PL 38 · cols. 1393–1395

Augustine, Sermones 302-303 (Classis III, de Sanctis)

Sermon CCCIII

severitas patris, severitas patrui, severitas magistri, severitas boni vicini, severitas correctionis majoris ipsius. Haec si sic agerentur, non multum nos mala contristarent.

the severity of a father, the severity of a paternal uncle, the severity of a teacher, the severity of a good neighbour, the severity of correction by one older than himself. If these things were done in this way, evils would not sadden us much.

CAPUT XXII. — 20. Ira Dei ex populi peccatis. Fratres mei, iram Dei timeo. Deus non timet turbas. Quam cito dicitur, Quod populus fecit, fecerit: quis est qui vindicet populum? Itane, quis est? nec Deus? Timuit enim Deus universum mundum, quando fecit diluvium? Timuit tot civitates Sodomae et Gomorrhae, quando coelesti delevit igne? Nolo jam dicere de praesentibus malis, quanta et ubi facta sunt, et quae secuta sunt; nolo commemorare, ne videar insultare. Numquid in ira sua sejunxit Deus eos qui faciebant, ab eis qui non faciebant? Sed junxit eos qui faciebant, cum eis qui non prohibebant.

Chapter XXII. — 20. The wrath of God because of the people's sins. My brothers, I fear the wrath of God. God does not fear crowds. How quickly it is said, What the people has done, let it stand done: who is there to punish the people? Is that so, who is there? Not even God? Did God then fear the whole world when He made the flood? Did He fear so many cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, when He destroyed them with fire from heaven? I do not wish now to speak of the present evils, how great they were and where they were done, and what followed; I do not wish to recall them, lest I seem to insult. Did God in His wrath separate those who were doing it from those who were not doing it? No, He joined those who were doing it with those who were not preventing it.

CAPUT XXIII. — 21. Populus ne sibi sumat quod ad potestates pertinet, neve inordinate saeviat in malos. Explicemus ergo aliquando sermonem, fratres mei. Hortamur vos, obsecramus vos per Dominum et ejus mansuetudinem, ut mansuete vivatis, pacifice vivatis; potestates facere quod ad illas pertinet, unde Deo et majoribus suis redditurae sunt rationem, pacifice permittatis: quotiescumque petendum est, honorifice et pacifice petatis. Cum his qui mala faciunt, et infeliciter atque inordinate saeviunt, non vos misceatis; non talibus factis vel spectandis interesse cupiatis. Sed quantum potestis, quisque in domo sua et in vicinia sua, cum eo cum quo habet alicujus necessitudinis et charitatis vinculum, moneatis, suadeatis, doceatis, corripiatis; comminationibus etiam quibuslibet a tantis malis coerceatis: ut aliquando Deus misereatur, et finem det humanis malis, et non secundum peccata nostra faciat nobis, neque secundum iniquitates nostras retribuat nobis, sed quantum distat ortus ab occidente, longe faciat a nobis peccata nostra (Psal. CII, 10 et 12); et propter honorem nominis sui liberet nos, et propitius sit peccatis nostris, ne forte dicant gentes, Ubi est Deus eorum (Psal. LXXVIII, 9 et 10)?

Chapter XXIII. — 21. That the people should not take upon itself what belongs to the authorities, nor rage in a disorderly way against wrongdoers. Let us then at last finish the sermon, my brothers. We exhort you, we beseech you by the Lord and by His gentleness, that you live gently, that you live peaceably; that you peaceably allow the authorities to do what belongs to them, for which they will have to render an account to God and to their superiors; that whenever a petition must be made, you petition respectfully and peaceably. Do not mix yourselves with those who do evil and who rage unhappily and in a disorderly way; do not desire to be present at such deeds, even as spectators. But as far as you can, each in his own house and in his own neighbourhood, with anyone with whom he has a bond of some kinship or affection, admonish, persuade, teach, rebuke; restrain them from such great evils even by threats of whatever kind: so that God may at last have mercy, and put an end to human evils, and not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities, but as far as the east is distant from the west, so far may He remove our sins from us (Ps. 102:10, 12); and for the honour of His name may He deliver us, and be merciful to our sins, lest perhaps the nations say, Where is their God? (Ps. 78:9–10).

