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Augustine, Sermones 48-50 (Classis I, de Scripturis: de Michaea et Aggaeo)

Sermon XLVIII

SERMO XLVIII. De verbis Michaeae prophetae, cap. VI, 6-8, Quid dignum offeram Domino, etc. Deque Psalmo LXXII, Quam bonus Israel Deus. etc. Habitus in basilica Celerinae.

Sermon 48. On the words of the prophet Micah, chapter 6, 6-8, What worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord, etc. And on Psalm 72, How good is the God of Israel, etc. Preached in the basilica of Celerina.

CAPUT PRIMUM.—1. Praedicator verbi operatur in auribus, Deus in corde. Lectiones divinorum eloquiorum, cum recitarentur, audivimus. Ea nobis est materies loquendi proposita; inde sapere debemus, inde seminare quod sapimus, adjuvante illo, in cujus manu sunt, sicut scriptum est, et nos et sermones nostri (Sap. VII, 16). Nec frustra alio loco scriptum est, In Domino laudabo sermonem, in Domino lauda⟨bo⟩

Chapter I.—1. The preacher of the word works in the ears, God in the heart. We heard the readings of the divine utterances when they were recited. That is the material set before us for speaking; from there we ought to gain understanding, from there to sow what we understand, with the help of Him in Whose hand are, as it is written, both we and our words (Wis. 7:16). Nor is it written in vain in another place, In the Lord I will praise the word, in the Lord I will praise the

Editors' notes and page, col. 316

Footnotes

(*) ‹anchor: SERMO XLVIII› · call in col 316 Recensitus in Mss. cs. cl. et in Am. Er. Ulim. Par. Lov.

Collated in the manuscripts cs. cl. and in the editions Am. Er. Ulim. Par. Lov.

(printed under page 164)

(a) ‹anchor: SERMO XLVIII› · call in col 316

Alias, de Tempore 236.

Elsewhere, de Tempore 236.

(printed under page 164)

(b) ‹anchor: Israel Deus. etc.› · call in col 316

Ex Augustini in hunc ipsum Michaeae locum sermone nonnihil quod minime continet subsequens tractatus, decerptum est a Beda, et in ipsa ejus, non vulgata quidem falsoque ei tributa, sed vera et in pluribus Mss. libris reperta collectione sic profertur ad Galat. IV: « Ex sermone de propheticis verbis, ut homo diligat justitiam et misericordiam et judicium, paratusque sit ambulare cum Domino Deo suo. Cum autem venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus Filium suum factum ex muliere, factum sub Lege. Sed offendit, factum ex muliere; quia natum confitemur ex virgine. Factum non confitemur nisi hominem: Deus autem semper faciens est, fieri nescit ut sit. Fieri nescit Deus: sed fit ut aliquid alicui sit; quo modo dicitur, Domine, refugium factus es nobis; et, Dominus factus est adjutor meus. Quanta factus, qui nunquam est factus? Dominus autem Christus homo factus est, ut esset; ut qui Creator semper erat, creatura esset. Manens enim Deus factus est homo, ut fieret quod non erat, non ut periret quod erat. Hoc ergo de virgine quod factum est, quare ex muliere? Quod apud Hebraeos, ubi est prima lingua Scripturae, mulier nomen est significandi sexus, non amissae integritatis. Lege quando mulier formata est: Extraxit, inquit, Deus unam e costis ejus, id est viri, et aedificavit eam in mulierem. Sic mulier Maria; sic ei dictum est antequam pareret, antequam conciperet, Beata tu inter mulieres. »

