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| To Aurelius
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Letter XLI.
(a.d. 397.)
To Father Aurelius, Our Lord Most
Blessed and Worthy of Veneration, Our Brother Most Sincerely
Beloved, and Our Partner in the Sacerdotal Office, Alypius and
Augustin Send Greeting in the Lord.
1. “Our mouth is filled with laughter, and
our tongue with singing,”1619
by your letter informing us that,
by the help of that God whose inspiration guided you, you have
carried into effect your pious purpose concerning all our brethren
in orders, and especially concerning the regular delivering of a
sermon to the people in your presence by the presbyters, through
whose tongues thus engaged your love sounds louder in the hearts
than their voice does in the ears of men. Thanks be unto God! Is
there anything better for us to have in our heart, or utter with
our lips, or record with our pen, than this? Thanks be unto God! No
other phrase is more easily spoken, and nothing more pleasant in
sound, profound in significance, and profitable in practice, than
this. Thanks be unto God, who has endowed you with a heart so true
to the interests of your sons, and who has brought to light what
you had latent in the inner soul, beyond the reach of human eye,
giving you not only the will to do good, but the means of realizing
your desires. So be it, certainly so be it! let these works shine
before men, that they may see them, and rejoice and glorify your
Father in heaven.1620
In such things delight yourself in
the Lord; and may your prayers for these presbyters be graciously
heard on their behalf by Him whose voice you do not consider it
beneath you to hear when He speaks by them! May they go on, and
walk, yea, run in the way of the Lord! May the small and the great
be blessed together, being made glad by those who say unto them,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord!”1621
Let the stronger lead; let the
weaker imitate their example, being followers of them, as they are
of Christ. May we all be as ants pursuing eagerly the path of holy
industry, as bees labouring amidst the fragrance of holy duty; and
may fruit be brought forth in patience by the saving grace of
stedfastness unto the end! May the Lord “not suffer us to be
tempted above that we are able, but with the temptation may He make
a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it”!1622
2. Pray for us: we value your prayers as
worthy to be heard, since you go to God with so great an offering
of unfeigned love, and of praise brought to Him by your works. Pray
that in us also these works may shine, for He to whom you pray
knows with what fulness of joy we behold them shining in you. Such
are our desires; such are the abounding comforts which in the
multitude of our thoughts within us delight our souls.1623
It is so
now because such is the promise of God; and as He hath promised, so
shall it be in the time to come. We beseech you, by Him who hath
blessed you, and has by you bestowed this blessing on the people
whom you serve, to order any of the presbyters’ sermons which you
please to be transcribed, and after revisal sent to us. For I on my
part am not neglecting what you required of me; and as I have
written often before, I am still longing to know what you think of
Tychonius’ seven Rules or Keys.1624
| 1624 On this work of Tychonius, see Augustin, De
Doctrina Christiana, b. iii., in which these seven keys for the
opening of Scripture are stated and examined. |
We warmly commend to you our brother Hilarinus,
leading physician and magistrate of Hippo. As to our brother
Romanus, we know how actively you are exerting yourself on his
behalf, and that we need ask nothing but that God may prosper your
endeavours.
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