Appendix to Augustine's Sermones: Sermones supposititii, Sermones 298-317

Sermon 307. On the likeness of the elm and the vine, or, what the rich man and the poor man confer on each other

1. The elm represents the rich; the vine, the poor servants of God. What they confer on each other. We read in a certain book, dearest brothers, a likeness set before us concerning the elm and the vine; whoever attends to it carefully will find no small edification for his soul. For the elm tree and the vine seem to be quite well suited to each other. The elm tree, though it is pleasant and stretches up on high, is nevertheless shown to bear no fruit. The vine, on the other hand, although it is small and lowly, is known to be full of fruit: and this fruit, unless it is raised up on high by some wood or other, rots on the ground and perishes. But if the elm extends its branches and raises up the vine, it both adorns itself and frees the vine from rotting. Let us carefully consider why this likeness has been set forth. The elm tree signifies the rich man in this world. For just as that tree is lofty and pleasant and moist, and yet empty of fruit: so too whatever rich man of this age, although he is raised high by honours and seems pleasant and agreeable in his many resources, nevertheless, if he does not humbly spread out the arms of his almsgiving like most dutiful branches towards the vine, that is, towards Christ's poor man, he will remain empty of the fruits of eternal life. The vine, however, signifies the servants of God, abbots, monks or spiritual clerics, who are free for God and continually devoted to teaching, and any others there are like them, who, having despised the world, serve God day and night; by which service they are believed to have abundant fruits in eternal blessedness. And thus the rich of this world abound in this age, and Christ's poor in heaven. What then is to come about, so that neither the elm tree remains without fruit nor the vine rots on the ground? It is expedient that this be done: that just as the elm tree extends its branches and raises up or supports the vine, so the rich man of this age should stretch out his branches, that is, his hands full of the fruits of his field, and sustain the poor of Christ. If he does this in this world, without doubt it will be repaid to him manifold by those very poor of Christ in the future.

2. What punishments await the stingy rich man. Of what grace his tight-fistedness deprives him. Let the rich man not disdain, nor consider it an injury done to him, that he has been compared to a tree, if he hears the Lord saying, A good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit: but let him rather fear what follows: Every tree, He says, that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Matt. 7:18–19). Let him therefore stretch out his hands to almsgiving, so that he may be able to escape the eternal flames. Let all the rich, then, fear the example of that unfruitful and barren tree, that is, of the man who was clothed in purple and fine linen. For he was a pleasant and lofty tree in the world: but because he did not spread out the branches of mercy towards Lazarus, he deserved to receive flames in hell, and he begged a drop from him to whom he had refused a crumb (Luke 16:24). Let the rich, then, who are unwilling to redeem themselves with their goods while they are theirs, consider these things, so that they may not do such things, lest they suffer such things. The rich man of whom we are speaking existed; there are also some rich men to whom we are now speaking. They are of one name; let them beware lest they be of one condition. Since these things are so, if those who are rich have dry and shrunken hands for giving alms, and are unwilling to give what is necessary for the body to any servants of God who are devoted to vigils, readings or prayers, they become like a barren elm, which neglects to support the vine. And when the rich man has given nothing to the poor of Christ, by necessity they are occupied in earthly work more than they used to be. And while in worldly

activities they are occupied, and are less assiduous in prayer, reading, fasts and vigils; it is necessary that their fruits, like those of the vine, should lie on the ground and be diminished in some part, and should suffice only for themselves and bestow nothing on the rich. For the blessed apostle Paul, when he was admonishing the rich of this world to support the poor of Christ, was speaking, as it were, on behalf of the vine to the tree, that is, he was speaking on behalf of Christ's poor man to the rich man: Let your abundance, he says, supply their want, so that their abundance also may be a supplement to your want (2 Cor. 8:14). That all may understand this matter, we must set it forth more plainly.

