Pentecost
commonly called Whitsunday
Homily of Augustin on Psalm CXLV
Whitsun Home
O GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
This Collect is to be said daily throughout Whitsun Week.Psalms 48, 68 | 104, 145
Homily of Augustine on Psalm CXLV
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him,
to all that call upon him in truth.
Joel ii. 28
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
Acts ii. 1.
WHEN the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
St. John xiv. 15.
JESUS said unto his disciples, If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.
Additional Reading
Old Testament - Numbers 11:24-30
So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!" But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!" And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Augustine
Psalm CXLV
Psalm CXLV. [5861]
1. ...The title is, "Praise, to David himself." Praise to Christ
Himself. And since He is called David, who came to us of the seed of
David, yet He was our King, ruling us, and bringing us into His
kingdom, therefore "Praise to David himself" is understood to mean,
Praise to Christ Himself. Christ according to the flesh is David,
because He is the Son of David: but according to His Divine Nature He
is the Creator of David, and Lord of David. "I will exalt Thee, my God,
my King; and I will bless Thy Name for the age, and age upon age" (ver.
1). Ye see that the praise of God is here begun, and this praise is
carried on even to the end of the Psalm....Now then begin to praise, if
thou intendest to praise for ever. He who will not praise in this
transitory "age," will be silent when "age upon age" has come. But lest
any one should in any otherwise also understand what he saith, "I will
praise Thy Name for the age," and should seek another age, wherein to
praise, he saith, "Every day will I bless Thee" (ver. 2). Praise then
and bless the Lord thy God every day, that when single days have
passed, and there has come one day without end, thou mayest go from
praise to praise, as "from strength to strength." [5862] No day shall
pass by, wherein I bless Thee not. And it is no wonder, if in thy day
of joy thou bless the Lord. What if perchance some day of sorrow hath
dawned on thee, as is natural in the circumstances of our mortal
nature, as there is abundance of offences, as temptations are
multiplied; what, if something sad befall thee, a man; wilt thou cease
to praise God? wilt thou cease to bless thy Creator? If thou cease,
thou hast lied in saying, "every day," etc. But if thou cease not,
although it seem to thee to be ill with thee in the day of thy sorrow,
yet in thy God it shall be well with thee....
2. "Great is the Lord, and very much to be praised" (ver. 3). How much
was he about to say? what terms was he about to seek? How vast a
conception hath he included in the one word, "very much"? Imagine what
thou wilt, for how can that be imagined, which cannot be contained? "He
is very much to be praised. And of His Greatness there is no end;"
therefore said he "very much:" lest perchance thou begin to wish to
praise, and think that thou canst reach the end of His praises, whose
Greatness can have no end. Think not then that He, whose Greatness has
no end, can ever be enough praised by thee. Is it not then better that
as He has no end, so neither should thy praise have end? His Greatness
is without end; let thy praise also be without end....
3. For how great things besides has His boundless Goodness and
illimitable Greatness made, which we do not know! When we lift the gaze
of our eyes even to the heaven, and then recall it from sun, moon, and
stars to the earth, and there is all this space where our sight can
wander; beyond the heavens who can extend the eyesight of his mind, not
to say of his flesh? So far then as His works are known to us, let us
praise Him through His works. [5863] "Generation and generation shall
praise Thy works" (ver. 4). Every generation shall praise Thy works.
For perhaps every generation is meant by "generation and
generation."...Did he perchance mean to imply two generations by that
repetition? For we are in this generation sons of God, we shall be in
another generation sons of the Resurrection. Scripture hath called us
"sons of the Resurrection;" the Resurrection itself it hath called
Regeneration. "In the regeneration," it saith, "when the Son of Man
shall be seated in His Majesty." [5864] So also in another place; "For
they shall not marry, nor be given in marriage, for they are the sons
of the Resurrection." [5865] Therefore "generation and generation shall
praise Thy works....And they shall tell out Thine excellence." For
neither shall they praise Thy works, save in order to "tell out Thine
excellence." Boys at school are set to praise, and all such things are
set before them to be praised, as God hath wrought: a mortal is set to
praise the sun, the sky, the earth; to come to even lesser things, to
praise a rose, or a laurel; all these are works of God: they are set,
they are undertaken, they are praised: the works are lauded, of the
Worker they are silent. I desire in the works to praise the Creator: I
love not a thankless praiser. Dost thou praise what He hath made, and
art silent of Him who made? In that which thou seest, what is it that
thou praisest? The form, the usefulness, some virtue, some power in the
things. If beauty delight thee, what is more beautiful than the Maker?
If usefulness be praised, what more useful than He who made all things?