From a sermon of Augustine on this very passage of Micah, something which the following treatise does not contain at all was excerpted by Bede, and in his collection itself — not indeed the commonly printed one falsely ascribed to him, but the genuine one, found in a good many manuscript books — it is brought forward thus on Galatians 4: "From the sermon on the prophet's words, that a man should love justice and mercy and judgement, and be ready to walk with the Lord his God. But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law. But made of a woman gives offence, because we confess Him born of a virgin. We confess nothing to be made except the man: but God is always the maker, and knows nothing of being made in order to be. God knows nothing of being made; yet He is made so as to be something to someone, in the way it is said, Lord, Thou hast become a refuge for us; and, The Lord has been made my helper. How many things has He been made, Who was never made? But the Lord Christ was made man, so that He might be; so that He Who was always Creator might be a creature. For remaining God He was made man, that He might become what He was not, not that what He was might perish. This thing, then, that was made of a virgin — why of a woman? Because among the Hebrews, where the first language of Scripture is, 'woman' is a name signifying sex, not lost integrity. Read of when the woman was formed: God drew out, it says, one of his ribs, that is, the man's, and built it into a woman. So Mary is a woman; so it was said to her before she bore, before she conceived, Blessed are you among women."

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verbum (Psal. LV, 11). Hoc laudatur in Domino, quod dat Dominus. Quamvis ergo infirmi simus, vasa tamen sumus ejus: capimus quantum possumus, communicamus sine livore quod capimus. Suppleat ille in cordibus vestris, quod nos minus fecerimus: quia et quod operamur in auribus vestris, quid est, nisi ille totum agat in cordibus vestris?

word (Ps. 55:11). This is praised in the Lord, which the Lord gives. Although, therefore, we are weak, yet we are His vessels: we take in as much as we can, we share without envy what we take in. May He supply in your hearts what we may have done too little: for even what we work in your ears, what is it, unless He accomplishes the whole in your hearts?

2. Sacrificium Deo nos ipsi. Judicium et justitiam facere. Perversum judicium non est judicium. Lectio prima prophetica quid nobis commendaverit, me commemorante recolite. Quid dignum, inquit, offeram Domino? Quaerebat homo sacrificium quo placaret Deum, vel quo placeret Deo: Curvabo, inquit, genu Deo excelso, placabo eum in millibus taurorum, aut in denis millibus caprarum pinguium, aut offeram Deo fructum ventris mei pro peccato animae meae? Primogenita, inquit, mea offeram Deo meo pro peccato animae meae? Respondetur tibi, o homo. O homo, a quo respondetur, nisi a quo factus est homo? Respondetur ergo tibi, o homo, quaerenti quid offeras Deo, et unde places Deum, vel unde placeas Deo.

2. We ourselves are the sacrifice to God. To do judgement and justice. Perverse judgement is not judgement. Recall, as I remind you, what the first, prophetic, reading commended to us. What worthy thing, it says, shall I offer to the Lord? A man was seeking a sacrifice by which to appease God, or by which to please God: I will bend, he says, the knee to God most high, I will appease Him with thousands of bulls, or with ten thousands of fat goats, or shall I offer to God the fruit of my belly for the sin of my soul? My firstborn, he says, shall I offer to my God for the sin of my soul? You are answered, O man. O man, by whom are you answered, if not by Him by Whom man was made? You are answered, therefore, O man, as you ask what you should offer to God, and whereby you may appease God, or whereby you may please God.

CAPUT II. — Respondetur tibi quid sit bonum; aut quid aliud Dominus exquirat a te, nisi ut facias judicium et justitiam, et diligas misericordiam, paratusque sis ire cum Domino Deo tuo. Quaerebas quid offerres pro te: offer te. Quid enim Dominus quaerit a te, nisi te? Quia in omni creatura terrena nihil melius fecit te. Quaerit te a te, quia tu perdideras te. Si autem facias quod jussit, invenit in te judicium et justitiam: judicium primo in te ipso, justitiam ad proximum tibi. Quomodo judicium in te ipso? Ut displiceas tibi quod eras, et possis esse quod non eras. Judicium, inquam, de te ipso in te ipso sine acceptione personae tuae, ut non parcas peccatis tuis, nec ideo tibi placeant, quia tu facis: nec te laudes in bonis tuis, et Deum accuses in malis tuis. Hoc enim est perversum judicium; et ideo nec judicium. Ut enim ostenderet Deus perversum judicium non esse judicium, non ait, Quid Dominus quaerit a te, nisi facere rectum judicium; sed, facere, inquit, judicium. Si enim rectum, tunc judicium; si autem perversum, non judicium, sed vitium. Quid ergo faciebas, quando te perdideras, et post tuam perditionem ibas; ibas, et non redibas? Quid faciebas? Scio quid faciebas: in bonis tuis te laudabas, in malis tuis Deum blasphemabas. Hoc est perversum judicium; et ideo, ut dixi, nec judicium. Vis ergo facere rectum judicium, hoc est judicium? Illud quod faciebas, corrige; praepostera, et rectum erit. Quid est, Corrige? Deum lauda in bonis tuis, te accusa in malis tuis. Cum tibi ergo perversus displicueris, teque illo qui creavit adjuvante correxeris, rectus servabis justitiam. Placebit enim tibi Deus, si rectus fueris. Non discrepabis a recto, nisi pravus atque perversus: rectus autem recto convenies, et sine dubio tibi placebit Deus. Quando enim