SERMO CCCIII. In Natali martyris Laurentii, II.

Sermon 303. On the Birthday of the Martyr Lawrence, II.

1. Laurentius archidiaconus opes Ecclesiae proferre jussus. Beati Laurentii illustre martyrium est, sed Romae, non hic: tantam enim video vestram paucitatem. Quam non potest abscondi Roma, tam non potest abscondi Laurentii corona. Sed quare adhuc istam civitatem lateret, scire non possum. Ergo pauci audite pauca: quia et nos in hac lassitudine corporis et aestibus non possumus multa. Diaconus erat, secutus Apostolos: tempore post Apostolos fuit. Cum ergo persecutio, quam modo ex Evangelio audistis praedictam fuisse Christianis, Romae, sicut in caeteris locis, vehementer arderet, et tanquam ab archidiacono postulatae

1. Lawrence the archdeacon, ordered to bring forth the riches of the Church. The martyrdom of blessed Lawrence is famous, but at Rome, not here: for I see how few you are. As Rome cannot be hidden, so the crown of Lawrence cannot be hidden. But why it should still be hidden from this city, I cannot know. So, few as you are, hear a few things: for we too, in this weariness of body and in this heat, cannot do much. He was a deacon, a follower of the Apostles: in time he lived after the Apostles. When, therefore, the persecution, which you have just heard from the Gospel was foretold to Christians, was burning fiercely at Rome, as in other places, and as from the archdeacon demanded

Editors' notes and page, col. 1393

Footnotes

(*) ‹anchor: SERMO CCCIII› · call in col 1393 Sermonem 303 in manuscriptis non reperimus. Notandum est postremam partem hujus sermonis, a verbis n. 2, ⟨O⟩ffe⟨r⟩re Deo, ex fine tractatus S. Cypriani de Exhortatione martyrii, ad Fortunatum, ad verbum descriptam esse.

We have not found Sermon 303 in the manuscripts. Note that the last part of this sermon, from the words in no. 2, "to offer to God", is copied word for word from the end of St Cyprian's treatise On the Exhortation to Martyrdom, to Fortunatus.

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(a) ‹anchor: SERMO CCCIII› · call in col 1393

Alias, de Diversis 123.

Elsewhere numbered: On Various Subjects 123.

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running head: 1393 SERMO CCCIII. (cut off at right edge)
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: (none)

PL 38:1394

essent res Ecclesiae; ille respondisse fertur, Mittantur mecum vehicula, in quibus apportem opes Ecclesiae. Aperuit fauces avaritia: sed sciebat quid faceret sapientia. Continuo jussum est: quot vehicula poposcit, tot ierunt. Poposcit autem multa: et quanto plura erant vehicula, tanto erat major spes praedae corde conceptae. Implevit vehicula pauperibus, et reversus est cum eis: et dictum est ei, Quid est hoc? Respondit, Hae sunt divitiae Ecclesiae. Illusus persecutor flammas poposcit; sed non erat ille frigidus, ut flammas timeret: ardebat pene furore, sed plus anima charitate. Quid pluribus? Craticula admota est, et tostus est. Et cum ex uno latere arsisset, dicitur tanta tranquillitate illa tormenta tolerasse, ut impleretur in eo quod modo in Evangelio audivimus, In patientia vestra possidebitis animas vestras (Luc. XXI, 19). Denique flamma ustus, sed patientia tranquillus: Jam, inquit, coctum est; quod superest, versate me, et manducate. Tale duxit martyrium: ista gloria coronatus est. Beneficia ejus Romae tam clara sunt, ut numerari omnino non possint. Iste est de quo dixit Christus: Qui perdiderit animam suam propter me, salvabit eam (Id. IX, 24). Salvavit eam per fidem, salvavit per contemptum mundi, salvavit per martyrium. Quanta est gloria ejus apud Deum, dum tanta est laus ejus apud homines?