If excellence be praised, what more excellent than He by whom all
things were made?...
4. "They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of Thy Holiness,
and shall record Thy wondrous deeds" (ver. 5). "And the excellence of
Thy fearful works shall they speak of: and Thy greatness, they shall
relate it" (ver. 6). "The remembrance of the abundance of Thy sweetness
they shall pour forth" (ver. 7): none but Thine. See whether this man,
meditating on Thy works, hath turned aside from the Worker to the work:
see whether he hath sunk from Him who made, to the things which He
made. Of the things which He hath made, he hath made a step up to Him,
not a descent from Him to them. For if thou love these more than Him,
thou wilt not have Him. And what profit is it to thee to overflow with
the works, if the Worker leave thee? Truly thou shouldest love them;
but love Him more, and love them for His sake. For He doth not hold out
promises, without holding out threats also: if He held out no promises,
there would be no encouragement; if He held out no threats, there would
be no correction. They that praise Thee therefore shall "speak" also
"of the excellence of Thy terrible deeds;" the excellence of that work
of Thy hands which punisheth and administereth discipline, they shall
speak of, they shall not be silent: for they shall not proclaim Thine
everlasting kingdom, and be silent about Thine everlasting fire. For
the praise of God, setting thee in the way, ought to show thee both
what thou shouldest love, and what thou shouldest fear; what thou
shouldest seek, and what thou shouldest shun; what thou shouldest
choose, and what thou shouldest avoid. The time of choice is now, the
time of receiving will be hereafter. Let then the excellence of Thy
terrible things be told. Unlimited as it is, though "of Thy greatness
there is no end," they shall not be silent about it. How shall they
recount it, if there is no end of it? They shall recount it when they
praise it; and because there is no end of it, so of His praise also
there shall be no end. [5866]
5. "The remembrance of the abundance of Thy sweetness they shall pour
forth." O happy feasts! What shall they eat, who thus shall "pour
forth"!...So eat, that thou mayest pour forth again; so receive, that
thou mayest give. Thou eatest, when thou learnest; thou pourest forth
again, when thou teachest: thou eatest, when thou hearest; thou pourest
forth again, when thou preachest; but that thou pourest forth, which
thou hast first eaten. Finally, that most eager feaster John, to whom
the very table of the Lord sufficed not, unless he leaned on the Lord's
breast, and of his inmost heart drank in divine secrets; what did he
pour forth? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God."
[5867] How is it that it sufficeth not to say, "Thy remembrance;" or,
"the remembrance of Thine abundance"? Because, what availeth it if it
be abundant, yet not sweet? So also it is annoying if it be sweet but
too little.
6. ...By "pouring forth" this, His preachers "shall exult in His
righteousness" not in their own. What then hast Thou done unto us, O
Lord, whom we praise, that we should be, that we should praise, that we
should "exult in Thy righteousness," that we should "utter forth the
remembrance of the abundance of Thy sweetness"? Let us tell it, and, as
we tell, let us praise.
7. "Merciful and pitiful is the Lord; long-suffering, and very
merciful" (ver. 8). "Sweet is the Lord to all, and His compassions
reach into all His works" (ver. 9). Were He not such as this, there
would be no seeking to recover us. Consider thyself: what didst thou
deserve, O sinner? Despiser of God, what didst thou deserve? See if
aught occur to thee but penalty, if aught occur to thee but punishment.
Thou seest then what was due to thee, and what He hath given, who gave
gratis. There was given pardon to the sinner; there was given the
spirit of justification; there was given charity and love, wherein thou
mayest do all good works; and beyond this, He will give thee also life
everlasting, and fellowship with the angels: all of His mercy....Hear
the Scripture: "I will not the death of a sinner, but rather that he
should turn, and live." [5868] By these words of God, he is brought
back to hope; but there is another snare to be feared, lest through
this very hope he sin the more. What then didst thou also say, thou who
through hope sinnest yet more? "Whensoever I turn, God will forgive me
all; I will do whatsoever I will." Say not then, "To-morrow I will
turn, to-morrow I will please God; and all to-day's and yesterday's
deeds shall be forgiven me." Thou sayest true: God hath promised pardon
to thy conversion; He hath not promised a to-morrow to thy delay.
