第8章

CHAPTERV 7。But_how_didstthoumaketheheavenandtheearth，andwhatwasthetoolofsuchamightyworkasthine？Foritwasnotlikeahumanworkerfashioningbodyfrombody，accordingtothefancyofhismind，ablesomehoworothertoimposeonitaformwhichthemindperceivedinitselfbyitsinnereye(yethowshouldevenhebeabletodothis，ifthouhadstnotmadethatmind？)。Heimposestheformonsomethingalreadyexistingandhavingsomesortofbeing，suchasclay，orstoneorwoodorgoldorsuchlike(andwherewouldthesethingscomefromifthouhadstnotfurnishedthem？)。Forthoumadesthisbodyfortheartisan，andthoumadestthemindwhichdirectsthelimbs；thoumadestthematterfromwhichhemakesanything；thoudidstcreatethecapacitybywhichheunderstandshisartandseeswithinhismindwhathemaydowiththethingsbeforehim；thougavesthimhisbodilysensebywhich，asifhehadaninterpreter，hemaycommunicatefrommindtomatterwhatheproposestodoandreportbacktohismindwhathasbeendone，thatthemindmayconsultwiththeTruthwhichpresidethoveritastowhetherwhatisdoneiswelldone。 Allthesethingspraisethee，theCreatorofthemall。Buthowdidstthoumakethem？How，OGod，didstthoumaketheheavenandearth？Fortruly，neitherinheavennoronearthdidstthoumakeheavenandearth——norintheairnorinthewaters，sinceallofthesealsobelongtotheheavenandtheearth。Nowhereinthewholeworlddidstthoumakethewholeworld，becausetherewasnoplacewhereitcouldbemadebeforeitwasmade。Andthoudidstnotholdanythinginthyhandfromwhichtofashiontheheavenandtheearth，[421]forwherecouldstthouhavegottenwhatthouhadstnotmadeinordertomakesomethingwithit？Isthere，indeed，anythingatallexceptbecausethouart？Thusthoudidstspeakandtheyweremade，[422]andbythyWordthoudidstmakethemall。 CHAPTERVI 8。Buthowdidstthouspeak？Wasitinthesamemannerinwhichthevoicecamefromthecloudsaying，”ThisismybelovedSon”[423]？Forthatvoicesoundedforthanddiedaway；itbeganandended。Thesyllablessoundedandpassedaway，thesecondafterthefirst，thethirdafterthesecond，andthenceinorder，tilltheverylastafteralltherest；andsilenceafterthelast。 Fromthisitisclearandplainthatitwastheactionofacreature，itselfintime，whichsoundedthatvoice，obeyingthyeternalwill。Andwhatthesewordswerewhichwereformedatthattimetheouterearconveyedtotheconsciousmind，whoseinnerearlayattentivelyopentothyeternalWord。Butitcomparedthosewordswhichsoundedintimewiththyeternalwordsoundinginsilenceandsaid:”Thisisdifferent；quitedifferent！Thesewordsarefarbelowme；theyarenotevenreal，fortheyflyawayandpass，buttheWordofmyGodremainsabovemeforever。”If，then，inwordsthatsoundandfadeawaythoudidstsaythatheavenandearthshouldbemade，andthus_madest_heavenandearth，thentherewasalreadysomekindofcorporealcreature_before_heavenandearthbywhosemotionsintimethatvoicemighthavehaditsoccurrenceintime。Buttherewasnothingcorporealbeforetheheavenandtheearth；oriftherewas，thenitiscertainthatalready，withoutatime-boundvoice，thouhadstcreatedwhateveritwasoutofwhichthoudidstmakethetime-boundvoicebywhichthoudidstsay，”Lettheheavenandtheearthbemade！”Forwhateveritwasoutofwhichsuchavoicewasmadesimplydidnotexistatalluntilitwasmadebythee。WasitdecreedbythyWordthatabodymightbemadefromwhichsuchwordsmightcome？ CHAPTERVII 9。Thoudostcallus，then，tounderstandtheWord——theGodwhoisGodwiththee——whichisspokeneternallyandbywhichallthingsarespokeneternally。Forwhatwasfirstspokenwasnotfinished，andthensomethingelsespokenuntilthewholeserieswasspoken；butallthings，atthesametimeandforever。 For，otherwise，weshouldhavetimeandchangeandnotatrueeternity，noratrueimmortality。 ThisIknow，OmyGod，andIgivethanks。Iknow，Iconfesstothee，OLord，andwhoeverisnotungratefulforcertaintruthsknowsandblessestheealongwithme。Weknow，OLord，thismuchweknow:thatinthesameproportionasanythingisnotwhatitwas，andiswhatitwasnot，inthatverysameproportionitpassesawayorcomestobe。ButthereisnothinginthyWordthatpassesawayorreturnstoitsplace；foritistrulyimmortalandeternal。And，therefore，untotheWordcoeternalwiththee，atthesametimeandalwaysthousayestallthatthousayest。Andwhateverthousayestshallbemadeismade，andthoumakestnothingotherwisethanbyspeaking。Still，notallthethingsthatthoudostmakebyspeakingaremadeatthesametimeandalways。 CHAPTERVIII 10。Whyisthis，Iaskofthee，OLordmyGod？Iseeitafterafashion，butIdonotknowhowtoexpressit，unlessIsaythateverythingthatbeginstobeandthenceasestobebeginsandceaseswhenitisknowninthyeternalReasonthatitoughttobeginorcease——inthyeternalReasonwherenothingbeginsorceases。AndthisisthyWord，whichisalso”theBeginning，” becauseitalsospeakstous。[424]Thus，inthegospel，hespokethroughtheflesh；andthissoundedintheoutwardearsofmensothatitmightbebelievedandsoughtforwithin，andsothatitmightbefoundintheeternalTruth，inwhichthegoodandonlyMasterteachethallhisdisciples。[425]There，OLord，Ihearthyvoice，thevoiceofonespeakingtome，sincehewhoteachethusspeakethtous。Buthethatdothnotteachusdothnotreallyspeaktousevenwhenhespeaketh。YetwhoisitthatteachethusunlessitbetheTruthimmutable？Forevenwhenweareinstructedbymeansofthemutablecreation，wearetherebyledtotheTruthimmutable。Therewelearntrulyaswestandandhearhim，andwerejoicegreatly”becauseofthebridegroom’svoice，”[426] restoringustothesourcewhenceourbeingcomes。Andtherefore，unlesstheBeginningremainedimmutable，therewouldthennotbeaplacetowhichwemightreturnwhenwehadwanderedaway。Butwhenwereturnfromerror，itisthroughourgainingknowledgethatwereturn。Inorderforustogainknowledgeheteachethus，sinceheistheBeginning，andspeakethtous。 CHAPTERIX 11。InthisBeginning，OGod，thouhastmadeheavenandearth——throughthyWord，thySon，thyPower，thyWisdom，thyTruth:allwondrouslyspeakingandwondrouslycreating。Whoshallcomprehendsuchthingsandwhoshalltellofit？Whatisitthatshineththroughmeandstrikethmyheartwithoutinjury，sothatI bothshudderandburn？IshudderbecauseIamunlikeit；IburnbecauseIamlikeit。ItisWisdomitselfthatshineththroughme，clearingawaymyfog，whichsoreadilyoverwhelmsmesothatI faintinit，inthedarknessandburdenofmypunishment。Formystrengthisbroughtdowninneediness，sothatIcannotendureevenmyblessingsuntilthou，OLord，whohastbeengracioustoallmyiniquities，alsohealestallmyinfirmities——foritisthouwho”shaltredeemmylifefromcorruption，andcrownmewithloving-kindnessandtendermercy，andshaltsatisfymydesirewithgoodthingssothatmyyouthshallberenewedliketheeagle’s。”[427]Forbythishopewearesaved，andthroughpatienceweawaitthypromises。Lethimthatisableheartheespeakingtohisinnermind。Iwillcryoutwithconfidencebecauseofthyownoracle，”Howwonderfularethyworks，OLord； inwisdomthouhastmadethemall。”[428]AndthisWisdomistheBeginning，andinthatBeginningthouhastmadeheavenandearth。 CHAPTERX 12。Now，arenotthosestillfulloftheiroldcarnalnature[429]whoaskus:”WhatwasGoddoing_before_hemadeheavenandearth？Forifhewasidle，”theysay，”anddoingnothing，thenwhydidhenotcontinueinthatstateforever—— doingnothing，ashehadalwaysdone？IfanynewmotionhasariseninGod，andanewwilltoformacreature，whichhehadneverbeforeformed，howcanthatbeatrueeternityinwhichanactofwilloccursthatwasnottherebefore？ForthewillofGodisnotacreatedthing，butcomesbeforethecreation——andthisistruebecausenothingcouldbecreatedunlessthewilloftheCreatorcamebeforeit。