Chapter 31.—God Uses Rather Than
Enjoys Us.
34. And on this ground, when we say
that we enjoy only that which we love for its own sake, and that
nothing is a true object of enjoyment except that which makes us
happy, and that all other things are for use, there seems still to
be something that requires explanation. For God loves us, and
Holy Scripture frequently sets before us the love He has towards
us. In what way then does He love us? As objects of use or as
objects of enjoyment? If He enjoys us, He must be in need of good
from us, and no sane man will say that; for all the good we enjoy
is either Himself, or what comes from Himself. And no one can be
ignorant or in doubt as to the fact that the light stands in no
need of the glitter of the things it has itself lit up. The
Psalmist says most plainly, “I said to the Lord, Thou art my God, for Thou needest not my goodness.” He does not enjoy us then, but makes use of us. For if He neither enjoys nor uses us, I am at a loss to discover in what way He can love us.