Certaine sermons of Sainte Augustines translated out of Latyn, into Englishe, by Thomas Paynell.

* 1.1¶Of a Chrysten name: And what he ought to do and ob∣serue that bereth a chri∣sten name. ii. Ser. (Book 2)

I Pray you my most dearely and welbelo∣ued brethren that with all our studye & diligence: we call to oure re∣membraunce, whi and wher fore we be named and called Christians, and whi we bere the crosse of Christ in our fore heades. For truely we ought to know, that it is not suffici ente to receaue the name of Christen men, excepte we do the workes of Christians. For what doth it auaile saith our lorde, to call me lord, lord

yf ye fulfyll not my commaū∣dementes? yf thou name thy * 1.2 selfe a Christen souldear, and contynuallye doste blesse thy self with the crosse of Christ, and after thyne habylitie and substannce, doeste no almes dedes, nor regardest not cha∣ritie, iustice, nor chastitie, thy christen name shall nothyng auayle the. The sygne and crosse of Christe, is a thynge moste excellent, and therfore with this moste pretious si∣gnacle and seale, that thynge whiche is mooste precious, ought to be sealed. For what doth it auayle or profyte the, to make a seale of a rynge of golde, yf thou close putrified and rotten strawe therein? Or what doth it auauntage vs to weare, or to haue the

crosse of Chryste in our fore∣heades and mouthes, and in wardly in our soules to haue and hyde synne: he that thin∣keth euel, speaketh euell and yf he that blesseth hym ••elfe? wyll not amend, hys synnes decreace not, but rather aug∣ment and increace. There be that when they goo aboute theft, or adultery, yf they stū∣ble neuer soo lytle, they doe blysse thē selues, but yet they staye not them selues frome theyr euell workes and pur∣poses. Nor the wretches per∣ceaue not y^t in so doinge, they do rather include the deuyll then that they exclude hym. But he whiche throughe the ayde of god doth reiecte and repell all vitious and synfull lyuinge: and stryuethe bothe

to thinke vpon that is good, and to do good, he doth well and iustlye blysse his mouthe with the sygne and token of the crosse, and endeuer hym selfe to doo suche workes, as shall deserue and meryte to haue, and to receaue y^t sygne and token of the crosse. For it is written. The kyngedome * 1.3 of heauen is not in wordes, but in power, and good wor∣kes. And agayne, fayth with out good workes is dead in it selfe. Therefore leaste that * 1.4 peraduenture we haue not this Chrysten name to oure ayde and amendment, but to our vtter damnation and de struction (let vs, whiles that we haue remedy, and help in our owne handes) retourne vnto good workes. And to

the eutent ye may (throughe the helpe of God) accomplysh and doe those thynges, loke that there be peace and con∣corde amonge you: and that ye reduce and brynge those that are at stryfe and debate, to peace and vnyti••. Auoyde and flye allesyngs. Excheue periury as perpetuall & mor∣tal death. And aboue al thin∣ges loke that after youre ha∣bilitie as is aforesayde, ye ex hibite & geue your charitie to the poore and nedy, and that ye offer vp your oblations to be consecrated vpon the aul∣ter. Loke that ye canne saye poure beleife, and the lordes prayer, and that ye teache your chyldren the same. For I maruell very muche, howe they dare be so holde, as once

to name them selues christi∣ans, that do dissimble to saye a fewe verses onelye of theyr crede, or of the lordes praier. Like wise ye shall vnderstād, that for those children the whiche ye do Christen, ye are as suerties vnto God: and therefore be circumspecte to correcte and chasten aswell those whiche ye do Christen, as your owne naturall chyl∣drē, that they maye liue chast¦ly, soberly, and iustly. And be¦ware that youre lyfe be such that youre chyldren, yf they wyl folowe you, burne not in the eternall fier, but that they may approch and come with you to the perpetuall blysse of heauen. Take you heede, that do here, and iudge mens causes, that ye iudge ryghte∣ously,

