And not only so; but we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

“But how Paul, an apostle, from being a persecutor, who first of all shed the blood of the church, though afterwards he exchanged the sword for the pen, and turned the dagger into a plough, being first a ravening wolf of Benjamin, then himself supplying food as did Jacob, -how he, (I say, ) speaks in favour of martyrdoms, now to be chosen by himself also, when, rejoicing over the Thessalonians, he says, "So that we glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations, in which ye endure a manifestation of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be accounted worthy of His kingdom, for which ye also suffer! As also in his Epistle to the Romans: "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, being sure that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope; and hope maketh not ashamed." And again: "And if children, then heirs, heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.”

“Now, consider how great the things to come are, when even at things that seem to be distressful we can be elated; so great is God's gift, and such a nothing any distastefulness in them! For in the case of external goods, the struggle for them brings trouble and pain and irksomeness along with it; and it is the crowns and rewards that carry the pleasure with them. But in this case it is not so, for the wrestlings have to us no less relish than the rewards. For since there were sundry temptations in those days, and the kingdom existed in hopes, the terrors were at hand, but the good things in expectation, and this unnerved the feebler sort, even before the crowns he gives them the prize now, by saying that we should "glory even in tribulations." And what he says is not "you should glory," but we glory, giving them encouragement in his own person. Next since what he had said had an appearance of being strange and paradoxical, if a person who is struggling in famine, and is in chains and torments, and insulted, and abused, ought to glory, he next goes on to confirm it. And (what is more), he says they are worthy of being gloried in, not only for the sake of those things to come, but for the things present in themselves. For tribulations are in their own selves a goodly thing. How so? It is because they anoint us unto patient abiding. Wherefore after saying we glory in tribulations, he has added the reason, in these words, "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience." Notice again the argumentative spirit of Paul, how he gives their argument an opposite turn. For since it was tribulations above all that made them give up the hopes of things to come, and which cast them into despondency, he says that these are the very reasons for confidingness, and for not desponding about the things to come, for "tribulation," he says, "worketh patience."”

“"Rejoice in your hope, and endure patiently your tribulations; for from the patient endurance of tribulations the hope concerning the things which are to come increaseth in us," even as he said in another place, "Tribulation perfecteth patience in us; and patience, probation, and probation, hope; and patience putteth not to shame." Whosoever beareth not tribulations by his own constancy, in him it is evident that the remembrance of hope is not, for if he had hope, he would also be in tribulation because of his hope, even as all the righteous who have come into the world were in tribulation with all kinds of labours, and in many afflictions they trod this path which leadeth to the kingdom of God; and because they trod it in hope the experience of the afflictions was pleasant unto them.”

