1.1.1
 Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy 
power, and Thy wisdom infinite. And Thee would man praise; man, but 
a particle of Thy creation; man, that bears about him his mortality, 
the witness of his sin, the witness that Thou resistest the proud: 
yet would man praise Thee; he, but a particle of Thy creation. Thou 
awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, 
and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee. Grant me, Lord, 
to know and understand which is first, to call on Thee or to praise 
Thee? and, again, to know Thee or to call on Thee? for who can call 
on Thee, not knowing Thee? for he that knoweth Thee not, may call 
on Thee as other than Thou art. Or, is it rather, that we call on 
Thee that we may know Thee? but how shall they call on Him in whom 
they have not believed? or how shall they believe without a preacher? 
and they that seek the Lord shall praise Him: for they that seek shall 
find Him, and they that find shall praise Him. I will seek Thee, Lord, 
by calling on Thee; and will call on Thee, believing in Thee; for 
to us hast Thou been preached. My faith, Lord, shall call on Thee, 
which Thou hast given me, wherewith Thou hast inspired me, through 
the Incarnation of Thy Son, through the ministry of the Preacher. 
 
1.2.2
 And how shall I call upon my God, my God and Lord, since, when 
I call for Him, I shall be calling Him to myself? and what room is 
there within me, whither my God can come into me? whither can God 
come into me, God who made heaven and earth? is there, indeed, O Lord 
my God, aught in me that can contain Thee? do then heaven and earth, 
which Thou hast made, and wherein Thou hast made me, contain Thee? 
or, because nothing which exists could exist without Thee, doth therefore 
whatever exists contain Thee? Since, then, I too exist, why do I seek 
that Thou shouldest enter into me, who were not, wert Thou not in 
me? Why? because I am not gone down in hell, and yet Thou art there 
also. For if I go down into hell, Thou art there. I could not be then, 
O my God, could not be at all, wert Thou not in me; or, rather, unless 
I were in Thee, of whom are all things, by whom are all things, in 
whom are all things? Even so, Lord, even so. Whither do I call Thee, 
since I am in Thee? or whence canst Thou enter into me? for whither 
can I go beyond heaven and earth, that thence my God should come into 
me, who hath said, I fill the heaven and the earth. 
 
1.3.3
 Do the heaven and earth then contain Thee, since Thou fillest 
them? or dost Thou fill them and yet overflow, since they do not contain 
Thee? And whither, when the heaven and the earth are filled, pourest 
Thou forth the remainder of Thyself? or hast Thou no need that aught 
contain Thee, who containest all things, since what Thou fillest Thou 
fillest by containing it? for the vessels which Thou fillest uphold 
Thee not, since, though they were broken, Thou wert not poured out. 
And when Thou art poured out on us, Thou art not cast down, but Thou 
upliftest us; Thou art not dissipated, but Thou gatherest us. But 
Thou who fillest all things, fillest Thou them with Thy whole self? 
or, since all things cannot contain Thee wholly, do they contain part 
of Thee? and all at once the same part? or each its own part, the 
greater more, the smaller less? And is, then one part of Thee greater, 
another less? or, art Thou wholly every where, while nothing contains 
Thee wholly? 
 
1.4.4
 What art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God? For who is 
Lord but the Lord? or who is God save our God? Most highest, most 
good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; 
most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, 
yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never 
old; all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know 
it not; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet nothing lacking; 
supporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and 
maturing; seeking, yet having all things. Thou lovest, without passion; 
art jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not; art angry, 
yet serene; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again 
what Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing 
in gains; never covetous, yet exacting usury. Thou receivest over 
and above, that Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught that is not Thine? 
Thou payest debts, owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing. 
And what had I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? or what saith 
any man when he speaks of Thee? Yet woe to him that speaketh not, 
since mute are even the most eloquent. 
 
1.5.5
 Oh! that I might repose on Thee! Oh! that Thou wouldest enter 
into my heart, and inebriate it, that I may forget my ills, and embrace 
Thee, my sole good! What art Thou to me? In Thy pity, teach me to 
utter it. Or what am I to Thee that Thou demandest my love, and, if 
I give it not, art wroth with me, and threatenest me with grievous 
woes? Is it then a slight woe to love Thee not? Oh! for Thy mercies' 
sake, tell me, O Lord my God, what Thou art unto me. Say unto my soul, 
I am thy salvation. So speak, that I may hear. Behold, Lord, my heart 
is before Thee; open Thou the ears thereof, and say unto my soul, 
I am thy salvation. After this voice let me haste, and take hold on 
Thee. Hide not Thy face from me. Let me die- lest I die- only let 
me see Thy face. 
 
1.5.6
 Narrow is the mansion of my soul; enlarge Thou it, that Thou 
mayest enter in. It is ruinous; repair Thou it. It has that within 
which must offend Thine eyes; I confess and know it. But who shall 
cleanse it? or to whom should I cry, save Thee? Lord, cleanse me from 
my secret faults, and spare Thy servant from the power of the enemy. 
I believe, and therefore do I speak. Lord, Thou knowest. Have I not 
confessed against myself my transgressions unto Thee, and Thou, my 
God, hast forgiven the iniquity of my heart? I contend not in judgment 
with Thee, who art the truth; I fear to deceive myself; lest mine 
iniquity lie unto itself. Therefore I contend not in judgment with 
Thee; for if Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall 
abide it? 
 
1.6.7
 Yet suffer me to speak unto Thy mercy, me, dust and ashes. Yet 
suffer me to speak, since I speak to Thy mercy, and not to scornful 
man. Thou too, perhaps, despisest me, yet wilt Thou return and have 
compassion upon me. For what would I say, O Lord my God, but that 
I know not whence I came into this dying life (shall I call it?) or 
living death. Then immediately did the comforts of Thy compassion 
take me up, as I heard (for I remember it not) from the parents of 
my flesh, out of whose substance Thou didst sometime fashion me. Thus 
there received me the comforts of woman's milk. For neither my mother 
nor my nurses stored their own breasts for me; but Thou didst bestow 
the food of my infancy through them, according to Thine ordinance, 
whereby Thou distributest Thy riches through the hidden springs of 
all things. Thou also gavest me to desire no more than Thou gavest; 
and to my nurses willingly to give me what Thou gavest them. For they, 
with a heaven-taught affection, willingly gave me what they abounded 
with from Thee. For this my good from them, was good for them. Nor, 
indeed, from them was it, but through them; for from Thee, O God, 
are all good things, and from my God is all my health. This I since 
learned, Thou, through these Thy gifts, within me and without, proclaiming 
Thyself unto me. For then I knew but to suck; to repose in what pleased, 
and cry at what offended my flesh; nothing more.