18. 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14.
316 ST. AUGUSTINE whence, What things they do, do not ye, except because they too are to hear, Depart from Me, all ye that work iniquity?^^ It is therefore a thing known to you, that the citizens of the ev3 city do order certain doings of the good City. Let us see if now also citizens of the good City do order certain doings of the evil city. Every earthly commonwealth, sometime assuredly to perish, whereof the kingdom is to pass away, when there shall come that kingdom, whereof we pray. Thy kingdom come;^^ and whereof hath been foretold, Arid of His kingdom shall be no end:^'^ an earthly commonwealth, I say, hath our citizens conducting the affairs of it. For how many faithful, how many good men, are both magistrates in their cities, and are judges, and are generals, and are counts, and are kings? All that are just and good men, having not any thing in heart but the most glorious things, which of Thee have been said.
City of God. And as if they are doing bond-service in the city which is to pass away, even there by the doctors of the Holy City they are bidden to keep faith with those set over them, whether with the king as supreme, or with governors as though sent by God for the punishment of evil men, but for the praise of good men:^^ or as servants, that to their masters they should be subject, even
Christians to Heathens, and the better should keep faith with the worse, for a time to serve, for everlasting to have dominion. For these things do happen until iniquity do pass away. Servants are commanded to bear wiA masters unjust and capri-
15. Luke xiii. 27. 16. Matt. vi. 10. 17. Luke i. 33.
18. 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14.
POLITICAL WRITINGS 317 cious: the citizens of Babylon are commanded to be endured by the citizens of Jerusalem, shewing even more attentions, than if they were citizens of the same Babylon.
C. By the Waters of Babylon
think ye have not forgotten, that I brought to your notice, or rather to your recollection, that every one who is trained in the holy Church ought to know of what place we are citizens, and where we are wandering, and that the cause of our wandering is sin, the gift of our return, the remission of our sins, and our justification by the grace of God. Ye have heard and know that there are two cities, for the present outwardly mingled together, yet separated in heart, running together through the course of time until the end; one whose end is everiasting peace, and it is called Jerusalem; the other whose joy is peace in this worid, and it is called Babylon. The meanings of these names too ye remember, that Jerusalem means 'vision of peace;' Babylon, 'confusion.' Jerusalem was held captive in Babylon, but not all, for the Angels too are its citizens. But as regards men predestined to the glory of God, to become by adoption jointheirs with Christ, whom He has redeemed from this very captivity by His own Blood, that this part, I say, of the citizens of Jerusalem are held captive in Babylon on account of sin, but first begin to go forth from thence in spirit by confession of sin and love of righteousness, and then afterwards at the end of the world are to be separated in body also; this we set before you in that
Psalm, which we first handled here with you, bea. Enarr. in Ps., CXXXVI (Lat).
318 ST. AUGUSTINE loved, which begins thus: For Thee, O God, a hymn is meet in Sion, and to Thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem. But to-day we have sung, By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered Sion. Observe, that in the former it is said, For Thee, O God, a hymn is meet in Sion; but here. By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered
Sion, that Sion where a hymn is meet for God.
What then are the waters of Babylon? and what is our sitting and weeping in remembrance of Sion? For if we be citizens of Sion, we not only chant this, but do it. If we are citizens of Jerusalem, that is Sion, and in this life, in the confusion of this world, in this Babylon, do not dwell as citizens, but are detained as captives, it befits us not only to chant these things, but also to do them, with affectionate regard, with religious longing for our everlasting city. This city too which is called Babylon hath its lovers, who look for peace in this world, and hope for nothing beyond, but fix their whole joy in this, end it in this, and we see them toil exceedingly for their earthly country: but whosoever live faithfully even therein, if they seek not therein pride, and perishable elation, and hateful boasting, but exhibit true faith, such as they can, as long they can, to whom they can, so far as they see earthly things, and understand the nature of their citizenship, God suffereth them not to perish in Babylon; He hath predestinated them to be citizens of Jerusalem. He understandeth their captivity, and sheweth to them another city, for which they ought truly to sigh, for which they ought to use every endeavour, to win which they ought to the utmost of their power to urge their fellow-citizens, now their fellow-wanderers. There-