“After the Apostle has shown the necessity of the grace of Christ — because without it neither did the knowledge of truth profit the Gentiles, nor circumcision and the law profit the Jews, unto salvation — here he begins to commend the power of grace. And concerning this he does two things. First he shows what goods we obtain through grace; second, from what evils we are freed through it, at the place "therefore as through one man," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth the manner of arriving, or the way by which we come to grace; second he shows the goods which we obtain through grace, at the place "and we glory in the hope of glory," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he exhorts to the due use of grace; second he shows us the entrance to grace, at the place "through whom access," etc. He says therefore first: it has been said that faith will be reckoned unto righteousness for all who believe in the resurrection of Christ, which is the cause of our justification. Being justified therefore by faith — that is, insofar as through faith in the resurrection we participate in its effect — let us have peace with God, namely by subjecting ourselves and obeying him. Job 22:21: "Acquiesce therefore to him, and have peace." Job 9:4: "Who has resisted him, and had peace?" And this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who has led us to this peace. Ephesians 2:14: "He himself is our peace." Hence he adds: through whom, namely Christ, we have access, that is, as through a mediator. Timothy 2:5: "the mediator of God and men," etc. Ephesians 2:18: "through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father." Access, I say, into this grace, that is, into the state of grace. John 1:17: "grace and truth were made through Jesus Christ." In which, that is, through which grace, not only have we risen from sins, but we also stand, fixed and erect in affection amid heavenly things. Psalm 120:21: "our feet were standing." And again: "we, however, have risen, and are erect." And this through faith, through which, namely, we obtain grace — not because faith precedes grace, since rather faith exists through grace. Ephesians 2:8: "by grace you are saved through faith," namely, because the first effect of grace in us is faith. Then, when he says "and we glory in the hope of glory," etc., he shows what goods have come to us through grace. First he says that through grace we have the glory of hope; second, that through grace we have the glory of God, at the place "and not only so," etc. Concerning the first he does three things. First he shows the greatness of the hope in which we glory; second, its vehemence, at the place "and not only so," etc. Third, its firmness, at the place "and hope does not confound," etc. Now the greatness of the hope is considered from the greatness of the thing hoped for, which he sets down saying, "and we glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God," that is, from the fact that we hope that we will obtain the glory of the sons of God. For through the grace of Christ we have obtained the spirit of adoption of the sons of God, as is said below in chapter 8:15, and Wisdom 5:5: "behold how they are numbered among the sons of God." Now to sons is owed the inheritance of the father — below 8:17: "but if sons, then heirs also." But this inheritance is the glory which God has in himself. Job 40:4: "if you have an arm like God," etc. And a hope of this kind has been implanted in us through Christ. 1 Peter 1:3f.: "he has regenerated us unto a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an incorruptible inheritance," etc. And this glory, which will be fulfilled in us in the future, is meanwhile now begun in us through hope. Below 8:24: "we are saved by hope." Psalm 5:12: "all who love your name will glory in you." Then, when he says "and not only so," etc., he shows the vehemence of this hope. For he who vehemently hopes for something willingly endures, for its sake, even difficult and bitter things — just as a sick man, if he vehemently hopes for health, willingly drinks a bitter potion that he may be healed by it. A sign, therefore, of the vehement hope which we have on account of Christ is that we glory not only from the hope of future glory, but also concerning the evils which we suffer for its sake; hence he says, and not only do we glory — namely, in the hope of glory — but we also glory in tribulations, through which we arrive at glory. Acts 14:21: "through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heaven." James 1:2: "count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials." And he then shows the cause, saying "knowing," etc. Where he sets down four things in order, of which the first is tribulation, concerning which it is said that tribulation works patience — not indeed in such a way that tribulation is its efficient cause, but because tribulation is the matter and occasion for exercising the act of patience. Below 12:12: "patient in tribulation." Second, he sets down the effect of patience, when he says "patience, trial." Ecclesiasticus 2:5: "gold and silver are tried in the fire: but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation." For it is manifest that we easily endure the loss of some thing for the sake of the thing which we love more. Hence if someone patiently endures loss in bodily and temporal things for the sake of obtaining eternal goods, it is sufficiently proved from this that such a one loves eternal goods more than temporal ones. But against what is said here stands that saying of James 1:3: "the trial of your faith works patience." It must be said, however, that "trial" can be understood in two ways. In one way, according as it is in the thing tried, and thus the trial is the very tribulation by which a man is tried; hence it is the same thing to say that tribulation works patience, and that tribulation tries patience. In another way, "trial" is taken for having been tried — and thus it is taken here that patience works trial, because from the fact that a man patiently endures tribulation, he is thereby rendered already proved. Third, he adds the third, saying "and trial, hope" — namely, works — because, namely, from the fact that someone has already been proved, hope can be had, both by himself and by others, that he will be admitted to the inheritance of God. Wisdom 3:5: "God tried them, and found them worthy of himself." Thus therefore, from the first to the last, it is clear that tribulation prepares the way to hope. Hence if someone glories vehemently in hope, it follows that he should glory also in the tribulations themselves. Then, when he says "and hope does not confound," he shows the firmness of this hope. And first he sets it down, saying: and hope — namely, this hope by which we hope for the glory of the sons of God — does not confound, that is, does not fail, unless a man fails it. For that man is said to be confounded by his hope who falls short of that which he hopes for. Psalm 30:2: "in you, Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded." Ecclesiastes 2:11: "no one has hoped in the Lord, and been confounded." Second, at the place "because the charity of God," etc., he sets down a twofold argument for the certainty of hope, of which the first is from the gift of the Holy Spirit, the second from the death of Christ, at the place "for why did Christ," etc. He says therefore first: from this we can know that hope does not confound, because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Now the charity of God can be taken in two ways. In one way, for the charity by which God loves us — Jeremiah 31:3: "with an everlasting charity have I loved you"; in another way it can be called the charity of God by which we love God — below 8:38f.: "I am certain that neither death nor life will separate us from the charity of God." But each charity of God is poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son, to be given to us, is for us to be led to a participation in that love which is the Holy Spirit; from which participation, indeed, we are made lovers of God. And this, that we love him, is a sign that he loves us. Proverbs 8:17: "I love those who love me." Not as though we had first loved God, but because he first loved us, as is said in 1 John 4:10. Now the charity by which he loves us is said to be poured forth in our hearts, because it is openly shown in our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit impressed upon us. John 3:24: "in this we know that God abides in us," etc. But the charity by which we love God is said to be poured forth in our hearts, that is, because it extends itself to perfecting all the habits and acts of the soul; for, as is said in 1 Corinthians 13:4: "charity is patient, is kind," etc. But from each understanding of these words it is concluded that hope does not confound. For if the charity of God by which God loves us is taken, it is manifest that he will not deny himself to those whom he loves. Deuteronomy 33:3: "he loved the peoples, all the saints are in his hand." Likewise also, if the charity of God by which we love God is taken, it is manifest that he has prepared eternal goods for those who love him. John 14:21: "if anyone loves me, he will be loved by my Father," etc.”

