{"id":"01KJR8Q6G22PM1PM4ED325XK88","cid":"bafkreifn32hf4bz6qujt2epomxuzkvw6dg5ufcliep4k5ewgafaz33cule","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":420897,"char_start":413106,"chunk_index":58,"chunk_total":89,"estimated_tokens":1948,"source_file_key":"confessions","text":"his sons, but by blessing to know them. Or which Jacob saw, when he\r\nalso, blind through great age, with illumined heart, in the persons of\r\nhis sons shed light on the different races of the future people, in\r\nthem foresignified; and laid his hands, mystically crossed, upon\r\nhis grandchildren by Joseph, not as their father by his outward eye\r\ncorrected them, but as himself inwardly discerned. This is the light, it\r\nis one, and all are one, who see and love it. But that corporeal light\r\nwhereof I spake, it seasoneth the life of this world for her blind\r\nlovers, with an enticing and dangerous sweetness. But they who know how\r\nto praise Thee for it, \"O all-creating Lord,\" take it up in Thy hymns,\r\nand are not taken up with it in their sleep. Such would I be. These\r\nseductions of the eyes I resist, lest my feet wherewith I walk upon Thy\r\nway be ensnared; and I lift up mine invisible eyes to Thee, that Thou\r\nwouldest pluck my feet out of the snare. Thou dost ever and anon pluck\r\nthem out, for they are ensnared. Thou ceasest not to pluck them out,\r\nwhile I often entangle myself in the snares on all sides laid; because\r\nThou that keepest Israel shalt neither slumber nor sleep.\r\n\r\nWhat innumerable toys, made by divers arts and manufactures, in our\r\napparel, shoes, utensils and all sorts of works, in pictures also and\r\ndivers images, and these far exceeding all necessary and moderate use\r\nand all pious meaning, have men added to tempt their own eyes withal;\r\noutwardly following what themselves make, inwardly forsaking Him by whom\r\nthemselves were made, and destroying that which themselves have been\r\nmade! But I, my God and my Glory, do hence also sing a hymn to Thee, and\r\ndo consecrate praise to Him who consecrateth me, because those beautiful\r\npatterns which through men's souls are conveyed into their cunning\r\nhands, come from that Beauty, which is above our souls, which my soul\r\nday and night sigheth after. But the framers and followers of the\r\noutward beauties derive thence the rule of judging of them, but not of\r\nusing them. And He is there, though they perceive Him not, that so they\r\nmight not wander, but keep their strength for Thee, and not scatter it\r\nabroad upon pleasurable weariness. And I, though I speak and see this,\r\nentangle my steps with these outward beauties; but Thou pluckest me out,\r\nO Lord, Thou pluckest me out; because Thy loving-kindness is before my\r\neyes. For I am taken miserably, and Thou pluckest me out mercifully;\r\nsometimes not perceiving it, when I had but lightly lighted upon them;\r\notherwhiles with pain, because I had stuck fast in them.\r\n\r\nTo this is added another form of temptation more manifoldly dangerous.\r\nFor besides that concupiscence of the flesh which consisteth in the\r\ndelight of all senses and pleasures, wherein its slaves, who go far from\r\nThee, waste and perish, the soul hath, through the same senses of the\r\nbody, a certain vain and curious desire, veiled under the title of\r\nknowledge and learning, not of delighting in the flesh, but of making\r\nexperiments through the flesh. The seat whereof being in the appetite\r\nof knowledge, and sight being the sense chiefly used for attaining\r\nknowledge, it is in Divine language called The lust of the eyes. For, to\r\nsee, belongeth properly to the eyes; yet we use this word of the other\r\nsenses also, when we employ them in seeking knowledge. For we do not\r\nsay, hark how it flashes, or smell how it glows, or taste how it shines,\r\nor feel how it gleams; for all these are said to be seen. And yet we\r\nsay not only, see how it shineth, which the eyes alone can perceive; but\r\nalso, see how it soundeth, see how it smelleth, see how it tasteth,\r\nsee how hard it is. And so the general experience of the senses, as\r\nwas said, is called The lust of the eyes, because the office of seeing,\r\nwherein the eyes hold the prerogative, the other senses by way\r\nof similitude take to themselves, when they make search after any\r\nknowledge.