ThewillofGod，therefore，pertainstohisveryEssence。YetifanythinghasarisenintheEssenceofGodthatwasnottherebefore，thenthatEssencecannottrulybecalledeternal。ButifitwastheeternalwillofGodthatthecreationshouldcometobe，why，then，isnotthecreationitselfalsofrometernity？”[430] CHAPTERXI 13。Thosewhosaythesethingsdonotyetunderstandthee，O WisdomofGod，OLightofsouls。Theydonotyetunderstandhowthethingsaremadethataremadebyandinthee。Theyendeavortocomprehendeternalthings，buttheirheartstillfliesaboutinthepastandfuturemotionsofcreatedthings，andisstillunstable。Whoshallholditandfixitsothatitmaycometorestforalittle；andthen，bydegrees，glimpsethegloryofthateternitywhichabidesforever；andthen，comparingeternitywiththetemporalprocessinwhichnothingabides，theymayseethattheyareincommensurable？Theywouldseethatalongtimedoesnotbecomelong，exceptfromthemanyseparateeventsthatoccurinitspassage，whichcannotbesimultaneous。IntheEternal，ontheotherhand，nothingpassesaway，butthewholeissimultaneouslypresent。Butnotemporalprocessiswhollysimultaneous。Therefore，letit[431]seethatalltimepastisforcedtomoveonbytheincomingfuture；thatallthefuturefollowsfromthepast；andthatall，pastandfuture，iscreatedandissuesoutofthatwhichisforeverpresent。Whowillholdtheheartofmanthatitmaystandstillandseehowtheeternitywhichalwaysstandsstillisitselfneitherfuturenorpastbutexpressesitselfinthetimesthatarefutureandpast？Canmyhanddothis，orcanthehandofmymouthbringaboutsodifficultathingevenbypersuasion？ CHAPTERXII 14。How，then，shallIrespondtohimwhoasks，”WhatwasGoddoing_before_hemadeheavenandearth？”Idonotanswer，asacertainoneisreportedtohavedonefacetiously(shruggingofftheforceofthequestion)。”Hewaspreparinghell，”hesaid，”forthosewhoprytoodeep。”Itisonethingtoseetheanswer； itisanothertolaughatthequestioner——andformyselfIdonotanswerthesethingsthus。MorewillinglywouldIhaveanswered，”IdonotknowwhatIdonotknow，”thancauseonewhoaskedadeepquestiontoberidiculed——andbysuchtacticsgainpraiseforaworthlessanswer。 Rather，Isaythatthou，ourGod，arttheCreatorofeverycreature。Andifintheterm”heavenandearth”everycreatureisincluded，Imakeboldtosayfurther:”BeforeGodmadeheavenandearth，hedidnotmakeanythingatall。Forifhedid，whatdidhemakeunlessitwereacreature？”IdoindeedwishthatIknewallthatIdesiretoknowtomyprofitassurelyasIknowthatnocreaturewasmadebeforeanycreaturewasmade。 CHAPTERXIII 15。Butiftherovingthoughtofsomeoneshouldwanderovertheimagesofpasttime，andwonderthatthou，theAlmightyGod，theAll-creatingandAll-sustaining，theArchitectofheavenandearth，didstforagesunnumberedabstainfromsogreataworkbeforethoudidstactuallydoit，lethimawakeandconsiderthathewondersatillusions。Forinwhattemporalmediumcouldtheunnumberedagesthatthoudidstnotmakepassby，sincethouarttheAuthorandCreatorofalltheages？Orwhatperiodsoftimewouldthosebethatwerenotmadebythee？Orhowcouldtheyhavealreadypassedawayiftheyhadnotalreadybeen？Since，therefore，thouarttheCreatorofalltimes，iftherewasanytime_before_thoumadestheavenandearth，whyisitsaidthatthouwastabstainingfromworking？Forthoumadestthatverytimeitself，andperiodscouldnotpassby_before_thoumadestthewholetemporalprocession。Butiftherewasnotime_before_ heavenandearth，how，then，canitbeasked，”Whatwastthoudoingthen？”Fortherewasno”then”whentherewasnotime。 16。Nordostthouprecedeanygivenperiodoftimebyanotherperiodoftime。Elsethouwouldstnotprecedeallperiodsoftime。Intheeminenceofthyever-presenteternity，thouprecedestalltimespast，andextendestbeyondallfuturetimes，fortheyarestilltocome——andwhentheyhavecome，theywillbepast。But”ThouartalwaystheSelfsameandthyyearsshallhavenoend。”[432]Thyyearsneithergonorcome；butoursbothgoandcomeinorderthatallseparatemomentsmaycometopass。 Allthyyearsstandtogetherasone，sincetheyareabiding。Nordothyyearspastexcludetheyearstocomebecausethyyearsdonotpassaway。Alltheseyearsofoursshallbewiththee，whenallofthemshallhaveceasedtobe。Thyyearsarebutaday，andthydayisnotrecurrent，butalwaystoday。Thy”today”yieldsnottotomorrowanddoesnotfollowyesterday。Thy”today”iseternity。Therefore，thoudidstgeneratetheCoeternal，towhomthoudidstsay，”ThisdayIhavebegottenthee。”[433]Thoumadestalltimeandbeforealltimesthouart，andtherewasneveratimewhentherewasnotime。 CHAPTERXIV 17。Therewasnotime，therefore，whenthouhadstnotmadeanything，becausethouhadstmadetimeitself。Andtherearenotimesthatarecoeternalwiththee，becausethoudostabideforever；butiftimesshouldabide，theywouldnotbetimes。 Forwhatistime？Whocaneasilyandbrieflyexplainit？ Whocanevencomprehenditinthoughtorputtheanswerintowords？Yetisitnottruethatinconversationwerefertonothingmorefamiliarlyorknowinglythantime？Andsurelyweunderstanditwhenwespeakofit；weunderstanditalsowhenwehearanotherspeakofit。 What，then，istime？Ifnooneasksme，Iknowwhatitis。 IfIwishtoexplainittohimwhoasksme，Idonotknow。YetI saywithconfidencethatIknowthatifnothingpassedaway，therewouldbenopasttime；andifnothingwerestillcoming，therewouldbenofuturetime；andiftherewerenothingatall，therewouldbenopresenttime。 But，then，howisitthattherearethetwotimes，pastandfuture，wheneventhepastisnownolongerandthefutureisnownotyet？Butifthepresentwerealwayspresent，anddidnotpassintopasttime，itobviouslywouldnotbetimebuteternity。If，then，timepresent——ifitbetime——comesintoexistenceonlybecauseitpassesintotimepast，howcanwesaythateventhisis，sincethecauseofitsbeingisthatitwillceasetobe？ Thus，canwenottrulysaythattime_is_onlyasittendstowardnonbeing？ CHAPTERXV 18。Andyetwespeakofalongtimeandashorttime；butneverspeakthiswayexceptoftimepastandfuture。Wecallahundredyearsago，forexample，alongtimepast。Inlikemanner，weshouldcallahundredyearshencealongtimetocome。Butwecalltendaysagoashorttimepast；andtendayshenceashorttimetocome。Butinwhatsenseissomethinglongorshortthatisnonexistent？Forthepastisnotnow，andthefutureisnotyet。Therefore，letusnotsay，”It_is_long”；instead，letussayofthepast，”It_was_long，”andofthefuture，”It_willbe_ long。”Andyet，OLord，myLight，shallnotthytruthmakemockeryofmanevenhere？Forthatlongtimepast:wasitlongwhenitwasalreadypast，orwhenitwasstillpresent？Foritmighthavebeenlongwhentherewasaperiodthatcouldbelong，butwhenitwaspast，itnolongerwas。Inthatcase，thatwhichwasnotatallcouldnotbelong。Letusnot，therefore，say，”Timepastwaslong，”forweshallnotdiscoverwhatitwasthatwaslongbecause，sinceitispast，itnolongerexists。Rather，letussaythat”time_present_waslong，becausewhenitwaspresentit_was_long。”Forthenithadnotyetpassedonsoasnottobe，andthereforeitstillwasinastatethatcouldbecalledlong。 Butafteritpassed，itceasedtobelongsimplybecauseitceasedtobe。 19。Letus，therefore，Ohumansoul，seewhetherpresenttimecanbelong，forithasbeengivenyoutofeelandmeasuretheperiodsoftime。How，then，willyouanswerme？ Isahundredyearswhenpresentalongtime？But，first，seewhetherahundredyearscanbepresentatonce。Forifthefirstyearinthecenturyiscurrent，thenitispresenttime，andtheotherninetyandninearestillfuture。Therefore，theyarenotyet。But，then，ifthesecondyeariscurrent，oneyearisalreadypast，thesecondpresent，andalltherestarefuture。 Andthus，ifwefixonanymiddleyearofthiscenturyaspresent，thosebeforeitarepast，thoseafteritarefuture。