The Confessions of Saint Augustine (Outler)/Book I/Chapter II


 * That God, upon whom we call, is in us, and we in him.

And how shall I call upon God, my God and Lord? For when I shall call for Him, I shall be calling him to myself! and what room is there within me, whither my God may come to me? whither may God come to me, God who made heaven and earth? is there, indeed, O Lord my God, aught in me that can contain Thee? do even heaven and earth, which Thou hast made, and wherein Thou hast made me, contain Thee? or, since without Thee, not anything that is, could be, does it follow that anything that is doth contain Thee? Since, then, I too am of such a nature, why do I crave that Thou shouldest come to me, who were not, wert Thou not in me? For not yet am I gone down to hell, and yet Thou art there also. For "if I go down into hell, Thou art there also" (Ps. cxxxix. 7). I could not then be, O my God, I could not be at all, wert Thou not in me; or is it not rather that I could not be unless I were in Thee "of whom are all things, by whom are all things, in whom are all things"? (Rom. xi. 36). Even so, Lord, even so. Whither do I call Thee, since I am in Thee? or whence canst Thou come to me? for whither can I go away beyond heaven and earth, that thence my God should come to me, who hath said, "I fill heaven and earth" (Jer. xxiii. 24).