忏悔录 第一卷 第一章 作者:奥古斯丁 翻译：邹光

奥古斯丁：忏悔录

第一卷 第一章

翻译：邹光

“主啊，你真伟大，我们赞美你；你有无上的大能、无限的智慧。”
人渴望赞美你，因他是你所创万有的一部份，他必要死亡，因他是有偏差的，这是您拒绝骄傲的明证。尽管如此，他依然渴望赞美你，这人是您所创万有中渺小的一分子。您鼓励他，让他在对您的赞美中得喜乐。因为我们是为您而造，至到进入您的安息，我们的心才能安宁。主啊，请让我知道和了解是该先向您祈求还是先向您赞美，是先认识您还是先求告您。但谁能不认识您，就祈求您呢？因为不认识你而求告，可能并不是向你求告。或许向你求告是为了认识你？“ 然而人未曾信他，怎能求他呢。未曾听见他，怎能信他呢。没有传道的，怎能听见呢。”（罗10:14）现在，“寻求耶和华的人必赞美他”（诗22:26）因为“那些寻找的，就寻见他”（太7:7）寻到主的人必赞美主。主啊，我要寻找您，呼唤您，我向您求。主啊，以您给我的信心向您求，以您通过您爱子的人性启迪我而得的信心向您求，以通过传道人的事工而得的信心向您求。


AUGUSTINE: CONFESSIONS

BOOK 1

CHAPTER I

1. "Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy

power, and infinite is thy wisdom." [6] And man desires to praise thee,

for he is a part of thy creation; he bears his mortality about with him

and carries the evidence of his sin and the proof that thou dost resist

the proud. Still he desires to praise thee, this man who is only a

small part of thy creation. Thou hast prompted him, that he should

delight to praise thee, for thou hast made us for thyself and restless

is our heart until it comes to rest in thee. Grant me, O Lord, to know

and understand whether first to invoke thee or to praise thee; whether

first to know thee or call upon thee. But who can invoke thee, knowing

thee not? For he who knows thee not may invoke thee as another than

thou art. It may be that we should invoke thee in order that we may

come to know thee. But "how shall they call on him in whom they have

not believed? Or how shall they believe without a preacher?" [7] Now,

"they shall praise the Lord who seek him," [8] for "those who seek

shall find him," [9] and, finding him, shall praise him. I will seek

thee, O Lord, and call upon thee. I call upon thee, O Lord, in my faith

which thou hast given me, which thou hast inspired in me through the

humanity of thy Son, and through the ministry of thy preacher.