Therefore，ahundredyearscannotbepresentallatonce。 Letussee，then，whethertheyearthatisnowcurrentcanbepresent。Forifitsfirstmonthiscurrent，thentherestarefuture；ifthesecond，thefirstisalreadypast，andtheremainderarenotyet。Therefore，thecurrentyearisnotpresentallatonce。Andifitisnotpresentasawhole，thentheyearisnotpresent。Forittakestwelvemonthstomaketheyear，fromwhicheachindividualmonthwhichiscurrentisitselfpresentoneatatime，buttherestareeitherpastorfuture。 20。Thusitcomesoutthattimepresent，whichwefoundwastheonlytimethatcouldbecalled”long，”hasbeencutdowntothespaceofscarcelyasingleday。Butletusexamineeventhat，foronedayisneverpresentasawhole。Foritismadeupoftwenty-fourhours，dividedbetweennightandday。Thefirstofthesehourshastherestofthemasfuture，andthelastofthemhastherestaspast；butanyofthosebetweenhasthosethatprecededitaspastandthosethatsucceeditasfuture。Andthatonehouritselfpassesawayinfleetingfractions。Thepartofitthathasfledispast；whatremainsisstillfuture。Ifanyfractionoftimebeconceivedthatcannotnowbedividedevenintothemostminutemomentarypoint，thisaloneiswhatwemaycalltimepresent。Butthisfliessorapidlyfromfuturetopastthatitcannotbeextendedbyanydelay。Forifitisextended，itisthendividedintopastandfuture。Butthepresenthasnoextension[434]whatever。 Where，therefore，isthattimewhichwemaycall”long”？Isitfuture？Actuallywedonotsayofthefuture，”Itislong，” forithasnotyetcometobe，soastobelong。Instead，wesay，”Itwillbelong。”_When_willitbe？Forsinceitisfuture，itwillnotbelong，forwhatmaybelongisnotyet。Itwillbelongonlywhenitpassesfromthefuturewhichisnotasyet，andwillhavebeguntobepresent，sothattherecanbesomethingthatmaybelong。Butinthatcase，timepresentcriesaloud，inthewordswehavealreadyheard，thatitcannotbe”long。” CHAPTERXVI 21。Andyet，OLord，wedoperceiveintervalsoftime，andwecomparethemwitheachother，andwesaythatsomearelongerandothersareshorter。Weevenmeasurehowmuchlongerorshorterthistimemaybethanthattime。Andwesaythatthistimeistwiceaslong，orthreetimesaslong，whilethisothertimeisonlyjustaslongasthatother。Butwemeasurethepassageoftimewhenwemeasuretheintervalsofperception。Butwhocanmeasuretimespastwhichnowarenolonger，ortimesfuturewhicharenotyet——unlessperhapssomeonewilldaretosaythatwhatdoesnotexistcanbemeasured？Therefore，whiletimeispassing，itcanbeperceivedandmeasured；butwhenitispast，itcannot，sinceitisnot。 CHAPTERXVII 22。Iamseekingthetruth，OFather；Iamnotaffirmingit。 OmyGod，directandruleme。 Whoistherewhowilltellmethattherearenotthreetimes——aswelearnedwhenboysandaswehavealsotaughtboys——timepast，timepresent，andtimefuture？Whocansaythatthereisonlytimepresentbecausetheothertwodonotexist？Ordotheyalsoexist；butwhen，fromthefuture，timebecomespresent，itproceedsfromsomesecretplace；andwhen，fromtimespresent，itbecomespast，itrecedesintosomesecretplace？Forwherehavethosemenwhohaveforetoldthefutureseenthethingsforetold，ifthentheywerenotyetexisting？Forwhatdoesnotexistcannotbeseen。Andthosewhotellofthingspastcouldnotspeakofthemasiftheyweretrue，iftheydidnotseethemintheirminds。Thesethingscouldinnowaybediscernediftheydidnotexist。Therearethereforetimespresentandtimespast。 CHAPTERXVIII 23。Givemeleave，OLord，toseekstillfurther。OmyHope，letnotmypurposebeconfounded。Foriftherearetimespastandfuture，Iwishtoknowwheretheyare。ButifIhavenotyetsucceededinthis，Istillknowthatwherevertheyare，theyarenotthereasfutureorpast，butaspresent。Foriftheyarethereasfuture，theyarethereas”notyet”；iftheyarethereaspast，theyarethereas”nolonger。”Wherevertheyareandwhatevertheyaretheyexistthereforeonlyaspresent。Althoughwetellofpastthingsastrue，theyaredrawnoutofthememory——notthethingsthemselves，whichhavealreadypassed，butwordsconstructedfromtheimagesoftheperceptionswhichwereformedinthemind，likefootprintsintheirpassagethroughthesenses。 Mychildhood，forinstance，whichisnolonger，stillexistsintimepast，whichdoesnotnowexist。ButwhenIcalltominditsimageandspeakofit，Iseeitinthepresentbecauseitisstillinmymemory。Whetherthereisasimilarexplanationfortheforetellingoffutureevents——thatis，oftheimagesofthingswhicharenotyetseenasiftheywerealreadyexisting——I confess，OmyGod，Idonotknow。ButthisIcertainlydoknow: thatwegenerallythinkaheadaboutourfutureactions，andthispremeditationisintimepresent；butthattheactionwhichwepremeditateisnotyet，becauseitisstillfuture。Whenweshallhavestartedtheactionandhavebeguntodowhatwewerepremeditating，thenthatactionwillbeintimepresent，becausethenitisnolongerintimefuture。 24。Whatevermaybethemannerofthissecretforeseeingoffuturethings，nothingcanbeseenexceptwhatexists。Butwhatexistsnowisnotfuture，butpresent。When，therefore，theysaythatfutureeventsareseen，itisnottheeventsthemselves，fortheydonotexistasyet(thatis，theyarestillintimefuture)，butperhaps，instead，theircausesandtheirsignsareseen，whichalreadydoexist。Therefore，tothosealreadybeholdingthesecausesandsigns，theyarenotfuture，butpresent，andfromthemfuturethingsarepredictedbecausetheyareconceivedinthemind。Theseconceptions，however，exist_now_，andthosewhopredictthosethingsseetheseconceptionsbeforethemintimepresent。 Letmetakeanexamplefromthevastmultitudeandvarietyofsuchthings。Iseethedawn；Ipredictthatthesunisabouttorise。WhatIseeisintimepresent，whatIpredictisintimefuture——notthatthesunisfuture，foritalreadyexists；butitsrisingisfuture，becauseitisnotyet。YetIcouldnotpredictevenitsrising，unlessIhadanimageofitinmymind； as，indeed，IdoevennowasIspeak。ButthatdawnwhichIseeintheskyisnottherisingofthesun(thoughitdoesprecedeit)，norisitaconceptioninmymind。Thesetwo[435]areseenintimepresent，inorderthattheeventwhichisintimefuturemaybepredicted。 Futureevents，therefore，arenotyet。Andiftheyarenotyet，theydonotexist。Andiftheydonotexist，theycannotbeseenatall，buttheycanbepredictedfromthingspresent，whichnowareandareseen。 CHAPTERXIX 25。Now，therefore，ORulerofthycreatures，whatisthemodebywhichthouteachestsoulsthosethingswhicharestillfuture？Forthouhasttaughtthyprophets。Howdostthou，towhomnothingisfuture，teachfuturethings——orratherteachthingspresentfromthesignsofthingsfuture？Forwhatdoesnotexistcertainlycannotbetaught。Thiswayofthineistoofarfrommysight；itistoogreatforme，Icannotattaintoit。[436] ButIshallbeenabledbythee，whenthouwiltgrantit，OsweetLightofmysecreteyes。 CHAPTERXX 26。Butevennowitismanifestandclearthatthereareneithertimesfuturenortimespast。Thusitisnotproperlysaidthattherearethreetimes，past，present，andfuture。Perhapsitmightbesaidrightlythattherearethreetimes:atimepresentofthingspast；atimepresentofthingspresent；andatimepresentofthingsfuture。Forthesethreedocoexistsomehowinthesoul，forotherwiseIcouldnotseethem。Thetimepresentofthingspastismemory；thetimepresentofthingspresentisdirectexperience；thetimepresentofthingsfutureisexpectation。[437]Ifweareallowedtospeakofthesethingsso，Iseethreetimes，andIgrantthattherearethree。Letitstillbesaid，then，asourmisappliedcustomhasit:”Therearethreetimes，past，present，andfuture。”Ishallnotbetroubledbyit，norargue，norobject——alwaysprovidedthatwhatissaidisunderstood，sothatneitherthefuturenorthepastissaidtoexistnow。