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In the fourteenth chapter of the second book of his Retractations, Augustin makes the following statement: "There is also a book of ours on the subject of the Catechising of the Uninstructed, [or, for Instructing the Unlearned, De Catechizandis Rudibus], that being, indeed, the express title by which it is designated. In this book, where I have said, 'Neither did the angel, who, in company with other spirits who were his satellites, forsook in pride the obedience of God, and became the devil, do any hurt to God, but to himself; for God knoweth how to dispose of souls that leave Him:' it would be more appropriate to say, 'spirits that leave Him,' inasmuch as the question dealt with angels. This book commences in these terms: 'You have requested me, brother Deogratias.'" The composition so described in the passage cited is reviewed by Augustin regarding other works which he had in hand about the year 400 A.D., and may therefore be taken to belong to that date. It has been conjectured that the person to whom it is addressed may perhaps be the same with the presbyter Deogratias, to whom, as we read in the epistle which now ranks as the hundred and second, Augustin wrote about the year 406, in reply to some questions of the pagans which were forwarded to him from Carthage.

“After the conviction and condemnation of the Pelagian heresy with its authors by the bishops of the Church of Rome, —first Innocent, and then Zosimus, —with the cooperation of letters of African councils, I wrote two books against them: one On the Grace of Christ, and the other On Original Sin. The work began with the following words: ‘How greatly we rejoice because your bodily, and, above all, because of your Spiritual welfare.’”

This treatise was written about 400 A.D. Concerning it Aug. in Retract. Book II. c. xviii., says: I have written seven books on Baptism against the Donatists, who strive to defend themselves by the authority of the most blessed bishop and martyr Cyprian; in which I show that nothing is so effectual for the refutation of the Donatists, and for shutting their mouths directly from upholding their schism against the Catholic Church, as the letters and act of Cyprian.

Written about the year 400. [Faustus was undoubtedly the acutest, most determined and most unscrupulous opponent of orthodox Christianity in the age of Augustin. The occasion of Augustin’s great writing against him was the publication of Faustus’ attack on the Old Testament Scriptures, and on the New Testament so far as it was at variance with Manichæan error. Faustus seems to have followed in the footsteps of Adimantus, against whom Augustin had written some years before, but to have gone considerably beyond Adimantus in the recklessness of his statements. The incarnation of Christ, involving his birth from a woman, is one of the main points of attack. He makes the variations in the genealogical records of the Gospels a ground for rejecting the whole as spurious. He supposed the Gospels, in their present form, to be not the works of the Apostles, but rather of later Judaizing falsifiers. The entire Old Testament system he treats with the utmost contempt, blaspheming the Patriarchs, Moses, the Prophets, etc., on the ground of their private lives and their teachings. Most of the objections to the morality of the Old Testament that are now current were already familiarly used in the time of Augustin. Augustin’s answers are only partially satisfactory, owing to his imperfect view of the relation of the old dispensation to the new; but in the age in which they were written they were doubtless very effective. The writing is interesting from the point of view of Biblical criticism, as well as from that of polemics against Manichæism.—A.H.N.]

The four books of St. Augustin On Christian Doctrine (De Doctrina Christiana, iv libri) are a compend of exegetical theology to guide the reader in the understanding and interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures, according to the analogy of faith. The first three books were written a.d.397; the fourth was added 426. He speaks of it in his Retractations, Bk. ii., chap. 4, as follows: "Finding that the books on Christian Doctrine were not finished, I thought it better to complete them before passing on to the revision of others. Accordingly, I completed the third book, which had been written as far as the place where a quotation is made from the Gospel about the woman who took leaven and hid it in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened. I added also the last book, and finished the whole work in four books [in the year 426]: the first three affording aids to the interpretation of Scripture, the last giving directions as to the mode of making known our interpretation. In the second book, I made a mistake as to the authorship of the book commonly called the Wisdom of Solomon. For I have since learnt that it is not a well-established fact, as I said it was, that Jesus the son of Sirach, who wrote the book of Ecclesiasticus, wrote this book also: on the contrary, I have ascertained that it is altogether more probable that he was not the author of this book. Again, when I said, 'The authority of the Old Testament is contained within the limits of these forty-four books,' I used the phrase 'Old Testament' in accordance with ecclesiastical usage. But the apostle seems to restrict the application of the name 'Old Testament' to the law which was given on Mount Sinai. And in what I said as to St. Ambrose having, by his knowledge of chronology, solved a great difficulty, when he showed that Plato and Jeremiah were contemporaries, my memory betrayed me. What that great bishop really did say upon this subject may be seen in the book which he wrote, 'On Sacraments or Philosophy.'"

