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In Psalmum 100 [Sp.]

ON THE 100TH PSALM.

55.629 1. Again, beloved, the blessed prophet David exhorts us to sing spiritually; again he prepares us to sing the good song harmoniously; again, putting forth the spiritual and heavenly melody, he makes us spiritual through the ode. For making the melody by the Holy Spirit, and like an animate and rational lyre being struck by the Holy Spirit, he teaches us also to sing spiritually in every way. And he sings, not intending to delight and please the ears, but wishing to gladden and benefit the mind. For he does not stop what is sung at the hearing alone, but also sends on what is said to the soul. For to the hearing he delivers it for instruction and knowledge of the truth, but in the soul he places it for the security and confirmation of salvation. For he sings the song, not uttering the words with bare sayings, but correcting the life of the singers with beneficial things. For this song is not worldly or cosmic, but divine and spiritual, and filled with all seemliness. For worldly songs and the melodies of the world, echoing in the hearing and deceiving the mind, lead far from what is beneficial, dragging down to desires of destruction.

For being full of shameful sayings, and established full of unlawful desires, towards the sensual pleasure of what is sung, and towards the dissipation of the melody, they emasculate the manliness of the soul, and weaken the nobility of the body. But the heavenly things, having their provision from the Holy Spirit, bringing the mind into order towards the good order of the sayings and towards the seemliness of the thoughts, also make the soul seemly. For the soul, being moved with what is spoken, and assenting to what is thought, brings its disposition there, where the word also draws the moving instrument of the Spirit's melody. Since, therefore, there is so much power in the song, and so great an energy in the melody, come let us consider what the song of prophecy read to us today also contains. What then does it say? Mercy and judgment I will sing to you, O Lord. This song, beloved, is very beneficial and salvific, making its beginning from mercy and judgment. For the one demonstrates the abundance of God's love for man, 55.630 and the other his great beneficence which has come to us. For mercy signifies the good will that has come to men from grace; For "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men;" but judgment, the salvation predestined from above; For "whom he did predestine, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified." For the good God judged by mercy and love for man to save those being destroyed by sin. Therefore, understanding this, the prophet proclaims, teaching us through the song to make unceasing thanksgiving, saying: Mercy and judgment I will sing to you, O Lord.

But it also signifies another thing, both prophesying in thought, and narrating future things as present by the Holy Spirit. For contemplating the just judgment of God, which came upon the unbelieving people of the Jews, who did not receive the one proclaimed by the law and the prophets, being justly punished for unbelief, and justly deprived of the promise of the law; and seeing also the people from the Gentiles being saved in mercy, on account of the ready obedience and faith concerning the Master, he proclaims beforehand, with a pleasant and sweet voice the goodness of the

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In Psalmum 100 [Sp.]

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ Ρʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ.

55.629 αʹ. Πάλιν ἡμῖν, ἀγαπητοὶ, πνευματικῶς ᾄδειν ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ ὁ προφήτης παρακελεύεται· πάλιν τὸ καλὸν ᾆσμα μελῳδεῖν ἡμᾶς ὁμοφρόνως παρασκευάζει· πάλιν τὸ πνευ ματικὸν καὶ ἐπουράνιον μέλος προβαλλόμενος, πνευ ματικοὺς ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς ᾠδῆς ἀπεργάζεται. Πνεύματι γὰρ ἁγίῳ τὴν μελῳδίαν ποιούμενος, καὶ ὥσπερ κιθάρα ἔμψυχος καὶ λογικὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀνακρουό μενος, πνευματικῶς καὶ ἡμᾶς ᾄδειν κατὰ πάντα δι δάσκει. Ἄδει δὲ, οὐ τέρψαι καὶ ἡδῦναι τὰ ὦτα προθέμε νος, ἀλλ' εὐφρᾶναι καὶ ὠφελῆσαι τὴν διάνοιαν βουλόμε νος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἕως ἀκοῆς μόνον ἵστησι τὰ ᾀδόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕως ψυχῆς παραπέμπει τὰ λεγόμενα Ἀκοῇ μὲν γὰρ παραδίδωσι πρὸς παίδευσιν καὶ γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, ψυχῇ δὲ ἐντίθησι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν καὶ βεβαίωσιν τῆς σω τηρίας. Ἄδει γὰρ τὸ ᾆσμα, οὐ ψιλοῖς ῥήμασι τὰς λέ ξεις προφερόμενος, ἀλλὰ ὠφελίμοις τῶν ᾀδόντων τὸν βίον ἐπανορθούμενος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ βιωτικὸν ἢ κοσμικὸν τὸ ᾄσμα τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ θεϊκὸν καὶ πνευματικὸν, καὶ πάσης κοσμιότητος πεπληρωμένον. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ βιωτικὰ ᾄσματα, καὶ αἱ τοῦ κόσμου μελῳδίαι ἀπηχοῦσαι τὴν ἀκοὴν, καὶ ἀπατῶσαι τὴν διάνοιαν, μακρὰν ἀπάγουσι τῆς ὠφελείας, εἰς ἐπιθυμίας καθέλκουσαι τῆς ἀπωλείας.

