PL 39 · cols. 1949–1957

Appendix to Augustine's Sermones: Sermones supposititii, Sermones 94-106

Sermons CV–CVI

PL 39:1949

8. Recapitulatio. Sors triplex hominum in judicio. Et ut haec, quae supra diximus, cordibus vestris tenacius valeant inhaerere, et ipsa apostolica lectio plenius possit intelligi, breviter ea Charitati vestrae volo repetere. Omnes sancti qui Deo fideliter serviunt, lectioni et orationi vacare, et in bonis operibus perseverare contendunt, nec capitalia crimina, nec minuta peccata, id est, ligna, fenum et stipulam supra fundamentum Christi, sed bona opera, id est, aurum, argentum, lapides pretiosos superaedificantes, per ignem illum, de quo dicit Apostolus, Quia in igne revelabitur, absque ulla violatione tr⟨a⟩n⟨s⟩ibunt. Illi vero, qui quamvis capitalia crimina non admittant, et ad perpetranda minuta peccata sunt faciles, et ad redimenda sunt negligentes; ad vitam aeternam, pro eo quod in Christum crediderunt, et capitalia peccata non admiserunt, venturi su⟨n⟩t: sed prius aut in hoc saeculo per Dei justitiam vel misericordiam, sicut jam dictum est, amarissimis tribulationibus sunt excoquendi, aut illi ipsi per multas eleemosynas, et praecipue dum inimicis suis clementer indulgent, per Dei misericordiam liberandi; aut certe illo igne, de quo dicit Apostolus, longo tempore cruciandi, ut ad vitam aeternam sine macula et ruga perveniant. Illi vero qui aut homicidium, aut sacrilegium, aut adulterium, vel reliqua his similia commiserunt, sicut jam dictum est, si eis digna poenitentia non subvenerit, non per purgatorium ignem transire merebuntur ad vitam, sed aeterno incendio praecipitabuntur ad mortem.

8. Recapitulation. The threefold lot of men at the judgement. And so that these things which we have said above may be able to cling more tenaciously to your hearts, and the apostolic reading itself may be more fully understood, I wish to repeat them briefly to your Charity. All the saints who serve God faithfully, who strive to give themselves to reading and prayer and to persevere in good works, building upon the foundation of Christ neither capital crimes nor small sins, that is, wood, hay and stubble, but good works, that is, gold, silver, precious stones, will pass through that fire of which the Apostle says, For it shall be revealed in fire (1 Cor. 3:13), without any harm. But those who, although they do not commit capital crimes, are yet ready to commit small sins and negligent in redeeming them, will come to eternal life because they have believed in Christ and have not committed capital sins; but first they must either be refined in this world, through the justice or mercy of God, as has already been said, by most bitter tribulations, or be delivered through God's mercy by their own many alms, and especially when they mercifully forgive their enemies; or else they must be tormented for a long time in that fire of which the Apostle speaks, so that they may come to eternal life without spot or wrinkle. But those who have committed either murder, or sacrilege, or adultery, or other things similar to these, as has already been said, if worthy penance does not come to their aid, will not deserve to pass through the purgatorial fire to life, but will be cast headlong into the eternal burning unto death.

9. Majora peccata Deo juvante vitare, minuta vero amore inimicorum et eleemosynarum largitate redimere laborandum. Et ideo quoties in lectione apostolica audieritis, Si quis supra fundamentum Christi superaedificat aurum, argentum, lapides pretiosos; de sanctis hoc et perfectis christianis accipite, qui velut aurum purgatum merebuntur ad aeterna praemia ⟨p⟩ervenire. Illi vero qui superaedificant ligna, fenum et stipulam, de bonis christianis, sed negligentibus minuta peccata purgare, ut saepe dictum est, intelligite: quae peccata si nec divina justitia multis tribulationibus purgaverit, nec unusquisque eleemosynarum largitate redemerit, non sine grandi dolore in illis implebitur illud quod dicit Apostolus, Si cujus opus arserit, detrimentum patietur; ipse autem salvus erit, sic tamen quasi per ignem. Nemo tamen, sicut jam supra dictum est, se ipsum circumveniat, ut hoc etiam pro capitalibus criminibus, si incurata remanserint, posse fieri credat. Et ideo, sicut jam saepe dixi, quantum possumus, cum Dei adjutorio laboremus; ut et majora peccata possimus evadere, et minuta sine quibus esse non possumus, jugiter amore inimicorum, et eleemosynarum largitate redimere: praestante Domino Jesu Christo, qui cum Patre et Spiritu sancto vivit et regnat Deus in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

9. We must labour, with God's help, to avoid the greater sins, and to redeem the small ones by love of enemies and by generosity in almsgiving. And therefore, whenever you hear in the apostolic reading, If anyone builds upon the foundation of Christ gold, silver, precious stones (1 Cor. 3:12), take this of holy and perfect Christians, who like purified gold will deserve to come to the eternal rewards. But those who build upon it wood, hay and stubble, understand, as has often been said, of good Christians who are, however, negligent in purging their small sins: and if neither divine justice purges these sins by many tribulations, nor each one redeems them by generosity in almsgiving, then not without great pain will that be fulfilled in them which the Apostle says, If anyone's work burns, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:15). Let no one, however, as has already been said above, deceive himself into believing that this can happen also in the case of capital crimes, if they remain uncured. And therefore, as I have often said, let us labour as much as we can with God's help, so that we may both escape the greater sins and continually redeem the small ones, without which we cannot be, by love of enemies and by generosity in almsgiving: by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

SERMO CV. De verbis Apostoli, I Cor. XII, 26, Si patitur unum membrum, compatiuntur omnia membra, etc.

Sermon 105. On the words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 12:26, If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, etc.

1. Amor mutuus membrorum, amorem docet proximorum. Qualiter nos invicem diligere debeamus, fratres charissimi, etiam de sanitate vel infirmitate membrorum corporalium possumus evidenter agnoscere. Si enim sic nos amare voluerimus, quomodo

1. The mutual love of the members teaches the love of neighbours. How we ought to love one another, dearest brethren, we can clearly recognize even from the health or sickness of the bodily members. For if we are willing to love in the same way as

Editors' notes and page, col. 1949

Footnotes

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In Bibliotheca Patrum, sine violentia. In Sorbonico Ms., sine dilatione.

In the Bibliotheca Patrum, "sine violentia" [without violence]. In the Sorbonne manuscript, "sine dilatione" [without delay].

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(a) ‹anchor: SERMO CV› · call in col 1949

Olim, 15 ex Homiliis 50; et post, in Appendice 17.

Formerly the 15th of the Fifty Homilies; and afterwards no. 17 in the Appendix.

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(b) ‹anchor: compatiuntur omnia membra, etc.› · call in col 1949

In manuscriptis sic inscribitur: « Excerpta de « libris Augustini, qualiter vera et perfecta dilectio ser- « vanda est: et de dilectione membrorum, quomodo omnia « membra serviunt, quando spina calcatur. » Excerpti autem sunt sensus, non verba; et forte a Caesario. De num. 1 et 2 vid. Augustini enarr. in Psal. 130, n. 6; de num. 3, enarr. in Psal. 86, n. 5; de num. 4, enarr. 2 in Psal. 30, n. 3.

In the manuscripts it is titled thus: "Excerpts from the books of Augustine, on how true and perfect love is to be kept: and on the love of the members, how all the members serve when a thorn is trodden on." But it is the sense that has been excerpted, not the words; and perhaps by Caesarius. For nos. 1 and 2, see Augustine's exposition of Psalm 130, no. 6; for no. 3, the exposition of Psalm 86, no. 5; for no. 4, the second exposition of Psalm 30, no. 3.