and that ye take no gif * 1.5 tes of the poore. For gyftes doe blynde wyse mens har∣tes, and doo•• chaunge & alter * 1.6 the wordes of the prudent & wyse, lest peraduenture, whi¦les ye get and heape vp mo∣nye, ye lese youre soules. For no man can gette vnlawfull gaine without laweful paine and damage, for where is luker, there is losse, luker in the cheste, and damage in cōscience. Let no man drinke to be dronken, nor compell anye other at hys table to drinke more than nedeth, lest that throughe ebrietie & drō∣kennes, he lese both his owne soule, and theyrs also. Loke that ye come together to the churche vpon the sonday, for yf the wretched Jewes doe

kepe and sanctifye theyr sab∣both daye, with such deuotiō as one that day, they wyl do no earthly worke at all: how muche more shulde we christ∣en men on the sundaye, geue & applye our mindes to gods seruyce & to come to y^t church for the salute & saluatyon of our owne soules. And when ye come together, praye for the remission of your synnes, Make no stryfe there, nor no debate, for who so commyng to the churche, doth so, he tho rowe debate, doth wound & hurte hym selfe there, where he myght haue healed, & hol∣pen him selfe by prayer. And beyng in the churche, beware and loke that ye braule not, but that ye paciently do listē and take good hede to youre

diuine seruyce. For he y^t doth iangle or bable in the church, shall geue an acountes and rekenyng, aswel for other, as for him selfe, because he wold neyther here GODDES sworde, nor yet suffer other men to here the same. Loke that ye truly pay your tithes to the churche. And let hym that was proude, waxe hum¦ble, that was lecherous, wax chast, that was wont to siele or to inuade other mens goo∣des, gyue his charitie to the poore. Lette hym that hathe bene enuious, be beneuolent and gentle, & that hath done iniurye, be ready and quicke to aske forgeuenes, and that he to whō iniurye was done vnto, be preste and readye to forgyue. As ofte as any infit

mitie or sickenes doth chaūce amonge you, let him that is diseased receaue the holy cō∣munion of the verye bodye and bloude of Chryst, and af∣terwardes be aneled, that scripture may be fulfylled in hymsayinge: yf anye man be sycke, let the preist be sente * 1.7 for to anointe hym, & to praye ouer hym, and the prayer of fayth shall saue the sycke, and God shall rayse hym vp, and yf he be in synne, they shal be forgeuen hym. Take heede, and marke nowe good bre∣thren, that he, the whiche in his syckenes wyl resort vnto the churche, may obtayn bo∣dely health, and receaue the forgeuenes of synnes. Se∣ynge then that double good∣nes and benefite mai be foūd

and obteyned in the churche whi do these wretches labor * 1.8 by inchaunters, by fountay∣nes, by trees, by diuilysh phi∣laters, be caracters, by dyui∣ners, and sothesayres, to in∣duce much mischeife among the people? But as I haue sayde vnto you before, looke that ye do admonish & warne your chyldren, and all youre housholde to liue chastly, and ryghteously, prouokyng and sturringe them to good wor∣kes, not onely by wordes, but by your godly and good exā∣ple. But principally wherso∣euer ye be, whether ye be at home, or in your iourneye, or at the table, or amonge com∣pany, take hede ye speake no fylthy, no luxurious, nor no lyghte wordes: but that ye

admonysh your neyghbours and kynsfolk, continually to endeuer thē selues, to speake the thinge that is good and honest, lest that throughe de∣traction, or daunsynge vpon the holy dayes, or by babling and recitinge of luxurious & fylthye communication, they with theyr tounges (where∣with they shoulde laude and honour God) do wound and hurte thēselues. For yf these wretched and miserable per∣sons, which are not ashamed to daunce before y^• churches of holy saintes, come thether good christians, they depart from thence as infidels, for this vse and custume of daun synge dothe yet remayne of the obseruaunces, and infide litie of the gentyles. And pō∣der

