{"id":"01KJR8Q69DV656YG9HXR61QECX","cid":"bafkreica7va7kwvuzr4e24r7fwilvesicahescskj3r6ugtoxdohnosacy","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":7840,"char_start":0,"chunk_index":0,"chunk_total":89,"estimated_tokens":1960,"source_file_key":"confessions","text":"The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Confessions of St. Augustine\r\n    \r\nThis ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and\r\nmost other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions\r\nwhatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms\r\nof the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online\r\nat www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,\r\nyou will have to check the laws of the country where you are located\r\nbefore using this eBook.\r\n\r\nTitle: The Confessions of St. Augustine\r\n\r\nAuthor: Saint of Hippo Augustine\r\n\r\nTranslator: E. B. Pusey\r\n\r\nRelease date: June 1, 2002 [eBook #3296]\r\n                Most recently updated: May 5, 2023\r\n\r\nLanguage: English\r\n\r\nCredits: Robert S. Munday\r\n\r\n\r\n*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. AUGUSTINE ***\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTHE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE\r\n\r\nBy Saint Augustine\r\n\r\nBishop of Hippo\r\n\r\nTranslated by E. B. Pusey (Edward Bouverie)\r\n\r\n\r\nAD 401\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBOOK I\r\n\r\n\r\nGreat art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power,\r\nand Thy wisdom infinite. And Thee would man praise; man, but a particle\r\nof Thy creation; man, that bears about him his mortality, the witness of\r\nhis sin, the witness that Thou resistest the proud: yet would man praise\r\nThee; he, but a particle of Thy creation. Thou awakest us to delight in\r\nThy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless,\r\nuntil it repose in Thee. Grant me, Lord, to know and understand which is\r\nfirst, to call on Thee or to praise Thee? and, again, to know Thee or\r\nto call on Thee? for who can call on Thee, not knowing Thee? for he that\r\nknoweth Thee not, may call on Thee as other than Thou art. Or, is it\r\nrather, that we call on Thee that we may know Thee? but how shall they\r\ncall on Him in whom they have not believed? or how shall they believe\r\nwithout a preacher? and they that seek the Lord shall praise Him: for\r\nthey that seek shall find Him, and they that find shall praise Him.\r\nI will seek Thee, Lord, by calling on Thee; and will call on Thee,\r\nbelieving in Thee; for to us hast Thou been preached. My faith, Lord,\r\nshall call on Thee, which Thou hast given me, wherewith Thou hast\r\ninspired me, through the Incarnation of Thy Son, through the ministry of\r\nthe Preacher.\r\n\r\nAnd how shall I call upon my God, my God and Lord, since, when I call\r\nfor Him, I shall be calling Him to myself? and what room is there within\r\nme, whither my God can come into me? whither can God come into me, God\r\nwho made heaven and earth? is there, indeed, O Lord my God, aught in me\r\nthat can contain Thee? do then heaven and earth, which Thou hast made,\r\nand wherein Thou hast made me, contain Thee? or, because nothing which\r\nexists could exist without Thee, doth therefore whatever exists contain\r\nThee? Since, then, I too exist, why do I seek that Thou shouldest enter\r\ninto me, who were not, wert Thou not in me? Why? because I am not gone\r\ndown in hell, and yet Thou art there also. For if I go down into hell,\r\nThou art there. I could not be then, O my God, could not be at all,\r\nwert Thou not in me; or, rather, unless I were in Thee, of whom are all\r\nthings, by whom are all things, in whom are all things? Even so, Lord,\r\neven so. Whither do I call Thee, since I am in Thee? or whence canst\r\nThou enter into me? for whither can I go beyond heaven and earth, that\r\nthence my God should come into me, who hath said, I fill the heaven and\r\nthe earth.\r\n\r\nDo the heaven and earth then contain Thee, since Thou fillest them? or\r\ndost Thou fill them and yet overflow, since they do not contain Thee?\r\nAnd whither, when the heaven and the earth are filled, pourest Thou\r\nforth the remainder of Thyself? or hast Thou no need that aught contain\r\nThee, who containest all things, since what Thou fillest Thou fillest\r\nby containing it? for the vessels which Thou fillest uphold Thee not,\r\nsince, though they were broken, Thou wert not poured out. And when Thou\r\nart poured out on us, Thou art not cast down, but Thou upliftest us;\r\nThou art not dissipated, but Thou gatherest us. But Thou who fillest\r\nall things, fillest Thou them with Thy whole self? or, since all things\r\ncannot contain Thee wholly, do they contain part of Thee? and all at\r\nonce the same part? or each its own part, the greater more, the smaller\r\nless? And is, then one part of Thee greater, another less? or, art Thou\r\nwholly every where, while nothing contains Thee wholly?\r\n\r\nWhat art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God? For who is Lord\r\nbut the Lord? or who is God save our God? Most highest, most good, most\r\npotent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden,\r\nyet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, yet\r\nincomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never old;\r\nall-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it not;\r\never working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet nothing lacking;\r\nsupporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and\r\nmaturing; seeking, yet having all things. Thou lovest, without passion;\r\nart jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not; art angry,\r\nyet serene; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again\r\nwhat Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing\r\nin gains; never covetous, yet exacting usury. Thou receivest over and\r\nabove, that Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught that is not Thine? Thou\r\npayest debts, owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing. And what\r\nhad I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? or what saith any man when\r\nhe speaks of Thee? Yet woe to him that speaketh not, since mute are even\r\nthe most eloquent.