Rome to a few Montenses, and into Spain to the house of one lady. See how she is exalted on a rock. All, therefore, are not to be deemed to be in her which build upon the sand, that is, which hear the words of Christ and do them not, even though both among us and among you they have and transmit the sacrament of baptism. See how her hope is in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,-not in Peter or in Paul, still less in Donatus or Petilianus. What we fear, therefore, to destroy, is not yours, but Christ's; and it is holy of itself, even in sacrilegious hands. For we cannot receive those who come from you, unless we destroy in them whatsoever appertains to you. For we destroy the treachery of the deserter, not the stamp of the sovereign. Accordingly, do you yourself consider and annul what you said: "I,” say you, "baptize their polluted ones; they, though may God never grant them such an opportunity, receive those who are made mine by baptism." For you do not baptize men who are infected, but you rebaptize them, so as to infect them with the fraud of your error. But we do not receive men who are made yours by baptism; but we destroy that error of yours whereby they are made yours, and we receive the baptism of Christ, by which they are baptized. Therefore it is not without significance that you introduce the words, "Though may God never grant them such an opportunity.' For you said, "They, though may God never grant them such an opportunity, receive those who are made mine by baptism." For while you in your fear that we may receive your followers desire to be understood, "may God never give them the opportunity of receiving such as are mine," I suppose that, without knowing what it meant, you said, "May God never make them mine that you should receive them." For we pray that those may not be really yours who come over at the present moment to the Catholic Church. Nor do they come over so as to be ours by right of baptism, but by fellowship with us, and that with us they may belong to Christ, in virtue of their baptism. confirmation of your vain opinions, that you deemed it right to end your epistle with these words, that they might remain as it were the fresher in the minds of your readers, I think it well to make a short reply. We recognize in heretics that baptism, which belongs not to the heretics but to Christ, in such sort as in fornicators, in unclean persons or effeminate, in idolaters, in poisoners, in those who retain enmity, in those who are fond of contention, in the credulous, in the proud, given to seditions, in the envious, in drunkards, in revellers; and in men like these we hold valid the baptism which is not theirs but Christ's. For of men like these, and among them are included heretics also, none, as the apostle says, shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Nor are they to be considered as being in the body of Christ, which is the Church, simply because they are materially partakers of the sacraments. For the sacraments indeed are holy, even in such men as these, and shall be of force in them to greater condemnation, because they handle and partake of them unworthily. But the men themselves are not within the constitution of the Church, which increases in the increase of God in its members through connection and contact with Christ. For that Church is founded on a rock, as the Lord says, "Upon this rock I will build my Church.' But they build on the sand, as the same Lord says, "Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand."3 But that you may not suppose that the Church which is upon a rock is in one part only of the earth, and does not extend even to its furthest boundaries, hear her voice groaning from the psalm, amid the evils of her pilgrimage. For she says, "From the end of the earth have I cried unto Thee; when my heart was distressed Thou didst lift me up upon the rock; Thou hast led me, Thou, my hope, hast become a tower of courage from the face of the enemy." See how she cries from the end of the earth. She is not therefore in Africa alone, nor only among the Africans, who send a bishop from Africa to 1 Gal. v. 19-21. 3 Matt. vii. 26. 1 2 2 Matt. xvi. 18. 4 Ps. lxi. 2, 3. 5 That the Donatists were called at Rome Montenses, is observed by Augustin, de Hæresibus, c. lxix., and Epist. liii. 2; and before him by Optatus, Book II. c. iv. That they were also called Cutzupitani, or Cutsupita, we learn from the same epistle, and from his treatise de Unitate Ecclesiæ, c. iii. 6. 6 Lucilla. BOOK III. IN THIS BOOK AUGUSTIN REFUTES THE SECOND LETTER' WHICH PETILIANUS WROTE TO HIM AFTER HAVING SEEN THE FIRST OF AUGUSTIN'S EARLIER BOOKS. THIS LETTER HAD BEEN FULL OF VIOLENT LANGUAGE; AND AUGUSTIN RATHER SHOWS THAT THE ARGUMENTS OF PETILIANUS HAD BEEN DEFICIENT AND IRRELEVANT, THAN BRINGS FORWARD ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF HIS OWN STATEMENTS. writing or by word of mouth, even when I have been attacked with insulting accusations, in such language as the Lord puts in my mouth, restraining and crushing the stings of empty indignation in the interests of my hearer or reader, I do not strive to prove myself superior to my adversary by abusing him, but rather to be a source of health in him by convicting him of his error. CHAP. 1.