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,”183    Ps. cxxvi. 1. 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.184    Matt. v. 16. 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!”185    Ps. cxxii. 1. 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”!186    1 Cor. ix. 13.

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.187    Ps. xciv. 19. 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.188    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.

EPISTOLA XLI . Alypius et Augustinus Aurelio gratulantes de sermonibus quos presbyteri praesente ipso ad populum habere coeperant, ipsumque rogantes ut aliqui eorum sermones sibi mittantur.

Domino beatissimo et venerabiliter suscipiendo, sincerissimeque charissimo fratri, et consacerdoti papae AURELIO, ALYPIUS et AUGUSTINUS, in Domino salutem.

1. Impletum est gaudio os nostrum, et lingua nostra exsultatione (Psal. CXXV, 2), nuntiantibus litteris tuis sanctam cogitationem tuam, adjuvante Domino qui eam inspiravit, ad effectum esse perductam, de omnibus ordinatis fratribus nostris, et praecipue de sermone presbyterorum, qui te praesente populo infunditur; per quorum linguas clamat charitas tua majore voce in cordibus hominum, quam illi in auribus: Deo gratias. Nam quid melius et animo geramus, et ore promamus, et calamo exprimamus quam, Deo gratias? Hoc nec dici brevius, nec audiri laetius, nec intelligi grandius, nec agi fructuosius potest. Deo gratias, qui te et tam fideli pectore ditavit erga filios tuos, et id quod in intimo animae habebas, quo humanus oculus non penetrat, eduxit in lucem, donando tibi, non solum ut bene velles, verum etiam in quibus posset apparere quod velles. Ita plane fiat, fiat: luceant haec opera coram hominibus, ut videant, gaudeant, glorificent Patrem qui in coelis est (Matth. V, 16). Talibus delecteris in Domino: ipse te pro eis orantem dignetur exaudire, quem tu per eos loquentem non dedignaris audire. Eatur, ambuletur, curratur in via Domini; benedicantur pusilli cum magnis, jucundati in his qui dicunt eis, In domum Domini ibimus (Psal. CXXI, 1): praecedant illi, et sequantur isti, imitatores facti eorum, sicut et illi Christi. Ferveat iter sanctarum formicarum, fragrent opera sanctarum apum, feratur fructus in tolerantia cum salute perseverandi usque in finem. Nec sinat Dominus tentari supra quam possumus ferre, sed faciat cum tentatione etiam exitum, ut possimus sustinere (I Cor. X, 13).

0159 2. Orate pro nobis, digni exaudiri; cum tanto quippe sacrificio acceditis ad Deum sincerissimae dilectionis et laudis ejus in operibus vestris: orate ut et in nobis haec luceant; quoniam novit ille quem oratis, cum quanto nostro gaudio in vobis luceant. Haec sunt vota nostra, hae multitudines solatiorum secundum multitudinem dolorum nostrorum in corde nostro jucundant animam nostram (Psal. XCIII, 19). Ita est, quia ita promissum est; ita erit quod restat, sicut promissum est. Obsecramus te per eum qui tibi ista donavit, et populum, cui servis, hac per te benedictione perfudit, ut jubeas singulos quos volueris sermones eorum conscriptos, et emendatos mitti nobis. Nam et ego quod jussisti non negligo, et de Tychonii septem regulis vel clavibus, sicut saepe jam scripsi, cognoscere quid tibi videatur exspecto . Fratrem Hilarinum Hipponensem archiatrum et principalem multum commendamus. Nam de fratre Romano quid satagas novimus, nihilque petendum est nisi ut te pro illo adjuvet Dominus. Amen.