Page:The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages.djvu/147

 VI] BEAUTY AND LOVE 129 eternal truth. Such love is the synthesis of all ele- ments of life, wherein no noble element is lost, wherein desire of knowledge in itself and beauty in itself gain further sanction as true modes of life's completion. Augustine knew the whole nature of love, its final object, and its true proportionings and directings of itself thereto. Man can be at one with himself only in Grod. Augustine had proved this in the restless- ness of his early manhood: "Thou hast made us toward Thee, and unquiet is our heart until it rests in Thee." ^ This was true of Augustine, a representa- tive man; likewise it was true of the yearning of those centuries which produced Neo-platonism, as well as turned to Christ. Augustine was athirst for God ; his heart was stricken, bathed, healed, and given peace and joy, with the love of God. "Not with doubting but certain consciousness {conscientia)y Lord, I love thee. Thou hast struck my heart with thy Word, and I have loved Thee. But also heaven and the earth and all that therein is, lo, from every quar- ter they tell me I should love thee." " That is the blessed life {beata vita) to rejoice toward Thee, con- cerning Thee and because of Thee." " Give me Thy- self, my God, give Thyself to me . . . All my plenty which is not my God is need." * This is the heart's need of God and need to love Him, and the heart's fulness of life which that love brings. What Augustine's heart felt, his mind could analyze. " That then is love (dilectioy Aydmf) which is ^ C C<nrtS9ion$, X, » and 32; XIU. 0.