{"product_id":"2940012352774","title":"THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE","description":"BOOK I\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreat art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy\u003cbr\u003epower, and Thy wisdom infinite.   And Thee would man praise; man, but\u003cbr\u003ea particle of Thy creation; man, that bears about him his mortality,\u003cbr\u003ethe witness of his sin, the witness that Thou resistest the proud: yet\u003cbr\u003ewould man praise Thee; he, but a particle of Thy creation.   Thou\u003cbr\u003eawakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself,\u003cbr\u003eand our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.   Grant me, Lord, to\u003cbr\u003eknow and understand which is first, to call on Thee or to praise Thee?\u003cbr\u003eand, again, to know Thee or to call on Thee? for who can call on Thee,\u003cbr\u003enot knowing Thee? for he that knoweth Thee not, may call on Thee as\u003cbr\u003eother than Thou art.   Or, is it rather, that we call on Thee that we\u003cbr\u003emay know Thee? but how shall they call on Him in whom they have not\u003cbr\u003ebelieved? or how shall they believe without a preacher? and they\u003cbr\u003ethat seek the Lord shall praise Him: for they that seek shall find\u003cbr\u003eHim, and they that find shall praise Him.   I will seek Thee, Lord, by\u003cbr\u003ecalling on Thee; and will call on Thee, believing in Thee; for to us\u003cbr\u003ehast Thou been preached.   My faith, Lord, shall call on Thee, which\u003cbr\u003eThou hast given me, wherewith Thou hast inspired me, through the\u003cbr\u003eIncarnation of Thy Son, through the ministry of the Preacher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd how shall I call upon my God, my God and Lord, since, when I\u003cbr\u003ecall for Him, I shall be calling Him to myself? and what room is there\u003cbr\u003ewithin me, whither my God can come into me? whither can God come\u003cbr\u003einto me, God who made heaven and earth? is there, indeed, O Lord my\u003cbr\u003eGod, aught in me that can contain Thee? do then heaven and earth,\u003cbr\u003ewhich Thou hast made, and wherein Thou hast made me, contain Thee? or,\u003cbr\u003ebecause nothing which exists could exist without Thee, doth\u003cbr\u003etherefore whatever exists contain Thee?  Since, then, I too exist,\u003cbr\u003ewhy do I seek that Thou shouldest enter into me, who were not, wert\u003cbr\u003eThou not in me?  Why? because I am not gone down in hell, and yet\u003cbr\u003eThou art there also.   For if I go down into hell, Thou art there.   I\u003cbr\u003ecould not be then, O my God, could not be at all, wert Thou not in me;\u003cbr\u003eor, rather, unless I were in Thee, of whom are all things, by whom are\u003cbr\u003eall things, in whom are all things?  Even so, Lord, even so.   Whither do\u003cbr\u003eI call Thee, since I am in Thee? or whence canst Thou enter into me?\u003cbr\u003efor whither can I go beyond heaven and earth, that thence my God\u003cbr\u003eshould come into me, who hath said, I fill the heaven and the earth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDo the heaven and earth then contain Thee, since Thou fillest\u003cbr\u003ethem? or dost Thou fill them and yet overflow, since they do not\u003cbr\u003econtain Thee?  And whither, when the heaven and the earth are filled,\u003cbr\u003epourest Thou forth the remainder of Thyself? or hast Thou no need that\u003cbr\u003eaught contain Thee, who containest all things, since what Thou fillest\u003cbr\u003eThou fillest by containing it? for the vessels which Thou fillest\u003cbr\u003euphold Thee not, since, though they were broken, Thou wert not\u003cbr\u003epoured out.  And when Thou art poured out on us, Thou art not cast\u003cbr\u003edown, but Thou upliftest us; Thou art not dissipated, but Thou\u003cbr\u003egatherest us.  But Thou who fillest all things, fillest Thou them\u003cbr\u003ewith Thy whole self? or, since all things cannot contain Thee\u003cbr\u003ewholly, do they contain part of Thee? and all at once the same part?\u003cbr\u003eor each its own part, the greater more, the smaller less?  And is, then\u003cbr\u003eone part of Thee greater, another less? or, art Thou wholly every\u003cbr\u003ewhere, while nothing contains Thee wholly?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God?  For who is\u003cbr\u003eLord but the Lord? or who is God save our God?  Most highest, most\u003cbr\u003egood, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most\u003cbr\u003ehidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, yet\u003cbr\u003eincomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never\u003cbr\u003eold; all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it\u003cbr\u003enot; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet nothing lacking;\u003cbr\u003esupporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and\u003cbr\u003ematuring; seeking, yet having all things.  Thou lovest, without\u003cbr\u003epassion; art jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not;\u003cbr\u003eart angry, yet serene; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged;\u003cbr\u003ereceivest again what Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in\u003cbr\u003eneed, yet rejoicing in gains; never covetous, yet exacting usury.  Thou\u003cbr\u003ereceivest over and above, that Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught\u003cbr\u003ethat is not Thine?  Thou payest debts, owing nothing; remittest\u003cbr\u003edebts, losing nothing.  And what had I now said, my God, my life, my\u003cbr\u003eholy joy? or what saith any man when he speaks of Thee?  Yet woe to him\u003cbr\u003ethat speaketh not, since mute are even the most eloquent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh! that I might repose on Thee!","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47069275488496,"sku":"2940012352774","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940012352774_p0.jpg?v=1763567565","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940012352774","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}