Therearebutfewthingsaboutwhichwespeakproperly——andmanymoreaboutwhichwespeakimproperly——thoughweunderstandoneanother’smeaning。 CHAPTERXXI 27。Ihavesaid，then，thatwemeasureperiodsoftimeastheypasssothatwecansaythatthistimeistwiceaslongasthatoneorthatthisisjustaslongasthat，andsoonfortheotherfractionsoftimewhichwecancountbymeasuring。 So，then，asIwassaying，wemeasureperiodsoftimeastheypass。Andifanyoneasksme，”Howdoyouknowthis？”，Icananswer:”Iknowbecausewemeasure。Wecouldnotmeasurethingsthatdonotexist，andthingspastandfuturedonotexist。”Buthowdowemeasurepresenttimesinceithasnoextension？Itismeasuredwhileitpasses，butwhenithaspasseditisnotmeasured；forthenthereisnothingthatcouldbemeasured。Butwhence，andhow，andwhitherdoesitpasswhileitisbeingmeasured？Whence，butfromthefuture？Whichway，savethroughthepresent？Whither，butintothepast？Therefore，fromwhatisnotyet，throughwhathasnolength，itpassesintowhatisnownolonger。Butwhatdowemeasure，unlessitisatimeofsomelength？Forwecannotspeakofsingle，anddouble，andtriple，andequal，andalltheotherwaysinwhichwespeakoftime，exceptintermsofthelengthoftheperiodsoftime。Butinwhat”length，”then，dowemeasurepassingtime？Isitinthefuture，fromwhichitpassesover？Butwhatdoesnotyetexistcannotbemeasured。Or，isitinthepresent，throughwhichitpasses？Butwhathasnolengthwecannotmeasure。Orisitinthepastintowhichitpasses？Butwhatisnolongerwecannotmeasure。 CHAPTERXXII 28。Mysoulburnsardentlytounderstandthismostintricateenigma。OLordmyGod，OgoodFather，IbeseechtheethroughChrist，donotcloseoffthesethings，boththefamiliarandtheobscure，frommydesire。Donotbaritfromenteringintothem； butlettheirlightdawnbythyenlighteningmercy，OLord。OfwhomshallIinquireaboutthesethings？AndtowhomshallI confessmyignoranceofthemwithgreaterprofitthantothee，towhomthesestudiesofmine(ardentlylongingtounderstandthyScriptures)arenotabore？GivemewhatIlove，forIdoloveit；andthisthouhastgivenme。OFather，whotrulyknowesthowtogivegoodgiftstothychildren，givethistome。Grantit，sinceIhaveundertakentounderstandit，andhardlaborismylotuntilthouopenestit。Ibeseechthee，throughChristandinhisname，theHolyofHolies，letnomaninterruptme。”ForIhavebelieved，andthereforedoIspeak。”[438]Thisismyhope；forthisIlive:thatImaycontemplatethejoysofmyLord。[439] Behold，thouhastmademydaysgrowold，andtheypassaway——andhowIdonotknow。 Wespeakofthistimeandthattime，andthesetimesandthosetimes:”Howlongagosincehesaidthis？””Howlongagosincehedidthis？””HowlongagosinceIsawthat？””Thissyllableistwiceaslongasthatsingleshortsyllable。”Thesewordswesayandhear，andweareunderstoodandweunderstand。 Theyarequitecommonplaceandordinary，andstillthemeaningoftheseverysamethingsliesdeeplyhidanditsdiscoveryisstilltocome。 CHAPTERXXIII 29。Ionceheardalearnedmansaythatthemotionsofthesun，moon，andstarsconstitutedtime；andIdidnotagree。Forwhyshouldnotthemotionsofallbodiesconstitutetime？Whatifthelightsofheavenshouldcease，andapotter’swheelstillturnround:wouldtherebenotimebywhichwemightmeasurethoserotationsandsayeitherthatitturnedatequalintervals，or，ifitmovednowmoreslowlyandnowmorequickly，thatsomerotationswerelongerandothersshorter？Andwhileweweresayingthis，wouldwenotalsobespeakingintime？Orwouldtherenotbeinourwordssomesyllablesthatwerelongandothersshort，becausethefirsttookalongertimetosound，andtheothersashortertime？OGod，grantmentoseeinasmallthingthenotionsthatarecommon[440]toallthings，bothgreatandsmall。Boththestarsandthelightsofheavenare”forsignsandseasons，andfordaysandyears。”[441]Thisisdoubtlessthecase，butjustasI shouldnotsaythatthecircuitofthatwoodenwheelwasaday，neitherwouldthatlearnedmansaythattherewas，therefore，notime。 30。Ithirsttoknowthepowerandthenatureoftime，bywhichwemeasurethemotionsofbodies，andsay，forexample，thatthismotionistwiceaslongasthat。ForIask，sincetheword”day”refersnotonlytothelengthoftimethatthesunisabovetheearth(whichseparatesdayfromnight)，butalsoreferstothesun’sentirecircuitfromeastallthewayaroundtoeast——onaccountofwhichwecansay，”Somanydayshavepassed”(thenightsbeingincludedwhenwesay，”Somanydays，”andtheirlengthsnotcountedseparately)——since，then，thedayisendedbythemotionofthesunandbyhispassagefromeasttoeast，I askwhetherthemotionitselfistheday，orwhetherthedayistheperiodinwhichthatmotioniscompleted；orboth？Forifthesun’spassageistheday，thentherewouldbeadayevenifthesunshouldfinishhiscourseinasshortaperiodasanhour。Ifthemotionitselfistheday，thenitwouldnotbeadayiffromonesunrisetoanothertherewereaperiodnolongerthananhour。 Butthesunwouldhavetogoroundtwenty-fourtimestomakejustoneday。Ifitisboth，thenthatcouldnotbecalledadayifthesunranhisentirecourseintheperiodofanhour；norwoulditbeadayif，whilethesunstoodstill，asmuchtimepassedasthesunusuallycoveredduringhiswholecourse，frommorningtomorning。Ishall，therefore，notaskanymorewhatitisthatiscalledaday，butratherwhattimeis，foritisbytimethatwemeasurethecircuitofthesun，andwouldbeabletosaythatitwasfinishedinhalftheperiodoftimethatitcustomarilytakesifitwerecompletedinaperiodofonlytwelvehours。If，then，wecomparetheseperiods，wecouldcalloneofthemasingleandtheotheradoubleperiod，asifthesunmightrunhiscoursefromeasttoeastsometimesinasingleperiodandsometimesinadoubleperiod。 Letnomantellme，therefore，thatthemotionsoftheheavenlybodiesconstitutetime。Forwhenthesunstoodstillattheprayerofacertainmaninorderthathemightgainhisvictoryinbattle，thesunstoodstillbuttimewenton。Forinaslongaspanoftimeaswassufficientthebattlewasfoughtandended。[442] Isee，then，thattimeisacertainkindofextension。ButdoIseeit，ordoIonlyseemto？Thou，OLightandTruth，wiltshowme。 CHAPTERXXIV 31。DostthoucommandthatIshouldagreeifanyonesaysthattimeis”themotionofabody”？Thoudostnotsocommand。 ForIhearthatnobodyismovedbutintime；thisthoutellestme。ButthatthemotionofabodyitselfistimeIdonothear； thoudostnotsayso。Forwhenabodyismoved，Imeasurebytimehowlongitwasmovingfromthetimewhenitbegantobemoveduntilitstopped。AndifIdidnotseewhenitbegantobemoved，andifitcontinuedtomovesothatIcouldnotseewhenitstopped，Icouldnotmeasurethemovement，exceptfromthetimewhenIbegantoseeituntilIstopped。ButifIlookatitforalongtime，Icanaffirmonlythatthetimeislongbutnothowlongitmaybe。Thisisbecausewhenwesay，”Howlong？”，wearespeakingcomparativelyas:”Thisisaslongasthat，”or，”Thisistwiceaslongasthat”；orothersuchsimilarratios。Butifwewereabletoobservethepointinspacewhereandfromwhichthebody，whichismoved，comesandthepointtowhichitismoved；orifwecanobserveitspartsmovingasinawheel，wecansayhowlongthemovementofthebodytookorthemovementofitspartsfromthisplacetothat。Since，therefore，themotionofabodyisonething，andthenormbywhichwemeasurehowlongittakesisanotherthing，wecannotseewhichofthesetwoistobecalledtime。For，althoughabodyissometimesmovedandsometimesstandsstill，wemeasurenotonlyitsmotionbutalsoitsrestaswell；andbothbytime！Thuswesay，”Itstoodstillaslongasitmoved，”or，”Itstoodstilltwiceorthreetimesaslongasitmoved”——oranyotherratiowhichourmeasuringhaseitherdeterminedorimagined，eitherroughlyorprecisely，accordingtoourcustom。