CHAP. XXIX. 66 ALTHOUGH IT IS SAID EIGHT TIMES not Thy works through Thy Spirit, nor recog THAT GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD," YET nise Thee in them. TIME HAS NO RELATION ΤΟ GOD AND HIS CHAP. XXXI. WE DO NOT SEE THAT IT WAS WHICH IS IN US. 44. And I looked attentively to find whether seven or eight times Thou sawest that Thy 46. But as for those who through Thy Spirit works were good, when they were pleasing unto Thee; but in Thy seeing I found no times, by see these things, Thou seest in them. When, which I might understand that thou sawest so therefore, they see that these things are good, often what Thou madest. And I said, "O Lord, Thou seest that they are good; and whatsoever is not this Thy Scripture true, since Thou art things for Thy sake are pleasing, Thou art pleased true, and being Truth hast set it forth? Why, in them; and those things which through Thy then, dost Thou say unto me that in Thy seeing Thee in us. "For what man knoweth the things Spirit are pleasing unto us, are pleasing unto there are no times, while this Thy Scripture telleth me that what Thou madest each day, Thou of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in sawest to be good; and when I counted them him? Even so the things of God knoweth no I found how often?" Unto these things Thou man, but the Spirit of God. Now we," saith he, "have received not the spirit of the world, but repliest unto me, for Thou art my God, and with strong voice tellest unto Thy servant in his the Spirit which is of God, that we might know inner ear, bursting through my deafness, and the things that are freely given to us of God." 2 crying, "O man, that which My Scripture saith, And I am reminded to say, "Truly, the things I say; and yet doth that speak in time; but of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God; time has no reference to My Word, because My how, then, do we also know what things are Word existeth in equal eternity with Myself. given us by God'?" It is answered unto me, Thus those things which ye see through My Spirit, I see, just as those things which ye speak through My Spirit, I speak. And so when ye see those things in time, I see them not in time; as when ye speak them in time, I speak them not in time." CHAP. XXX. HE REFUTES THE OPINIONS OF THE 45. And I heard, O Lord my God, and drank up a drop of sweetness from Thy truth, and understood that there are certain men to whom Thy works are displeasing, who say that many of them Thou madest being compelled by necessity; — such as the fabric of the heavens and the courses of the stars, and that Thou madest them not of what was Thine, but, that they were elsewhere and from other sources created; that Thou mightest bring together and compact and interweave, when from Thy conquered enemies Thou raisedst up the walls of the universe, that they, bound down by this structure, might not be able a second time to rebel against Thee. But, as to other things, they say Thou neither madest them nor compactedst them, - such as all flesh and all very minute creatures, and whatsoever holdeth the earth by its roots; but that a mind hostile unto Thee, and another nature not created by Thee, and in everywise contrary unto Thee, did, in these lower places of the world, beget and frame these things. Infatuated are they who speak thus, since they see He alludes in the above statements to the heretical notions of the Manichæans. Their speculations on these matters are enlarged on in note 8 on p. 76. "Because the things which we know by His de OF THE PARTICULAR WORKS OF GOD, MORE ESPECIALLY OF MAN. heaven and the earth, whether the corporeal 47. Thanks to Thee, O Lord. We behold the of heaven and earth is one thing, and the form of heaven and earth another, Thou hast made the matter indeed of almost nothing, but the form of the world Thou hast formed of formless matter; both, however, at the same time, so that the form should follow the matter with no interval of delay. CHAP. XXXIV. HE BRIEFLY REPEATS THE ALLE GORICAL INTERPRETATION OF GENESIS (CH. I.), part, superior and inferior, or the spiritual and evening, partly hidden, partly apparent; for they corporeal creature; and in the embellishment were made from nothing by Thee, not of Thee, of these parts, whereof the universal mass of the nor of any matter not Thine, or which was creworld or the universal creation consisteth, we ated before, but of concreated matter (that is, see light made, and divided from the darkness. matter at the same time created by Thee), beWe see the firmament of heaven,' whether the cause without any interval of time Thou didst primary body of the world between the spiritual form its formlessness.+ For since the matter upper waters and the corporeal lower waters, or - because this also is called heaven- this expanse of air, through which wander the fowls of heaven, between the waters which are in vapours borne above them, and which in clear nights drop down in dew, and those which being heavy flow along the earth. We behold the waters gathered together through the plains of the sea; and the dry land both void and formed, so as to be visible and compact, and the matter of herbs and trees. We behold the lights shining from above, the sun to serve the day, the moon and the stars to cheer the night; and that by all these, times should be marked and noted. We 49. We have also examined what Thou willedst behold on every side a humid element, fruitful to be shadowed forth, whether by the creawith fishes, beasts, and birds; because the densi- tion, or the description of things in such an ty of the air, which bears up the flights of birds, order. And we have seen that things severally is increased by the exhalation of the waters.2 We behold the face of the earth furnished with "terrestrial creatures, and man, created after Thy image and likeness, in that very image and likeness of Thee (that is, the power of reason and understanding) on account of which he was set over all irrational creatures. And as in his soul there is one power which rules by directing, another made subject that it might obey, so also