Athanasius of Alexandria : But our Saviour is so gentle that He teaches thus, "If any man wills to come after Me," and, "Whoever wills to be My disciple;" and coming to each He does not force them, but knocks at the door and says, "Open unto Me, My sister, My spouse;" and if they open to Him, He enters in, but if they delay and will not, He departs from them. For the truth is not preached with swords or with darts, nor by means of soldiers; but by persuasion and counsel. But what persuasion is there where fear of the Emperor prevails? or what counsel is there, when he who withstands them receives at last banishment and death? Even David, although he was a king, and had his enemy in his power, prevented not the soldiers by an exercise of authority when they wished to kill his enemy, but, as the Scripture says, David persuaded his men by arguments, and suffered them not to rise up and put Saul to death. But he, being without arguments of reason, forces all men by his power, that it may be shewn to all, that their wisdom is not according to God, but merely human, and that they who favour the Arian doctrines have indeed no king but Caesar; for by his means it is that these enemies of Christ accomplish whatsoever they wish to do. — HISTORY OF THE ARIANS 4.33 Bede : And Abisai said to David: God has delivered your enemy into your hand today, etc. The disciples, now endowed with spiritual faith, understood that all things were given into the hands of the Savior by the Father; but still hindered by carnal ignorance, they thought that the proud and despisers of his word should be sought to be devoured by fire sent from heaven. Whom he immediately recalling from this intention, determined that rather patience was to be had, saying: For the Son of Man did not come to destroy souls, but to save them (Luke IX). Certainly, what David adds: — Commentary on Samuel Cyprian : But what great and wonderful and Christian patience is to be found in David from whom Christ descended according to the flesh! David often had the opportunity to kill King Saul, his persecutor, who was eager to destroy him. Yet when Saul was subject to him and in his power, David preferred to save his life and did not retaliate on his enemy but, on the contrary, even avenged him when he was killed. In short, many prophets have been killed, many martyrs have been honored with glorious deaths, and all have attained their heavenly crowns through the merit of patience, for a crown for sorrow and suffering cannot be obtained unless patience in sorrow and suffering precede. — Treatise IX. On the Advantage of Patience 10