To write the Book on the Work of Monks, the need which compelled me was this. When at Carthage there had begun to be monasteries, some maintained themselves by their own hands, obeying the Apostle; but others wished so to live on the oblations of the faithful, that doing no work whence they might either have or supply the necessaries of life, they thought and boasted that they did rather fulfill the precept of the Gospel, where the Lord saith, Behold the fowls of heaven, and the lilies of the field, (Matt. vi. 26). Whence also among laics of inferior purpose, but yet fervent in zeal, there had begun to arise tumultuous contests, whereby the Church was troubled, some defending the one, others the other part. Add to this, that some of them who were for not working, wore their hair long. Whence contentions between those who reprehended and those who justified the practice, were, according to their party affections, increased. On these accounts the venerable old Aurelius, Bishop of the Church of the same city, desired me to write somewhat of this matter; and I did so. This Book begins, "Jussioni tuæ, sancte frater Aureli." This work is placed in the Retractations next after that "On the Good of Marriage" which belongs to the year 401.

"At that time also there came into my hands a certain book of Pelagius', in which he defends, with all the argumentative skill he could muster, the nature of man, in opposition to the grace of God whereby the unrighteous is justified and we become Christians. The treatise which contains my reply to him, and in which I defend grace, not indeed as in opposition to nature, but as that which liberates and controls nature, I have entitled On Nature and Grace. In this work sundry short passages, which were quoted by Pelagius as the words of the Roman bishop and martyr, Xystus, were vindicated by myself as if they really were the words of this Sixtus. For this I thought them at the time; but I afterwards discovered, that Sextus the heathen philosopher, and not Xystus the Christian bishop, was their author. This treatise of mine begins with the words: 'The book which you sent me.'"

Thedoctrine of the Divine Unity is a truth of natural religion; the doctrine of the Trinity is a truth of revealed religion. The various systems of natural theism present arguments for the Divine existence, unity, and attributes, but proceed no further. They do not assert and endeavor to demonstrate that the Supreme Being is three persons in one essence. It is because this doctrine is not discoverable by human reason, that the Christian church has been somewhat shy of attempts to construct it analytically; or even to defend it upon grounds of reason. The keen Dr. South expresses the common sentiment, when he remarks that “as he that denies this fundamental article of the Christian religion may lose his soul, so he that much strives to understand it may lose his wits.” Yet all the truths of revelation, like those of natural religion, have in them the element of reason, and are capable of a rational defense. At the very least their self-consistence can be shown, and objections to them can be answered. And this is a rational process. For one of the surest characteristics of reason is, freedom from self contradiction, and consonance with acknowledged truths in other provinces of human inquiry and belief.

My prayer to the one true, almighty God, of whom, and through whom, and in whom are all things, has been, and is now, that in opposing and refuting the heresy of you Manichæans, as you may after all be heretics more from thoughtlessness than from malice, He would give me a mind calm and composed, and aiming at your recovery rather than at your discomfiture. For while the Lord, by His servants, overthrows the kingdoms of error, His will concerning erring men, as far as they are men, is that they should be amended rather than destroyed. And in every case where, previous to the final judgment, God inflicts punishment, whether through the wicked or the righteous, whether through the unintelligent or through the intelligent, whether in secret or openly, we must believe that the designed effect is the healing of men, and not their ruin; while there is a preparation for the final doom in the case of those who reject the means of recovery. Thus, as the universe contains some things which serve for bodily punishment, as fire, poison, disease, and the rest, and other things, in which the mind is punished, not by bodily distress, but by the entanglements of its own passions, such as loss, exile, bereavement, reproach, and the like; while other things, again, without tormenting are fitted to comfort and soothe the languishing, as, for example, consolations, exhortations, discussions, and such things; in all these the supreme justice of God makes use sometimes even of wicked men, acting in ignorance, and sometimes of good men, acting intelligently.

