II.—­THE GROWTH OF THE CITIES

This whole universal time or age, in which the dying give way and the newborn succeed them, is the scene and history of those two cities which are our theme.  The City of the World, which lasts not for ever, has its good here below, and rejoices in it with such joy as is possible.  The objects of its desire are not otherwise than good, and itself is the best of the good things of earth.  It desires an earthly peace for lower ends, makes wars to gain this peace, wins glorious victories, and when victory crowns a just cause, who shall not acclaim the wished-for peace?  These things are good indeed, and unquestionably are the gifts of God.  But if, neglecting the better things, which belong to the supernal city, they covet these lower ends as if there were none higher, misery must inevitably follow.

All men, indeed, desire peace; but while the society which does not live by faith seeks its peace in the temporal advantages of the present life, that which lives by faith awaits the promised blessings, and makes use of earthly and temporal things only as pilgrims do.  The earthly city seeks its peace in a harmony of the wills of men with respect to the things of this life.  And the heavenly city also, or, rather, that part of it which travels in this mortality, must use that earthly peace while mortality remains.  Living a captive life in the midst of the earthly city, it does not hesitate to respect its laws.  Since this mortality is common to both cities, there is a concord between them in the things that belong to it.  Only, the heavenly city cannot have common laws of religion with the earthly city, but has been forced to dissent, and to suffer hatred and the storms of persecution.

Therefore, this heavenly city, a pilgrim upon earth, calls out citizens from all peoples and collects a pilgrim society of all tongues, careless what differences there may be in manners, laws and institutions by which earthly peace is achieved and maintained, destroying none of these, but rather serving and fulfilling them.  Even the celestial city, therefore, uses the earthly peace, and uses it as a means to the heavenly peace; for that alone can be called the peace of a rational creature which consists in a harmonious society devoted to the enjoyment of God and one another in God.

As for that uncertainty with regard to everything, which characterises the New Academy, the City of God detests all such doubting as a form of madness, since she has the most certain knowledge of those things which she understands by mind and reason, however that knowledge may be limited by our corruptible body.  She believes also the evidence of the senses, which the mind uses through the body, for he is miserably deceived who regards them as untrustworthy.  She believes also the holy Scriptures, which we call canonical.