[5869]
8. "Sweet is the Lord to all, and His compassions are over all His
works." Why then doth He condemn? why doth He scourge? Are not they
whom He condemneth, whom He scourgeth, His works? Plainly they are. And
wilt thou know how "His compassions are over all His works"? Thence is
that long-suffering, whereby "He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and
on the good." [5870] Are not "His compassions over all His works, who
sendeth rain upon the just and upon the unjust"? In His long-suffering
He waiteth for the sinner, saying, "Turn ye to Me, and I will turn to
you." [5871] Are not "His compassions over all His works"? And when He
saith, "Go ye into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels," [5872] this is not His compassion, but His severity. His
compassion is given to His works: His severity is not over His works,
but over thy works. Lastly, if thou remove thine own evil works, and
there remain in thee nought but His work, His compassion will not leave
thee: but if thou leavest not thy works, there will be severity over
thy works, not over His works.
9. "Let all Thy works, O Lord, confess to Thee, and let Thy saints
bless Thee" (ver. 10). How so? Is not the earth His work? Are not the
trees His work? Cattle, beasts, fish, fowl, are not they His works?
Plainly they too are. And how shall these too confess to Him? I see
indeed in the angels that His works confess to Him, for the angels are
His works: and men are His works; and when men confess to Him, His
works confess to Him; but have trees and stones the voice of
confession? Yes, verily; "let all" His "works confess to" Him. What
sayest thou? even the earth and the trees?...But there ariseth the same
question in regard of praise, as in regard of confession. For if earth
and all things devoid of sensation therefore cannot confess, because
they have no voice to confess with; neither will they be able to
praise, because they have no voice to proclaim with. But do not those
Three Children enumerate all things, as they walked amid the harmless
flames, who had leisure not only not to fear, but even to praise God?
They say to all things, heavenly and earthly, "Bless ye the Lord,
praise Him and magnify Him for ever." [5873] Behold how they praise.
Let none think that the dumb stone or dumb animal hath reason wherewith
to comprehend God. They who have thought this, have erred far from the
truth. God hath ordered everything, and made everything: to some He
hath given sense and understanding and immortality, as to the angels;
to some He hath given sense and understanding with mortality, as to
man; to some He hath given bodily sense, yet gave them not
understanding, or immortality, as to cattle: to some He hath given
neither sense, nor understanding, nor immortality, as to herbs, trees,
stones: yet even these cannot be wanting in their kind, and by certain
degrees He hath ordered His creation, from earth up to heaven, from
visible to invisible, from mortal to immortal. This framework of
creation, this most perfectly ordered beauty, ascending from lowest to
highest, descending from highest to lowest, never broken, but tempered
together of things unlike, all praiseth God. Wherefore then doth all
praise God? Because when thou considerest it, and seest its beauty,
thou in it praisest God. The beauty of the earth is a kind of voice of
the dumb earth....And this which thou hast found in it, is the very
voice of its confession, that thou praise the Creator. When thou hast
thought on the universal beauty of this world, doth not its very beauty
as it were with one voice answer thee, "I made not myself, God made
me"?
10. For when Thy saints bless Thee, what say they? "They shall tell the
glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy Power" (ver. 11). How powerful is
God, who hath made the earth! how powerful is God, who hath filled the
earth with good things! how powerful is God, who hath given to the
animals each its own life! how powerful is God, who hath given
different seeds to the womb of the earth, that they might make to
spring up such various shoots, such beautiful trees! how powerful, how
great is God! Do thou ask, creation answereth, and by its answer, as by
the confession of the creature, thou, O saint of God, blessest God, and
"talkest of His power."
11. "That they may make known to the sons of men Thy power, and the
glory of the greatness of the beauty of Thy kingdom" (ver. 12). Thy
saints then commend "the glory of the greatness of the beauty of Thy
kingdom," the glory of the greatness of its beauty. There is a certain
"greatness of the beauty of Thy kingdom:" that is, Thy kingdom hath
beauty, and great beauty. Since whatever hath beauty, hath beauty from
Thee, how great beauty hath Thy whole kingdom! Let not the kingdom
frighten us: it hath beauty also, wherewith to delight us. For what is
that beauty, which the saints shall hereafter enjoy, to whom it shall
be said, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, enjoy the kingdom"? [5874]
Whence shall they come? whither shall they come? Behold, brethren, and,
if ye can, as far as ye can, think of the beauty of that kingdom which
is to come; whence our prayer saith, "Thy kingdom come." For that
kingdom we desire may come, that kingdom the saints proclaim to be
coming. Observe this world: it is beautiful. How beautiful are earth,
sea, air, heavens, stars. Do not all these frighten him who considereth
them? Is not the beauty of them so conspicuous, that it seemeth as
though nothing more beautiful could be found? And here, in this beauty,
in this fairness almost unspeakable, here worm and mice and all
creeping things of the earth live with thee, they live with thee in all
this beauty. How great is the beauty of that kingdom where none but
angels live with Thee! There is a greatness of a certain beauty; let it
be loved before it is seen, that when it is seen, it may be retained.
