Tertullian · a new plain-English translation from the original language
Accordingly these marks of a stricter discipline among us add their weight to the proof of the truth, and no one who bears in mind the coming judgment does himself any good by turning away from it — the judgment at which we must all stand before the tribunal of Christ, rendering account, first of all, of our very faith. [2] What then will they say, those who have handed over the virgin given by Christ and violated her in heretical adultery? [3] I suppose they will plead that no warning was ever given them, whether from him or from those he sent out, of the savage and twisted teachings to come, nor any word about being on guard against and detesting such things. [4] Let them acknowledge that the fault is theirs, rather than that of those who failed to give them advance warning. [5] They will add, besides, a great deal about the authority of this or that heretical teacher: that these men confirmed the credibility of their teaching precisely by signs — raising the dead, restoring the crippled, foretelling the future — so that they deserved to be believed as apostles. [6] As if it were not also written that many would come who would even perform the greatest miracles, to reinforce the deception of a corrupted preaching! And so they will earn their pardon. [7] But if, mindful of the Lord's and the apostles' warnings, they had stood firm in the integrity of the faith, then I think they will find themselves in danger of no pardon at all, when the Lord answers them: [8] "I plainly foretold that there would be teachers of deception in my name, and of the prophets, and even of the apostles, and I had instructed my own disciples to preach the same warning to you. [9] Once, and only once, I entrusted the gospel and the teaching of that same rule to my apostles. But since you would not believe, it later pleased me to change some things in it. [10] I had promised a resurrection of the flesh too, but I thought better of it, in case I could not deliver. I had shown myself born of a virgin, but afterward that seemed shameful to me. [11] I had spoken of a Father who made the sun and the rains, but a father better than he later took me in as his own. I had told you not to give heretics a hearing at all — but there I erred." [12] Such is the sort of thing that those who wander off the path, and take no care against the danger to the truth of the faith, must be prepared to imagine. [13] But for now we have dealt with the matter in general, driving back all heresies with fixed, just, and necessary prescriptions from any appeal to the scriptures at all. [14] As for the rest, if God's grace grants it, we will answer certain of them individually as well.