12. Luke xxi. 18.
POLITICAL WRITINGS 313 hairs. Verily I say unto you, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.^^ Our hairs are numbered by God; how much more is our conduct known to Him to Whom our hairs are thus known?
See then, how that God doth not disregard our least things. For if He disregarded them, He would not create them. For he verily created our hairs, and still taketh count of them. But thou wilt say, though they are preserved at present, perhaps they will perish. On this point also hear
His word. Verily I say unto you, there shall not an hair of your head perish.^^
Why art thou afraid of man, O man, whose place is in the Bosom of God? Fall not out of
His Bosom; whatsoever thou shalt suffer there, will avail to thy salvation, not to thy destruction. Martyrs have endured the tearing of their hmbs, and shall Christians fear the injuries of Christian times? He who would do thee an injury now, can only do it in fear. He does not say openly, come to my altars, and banquet there. And if he should say so, and thou wast to refuse, let him make a complaint of it, let him bring it as an accusation and charge against thee: "He would not come to my altars, he would not come to my temple, where I worship." Let him say this. He does not dare; but in his guile he contrives another attack. Make ready thy hair; he is sharpening the razor; he is about to take off thy superfluous things, to shave what thou must soon leave behind thee. Let him take off what shall endure, if he can. This powerful enemy, what has he taken away? What great thing has he taken away? That which a thief or housebreaker oould take: in his utmost
11. Matt. X. 30.
12. Luke xxi. 18.
314 ST. AUGUSTINE rage, he can but take what a robber can. Even if he should have Hcense given him to the slaying of the very body, what does he take away, but what the robber can take? I did him too much honour, when I said, a robber. For be the robber who and what he may, he is a man. He takes from thee what a fever, or an adder, or a poisonous mushroom can take. Here lies the whole power of the rage of men, to do what a mushroom can! Men eat a poisonous mushroom, and they die. Lo!
in what frail estate is the hfe of man; which sooner or later thou must abandon; do not struggle then in such wise for it, as that thou shouldest be abandoned thyself.
'All men that earthly things do mind, all men that do choose earthly felicity before God, all men that seek their own things, not the things which are of Jesus Christ, to that one city belong, which is called Babylon mystically, and which hath for king the devil. But all men who mind those things which are above, who on heavenly thmgs do meditate, who with carefulness live in the world that they may not offend God, who are careful not to sin, who if sinning are not ashamed to confess, humble, mild, holy, just, godly, good, all these to that one City do belong, which for King hath Christ. For the former on earth as it were is the greater in age, not by elevation, not by honour. For the former city was first bom, the latter city was after born. For that began from
Cain, this from Abel. These two Bodies, serving under two kings, to their several cities belonging, are . . . meanwhile mingled, at the end to be severed; against each other mutually in conflict, the one for iniquity, the other for the truth. And f. Enarr. in Ps., LXI (Lat.), 6, 8.