The Confessions of Saint Augustine CHAPTER I

1. "Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; greatis thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom."[6] And man desires topraise thee, for he is a part of thy creation; he bears hismortality about with him and carries the evidence of his sin andthe proof that thou dost resist the proud. Still he desires topraise thee, this man who is only a small part of thy creation.Thou hast prompted him, that he should delight to praise thee, forthou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until itcomes to rest in thee. Grant me, O Lord, to know and understandwhether first to invoke thee or to praise thee; whether first toknow thee or call upon thee. But who can invoke thee, knowingthee not? For he who knows thee not may invoke thee as anotherthan thou art. It may be that we should invoke thee in order thatwe may come to know thee. But "how shall they call on him in whomthey have not believed? Or how shall they believe without apreacher?"[7] Now, "they shall praise the Lord who seek him,"[8]for "those who seek shall find him,"[9] and, finding him, shallpraise him. I will seek thee, O Lord, and call upon thee. I callupon thee, O Lord, in my faith which thou hast given me, whichthou hast inspired in me through the humanity of thy Son, andthrough the ministry of thy preacher.[10]