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se invicem amant membra corporis nostri, perfecta in nobis charitas poterit custodiri. Considerate et videte quid fiat in nobis carnaliter quando sanum est caput, quomodo congaudent omnia membra, et placent sibi de singulis caetera membra: e contrario autem quando aliquid mali patitur unum membrum, compatiuntur omnia membra Ecce spinam calcat pes: quid tam longe ab oculis quam pes? Longe est loco, proximus charitatis affectu. Modicum pungit spina, et perparvum locum tenet in pede; vide quomodo illuc convertuntur omnia membra. Primo ipsa spina dorsi incurvat se, et deponunt se illuc omnia membra. Numquid oculi cessant quaerere? Numquid aures cessant audire? Forte alii qui vident ubi sit, dicunt, Ecce ubi est: statim hoc audiunt aures et sequuntur consilium: ibi et oculi quaerunt, et manus operantur, et, ut dixi, totum corpus illuc incurvatur, et nihil vacat in homine ad subveniendum; et solum in pede factum est vulnus, et totum quod est in homine operatur. Numquid omnia puncta sunt? Attendite. Numquid omnia dolent? Sana est manus, sani sunt oculi, sanum est caput, sana alia membra; ipse pes sanus est, ibi tantum dolet, ubi punctus est: non est ergo communis calamitas omnibus; sed per compassionem charitatis omnia veniunt ad subveniendum, et omnia volunt succurrere: ut impleatur quod ait Apostolus, Si patitur unum membrum, compatiuntur omnia membra; et si glorificatur unum membrum, congaudent omnia membra.

the members of our body love one another, perfect charity will be able to be kept in us. Consider and see what happens in us in the flesh when the head is healthy, how all the members rejoice together, and the other members are pleased with each one; but on the contrary, when one member suffers some harm, all the members suffer with it. See, the foot treads on a thorn: what is so far from the eyes as the foot? It is far in place, but very near in the affection of charity. The thorn pricks a little, and occupies a very small spot in the foot; see how all the members turn towards it. First the spine itself bends, and all the members lower themselves towards it. Do the eyes cease to search? Do the ears cease to listen? Perhaps others who see where it is say, "Look, here it is": at once the ears hear this and follow the advice: there the eyes too search, and the hands work, and, as I said, the whole body bends towards it, and nothing in the man is idle from bringing help; and the wound has been made in the foot alone, and all that is in the man is at work. Have all been pricked? Pay attention. Do all feel pain? The hand is healthy, the eyes are healthy, the head is healthy, the other members are healthy; the foot itself is healthy, it hurts only there, where it was pricked: so the misfortune is not common to all; but through the compassion of charity all come to help, and all wish to give aid: so that what the Apostle says may be fulfilled, If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; and if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it.

2. Invidus, tabes resecanda. Virtutes alienae per charitatem fiunt propriae. Quid ergo? Nescio quis habet do⟨n⟩um Dei in virtutibus; non habes tu; noli invidere, ne praecidaris de corpore. Videte, fratres, qui invidet, sic est quomodo tabes, quomodo vulnus, quomodo apostema. Non vis congaudere glorificato? Videt in te invidiae morbum coelestis ille medicus, et praecidet te de corpore: noli ergo invidere. Sed quid facis? Gaude. Noli dicere in animo tuo, Ego si christianus essem, utique et ad Deum pertinerem, possem facere quod alius facit. Tale est enim ac si diceret et auris, Ego si ad corpus pertinerem, possem videre lunam et solem: et non illud habet tamen nec auris nec manus; sed faciunt singula quod possunt, et cum concordia serviunt sibi invicem omnia membra. Sic ergo et tu congaude illi cui Deus aliquam gratiam peculiariter dedit: et potes in illo quod in te non potes. Ille habet forte virginitatem; ama illum, et tua est. Iterum tu habes majorem patientiam; diligat te, et sua est. Ille potest satis vigilare; si non invides, tuum est studium ejus: tu forte potes amplius jejunare; si amat te, suum est jejunium tuum. Hoc ideo, quia in illo tu es: per proprietatem enim non es tu, per charitatem tu es.

2. The envious man, a wasting sore to be cut away. The virtues of others become one's own through charity. What then? Someone or other has a gift of God in the virtues; you do not have it; do not envy, lest you be cut off from the body. See, brethren, he who envies is like a wasting sore, like a wound, like an abscess. Do you not want to rejoice with the one who is glorified? That heavenly physician sees in you the disease of envy, and He will cut you off from the body: so do not envy. But what are you to do? Rejoice. Do not say in your heart, "If I were a Christian, and belonged indeed to God, I could do what another does." For that is just as if the ear too were to say, "If I belonged to the body, I could see the moon and the sun": and yet neither the ear nor the hand has that [power]; but each does what it can, and all the members serve one another in concord. So therefore do you too rejoice with him to whom God has given some grace as his own: and you can do in him what you cannot do in yourself. He perhaps has virginity; love him, and it is yours. Again, you have greater patience; let him love you, and it is his. He is able to keep long vigils; if you do not envy, his zeal is yours: you perhaps are able to fast more; if he loves you, your fasting is his. This is so because you are in him: for by what is one's own you are not, by charity you are.

3. Exemplum charitatis in Christo. Considerate, fratres, et videte exemplum Domini nostri, qui nos peregrinos fecit, et jussit ut per charitatis viam currendo veniamus ad coelestem civitatem. Numquid aliquis potest dicere quia aegrotavit hic Dominus? Quid est ergo quod ait, Infirmus fui, et non visitastis me? Quid est, nisi quod ipsi confitentur, Quando te vidimus esurientem, aut sitientem, aut nudum, aut infirmum, aut in carcere, et non ministravimus tibi? Et ille, quamvis sedeat in coelo, tamen compatiens membris laborantibus, quia caput est membrorum et universi corporis, Quando uni, inquit, ex minimis meis non fecistis, nec mihi fecistis (Matth. XXV, 43-45). Iterum jam certe erat in coelo, quando Paulum ex persecutore fecit praedicatorem: nam misertus ejus, et incorporans eum universo corpori suo dixit de coelo, Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris (Act. IX, 4.)? Numquid ergo ipsum persequebatur in coelo? Quid est ergo, Quid me persequeris? Persequebatur Saulus Christianos, numquid Christum qui sedebat in coelo? Sed quia ipse

3. An example of charity in Christ. Consider, brethren, and see the example of our Lord, Who made us pilgrims, and commanded that we should come by running along the way of charity to the heavenly city. Can anyone say that the Lord fell sick here? What is it then that He says, I was sick, and you did not visit Me? What is it, unless what they themselves confess, When did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You? And He, although He sits in heaven, yet suffering with His toiling members, because He is the Head of the members and of the whole body, When you did not do it, He says, to one of the least of Mine, you did not do it to Me (Matt. 25:43–45). Again, He was certainly already in heaven when He made Paul a preacher out of a persecutor: for having pity on him, and incorporating him into His whole body, He said from heaven, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me (Acts 9:4)? Was he then persecuting Him in heaven? What then is, Why do you persecute Me? Saul was persecuting Christians; was he persecuting Christ, Who was sitting in heaven? But because He Himself

Editors' notes and page, col. 1950

Footnotes

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Mss. aliqui, spinam habet: et sic forte corrigendi duo alii, in quibus habetur, cavet.

Some manuscripts read "spinam habet" [has a thorn]: and perhaps two others, which read "cavet" [beware], should be corrected accordingly.

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(2) ‹anchor: Persequebatur Saulus› · call in col 1950

Mss., Paulus.

The manuscripts read "Paulus".

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erat in Christianis, compatiens membris omnibus. Ut verum esset in ipso, quod ait : Si patitur unum membrum, compatiuntur omnia membra, quid ait? Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris? Certe jam in coelo sum; tamen quando minimos meos persequeris, in ipsis membris meis adhuc ego persecutionem patior.

was in the Christians, suffering with all the members. So that what he says might be true in Him: If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, what does He say? Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? Certainly I am already in heaven; yet when you persecute My least ones, in My very members I still suffer persecution.

4. Membra sunt mortua qui de aliorum tribulatione gaudent. Et illud attendite, fratres, quod etiam nos aliquoties facimus, attendite. In populo quando statur, et est aliqua coarctatio; si alter alterum calcet, lingua dicit, Calcas me. Num ipsa calcata est? Quid est ergo quod sonat, Calcas me? Si et ille respondeat, Libera es, o lingua, in ore tuo vocem habes : ego si calcavi, pedem calcavi. Sed charitas dicit, Calcas me; compassio unitatis et vinculum societatis dicit. Sicut ergo dicere coeperam, cognoscant omnes invidi, qui de aliorum, etiamsi inimici eorum sint, tribulationibus gaudent, quia membra sunt putrefacta, abscissa et mortua; et ideo non habent sensum : et cum discedunt ab aliis membris, non sentiunt, quia sine sensu erant. Sensus noster, fratres, una fides est, charitas una sanitas est : teneamus fidem tanquam sensum, teneamus charitatem tanquam sanitatem. Et quamvis diversa membra diversa munera habeant; tamen charitatis unitate tenentur, et omnia merentur ire post caput. Caput enim in coelo est, nos hic laboremus et invicem onera nostra portemus : quo enim ivit caput, caetera membra itura su⟨n⟩t. Certe audistis quod paulo ante dictum est, Dominum clamasse de coelo, Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris?