with youre selues what maner a christiane that he is the whiche commynge to the churche to praye, and forget∣tinge the same, is not asha∣med to speake the sacrilegius wordes of paganes. Consy∣der my dearely beloued bre∣thren, whether it be semynge or couenient: that suche lux∣urious and lyghte wordes, y^e very poyson of y^e deuil, shulde procede or come forth of chri∣sten mens mouthes, into the whiche the sacrament of the very body and bloud of christ doth enter and is receyued. And aboue all thynges, take hede that ye doe vnto other, * 1.9 as ye woulde be done vnto, & * 1.10 that ye woulde other menne should not do vnto you, that ye doe it not vnto theym, the

whiche thinge yf ye woulde truelye & faythfullye obserue and fulfyll: ye shoulde easelye delyuer your soules from all sinne for he that hath no ler∣nynge at all, and hathe these two sentences in mynde and memorye, maye by Goddes helpe and grace, in dede ful∣fyll them. And notwithstan∣dynge, I doe beleue that the aforesayde euyll and nough∣ty custome, proceding of the obseruances of paganes, be throughe my wordes, & gods inspiration, cleane auoyded, yet yf ye knowe any that ab∣serue and kepe that most ab∣hominable fylthynes of the fawne, and y^• harte, loke that ye so chasten, and so correcte them, that they may repente theim that euer they commit¦ted

suche a sacrilegious, and so abhominable a dede. And yf ye knowe any such as doe crye out, yf the moone at any season, throughe anye eclipse doth waxe obscure and dark, warne thētherof, and shewe them, that thy synne and of∣fende greuouslye, yf they doo truste, that throughe theyr clamours & sacrilegius bold∣nes, they may defende them¦selfes from the Moone (the whiche by Gods commaun∣dement and ordinaūce at cer¦tayne and appoynted times doth waxe darke) or from a∣ny other sorcerye or wytche∣crafte. And yf ye see or per∣ceaue any that offer vp theyr vowes vnto trees, or vnto any fountaines, or that hang aboute them or any of theyrs

any diabolicall philaters, or caracters, herbes or the ioyse of anye herbe, or that (as I haue sayde) doo seeke vppon sothsayres, diuiners, or in∣chaunters: correcte them sharpelye, and say vnto them that al that so doe, do lose the sacrament of baptysme. And in asmuche as we haue hard say, that Sathan hath so de∣ceyued both men and womē, that they wyll not worke v∣pon the thursday. I proteste both before God, and his ho∣ly aungels: that except they which obserue those thynges amende and redeme such sa∣crilege with longe and sharp penaunce, that they shall be dampned for euer. Nor I doubte not but y^• suche wret∣ches, the whiche as in the ho¦noure

of Jupyter, wyll not worke vpon the thursedayes wil not be ashamed at al, nor yet fear to worke and labour vpon the sundaye. And there¦fore take hede, that ye earne∣stly do chastē as many as ye knowe that doe soo. And yf they wyll not amende, suffer them nother to speake, nor to eate, nor yet once to dryncke in your cōpanye. And yf they be belongynge vnto you, or of your familye, scourge them that they at the leaste, which remember not theyr soules health, maye feare the puny∣shment of their bodies. I my deare brethren, remembring your manifolde perylles and daungers, do thus tenderlye warne and admonish you, yf ye then willingelye doe her∣ken

vnto me, ye shal come to perpetuall ioye and lyfe euer lasting, the which he vouch∣safe to graunt you, that with the father and the holy goste doth liue eternally. So be it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ser, 215
• * 1.2

  ••oke, 6,
• * 1.3

  1, Cor••, 4
• * 1.4

  Jam, 2,
• * 1.5

  Psa, 14, Exed, 23
• * 1.6

  Eccl, 20,
• * 1.7

  Jam, 5,
• * 1.8

  Deu. 18,
• * 1.9

  Tobi, 4,
• * 1.10

  Mat. 7,