-1. Being able to read, Petilianus, | with abhorrence, or eagerly devour what we I have read your letter, in which you have wrote to gratify their malice? For my own shown with sufficient clearness that, in sup- part, since I answer every one, whether in porting the party of Donatus against the Catholic Church, you have neither been able to say anything to the purpose, nor been allowed to hold your tongue. What violent emotions did you endure, what a storm of feelings surged within your heart, on reading the answer which I made, with all possible brevity and clearness, to that portion of your letter which alone at that time had come into my hands! For you saw that the truth which 2. For if those who take into consideration we maintain and defend was confirmed with what you have written have any feelings whatsuch strength of argument, and illustrated soever, how did it serve you in the cause with such abundant light, that you could not which is at issue between us respecting the find anything which could be said against it, Catholic communion and the party of Donawhereby the charges which we make might be tus, that, leaving a matter which was in a cerrefuted. You observed, also, that the atten- tain sense of public interest, you should have tion of many who had read it was fixed on been led by private animosity to attack the you, since they desired to know what you life of an individual with malicious revilings, would say, what you would do, how you would just as though that individual were the quesescape from the difficulty, how you would tion in debate? Did you think so badly, I do make your way out of the strait in which the not say of Christians, but of the whole human word of God had encompassed you. Here- race, as not to suppose that your writings upon you, when you ought to have shown might come into the hands of some prudent contempt for the opinion of the foolish ones, men, who would lay aside all thoughts of inand to have gone on to adopt sound and truth- dividuals like us, and inquire rather into the ful sentiments, preferred rather to do what question which was at issue between us, and Scripture has foretold of men like you: "Thou pay heed, not to who and what we were, but hast loved evil more than good, and lying to what we might be able to advance in derather than to speak righteousness." Just fense of the truth or against error? You as if I in turn were willing to recompense unto you railing for railing; in which case, what should we be but two evil speakers, so that those who read our words would either preserve their self-respect by throwing us aside Possidius, in the third chapter of his Indiculus, designates this third book as One book against the second letter of the same. Cp. Aug. Retractt. Ek. II. c. xxv. 2 Ps. lii. 3. 2 should have paid respect to these men's judg. ment, you should have guarded yourself against their censure, lest they should think that you could find nothing to say, unless you set before yourself some one whom you might abuse by any means within your power. But one may see by the thoughtlessness and foolishness of some men, who listen eagerly to 4 6 the quarrels of any learned disputants, that brethren, I have in a figure transferred to mywhile they take notice of the eloquence self; that ye might learn in us not to think of wherewith you lavish your abuse, they do not men above that which is written, that no one perceive with what truth you are refuted. At of you be puffed up for one against anthe same time, I think your object partly was other." 3 "Therefore let no man glory in that I might be driven, by the necessity of men: for all things are yours; and ye are defending myself, to desert the very cause Christ's; and Christ is God's. Again I say, which I had undertaken; and that so, while "Let no man glory in men;" nay, oftentimes men's attention was turned to the words of I repeat it, "Let no man glory in men." If opponents who were engaged not in disputa- you perceive anything in us which is deservtion, but in quarrelling, the truth might be ing of praise, refer it all to His praise, from obscured, which you are so afraid should whom is every good gift and every perfect come to light and be well known among men. gift; for it is "from above, and cometh down What therefore was I to do in opposing such from the Father of lights, with whom is no a design as this, except to keep strictly to my variableness, neither shadow of turning.' subject, neglecting rather my own defense, For what have we which we did not receive? praying withal that no personal calumny may and if we have received it, let us not boast as lead me to withdraw from it? I will exalt the though we had not received it. And in all house of my God, whose honor I have loved, these things which you know to be good in with the tribute of a faithful servant's voice, us, be ye our followers, at any rate, if we are but myself I will humiliate and hold of no Christ's; but if, on the other hand, you either account. "I had rather be a door-keeper in suspect, or believe, or see that any evil is in the house of my God, than to dwell in the us, hold fast to that saying of the Lord's, in tents of heretics." I will therefore turn my which you may safely resolve not to desert discourse from you, Petilianus, for a time, His Church because of men's ill deeds. and direct it rather to those whom you have Whatsoever we bid you observe, that observe endeavored to turn away from me by your and do; but whatsoever evil works you think revilings, as though my endeavor rather were or know to be in us, those do ye not. For that men should be converted unto me, and this is not the time for me to justify myself not rather with me unto God. before you, when I have undertaken, neglecting all considerations of self, to recommend to you what is for your salvation, that no one should make his boast of men. For "cursed be the man that trusteth in man. 119 So long as this precept of the Lord and His apostle be adhered to and observed, the cause which I serve will be victorious, even if I myself, as my enemy would fain have thought, am faint and oppressed in my own cause. For if you cling most firmly to what I urge on you with all my might, that every one is cursed who places his trust in man, so that none should make his boast of man, then you will in no wise desert the threshing-floor of the Lord on account of the chaff which either is now being dispersed beneath the blast of the wind of pride, or will be separated by the final winnowing; nor will you fly from the great house on account of the vessels made to dishonor;" nor will you quit the net through the breaches made in it because of the bad fish which are to be separated on the shore; " nor will you leave the good pastures of unity, because of the goats which are to be placed on the left when the Good Shepherd shall divide the flock; nor will you separate yourselves CHAP. 2.