\r\n\r\nBut by this may more evidently be discerned, wherein pleasure and\r\nwherein curiosity is the object of the senses; for pleasure seeketh\r\nobjects beautiful, melodious, fragrant, savoury, soft; but curiosity,\r\nfor trial's sake, the contrary as well, not for the sake of suffering\r\nannoyance, but out of the lust of making trial and knowing them. For\r\nwhat pleasure hath it, to see in a mangled carcase what will make you\r\nshudder? and yet if it be lying near, they flock thither, to be made\r\nsad, and to turn pale. Even in sleep they are afraid to see it. As if\r\nwhen awake, any one forced them to see it, or any report of its beauty\r\ndrew them thither! Thus also in the other senses, which it were long to\r\ngo through. From this disease of curiosity are all those strange sights\r\nexhibited in the theatre. Hence men go on to search out the hidden\r\npowers of nature (which is besides our end), which to know profits not,\r\nand wherein men desire nothing but to know. Hence also, if with that\r\nsame end of perverted knowledge magical arts be enquired by. Hence also\r\nin religion itself, is God tempted, when signs and wonders are demanded\r\nof Him, not desired for any good end, but merely to make trial of.\r\n\r\nIn this so vast wilderness, full of snares and dangers, behold many of\r\nthem I have cut off, and thrust out of my heart, as Thou hast given me,\r\nO God of my salvation. And yet when dare I say, since so many things of\r\nthis kind buzz on all sides about our daily life--when dare I say that\r\nnothing of this sort engages my attention, or causes in me an idle\r\ninterest? True, the theatres do not now carry me away, nor care I to\r\nknow the courses of the stars, nor did my soul ever consult ghosts\r\ndeparted; all sacrilegious mysteries I detest. From Thee, O Lord my God,\r\nto whom I owe humble and single-hearted service, by what artifices\r\nand suggestions doth the enemy deal with me to desire some sign! But I\r\nbeseech Thee by our King, and by our pure and holy country, Jerusalem,\r\nthat as any consenting thereto is far from me, so may it ever be further\r\nand further. But when I pray Thee for the salvation of any, my end and\r\nintention is far different. Thou givest and wilt give me to follow Thee\r\nwillingly, doing what Thou wilt.\r\n\r\nNotwithstanding, in how many most petty and contemptible things is our\r\ncuriosity daily tempted, and how often we give way, who can recount? How\r\noften do we begin as if we were tolerating people telling vain stories,\r\nlest we offend the weak; then by degrees we take interest therein! I go\r\nnot now to the circus to see a dog coursing a hare; but in the field,\r\nif passing, that coursing peradventure will distract me even from some\r\nweighty thought, and draw me after it: not that I turn aside the body\r\nof my beast, yet still incline my mind thither. And unless Thou, having\r\nmade me see my infirmity didst speedily admonish me either through the\r\nsight itself by some contemplation to rise towards Thee, or altogether\r\nto despise and pass it by, I dully stand fixed therein. What, when\r\nsitting at home, a lizard catching flies, or a spider entangling them\r\nrushing into her nets, oft-times takes my attention? Is the thing\r\ndifferent, because they are but small creatures? I go on from them to\r\npraise Thee the wonderful Creator and Orderer of all, but this does not\r\nfirst draw my attention. It is one thing to rise quickly, another not\r\nto fall. And of such things is my life full; and my one hope is Thy\r\nwonderful great mercy. For when our heart becomes the receptacle of such\r\nthings, and is overcharged with throngs of this abundant vanity, then\r\nare our prayers also thereby often interrupted and distracted, and\r\nwhilst in Thy presence we direct the voice of our heart to Thine ears,\r\nthis so great concern is broken off by the rushing in of I know not what\r\nidle 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