Chapter II. — You are answered what is good; or what else the Lord requires of you, but that you do judgement and justice, and love mercy, and be ready to walk with the Lord your God. You were asking what you should offer for yourself: offer yourself. For what does the Lord seek from you, but you? For in all earthly creation He made nothing better than you. He seeks you from you, because you had lost yourself. But if you do what He commanded, He finds in you judgement and justice: judgement first in yourself, justice towards your neighbour. How judgement in yourself? That you may be displeased with what you were, and may be able to be what you were not. Judgement, I say, concerning yourself within yourself, without respect of your own person, so that you do not spare your sins, nor are they pleasing to you because you do them: nor praise yourself in your good deeds, and accuse God in your evils. For this is perverse judgement; and therefore not judgement. For in order that God might show that perverse judgement is not judgement, He did not say, What does the Lord seek of you, but to do right judgement; but, to do, He says, judgement. For if it is right, then it is judgement; but if perverse, it is not judgement, but vice. What then were you doing, when you had lost yourself, and were going after your own perdition; you were going, and not returning? What were you doing? I know what you were doing: in your good deeds you praised yourself, in your evils you blasphemed God. This is perverse judgement; and therefore, as I said, not judgement. Do you wish, then, to do right judgement, that is, judgement? What you were doing, correct; reverse it, and it will be right. What is, Correct? Praise God in your good deeds, accuse yourself in your evils. When, therefore, being perverse, you have become displeasing to yourself, and with the help of Him Who created you have corrected yourself, being upright you will keep justice. For God will please you, if you are upright. You will not be at odds with the Upright, unless you are crooked and perverse: but being upright you will agree with the Upright, and without doubt God will please you. For when

Editors' notes and page, col. 317

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 317

Codex cl., vel quod placeret Deo.

The codex cl. has, or what might please God.

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(2) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 317

Isthaec verba: Primogenita, inquit mea offeram Deo meo pro peccato animae meae, atque alia quaedam in hoc et in subsequenti sermone restituuntur ex Mss.

These words: Shall I offer, he says, my firstborn to my God for the sin of my soul, and certain others in this and in the following sermon, are restored from the manuscripts.

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(3) ‹anchor: Quid faciebas› · call in col 317

Codex cl., ibas et nesciebas qui faciebas.

The codex cl. has, you were going and did not know what you were doing.

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displicebat, pervers⟨i⟩tati tuae displicebat.

it was displeasing, it was displeasing to your perversity.