-3. Hear therefore, all ye who have read his revilings, what Petilianus has vented against me with more anger than consideration. To begin with, I will address you in the words of the apostle, which certainly are true, whatever I myself may be: "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very smail thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self." With regard to what immediately follows, although I do not venture to apply to myself the words, "For I am conscious of nothing in myself," = yet I say confidently in the sight of God, that I am conscious in myself of none of those charges which Petilianus has brought against my life since the time when I was baptized in Christ; "yet am I not hereby justified, but He that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. And these things, 10 by an impious secession, because of the mixture of the tares, from the society of that good wheat, whose source is that grain that dies and is multiplied thereby, and that grows together throughout the world until the harvest. For the field is the world, not only Africa; and the harvest is the end of the world, not the era of Donatus. CHAP. 3.-4. These comparisons of the gospel you doubtless recognize. Nor can we suppose them given for any other purpose, except that no one should make his boast in man, and that no one should be puffed up for one against another, or divided one against another, saying, "I am of Paul," when certainly Paul was not crucified for you, nor were you baptized in the name of Paul, much less in that of Cæcilianus, or of any one of us, that you may learn, that so long as the chaff is being bruised with the corn, so long as the bad fishes swim together with the good in the nets of the Lord, till the time of separation shall come, it is your duty rather to endure the admixture of the bad out of consideration for the good, than to violate the principle of brotherly love towards the good from any consideration of the bad. For this admixture is not for eternity, but for time alone; nor is it spiritual, but corporal. And in this the angels will not be liable to err, when they shall collect the bad from the midst of the good, and commit them to the burning fiery furnace. For the Lord knoweth those which are His. And if a man cannot depart bodily from those who practise iniquity so long as time shall last, at any rate, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity itself.3 For in the meantime he may separate himself from the wicked in life, and in morals, and in heart and will, and in the same respects depart from his society; and separation such as this should always be maintained. But let the separation in the body be waited for till the end of time, faithfully, patiently, bravely. In consideration of which expectation it is said, "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, upon the Lord."4 For the greatest palm of toleration is won by those who, among false brethren that have crept in unawares, seeking their own, and not the things of Jesus Christ, yet show that they on their part seek not to disturb the love which is not their own, but Jesus Christ's, by any turbulent or rash dissension, nor to break the unity of the Lord's net, in which are gathered together fish of every kind, till it is drawn to the shore, that is, till the end of time, by any wicked strife fostered in the spirit of pride: whilst each might think himself to be something, being really nothing, and so might lead himself astray, and wish that sufficient reason might be found for the separation of Christian peoples in the judg ment of himself or of his friends, who declare that they know beyond all question certain wicked men unworthy of communion in the sacraments of the Christian religion: though whatever it may be that they know of them, they cannot persuade the universal Church, which, as it was foretold, is spread abroad throughout all nations, to give credit to their tale. And when they refuse communion with these men, as men whose character they know, they desert the unity of the Church; whereas they ought rather, if there really were in them that charity which endureth all things, themselves to bear what they know in one nation, lest they should separate themselves from the good whom they were unable throughout all nations to fill with the teaching of evil alien to them. Whence even, without discussing the case, in which they are convicted by the weightiest proofs of having uttered calumnies against the innocent, they are believed with greater probability to have invented false charges of giving up the sacred books, when they are found to have themselves committed the far more heinous crime of wicked division in the Church. For even, if whatever imputations they have cast of giving up the sacred books were true, yet they in no wise ought to have abandoned the society of Christians, who are commended by holy Scripture even to the ends of the world, on considerations which they have been familiar with, while these men showed that they were not acquainted with them. CHAP. 4.