"About the same time, in the East (that is to say, in Palestinian Syria), Pelagius was summoned by certain catholic brethren before a tribunal of bishops, and was heard on his trial by fourteen prelates, in the absence of his accusers, who were unable to be present on the day of the synod. On his condemning the very dogmas which were read from the indictment against him, as assailing the grace of Christ, they pronounced him to be a catholic. But when the Acts of this synod found their way into our hands, I wrote a treatise on them, to prevent the idea gaining ground that, because he had been in a manner acquitted, his opinions also were approved by the bishops; or that the accused could by any chance have escaped condemnation at their hands, unless he had condemned the opinions charged against him. This treatise of mine begins with these words: 'After there came into my hands.'"

There are some persons who suppose that the freedom of the will is denied whenever God's grace is maintained, and who on their side defend their liberty of will so peremptorily as to deny the grace of God. This grace, as they assert, is bestowed according to our own merits. It is in consequence of their opinions that I wrote the book entitled On Grace and Free Will. This work I addressed to the monks of Adrumetum, in whose monastery first arose the controversy on that subject, and that in such a manner that some of them were obliged to consult me thereon. The work begins with these words: "With reference to those persons who so preach the liberty of the human will."

The "City of God" is the masterpiece of the greatest genius among the Latin Fathers, and the best known and most read of his works, except the "Confessions." It embodies the results of thirteen years of intellectual labor and study (from A.D. 413-426). It is a vindication of Christianity against the attacks of the heathen in view of the sacking of the city of Rome by the barbarians, at a time when the old Græco-Roman civilization was approaching its downfall, and a new Christian civilization was beginning to rise on its ruins. It is the first attempt at a philosophy of history, under the aspect of two rival cities or communities- the eternal city of God and the perishing city of the world. This was the only philosophy of history known throughout Europe during the middle ages; it was adopted and reproduced in its essential features by Bossuet, Ozanam, Frederick Schlegel, and other Catholic writers, and has recently been officially endorsed, as it were, by the scholarly Pope Leo XIII. in his encyclical letter on the Christian Constitution of States (Immortale Dei, Nov. 1, 1885); for the Pope says that Augustin in his De Civitate Dei, "set forth so clearly the efficacy of Christian wisdom and the way in which it is bound up with the well-being of States, that he seems not only to have pleaded the cause of the Christians of his own time, but to have triumphantly refuted the false charges [against Christianity] forever."

THE writer informs us himself at the beginning of his treatise that he felt moved by the example of St. Paul, after speaking about virgins, to continue with the subject of widows. But there was also another matter in his own diocese which touched him personally, and caused him at once to take up the matter. A certain widow who had several daughters, some married already and others of marriageable age, began to think of a second marriage for herself. St. Ambrose, partly for her own sake, partly that it might not be supposed that he had in any way advised the step, published the following treatise. In the first place he affirms that the profession of widowhood comes very close to that of virginity, and is to be esteemed far above the married state. He proves this by the testimony of St. Paul and by his description of one who is a widow indeed; also by many examples taken both from the old and New Testament. Having mentioned St. Peter's wife's mother, he turns more particularly to the widow for whose sake he is writing, though he avoids mentioning her name, pointing out how really empty and insufficient are all the reasons she is setting before herself for marrying again. The marriage bond is, indeed, he says, holy and good, and the married and single are as various kinds of flowers in the field of the church. There is, however, more corn produced than lilies, more that is married than virgin. He points out that widowhood has been held in dishonor by idolaters alone, for which reason it may well be held in honor by Christians. St. Ambrose does not condemn a second marriage, though placing widowhood before it, as being bound to aim at leading those committed to his loving care to the highest possible degree of perfection. The treatise was written not long after that concerning Virgins, that is, soon after A.D. 377.

THE state of Virginity is undoubtedly commended in Holy Scripture; both by our Lord and St. Paul, but learned men have differed in their opinions as to the original customs and rules observed by virgins in the earliest ages. Some suppose that from the very beginning it was the custom for them to make a solemn profession of the virgin life, and to live together in common. Others consider that their vows were private, and they lived sometimes together, sometimes in the homes of their parents. Others, again, believing that there was no more than a simple purpose on the part of the virgins signified by the veil, and the simplicity of their dress, attribute the first commencements of community life to St. Ambrose himself. From the days of the apostles there were some who devoted themselves to God in a life of chastity, and that later on the promise or vow was made in the presence of others-the bishop, clergy, and friends. These virgins lived at home with their parents, whilst the times of persecution endured, making it practically impossible for them to live elsewhere. Common life amongst them would seem to have commenced in the East, and St. Athanasius, when, seeking refuge from the Arians, he came to Rome, introduced the custom to the Western Church.

