Long Suffering or Perseverance

Whereby a man does not only bear adversities, injuries, reproaches and such like, but also with patience waits for the amendment of those which have done him any wrong. When the Devil cannot by force overcome those which are tempted, then he seeks to overcome them by long continuance. For he knows that we are earthen vessels which cannot long endure and hold out many knocks and violent strokes: therefore with long continuance of temptations he overcomes many. To vanquish these his continual assaults we must use long sufferance, which patiently looks, not only for the amendment of those which do us wrong, but also for the end of those temptations which the Devil raises up against us.

By this a person not only endures adversity, injury, insult, and similar things, but also patiently waits and hopes for the correction of those who have wronged him. When the devil cannot overcome those he is tempting by brute force, he tries to wear them down through long persistence. He knows we are earthen vessels that cannot indefinitely hold up under repeated violent strikes — and so he overcomes many simply by drawing out the temptation. To defeat these relentless assaults we must use patient endurance — endurance that waits not only for those who wrong us to change, but also for the end of those temptations the devil raises against us.