for the man was corporeally made a woman,3 who, in the mind of her rational understanding should also have a like nature, in the sex, however, of her body should be in like manner subject to the sex of her husband, as the appetite of action is subjected by reason of the mind, to conceive the skill of acting rightly. These things we behold, and they are severally good, and all very good. are good, and all things very good,5 in Thy Word, in Thine Only-Begotten, both heaven and earth, the Head and the body of the Church, in Thy predestination before all times, without morning and evening. But when Thou didst begin to execute in time the things predestinated, that Thou mightest make manifest things hidden, and adjust our disorders (for our sins were over us, and we had sunk into profound darkness away from Thee, and Thy good Spirit was borne over us to help us in due season), Thou didst both justify the ungodly, and didst divide them from the wicked; and madest firm the authority of Thy Book between those above, who would be docile unto Thee, and those under, who would be subject unto them; and Thou didst collect the society of unbelievers into one conspiracy, in order that the zeal of the faithful might appear, and that they might bring forth works of mercy unto Thee, even distributing unto the poor earthly riches, to obtain heavenly. And after this didst Thou kindle certain lights 48. Let Thy works praise Thee, that we may in the firmament, Thy holy ones, having the love Thee; and let us love Thee, that Thy word of life, and shining with an eminent works may praise Thee, the which have begin- authority preferred by spiritual gifts; and then ning and end from time, rising and setting, growth and decay, form and privation. They have therefore their successions of morning and again, for the instruction of the unbelieving Gentiles, didst Thou out of corporeal matter produce the sacraments and visible miracles, and sounds of words according to the firmament be In his Retractations, ii. 6, he says: "Non satis considerate Thy Book, by which the faithful should of dictum est; res enim in abdito est valde." 2 Compare De Gen. con. Manich. ii. 15. 3 Concipiendam,' or the reading may be concupiscendam,' according to St. Augustin's interpretation of Gen. iii. 16, in the De Gen, con, Manich, ii. 15. As an instance hereof was woman made, who is in the order of things made subject to the man; that what blessed. Next didst Thou form the living soul of the faithful, through affections ordered by the Vigour of continency; and afterwards, the mind subjected to Thee alone, and needing to imitate no human authority,' Thou didst renew after Thine image and likeness; and didst subject its rational action to the excellency of the understanding, as the woman to the man; and to all Thy ministries, necessary for the perfecting of the faithful in this life, Thou didst will that, for their temporal uses, good things, fruitful in the future time, should be given by the same faithful. We behold all these things, and they are very good, because Thou dost see them in us, -Thou who hast given unto us Thy Spirit, whereby we might see them, and in them love Thee. CHAP. XXXV. HE PRAYS GOD FOR THAT PEACE - 50. O Lord God, grant Thy peace unto us, for Thou hast supplied us with all things, the peace of rest, the peace of the Sabbath, which hath no evening. For all this most beautiful order of things, "very good" (all their courses being finished), is to pass away, for in them there was morning and evening. CHAP. XXXVI. them unto us) may repose in Thee also in the Sabbath of eternal life. CHAP. XXXVII. OF REST IN GOD, WHO EVER 52. For even then shalt Thou so rest in us, as now Thou dost work in us; and thus shall that be Thy rest through us, as these are Thy works and art ever at rest. Nor seest Thou in time, through us.3 But Thou, O Lord, ever workest, nor movest Thou in time, nor restest Thou in time; and yet Thou makest the scenes of time, and the times themselves, and the rest which results from time. CHAP. XXXVIII. OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 53. We therefore see those things which Thou madest, because they are; but they are because Thou seest them. And we see without that they are, and within that they are good, but Thou didst see them there, when made, where Thou didst see them to be made. And we were at THE SEVENTH DAY, WITHOUT EVENING AND SETTING, THE IMAGE OF ETERNAL another time moved to do well, after our hearts LIFE AND REST IN GOD. 51. But the seventh day is without any evening, nor hath it any setting, because Thou hast sanctified it to an everlasting continuance; that that which Thou didst after Thy works, which were very good, resting on the seventh day, although in unbroken rest Thou madest them, that the voice of Thy Book may speak beforehand unto us, that we also after our works (therefore very good, because Thou hast given I See p. 165, note 2, above. 2 "The peace of heaven," says Augustin in his De Civ. Dei, xix. 17, "alone can be truly called and esteemed the peace of the reasonable creatures, consisting as it does in the perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of God, and of one another in God. When we shall have reached that peace, this mortal life shall give place to one that is eternal, and our body shall be no more this animal body which by its corruption weighs down the soul, but a spiritual body feeling no want, and in all its members subjected to the will." See p. 111, note 8 (end), above. had conceived of Thy Spirit; but in the former time, forsaking Thee, we were moved to do evil; but Thou, the One, the Good God, hast never ceased to do good. And we also have after these we hope to rest in Thy great halcertain good works, of Thy gift, but not eternal; lowing. But Thou, being the Good, needing no good, art ever at rest, because Thou Thyself art Thy rest. And what man will teach man to understand this? Or what angel, an angel? Or what angel, a man? Let it be asked of Thee, sought in Thee, knocked for at Thee; so, even so shall it be received, so shall it be found, so shall it be opened. Amen. |