were the goods of the Church, he is said to have replied: Let carts be sent with me, in which I may bring the riches of the Church. Avarice opened its jaws; but wisdom knew what it was doing. At once the order was given: as many carts as he asked for, so many went. And he asked for many; and the more carts there were, the greater was the hope of plunder conceived in the heart. He filled the carts with poor people, and came back with them; and it was said to him, What is this? He answered, These are the riches of the Church. The persecutor, mocked, demanded flames; but he was not cold, so as to fear flames: he burned almost with fury, but he burned more in soul with charity. Why say more? The gridiron was brought, and he was roasted. And when he had been burned on one side, he is said to have endured those torments with such calm that there was fulfilled in him what we heard just now in the Gospel, In your patience you shall possess your souls (Luke 21:19). Then, scorched by the flame but calm in patience: Now, he said, it is cooked; as for what remains, turn me over and eat. Such was the martyrdom he underwent; with this glory he was crowned. His benefactions at Rome are so well known that they cannot be counted at all. He is the one of whom Christ said: Whoever loses his life for My sake will save it (Luke 9:24). He saved it through faith, he saved it through contempt of the world, he saved it through martyrdom. How great is his glory with God, when so great is his praise among men?

2. Martyrum merces Christum sequentibus parata. Sequamur vestigia ejus fide, sequamur et contemptu mundi. Non solum martyribus praemia promittuntur coelestia, sed etiam integra fide et perfecta charitate Christum sequentibus. Nam inter martyres honoratus est, ipsa veritate pollicente, ac dicente: Nemo est qui relinquat domum, aut agrum, aut parentes, aut fratres, aut uxorem, aut filios, et non recipiat septies tantum in isto tempore, in saeculo autem futuro vitam aeternam habebit (Matth. XIX, 29). Quid est gloriosius homini, quam sua vendere, et Christum emere, offerre Deo acceptissimum munus, incorruptam virtutem mentis, incolumem laudem devotionis; Christum comitari, cum venire coeperit vindictam de inimicis recepturus; lateri ejus assistere, cum sederit judicaturus; cohaeredem Christi fieri, Angelis adaequari, cum Patriarchis, cum Apostolis, cum Prophetis, coelestis regni possessione laetari? Has cogitationes quae persecutio potest vincere, quae possunt tormenta superare? Dura, fortis, et stabilis religiosis meditationibus fundata mens, et adversus omnes zabuli terrores et minas mundi animus immobilis perstat, quem

2. The reward of the martyrs prepared for those who follow Christ. Let us follow his footsteps by faith, let us follow them also by contempt of the world. Not to the martyrs only are heavenly rewards promised, but also to those who follow Christ with whole faith and perfect charity. For among the martyrs he is honoured, Truth itself promising and saying: There is no one who leaves house, or field, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, and does not receive seven times as much in this time, and in the age to come he will have eternal life (Matt. 19:29). What is more glorious for a man than to sell what is his and buy Christ, to offer to God a most acceptable gift, the uncorrupted virtue of the mind, the unimpaired praise of devotion; to accompany Christ when He begins to come to take vengeance on His enemies; to stand at His side when He sits to judge; to become a co-heir of Christ, to be made equal to the Angels, to rejoice with the Patriarchs, with the Apostles, with the Prophets in the possession of the heavenly kingdom? What persecution can conquer these thoughts, what torments can overcome them? The mind founded on religious meditations stands hard, strong and stable, and against all the terrors of the devil and the threats of the world the spirit stands fast unmoved, which

Editors' notes and page, col. 1394

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: ardebat pene› · call in col 1394

Forte, poenae.

Perhaps "poenae" (with the fury of punishment) instead of "pene" (almost).

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(2) ‹anchor: Dura, fortis› · call in col 1394

Apud Cyprianum, Durat fortis. Dein, Clauduntur oculi in persecutionibus terrae; editio Oxoniensis simpliciter: clauduntur in persecutionibus terrae. M.

