A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

I
566 Roman Life Under the Late Empire
St. Augustine,
City of God,
body (which serves the mind) but upon the mind itself,
ii. 6. the ruler of all the flesh, and of all the rest; this they ever
Ancient allowed without any prohibition at all. ... I know
World, 530. their followers will talk of certain secret traditions and,
I know not what, some closely muttered instructions,
tending to the bettering of man's life; but let them show
wherever they had any public places ordained to hear such
lectures
(wherein the players did not present their filthy
gestures and speeches: nor where the
Fugalia were kept
with all licentiousness, fitly called Fugalia, as the chasers
away of all chastity and honesty); but where the people
might come and hear their gods' doctrine concerning the
restraint of covetousness, the suppression of ambition,
and the bridling of luxury and riot. . . . Let them show
where these lessons of their instructing gods were ever
read or rehearsed; whether ever their worshippers were
used to hear of any such matters, as we used to do continually
in our churches, erected for this purpose in all
places wheresoever the religion of Christ is diffused.
VIII.
Angels
Their
interest in
humanity.
St. Augustine,
Cily of
God, ix. 7.
Worthily are those blessed immortals placed in
those
celestial habitations, rejoicing in the participation of their
Creator, being firm, certain, and holy by His eternity,
truth, and bounty; because they love us mortal wretches
with a zealous pity and desire to have us immortally blessed
also, and will not have us sacrifice to them, but to Him
to whom they know both us and themselves to be sacrifices.
For we both are inhabitants of that in the Psalm: " Glorious
things are spoken of thee, thou City of God: " part whereof
is pilgrim yet with us and part assists us with them. From
that eternal city where God's unchanging will is all their