-5. Nor would I therefore be understood to urge that ecclesiastical discipline should be set at naught, and that every one should be allowed to do exactly as he pleased, without any check, without a kind of healing chastisement, a lenity which should inspire fear, the severity of love. For then what will become of the precept of the apostle, "Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men; see that none render evil for evil unto any man?''s At any rate, when he added these last words, "See that none render evil for evil unto any man," he showed with sufficient clearness that there is no rendering of evil for evil when one chastises 51 Thess. v. 14, 15. those that are unruly, even though for the capable, in due submission to the Lord, of fault of unruliness be administered the punish- the example of crime and error such as this. ment of chastising. The punishment of With however great light of learning and of chastising therefore is not an evil, though the reputation he may shine, however much he fault be an evil. For indeed it is the steel, may boast himself to be a precious stone, who not of an enemy inflicting a wound, but of a endeavors to lead you after him, remember surgeon performing an operation. Things always that that brave woman who alone is like this are done within the Church, and that lovely only to her husband, whom holy Scripspirit of gentleness within its pale burns with ture portrays to us in the last chapter of the zeal towards God, lest the chaste virgin which Book of Proverbs, is more precious than any is espoused to one husband, even Christ, precious stones. Let no one say, I will folshould in any of her members be corrupted low such an one, for it was even he that made from the simplicity which is in Christ, as Eve me a Christian; or, I will follow such an one, was beguiled by the subtilty of the serpent.' for it was even he that baptized me. For Notwithstanding, far be it from the servants "neither is he that planteth anything, neither of the father of the family that they should he that watereth, but God that giveth the inbe unmindful of the precept of their Lord, crease." And "God is love; and he that and be so inflamed with the fire of holy indig- dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in nation against the multitude of the tares, him." No one also that preaches the name that while they seek to gather them in bun- of Christ, and handles or administers the dles before the time, the wheat should be rooted up together with them. And of this sin these men would be held to be guilty, even though they showed that those were true charges which they brought against the traditors whom they accused; because they separated themselves in a spirit of impious presumption, not only from the wicked, whose society they professed to be avoiding, but also from the good and faithful in all nations of the world, to whom they could not prove the truth of what they said they knew; and with themselves they drew away into the same destruction many others over whom they had some slight authority, and who were not wise enough to understand that the unity of the Church dispersed throughout the world was on no account to be forsaken for other men's sins. So that, even though they themselves knew that they were pressing true charges against certain of their neighbors, yet in this way a weak brother, for whom Christ died, was perishing through their knowledge; whilst, being offended at other men's sins, he was destroying in himself the blessing of peace which he had with the good brethren, who partly had never heard such charges, partly had shrunk from giving hasty credence to what was neither discussed nor proved, partly, in the peaceful spirit of humility, had left these charges, whatsoever they might be, to the cognizance of the judges of the Church, to whom the whole matter had been referred, across the sea. 996 sacrament of Christ, is to be followed in opposition to the unity of Christ. "Let every man prove his own work; and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden," 5-the burden, that is, of rendering an account; for "every one of shall give an account of himself. Let us not therefore judge one another any more." For, so far as relates to the burdens of mutual love, "bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself."7 Let us therefore "forbear one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;" for no one who gathers outside that peace is gathering with Christ; but "he that gathering not with Him scattereth abroad." 9 8 CHAP. 6.-7. Furthermore, whether con cerning Christ, or concerning His Church, or any other matter whatsoever which is connected with your faith and life, to say nothing of ourselves, who are by no means to be compared with him who said, "Though we," at any rate, as he went on to say, "Though an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which" ye have received in the lawful and evangelical Scripture, "let him be accursed." 10 While carrying out this principle of action in our dealings with you, and with all whom we desire to gain in Christ, and, amongst other things, while preaching the holy Church which we read of as promised in the epistles of God, and see to be fulfilled therefore, holy according to the promises in all nations of the world, we have earned, not the rendering of CHAP. 5.-6. Do you, scions of our one Catholic mother, beware with all the watchfulness of which you are |