In Cyprian: "Durat fortis" (a strong mind endures). Then: "the eyes are closed in the persecutions of the earth"; the Oxford edition simply: "they are closed in the persecutions of the earth". M. [the Maurists]

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(a) ‹anchor: Christum emere› · call in col 1394

Ut modo observavimus, postrema pars sermonis ex fine tractatus S. Cypriani de Exhortatione martyrii, ad Fortunatum, ad verbum descripta est. Cum autem Augustino inusitatum sit aliquid ex aliis scriptoribus, iis non nominatis, mutuari; hinc magna oboritur suspicio neque hunc illius esse sermonem, sed alicujus opus; qui tamen, sicut postremam partem ex Cypriano, ita ex aliqua Augustini lucubratione primam mutuatus sit. Quae scribendi ratio Bedae, Alcuino, Rabano, Ivoni solemnis fuit. » M.

As we have just observed, the last part of the sermon is copied word for word from the end of St Cyprian's treatise On the Exhortation to Martyrdom, to Fortunatus. Since it is unusual for Augustine to borrow anything from other writers without naming them, a strong suspicion arises that this sermon is not his either, but the work of someone who, just as he borrowed the last part from Cyprian, borrowed the first from some work of Augustine. This manner of writing was customary for Bede, Alcuin, Rabanus and Ivo. » M. [the Maurists]

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running head: SERMO CCCIII. 1394
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PL 38:1395

†futurorum fides certa et solida corroborat. Clauduntur oculi in persecutionibus; sed patet coelum. Minatur Antichristus; sed tuetur Christus. Mors infertur; sed immortalitas sequitur. Occiso mundus eripitur; sed restituto paradisus exhibetur. Vita temporalis exstinguitur; sed aeterna reparatur. Quanta est dignitas et quanta securitas exire hinc laetum, exire inter pre⟨s⟩suras et angustias gloriosum; claudere in momento oculos, quibus homines videbantur et mundus; aperire eos statim, ut Deus videatur, etiam feliciter migrando! Quanta velocitas! Terris repente retraheris, ut regnis coelestibus reponaris. Haec oportet mente et cogitatione complecti, haec die ac nocte meditari. Si talem p⟨e⟩rsecutio invenerit Dei militem, vinci non poterit virtus ad praelium prompta. Vel si accersitio ante pervenerit; fidei, quae erat ad martyrium praeparata, sine damno temporis, merces Deo Judice redditur. In persecutione militia, in pace constantia coronatur.

a sure and solid faith in things to come strengthens. Eyes are closed in persecutions; but heaven lies open. Antichrist threatens; but Christ protects. Death is inflicted; but immortality follows. To the one slain the world is snatched away; but to him restored paradise is displayed. Temporal life is extinguished; but eternal life is restored. How great is the dignity and how great the security, to go out from here glad, to go out glorious amid pressures and straits; to close in a moment the eyes with which men and the world were seen; to open them at once, so that God may be seen, migrating even happily! How great the speed! You are suddenly withdrawn from the earth, so that you may be placed back in the heavenly kingdoms. These things one must embrace with mind and thought, these things meditate on day and night. If persecution finds such a soldier of God, virtue ready for battle will not be able to be conquered. Or if the summons comes first, to faith, which was prepared for martyrdom, the reward is rendered without loss of time, with God as Judge. In persecution warfare, in peace steadfastness is crowned.

Editors' notes and page, col. 1395

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: regnis coelestibus reponaris› · call in col 1395

Apud Cyprianum, et aperire eos statim, ut Deus videatur et Christus. Tam feliciter migrandi quanta velocitas? Terris repente traheris ut in regni coelestibus reponaris.

In Cyprian: "and to open them at once, so that God and Christ may be seen. How swift is so happy a departure! You are suddenly drawn away from the earth to be set down in the heavenly kingdom."

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(2) ‹anchor: sine damno temporis› · call in col 1395

Apud eumdem, Vel accersitio ante praevenerit, sine praemio non erit fides quae erat ad martyrium praeparata. Sine damno temporis.

In the same author: "Or if the summons [of death] has come first, the faith that was prepared for martyrdom will not be without its reward." "Without loss of time."

(printed under page 704)