CAPUT III. — 3. Non recti corde, qui de malorum felicitate scandalizantur. Audi sanctum Psalmum: Quam bonus Israel Deus rectis corde! Iste qui hoc dicit in Psalmo, displicuerat illi Deus? Absit a me ut arguam, et non potius confitenti credam. Ecce audite mecum, et considerate quid dixerit. Quam bonus Deus, inquit, Israel! Quibus? Rectis corde. Mei autem, inquit, quando non eram rectus corde, mei autem pene commoti sunt pedes, paulo minus effusi sunt gressus mei. Quod est, commoti sunt pedes; hoc est, effusi sunt gressus mei. Quod est, pene; hoc est, paulo minus. Quid itaque ait, pene, paulo minus commoti sunt pedes mei, effusi sunt gressus mei? Pene, inquit, lapsus sum, pene cecidi. Unde in tantum periculum pervenisti? Quia zelavi, inquit, in peccatoribus, pacem peccatorum intuens. Zelavi, inquit, in peccatoribus, intuens pacem peccatorum: hoc est, malos homines videndo felices, titubavi sub Deo, pene cecidi a Deo. Ecce unde illi displicuerat Deus, quare mali habent bona.

Chapter III. — 3. They are not right of heart who are scandalized at the happiness of the wicked. Hear the holy Psalm: How good is the God of Israel to the right of heart! He who says this in the Psalm, had God displeased him? Far be it from me to accuse him, and not rather to believe him as he confesses. See, listen with me, and consider what he has said. How good, he says, is God to Israel! To whom? To the right of heart. But as for me, he says, when I was not right of heart, as for me, my feet were almost moved, my steps had all but poured away. What "my feet were moved" means, that "my steps poured away" means. What "almost" means, that "all but" means. What then is he saying with: almost, all but were my feet moved, my steps poured away? I almost slipped, he says, I almost fell. Whence did you come into so great a danger? Because I was jealous, he says, over sinners, beholding the peace of sinners. I was jealous, he says, over sinners, beholding the peace of sinners: that is, seeing wicked men happy, I tottered beneath God, I almost fell away from God. See the reason why God had displeased him: because the wicked have good things.

4. Quantum propinquant casui. Denique videte verba titubantis, quae apud se dixerit: Ecce ipsi peccatores. In ipso psalmo verba sunt titubantis: Ecce ipsi peccatores in saeculo obtinuerunt divitias. Et dixi: Quomodo scivit Deus? Ipse dicit in Psalmo, ipse loquitur, cui nondum recto Deus displicuerat, quod mali abundarent bonis. Quomodo, inquit, scivit Deus, et si est scientia in Altissimo? Videte adhuc quid adjungat; videte quemadmodum titubando propinquet casui, et sit vicinus perditioni; videte, inquam, quid adjungat: Numquid vane justificavi cor meum, et lavi in innocentibus manus meas? Perdidi, inquit, totum quod bene vixi. Justificavi cor meum, lavi in innocentibus manus meas, ad hoc ut mali sint felices, et ego tribuler. Et fui, inquit, flagellatus tota die. Gaudent illi, et ego flagellor: gaudent qui blasphemant Deum, flagellor qui colo Deum. Quomodo scivit Deus? Hinc titubavit, hinc pene cecidit, hinc putavit ad Deum res humanas non pertinere.

4. How near they come to a fall. Then see the words of one tottering, what he said within himself: Behold, these very sinners. In that same psalm are the words of one tottering: Behold, these very sinners have obtained riches in the world. And I said: How has God known? He himself says it in the Psalm, he himself speaks, he who, not yet being right, had been displeased with God because the wicked abounded in good things. How, he says, has God known, and is there knowledge in the Most High? See further what he adds; see how by tottering he draws near to a fall, and is close to perdition; see, I say, what he adds: Was it in vain that I justified my heart, and washed my hands among the innocent? I have lost, he says, all that I lived well. I justified my heart, I washed my hands among the innocent, to this end, that the wicked should be happy and I be afflicted. And I was, he says, scourged all the day long. They rejoice, and I am scourged: those who blaspheme God rejoice, I who worship God am scourged. How has God known? Hence he tottered, hence he almost fell, hence he thought that human affairs did not concern God.

