Tertullian

“ But from whom shall come the retribution? If only from men, in that case he teaches a merely human discipline and recompense; and in everything we shall have to obey man: if from the Creator, as the Judge and the Recompenser of merits, then He compels our submission to Him, in whose hands [30] He has placed a retribution which will be acceptable or terrible according as every man shall have judged or condemned, acquitted or dealt with, [31] his neighbour; if from (Marcion’s god) himself, he will then exercise a judicial function which Marcion denies. ”

“ He then has taunted [24] men as ungrateful who deserved to have their gratitude—even He, whose sunshine and rain even you, O Marcion, have enjoyed, but without gratitude! Your god, however, had no right to complain of man’s ingratitude, because he had used no means to make them grateful. ”

“ Will it not be just the same inconsistency to desert the prescription of their master, as to have Christ teaching in the interest of men or of the Creator? But “a blind man will lead a blind man into the ditch.” ”

“ Now, when He commands that a debt be remitted to a man who shall be unable to pay it (for it is a still stronger argument when He forbids its being asked for from a man who is even able to repay it) , what else does He teach than that we should lend to those of whom we cannot receive again, inasmuch as He has imposed so great a loss on lending? ”

“ Some persons believe Marcion. But “the disciple is not above his master.” [33] Apelles ought to have remembered this—a corrector of Marcion, although his disciple. [34] The heretic ought to take the beam out of his own eye, and then he may convict [35] the Christian, should he suspect a mote to be in his eye. Just as a good tree cannot produce evil fruit, so neither can truth generate heresy; and as a corrupt tree cannot yield good fruit, so heresy will not produce truth. Thus, Marcion brought nothing good out of Cerdon’s evil treasure; nor Apelles out of Marcion’s. ”

“ What can be more shameless, than for him to be making us his children, who has not permitted us to make children for ourselves by forbidding marriage? [12] How does he propose to invest his followers with a name which he has already erased? ”