Augustine, Sermones 217-233 (Classis II, de Tempore)

and I do not find [one]. How much better will a long life be if good than if bad? A long bad dinner nobody [would] bear; a long bad life all wish to have. Surely, if what we live is something great, let that great thing itself be good. For what do you want that is bad, tell me, in all your actions, thoughts, desires? You do not want bad land, you certainly do not want a bad crop, but a good one; a good tree, a good horse, a good servant, a good friend, a good son, a good wife. And why do I mention these great things, since you do not want even your very clothing to be bad, but good; and finally you do not want even your very boot unless it is good? Or else give me something bad that you want, and [show] that you do not want something good. I suppose you do not want a bad farm, but a good one; is it only a bad soul that you want? How have you offended yourself? What ill have you yourself deserved of yourself? Among your good things you want nothing to be bad, except yourself alone. Suppose that I say what I usually say, and you do what you usually do. Before God I shake out my garments. I fear lest it be imputed to me that I do not speak. I fulfil my duty, I seek your fruit; I wish to have joy from your good works, not money. For he who lives well does not make me rich. And yet let him live well, and he does make [me rich]. My riches are nothing but your hope in Christ. My joy, my solace, and my respite from my perils in these trials is nothing, except your good life. I beseech you, brothers, if you have forgotten yourselves, have pity on me.

Sermon 233. On the Easter days, 4. On the resurrection of Christ according to Mark.

Chapter I. — 1. Faith in the resurrection is proper to Christians. You have heard the reading of the holy Gospel concerning the resurrection of Christ. On the resurrection of Christ our faith has been established. The passion of Christ even pagans and the impious and Jews have believed: the resurrection none but Christians. The passion of Christ signifies the miseries of this life: the resurrection of Christ shows the blessedness of the future life. In the present let us labour: in the future let us hope. Now is the time for work: then [the time] for the reward. He who is lazy in performing the work is shameless in demanding the reward. You have heard what He said to His disciples after the resurrection. He sent them to preach the Gospel, and it was done: the Gospel was preached, it has reached us. And behold, Into all the earth their sound has gone out, and to the ends of the world their words (Ps. 18:5). By walking and walking the Gospel has reached us, and the ends of the earth. Briefly He laid down for us, speaking to His disciples, what we are to do, what we are to hope for. For He says, as you heard when He was speaking: He who believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16). Faith is required of us, salvation is offered: He who believes and is baptized will be saved. Precious

is what is promised to us, freely is done what is commanded.

2. — The salvation promised to believers is to be distinguished from temporal health. Christ is the fountain of life. — Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. What then? Were those who heard these things not safe and sound? Do not many believe who are already sound, and are they not sound even before they believe? Sound indeed: but vain is the safety of men (Ps. 59:13). What sort of safety is this, which you have in common with your beast of burden? And yet even this, whence does it come, if not from Him of Whom it is written: Men and beasts Thou wilt save, O Lord? And he added: According to the multitude of Thy mercy, O God. For so great is the multitude of Thy mercy that safety comes from Thee into this mortal flesh of men, and comes also to the flesh of cattle. This is the multitude of Thy mercy. What for Thy sons? Behold, men and beasts Thou wilt save, O Lord. Nothing more for us? Is what is granted to any men whatever, and to cattle, granted to us as well? Certainly not this.

Chapter II. — But what then? Hear: But the sons of men shall hope under the covering of Thy wings: they shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house, and with the torrent of Thy pleasure Thou wilt give them drink. For with Thee is the fountain of life (Ps. 35:7–10). Christ is the fountain of life. We had safety along with the beasts, until the fountain of life should come to us: the fountain of life came to us, and the fountain of life died for us. Will He deny His life, Who spent His death on us? That is the salvation which is not vain. Why? Because it does not pass away.