CAPUT IV. — 5. Gubernatio rerum ad Deum pertinet. Cum ergo hoc putaret, non recto, sed perverso corde, et quasi verisimili ratione duceretur propter istam inconvenientiam credere ad Deum gubernationem rerum humanarum non pertinere; placuerat illi sic praedicare, hoc asserere, hoc docere: revocatus est sanctorum auctoritate et praedicatione. Videte enim verba ejus: Si dicebam, inquit; Si dicebam, narrabo sic, praedicabo sic, docebo sic, dicam hominibus ad Deum curam rerum humanarum non pertinere. Si dicebam, Narrabo sic: ecce generationem filiorum tuorum reprobavi. Quomodo ergo narrabo sic? Non sic narravit Moyses, non sic narravit Abraham, Isaac et Jacob; non sic narravit Jeremias, non sic Isaias, non sic caeteri Prophetae. Isti autem omnes filii tui. Ego ergo si narrabo sic, generationem filiorum tuorum reprobabo.

Chapter IV. — 5. The governance of affairs belongs to God. When therefore he thought this, not with a right but with a perverse heart, and was led as if by a plausible reasoning, on account of that incongruity, to believe that the governance of human affairs did not belong to God, it had pleased him to preach thus, to assert this, to teach this: he was called back by the authority and preaching of the saints. For see his words: If I said, he says; If I said, I will tell it thus, I will preach thus, I will teach thus, I will say to men that the care of human affairs does not belong to God. If I said, I will tell it thus: behold, I have condemned the generation of Thy sons. How then shall I tell it thus? Moses did not tell it thus, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not tell it thus; Jeremiah did not tell it thus, nor Isaiah, nor the rest of the Prophets. But all these are Thy sons. If therefore I tell it thus, I shall condemn the generation of Thy sons.

Editors' notes and page, col. 318

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: auctoritate et praedicatione› · call in col 318

Editi non habebant, et praedicatione; quod nos ex Cisterciensi Ms. addidimus.

The printed editions did not have and preaching; which we have added from the Cistercian manuscript.

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6. Hoc Psalmista suscepit cognoscere. Quid ergo faciam? Suscepi cognoscere. Suscepi, inquit, cognoscere: sed magnum est hoc cognoscere, difficile est cognoscere. Hoc, inquit, posteaquam dixit, Suscepi cognoscere; hoc labor est ante me: quomodo cognoscam et justum Deum esse, et res humanas nosse, et perversis bene esse, rectis aliquando male esse. Quomodo sit justum, suscepi cognoscere, et labor est ante me.

6. This the Psalmist undertook to understand. What then shall I do? I undertook to understand. I undertook, he says, to understand: but this is a great thing to understand, it is difficult to understand. This, he says, after he had said, I undertook to understand; this is a labour before me: how I may understand both that God is just, and that He knows human affairs, and that it goes well with the perverse, while it sometimes goes ill with the upright. How this may be just, I undertook to understand, and it is a labour before me.

CAPUT V. — 7. Quomodo vel quamdiu Deus sinat et bene esse malis et male esse bonis. Quousque labor? Donec introeam in sanctuarium Dei, et intelligam in novissima. Intra ergo in sanctuarium Dei, anima fidelis; intra in sanctuarium Dei, anima pia, cui non displicet Deus in malis tuis, et in bonis malorum cui non displicet Deus. Et si nescis qua ratione fiat, crede non injuste fieri quod sinit aut facit Deus. Humana ratione ducebaris, divina auctoritate revocare, et crede aliquid ibi esse quod te latet. Nam Deum perversum et iniquum esse non posse, fide certissima credendum est. Sic intrans fide in sanctuarium Dei, intrans credendo, discis intelligendo. Sic enim ait: Donec introeam in sanctuarium Dei, quo intrat fides: et post fidem quid? Et intelligam in novissima. Venient novissima, quando nulli bono erit male, nulli malo erit bene. Venient, inquam, novissima, quando discernentur pii ab impiis, justi ab injustis, laudatores Dei a blasphematoribus Dei: venient quando discernentur, ut nulli, sicut dictum est, bono sit male, nulli malo sit bene. Quare ergo modo non sic? Forte et modo sic: sed quod nunc est in occulto, post erit in manifesto.