Αἰσχρῶν γὰρ ῥημάτων ἀνάπλεοι τυγχάνουσαι, καὶ ἀθέσμων ὀρέξεων ἔμπλεοι καθεστηκυῖαι, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ᾀδομένων ἡδυπά θειαν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἔκλυσιν τῆς μελῳδίας, ἐκθηλύνουσι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀνδρείαν, καὶ συνεκλύουσι τὴν τοῦ σώμα τος εὐγένειαν. Τὰ δὲ ἐπουράνια, καὶ ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἔχοντα τὴν χορηγίαν, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ῥημάτων εὐταξίαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν νοημάτων εὐκοσμίαν εἰς τάξιν ἄγοντα τὴν διάνοιαν, κοσμίαν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπεργάζεται. Συγ κινουμένη γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῖς λαλουμένοις, καὶ συνεπι νεύουσα τοῖς νοουμένοις, ἐκεῖ φέρει τὴν ἕξιν, ἔνθα καὶ ἡ λέξις ἐφέλκεται τὸ κινητικὸν ὄργανον τῆς τοῦ πνεύ ματος μελῳδίας. Τοσαύτης οὖν οὔσης τῆς ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι δυνάμεως, καὶ τηλικαύτης ὑπαρχούσης τῆς ἐν τῇ μελ ωδίᾳ ἐνεργείας, φέρε δὴ θεασώμεθα, τί περιέχει καὶ τὸ σήμερον ἡμῖν ὑπαναγνωσθὲν μελῴδημα τῆς προφητείας. Τί οὖν φησιν; Ἔλεον καὶ κρίσιν ᾄσομαί σοι, Κύριε, Πάνυ ὠφέλιμον, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ σωτήριον τὸ ᾆσμα τοῦτο, ἐξ ἐλέους καὶ κρίσεως τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιούμενον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιδείκνυσι τὴν ἀφθονίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλαν 55.630 θρωπίας, τὸ δὲ τὴν μεγάλην αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγενημέ νην εὐεργεσίαν. Σημαίνει μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἔλεος τὴν ἐκ χά ριτος εἰς ἀνθρώπους γεγενημένην εὐδοκίαν· ∆όξα γὰρ ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία· ἡ δὲ κρίσις τὴν ἄνωθεν προωρισμένην σωτη ρίαν· Οὓς γὰρ προώρισε, τούτους καὶ ἐκάλεσεν· οὓς δὲ ἐκάλεσε, τούτους καὶ ἐδικαίωσεν. Ἔκρινε γὰρ ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεὸς ἐλέει καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ σῶσαι τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπολλυμένους. Τοῦτο οὖν κατανοήσας ὁ προφήτης κηρύττει, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ ᾄσματος ἀδιάλειπτον ποιεῖσθαι τὴν εὐχαριστίαν, λέγων· Ἔλεον καὶ κρίσιν ᾄσομαί σοι, Κύριε.

Σημαίνει δὲ καὶ ἕτερον, καὶ κατὰ διάνοιαν προφητεύων, καὶ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ τὰ μέλλοντα ὡς παρόντα ἐκδιηγούμενος. Θεωρῶν γὰρ τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄπιστον λαὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων γεγενημένην, τὸν μὴ δεξάμενον τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν κηρυττόμενον, δικαίως μὲν δι' ἀπιστίαν τιμωρούμενον, δικαίως δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς νό μου ἐπαγγελίας ἀποστερούμενον· ὁρῶν δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαὸν ἐν ἐλέει σωζόμενον, διὰ τὸ εὐπειθὲς τῆς περὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην ὑπακοῆς τε καὶ πίστεως, προανα φωνεῖ, ἡδείᾳ φωνῇ καὶ γλυκείᾳ τὴν ἀγαθότητα τοῦ