3. How men and the sons of men differ. This distinction must be carefully noted, Men and beasts Thou wilt save, O Lord: Men, those belonging to the man. But the sons of men, those belonging to the Son of man, shall hope under the covering of Thy wings. Set two men before your eyes. Raise up your faith, let your heart awaken: remember the man in whom we were deceived; remember the man by Whom we were redeemed. That man, was he a son of man? Adam was a man, he was not a son of man. That is why the Lord Christ constantly calls Himself the Son of man, to make us remember the man who was not a son of man: so that we may remember in that one death, in this One life; in that one sin, in this One the remission of sins; in that one the chain, in this One freedom; in that one condemnation, in this One acquittal. These two men, then, are signified in these words, Men and beasts Thou wilt save, O Lord. Men, those belonging to the man: and beasts, together with the beasts Thou wilt save them. For man, set in honour, did not understand, as it is written: Man, set in honour, did not understand; he has been compared to senseless beasts, and has become like them (Ps. 48:15). Therefore, Men and beasts, to whom men have become like because they did not understand, and to whom, though created to rule over them, they have been compared, Thou wilt save.

Chapter III. — 4. True salvation not found here by Christ. Christ was born mortal in order to take away death. Is this the salvation of which it was said, Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved? That salvation is another, far another. The angels have it: do not seek it on earth. It is great, but it is not here. That thing is not of this region, such salvation is not here.

Lift up your heart. Why do you seek this salvation here on earth? Salvation itself came here, and found our death here. Did our Lord Jesus Christ, when He came to us in the flesh, find this salvation here in our region? This merchant brought something great here, coming from His own region: this merchant found in our region what abounds here. What abounds here? Being born and dying. The earth is full of these wares, being born and dying. He was born, and He died. But by what way was He born? He came to this region, but not by the way by which we too came. For He came from heaven, from the Father. And yet He was born mortal. He was born of the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary. Were we born so, from Adam and Eve? We were born through the concupiscence of the flesh, but He not through it. For Mary was a virgin without a man's embrace, without the heat of concupiscence; because, so that she should not suffer this heat, it was said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you (Luke 1:35). So the Virgin Mary did not lie with a man and conceive: but she believed and conceived. For a mortal was born to mortals. Why mortal? Because in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3): not in sinful flesh, but in the likeness of sinful flesh. What does sinful flesh have? Death and sin. What did the likeness of sinful flesh have? Death without sin. If it had sin, it would be sinful flesh: if it did not have death, it would not be the likeness of sinful flesh. Such He came, the Saviour came: He died, but He killed death: He put an end in Himself to what we feared; He took it on, and He killed it; as a supreme hunter has caught a lion, and slain it.

Chapter IV. — 5. Death dead in Christ. Where is death? Seek it in Christ, it no longer is: but it was, and it died there. O life, death of death! Be of good heart, it will die in us too. What went before in the head will be rendered in the members: death will die in us too. But when? At the end of the age, in the resurrection of the dead, which we believe, and about which we do not doubt. For whoever believes and is baptized, he shall be saved. Follow on to what you should fear: But whoever does not believe shall be condemned. So death will die in us; it will live on in the damned. Where death will not know death, there will be everlasting death: because there will be eternal torments. In us it will die, and will not be. Do you wish to know? I tell you a few words of those who triumph, so that you may have something to meditate on, something to sing in your heart, something to hope for with your whole mind, something to seek by faith and good works. Hear the words of those who triumph, when there will be no death; when in us too, as also in our head, death will die. Paul the apostle says: This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Then shall come to pass the saying which is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. I told you that death will die in us: Death is swallowed up in victory. This is the death of death. It will be swallowed up, so that it does not appear. What does "so that it does not appear" mean? That it may not be, neither within, nor without. Death is swallowed up in victory. Let those who triumph rejoice; let them rejoice, let them say what follows: Where, O death, is your victory? where, O death, is your sting (1 Cor. 15:53–55)? Where is "You have taken, you have possessed, you have conquered, and to yourself you have adjudged;

you struck, and you killed"? Where, O death, is your victory? where, O death, is your sting? Has not my Lord broken it? O death, when you clung to my Lord, then you perished for me too. By this salvation he shall be saved who believes and is baptized. But he who does not believe shall be condemned. Flee condemnation; love and hope for eternal salvation.