Augustine on God liberating him

My sermon tomorrow on Isaiah 41 and 42 deals with a common subject in Scripture- our propensity to make and worship idols.

Augustine describes when God liberated him from idolatry to the saving of his soul-

Late have I loved you,

beauty so old and so new,

late have I loved you.

And see, you were within,

and I was in the external world and sought you there,

and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely things

which you made.

You were with me, and I was not with you.

The lovely things kept me far from you,

though if they did not have their existence in you

they had no existence at all.

You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness.

You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness.

You were fragrant, and I drew my breath and now pant after you.

I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you.

You touched me,and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.

Augustine (Confessions X.27)