\r\n\r\nOh! that I might repose on Thee! Oh! that Thou wouldest enter into my\r\nheart, and inebriate it, that I may forget my ills, and embrace Thee,\r\nmy sole good! What art Thou to me? In Thy pity, teach me to utter it.\r\nOr what am I to Thee that Thou demandest my love, and, if I give it not,\r\nart wroth with me, and threatenest me with grievous woes? Is it then a\r\nslight woe to love Thee not? Oh! for Thy mercies' sake, tell me, O Lord\r\nmy God, what Thou art unto me. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. So\r\nspeak, that I may hear. Behold, Lord, my heart is before Thee; open Thou\r\nthe ears thereof, and say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. After this\r\nvoice let me haste, and take hold on Thee. Hide not Thy face from me.\r\nLet me die--lest I die--only let me see Thy face.\r\n\r\nNarrow is the mansion of my soul; enlarge Thou it, that Thou mayest\r\nenter in. It is ruinous; repair Thou it. It has that within which must\r\noffend Thine eyes; I confess and know it. But who shall cleanse it? or\r\nto whom should I cry, save Thee? Lord, cleanse me from my secret faults,\r\nand spare Thy servant from the power of the enemy. I believe, and\r\ntherefore do I speak. Lord, Thou knowest. Have I not confessed against\r\nmyself my transgressions unto Thee, and Thou, my God, hast forgiven the\r\niniquity of my heart? I contend not in judgment with Thee, who art the\r\ntruth; I fear to deceive myself; lest mine iniquity lie unto itself.\r\nTherefore I contend not in judgment with Thee; for if Thou, Lord,\r\nshouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall abide it?\r\n\r\nYet suffer me to speak unto Thy mercy, me, dust and ashes. Yet suffer me\r\nto speak, since I speak to Thy mercy, and not to scornful man. Thou too,\r\nperhaps, despisest me, yet wilt Thou return and have compassion upon me.\r\nFor what would I say, O Lord my God, but that I know not whence I\r\ncame into this dying life (shall I call it?) or living death. Then\r\nimmediately did the comforts of Thy compassion take me up, as I heard\r\n(for I remember it not) from the parents of my flesh, out of whose\r\nsubstance Thou didst sometime fashion me. Thus there received me the\r\ncomforts of woman's milk."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJR8NK5DAD726FMQ6JCHGZ5R","peer_label":"confessions","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJR8M0JHPZXCPKJ34HTYXSWW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJR8RA9T3CW6J0K5FTRZQ2GR","peer_label":"god","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"deity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8R9EGSE57RDPDVP5973PS","peer_label":"project gutenberg","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"organization","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8R9MA6VBKEB5MN43X8BVD","peer_label":"robert s munday","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8R9HXM5XRZ62RRAXBAMVJ","peer_label":"the confessions of st augustine","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"literary_work","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8R9KSM18GR4G96054XGVD","peer_label":"project gutenberg license","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"legal_document","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8R9JVY98GFG5C3H7GSX10","peer_label":"e b pusey","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RABNSNZW5A9ZB6XC61ZS","peer_label":"book i","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"document_section","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RADGEZHBB2EGGK6DDE3T","peer_label":"heaven and earth","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"cosmological_entities","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8R9KKAMXXW0D276SN0Q97","peer_label":"saint augustine","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RA89S7A8KE0B9QDFBZJS","peer_label":"man","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RAA0VB9DAT1J8G4SPVFS","peer_label":"incarnation of thy son","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RB4RZD7PEKBKPFJF89EA","peer_label":"soul","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RAJ0KAADP33353JQVAYQ","peer_label":"preacher","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"religious_role","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RB68HVPAW9J79JXCGHY7","peer_label":"salvation","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RBB9MTJX3PXSAV6VKFJ3","peer_label":"parents of the speaker","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"group_of_people","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RB7HMQVFKDHKG0WH0YAG","peer_label":"transgressions","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RB8F36T4GP3PAQ1X32AD","peer_label":"faith","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:06.207Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-02T21:54:24.685Z","ts":"2026-03-02T21:55:07.183Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}