4. Those who rejoice at the tribulation of others are dead members. And pay attention to this, brethren, which we too sometimes do; pay attention. When people are standing in a crowd and there is some crush, if one treads on another, the tongue says, You are treading on me. Has the tongue itself been trodden on? What is it, then, that it utters, You are treading on me? And if the other should answer, You are free, O tongue, you have your voice in your mouth: if I trod on anything, I trod on the foot. But charity says, You are treading on me; the compassion of unity and the bond of fellowship says it. As I had begun to say, then, let all the envious, who rejoice at the tribulations of others, even if these are their enemies, recognize that they are rotted members, cut off and dead; and therefore they have no feeling: and when they depart from the other members, they do not feel it, because they were without feeling. Our feeling, brethren, is the one faith, charity is the one health: let us hold faith as our feeling, let us hold charity as our health. And although different members have different functions, yet they are held together by the unity of charity, and all deserve to go after the head. For the head is in heaven; let us labour here and bear one another's burdens: for where the head has gone, the other members will go. Certainly you heard what was said a little while ago, that the Lord cried out from heaven, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?

5. Patienti non compatiens extra Ecclesiam est. Rogo vos, fratres, si Dominus et Salvator noster, qui nullum peccatum habuit, tanto affectu nos peccatores amare dignatur; ut quod nos patimur, se pati testetur : quare nos, qui sine peccato non sumus, et qui peccata nostra per charitatem redimere possumus, non tam perfecto amore diligimus; ut quidquid mali alius pertulerit, charitatis affectu compatiamur, et quidquid boni alius acceperit, quasi nos ipsi accipiamus, ita gaudeamus, et pro illo qui accepit, Deo gratias referamus? Ecce jam, ut dictum est, patitur aliquis aut tribulationem aut damnum : si doles pro illo, in corpore Ecclesiae constitutus es; si non doles, praecisus es. Charitas enim quae colligit et vivificat omnia Ecclesiae membra, si te viderit de alterius ruina gaudere, statim te praecidet a corpore. Et forte jam ideo non doles, quia praecisus es : si enim ibi esses, sine dubio doleres. Considerate, fratres, et diligenter attendite, quia tamdiu dolet membrum, quamdiu in corpore continetur : si autem abscisum fuerit, nec dolere poterit, nec sentire. Cum enim manus aut aliud membrum fuerit abscisum a corpore, si totum corpus postea multis partibus dividatur, manus illa non sentit; quia jam a reliquorum membrorum societate divisa est atque disjuncta : talis est christianus, qui de alterius aut damnis, aut afflictionibus, aut etiam morte non solum non dolet; sed, quod pejus est, forte etiam gaudet. Et quia jam est alienus a corpore, ideo affectum charitatis non tenet in corde. Nos vero, si veram et perfectam charitatem volumus custodire, omnes sicut nosmetipsos studeamus diligere; ut quia caput nostrum Christus est, et membra illius nos esse meruimus; cum Christus apparuerit gloria nostra, et per concordiam charitatis, quasi vera et perfecta membra illius absque ullo dolo malitiae vel invidiae, omnes homines, sicut nosmetipsos, amantes, cum ipso apparere mereamur in gloria.

5. He who does not suffer with one who suffers is outside the Church. I ask you, brethren: if our Lord and Saviour, Who had no sin, deigns to love us sinners with such affection that He testifies that He suffers what we suffer, why do we, who are not without sin and who can redeem our sins through charity, not love with so perfect a love that whatever evil another has endured we suffer with him in the affection of charity, and whatever good another has received we rejoice as though we ourselves were receiving it, and give thanks to God for him who received it? See now, as has been said, someone suffers either tribulation or loss: if you grieve for him, you are established in the body of the Church; if you do not grieve, you are cut off. For charity, which gathers together and gives life to all the members of the Church, if it sees you rejoicing at another's ruin, will at once cut you off from the body. And perhaps you do not grieve for this very reason, that you are already cut off: for if you were there, you would without doubt grieve. Consider, brethren, and pay careful attention, that a member feels pain for as long as it is held within the body: but if it has been cut off, it will be able neither to feel pain nor to feel anything. For when a hand or some other member has been cut off from the body, if the whole body is afterwards divided into many parts, that hand does not feel it, because it has already been separated and disjoined from the fellowship of the other members: such is the Christian who not only does not grieve at another's losses or afflictions or even death, but, what is worse, perhaps even rejoices. And because he is already a stranger to the body, he therefore does not hold the affection of charity in his heart. But we, if we wish to keep true and perfect charity, let us strive to love all as ourselves; so that, since Christ is our head and we have been found worthy to be His members, when Christ our glory appears, we too, through the concord of charity, as true and perfect members of His, without any guile of malice or envy, loving all people as ourselves, may be found worthy to appear with Him in glory.

Editors' notes and page, col. 1951

Footnotes

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Sic Mss. At editi, una fides est, una charitas, una sanitas.

So the manuscripts. But the printed editions read: "una fides est, una charitas, una sanitas" [there is one faith, one charity, one health].

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In Mss. deest vox, tamen. Et mox, teneantur; pro, tenentur: et, ibit; pro, iit.

In the manuscripts the word "tamen" [yet] is missing. And shortly after, "teneantur" for "tenentur" [they are held]; and "ibit" [will go] for "iit" [went].

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SERMO CVI. De verbis Apostoli, I Cor. cap. XIII, 4, 7, 8, Charitas omnia tolerat, omnia credit, omnia sperat, omnia sustinet.

Sermon 106. On the words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 13:4, 7, 8: Charity tolerates all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1. Exordium. Desiderium Charitatis vestrae a nobis exigit debitum sermonis officium. Sed tanta sunt quae terreant et revocent animum nostrum; ut si velimus parere desiderio vestro, non sit sine periculo nostro: primum, quod juvenis loqui cogar praesentibus senibus; deinde, temerarium esse arbitror loqui velle imperitiam, inter eos quos roboravit antiqua doctrina. Optabam ergo silentio praeterire, et illum locum tutissimum eligere, audire potius quam aliquid dicere. Sed quid facio? Instat vester amor, revocat noster pudor; cogit sanctorum patrum jussio, a quibus si velim obsecrans veniam petere dicens, Ignoscite, sancti patres, ignoscite; parcite nostrae verecundiae, parcite nostrae aetati, maxime cum recolam vobis fuisse praeceptum, Loquimini, seniores; decet enim vos (Eccli. XXXII, 4): ipsi sancta charitate qua praevalent, respondebunt mihi, Loquere, juvenis; delectat enim nos. Quibus si repetam, Sancti patres, quid loquar? rursum mihi respondebunt, Quod a nobis saepe audisti, memento, fili, quia ab infantia sacras Litteras didicisti (II Tim. III, 15). Sed nec sic vobis excusatus esse potero, quorum corda ista me sua voce pulsabunt: Quid metuis proferre verbum? Si aetas revocat, Paulus Timotheo juveni praecipiebat, dicens: Nemo adolescentiam tuam contemnat (I Tim. IV, 12). Praedica verbum (II Tim. IV, 2). Si sermo deest, pete, et accipies: non enim vos estis qui loquimini; sed quod donatur vobis, hoc ministratis nobis. His coarctatus angustiis, quo me conferam, nisi ad sancta vestigia charitatis? eamque deprecor, ut donet mihi aliquid dignum de se dicere, quod et meum suppleat ministerium, et vestrum satiet desiderium.

