§ 4. On Perseverance

637. Notion. The fourth and last virtue which is joined to fortitude as a potential part is perseverance,¹¹⁵⁷ which nevertheless is not taken here for that great gift by which man perseveres in the state of sanctifying grace until death; for this gift of perseverance is not a virtue, but a special assistance of divine grace which cannot be merited even by the justified. But perseverance, insofar as it is a special virtue, can be defined: a habit inclining one to persist in the exercise of the virtues according as right reason dictates, notwithstanding the annoyance arising from the duration of the work.¹¹⁵⁸ Certainly every virtue persists in its work until the end, but from its own motive; whereas, on the contrary, perseverance causes this constancy precisely on account of the honorableness which is found in continuing the work until the end, despite the weariness arising from that duration. Perseverance accepted in this manner is a virtue annexed to fortitude, because fortitude preserves firmness in very difficult matter, namely, in dangers of death; but perseverance preserves firmness in less difficult matter, which, namely, arises from the duration of the work.

Relation to constancy. According to St. Thomas there is some, but a small, difference between perseverance and constancy:¹¹⁵⁹ for "perseverance and constancy indeed agree in their end, because it pertains to each to persist firmly in some good; but they differ according to those things which introduce difficulty in persisting in the good; for the virtue of perseverance properly makes man persist firmly in the good against the difficulty which arises from the duration of the act; but constancy makes him persist firmly in the good against the difficulty which arises from any other exterior impediments whatsoever."¹¹⁶⁰ St. Bernard says beautifully:¹¹⁶¹ "Perseverance is the sister of patience, the daughter of constancy ... the bulwark of holiness."

¹¹⁵⁷ Ausdauer [perseverance].

¹¹⁵⁸ Cf. Billuart, De fortitud. diss. 2, a. 6.

¹¹⁵⁹ Festigkeit, Stetigkeit [firmness, steadfastness].

¹¹⁶⁰ S. theol. 2, 2, q. 137, a. 3.

¹¹⁶¹ Ep. 129, n. 2 (Migne, Patr. lat. 182, 284).