95 I. 33. The Ark baptized in the Flood: so all the trees. which are Jesus Christ's, whence also he loved the power Jons that was in Christians rather than righteousness,-Simon saw, that by the laying on of the Apostles' hands, the Holy Spirit was given, (not that they gave the Holy Spirit, but that it was given in answer to their prayers,) and he said to the Apostles, What sum will ye that I give you, that by Acts 8, 19, 20. the imposition of my hands also the Holy Spirit may be given? And Peler said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. To whom said he, Thy money perish with thee? Why, to a person baptized. Baptism he had already; but he was not joined to the bowels of the dore. Hear that he was not. Attend to the very words of the Apostle Peter, for it follows: Thou hast neither part nor lot in this faith; for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness. The dove has no gall: Simon had: therefore he was separated from the bowels of the dove. What did baptism profit him? Then glory not thou in baptism, as though that were sufficient for thy salvation. Be not wroth, lay aside thy gall, come to the dove. Here, that will profit thee, which, without, not only did not profit, but was moreover injurious. in Ps. 19. Neither say, I do not come, for I have been baptized without. Look; begin thou to have charity, begin to have fruit, let there be found fruit in thee, and the Dove shall send thee. within. This we find in Scripture. Of undecaying timbers Enarr. was the ark made; the undecaying timbers are the saints, 147,§.4. the faithful who belong to Christ. For as in the temple, the living stones of which the temple is built are said to be faithful men, so the timbers which decay not are those who continue in the faith. Therefore was it that in the ark, the timbers were such as decay not; the ark, namely, is the Church: there doth the Dove baptize: for that ark was borne upon the water. The undecaying timbers were baptized s. Aug. within. We find some timbers which were baptized with- c.Donat. out, namely, all the trees which were in the world. Ep. §.9. Yet it was the same water, not different. All had come from heaven, and from the abysses of the fountains. It was the same water wherein were baptized the undecaying timbers, which Gopher. Cedri species. Plinius sentit, cuique materiæ est æternitas. meminit cujusdam quæ cariem non Buxtorf. Lex. Heb. VI. 96 The dove and the olive-branch: a call to the baptized without. HOMIL. Were within the ark, and wherein were baptized the timbers which were without the ark. Then was the dove sent, and at first did not find rest for her feet: she returned to the ark; for all was full of water, and she chose rather to return than to be rebaptized. But the raven was sent forth before the water dried up; rebaptized, he chose not to return; he died in those waters. God avert from us that raven's death. For why did he not return, but that he was intercepted by the waters? Aye, but the dove, finding no rest for her feet, when the water cried to her on every side, 66 Come, come, dip thyself here," just as your heretics cry, " Come, come, here hast thou it," finding no rest for her feet, she returned to the ark. And Noah sent her again, in like manner as the Ark sends you, that ye may speak to them: and what did S. Aug. the dove the second time? Forasmuch as there were timbers, c. Faust. xii. 20. which had been baptized without, she brought back to the 12, 31. ark a branch from an olive tree. That branch had both leaves and fruit. Let there not be in thee words alone; let there not be in thee leaves alone; let there be fruit, and thou returnest to the ark not of thyself, the Dove calls thee back. Moan ye without, that ye may call them back and bring them within. 20. That fruit too of the olive; on investigation thou wilt find what it was. The fruit of the olive signifies charity. Whence prove we this? Why, just as oil is kept under by no fluid, but forcing its way through all, springs up, and rises to the top; just so, charity cannot be kept under at the bottom, but must needs rise aloft. Therefore doth the 1 Cor. Apostle say of it, Yet shew I unto you a more excellent way, (a (a way which rises above all others.) In that we have said of oil that it rises above all fluids, lest it should perchance not be of charity that the Apostle said, I shew unto you a way which rises above all others, let us hear what follows: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. Go now, Donatus, and cry, I am eloquent. Go now and cry, I am learned. How eloquent? How learned? Hast thou spoken with the tongues of angels? And yet, though thou shouldest speak with the tongues of angels, while thou lackest charity, I should but hear sounding brass, and tinkling cymbals. I Faith without Charity is the faith of devils. 97 seek something solid; let me find fruit among the leaves: JOHN let there not be words alone; let them have the olive; let them return to the ark. 21. But, thou wilt say, I have the sacrament. sayest true. The sacrament is Divine. Thou I. 33. Thou hast baptism. I too acknowledge that thou hast. But what saith the same Apostle? Though I should know all sacraments, and 1 Cor. should have prophecy, and all faith, so that I could 13, 2. remove mountains: lest perchance thou shouldest say this also, "I have believed: it sufficeth me." But what saith James? The devils also believe and tremble. Faith is James2, mighty, but it availeth nothing, if it have not charity. The 19. demons also confessed Christ. As believing, without loving, they said, What have we to do with Thee? They had Mark 1, faith, but not charity therefore they were demons. Boast not of faith; so far thou mayest match with demons. Say not to Christ, What have 1 to do with Thee? For it is the Unity of Christ that speaketh unto thee. Come; learn peace; return to the bowels of the Dove. Thou wast baptized wihtout: have fruit, and thou returnest to the ark. : 24. 