12. "Thy kingdom." What kingdom mean I? "a kingdom of all ages." For
the kingdom of this age too hath its own beauty, but there is not in it
that greatness of beauty, such as in the "kingdom of all ages." "And
Thy dominion is in every generation and generation" (ver. 13). This is
the repetition we noticed, signifying either every generation, or the
generation which will be after this generation. "Faithful is the Lord
in His words, and holy in all His works." [5875] "Faithful is the Lord
in His words:" for what hath He promised that He hath not given?
"Faithful is the Lord in His words." Hereto there are certain things
which He hath promised, and hath not given; but let Him be believed
from the things which He hath given. We might well believe Him, if He
only spake: He willed not that we should believe Him speaking, but that
we should have His Scriptures in our hands:...as though a kind of bond
of God's, which all who pass by might read, and might keep to the path
of its promise. And how great things hath He already paid in accordance
with that bond! Do men hesitate to believe Him concerning the
Resurrection of the dead and the Life to come, which alone now
remaineth to be paid, when, if He come to reckon with the unbelievers,
the unbelievers must blush? If God say to thee, "Thou hast My bond: I
have promised judgment, the separation of good and bad, everlasting
life for the faithful, and wilt thou not believe? There in My bond read
all that I have promised, reckon with me: verily even by counting up
what I have paid, thou canst believe that I shall pay what still I owe.
In that bond thou hast My only-begotten Son promised, "Whom I spared
not, but gave Him up for you all:" [5876] reckon this then among what
is paid. Read the bond: I promised therein that I would give by My Son
the earnest of the Holy Spirit: reckon that as paid. I promised therein
the blood and the crowns of the glorious Martyrs; let the White Mass
[5877] remind you that My debt has been paid....He setteth before the
eyes of all His payment of His debts: some He hath paid in the time of
our ancestors, which we saw not: some He hath paid in our times, which
they saw not; throughout all generations He hath paid what was written.
And what remaineth? Do men not believe Him, when He hath paid all this?
What remaineth? Behold thou hast reckoned: all this He hath paid: is He
become unfaithful for the few things which remain? God forbid!
Wherefore? Because "the Lord is faithful in His words, and holy in all
His works."
13. "The Lord strengtheneth all that are falling" (ver. 14). But who
are "all that are falling"? All indeed fall in a general sense, but he
meaneth those who fall in a particular way. For many fall from Him,
many also fall from their own imaginations. If they had evil
imaginations, they fall from them, and "God strengthened all that are
falling." They who lose anything in this world, yet are holy, are as it
were dishonoured in this world, from rich become poor, from honoured of
low estate, yet are they God's saints; they are, as it were, falling.
But "God strengtheneth." For "the just falleth seven times, and riseth
again; but the wicked shall be weakened in evils." [5878] When evils
befall the wicked, they are weakened thereby; when evils befall the
righteous, "the Lord strengtheneth all that are falling."..."And
lifteth up all those that have been cast down:" all, that is, who
belong to him; for "God resisteth the proud." [5879]
14. "The eyes of all hope upon Thee, and Thou givest them food in due
season" (ver. 15). Just as when thou refreshest a sick man in due
season, when he ought to receive, then Thou givest, and what he ought
to receive, that Thou givest. Sometimes then men long, and he giveth
not: he who tendeth, knoweth the time to give. Wherefore say I this,
brethren? Lest any one be faint, if perchance he hath not been heard,
when making some righteous request of God. For when he maketh any
unrighteous request, he is heard to his punishment: but when making
some righteous request of God, if perchance he have not been heard, let
him not be down-hearted, let him not faint, let his eyes wait for the
food, which He giveth in due season. When He giveth not, He therefore
giveth not, lest that which He giveth do harm. [5880] ..."Thou givest
them meat in due season."
15. "Thou openest Thine Hand, and fillest every living thing with
blessing" (ver. 16). Though sometimes Thou givest not, yet "in due
season" Thou givest: Thou delayest, not deniest, and that in due
season." "Righteous is the Lord in all His ways, and holy in all His
works" (ver. 17). Both when He smiteth and when He healeth, He is
righteous, and in Him unrighteousness is not. Finally, all His saints,
when set in the midst of tribulation, have first praised His
righteousness, and so sought His blessings. They first have said, "What
Thou doest is righteous." So did Daniel ask, and other holy men:
"Righteous are Thy judgments: rightly have we suffered: deservedly have
we suffered." They laid not unrighteousness to God, they laid not to
Him injustice and folly. First they praised Him scourging, and so they
felt Him feeding.
16. "The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him" (ver. 18). Where
then is that, "Then shall they call upon Me, and I will not hear them"?