1. Introduction. The desire of Your Charity demands of us the owed duty of a sermon. But there are so many things that alarm and hold back our mind that, if we wish to comply with your desire, it would not be without danger to us: first, because I, a young man, am compelled to speak in the presence of old men; then, I judge it rash for inexperience to wish to speak among those whom ancient learning has strengthened. I wished, therefore, to pass over in silence and to choose that safest place, to listen rather than to say anything. But what am I to do? Your love presses, our modesty holds back; the command of the holy fathers compels, and if I wished to ask pardon of them entreatingly, saying, Forgive, holy fathers, forgive; spare our bashfulness, spare our age, especially since I recall that it was commanded to you, Speak, elders, for it befits you (Ecclus. 32:4): they themselves, by the holy charity in which they excel, will answer me, Speak, young man, for it delights us. If I should ask them again, Holy fathers, what shall I say? they will answer me once more, What you have often heard from us; remember, son, that from infancy you have learned the sacred Letters (2 Tim. 3:15). But not even so shall I be able to be excused before you, whose hearts will strike me with these words in their own voice: Why do you fear to bring forth the word? If age holds you back, Paul instructed the young Timothy, saying: Let no one despise your youth (1 Tim. 4:12). Preach the word (2 Tim. 4:2). If speech is lacking, ask, and you will receive: for it is not you who speak; but what is given to you, this you minister to us. Hemmed in by these straits, where shall I betake myself, except to the holy footsteps of charity? And I pray her that she may grant me to say something worthy of her, which may both fill out my ministry and satisfy your desire.

2. Virtutes charitatis quatuor. Non sunt sine invicem. Nec est aliquis sanctus sine illis. Inter caeteras virtutes ejusdem charitatis quas commemorat apostolus Paulus, quod Charitas non aemulatur, non agit perperam, non irritatur, non inflatur, non cogitat malum, et caetera: in ultimo quatuor ejus virtutes breviter comprehendit, dicens, Omnia tolerat, omnia credit, omnia sperat, omnia sustinet; charitas nunquam excidit. Ex his igitur quatuor virtutibus sanctae charitatis loqui convenit Sanctitati vestrae, delectatque primitus intueri, quemadmodum velut quatuor cardines orbis continens, totum possederit mundum. Requiramus igitur, si placet, aliquorum exempla sanctorum, eorum scilicet, qui his virtutibus sanctae charitatis possessi sunt: et eis singulis ita singula tribuamus, ut omnes in omnibus esse noscamus: quoniam omnis qui pie tolerat, recte credit; et omnis qui recte credit, aliquid sperat; et qui sperat, sustinet, ne ab spe cadat. Sed jam quinam isti sint videamus, quorum fidem, in quantum desuper adjuvamur, assequi valeamus. Virtus charitatis quae omnia tolerat, eminuit in sancto Noe; quae omnia credit, in sancto Abraham; quae omnia sperat, in patribus nostris, id est, in populo Israel, unde ipse noster exortus est Dominus; quae omnia sustinet, in ipso capite nostro Domino nostro Jesu Christo, qui est vera charitas, quae nunquam cadit. Nec caeteros sanctos ab his virtutibus vestra Charitas deputet alienos: quos pro brevitate temporis, et pro sermone suscepto ita praetermissos esse cognoscite, ut tamen certissime noveritis omnes esse in Christo, et in omnibus Christum.

2. The virtues of charity are four. They do not exist without one another. Nor is anyone a saint without them. Among the other virtues of the same charity which the apostle Paul records, that Charity does not envy, does not act wrongly, is not provoked, is not puffed up, does not think evil, and so on, at the end he briefly comprehends four virtues of hers, saying, She tolerates all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; charity never falls away. It is fitting, then, to speak to Your Holiness about these four virtues of holy charity, and it is a delight first of all to consider how, as if holding the four hinges of the world, she has possessed the whole world. Let us therefore seek, if you please, the examples of some saints, namely of those who have been possessed by these virtues of holy charity; and let us assign one to each of them in such a way that we may recognize that all are in all: since everyone who piously tolerates believes rightly; and everyone who believes rightly hopes for something; and he who hopes endures, lest he fall away from hope. But now let us see who these are, whose faith we may be able to attain, so far as we are helped from above. The virtue of charity which tolerates all things shone forth in holy Noah; that which believes all things, in holy Abraham; that which hopes all things, in our fathers, that is, in the people of Israel, from whom our Lord Himself arose; that which endures all things, in our very Head, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is true charity, which never falls. Nor let Your Charity consider the other saints strangers to these virtues: know that they have been passed over on account of the shortness of time and on account of the sermon undertaken, yet in such a way that you may know most certainly that all are in Christ, and Christ in all.

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Footnotes

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In veteri Ms. Divionensi, in peritia. Forte legendum, in imperitia.

In the old Dijon manuscript, "in peritia" [in skill]. Perhaps one should read "in imperitia" [in unskilfulness].

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Alias, de Tempore 46, et in tomo 9.

Elsewhere, no. 46 de Tempore, and in volume 9.

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In Appendice nunc primum collocatur. Augustino abjudicavit jam olim Erasmus in tomo nono; Verlinus etiam, Vindingus, aliique observant methodum et rationem disserendi non esse Augustini, multoque minus ipsi convenire quod pro sermonis exordio dicit concionator, se ab infantia sacras Litteras didicisse. Non indignus vero qui alicui ex ipsius alumnis assignetur.

It is now placed in the Appendix for the first time. Erasmus long ago denied it to Augustine in the ninth volume; Verlinus too, Vindingus and others observe that the method and manner of discourse are not Augustine's, and that what the preacher says by way of opening his sermon, that he had learned the sacred Scriptures from infancy, suits him much less. It is not, however, unworthy to be assigned to one of his pupils.

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3. Prima virtus charitatis, omnia tolerare. Sed jam videamus quemadmodum sanctus Noe possederit vel possessus sit virtute charitatis, quae omnia tolerat. Praedixit ei Deus quod iniquitate hominum crescente, diluvio perderet mundum. Statim ille admonitus confugit ad lignum, et post camporum amoenorum faciem, angustiis se reclusit arcae, tolerat coeli fremitum, sonitum aquarum, fragorem nimborum; et post ista omnia, qui solet gaudere consortio hominum, socius quodam modo efficitur serpentium ac ferarum. Nec expavescit vir iste, quod cum eo sint ferae in arca: imo ibi agnoscit ordinem suum feritas, quia se cognovit humanitas; et jubenti homini obediunt, quia hominem superiori ⟨D⟩omino obedisse cognoscunt. Ostensum est in N⟨o⟩e quid Adam praeceptum contemnendo perdiderit: et demonstratum est posse homines bestiis etiam dominari, si subdant se obedientia Conditori. Exspectat et tolerat sanctus iste finem diluvii: nec antequam finiatur, causa ferarum arca relinquitur (Gen. VI-VIII). Tolerat bonus mala: et donec in fine etiam corpore separentur, intus manens, corde, non corpore, separatur.

3. The first virtue of charity, to bear all things. But now let us see how holy Noah possessed, or was possessed by, the virtue of charity, which bears all things. God foretold to him that, as the iniquity of men grew, He would destroy the world by a flood. At once, being warned, he took refuge in the wood, and after the sight of pleasant fields he shut himself up in the narrow confines of the ark; he bears the roaring of the sky, the sound of the waters, the crash of the storm-clouds; and after all these things, he who is accustomed to rejoice in the company of men becomes in a certain manner the companion of serpents and wild beasts. Nor is this man terrified that wild beasts are with him in the ark: on the contrary, there wildness recognizes its own order, because humanity has recognized itself; and they obey the man who commands, because they recognize that the man has obeyed a higher Lord. It was shown in Noah what Adam lost by despising the commandment: and it was demonstrated that men can even have dominion over beasts, if they subject themselves by obedience to the Creator. This holy man waits for and bears the end of the flood: nor, before it is ended, is the ark abandoned on account of the wild beasts (Gen. 6-8). The good man bears evil things: and until they are separated at the end even in body, remaining within, he is separated in heart, not in body.