Therefore，timeisnotthemotionofabody。 CHAPTERXXV 32。AndIconfesstothee，OLord，thatIamstillignorantastowhattimeis。AndagainIconfesstothee，OLord，thatI knowthatIamspeakingallthesethingsintime，andthatIhavealreadyspokenoftimealongtime，andthat”verylong”isnotlongexceptwhenmeasuredbythedurationoftime。How，then，doIknowthis，whenIdonotknowwhattimeis？Or，isitpossiblethatIdonotknowhowIcanexpresswhatIdoknow？Alasforme！ Idonotevenknowtheextentofmyownignorance。Behold，OmyGod，inthypresenceIdonotlie。Asmyheartis，soIspeak。 Thoushaltlightmycandle；thou，OLordmyGod，wiltenlightenmydarkness。[443] CHAPTERXXVI 33。DoesnotmysoulmosttrulyconfesstotheethatIdomeasureintervalsoftime？ButwhatisitthatIthusmeasure，O myGod，andhowisitthatIdonotknowwhatImeasure？I measurethemotionofabodybytime，butthetimeitselfIdonotmeasure。But，truly，couldImeasurethemotionofabody——howlongittakes，howlongitisinmotionfromthisplacetothat—— unlessIcouldmeasurethetimeinwhichitismoving？ How，then，doImeasurethistimeitself？Dowemeasurealongertimebyashortertime，aswemeasurethelengthofacrossbeamintermsofcubits？[444]Thus，wecansaythatthelengthofalongsyllableismeasuredbythelengthofashortsyllableandthussaythatthelongsyllableisdouble。Soalsowemeasurethelengthofpoemsbythelengthofthelines，andthelengthofthelinebythelengthofthefeet，andthelengthofthefeetbythelengthofthesyllable，andthelengthofthelongsyllablesbythelengthoftheshortones。Wedonotmeasurebypages——forinthatwaywewouldmeasurespaceratherthantime——butwhenwespeakthewordsastheypassbywesay:”Itisalongstanza，becauseitismadeupofsomanyverses；theyarelongversesbecausetheyconsistofsomanyfeet；theyarelongfeetbecausetheyextendoversomanysyllables；thisisalongsyllablebecauseitistwicethelengthofashortone。” Butnocertainmeasureoftimeisobtainedthisway；sinceitispossiblethatifashorterverseispronouncedslowly，itmaytakeupmoretimethanalongeroneifitispronouncedhurriedly。 Thesamewouldholdforastanza，orafoot，orasyllable。Fromthisitappearstomethattimeisnothingotherthanextendedness；[445]butextendednessofwhatIdonotknow。Thisisamarveltome。Theextendednessmaybeoftheminditself。 ForwhatisitImeasure，Iaskthee，OmyGod，whenIsayeither，roughly，”Thistimeislongerthanthat，”or，moreprecisely，”Thisis_twice_aslongasthat。”IknowthatIammeasuringtime。ButIamnotmeasuringthefuture，foritisnotyet；andI amnotmeasuringthepresentbecauseitisextendedbynolength； andIamnotmeasuringthepastbecauseitnolongeris。Whatisit，therefore，thatIammeasuring？Isittimeinitspassage，butnottimepast[praetereuntiatempora，nonpraeterita]？ThisiswhatIhavebeensaying。 CHAPTERXXVII 34。Presson，Omymind，andattendwithallyourpower。 GodisourHelper:”itishethathathmadeusandnotweourselves。”[446]Giveheedwherethetruthbeginstodawn。[447] Supposenowthatabodilyvoicebeginstosound，andcontinuestosound——onandon——andthenceases。Nowthereissilence。Thevoiceispast，andthereisnolongerasound。Itwasfuturebeforeitsounded，andcouldnotbemeasuredbecauseitwasnotyet；andnowitcannotbemeasuredbecauseitisnolonger。 Therefore，whileitwassounding，itmighthavebeenmeasuredbecausethentherewassomethingthatcouldbemeasured。Buteventhenitdidnotstandstill，foritwasinmotionandwaspassingaway。Couldit，onthataccount，beanymorereadilymeasured？ Forwhileitwaspassingaway，itwasbeingextendedintosomeintervaloftimeinwhichitmightbemeasured，sincethepresenthasnolength。Supposing，though，thatitmighthavebeenmeasured——thenalsosupposethatanothervoicehadbeguntosoundandisstillsoundingwithoutanyinterruptiontobreakitscontinuedflow。Wecanmeasureitonlywhileitissounding，forwhenithasceasedtosounditwillbealreadypastandtherewillnotbeanythingtherethatcanbemeasured。Letusmeasureitexactly；andletussayhowmuchitis。Butwhileitissounding，itcannotbemeasuredexceptfromtheinstantwhenitbegantosound，downtothefinalmomentwhenitleftoff。Forwemeasurethetimeintervalitselffromsomebeginningpointtosomeend。 Thisiswhyavoicethathasnotyetendedcannotbemeasured，sothatonecouldsayhowlongorhowbrieflyitwillcontinue。Norcanitbesaidtobeequaltoanothervoiceorsingleordoubleincomparisontoitoranythinglikethis。Butwhenitisended，itisnolonger。How，therefore，mayitbemeasured？Andyetwemeasuretimes；notthosewhicharenotyet，northosewhichnolongerare，northosewhicharestretchedoutbysomedelay，northosewhichhavenolimit。Therefore，wemeasureneithertimesfuturenortimespast，nortimespresent，nortimespassingby； andyetwedomeasuretimes。 35。DeusCreatoromnium[448]:thisverseofeightsyllablesalternatesbetweenshortandlongsyllables。Thefourshortones——thatis，thefirst，third，fifth，andseventh——aresingleinrelationtothefourlongones——thatis，thesecond，fourth，sixth，andeighth。Eachofthelongonesisdoublethelengthofeachoftheshortones。Iaffirmthisandreportit，andcommonsenseperceivesthatthisindeedisthecase。Bycommonsense，then，Imeasurealongsyllablebyashortone，andIfindthatitistwiceaslong。Butwhenonesoundsafteranother，ifthefirstbeshortandthelatterlong，howcanIholdtheshortoneandhowcanIapplyittothelongoneasameasure，sothatIcandiscoverthatthelongoneistwiceaslong，when，infact，thelongonedoesnotbegintosounduntiltheshortoneleavesoffsounding？ThatsamelongsyllableIdonotmeasureaspresent，sinceIcannotmeasureituntilitisended；butitsendingisitspassingaway。 Whatisit，then，thatIcanmeasure？WhereistheshortsyllablebywhichImeasure？WhereisthelongonethatIammeasuring？Bothhavesounded，haveflownaway，havepassedon，andarenolonger。AndstillImeasure，andIconfidentlyanswer——asfarasatrainedearcanbetrusted——thatthissyllableissingleandthatsyllabledouble。AndIcouldnotdothisunlesstheybothhadpassedandwereended。ThereforeIdonotmeasurethem，fortheydonotexistanymore。ButImeasuresomethinginmymemorywhichremainsfixed。 36。Itisinyou，Omindofmine，thatImeasuretheperiodsoftime。Donotshoutmedownthatitexists[objectively]；donotoverwhelmyourselfwiththeturbulentfloodofyourimpressions。Inyou，asIhavesaid，Imeasuretheperiodsoftime。Imeasureastimepresenttheimpressionthatthingsmakeonyouastheypassbyandwhatremainsaftertheyhavepassedby——Idonotmeasurethethingsthemselveswhichhavepassedbyandlefttheirimpressiononyou。ThisiswhatImeasurewhenI measureperiodsoftime。Either，then，thesearetheperiodsoftimeorelseIdonotmeasuretimeatall。 Whatarewedoingwhenwemeasuresilence，andsaythatthissilencehaslastedaslongasthatvoicelasts？Dowenotprojectourthoughttothemeasureofasound，asifitwerethensounding，sothatwecansaysomethingconcerningtheintervalsofsilenceinagivenspanoftime？For，evenwhenboththevoiceandthetonguearestill，wereview——inthought——poemsandverses，anddiscourseofvariouskindsorvariousmeasuresofmotions，andwespecifytheirtimespans——howlongthisisinrelationtothat——justasifwewerespeakingthemaloud。Ifanyonewishestoutteraprolongedsound，andif，inforethought，hehasdecidedhowlongitshouldbe，thatmanhasalreadyinsilencegonethroughaspanoftime，andcommittedhissoundtomemory。Thushebeginstospeakandhisvoicesoundsuntilitreachesthepredeterminedend。Ithastrulysoundedandwillgoonsounding。Butwhatisalreadyfinishedhasalreadysoundedandwhatremainswillstillsound。Thusitpasseson，untilthepresentintentioncarriesthefutureoverintothepast。Thepastincreasesbythediminutionofthefutureuntilbytheconsumptionofallthefutureallispast。