3. The exchange between the rich and the poor. Those of the household of faith. The rich of the world abound in money in this age; the poor of Christ in heaven, in eternal life: let the rich therefore pay out money in the world, that they may receive eternal life in heaven. The rich of the world lay up corn, wine and oil abundantly in the granary or in the cellar; the poor of Christ, by praying, keeping vigil and fasting, store up spiritual treasures in heaven: let the rich of this world therefore make whatever servants of God they can sharers in their earthly means, so that these may make them co-heirs with themselves in the heavenly treasure. The rich of this world, since they sometimes bind themselves too much to earthly business, cannot keep vigil, read, and pray or fast as much as they ought (whence it is to be feared lest perhaps they either offer less for their sins, or do not lay up in the heavenly treasure as much as is expedient); the poor of Christ abound in these fruits by continually giving themselves to God: let the rich therefore not be slow to pay out earthly things, if they desire to have heavenly ones. For Christ, Who bestows His gifts on all men, deigns to be in need and to hunger and to be cold in His poor. Let no one therefore hesitate to give to the poor; for the hand of the poor man is Christ's treasury: what it receives on earth, it lays up in heaven. So too the Lord Himself said: When you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me (Matt. 25:40). Let us hear the Apostle saying, He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly (2 Cor. 9:6); and a little after, Work what is good towards all, but especially towards those of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10). Who are those of the household of faith, brethren, but clerics, good monks, and whatever other servants of God flee the hindrances of this world, giving themselves to God, persevering in readings and prayers? To all who ask, indeed, we must give according to what we can; but on the servants of God, who are ashamed to ask of us, it must be pressed even if they have not asked. Let us therefore strive to act thus, dearest brethren, that we may be secure from the evil hearing. What will the evil hearing be? Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you did not give Me to eat (Matt. 25:41–42). I beg you, brethren, do not hear this idly and negligently, but strive with all your strength, with God's help, both not to seize what belongs to others, and to pay out more abundantly from your own to the poor of Christ; continually reflecting with compunction of heart, and saying to one another among yourselves: If he who did not give what was his own is sent into the fire, where do you think he is to be sent who took what belonged to others? Let not then that fearful and terrible voice be directed to us on account of avarice, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire; but rather on account of almsgiving may we deserve to hear that desirable voice, Come, you blessed, receive the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me to drink (ibid., 34-35); and moreover may rather that voice of the Lord, the One Who sends, be happily directed to us, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord (ibid., 23), by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom is honour and glory for ages of ages. Amen.

Sermon 308. An admonition in which are shown three kinds of almsgiving, by which sins can be redeemed without toil.

1. God has provided easy remedies for sins. Therefore

some are in need, others have abundance, so that these may be healed by mercy, those by patience. The kind and merciful Lord, dearest brothers, deigns in many ways to provide occasions or opportunities by which we can redeem our sins without great labour and difficulty. For those whom He sees not to have the strength to fast for their sins, and not to be able to abstain from meats or from wine, [He wills] to sell even their substance and give it out to the poor. He provides for the need of the poor, and grants more abundant fruits, so that while they bestow their superfluities on the poor, they may obtain pardon of their sins. What can be so kind and so delegated, what so easy and ready to hand, dearest brothers, as that from what God has deigned to give you beyond what is needed, you should strive to redeem your sins by giving alms? God does not command this, that you must give out the things which are necessary for you or yours; concerning which the Apostle too says, Not that others should have relief, and you distress (2 Cor. 8:13). He does not need to spend the superfluities on Himself, but wills to preserve them for you in eternal blessedness. For He willed there to be poor people for this reason, that the rich might have a means by which to redeem their sins. For God could have made all men rich; but He willed to provide for the rich a place for mercy. For it is not by their own merit that a few rich men gather more than they need, and many poor men do not gather even what is necessary for them. For this, as I have already said, is the workmanship of the divine mercy: that while the poor patiently bear their want, they may receive pardon of their sins, and likewise the rich, while they mercifully give out their superfluities, may both redeem themselves from their sins and attain to the eternal rewards.