4. Hanc cupienti quid praestandum. Si qua es anima, quae cupis possidere virtutem charitatis quae omnia tolerat, relinque mundum, confuge ad crucis lignum, non metuas procellas et turbines hujus diluvii: non mergeris si ligno portaberis; novit gubernare qui dignatus est creare, tantum adsit virtus charitatis quae omnia tolerat. Nulla res te ab arcae soliditate evellat. Permane bonus, et tolera malos: melius enim est ut intus positus propter bonos toleres malos, quam foras exiens et periens. et bonos relinquas et malos. Si ergo sunt tecum ferae, id est, sunt tecum in Ecclesia prava docentes, falsa sentientes, haeretici vel schismatici, aut etiam ipsi mali catholici, more ferarum animas devorare quaerentium; tolerentur usque ad finem saeculi, tanquam finem diluvii. Rugiant licet, fremant dentibus, atque ipsam arcam confringere conentur, non expavescas: finito diluvio, illas rapiet inanis ac spinosa silva, te fertilis suscipit terra: post finem saeculi, impii rapientur ad tenebras exteriores, ubi est fletus et stridor dentium; pios suscipit terra viventium (Matth. XXV, 30, 46). Nam et ipse sanctus Noe post finem diluvii obtulit sacrificium Deo; sed de animalibus mundis, non de immundis (Gen. VIII, 20). Simul enim et munda et immunda animalia in arca natare potuerunt, sed mala ad sacrificium Dei non pervenerunt.

4. What must be done by one who desires it. If you are a soul that desires to possess the virtue of charity which bears all things, leave the world, take refuge at the wood of the cross, do not fear the storms and whirlwinds of this flood: you will not be drowned if you are carried by the wood; He Who deigned to create knows how to steer, only let the virtue of charity which bears all things be present. Let nothing tear you away from the solidity of the ark. Remain good, and bear with the wicked: for it is better that, placed within, you bear with the wicked for the sake of the good, than that, going outside and perishing, you abandon both the good and the wicked. If therefore there are wild beasts with you, that is, if there are with you in the Church those teaching depraved things, holding false opinions, heretics or schismatics, or even wicked catholics themselves, seeking after the manner of wild beasts to devour souls, let them be borne until the end of the age, as until the end of the flood. Though they roar, though they gnash their teeth and try to break the ark itself, do not be terrified: when the flood is over, the empty and thorny forest will seize them, the fertile land receives you: after the end of the age, the ungodly will be carried off into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth; the land of the living receives the godly (Matt. 25:30, 46). For holy Noah himself also, after the end of the flood, offered a sacrifice to God; but from the clean animals, not from the unclean (Gen. 8:20). For clean and unclean animals alike could float together in the ark, but the evil ones did not come to the sacrifice of God.

5. Secunda charitatis virtus, omnia credere. Eminet in Abraham, cum omnia dimittit. De filio non dubitat. Sed jam hinc aliquando transeamus, ut caetera perscrutari valeamus. Procedat in medio sanctus ille Abraham; et suo nos doceat exemplo possidere virtutem charitatis quae omnia credit, qui non est cunctatus ad unam vocationem relinquere patriam sedem, domum, familiam. Omnia relinquuntur, ut Domino praecipienti pareatur. Exi, inquit ei Deus, de domo tua, et de cognatione tua, et veni in terram quamcumque tibi ostendero (Id. XII, 1): nec apud se iste sanctus cogitavit aut dixit, Quo eam? cui me committam? in quam terram vadam? sed statim ut audit, surgit, currit, festinat, accelerat. Terram promissam non videt; sed credendo eam firmiter retinet. Ambulat recto itinere, nec oberrantibus vestigiis alibi quam debuit, declinavit: quia qui eum ad ignotam terram mittebat, ipse qui mittebat non dimittebat. Nec eum ipse fefellit: redditur merces credenti. Ad terram pervenit, dilatatur, multiplicatur: ex paupere efficitur dives, ex ignobili potens, ditatur omnibus bonis; et in illo impletur quod Dominus in Evangelio suis discipulis promisit, dicens: Si quis dimiserit domum, aut agrum, aut parentes causa nominis mei, et in hac vita centuplum accipiet, et in futuro saeculo vitam consequetur aeternam (Matth. XIX, 29). Cumulatur adhuc hujus fidei merces, et seni promittitur filius. Adest virtus charitatis quae omnia credit. Audit, exsultat, amplius diligit, suscipit filium ex conjuge sterili,

5. The second virtue of charity, to believe all things. It stands out in Abraham, when he leaves all things. He does not doubt concerning his son. But now let us at length pass on from here, so that we may be able to examine the rest. Let holy Abraham come forward into the midst; and let him teach us by his example to possess the virtue of charity which believes all things, he who did not hesitate, at a single calling, to leave his ancestral seat, home, household. All things are left, so that the Lord's command may be obeyed. Go out, God says to him, from your house, and from your kindred, and come into whatever land I shall show you (Gen. 12:1): nor did this holy man think or say within himself, Where shall I go? To whom shall I entrust myself? Into what land shall I go? but as soon as he hears, he rises, runs, hastens, speeds on. He does not see the promised land; but by believing he holds it firmly. He walks on a straight road, and did not turn aside with wandering footsteps anywhere other than he ought: because He Who was sending him to an unknown land, He Who was sending did not let him go. Nor did He deceive him: the reward is rendered to the believer. He reaches the land, he is enlarged, he is multiplied: from poor he becomes rich, from lowly powerful, he is enriched with all good things; and in him is fulfilled what the Lord promised His disciples in the Gospel, saying: If anyone leaves house, or field, or parents for the sake of My name, he shall both receive a hundredfold in this life, and in the world to come shall obtain eternal life (Matt. 19:29). The reward of this faith is heaped up still further, and a son is promised to the old man. The virtue of charity which believes all things is present. He hears, he exults, he loves the more, he receives a son from a barren wife,

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quam spe pariendi destitutam sterilitas aetasque jam fecerat, atque in illo benedictionem omnium gentium promissam firmissime tenet (Gen. XVIII, 10).

whom barrenness and age had already made destitute of the hope of bearing, and in him he holds most firmly to the blessing promised to all nations (Gen. 18:10).

6. Filium immolat. Amicus fit Dei. Amicos quid faciat. Sed adhuc eum charitas probat, probatumque commendat, et quemadmodum nihil Deo praeferat, posteris monstrat. Vocat eum Dominus de coelo dicens: Abraham! Abraham! Et ille tanquam servus obediens: Ecce sum, ait. Et Dominus: Accipe filium tuum illum quem diligis Isaac, et vade in terram excelsum, et offeres eum holocaustum in unum montium quem tibi dixero. Nec hac quidem jussione turbatur aut frangitur servus fidelis: adest enim ei virtus charitatis quae omnia credit. Surgit, domum pergit, asinam sternit, ligna concidit, gladium et ignem sumit, puerum simul adducit, et pergit ad locum. Tunc intentus factus Isaac, patrem interrogat dicens: Pater. Et ille: Quid est, fili? Et filius: Ecce, ait, ignis et ligna: ubi est ovis quam immolaturus es ad holocaustum? Et pater respondit: Deus providebit sibi ovem ad sacrificium, fili mi. Magnum hic et grande video sacramentum. Aliud Abraham corde gestabat, aliud filio promittebat: sed neque quae promittebat, filium fallebant; neque aliqua infirmitas cor ejus a proposito immutaverat. Quid pluribus? Pergit viam, videt locum de longe, et statuens pueros suos ibi, eis talia verba profert dicens: Sedete hic cum asina: ego autem et puer ibimus usque illuc, et cum adoraverimus, revertemur ad vos. O sancte Abraham, quid est quod dicis, cum aliud tibi de puero agendum sit? Numquid aut te, aut tuos fallis? Non, inquit: sed quae pro⟨p⟩hetice vel dico vel gero, virtus charitatis in me manens quae omnia credit, et facit et dicit. Audio enim eam sine strepitu vocis intus ad cor loquentem et dicentem mihi, Tu quidem licet resurrecturum credens, pleno et perfecto voto puerum ducas immolandum, filius tuus in isto sacrificio non crematur, quia resurrectio Filio Dei servatur. Merito Abrahae hujus viri fidem commemorans Jacobus apostolus ait: Credidit Abraham Deo, et deputatum est illi ad justitiam, et amicus Dei appellatus est (Jacobi II, 23). Amicos, ut novimus, conjunctio animorum facit: unde quidam sapiens hujus mundi ait, Idem velle atque idem nolle, ea demum firma amicitia est (Sallust. Catil. cap. 12). Ergo amicos, ut novimus, conjunctio animorum facit. Quemadmodum iste sanctus animum conju⟨n⟩xerit Deo, ut ejus amicus appellaretur, vultis nosse? Sicut enim Deus Pater unico Filio non pepercit, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum (Rom. VIII, 32); ita et iste unico filio non pepercit, sed jubente ut immolaretur, ei qui dederat eum devoto corde obtulit eum.

