On Perseverance

1. God is perseverant for the sake of love’s end,

wherein He fashions a perseverant and worthy (lit. “good”) lover

by means of faithfulness, patience and fear.

 

2. Love perseveres in <its> loving,

while goodness <perseveres> in <its> bonifying

and greatness <perseveres> in <its> magnifying.

 

3. He who wishes to persevere in virtue,

should frequently desire to understand and remember

the good and the evil that God is able to bestow upon one.

 

4. A man perseveres in doing good

when he knows <how> greatly to magnify it

by means of that whereby he can bring evil into privation (i.e. deprive evil of its existence).

 

 5. Perseverance is a path

containing <a> beginning, <a> middle and <an> end,

<a path by means of which> one loves others as well as oneself.

 

6. It is much better to persevere

in remembering and loving God

than in honouring oneself.

 

7. <The> perseverance of goodness,

within which man has long remained,

should not be sold for the sake of sin.

 

8. He who perseveres in evil

prefers the sensible good

to the good that is spiritual.

 

9. Man perseveres

in God and in God’s love

with faithfulness, patience and humility.

 

10. Whoever desires to have perseverance

should take great pleasure in doing good

when he sees another person behaving well.