pride? It was pride, you see, that drove him to imagine that the gift of the Holy
70 SAINT A UGUSTINE - SERMONS an image of the sun,9 turns a truth of God into a lie. But in case they should say,
"I don't worship the idol, but I worship the sun," that's why he said, they worshiped the creature rather than the creator.
Hold on to Christ
2. But someone may say, perhaps, "Even if he was bom in humble circum¬ stances, he wanted to be able to boast about the nobility of his disciples. " Well, he didn't choose kings, or senators, or philosophers, or orators; on the contrary, he preferred to choose common people, poor people, uneducated people, fish¬ ermen. Peter was a fisherman, Cyprian an orator.10 Unless the fisherman had faithfully led the way, the orator would not have humbly followed. None of you should despair of yourselves because you are disregarded and treated as of no account. Hold on to Christ, and your hope will not let you down.11
/Is against such pride the apostle stays down in humility
3. What did Simon want, but to be admired for miracles, to be exalted in pride? It was pride, you see, that drove him to imagine that the gift of the Holy Spirit could be bought with money.12 As against such pride the apostle stays down in humility, and fervent in spirit as the noonday sun, with dazzling prudence he says, Neither the one who plants is anything, nor the one who waters; but the one who gives the growth, God; because he had just said, I planted, Apollo watered, but God gave the growth (1 Cor 3:7.6). And again,
Was Paul crucified for you ? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Cor 1:13) Notice how he utterly refused to be worshiped instead of Christ, and would not parade as the bridegroom with a mind bent on fornication. Isn't it a great thing, apparently, to plant and to water? But neither the one who plants is anything, nor the one who waters. How very anxious and concerned he was! He doesn't claim to contribute anything to the salvation of those whom he was longing to build up in Christ.
Do not place any hopes in the apostle, but in truth
4. Nor did the apostle, either, want people to place any hopes in himself, but rather in the truth he was proclaiming. What was being said by means of him was something better than he was, by whose means it was being proclaimed. Though if we, he says. That's nothing; listen to what follows: or an angel, he says, from heaven proclaimed to you something else besides what you have received, let him be anathema (Gal 1:8). He realized that the false mediator could transform himself into an angel of light,13 and preach something false. So then, just as proud human beings want themselves to be adored in the place of God,14 to arrogate to themselves whatever they can, to have their names on everybody's lips, and if possible outstrip Christ himself in fame; so too do the devil and his angels. The Donatists put Donatus in the place of Christ; if they