- cid
- bafkreihrenoithucyrvz24tmrekdjr7nttvlewjiaiiuit2dafssoyrxmy
- content_type
- image/jpeg
- filename
- confessionsofsaugu00augu_page_0053.jpg
- height
- 2325
- key
- pdf-page-1769747276337-ksa2tzhblh
- ocr_model
- mistral-ocr-latest
- page_number
- 53
- pdf_type
- scanned
- size
- 713608
- text
- The Confessions of S. Augustine. 27
near our vineyard, laden with fruit, tempting neither in form nor flavour. To shake and rob this, some base young fellows of us went, late one night, after having, according to our abominable habit, kept up our fun in the streets till then; and took huge loads, not for a feast for ourselves, but to fling to the very hogs, having only tasted them. And this was done by us only for the pleasure of doing what we ought not. Behold my heart, O God, behold my heart, which Thou hadst pity upon in the bottom of the abyss. Now, behold, let my heart tell Thee, what it sought there, that I should be gratuitously wicked, having no temptation to that evil deed, but the evil deed itself. It was foul, and I loved it; I loved to perish, I loved mine own fault, not that for the sake of which I committed the fault, but my fault itself I loved. Foul soul, falling from Thy firmament to expulsion from thy presence; not, asking aught through the shame, but the shame itself!
## CHAPTER V.
*That the motive to sin lies not in mere love of evil, but in the desire to acquire something.*
FOR there is a beauty in fair bodies, in gold and silver, and all things; and in bodily touch, sympathy counts for much, and of the other senses each hath his corresponding measure of enjoyment. Worldly honour hath also its attractiveness, and the power of command and of conquest; whence springs also the longing for revenge. But yet, to obtain all these, we may not depart from Thee, O Lord, nor wander from Thy law. The life also which here we live hath its own enchantment, through a certain measure of dignity, and a correspondence with all things beautiful here below. Human friendship also is pleasant with its tie of affection, by reason of the unity formed of many souls. Upon occasion of all these, and the like, is sin committed, while through an immoderate inclination towards these goods of the lowest order, the better and higher are forsaken,—Thou, our Lord God, Thy truth, and Thy law. For these lower things have their delights, but not like my God, who made all things; for “in Him doth the righteous delight, and He is the joy of the true of heart” (Ps. lxiv. 10).
- text_extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T04:35:15.082Z
- text_extracted_by
- ocr-service
- text_has_content
- true
- text_images_count
- 0
- text_source
- ocr
- uploaded
- true
- width
- 1438