meaning of things which, when taken literally, would have seemed to be falsehood." (P. 91). As Ambrose helped him to understand the teachings of the apostles, Augustine saw parallels between Neoplatonism and Christian doctrine. Augustine quickly accepted Christian doctrine and its concepts of salvation. Augustine converted in the sense that he joined the church and took catechumen, but he did not yet feel touched by God. Augustine still felt that he had not completely accepted God into his heart.This final phase of his conversion, the receipt of God's grace, still eluded him. He felt that his journey toward God was being hampered by his love for earthly pleasures. He says "I long for the same chance [to completely accept God], but was bound not by the iron of another's chains, but by my own iron will."(P. 135) Augustine's internal struggle continued until, one day he heard of the conversions of two men. These men had found grace through the story of St. Antony. Hearing this, Augustine was saddened by his own predicament, and sought solace in his garden. There, he heard a young child's voice singing "take it and read it." Augustine interpreted this as a sign from God to take up the scriptures and read the first passage he saw. The book opened to Romans 13:13. The passage instructed him to forgo earthly pleasures and live as Christ lived. Augustine had at last found absolute grace.Augustine's path to conversion was long. For 13 years, he sought wisdom, and finally grace. He found his salvation in one miraculous moment of divine intervention. Augustine is writing to an audience of contemporaries. While he addresses his Confessions to God, he is writing for the people of his time. Augustine speaks as one who experienced a long and tortured path to ultimate grace, and his words are meant to comfort and guide others on the same quest. His efforts are particularly effective because he so clearly outlines, point by point, his r...