46. 185, 22. Thou answerest: Why seek ye us if we are bad men? S. Aug. That ye may be good. The very reason why we seek you is Ep. 93, that ye are bad. For if ye were not bad, we should have 43. found you, we should not still be seeking you. He who is good has been found already, he who is bad is still to seek after. This is why we seek you. Return to the ark. But I have baptism already.' Though I should know all sacraments, and should have prophecy, and all faith, so as to remove mountains, and yet have not charity, I am nothing. Let me see fruit there, let me see the olive there, and thou art called back to the ark. 23. But what sayest thou? Lo, we suffer many evils.' If ye suffered these for Christ, not for your own honour, yet hear what follows. For they boast themselves sometimes that they do many alms, give to the poor, that they suffer afflictions: but it is for Donatus, not for Christ. Have a care how thou sufferest; for if thou sufferest for Donatus, thou sufferest for a proud man. Thou art not in the Dove if thou sufferest for Donatus. He was not the friend of the H 29. VI. 12. 13, 3. 98 Martyrdom without Charity profiteth not. HOMIL. Bridegroom. For if he had been the friend of the Bridegroom, he would have sought the glory of the Bridegroom, John 3, not his own. Behold the friend of the Bridegroom, saying, This is He which baptizeth. He for whom thou sufferest was not the friend of the Bridegroom. Thou hast not the Mat. 24, marriage garment; and even if thou hast come to the feast thou must be sent forth; or rather, thou art already sent forth, and therefore art thou wretched. Return at length, 1 Cor. and do not glory. Hear what the Apostle saith, Though I should distribute all my goods to the poor, and though I should give my body to be burned, and yet have not charity. See what thou hast not. Though I should give, saith he, my body to be burned; and of course, for the name of Christ; but forasmuch as there are many who do this boastfully, not with charity, therefore, Though I should give my body to be burned, and yet have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. By charity did they this thing, who in time of persecution suffered martyrdom; by charity they did it: as for these, of a puffed up and overweening mind they do it; for, in Hom.xi. default of a persecutor, they throw themselves headlong of their own accord. Come then, that thou mayest have charity. 'But we have martyrs.' What martyrs? They are not doves: therefore they attempted to fly, and fell 5. from the rock. 24. All things then, my brethren, do, as ye see, cry out against them: all the Divine pages, all prophecy, the whole Gospel, all the letters of the Apostles, every plaint of the dove: still they awake not, still shake not off their slumber. But if we are the dove, let us sigh, endure, hope. There will be God's merey to aid, that the fire of the Holy Spirit may glow in your simplicity, and they will come. We may not despair. Pray, preach, love; with God all things are possible. Already they have begun to learn what forehead they have. Many have learnt, many have blushed on learning. Christ will aid, that the rest also may learn. And at all events, my brethren, let the bare chaff stay there and welcome, let all the grain be gathered out. Whatsoever among them hath fructified, let it return to the ark through the Dove. 25. But now, failing at all points, what put they forth Schismatics justly deprived of Church endowments. 99 I. 33. c. lit. Petil. 2, against us, not finding what to say? They have taken away JOHN our houses and lands, they have taken away our estates. They produce men's wills. See here: Gaius Seius gave S. Aug. land to the Church over which Faustinus presided.' Of what Church was Faustinus Bishop? What is a Church? The 85. Church,' he said, ' over which Faustinus presided.' Faustinus did not preside over a Church, but over a sect. The Dove is the Church. Why dost thou cry out? We have not devoured houses and lands, let the Dove have them. Let it be sought out who is the Dove, and let her have them. For ye know, my brethren, that those estates are not Augustine's; and if ye know it not, and think that I delight in the possession of estates, God knoweth, yea He can tell, what my mind is touching them, and what I undergo on that score. He knoweth my plaints, if there be in me ought of the dove that He hath vouchsafed to impart. It is true, there are estates of house and land. By what right dost thou claim them? By divine, or by human right? Suppose they answer: 'We have divine right in the Scriptures, human right in the laws of princes.' Whence does each possess what he does possess? Is it not by human right? For by Divine right, the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: poor and Ps.24,1, rich, God made them both of one and the same clay, and poor and rich are supported by one and the same earth. But it is by human right he saith, This estate is mine, this house is mine, this slave is mine. By human right then, is by right of the emperors. How so? Because it is through the emperors and princes of this world that God hath distributed human rights to mankind. Will ye that we read the laws of the emperors, and act by the estates accordingly? If you wish to appeal to human right for your possession, let us read the laws of the emperors: let us see whether they allow heretics to possess any thing. But what is the emperor to me?' It is by right derived from him that thou dost possess the land. Or take away the right derived from the emperors, and then who dares say, 'That estate is mine, or that slave . eorum ecclesias hæreticorum largitas By the Edict of Honorius, A.D. 412. Cod. Theod. xvi. 5, 52. the Donatist Clergy were to be banished from the soil of Africa, ecclesiis eorum vel conventiculis prædiisque, si qua in |