With God Guiding

Longum est autem totum per singula enarrare laborem meum uel per partes. Breuiter dicam qualiter piissimus Deus de seruitute saepe liberauit et de periculis duodecim qua periclitata est anima mea, praeter insidias multas et quae uerbis exprimere non ualeo. Nec iniuriam legentibus faciam; sed Deum auctorem habeo, qui nouit omnia etiam antequam fiant, ut me pauperculum pupillum ideo tamen responsum diuinum creber admonere. Unde mihi haec sapientia, quae in me non erat, qui nec numerum dierum noueram neque Deum sapiebam? Unde mihi postmodum donum tam magnum tam salubre Deum agnoscere uel diligere, sed ut patriam et parentes amitterem? Et munera multa mihi offerebantur cum fletu et lacrimis et offendi illos, nec non contra uotum aliquantis de senioribus meis, sed gubernante Deo nullo modo consensi neque adquieui illis. Non mea gratia, sed Deus qui uincit in me et resistit illis omnibus, ut ego ueneram ad Hibernas gentes euangelium praedicare et ab incredulis contumelias perferre, ut audirem obprobrium peregrinationis meae, et persecutiones multas usque ad uincula et ut darem ingenuitatem meam pro utilitate aliorum et, si dignus fuero, promptus sum ut etiam animam meam incunctanter et libentissime pro nomine eius et ibi opto impendere eam usque ad mortem, si Dominus mihi indulgeret.  Confessio, Sanctus Patricius Hibernorum Apostolus

Long it would be indeed to narrate all my labour, or even parts of it. Briefly I will tell how often the most pious God liberated me from servitude, and from twelve dangers which threatened my soul, as well as from many ambushes and from things I do not have the strength to describe (I would do no injury to those who read this.) But I have God as authority, He who knows all things even before they are, that to me, a poor little orphan, He frequently gave warnings in heavenly answers. From where did this wisdom come to me, a wisdom which was not in me, to one who didn’t even know the number of days, much less God? Where, then, did such a great gift come from, to know and love God, even that I would leave fatherland and parents? And many gifts were offered to me with sorrow and tears and I offended them, even against the wish of some of my elders, but with God guiding, I did not consent nor acquiesce to them. It was not by my own grace, but God who conquered in me and resisted them all so that I could come to the peoples of Ireland to preach the gospel, and I bore insults from unbelievers so that I might hear hatred for my journey, and I bore many persecutions even to chains so that I might give up my free-born state for the benefit of others, and, if I should be worthy, I am prepared even to give up my life most willingly for His name. It is there that I wish to remain until death, if the Lord should be so kind to me. Confession, Saint Patrick Apostle of the Irish