[5881] See then what follows: "all who call upon Him in truth." For
many call upon Him, but not in truth. They seek something else from
Him, but seek not Himself. Why lovest thou God? "Because He hath made
me whole." That is clear: it was He that made thee so. For from none
else cometh health, save Him. "Because He gave me," saith another, "a
rich wife, whereas I before had nothing, and one that obeyeth me." This
too He gave: thou sayest true. "He gave me," saith another, "sons many
and good, He gave me a household, He gave me all good things." Dost
thou love Him for this?...Therefore if God is good, who hath given thee
what thou hast, how much more blessed wilt thou be when He hath given
thee Himself! Thou hast desired all these things of Him: I beseech thee
desire of Him Himself also. For these things are not truly sweeter than
He is, nor in any way are they to be compared to Him. He then who
preferreth God Himself to all the things which he has received, whereat
he rejoiceth, to the things he has received, he "calleth upon God in
truth."...
17. "He will perform the will of them that fear Him" (ver. 19). He will
perform it, He will perform it: though He perform it not at once, yet
He will perform it. Certainly if therefore thou fearest God, that thou
mayest do His will, behold even He in a manner ministereth to thee; He
doeth thy will. "And He shall hear their prayer, and save them." Thou
seest that for this purpose the Physician hears, that He may save.
When? Hear the Apostle telling thee. "For we are saved in hope: but
hope which is seen is not hope: but if what we see not we hope for,
then do we with patience wait for it: [5882] "the salvation," that is,
which Peter calleth "ready to be revealed in the last time." [5883]
18. "The Lord guardeth all that love Him, and all sinners He will
destroy" (ver. 20). Thou seest that there is severity with Him, with
whom is so great sweetness. He will save all that hope in Him, all the
faithful, all that fear Him, all that call upon Him in truth: "and all
sinners He will destroy." What "all sinners," save those who persevere
in sin; who dare to blame God, not themselves; who daily argue against
God; who despair of pardon for their sins, and from this very despair
heap up their sins; or who perversely promise themselves pardon, and
through this very promise depart not from their sins and impiety? The
time will come for all these to be separated, and for the two divisions
to be made of them, one on the right hand, the other on the left; and
for the righteous to receive the everlasting Kingdom, the wicked to go
into everlasting fire. Since this is so, and we have heard the blessing
of the Lord, the works of the Lord, the wondrous things of the Lord,
the mercies of the Lord, the severity of the Lord, His Providence over
all His works, the confession of all His works; observe how He
concludeth in His praise, "My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless His holy Name for ever and ever" (ver. 21).
____________________________________
Let us pray in the words of Augustine.
Turn we to the Lord God, the Father Almighty, and with pure hearts offer to him, so far as our
meanness can, great and true thanks, with all our hearts praying his exceeding kindness, that of
his good pleasure he would deign to hear our prayers, that by his Power he would drive out the
enemy from our deeds and thoughts, that he would increase our faith, guide our understandings,
give us spiritual thoughts, and lead us to his bliss, through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord, who
liveth and reigneth with him, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
[A prayer which he was wont to use after his Sermons and Lectures.]
NPNF (V1-08) St. Augustine
Notes:
__________________________________________________
[5861] Lat. CXLIV. Sermon to the people.
[5862] Ps. lxxxiv. 7.
[5863] Rom. i. 20.
[5864] Matt. xix. 28.
[5865] Luke xx. 35, 36.
[5866] Ps. lxxxiv. 4.
[5867] John i. 1.
[5868] Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
[5869] Ecclus. v. 7.
[5870] Matt. v. 45.
[5871] Zech. i. 3.
[5872] Matt. xxv. 41.
[5873] Song of Three Children, 29, etc.
[5874] Matt. xxv. 34.
[5875] This verse is not contained in the English version.
[5876] Rom. viii. 32.
[5877] This sermon appears from this to have been preached in the
Basilica of the "White Mass." The Roman Martyrology, Aug. 24, has, "at
Carthage, of the 300 holy martyrs, who, in the reign of Valerius and
Gallienus, first suffered manifold torments, and at last were thrown
into a burning lime-pit, and won a glorious crown of martyrdom. Hence
they had the name of `The White Mass.'" There was a Basilica in memory
of them at Utica. Serm. 306 of St. Aug. is on their festival. See also
Prud. Peristeph. 13; Ruinart, pp. 199, 518.
[5878] Prov. xxiv. 16.
[5879] Jas. iv. 6.
[5880] 2 Cor. xii. 7.
[5881] Prov. i. 28.
[5882] Rom. viii. 24.
[5883] 1 P
HOME