6. He sacrifices his son. He becomes the friend of God. What makes friends. But charity tests him further, and having tested him commends him, and shows to posterity how he puts nothing before God. The Lord calls him from heaven, saying: Abraham! Abraham! And he, as an obedient servant: Here I am, he says. And the Lord: Take your son, the one whom you love, Isaac, and go into the high land, and you shall offer him as a holocaust on one of the mountains which I shall tell you. Not even by this command is the faithful servant troubled or broken: for the power of charity, which believes all things, is present to him. He rises, goes home, saddles the ass, cuts the wood, takes the sword and the fire, brings the boy along with him, and goes on to the place. Then Isaac, becoming attentive, questions his father, saying: Father. And he: What is it, son? And the son: Behold, he says, the fire and the wood: where is the sheep which you are going to sacrifice for a holocaust? And the father answered: God will provide for Himself a sheep for the sacrifice, my son. I see here a great and grand mystery. Abraham bore one thing in his heart, he promised another to his son: but neither did the things he promised deceive the son, nor had any weakness changed his heart from its purpose. Why say more? He goes on his way, sees the place from afar, and, setting his servants there, utters such words to them, saying: Sit here with the ass; but I and the boy will go as far as there, and when we have worshipped, we shall return to you. O holy Abraham, what is it that you are saying, when you have to do something else with the boy? Are you deceiving either yourself or your own? No, he says: but the things I say or do prophetically, the power of charity abiding in me, which believes all things, both does and says. For I hear it, without the noise of a voice, speaking within to my heart and saying to me: Though you, believing that he will rise again, lead the boy to be sacrificed with full and perfect resolve, your son is not burnt in this sacrifice, because the resurrection is reserved for the Son of God. Rightly does James the apostle, recalling the faith of this man Abraham, say: Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God (Jas. 2:23). Friends, as we know, are made by a union of minds: whence a certain wise man of this world says: To will the same and to refuse the same, that indeed is firm friendship (Sallust, Catiline ch. 12). Therefore friends, as we know, are made by a union of minds. Do you wish to know how this holy man joined his mind to God, so as to be called His friend? For just as God the Father did not spare His only Son, but delivered Him up for us all (Rom. 8:32), so he too did not spare his only son, but, when He commanded that he be sacrificed, with devoted heart offered him to Him Who had given him.

7. Isaac typus Christi patientis. Sed quae sequuntur videamus. Delectat enim nos, adjuvante Domino Deo nostro, hujus historiae plenam vobis reddere rationem. Postquam relictis pueris, ad locum sacrificii pater cum filio venit, aram construit, ligna componit, manus filio ligat, imponit eum in aram supra ligna, deponit humana paternae pietatis indicia, induit sacerdotis diram constantiam, educit gladium, ut perimat filium. Quid videtis, fratres? Nihil hic sentimus humanum, quia totum cognoscimus divinum. Sed et ille filius, qui paulo ante ovem requirebat, sub ingenti silentio talia fieri in se sentit: et ita patiens invenitur, tanquam jam ille esset, qui sicut ovis ad immolandum ductus est, et tanquam agnus coram tondente se sine voce, sic non aperuit os suum (Isai. LIII, 7). O et tu, sancte Isaac, indica nobis silentii hujus tam grande secretum. Paulo ante nihil in te fieri sentiebas, et a patre arietem requirebas: nunc autem manibus ligaris, in aram imponeris, ligno quodam modo suspenderis; et modo taces. Taceo, inquit. Dic quare: obsecro, noverimus. Vultis nosse, ait, quare modo taceo? Quia figuram illius gesto, qui voluntate ponit animam suam, non necessitate (Joan X, 17, 18). In hoc tam grandi mystico fidei sacramento, et Abraham sanctus apparuit probatus, et filius in praesenti est liberatus, in quo est Christus praenuntiatus (Gen. XXII).

7. Isaac a type of Christ suffering. But let us see what follows. For it delights us, with the help of the Lord our God, to render to you a full account of this narrative. After, leaving the servants behind, the father came with the son to the place of sacrifice, he builds an altar, arranges the wood, binds the son's hands, places him on the altar upon the wood, lays aside the human signs of fatherly tenderness, puts on the dread constancy of a priest, draws the sword to slay his son. What do you see, brothers? We perceive nothing human here, because we recognize the whole as divine. But that son too, who a little before was asking for the sheep, perceives, in vast silence, such things being done to him: and he is found so patient, as though he were already that One Who like a sheep was led to be sacrificed, and like a lamb before its shearer without voice, so He did not open His mouth (Isa. 53:7). O you too, holy Isaac, reveal to us so great a secret of this silence. A little before you perceived nothing being done to you, and you were asking your father for a ram: but now you are bound by the hands, you are placed on the altar, you are in a certain manner hung upon the wood; and now you are silent. I am silent, he says. Tell us why, I beseech you, that we may know. Do you wish to know, he says, why I am now silent? Because I bear the figure of Him Who lays down His life by will, not by necessity (John 10:17–18). In this so great mystical sacrament of faith, both holy Abraham appeared proven, and the son was set free in the present, in whom Christ was foretold (Gen. 22).

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8. A sectatore charitatis omnia credentis quid expetat Deus. Si qua es anima, quae cupis sequi vestigia fidei patris nostri Abraham, exi de terra tua et de cognatione tua, relinque populum tuum et domum patris tui: id est, fideliter renuntia diabolo, pompis et angelis ejus; et sequere viam rectam, quae te perducat ad terram in qua ditescas et emineas, et efficiaris socius Abrahae. Sed cum ista omnia feceris, si virtus charitatis quae omnia credit est in te, adhuc tentabit te; et probatum coronabit te. Expetit a te sacrificium dilecti tui. Quid a te expetit? Quod Abraham illi dictum est, Da mihi unicum dilectum tuum; tibi dicit Sapientia, Da mihi, fili, cor tuum (Prov. XXIII, 26). Ipse est dilectus unicus. Quid metuis offerre cor tuum? Offer sacrificium, contritionem cordis Domino Deo tuo; et dic ei cum propheta: Holocaustis non delectaberis. Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus; cor contritum et humiliatum Deus non despiciet (Psal. L, 18 et 19). Nihil metuas tali sacrificio oblato: et Deo acceptum erit, et quod obtuleris, integrum permanebit.

8. What God requires of the follower of the charity that believes all things. If you are any soul who desires to follow the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham, go out from your land and from your kindred, leave your people and your father's house: that is, faithfully renounce the devil, his pomps and his angels; and follow the right way, which may lead you to the land in which you may grow rich and be eminent, and be made a companion of Abraham. But when you have done all these things, if the virtue of charity which believes all things is in you, He will still test you; and having proved you He will crown you. He requires of you the sacrifice of your beloved. What does He require of you? What was said to that Abraham, Give me your only beloved; to you Wisdom says, Give me, son, your heart (Prov. 23:26). He is the only beloved. Why do you fear to offer your heart? Offer a sacrifice, contrition of heart, to the Lord your God; and say to Him with the prophet: Thou will not take delight in holocausts. A sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit; a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise (Ps. 50:18–19). Fear nothing once such a sacrifice has been offered: it will both be acceptable to God, and what you have offered will remain whole.

9. Tertia virtus, omnia sperare. Aliam virtutem charitatis quae omnia sperat, placet inspicere? Hanc superius plebi Israel et patribus nostris assignasse cognoscimus. Ejus namque virtutis vox est in versu illo prophetico, In te speraverunt patres nostri; speraverunt, et liberasti eos (Psal. XXI, 5). Et ipsi ex Aegypto fugere jubentur, terra eis lac et mel fluens promittitur (Exod. III, 8). Per mare Rubrum transeunt, ad eremum veniunt: ducebat eos spes charitatis, ut discerent prius Deum amare gratis. Redditur et his merces fidei: non enim potest non reddere, qui se donando dignatur facere debitorem. Post eremum mella de petra suxerunt, panem coeli manducaverunt (Id. XIV-XVI); non sunt privati a desiderio suo, quod speraverunt, terram etiam promissionis acceperunt.

