A heavenly treasure of confortable meditations and prayers written by S. Augustin, Bishop of Hyppon in three seuerall treatises of his meditations, soliloquies, and manual. Faithfully translated into English by the R. F. Antony Batt monke, of the holy order of S Bennet of the Congregation of England

A Prayer shewing the manifolde pro∣perties and attributes of God. CHAPT. XXIX.

O God most high, most good, omni∣potent, most merciful, most iust, most secret, most presēt, most faire & most foable, stable and incomprehensible, seeing all thinges yet inuisible, changing al thinges yet immutable, immortal, with∣out place prefixt, without limitt, with∣out circumference, altogether infinite, inestimable, ineffable, inscrutable, with∣out motion of himselfe mouinge all thin∣ges, vnsearcheable, vnspeakeable, dreade∣full and terrible, to be honoured and fea∣red, reuerenced, and respected: neuer new, neuer old, mak••ng all thinges new, and making proude men old, euen when they wot not of it, alwaies doing, allwaies r••∣stinge, heapinge vpp without hauinge neede, bearinge all thinges without being burdened, filling al thinges without

being included; creatinge, protectinge, nourishing, and doing good to all thinges: seeking••, albeit nothinge is wanting vnto thee, louinge without being afflic∣ted, iealou••, yet restinge assured It repenteth thee, and yet thou art not gre••ued, thou art angrie, and yett art quiet, alteringe what thou hast donne, but not thy determination. Thou takest what thou do••t not finde; hauing neuer lost any thing. Thou re••oycest in gaine, al∣though thou were neuer needy. Albeit thou were neuer cou••tous, yett thou ex∣actest vsurie. To whom we remaine all∣waies indebted, euen when we giue more then is required.

But who is there, that hath any thing, not thine? Thou paiest debtes beinge in∣debted to noe man, and forgiuest debtes, thereby losing nothing. Who alone giuest life to all thinges, who hast created all thinges, who art euery where, and wholy euerie where, who maiest be felt, but canst not be seene, who art noe where wan∣ting, and yet art farre distant from the thoughtes of wicked men. Who art not there absent, where thou art farre distant, because where thou art absent by grace, thou art present by r••uenge. Who dost touche all thinges, but not all a like. For some thou dost touche, thereby onely gi∣uing

them a being, without giuing them either life, feelinge, or reason; Others thou dost touche, therby giuinge them beinge and life, yet without either feelinge or reason. Others againe thou dost touche, therby giuinge them being▪ life, and fee∣ling, yet without the vse of reason. And lastly thou dost touche others, giuinge them being, life, feeling, and reason. And albeit thou art neuer contrarie to thy selfe, yet neuertheles thou dost touche thinges of a contrarie nature after a contrarie manner; who at all times art euery where present, and yet canst hardly be founde. Whom we followe standing still, and cannot ouer take. Who dost containe all thinges, fill all thinges▪ enuiron al thinges, surmounte all thinges, and sustaine all thinges.

Neither dost thou sustaine on one side, to be surmounted on another: neither dost thou fill on one side, to be enuiron∣ned on an other: but by enui••onninge thou dost fill, and by filling thou dost en∣uiron, surmountinge by sustayning, and sustaining by surmounting. Who teachest the hartes of the faithfull without sounde of wordes. Who reachest from one end to an other forcibly, and disposest all thinges sweetely. Who art not extended by places, nor changed by times▪ Neither

doth thou com•• and goe, but dwellest in that inaccessible light, which neither is, not can be seene by any mortall wight.

And thus remaining quiett in thy selfe, thou dost enu••••on the whole world euery where, beinge absolutelie who••e euerie where: Thou canst not, be cu••t or clea••t, because thou art trulie one, nor deuided into pa••t••s, because thou dost wholy rule, sill, beautifie and possesse euery thinge contained in the whole worlde Soo great is the vnmeasurable depth of this immēse mysterie, as that the haite of man cannot conceiue it, nor tongue of Oratour de∣clare it, neither are all the huge sermons, and ample volumes of innumera••le libra∣ries able to expresse it. If soe manye bookes were written, as with them euen the whole worlde might be filled, yett thy marua••lous knowledge coulde not be vnfolded, because thou art altoge∣ther vnspeakeable, and noe way to be desc••ibed, either in wordes or writtinge, who art the fountaine of diuine brightnes and the Sunne of eternall happines.

For thou art great without quantitie, & therfore infinitelie great, thou art good without qualiti••, and therefore truly and cheifelie good: neither is any one good, but thou alone, whose very will is as the deede donne, whose pleasure is reputed

for power. Who hast created all thinges of nothing by thine one worde, makinge them voluntarilie of thine owne accorde. Who hast all creatures in thy possession, hauing noe neede of thē, and dost rule and gouerne then without any wearines nei∣ther is there any thing whatsoeuer (either in thinges aboue, or thinges beneath, that can disturbe the setled order of thine Em∣pire. Who art in a••l places without situa∣tion of pl••ce, and art euery where present without situation and motion. Who art not the author of any euill; neither art thou able to doe euill, although thou art able to doe all thinges. It neuer repenteth thee of any thing, which thou hast donne, neither art thou at any time moued with any perturbatiō of minde, neither would it be any losse vnto thee, although the whole worlde should runne to ruine.

Thou dost not approue or commande to be donne, any sinfull or abominable actiō: neither dost thou euer lie, because thou art the eternall ver••tie. By whose onely goodnes we are created, by whose iustice we are chasti••ed, by whose mercy we are redeemed For neither any of the celestiall orbes, or the element of fire, or the globe of the earth, or any other sensible creatu∣re, ought to be adored with diuine ho∣nour, which is onely due to thy diuine

power: who art that which thou art truly and really, not any way subiect to mutabi∣litie. To whom cheifely doth belong that which the Grecians doe call On, the Lati∣nes Ens: which is asmuch as if they should say; That thou art now the same, which thou were heretofore, and shall be still the same both now, and euermore.

These and many other thinges, hath our holy mother the Church taught me, of whom (by help of thy grace and fauour) I am become a member. Shee indeed hath taught me, that thou (who art the one onely true God) art neither corporall nor passible. And that noe parte of thy substāce or nature, is either made or composed, or able by any meanes to be violated or chā∣ged: wherfore it is most certaine, that thou canst not be perceiued by corporall eies, neither was it euer possible for any mor∣tall creature, to beholde thee in thy proper essence and nature.

Hence it appeareth painely, that we (af∣ter this life is ended) shall by the same meanes see thee, by which the Angells doe now beholde thee; although indeede euen they themselues, cannot comprehēd thee, as thou art. In conclusion the omni∣potent Trinitie, is not entirely knowen, to any other, sauing to thee alone.