[449] CHAPTERXXVIII 37。Buthowisthefuturediminishedorconsumedwhenitdoesnotyetexist？Orhowdoesthepast，whichexistsnolonger，increase，unlessitisthatinthemindinwhichallthishappenstherearethreefunctions？Forthemindexpects，itattends，anditremembers；sothatwhatitexpectspassesintowhatitremembersbywayofwhatitattendsto。Whodeniesthatfuturethingsdonotexistasyet？Butstillthereisalreadyinthemindtheexpectationofthingsstillfuture。Andwhodeniesthatpastthingsnowexistnolonger？Stillthereisinthemindthememoryofthingspast。Whodeniesthattimepresenthasnolength，sinceitpassesawayinamoment？Yet，ourattentionhasacontinuityanditisthroughthisthatwhatispresentmayproceedtobecomeabsent。Therefore，futuretime，whichisnonexistent，isnotlong；but”alongfuture”is”alongexpectationofthefuture。”Noristimepast，whichisnownolonger，long；a”longpast”is”alongmemoryofthepast。” 38。IamabouttorepeatapsalmthatIknow。BeforeI begin，myattentionencompassesthewhole，butonceIhavebegun，asmuchofitasbecomespastwhileIspeakisstillstretchedoutinmymemory。Thespanofmyactionisdividedbetweenmymemory，whichcontainswhatIhaverepeated，andmyexpectation，whichcontainswhatIamabouttorepeat。Yetmyattentioniscontinuallypresentwithme，andthroughitwhatwasfutureiscarriedoversothatitbecomespast。Themorethisisdoneandrepeated，themorethememoryisenlarged——andexpectationisshortened——untilthewholeexpectationisexhausted。Thenthewholeactionisendedandpassedintomemory。Andwhattakesplaceintheentirepsalmtakesplacealsoineachindividualpartofitandineachindividualsyllable。Thisalsoholdsintheevenlongeractionofwhichthatpsalmisonlyaportion。Thesameholdsinthewholelifeofman，ofwhichalltheactionsofmenareparts。Thesameholdsinthewholeageofthesonsofmen，ofwhichallthelivesofmenareparts。 CHAPTERXXIX 39。But”sincethyloving-kindnessisbetterthanlifeitself，”[450]observehowmylifeisbutastretchingout，andhowthyrighthandhasupheldmeinmyLord，theSonofMan，theMediatorbetweenthee，theOne，andus，themany——insomanywaysandbysomanymeans。ThusthroughhimImaylayholduponhiminwhomIamalsolaidholdupon；andImaybegatheredupfrommyoldwayoflifetofollowthatOneandtoforgetthatwhichisbehind，nolongerstretchedoutbutnowpulledtogetheragain——stretchingforthnottowhatshallbeandshallpassawaybuttothosethingsthat_are_beforeme。Notdistractedlynow，butintently，Ifollowonfortheprizeofmyheavenlycalling，[451]whereImayhearthesoundofthypraiseandcontemplatethydelights，whichneithercometobenorpassaway。 Butnowmyyearsarespentinmourning。[452]Andthou，O Lord，artmycomfort，myeternalFather。ButIhavebeentornbetweenthetimes，theorderofwhichIdonotknow，andmythoughts，eventheinmostanddeepestplacesofmysoul，aremangledbyvariouscommotionsuntilIshallflowtogetherintothee，purgedandmolteninthefireofthylove。 CHAPTERXXX 40。AndIwillbeimmovableandfixedinthee，andthytruthwillbemymold。AndIshallnothavetoendurethequestionsofthosemenwho，asifinamorbiddisease，thirstformorethantheycanholdandsay，”WhatdidGodmakebeforehemadeheavenandearth？”or，”Howdiditcomeintohismindtomakesomethingwhenhehadneverbeforemadeanything？”Grantthem，OLord，toconsiderwellwhattheyaresaying；andgrantthemtoseethatwherethereisnotimetheycannotsay”never。”When，therefore，heissaid”nevertohavemade”something——whatisthisbuttosaythatitwasmadeinnotimeatall？Letthemthereforeseethattherecouldbenotimewithoutacreatedworld，andletthemceasetospeakvanityofthiskind。Letthemalsobestretchedouttothosethingswhicharebeforethem，andunderstandthatthou，theeternalCreatorofalltimes，artbeforealltimesandthatnotimesarecoeternalwiththee；norisanycreature，evenifthereisacreature”abovetime。” CHAPTERXXXI 41。OLordmyGod，whatachasmthereisinthydeepsecret！ Howfarshortofithavetheconsequencesofmysinscastme？ Healmyeyes，thatImayenjoythylight。Surely，ifthereisamindthatsogreatlyaboundsinknowledgeandforeknowledge，towhichallthingspastandfutureareaswellknownasonepsalmiswellknowntome，thatmindwouldbeanexceedingmarvelandaltogetherastonishing。ForwhateverispastandwhateverisyettocomewouldbenomoreconcealedfromhimthanthepastandfutureofthatpsalmwerehiddenfrommewhenIwaschantingit: howmuchofithadbeensungfromthebeginningandwhatandhowmuchstillremainedtilltheend。Butfarbeitfromthee，O Creatoroftheuniverse，andCreatorofoursoulsandbodies—— farbeitfromtheethatthoushouldstmerelyknowallthingspastandfuture。Far，farmorewonderfully，andfarmoremysteriouslythouknowestthem。Foritisnotasthefeelingsofonesingingfamiliarsongs，orhearingafamiliarsonginwhich，becauseofhisexpectationofwordsstilltocomeandhisremembranceofthosethatarepast，hisfeelingsarevariedandhissensesaredivided。Thisisnotthewaythatanythinghappenstothee，whoartunchangeablyeternal，thatis，thetrulyeternalCreatorofminds。Asinthebeginningthouknewestboththeheavenandtheearthwithoutanychangeinthyknowledge，sothoudidstmakeheavenandearthintheirbeginningswithoutanydivisioninthyaction。[453]Lethimwhounderstandsthisconfesstothee；andlethimwhodoesnotunderstandalsoconfesstothee！Oh，exaltedasthouart，stillthehumbleinheartarethydwellingplace！ ForthouliftestthemwhoarecastdownandtheyfallnotforwhomthouarttheMostHigh。[454] BOOKTWELVE ThemodeofcreationandthetruthofScripture。Augustineexplorestherelationofthevisibleandformedmatterofheavenandearthtothepriormatrixfromwhichitwasformed。Thisleadstoanintricateanalysisof”unformedmatter”andtheprimal”possibility”fromwhichGodcreated，itselfcreateddenihilo。 HefindsareferencetothisinthemisconstruedScripturalphrase”theheavenofheavens。”RealizingthathisinterpretationofGen。 1:1，2，isnotself-evidentlytheonlypossibility，Augustineturnstoanelaboratediscussionofthemultiplicityofperspectivesinhermeneuticsand，inthecourseofthis，reviewsthevariouspossibilitiesoftrueinterpretationofhisScripturetext。Heemphasizestheimportanceoftolerancewheretherearepluraloptions，andconfidencewherebasicChristianfaithisconcerned。 CHAPTERI 1。Myheartisdeeplystirred，OLord，wheninthispoorlifeofminethewordsofthyHolyScripturestrikeuponit。Thisiswhythepovertyofthehumanintellectexpressesitselfinanabundanceoflanguage。Inquiryismoreloquaciousthandiscovery。 Demandingtakeslongerthanobtaining；andthehandthatknocksismoreactivethanthehandthatreceives。Butwehavethepromise，andwhoshallbreakit？”IfGodbeforus，whocanbeagainstus？”[455]”Ask，andyoushallreceive；seek，andyoushallfind； knock，anditshallbeopeneduntoyou；foreveryonethatasksreceives，andhewhoseeksfinds，andtohimthatknocks，itshallbeopened。”[456]Thesearethyownpromises，andwhoneedfeartobedeceivedwhentruthpromises？ CHAPTERII 2。Inlowlinessmytongueconfessestothyexaltation，forthoumadestheavenandearth。ThisheavenwhichIsee，andthisearthonwhichIwalk——fromwhichcamethis”earth”thatIcarryaboutme——thoudidstmake。 Butwhereisthatheavenofheavens，OLord，ofwhichwehearinthewordsofthepsalm，”TheheavenofheavensistheLord’s，buttheearthhehathgiventothechildrenofmen”？[457]Whereistheheaventhatwecannotsee，inrelationtowhichallthatwecanseeisearth？Forthiswholecorporealcreationhasbeenbeautifullyformed——thoughnoteverywhereinitsentirety——andourearthisthelowestoftheselevels。Still，comparedwiththatheavenofheavens，eventheheavenofourownearthisonlyearth。