9. The third virtue, to hope all things. Is it pleasing to look at another virtue of charity, which hopes all things? We recognize that we assigned this above to the people of Israel and to our fathers. For the voice of this virtue is in that prophetic verse, In Thee our fathers hoped; they hoped, and Thou delivered them (Ps. 21:5). And they themselves are ordered to flee out of Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey is promised to them (Exod. 3:8). They cross the Red Sea, they come to the desert: the hope of charity was leading them, so that they might first learn to love God freely. To them too the reward of faith is rendered: for He cannot fail to render, Who by giving deigns to make Himself a debtor. After the desert they sucked honey from the rock, they ate the bread of heaven (ibid. 14-16); they were not deprived of their desire, of what they hoped for: they received even the land of promise.

10. Virtutis hujus exercitia. Exsurgat anima quae hujus charitatis virtute comprehensa est, et fugiat ex Aegypto, id est, ex hujus saeculi desiderio, pergat ad mare Rubrum, scilicet Christi Baptismum; ideo rubrum, quia Christi sanguine purpuratum. Persequantur hostes: peccata cum suo auctore diabolo, tanquam Aegyptii cum suo rege Pharaone, saeviant, sequantur fugientes: quid metuis? Usque ad aquam saeviunt. Ingredieris tu, ingredientur et illi post te: sed aqua conversa illis erit in perniciem, tibi proficiet ad salutem; illos obruet, te abluet; illos damnabit, te liberabit. Post haec suscipies mel de petra, quo sitim tuam saties. Petra enim erat Christus (I Cor. X, 4), ex cujus praeceptis tanquam ex fontibus dulcedinis satieris. Gustabis et panem, illum scilicet qui dixit, Ego sum panis vivus qui de coelo descendi (Joan. VI, 51): gustabis, et videbis quam suavis est Dominus (Psal. XXXIII, 9). Et si in te eminet virtus charitatis quae omnia sperat, per eremum te necesse est transire; id est, utaris hoc mundo tanquam non utens (I Cor. VII, 31); ut in hac via peregrinum te noveris esse, si terram promissionis cupis intrare. Haec terra est de qua propheta cantat et dicit: Credo videre bona Domini in terra viventium (Psal. XXVI, 13).

10. The exercises of this virtue. Let the soul that has been seized by the virtue of this charity rise up, and flee out of Egypt, that is, out of the desire of this world; let it go on to the Red Sea, namely the Baptism of Christ; red for this reason, because it is empurpled with the blood of Christ. Let the enemies pursue: let sins with their author the devil, like the Egyptians with their king Pharaoh, rage, let them follow those who flee: what do you fear? They rage as far as the water. You will go in, and they too will go in after you: but the water, turned, will be for them unto destruction, for you it will avail unto salvation; it will overwhelm them, it will wash you; it will condemn them, it will free you. After this you will receive honey from the rock, with which to satisfy your thirst. For the rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4), from Whose precepts, as from fountains of sweetness, you may be satisfied. You will taste the bread also, namely Him Who said, I am the living bread who came down from heaven (John 6:51): you will taste, and you will see how sweet the Lord is (Ps. 33:9). And if the virtue of charity which hopes all things is eminent in you, you must pass through the desert; that is, you should use this world as though not using it (1 Cor. 7:31); so that you may know yourself to be a pilgrim on this way, if you desire to enter the land of promise. This is the land of which the prophet sings and says: I believe I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps. 26:13).

11. Quarta, omnia sustinere. Quanta Christus sustinuit. Ultima virtus charitatis restat, quae omnia sustinet, et, nunquam cadit. Hanc ipsi capiti nostro Domino Jesu Christo convenire novimus. Ideo in ultimo, quoniam finis Legis Christus (Rom. X, 4). Quanta autem pro nobis ipse sustinuerit, puto Charitatem vestram ignorare non posse. Tamen exinde aliquid dicam, si tamen de tanto aliquid digne dicam. Prius illud, quod Deus homo, quod Verbum caro factum est (Joan. I, 14); quod multa bona fecit, et mala perpessus est; quod mortuos suscitavit, et mortuus est; quod singularis

11. The fourth, to endure all things. How much Christ endured. There remains the last virtue of charity, which endures all things, and never fails. This we know befits our Head Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore [it comes] last, since Christ is the end of the Law (Rom. 10:4). But how much He Himself endured for us, I think your Charity cannot be ignorant. Nevertheless I shall say something about it, if indeed I can say anything worthily about so great a matter. First this, that God [became] man, that the Word was made flesh (John 1:14); that He did many good things, and suffered evils; that He raised the dead, and died; that singular

Editors' notes and page, col. 1955

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: not visible› · call in col 1955

In Ms. ful. deest vox, Deo; cujus loco in aliis substituitur, tibi. At huic particulae in cl. superscribitur a secunda manu, illi.

In the ful. manuscript the word "Deo" [to God] is missing; in its place others substitute "tibi" [to you]. But in cl. "illi" [to him] is written above this word by a second hand.

(printed under page 240)

(2) ‹anchor: quam suavis› · call in col 1955

Editi, quoniam suavis. At Mss., quam suavis. Et sic ipse Augustinus passim, ubi citat hunc versiculum.

The printed editions read "quoniam suavis" [that sweet]. But the manuscripts read "quam suavis" [how sweet]. And so Augustine himself everywhere, where he quotes this verse.

(printed under page 240)

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illa patientia pertulit diabolum tentatorem, discipulum traditorem; quod ipsum Judam priusquam ostenderet traditorem, pertulit furem, et ante experimentum vinculorum, crucis ac mortis, labiis ejus dolosis non negavit osculum pacis. In ipsa autem morte quanta sustinuit? Pertulit odiorum flammas, ministras pessimi cordis linguas. Clamaverunt Judaei, Crucifige, crucifige (Luc. XXIII, 21): ut rei remanerent Judaei, innocens ab eis crucifixus est Filius Dei. Ad crucem ducitur, expalmatur, qui est vera palma victoriae. Spinis coronatur, qui spinas peccatorum venit confringere. Ligatur, qui solvit compeditos. Ligno suspenditur, qui erigit elisos (Psal. CXLV, 7, 8). Aceto potatur fons vitae, disciplina caeditur, salus vulneratur, vita moritur: occidit ad tempus vitam mors, ut in perpetuum a vita occideretur mors.

patience of His bore the devil as tempter and the disciple as traitor; indeed He bore that very Judas as a thief before He showed him to be the traitor, and before the trial of bonds, of cross and of death He did not refuse the kiss of peace to his deceitful lips. And in His very death, how much did He endure? He bore the flames of hatreds and tongues serving a most wicked heart. The Jews cried out, Crucify, crucify (Luke 23:21): so that the Jews might remain guilty, the Son of God, though innocent, was crucified by them. He is led to the cross, He is struck with the palms of hands, He Who is the true palm of victory. He is crowned with thorns, Who came to break the thorns of sins. He is bound, Who sets free those in fetters. He is hung on wood, Who raises up the crushed (Ps. 145:7–8). The fountain of life is given vinegar to drink, discipline is scourged, salvation is wounded, life dies: for a time death slew life, so that death might be slain by life for ever.

