Augustine, Sermones 83-88 (Classis I, de Scripturis)

we should love in every way, let us not let go of charity towards them from our heart, and let us give discipline when there is need: lest through the relaxing of discipline wickedness should grow, and we should begin to be accused on account of God; because it has been read to us, Those who sin rebuke before all, that the rest may have fear (1 Tim. 5:20). Certainly, if anyone distinguishes the times, which alone is the truth, he also resolves the question; it is true. If the sin is in secret, rebuke in secret. If the sin is public and open, rebuke publicly: that he may be amended, and the rest may fear.

Sermon 84. On the words of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19:17, If you will come to life, keep the commandments.

Chapter I.—1. How much eternal life is to be loved is understood from the love of this life. The Lord said to a certain young man: If you will come to life, keep the commandments. He did not say, If you will come to eternal life, but, If you will come to life; defining as life that which would be eternal life. Let us therefore first commend the love of this life. For even this life, of whatever kind it be, is loved; and men fear and dread to end it, of whatever kind it be, toilsome and wretched. From this it is to be seen, from this to be considered, how eternal life is to be loved, when this wretched life, which must some time be ended, is so loved. Consider, brothers, how much that life is to be loved where you never end life. You love, then, this life, in which you labour so much, run, bustle, pant; and the things that are necessary in a wretched life can scarcely be enumerated: sowing, ploughing, planting new vines, sailing, grinding, cooking, weaving: and after all these things you have to end life. See what you suffer in this wretched life which you love: and do you think that you will always live and never die? Temples, rocks, marbles, made solid with iron and lead, nevertheless fall: and does a man think that he will never die? Learn therefore, brothers, to seek eternal life, where you will not endure these things, but will reign with God for ever. For he who wills life, as the prophet says, loves to see good days (Ps. 33:13). For in evil days death is wished for rather than life. Do we not hear and see men, while they are placed in some tribulations and straits, struggles and sicknesses, and see themselves suffering, say nothing else but, God, send me death, hasten my days? And sometimes sickness comes; there is running about, physicians are brought in, gold pieces and gifts are promised. Death itself says to you: Behold, I am here, whom a little while ago you were asking of the Lord; why do you now wish to flee me? I have found you a deceiver, and a lover of a wretched life.

2. The days of this life are evil. The true and blessed life is the eternal one. But concerning these days which we spend, the Apostle says, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:16). Are not, then, the days evil which we spend in the corruption of this flesh, in so great or under

so great a burden of a corruptible body, amid such great temptations, amid such great difficulties, where pleasure is false, there is no security of joy, fear tortures, desire is greedy, sadness is dry? See how evil the days are: and no one wants to end these evil days, and men earnestly ask God on this account, that they may live long. But what is living long, if not being tormented long? What else is living long than adding evil days to evil days? And when boys grow, it is as if days are added to them; and they do not know that they are being diminished: and this is a false reckoning. For as they grow, days are taken away rather than added. Assign to some man at his birth, for example, eighty years: whatever he lives, he subtracts from the sum. And foolish men rejoice at many birthdays, both their own and their children's. O prudent man! If the wine in your wineskin is diminished, you are sad: you lose days, and you rejoice? Evil therefore are the days: and all the worse because they are loved. This world so flatters that no one wishes to end a toilsome life. For the true or blessed life is this, when we shall rise again and reign with Christ. For the wicked too will rise again, but to go into the fire. Therefore it is not life, unless it is blessed. And life cannot be blessed unless it is eternal, where the days are good; and not many, but one. From the custom of this life they have been called days. That day knows no rising, knows no setting. To that day no tomorrow succeeds; because no yesterday precedes it. This day, or these days, and this life, and the true life, we hold in the promises. It is therefore the reward of some work. For if we love the reward, let us not fail in the work: and we shall reign for ever with Christ.

Sermon 85. On the words of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19:17-25: "If you wish to come to life, keep the commandments," etc.

Chapter I.—No. 1. The keeping of the commandments for meriting life. The Gospel, the mouth of Christ. The Gospel reading which has just resounded in our ears, brothers, desires a hearer and doer rather than an expositor. What is clearer than this light: "If you wish to come to life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:17)? What then am I going to say? "If you wish to come to life, keep the commandments." Who is there who does not want life? And yet who is there who wants to keep the commandments? If you do not want to keep the commandments, why do you seek life? If you are lazy towards the work, why do you hurry towards the wages? That rich young man said that he had kept the commandments: he heard greater precepts: "If you wish to be perfect, one thing is lacking to you; go, sell all that you have, and give to the poor": you will not lose it, but "you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Matt. 19:21). For what does it profit you, if you do this, and do not follow Me? But he went away sad and sorrowful, as you have heard: for he had many riches. What he heard, we too have heard. The Gospel is the mouth of Christ. He sits in heaven: but He does not cease to speak on earth. Let us not be deaf: for He cries out. Let us not be dead: for He thunders. If you do not wish to do the greater things, do the lesser. If the burden of the greater things is too much for you, at least take up the lesser. Why are you lazy towards both? Why do you oppose both? The greater things are,

Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and follow Me. Lesser are: You shall not commit murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not seek false testimony, You shall not steal. Honour father and mother, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Do these things. Why do I cry out to you to sell your own possessions, when I cannot wring from you even this, that you do not seize other people's? You have heard, You shall not steal; you rob. Before the sight of so great a Judge I now hold you not a thief but a robber. Spare yourself, have pity on yourself. This life still gives you a respite; do not cast away correction. Yesterday you were a thief; do not be one today as well. Perhaps you have been one today as well; do not be one tomorrow. At some point put an end to evil, and demand good as your reward. You want to have good things, and you do not want to be good: your life is contrary to your wishes. If it is a great good to have a good country estate, how great an evil is it to have an evil soul?

