when they are understood to be rather His than ours, are imputed to us that we may enjoy this Sabbath rest. For if we attribute them to ourselves, they shall be servile; for it is said of the Sabbath, "Ye shall do no servile work in it."[1056] Wherefore also it is said by Ezekiel the prophet, "And I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctify them."[1057] This knowledge shall be perfected when we shall be perfectly at rest, and shall perfectly know that He is God.
This Sabbath shall appear still more clearly if we count the ages as days, in accordance with the periods of time defined in Scripture, for that period will be found to be the seventh. The first age, as the first day, extends from Adam to the deluge; the second from the deluge to Abraham, equalling the first, not in length of time, but in the number of generations, there being ten in each. From Abraham to the advent of Christ there are, as the evangelist Matthew calculates, three periods, in each of which are fourteen generations,--one period from Abraham to David, a second from David to the captivity, a third from the captivity to the birth of Christ in the flesh. There are thus five ages in all. The sixth is now passing, and cannot be measured by any number of generations, as it has been said, "It is not for you to know the times, which the Father hath put in His own power."[1058] After this period God shall rest as on the seventh day, when He shall give us (who shall be the seventh day) rest in Himself. But there is not now space to treat of these ages; suffice it to say that the seventh shall be our Sabbath, which shall be brought to a close, not by an evening, but by the Lord's day, as an eighth and eternal day, consecrated by the resurrection of Christ, and prefiguring the eternal repose not only of the spirit, but also of the body. There we shall rest and see, see and love, love and praise. This is what shall be in the end without end. For what other end do we propose to ourselves than to attain to the kingdom of which there is no end?
I think I have now, by God's help, discharged my obligation in writing this large work. Let those who think I have said too little, or those who think I have said too much, forgive me; and let those who think I have said just enough join me in giving thanks to God. Amen.
[962] Phil. ii. 13.
[963] John viii. 17.
[964] Ps. xxxvii. 31.
[965] Gal. iv. 9.
[966] Gen. xxii. 18.
[967] Isa. xxvi. 19.
[968] Isa. lxv. 17-19.
[970] Dan. vii. 18.
[971] Dan. vii. 27.
[972] Another reading has _diffamatum_, "published."
[973] A somewhat fuller account of this miracle is given by Augustine in the _Confessions_, ix. 16. See also _Serm._ 286, and Ambrose, _Ep._. 22. A translation of this epistle in full is given in Isaac Taylor's _Ancient Christianity_, ii. 242, where this miracle is taken as a specimen of the so-called miracles of that age, and submitted to a detailed examination. The result arrived at will be gathered from the following sentence: "In the Nicene Church, so lax were the notions of common morality, and in so feeble a manner did the fear of God influence the conduct of leading men, that, on occasions when the Church was to be served, and her assailants to be confounded, they did not scruple to take upon themselves the contrivance and execution of the most degrading impostures."--P. 270. It is to be observed, however, that Augustine was, at least in this instance, one of the deceived.
[974] Alypius was a countryman of Augustine, and one of his most attached friends. See the _Confessions_, passim.
[975] Cleros.
[976] Easter and Whitsuntide were the common seasons for administering baptism, though no rule was laid down till towards the end of the sixth century. Tertullian thinks these the most appropriate times, but says that every time is suitable. See Tertull.
[977] A town near Carthage.
[978] This may possibly mean a Christian.
[979] Near Hippo.
[980] Augustine's 325th sermon is in honour of these martyrs.
[983] _Sermon_ 322.
[984] Ps. xciv. 11.
[985] C. 18.
[986] Luke xxi. 18.
[987] Eph. iv. 13.
[988] Rom. viii. 29.
[989] Luke xxi. 18.
[990] Rom. viii. 29.
[991] Rom. xii. 2.
[992] Eph. iv. 13.
[993] Rom. viii. 29.
[994] Gen. ii. 22.
[995] Eph. iv. 12.
[996] Matt. xxii. 29.
[997] Matt. xxii. 30.
[998] Eph. iv. 10-16.
[1000] Col. i. 24.
[1002] Another reading is, "Head over all the Church."
[1004] Ps. cxii. 1.
[1005] Luke xii. 7.
[1006] Matt. xiii. 43.
[1010] Ps. xxvi. 8.
[1011] Ecclus. xxx. 12.
[1012] Gal. v. 17.
[1014] Rom. viii. 37.
[1015] Matt. vi. 12.
[1016] Gen. i. 28.
[1017] John v. 17.
[1018] Ps. xlix. 20.
[1020] _Coaptatio_, a word coined by Augustine, and used by him again in the _De Trin._ iv. 2.
[1021] Ps. civ. 1.
[1022] He apparently has in view the celebrated passage in the opening of the second book of Lucretius. The uses made of this passage are referred to by Lecky, _Hist. of European Morals_, i. 74.
[1023] Rom. viii. 32.
[1027] Phil. iv. 7.
[1030] Matt. xviii. 10.
[1032] Ps. cxvi. 10.
[1035] Jer. xxiii. 24.
[1037] Eph. i. 18.
[1038] Matt. v. 8.
[1039] Luke iii. 6.
[1041] Job xix. 26.
[1044] Ps. xxxiv. 5.
[1045] Wisd. ix. 14.
[1046] Rom. i. 20.
[1048] Ps. lxxxiv. 4.
[1049] Numbers.
[1050] Lev. xxvi. 12.
[1052] Or, the former to a state of probation, the latter to a state of reward.
[1053] Ps. xlvi. 10.
[1055] Gen. iii. 5.
[1056] Deut. v. 14.
[1057] Ezek. xx. 12.
[1058] Acts i. 7.
INDEXES.
I.--INDEX OF TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE.
GENESIS.
xxvi. 12, ii. 541 DEUTERONOMY.
xxiv. 2, ii. 124 JUDGES.
iii. 30, ii. 199 1 SAMUEL.
vii. 8, ii. 198 vii. 8-16, ii. 190 vii. 19, ii. 197 vii. 29, ii. 198 1 KINGS.
xiii. 2, ii. 200 2 KINGS.
xxx. 9, i. 384 JOB.
iv. 20, ii. 257 EZEKIEL.
ii. 13, ii. 254 ii. 28, 29, ii. 251 AMOS.
ver. 17, ii. 251 ver. 21, ii. 251 JONAH.
iii. 4, ii. 273 MICAH.
HABAKKUK.
ii. 2, 3, ii. 252 iii. 2, ii. 252 iii. 3, ii. 253 iii. 4, ii. 253 ZEPHANIAH.
ii. 11, ii. 258 iii. 8, ii. 257 iii. 9-12, ii. 258 HAGGAI.
ii. 6, ii. 259 ii. 7, ii. 275, 281 ZECHARIAH.
ESDRAS.
iii. iv., ii. 263 TOBIT.
iii. 26, 27, ii. 97 iii. 35-37, ii. 257 HYMN OF THE THREE CHILDREN.
MATTHEW.