Indeed，itisnotabsurdtocalleachofthosetwogreatbodies[458]”earth”incomparisonwiththatineffableheavenwhichistheLord’s，andnotforthesonsofmen。 CHAPTERIII 3。Andtrulythisearthwasinvisibleandunformed，[459]andtherewasaninexpressiblyprofoundabyss[460]abovewhichtherewasnolightsinceithadnoform。Thoudidstcommanditwrittenthat”darknesswasonthefaceofthedeep。”[461]Whatelseisdarknessexcepttheabsenceoflight？Foriftherehadbeenlight，wherewouldithavebeenexceptbybeingoverall，showingitselfrisingaloftandgivinglight？Therefore，wheretherewasnolightasyet，whywasitthatdarknesswaspresent，unlessitwasthatlightwasabsent？Darkness，then，washeavyuponit，becausethelightfromabovewasabsent；justasthereissilencewherethereisnosound。Andwhatisittohavesilenceanywherebutsimplynottohavesound？Hastthounot，OLord，taughtthissoulwhichconfessestothee？Hastthounotthustaughtme，O Lord，thatbeforethoudidstformandseparatethisformlessmattertherewas_nothing_:neithercolor，norfigure，norbody，norspirit？Yetitwasnotabsolutelynothing；itwasacertainformlessnesswithoutanyshape。 CHAPTERIV 4。What，then，shouldthatformlessnessbecalledsothatsomehowitmightbeindicatedtothoseofsluggishmind，unlessweusesomewordincommonspeech？Butwhatcanbefoundanywhereintheworldnearertoatotalformlessnessthantheearthandtheabyss？Becauseoftheirbeingonthelowestlevel，theyarelessbeautifulthanaretheotherandhigherparts，alltranslucentandshining。Therefore，whymayInotconsidertheformlessnessofmatter——whichthoudidstcreatewithoutshapelyform，fromwhichtomakethisshapelyworld——asfittinglyindicatedtomenbythephrase，”Theearthinvisibleandunformed”？ CHAPTERV 5。Whenourthoughtseekssomethingforoursensetofastento[inthisconceptofunformedmatter]，andwhenitsaystoitself，”Itisnotanintelligibleform，suchaslifeorjustice，sinceitisthematerialforbodies；anditisnotaformerperception，forthereisnothingintheinvisibleandunformedwhichcanbeseenandfelt”——whilehumanthoughtsayssuchthingstoitself，itmaybeattemptingeithertoknowbybeingignorantorbyknowinghownottoknow。 CHAPTERVI 6。Butif，OLord，Iamtoconfesstothee，bymymouthandmypen，thewholeofwhatthouhasttaughtmeconcerningthisunformedmatter，ImustsayfirstofallthatwhenIfirstheardofsuchmatteranddidnotunderstandit——andthosewhotoldmeofitcouldnotunderstanditeither——Iconceivedofitashavingcountlessandvariedforms。Thus，Ididnotthinkaboutitrightly。Mymindinitsagitationusedtoturnupallsortsoffoulandhorrible”forms”；butstilltheywere”forms。”AndstillIcalleditformless，notbecauseitwasunformed，butbecauseithadwhatseemedtomeakindofformthatmymindturnedawayfrom，asbizarreandincongruous，beforewhichmyhumanweaknesswasconfused。AndevenwhatIdidconceiveofasunformedwasso，notbecauseitwasdeprivedofallform，butonlyasitcomparedwithmorebeautifulforms。Rightreason，then，persuadedmethatIoughttoremovealtogetherallvestigesofformwhateverifI wishedtoconceivematterthatwaswhollyunformed；andthisI couldnotdo。ForIcouldmorereadilyimaginethatwhatwasdeprivedofallformsimplydidnotexistthanIcouldconceiveofanythingbetweenformandnothing——somethingwhichwasneitherformednornothing，somethingthatwasunformedandnearlynothing。 Thusmymindceasedtoquestionmyspirit——filledasitwaswiththeimagesofformedbodies，changingandvaryingthemaccordingtoitswill。AndsoIappliedmyselftothebodiesthemselvesandlookedmoredeeplyintotheirmutability，bywhichtheyceasetobewhattheyhadbeenandbegintobewhattheywerenot。ThistransitionfromformtoformIhadregardedasinvolvingsomethinglikeaformlesscondition，thoughnotactualnothingness。[462] ButIdesiredtoknow，nottoguess。And，ifmyvoiceandmypenweretoconfesstotheeallthevariousknotsthouhastuntiedformeaboutthisquestion，whoamongmyreaderscouldenduretograspthewholeoftheaccount？Still，despitethis，myheartwillnotceasetogivehonortotheeortosingthypraisesconcerningthosethingswhichitisnotabletoexpress。[463] Forthemutabilityofmutablethingscarrieswithitthepossibilityofallthoseformsintowhichmutablethingscanbechanged。Butthismutability——whatisit？Isitsoul？Isitbody？Isittheexternalappearanceofsoulorbody？Coulditbesaid，”Nothingwassomething，”and”Thatwhichis，isnot”？Ifthiswerepossible，Iwouldsaythatthiswasit，andinsomesuchmanneritmusthavebeeninordertoreceivethesevisibleandcompositeforms。[464] CHAPTERVII 7。Whenceandhowwasthis，unlessitcamefromthee，fromwhomallthingsare，insofarastheyare？Butthefarthersomethingisfromthee，themoreunliketheeitis——andthisisnotamatterofdistanceorplace。 Thusitwasthatthou，OLord，whoartnotonethinginoneplaceandanotherthinginanotherplacebuttheSelfsame，andtheSelfsame，andtheSelfsame——”Holy，Holy，Holy，LordGodAlmighty”[465]——thusitwasthatinthebeginning，andthroughthyWisdomwhichisfromtheeandbornofthysubstance，thoudidstcreatesomethingandthatoutofnothing。[466]Forthoudidstcreatetheheavenandtheearth——notoutofthyself，forthentheywouldbeequaltothyonlySonandtherebytothee。Andthereisnosenseinwhichitwouldberightthatanythingshouldbeequaltotheethatwasnotofthee。Butwhatelsebesidestheewasthereoutofwhichthoumightestcreatethesethings，OGod，oneTrinity，andtrineUnity？[467]And，therefore，itwasoutofnothingatallthatthoudidstcreatetheheavenandearth—— somethinggreatandsomethingsmall——forthouartAlmightyandGood，andabletomakeallthingsgood:eventhegreatheavenandthesmallearth。Thouwast，andtherewasnothingelsefromwhichthoudidstcreateheavenandearth:thesetwothings，onenearthee，theotherneartonothing；theonetowhichonlythouartsuperior，theothertowhichnothingelseisinferior。 CHAPTERVIII 8。Thatheavenofheavenswasthine，OLord，buttheearthwhichthoudidstgivetothesonsofmentobeseenandtouchedwasnottheninthesameformasthatinwhichwenowseeitandtouchit。Forthenitwasinvisibleandunformedandtherewasanabyssoverwhichtherewasnolight。Thedarknesswastruly_over_theabyss，thatis，morethanjust_in_theabyss。Forthisabyssofwaterswhichnowisvisiblehaseveninitsdepthsacertainlightappropriatetoitsnature，perceptibleinsomefashiontofishesandthethingsthatcreepaboutonthebottomofit。Butthentheentireabysswasalmostnothing，sinceitwasstillaltogetherunformed。Yeteventhere，therewassomethingthathadthepossibilityofbeingformed。Forthou，OLord，hadstmadetheworldoutofunformedmatter，andthisthoudidstmakeoutofnothinganddidstmakeitintoalmostnothing。Fromitthouhastthenmadethesegreatthingswhichwe，thesonsofmen，marvelat。Forthiscorporealheavenistrulymarvelous，thisfirmamentbetweenthewaterandthewaterswhichthoudidstmakeontheseconddayafterthecreationoflight，saying，”Letitbedone，”anditwasdone。[468]Thisfirmamentthoudidstcallheaven，thatis，theheavenofthisearthandseawhichthoumadestonthethirdday，givingavisibleshapetotheunformedmatterwhichthouhadstmadebeforeallthedays。Forevenbeforeanydaythouhadstalreadymadeaheaven，butthatwastheheavenofthisheaven:forinthebeginningthouhadstmadeheavenandearth。 Butthisearthitselfwhichthouhadstmadewasunformedmatter；itwasinvisibleandunformed，anddarknesswasovertheabyss。Outofthisinvisibleandunformedearth，outofthisformlessnesswhichisalmostnothing，thoudidstthenmakeallthesethingsofwhichthechangeableworldconsists——andyetdoesnotfullyconsistinitself[469]——foritsverychangeablenessappearsinthis，thatitstimesandseasonscanbeobservedandnumbered。