Chapter V. — 7. How, or for how long, God permits it to be well with the wicked and ill with the good. How long the labour? Until I enter into the sanctuary of God, and understand concerning the last things. Enter then into the sanctuary of God, faithful soul; enter into the sanctuary of God, devout soul, you with whom God is not displeased in your evils, and with whom God is not displeased in the good things of the wicked. And if you do not know by what reason it happens, believe that what God permits or does is not done unjustly. You were being led by human reason; be called back by divine authority, and believe that there is something there which is hidden from you. For that God cannot be perverse and unjust must be believed with most certain faith. Thus, entering by faith into the sanctuary of God, entering by believing, you learn by understanding. For so he says: Until I enter into the sanctuary of God, whither faith enters: and after faith, what? And understand concerning the last things. The last things will come, when it will be ill with no good man, well with no wicked man. The last things will come, I say, when the godly will be separated from the ungodly, the just from the unjust, the praisers of God from the blasphemers of God: they will come when they are separated, so that, as has been said, it may be ill with no good man, well with no wicked man. Why then is it not so now? Perhaps it is so even now: but what is now in hiding will afterwards be in the open.

8. Malis non revera bene est, nec bonis male. Malum est, malum pati. Bona quibus facias bene, et quae faciunt bonum. Ingredere mecum, si potes, in sanctuarium Dei; forte ibi, si possum, docebo te: imo disce mecum ab eo qui docet me, etiam nunc malis non esse bene, et melius esse bonis quam malis; quamvis nondum venerit bonorum plena felicitas, nondumque venerit malorum poena novissima.

8. With the wicked it is not truly well, nor ill with the good. It is an evil, to suffer evil. Good things with which you may do well, and which make [one] good. Enter with me, if you can, into the sanctuary of God; perhaps there, if I can, I will teach you: rather, learn with me from Him Who teaches me, that even now it is not well with the wicked, and that it is better with the good than with the wicked; although the full happiness of the good has not yet come, and the final punishment of the wicked has not yet come.

CAPUT VI. — Forte intelliges mecum, non esse bene malis. Rogo enim te, et quaero abs te, tibi quare male est. Responsurus es, Egestas angit, premit difficultas; dolor fortasse membrorum, timor ab inimico. Tibi ideo male est, quia pateris mala; et bene est illi, qui est ipsum malum? Multum interest inter malum esse, et malum pati. Tu quod pateris non es: malum enim pateris, sed tu malus non es. Malum, inquam, pateris, sed tu malus non es: ille autem malum non patitur, et malus est. Noli ergo falli, noli falli: non potest fieri ut tibi male sit, qui pateris malum; et illi bene sit, qui est malus. Cum enim est malus, putas quia non patitur malum, cum patitur se ipsum? Tibi male est, quia malum alienum pateris in corpore tuo; et illi bene est, qui malum se ipsum patitur in corde suo? Tibi male est, quia malam habes villam; et bene est illi, qui malam habet animam? Esto bonus, qui habes bona. Bonae sunt divitiae, bonum est aurum, bonum

Chapter VI. — Perhaps you will understand with me that it is not well with the wicked. For I ask you, and I inquire of you, why it is ill with you. You will answer: Poverty distresses me, hardship presses on me; perhaps pain in the limbs, fear of an enemy. It is ill with you for this reason, because you suffer evils; and it is well with him who is himself the evil? There is a great difference between being evil and suffering evil. You are not what you suffer: for you suffer evil, but you are not evil. You suffer evil, I say, but you are not evil: he, however, does not suffer evil, and yet is evil. Do not then be deceived, do not be deceived: it cannot be that it is ill with you, who suffer evil, and well with him, who is evil. For since he is evil, do you think that he does not suffer evil, when he suffers himself? It is ill with you, because you suffer an evil not your own in your body; and it is well with him, who suffers himself as an evil in his heart? It is ill with you, because you have a bad farm; and it is well with him, who has a bad soul? Be good, you who have good things. Riches are good, gold is good,

Editors' notes and page, col. 319

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: bonorum plena› · call in col 319

Sic in Mss. At in editis omittitur, plena.

So in the manuscripts. But in the printed editions full is omitted.

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