The Life and Labours of St. Augustine [pp. 436-453]

1854.] The Life and Labours of St. Augustine.
conversion, began to mourn over the Manicheans, a class of
errorists with whom he had been for nine years-up to the
twenty-eighth of his life, associated; and towish most ardently
for their recovery from their delusions. He also gave immediate attention, as an instructor, to young men in theology;
and to controverting the errors of a school of sceptics who,
after the fashion of some in our time, " denied the possibility of
knowing the truth;" and to other labours through which he could
act upon the minds of that day. In short, he began at once
to live for the high purposes of a new man in Christ Jesus;
and to shine in excellencies of character and example, which
never appear in the graceless, however wise, talented, or learned.
He taught men who were to become preachers of the gospel of
Christ; preached, wrote for the purpose of setting forth the
truths of the word of God, and, also for the defence of the
doctrines of the gospel as controverted and attacked by
errorists.
The history of the theological writings of Augustine, as
briefly given in the book before us, presents him to our minds
as a man of great industry. They appear in the several classifications of the Exegetical; the Apologetical, the Dogmatical, and Polemical; the Ascetic and Edifying; and the Autobiographical. A sub-classification of his works, Dogmatical
and Polemical, presents them under the several designations of
Anti-Manichean writings; Anti-Donatistic, and Anti-Pelagian.
The latter named especially possess, to the ministry and the
Church of the present day, a great amount of interest and
value; inasmuch as they, relate to great first truths of the
gospel of Christ, more widely, industriously, and violently disputed than many others.
It is in the class of his writings denominated dogmatical and
polemical, that Augustine is before the Christian world in one
of the most interesting positions and points of character, in
which any apostle, father, or modern minister can be viewedthat of a man living in the holy resolve of fidelity to "the
truth of Christ." Paul, as he stood on " the verge of life,"
and looking at the hour of his departure as at hand, among
his humble, yet triumphant declarations of his " course of
life," made this impressive declaration,'"I have kept the faith."
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