to exhibit those things in the celebration of days instituted in commemoration of saints, which those who lived under the Old Testament, in like manner, exhibited in an idolatrous celebration!

Having then returned the book of Exodus, I enlarged upon the crime of drunkenness, as far as time would permit, and took up the apostle Paul and showed among what crimes it should be ranked,— reading the passage: "If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one do not even eat," "*—and admonishing them, with sighs and groans, of the danger we are in, from feasting with drunkards, even at home. I also alluded to that passage which follows soon after: "Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But ye are washed, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God," which having read, I observed that they ought to consider, how it was possible for them, as those who had been faithful, to hear the words, "But ye are washed," they having hitherto allowed to remain in their hearts, that is, in the interior temple of God, that very filthiness of concupiscence, against which the kingdom of heaven is closed.

Thence I proceeded to those words: "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper; for in eating, every one taketh before other his own supper; and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What! have ye not houses to eat and drink in? or despise ye the church of God?" Having read this passage, I carefully laid it open, and showed how that not even sober and honorable feasts should be celebrated in the church of God, seeing the apostle does not say, "Have ye not houses to be drunken in," as if only drunkenness in the church were a thing unlawful; but "Have ye not houses to eat and drink in," this being an act which may be done with propriety and honesty, only not in the church of God, by those who have houses in which they can refresh themselves, whenever necessary. We, however, have come upon such corrupt times and licentious morals, that it is impossible for us to satisfy ourselves with mere temperate feasting, but we must also have a domestic kingdom of drunkenness.

I also repeated the portion of the gospel which I had handled the day before, where it is said of false prophets: "By their fruits ye shall know them."‡ I then reminded them that by fruits, in this place, are meant works; and asked them, with what fruits drunkenness would be classed; and read that passage, addressed to the Galatians : "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, mur

*1 Cor. 5: 11.

† 1 Cor. 6: 9 sq.

1 Cor. 11: 20 sq.

ders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."*

After having read these words, I asked them, how they supposed it to be possible for us, as Christians, (who, according to the command of their Lord, are to be discovered by their fruits,) to be recognized from the fruit of drunkenness. Moreover, I also read what follows: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ;* and urged them to consider how shameful, how much to be lamented it was, that they should not only live upon these fruits of the flesh in private; but that they should also desire to bring disgrace upon the church itself; and, if power were given, would go so far as to fill the whole sacred temple, however large, with crowds of rioters and drunkards; while, on the other hand, they refused to bring God the gifts of spiritual fruits, notwithstanding they were invited to do so, both by the authority of the sacred Scriptures and by our own groans, and thus appropiately to celebrate the festivals of the saints.

These things having been done, I returned the book; and, having nothing prepared for the occasion, I laid before them, according to my ability, the pressure of the occasion, and the strength with which the Lord graciously deigned to supply me, the common danger,— theirs, who had been intrusted to our charge, and ours, who were soon to give an account respecting them, to the Prince of shepherds; and entreated them by his humility and the wonderful indignities which he suffered, in that he was scourged, spit upon, struck with the palms of the hand, and crowned with thorns, by his cross and his blood, that if they had offended him in any thing, they would even pity us, and reflect upon the ineffable love to me of the venerable Valerius, who, on their account, had not hesitated to impose upon me the dangerous task of handling the words of truth; and who had often told them that his prayers for my coming had been answered, in which answer he rejoiced, surely not because we were to die a common death, or to become the witnesses of theirs, but because that with them, we were to strive after eternal life.

Finally, I also told them I was certain, and indeed to this effect felt a perfect confidence in him who cannot lie, who, through the mouth of his prophets, promised respecting our Lord Jesus Christ, saying: "If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquities with stripes;" that, if they should contemn the great things which had been read and spoken to them, God would visit them with the rod and with stripes, and not permit them to be condemned with this world.

While I addressed them and made my complaints, God, our De

* Gal. 5: 19-21 sq.

† Ps. 89: 30 sq.

fender and Guide, seemed to impart to me courage and strength, according to the magnitude of the danger and the enterprise. I did not move their tears by mine; but when I had ended speaking, I confess, that, anticipated by their weeping, I was unable to abstain. Having then wept together for a while, with a strong expectation of their amendment, I brought my address to a close.

On the following day,-the day on which they were accustomed to prepare themselves for eating and surfeiting,-1 was informed, that some, even of those who had been present at my address on the day before, had not yet ceased to murmur; and so powerful was the influence of this wicked custom over them, that they were constantly saying: "Why now? Those who lived before us, without prohibiting these things, were certainly Christians." On hearing of this I felt altogether at a loss what more powerful devices to employ for moving them. I proposed, however, if they should think of persever ing, after having read that passage, 'The watchman is absolved if he have given timely warning of the danger, even though the persons warned refuse to take heed,** to shake out my robes and depart.

Then indeed the Lord showed that he does not forsake us; but that, on the other hand, he would encourage us, whatever our circumstances, to anticipate his assistance; for, before the time had arrived for us to ascend into the pulpit, those very persons entered, of whose complaints I had heard concerning my opposition to their ancient custom, whom I received with kindness, and with a few words brought over to sane views; and when the time for discoursing had arrived, omitting the portion of Scripture which I had selected,-as now it seemed to be uncalled for,-I observed concerning the affair itself, that, in opposition to those who say: "Why now?" we could bring nothing more comprehensive or more to the purpose, than the reply: "Even now."

