloved brethren, that the benefit of patience may still more shine forth, let us consider, on the contrary, what mischief impatience may cause. For as patience is the benefit of Christ, so, on the other hand, impatience is the mischief of the devil; and as one in whom Christ dwells and abides is found patient, so he appears always impatient whose mind the wickedness of the devil possesses. Briefly let us look at the very beginnings. The devil suffered with impatience that man was made in the image of God.42    [Admirably worked out in Messias and Anti-Messias, by the Rev. C. I. Black, ed. London, Masters, 1854.] Hence he was the first to perish and to ruin others. Adam, contrary to the heavenly command with respect to the deadly food, by impatience fell into death; nor did he keep the grace received from God under the guardianship of patience. And in order that Cain should put his brother to death, he was impatient of his sacrifice and gift; and in that Esau descended from the rights of the first-born to those of the younger, he lost his priority by impatience for the pottage. Why was the Jewish people faithless and ungrateful in respect of the divine benefits? Was it not the crime of impatience, that they first departed from God? Not being able to bear the delays of Moses conferring with God, they dared to ask for profane gods, that they might call the head of an ox and an earthen image leaders of their march; nor did they ever desist from their impatience, until, impatient always of docility and of divine admonition, they put to death their prophets and all the righteous men, and plunged even into the crime of the crucifixion and bloodshedding of the Lord. Moreover, impatience makes heretics in the Church, and, after the likeness of the Jews, drives them in opposition to the peace and charity of Christ as rebels, to hostile and raging hatred.43    [The downfall of Novatian and of Arius and others seems largely attributable to this sin. They could not await God’s time to give them influence and power for good. See quotation from Massillon, vol. iii. p. 718, this series. Also Tertull., iii. p. 677.] And, not at length to enumerate single cases, absolutely everything which patience, by its works, builds up to glory, impatience casts down into ruin.

XIX. Atque, ut magis, fratres dilectissimi, patientiae bonum luceat, quid mali e contrario impatientia importet consideremus. Nam, ut patientia bonum Christi est, sic e contra impatientia diaboli malum ; et sicut in quo habitat et manet Christus, patiens invenitur, ita impatiens semper existit cujus mentem diaboli nequitia possidet. Exordia denique ipsa videamus. 0634B Diabolus hominem ad imaginem Dei factum impatienter tulit: inde et periit primus et perdidit. Adam, contra coeleste praeceptum, cibi lethalis impatiens, in mortem cecidit, nec acceptam divinitus gratiam patientia custode servavit; et ut fratrem Cain perimeret, sacrificii ejus et muneris impatiens fuit; et quod Esau de majoribus ad minora descendit, primatus suos per impatientiam lentis amisit. Quid Judaïcus populus circa beneficia divina perfidus et ingratus, nonne quod a Deo primum recessit, impatientiae crimen fuit, dum Moysi cum Deo colloquentis moras non potest ferre, profanos deos ausus est postulare , ut itineris sui duces nuncuparet caput bubulum et terrestre figmentum; nec umquam ab eadem impatientia destitit, quominus, semper docilitatis et divinae 0634C admonitionis impatiens, Prophetas suos et justos quosque perimendo, ad crucem quoque et ad sanguinem Domini prosiliret. Impatientia etiam in Ecclesia haereticos facit, et, ad Judaeorum similitudinem, contra Christi pacem et charitatem rebelles ad hostilia et furiosa odia compellit. Et, ne longum sit singula recensere, omnia omnino quae patientia operibus suis aedificat ad gloriam, impatientia destruit ad ruinam.