Augustine's Confession Book 1: Chapter 7 - Reflections

In this chapter Augustine contemplates the sin of man and the mercy of God. All who cry "Hear me oh God! Woe to the sins of men!" receive mercy from on high. This is still a worshipful confession and, I think, still just an introductory dialogue for what is to come. I have sometimes done the same when praying to God, telling back to Him how great He is, acknowledging my own frailty and smallness in light of God's holiness and perfection but telling back to God his own mercy for all who repent as I sought to at that moment. I'm actually shocked that my inner dialogue has mirrored Augustine's some 1500 years before me. In such prayers I often take a long time recounting many things such as God's mighty deeds through history, important moments in my life where he intervened, moments of faith, moments of trial, God's faithfulness even in things that I have not seen the end of yet and can not imagine how he will bring about a good result but that even if it is not good as I define good that God is still good as his ways are higher than my ways... etc. all the way to the Second Coming of Christ and the fulfillment of all things. I wonder if Augustine will follow a similar path.

Going back to chapter 7 Augustine contemplates human sinfulness before the time that he can remember, as an infant, and asks what existence he had (if he did exist) before conception. I see his mark on the doctrine of sin. He explains that surely we are sinful at birth as anyone can clearly see infants are jealous and if they were physically stronger they would do great harm to any who disobeyed them and deprive a sibling of their mother's life giving milk even though the supply is sufficient to feed both. We excuse this because an infant does not understand what it is doing and is unable to do more than wail but will soon grow out of their jealousy. Even so, Augustine argues, it is sinfulness that needs to be covered by God's mercy and he asks God what he can possibly do about these sins he committed in infancy that he can not remember.

Why is Augustine taking his sins in infancy so seriously? I think part of the reason is that he is a systematic theologian, and every piece has to fit somewhere in his theological system. Why is seems so genuinely concerned with this piece at this moment, I do not know. It is a worshipful confession though, a focusing and response of heart and mind upon and to the glory of God and His revelation to him.