12. Judaei in Christi morte victi. Christo quomodo serviant. Quid hic Judaei in hac morte Christi exsultaverunt quasi victores, et dum terrenum et caducum regnum timuerunt perdere, Regem coeli et terrae non dubitaverunt occidere? Sed nec sicut putaverunt, victores exstiterunt. Si enim vicerunt, regnum quomodo perdiderunt? quomodo nunc usque servi remanserunt? Ista namque causa est, quia ab eis Christus occisus est. Dixerunt apud se principes Judaeorum, ut evangelista narrat: Videtis, inquiunt, quia totus mundus post eum abiit? si dimiserimus eum vivere, venient Romani, et tollent nobis locum et regnum (Joan. XI, 47, 48). Et Christum occiderunt; et locum et regnum perdiderunt. Quid vobis profuit, o insani Judaei, quod tantum scelus admisistis? Numquid quia Christo Domino, ut decuit, servire noluistis, ideo ejus dominio caruistis? Dum illi serviunt reges, quibus vos servitis, facti estis mali servi bonorum servorum Christi. Per ipsos conterit contumaciam vestram, per ipsos dissipat consilia vestra, per ipsos retribuit scelera vestra in capita vestra. Ipse autem Dominus quem vos interemistis, non vos servos, sed liberos esse cupiebat, quando dicebat: Si vos Filius liberaverit, tunc vere liberi eritis (Id. VIII, 36). Vos autem Dominum Deum regem, et ipsam veram libertatem non solum repudiastis, verum etiam necare cupientes clamastis, Non habemus regem, nisi solum Caesarem (Id. XIX, 15). Sed ne in hoc quidem gloriemini quod Christum occidistis, actum est potius de vobis, et nescistis. Audite ipsum Dominum dicentem per prophetam, Ego dormivi, et somnum cepi (Psal. III, 6): somnum appellans mortem a vobis illatam. Caeterum qualis mors potuit esse triduana, maxime illius, qui per eumdem prophetam alio loco dicit, Numquid qui dormit, non adjiciet ut resurgat (Psal. XL, 9)? Ego, inquit, dormivi: ego, qui potestatem habeo ponendi animam meam. Ego dormivi; non quia saevistis, non quia insanistis: ego implevi quod volui; vos in scelere remansistis.

12. The Jews conquered in the death of Christ. How they serve Christ. Why did the Jews here exult in this death of Christ as though victors, and, while they feared to lose an earthly and perishable kingdom, not hesitate to kill the King of heaven and earth? But they did not prove victors, as they supposed. For if they conquered, how did they lose the kingdom? How have they remained servants even until now? For this is the cause: that Christ was slain by them. The chief men of the Jews said among themselves, as the evangelist relates: You see, they say, that the whole world has gone after Him? If we let Him live, the Romans will come and take away from us our place and kingdom (John 11:47–48). And they killed Christ; and they lost both place and kingdom. What did it profit you, O mad Jews, that you committed so great a crime? Was it because you would not serve Christ the Lord, as was fitting, that you were therefore deprived of His dominion? While the kings whom you serve serve Him, you have become the bad servants of the good servants of Christ. Through them He crushes your stubbornness, through them He scatters your counsels, through them He repays your crimes upon your own heads. Yet the Lord Himself, Whom you slew, desired you to be not servants but free, when He said: If the Son makes you free, then you will be free indeed (John 8:36). But you not only rejected the Lord God, the King, and true liberty itself, but also, desiring to kill Him, cried out, We have no king but Caesar alone (John 19:15). But do not glory even in this, that you killed Christ: rather it was your own case that was decided, and you did not know it. Hear the Lord Himself saying through the prophet, I slept, and I took sleep (Ps. 3:6): calling sleep the death inflicted by you. Besides, what sort of death could a three-day one be, above all His, Who says through the same prophet in another place, Shall not he who sleeps rise again (Ps. 40:9)? I, He says, slept: I, Who have power to lay down My life. I slept; not because you raged, not because you were mad: I fulfilled what I willed; you remained in your crime.

13. Vires charitatis. Quis exegit tanta ista de Deo nostro, fratres, pro nostra redemptione ac salute, nisi charitas quae nunquam cadit? O charitas, quam magnas vires habes, quae de coelo Deum deposuisti! O chara sanctitas, o sancta ac vera charitas, quae tanta es in terris, quanta eris in coelis? Quae tantum potes in hac pugna mortalitatis adhuc sollicita, quantum poteris in illa pace perfecta secura?

13. The strength of charity. Who exacted all these great things from our God, brethren, for our redemption and salvation, except charity, which never fails? O charity, how great is the strength you have, you who brought God down from heaven! O dear holiness, O holy and true charity, you who are as great on earth as you will be in heaven! You who can do as much in this battle of mortality while still anxious, as you will be able to do in that perfect peace, secure!

14. Patientiae Christi imitatio. Evigila itaque, omnis anima christiana, et si in te eminet virtus charitatis quae omnia sustinet, Domini tui imitare vestigia Christus enim, ait apostolus Petrus, pro vobis passus est, relinquens vobis exemplum, ut sequamini vestigia ejus (I Petr. II, 21). Et si ille propter te de coelesti sede ad terrena descendit: tu propter te fuge terrena, appete coelestia. Si dulcis est mundus, dulcior est Christus: si amarus est mundus, omnia pro te sustinuit Christus. Via tibi factus est ipse Salvator: surge, ambula; habes quo, noli pigrescere. Sed forte quaeris, Quo? Vides enim viam, et quaeris quo ducat haec ipsa via? Ad veritatem et ad vitam ducit. Si amas veritatem, si amas vitam, et cupis ad veritatem et ad vitam venire, a via noli errare. Video, inquis, viam, et cupio

14. The imitation of Christ's patience. Awake therefore, every Christian soul, and if the virtue of charity, which bears all things, is eminent in you, imitate the footsteps of your Lord. For Christ, says the apostle Peter, suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow His footsteps (1 Pet. 2:21). And if He for your sake came down from the heavenly throne to earthly things, do you for your own sake flee earthly things and seek heavenly ones. If the world is sweet, Christ is sweeter; if the world is bitter, Christ endured all things for you. The Saviour Himself has become the way for you: rise, walk; you have somewhere to go, do not grow sluggish. But perhaps you ask, Where? For you see the way, and you ask where this very way leads? It leads to truth and to life. If you love truth, if you love life, and desire to come to truth and to life, do not stray from the way. I see the way, you say, and I desire

Editors' notes and page, col. 1956

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ambulare: sed amara est, aspera est; arcta enim et angusta via est, quae ducit ad vitam (Matth. VII, 14). Christus transivit, et adhuc aspera est? Caput transiit, et membra dubitant? Sed Christus, inquis, Deus et homo; ego autem homo. Tot millia martyrum transierunt; et adhuc tibi aspera est? Transierunt senes, transierunt juvenes, transierunt pueri, puellae transierunt, viam quam timebas tritam tibi fecerunt. Ambula ergo viam, securus ambula. Quid enim metuis in hac via? Mortem? Et mortem times, qui ad vitam curris? Si bonus es, bene in hac via curris: mors tibi janua erit, quae te repraesentet, non quae auferat vitae. Ambula ergo viam: imo ipse qui propter te factus est via, ipse te ducat per se ipsum ad se ipsum. Ipse enim est via, veritas et vita (Joan. XIV, 6). Dic ergo Deo tuo, o anima fidelis et pia; dic, dic, secura dic, et cum propheta veraciter exclama, Deduc me, Domine, in via tua, et ambulabo in veritate tua (Psal. LXXXV, 11). Tunc ad te securus perveniam, si in finem usque tua gratia non deserar. Haec, fratres dilectissimi, quae dono ipsius charitatis dicta sunt Sanctitati vestrae, ita haereant cordibus et sensibus vestris; ut eadem ipsa charitas fructum in vobis inveniat operis, non folia laudis.

to walk: but it is bitter, it is rough; for narrow and strait is the way which leads to life (Matt. 7:14). Christ has passed over it, and is it still rough? The Head has passed over, and do the members hesitate? But Christ, you say, is God and man; I, however, am a man. So many thousands of martyrs have passed over; and is it still rough to you? Old men have passed over, young men have passed over, boys have passed over, girls have passed over; the way which you feared they have made well trodden for you. Walk the way, then; walk it without fear. For what do you dread on this way? Death? And do you fear death, you who are running towards life? If you are good, you run well on this way: death will be for you a door which presents you to life, not one which takes you away from life. Walk the way, then: nay rather, may He Himself Who for your sake was made the way, may He Himself lead you through Himself to Himself. For He Himself is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Say, then, to your God, O faithful and devout soul; say it, say it, say it without fear, and cry out truthfully with the prophet, Lead me, O Lord, in Thy way, and I will walk in Thy truth (Ps. 85:11). Then I shall come to Thee without fear, if I am not forsaken by Thy grace even to the end. May these things, dearly beloved brothers, which by the gift of charity itself have been spoken to Your Holiness, so cling to your hearts and minds that this same charity may find in you the fruit of work, not the leaves of praise.

Editors' notes and page, col. 1957