One night, the night intruders from beyond the stars enter a valley called Dora Valley, causing a great stir in the countryside. These night intruders hail and call an unlikely hero, Akim on a mission that changes his life forever. This secret mission would protect the world from impending destruction. On this journey, Akim and the Star Men meet new people and some even join them. They encounter dangers, trials, go through treacherous mountains, ghoulish forests, break the power of the enchanted island and go to the island of darkness to help the people there, fight battles,and overcome very wicked powerful people with the unusual weapons of the Star Men.   They cross the Seven Seas and finally reach the Island of Skilk where people are greedy, selfish and mean. They find the place where they have to take back the unearthly mysterious treasure guarded by the evil Green Snake. With a tricky plan, they escape with the treasure. With treasure brought back, it starts to change the people in the Island of Skilk and and protect the Earth from disaster and bring change to the people. In the end, Akim and the others travel back to Dora Valley with this unearthly treasure. Akim becomes a powerful new boy to share a message that would change the world along with many others.

The Book of Job, perhaps one of the greatest pieces of poetic wisdom in both ancient and modern literature, has had countless commentators. One wonders whether there is anything left to say, or whether any new theme of the book could be offered.  Winson Elgersma, in this, A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE BOOK OF JOB, has a surprising new take on the theme of Job, one that many Christians will find both enlightening and joyful.  In a book with such depth of wisdom and complexity as the Book of Job, Elgersma, with his trained legal mind, brings out its beauty and insight, long obscured in its complicated presentation, and makes its thoughts more fully knowable. The complicated constructs and poetic language, of the arguments between Job and his three friends, are now presented simply, clearly and concisely. Many of us miss the subtle point that Job’s friends slandered God. With a lawyer’s understanding of the legal term of slander, Elgersma argues that God does not make faulty products, and that His Creation, including people, have the capacity to unfold in accordance with the creative potential, beauty and good with which it was initially imbued. Most important, this book will be a revelation for many Christians, and will bring hope and joy to their lives.  John William Zylstra Retired Journalist, Publisher and Assistant Deputy Minister for Tourism

In the Beginning: A Look at our World Through the Lens of Environmental Science and Christian Theology is a book that presents creation myths from ancient cultures around the world. It then examines the first creation story in the book of Exodus and goes into detail explaining how the Old Testament was written. Then the book follows the seven-day creation day by day to explain what was created and why. Finally, the authors tackle the issues of climate change and the destruction of the environment we human beings were charged to protect. The book can be used in small groups or simply read for one's own edification. The combination of mythological, biblical and scientific information should inspire and challenge all who read it.Christopher Farabaugh was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived in that area until his family moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. He enjoyed academics, music and musical theater. Chris obtained a BS in Biology from The College of William and Mary, and an MS and PhD in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. Chris works in the drug development industry in which he initially focused in genetic toxicology; he is currently serving in managerial and leadership roles in that industry. In his free time, Chris enjoys bird watching and spending time with his family. Timothy Farabaugh was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania and graduated form Penn-Trafford High School located nearby. Along with his academic life, Tim was a class officer, a member of the chorus, and a drummer in the band. Tim obtained a bachelors degree from Alderson-Broaddus College in Secondary Education and a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Christian Education from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Upon graduation, Tim served as the pastor of three churches in the Western Pennsylvania area before beginning a twenty-eight-year career in long-term care administration. Tim has authored five previous books.

Tucked away between the pages of Nehemiah and Job is the intriguing story of Esther, a young orphan girl who suddenly finds herself in a beauty contest to become the next queen of Persia. It has all of the ingredients of a delightful fairy tale, yet reveals important truths from God's Word.  What would the story of Esther look like today? What relevant issues would Esther face in today's culture? How would God use her for a time such as this?  Meet Estella, a modern-day Esther. Orphaned at a young age, she is taken in by a devoted uncle who raises her to love and trust the Lord. Her faith is challenged when she is uprooted from her high school mid-year to attend an elite, private school where she feels anything but welcome. As she is elevated to a prestigious position, she is met with envy and threats. Yet God is faithful. Estella’s plight has not gone unnoticed. She is befriended by an unlikely ally who proves more than trustworthy.  Then Estella realizes that all is not as it seems in this school. When she learns that Christians have been accused of intolerance and targeted for systematic removal, she is forced to make a choice: risk her future by revealing her faith or remain safely silent.  Find how God uses her decision in ways she could never have imagined.

