Confessions - Book IV - Chapter Iii
St. Augustine warns against placing trust in astrology and false divinations, emphasizing that true healing and righteousness come only from God and sincere repentance.
In this devotional sermon, St. Augustine addresses the folly of trusting in astrology and other false divinations, urging believers to place their faith solely in God. He emphasizes the importance of sincere confession and repentance, highlighting God's role as the ultimate healer and judge. Through personal reflection and biblical insight, Augustine calls Christians to reject vain pursuits and embrace true righteousness.
Text
4. And yet, without scruple, I consulted those other impostors, whom they call \"astrologers\" [mathematicos], because they used no sacrifices and invoked the aid of no spirit for their divinations. Still, true Christian piety must necessarily reject and condemn their art.
It is good to confess to thee and to say, \"Have mercy on me; heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee\"[88]--not to abuse thy goodness as a license to sin, but to remember the words of the Lord, \"Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you.\"[89] All this wholesome advice [the astrologers] labor to destroy when they say, \"The cause of your sin is inevitably fixed in the heavens,\" and, \"This is the doing of Venus, or of Saturn, or of Mars\"--all this in order that a man, who is only flesh and blood and proud corruption, may regard himself as blameless, while the Creator and Ordainer of heaven and the stars must bear the blame of our ills and misfortunes. But who is this Creator but thou, our God, the sweetness and wellspring of righteousness, who renderest to every man according to his works and despisest not \"a broken and a contrite heart\"[90]?
5. There was at that time a wise man, very skillful and quite famous in medicine.[91] He was proconsul then, and with his own hand he placed on my distempered head the crown I had won in a rhetorical contest. He did not do this as a physician, however; and for this distemper \"only thou canst heal who resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.\"[92] But didst thou fail me in that old man, or forbear from healing my soul? Actually when I became better acquainted with him, I used to listen, rapt and eager, to his words; for, though he spoke in simple language, his conversation was replete with vivacity, life, and earnestness. He recognized from my own talk that I was given to books of the horoscope-casters, but he, in a kind and fatherly way, advised me to throw them away and not to spend idly on these vanities care and labor that might otherwise go into useful things. He said that he himself in his earlier years had studied the astrologers\\
Sermon Outline
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I
- Rejection of astrology and false divinations
- The danger of blaming the stars for sin
- God as the true Creator and judge
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II
- Confession and plea for mercy
- The importance of sincere repentance
- Warning against abusing God's grace
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III
- The story of the wise physician and proconsul
- Advice to reject vain pursuits
- God alone heals the soul
Key Quotes
“True Christian piety must necessarily reject and condemn their art.” — St. Augustine
“Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you.” — St. Augustine
“Only thou canst heal who resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.” — St. Augustine
Application Points
- Reject any belief or practice that shifts blame for sin away from personal responsibility and God’s judgment.
- Approach God with a contrite heart, sincerely confessing sin and seeking His mercy.
- Trust in God alone for healing and transformation rather than worldly or occult means.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Augustine reject astrology?
Augustine rejects astrology because it falsely attributes sin and misfortune to the stars rather than to human free will and God's sovereign judgment.
What is the role of confession in this sermon?
Confession is presented as a necessary act of humility and repentance, seeking God's mercy and healing for the soul.
Who is the true healer according to Augustine?
God alone is the true healer who resists the proud and grants grace to the humble.
What warning does Augustine give about God's grace?
He warns against abusing God's goodness as a license to continue sinning.