Theperiodsoftimearemeasuredbythechangesofthings，whiletheforms，whosematteristheinvisibleearthofwhichwehavespoken，arevariedandaltered。 CHAPTERIX 9。AndthereforetheSpirit，theTeacherofthyservant，[470]whenhementionsthat”inthebeginningthoumadestheavenandearth，”saysnothingabouttimesandissilentastothedays。For，clearly，thatheavenofheavenswhichthoudidstcreateinthebeginningisinsomewayanintellectualcreature，althoughinnowaycoeternalwiththee，OTrinity。Yetitisnonethelessapartakerinthyeternity。Becauseofthesweetnessofitsmosthappycontemplationofthee，itisgreatlyrestrainedinitsownmutabilityandcleavestotheewithoutanylapsefromthetimeinwhichitwascreated，surpassingalltherollingchangeoftime。Butthisshapelessness——thisearthinvisibleandunformed——wasnotnumberedamongthedaysitself。Forwherethereisnoshapeororderthereisnothingthateithercomesorgoes，andwherethisdoesnotoccurtherecertainlyarenodays，noranyvicissitudeofduration。 CHAPTERX 10。OTruth，OLightofmyheart，letnotmyowndarknessspeaktome！Ihadfallenintothatdarknessandwasdarkenedthereby。Butinit，eveninitsdepths，Icametolovethee。I wentastrayandstillIrememberedthee。Iheardthyvoicebehindme，biddingmereturn，thoughIcouldscarcelyhearitforthetumultsofmyboisterouspassions。Andnow，behold，Iamreturning，burningandthirstingafterthyfountain。Letnoonehinderme；herewillIdrinkandsohavelife。Letmenotbemyownlife；forofmyselfIhavelivedbadly。Iwasdeathtomyself；intheeIhaverevived。Speaktome；conversewithme。I havebelievedthybooks，andtheirwordsareverydeep。 CHAPTERXI 11。Thouhasttoldmealready，OLord，withastrongvoiceinmyinnerear，thatthouarteternalandalonehastimmortality。 Thouartnotchangedbyanyshapeormotion，andthywillisnotalteredbytemporalprocess，becausenowillthatchangesisimmortal。Thisiscleartome，inthysight；letitbecomeclearerandclearer，Ibeseechthee。Inthatlightletmeabidesoberlyunderthywings。 Thouhastalsotoldme，OLord，withastrongvoiceinmyinnerear，thatthouhastcreatedallnaturesandallsubstances，whicharenotwhatthouartthyself；andyettheydoexist。Onlythatwhichisnothingatallisnotfromthee，andthatmotionofthewillawayfromthee，whoart，towardsomethingthatexistsonlyinalesserdegree——suchamotionisanoffenseandasin。 Noone’ssineitherhurtstheeordisturbstheorderofthyrule，eitherfirstorlast。Allthis，inthysight，iscleartome。 Letitbecomeclearerandclearer，Ibeseechthee，andinthatlightletmeabidesoberlyunderthywings。 12。Likewise，thouhasttoldme，withastrongvoiceinmyinnerear，thatthiscreation——whosedelightthoualoneart—— isnotcoeternalwiththee。Withamostperseveringpurityitdrawsitssupportfromtheeandnowhereandneverbetraysitsownmutability，forthouarteverpresentwithit；anditcleavestotheewithitsentireaffection，havingnofuturetoexpectandnopastthatitremembers；itisvariedbynochangeandisextendedbynotime。 Oblessedone——ifsuchtherebe——clingingtothyblessedness！Itisblestinthee，itseverlastingInhabitantanditsLight。IcannotfindatermthatIwouldjudgemorefittingfor”theheavenoftheheavensoftheLord”than”Thyhouse”—— whichcontemplatesthydelightswithoutanydeclinationtowardanythingelseandwhich，withapuremindinmostharmoniousstability，joinsalltogetherinthepeaceofthosesaintlyspiritswhoarecitizensofthycityinthoseheavensthatareabovethisvisibleheaven。 13。Fromthisletthesoulthathaswanderedfarawayfromtheeunderstand——ifnowitthirstsforthee；ifnowitstearshavebecomeitsbread，whiledailytheysaytoit，”WhereisyourGod？”[471]；ifnowitrequestsoftheejustonethingandseeksafterthis:thatitmaydwellinthyhouseallthedaysofitslife(andwhatisitslifebutthee？Andwhatarethydaysbutthyeternity，likethyyearswhichdonotfail，sincethouarttheSelfsame？)——fromthis，Isay，letthesoulunderstand(asfarasitcan)howfarabovealltimesthouartinthyeternity；andhowthyhousehasneverwanderedawayfromthee；and，althoughitisnotcoeternalwiththee，itcontinuallyandunfailinglyclingstotheeandsuffersnovicissitudesoftime。This，inthysight，iscleartome；mayitbecomeclearerandclearertome，Ibeseechthee，andinthislightmayIabidesoberlyunderthywings。 14。NowIdonotknowwhatkindofformlessnessthereisinthesemutationsoftheselastandlowestcreatures。Yetwhowilltellme，unlessitissomeonewho，intheemptinessofhisownheart，wandersaboutandbeginstobedizzyinhisownfancies？ Whoexceptsuchaonewouldtellmewhether，ifallformwerediminishedandconsumed，formlessnessalonewouldremain，throughwhichathingwaschangedandturnedfromonespeciesintoanother，sothatsheerformlessnesswouldthenbecharacterizedbytemporalchange？Andsurelythiscouldnotbe，becausewithoutmotionthereisnotime，andwherethereisnoformthereisnochange。 CHAPTERXII 15。ThesethingsIhaveconsideredasthouhastgivenmeability，OmyGod，asthouhastexcitedmetoknock，andasthouhastopenedtomewhenIknock。TwothingsIfindwhichthouhastmade，notwithinintervalsoftime，althoughneitheriscoeternalwiththee。Oneofthemissoformedthat，withoutanywaveringinitscontemplation，withoutanyintervalofchange——mutablebutnotchanged——itmayfullyenjoythyeternityandimmutability。 Theotherissoformlessthatitcouldnotchangefromoneformtoanother(eitherofmotionorofrest)，andsotimehasnoholduponit。Butthoudidstnotleavethisformless，for，beforeany”day”inthebeginning，thoudidstcreateheavenandearth—— thesearethetwothingsofwhichIspoke。 But”theearthwasinvisibleandunformed，anddarknesswasovertheabyss。”Bythesewordsitsformlessnessisindicatedtous——sothatbydegreestheymaybeledforwardwhocannotwhollyconceiveoftheprivationofallformwithoutarrivingatnothing。 Fromthisformlessnessasecondheavenmightbecreatedandasecondearth——visibleandwellformed，withtheorderedbeautyofthewaters，andwhateverelseisrecordedascreated(thoughnotwithoutdays)intheformationofthisworld。Andallthisbecausesuchthingsaresoorderedthatinthemthechangesoftimemaytakeplacethroughtheorderedprocessesofmotionandform。 CHAPTERXIII 16。MeanwhilethisiswhatIunderstand，OmyGod，whenI hearthyScripturesaying，”InthebeginningGodmadetheheavenandtheearth，buttheearthwasinvisibleandunformed，anddarknesswasovertheabyss。”Itdoesnotsayonwhatdaythoudidstcreatethesethings。Thus，forthetimebeingIunderstandthat”heavenofheavens”tomeantheintelligibleheaven，wheretounderstandistoknowallatonce——not”inpart，”not”darkly，” not”throughaglass”——butasasimultaneouswhole，infullsight，”facetoface。”[472]Itisnotthisthingnowandthenanotherthing，but(aswesaid)knowledgeallatoncewithoutanytemporalchange。Andbytheinvisibleandunformedearth，I understandthatwhichsuffersnotemporalvicissitude。Temporalchangecustomarilymeanshavingonethingnowandanotherlater； butwherethereisnoformtherecanbenodistinctionbetweenthisorthat。Itis，then，bymeansofthesetwo——onethingwellformedinthebeginningandanotherthingwhollyunformed，theoneheaven(thatis，theheavenofheavens)andtheotheroneearth(buttheearthinvisibleandunformed)——itisbymeansofthesetwonotionsthatIamabletounderstandwhythyScripturesaid，withoutmentionofdays，”InthebeginningGodcreatedtheheavenandtheearth。”Foritimmediatelyindicatedwhichearthitwasspeakingabout。When，onthesecondday，thefirmamentisrecordedashavingbeencreatedandcalledheaven，thissuggeststouswhichheavenitwasthathewasspeakingaboutearlier，withoutspecifyingaday。