Chapter II. — 2. The rich are saved with difficulty. What the poor must beware of. The rich man went away saddened, and the Lord said: How difficult it is for one who has riches to enter into the kingdom of heaven! And how difficult it would be He showed by setting forth a comparison: so difficult as to be altogether impossible. For everything impossible is difficult, but not everything difficult is impossible. Attend to the comparison, how difficult it is: Amen I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. A camel to enter through the eye of a needle: if He had said a flea, it would be impossible. Then, when they heard this, the disciples were saddened and said: If it is so, who then can be saved? Which of the rich? You poor, hear Christ; I am speaking to the people of God. You poor are the greater number; you at least lay hold of this; and yet listen. All you who glory in your poverty, beware of pride, lest humble rich men surpass you; beware of impiety, lest pious rich men surpass you; beware of drunkenness, lest sober rich men surpass you. Do not glory in poverty, if they ought not to glory in riches.

Chapter III. — 3. What the Apostle wants the rich to be commanded. The worm of riches, pride. Let the rich hear, if indeed there are any; let them hear the Apostle: Command the rich of this world: for there are rich men of another age. The poor are rich men of another age; the Apostles are rich men of another age, who said, As having nothing, and possessing all things (2 Cor. 6:10). That you may know of which rich men he is speaking, he added, of this world. Let the rich of this world therefore hear the Apostle: Command, he says, the rich of this world not to be proud-minded. The first worm of riches is pride. An evil moth: it gnaws the whole, and brings it down to ashes. Command them therefore not to be proud-minded, nor to hope in the uncertainty of riches: lest perhaps you fall asleep rich and rise up poor. Nor to hope in the uncertainty of riches (they are the Apostle's words); but in the living God, he says. A thief takes your gold from you; who takes God from you? What has the rich man, if he has not God? What has the poor man not, if he has God? Not therefore to hope in riches, he says; but in the living God, Who grants us abundantly all things to enjoy; and together with all these, Himself.

4. What is to be done with riches. If, then, they ought not to hope in riches, nor to trust in them, but in the living God, what are they to do with riches? Hear what: Let them be rich in good works. What is this? Explain it, Apostle. For many are unwilling to understand what they are unwilling to do. Explain it, Apostle: do not give occasion for evil work through obscurity of speech. Tell us what you meant when you said, Let them be rich in good works. Let them hear, let them understand: let them not be allowed to excuse themselves, but rather let them begin to accuse themselves, and to say what we heard just now in the Psalm, For I acknowledge my sin (Ps. 50:5). Tell us, you, what it is, Let them be rich in good works.

Chapter IV. — Let them give readily. What is, Let them give readily? Is even this not understood? Let them give readily, let them share. You have, another has not: share, that it may be shared with you. Share here, and you will share there. Share bread here, and you will receive bread there. What bread here? That which you gather with sweat and toil, from the curse of the first man. What bread there? He Who said, I am the living bread, Who came down from heaven (John 6:51). You are rich here, but you are poor there. You have gold, but you do not yet hold Christ present. Pay out what you have, that you may receive what you have not. Let them be rich in good works, let them give readily, let them share.

5. How much is to be paid out to the poor. Are they then to lose their possessions? Let them share, he said: not, Let them give all. Let them keep for themselves as much as suffices, let them keep more than suffices. Let us give a certain part of it. What part? A tenth part. The scribes and Pharisees used to give tithes (Luke 18:12). Let us blush, brethren: they gave tithes, for whom Christ had not yet shed His blood. The scribes and Pharisees used to give tithes: lest perhaps you think you are doing something great because you break bread for a poor man; and that is scarcely a thousandth of your means. And yet I do not find fault: do at least this. So thirsty am I, so hungry, that I rejoice even at these crumbs. But nevertheless I will not keep silent about what He said while living, Who died for us. Unless your righteousness, He says, abounds beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20). He does not stroke us gently: He is a physician, He reaches right to the quick. Unless your righteousness abounds more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. The scribes and Pharisees used to give tithes. What does this mean? Question yourselves. See what you do, and out of how much you do it; what you give, what you leave for yourselves; what you spend on mercy, what you keep back for luxury. Therefore, Let them give readily, let them share, let them lay up for themselves a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold on the true life.

Chapter V. — 6. The poor are bound to rein in their desires. Godliness. I have admonished the rich: hear, you poor. You [rich], pay out; you [poor], do not seize. You, bestow your means; you, rein in your desires. Hear, you poor, the very same apostle: But great gain is. Gain is the acquiring of profit. But great gain, he says, is godliness with sufficiency. You have the world in common with the rich: you do not have in common with