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also,.... The tribulations of the saints are many and various, through the hatred of the world, the temptations of Satan, their own corruptions; and are the will of their heavenly Father; what Christ has foretold, and they expect; and here particularly design such as are for Christ's sake, which being supported under, and carried through, they glory in: not that these are desirable in themselves, and to the flesh; but they glory in them as they are for Christ's sake, and in a good cause; as they are trials of grace, and of use for the exercise of it: and as they are in the exercise of grace, amidst these tribulations, and are comforted under them, and are helped to have regard to the heavenly glory. The ground of which glorying is, that these afflictions are the means of promoting patience, experience, and hope: knowing this, that tribulation worketh patience; patience is a grace, of which God is the author; it is one of the fruits of the Spirit; the word of God is the means of its being first implanted; and afflictions are the means of promoting it, when they are sanctified; otherwise they produce impatience, murmurings, and repinings; there is great need of patience under them; and, by divine grace, they are the matter and occasion of exercising, and so of increasing it.”

“And not only so - We are not only happy from being in this state of communion with our God, and the prospect of being eternally with him; But we glory in tribulations also - All the sufferings we endure for the testimony of our Lord are so sanctified to us by his grace, that they become powerful instruments of increasing our happiness. Tribulation worketh patience - Ὑπομονην, Endurance under trials, without sustaining loss or deterioration. It is a metaphor taken from refining metals. We do not speak thus from any sudden raptures, or extraordinary sensations we may have of spiritual joy: for we find that the tribulations through which we pass are the means of exercising and increasing our patience, our meek forbearance of injuries received, or persecutions experienced, on account of the Gospel.”

“We glory in spirit in the afflictions, oppression, and persecution, which we suffer as Christians, esteeming them a great blessing. Thus the apostles went rejoicing from before the council, because they had been thought worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. (Acts v.) And St. James (chap. i.) says: Think it the greatest joy when you fall into various temptations: (i.e. tribulations) for these sufferings greatly serve to confirm the elect in the hopes which they have of enjoying the glory of the world to come. (Estius)”

“we glory in tribulation also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience--Patience is the quiet endurance of what we cannot but wish removed, whether it be the withholding of promised good (Rom 8:25), or the continued experience of positive ill (as here). There is indeed a patience of unrenewed nature, which has something noble in it, though in many cases the offspring of pride, if not of something lower. Men have been known to endure every form of privation, torture, and death, without a murmur and without even visible emotion, merely because they deemed it unworthy of them to sink under unavoidable ill. But this proud, stoical hardihood has nothing in common with the grace of patience--which is either the meek endurance of ill because it is of God (Job 1:21-22; Job 2:10), or the calm waiting for promised good till His time to dispense it come (Heb 10:36); in the full persuasion that such trials are divinely appointed, are the needed discipline of God's children, are but for a definite period, and are not sent without abundant promises of "songs in the night." If such be the "patience" which "tribulation worketh," no wonder that”