Lest our ancestors, however, of preceding generations, who had either indulged the ignorant multitude in such plain and obvious crimes, or else had not dared to lay prohibitory injunctions upon them, in this respect, should seem to have, in some measure, been treated with contumely, I went on to explain to the assembly, by what necessity these things seem to have first originated in the church. After the endurance of many and vehement persecutions,-peace being at length established among them,-crowds of Gentiles, desirous of coming under the Christian name, were prevented solely by the consideration that they had been accustomed to spend many days with their idols, in excessive feasting and drunkenness, and could not easily restrain themselves from these very ancient as well as these most pernicious pleasures. It was deemed well, by our fathers, in the mean time, to spare, in part, this infirmity; and that instead of those festivities which they had left behind, they should celebrate others, not with similar sacrilege indeed, but yet with similar luxury, in honor of the martyrs. Being, in this case, bound together by the name of Christ, and brought under the yoke of his authority, they would be taught those salutary precepts of sobriety, which, under

* Ez. 33: 9.

such circumstances, out of honor and reverence for their instructor, they would be unable to withstand.* The time, however, has now arrived in which those who dare not deny themselves to be Christians, should begin to live according to the will of Christ; and those things, which were conceded, in order that they might become Christians, should, since they have become such, be utterly repudiated.

I then gave them an exhortation, telling them that we should imitate those transmarine churches in which these errors had, in part, never been received; and in part, by means of good rectors, in connection with obedient people, had been corrected; and as examples of daily drunkenness were adduced from the church of the blessed apostle Peter, I told them, in the first place, that we had heard that this custom had often been prohibited there; but that, as the place is remote from the observation and inspection of the bishop; and, as in so large a city the number of those devoted to sensual pleasures is very great, strangers in particular, who first visit it from time to time, retaining the custom with a violence proportioned to their ignorance, this outrageous pest had, as yet, not been stayed and assuaged; but that, however, if we would honor the apostle Peter, we must listen to his precepts, and pay more earnest heed to his epistle in which his will stands recorded, than we do to his church, in which there is nothing of it to be discovered.

I immediately took the book and repeated that passage in which he says: "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries."t

These things having been done,—finding all those present unanimously joining in the good resolution to treat this wicked custom with contempt,-I felt anxious to have them present at the sacred lections and psalms, at twelve o'clock, that thus they might please to celebrate that day with more than ordinary integrity and propriety of conduct, knowing that it could readily be ascertained with all certainty, from the number of those convening, who would act under the influence of reason, and who would give himself up to his appetite. Here every thing having been read, my discourse was terminated.

In the afternoon, however, a greater number were present than there were in the forenoon, passing the time,-even to the hour for us

* It would seem that many of these changes and accommodations were not made with as great caution, nor with as good motives; it being clear to most unprejudiced persons, that many things in Catholicism are nothing more nor less than baptized heathenism, even to some of the statues usually exhibited, as those of the Virgin Mary. See, in particular, Bishop Middleton's Popery Unmasked; a work which (or at least something like it), accompanied with notes, would bear to be republished, in this our day.

† 1 Pet. 4: 1 sq.

to go forth with the bishop,-alternately in the exercises of reading and psalmody; and two psalms were read, when we went forth. Then the old man desired me to say something to them, which being unwilling to do, as I was anxious to have this dangerous day brought to a close, he laid his commands upon me to this effect. Accordingly I made them a short address, in which I gave thanks to God; and as we heard that the usual feasts were celebrated in the church of the heretics, and that even at the time in which such things were transacting among us, they were (as on former occasions) engaged in their cups, I observed, that the beauty of the day is heightened on being compared with the night; and that white appears more agreeable when contrasted with black; and that, in like manner, our union in this spiritual celebration would perhaps have been less pleasant if not brought into comparison with the carnal ingurgitation of the opposite party; and I exhorted them, if they had tasted of the kindness of the Lord, to give evidence thereof, by earnestly desiring to participate in such feasts,-assuring them at the same time, that those who pursue that which will ultimately be destroyed, as of prime importance, have great occasion for fear; since every one becomes a companion of the object of his worship; and the apostle Paul has derided such persons, when he says, "whose God is their belly ;' as the same apostle has also said in another place, "meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them;"† from all which it follows, that we ought sedulously to endeavor after the attainment of that which cannot be cast out into the draught; but which, removed as far as possible from carnal affection, can be retained by the sanctification of the spirit. And when, in support of the same sentiment, those things had been spoken, so far as the time would permit, which the Lord deigned to suggest, the usual daily evening services were performed, and we withdrew in company of the bishop, while the brethren engaged in singing a hymn, not a few of both sexes remaining behind engaged in psalmody, even to the twilight of the day.

From the preceding extracts and remarks, the reader, I trust, will be able to obtain some correct conception of Augustine's preaching and oratory. That he had many of the native qualities of a good speaker, must certainly be admitted; nor is there any room to doubt that he attracted great crowds, and often produced uncommon effects.

With all these and other facts before us, however, respecting Augustine as a sacred orator, it may be questioned, with Du Pin, whether his sermons would attract many hearers at the present day; and Schmid even affirms that they have done as much injury as good. "He is certainly," says this latter critic, "in no respect to be considered as a pattern for a sacred orator. * Phil. 3: 19.

† 1 Cor. 6: 13. I follow the English here, as elsewhere, not regarding the deviation of the Vulgate worth notice.