Room for Grace by Sharon CassanoLochman is a vivid portrayal of a girl facing personal and emotional trials as she makes room in her heart and life for someone in need. Sharon CassanoLochman is the award-winning, #1 best-selling author of Stranded on Thin Ice, Man with the Sand Dollar Face, and Spiritual Verse Today. To learn more about Sharon CassanoLochman, visit www.sharoncassanolochman.com "Room for Grace is a heart-warming story about the power of compassion and acceptance. Although intended for young people, this tale will resonate with all ages, since its message is too seldom heard. The narrator is a young girl who is forced by her mother to share her world with Grace, an unkempt and scruffy stranger her own age who needs temporary shelter. She hates the thought of having Grace for a roommate and having to drag her along with her to school. Once in school, her actions make it clear to Grace that she is unwanted and unwelcome. Grace is secluded, not only from her but from her classmates, who quickly pick up on her disdain for her new friend. Then, she has a moment of insight. She experiences Grace's pain and suffering and her own indifference and hostility. As empathy replaces contempt, she sees Grace, not as a stranger, but as another human being. She is open now to Grace's corresponding motions of comfort and friendship. The walls of reservation and resentment have been knocked down upon the commonality of their humanity." -Pamela Jean Horter-Moore author of LoveQuest and Brief Candles "Sharon CassanoLochman proves she can touch the heart of her readers in Room for Grace, the charming short tale of Sarah's middle school confusion as her mother forces her to accept a new young girl into their home, and pushes her to learn that love is something that needs to be shared." --Jane Minard, Writer "More than 250,000 children in the U.S. enter the foster care system every year. Room for Grace is a much-needed book by a fantastic storyteller with a very kind heart. It packs a powerful message in very few words. The main character grows in understanding as she opens her mind and heart to a neglected, abused little girl placed in her family's care. -Nancy Pistorius, M.A., Writer

After the death of his mother, the future First Family embraces the twelve-year old Buck as their own and happily provides all the love and care their old friend, the Virginia senator’s son requires. Soon after his departure for Westpoint, Buck abruptly & inexplicably terminates contact with his ersatz family. The sexually matured young man falls hopelessly in love with Melanie, the future First Lady, and subjects himself to deliberate exile. As his father begs him to attend Trent and Melanie’s inauguration as First Family, however, his secret is revealed to her. Melanie’s task now is to master the circumstances without hurting any of the affected parties even as she discovers Buck’s feelings are not without resonance in her heart.   A European-style romance in the tradition of Bovary and Karenina, set in the American White House, this would-be adultery novel offers a return to the big moral questions concerning the passions and the battle between sacred duty and neighborly love.   The novel revisits the grand narratives of the age of innocence as it updates them with reflections on the moral quandaries of contemporary existence.

Eusebius praises the pastoral fidelity of the primitive pastors, in their unwearied labours to protect their flocks from the heresies with which Satan contrived to endanger the souls of believers. By exhortations and admonitions, and then again by oral discussions and refutations, contending with the heretics themselves, they were prompt to ward off the devouring beasts from the fold of Christ. Such is the praise due to Theophilus, in his opinion; and he cites especially his lost work against Marcion as “of no mean character.”   He was one of the earliest commentators upon the Gospels, if not the first; and he seems to have been the earliest Christian historian of the Church of the Old Testament. His only remaining work, here presented, seems to have originated in an “oral discussion,” such as Eusebius instances. But nobody seems to accord him due praise as the founder of the science of Biblical Chronology among Christians, save that his great successor in modern times, Abp. Usher, has not forgotten to pay him this tribute in the Prolegomena of his Annals.

If anyone will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the highest morals, a perfect standard of the Christian life: and this we do not rashly venture to promise but gather it from the very words of the Lord Himself.

The character of the times in which we live is such as to call forth from us even this admonition, that we ought not to be astonished at the heresies (which abound) neither ought their existence to surprise us, for it was foretold that they should come to pass; nor the fact that they subvert the faith of some, for their final cause is, by affording a trial to faith, to give it also the opportunity of being "approved."