2. No excuse from giving out superfluities. Nor are children to be enriched from them, since they are not ours. Consider, dearest brothers, and see that no excuse can remain to us by which we may say that we were unable to redeem our sins. You can perhaps say that you cannot afflict your flesh with fasts and vigils, that you are not able to abstain from wine or from meats: can you say that the things which God gave you beyond what was needed you cannot give out to the poor for your sins? But perhaps you answer and say: From what God has given me beyond what is needed, I want to buy silver for my sons or daughters, to procure most precious ornaments. To whom I answer: You buy ornaments indeed, but you do not redeem sins. And since not only are the tithes not ours, but assigned to the Church, but whatever we receive from God beyond what we need we ought to give out to the poor: if we reserve for our cupidities or vanities what has been assigned to them, let us know that we shall render account on the day of judgement for the souls of as many poor people as have died of hunger or nakedness in the places where we are.

3. Another alms: to pardon enemies. This is easy for all. There is yet another kind of alms, by which we can redeem our sins without any labour. For if someone is so poor that he has neither gold, nor corn, nor wine or oil, from which to give bodily alms: since it cannot happen that he does not suffer injury from some men, let him pardon all his enemies with his whole heart, and let no sin remain to gnaw at his conscience, and let him say securely in the Lord's Prayer, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors (Matt. 6:12); and there will be fulfilled in him that which Christ deigned to promise in the Gospel, saying, If you forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will forgive you your sins (ibid. 6:14); and that saying, Give, and it shall be given to you; forgive, and it shall be forgiven you

(Luke 6:37–38). You see, dearest brethren, that just as in that other [alms], of which we spoke earlier, so also in this alms no one can find grounds on which he might excuse himself; nor will he be able to give any reason why he cannot fulfil it. For this alms, by which we grant pardon to those who sin against us, is brought forth not from the cellar, not from the granary or from the little field, but from the treasury of the heart, of which the Lord Himself said: A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things (Matt. 12:35). From those things, then, which we mentioned above, that is, gold, silver, grain, wine and oil, many poor people can excuse themselves: but that alms which is brought forth from the heart, with what face or with what conscience will any man say that he is unable to have it?

4. Let no one say that he is unable to have the alms which is brought forth from the heart. And so, since we have no grounds on which we can excuse ourselves, let him to whom God has given more than he needs hasten to redeem his sins out of his superfluity; but let him who is not able to ransom captives and to feed or clothe the poor harbour hatred in his heart against no man, and not only not return evil for evil to his enemies, but even love them and not cease to pray for them. Sure of the promise and of the mercy of his Lord, he will be able to say with a free conscience before the judgement seat of Christ: Give, Lord, because I have given; forgive, because I have forgiven: on this condition, however, that after he has begun to redeem his sins by such alms, since small sins which he must redeem daily will never be lacking to him, he does not commit capital crimes, because of that which is written, He who is washed after [touching] a dead body, and touches the dead again, what does his washing profit (Sir. 34:30)? and that [other], As a dog becomes hateful when it returns to its vomit, so is the sinner when he returns to his sin (Prov. 26:11).

5. The third kind of alms. Good will [is] charity. But while we seem to be commending these two kinds of alms, perhaps someone says: See, I neither have earthly substance which I could lay out for the poor, nor do I suffer injury from anyone, by granting pardon to whom I could redeem my sins: what am I to do, who neither have these things, nor am able to fast from wine or abstain from meat? To him who says this I could reply that what he tries to assert is false; for no man is found in this world who never suffers injury from others. Nevertheless let us grant that these things are as he asserts: but let us grant it in such a way as to show him that there is yet a third kind of alms, which can shut out all excuses so completely that no one may ever find anything he can set against it. See, you have said that you do not gather grain in abundance, from which you could give food or clothing to the poor; nor do you suffer injury which you ought to forgive to your enemies: and therefore you doubt whether you have the means by which you could redeem your sins. Receive, then, and hold faithfully the excellent and foremost third kind of alms. Let there be good will in you; love all men as yourself, pray for all, and desire for them what you desire for yourself also: and it is proclaimed to you by the angels, Peace to men of good will (Luke 2:14). And since good will is itself charity, if you are willing to have it, there is fulfilled in you what is written, Charity covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). Recognize, then, that every excuse or objection of yours has been taken away. For you will not be able to say that you cannot have good will: for it may happen that you do not wish it; yet you will never be able to prove that you cannot.

6. What things are to be set aside for alms, and when. And therefore such great benefits and such excellent remedies of our Lord and Saviour, not negligently, but faithfully