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of those seen as single and not many. These things belong to our former poverty and dejection.

5. But from the time when God, who makes poor and makes rich, who puts to death and brings to life, who makes all things and reshapes them by His will alone, who makes day out of night, spring out of winter, calm out of storm, and rain out of drought; and this often through the prayer of one righteous man long persecuted; who lifts up the meek on high, and humbles sinners to the earth, said this to him: I have surely seen the affliction of Israel; and they shall no longer toil with clay and brick-making; and having spoken, He visited, and having visited, He saved, and brought out His people with a mighty hand and with a high arm, by the hand of Moses and Aaron His chosen ones. What happens, and what wonders are wrought? What books and records report. For besides the wonders along the way, and that great sounding, to say something very briefly, Joseph went down to Egypt as one, and sixty myriads came out of Egypt a short time later. What is more wonderful than this, or a greater proof of the magnanimity of God, when He wishes to give a way out of impossible situations? And the land of promise is given as an inheritance through one who was hated, and he who was sold removes nations, and is established as a great nation, and that little slip becomes a fruitful vine, and so great, that it encroaches upon rivers and extends to the sea, spreading from border to border, and covering 36.465 mountains with the height of its glory, and rising above cedars, and these of God, whatever these mountains and cedars are to be understood as.

6. Such was this flock once, and such it is now, so flourishing and spreading; and if not yet completely, yet journeying towards this by gradual additions; and I prophesy that it will so journey. This the Holy Spirit foretells to me, if I am at all prophetic and see what is to come; and at the same time I can be confident from what has gone before, and know by reason, as a companion of reason. For it is far more paradoxical for it to have become so great from that, than for its present state to advance to the height of splendor. For from the time when it began to be gathered by Him who gives life to the dead, bone to bone, and joint to joint, and the Spirit of life and regeneration was given to the dry, the whole resurrection, I know well, must be fulfilled; so let not those who provoke be exalted in themselves; nor let them think they possess anything, holding a shadow, or the dream of those who are awakening, or breezes blowing through, or the wake of a ship on the water. Let the pine howl, for the cedar has fallen. Let them be taught by the evils of others, and let them learn that the poor will not be forgotten forever; nor will He endure not to shatter the heads of rulers in ecstasy, as Habakkuk says, the Godhead being shattered, and wickedly divided into the ruling and the ruled; so that the Godhead might be especially insulted by being brought down, and creation burdened by equality of honor with the Godhead.

7. I seem to hear that voice also, from Him who gathers the broken, and receives the oppressed: Enlarge your cords still more; spread out to the right and to the left; make them fast, spare not your curtains. I have delivered you, and I will help you. In a little wrath I struck you, and in everlasting mercy I will glorify you. The measure of loving-kindness is greater than the measure of discipline. Those things, because of wickedness; these things, because of the worshipped Trinity. Those things, for purification; these things, for my glory; who I glorify those who glorify, and I provoke to jealousy those who provoke to jealousy. Behold, these things are sealed with me, and this is an unbreakable law of requital. But do you for my sake hold fast to the walls, and the tablets, and the 36.468 elegant mosaic, and of the long passages and corridors, and

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μοναδικῶν τε καὶ οὐ πλείοσι θεωρουμένων. Ταῦτα μὲν τὰ τῆς προτέρας πενίας καὶ κατηφείας.

Εʹ. Ἀφ' οὗ δὲ ὁ πτωχίζων καὶ πλουτίζων Θεὸς, ὁ θανατῶν καὶ ζωογονῶν, ὁ ποιῶν πάντα καὶ μετα σκευάζων μόνῳ τῷ βούλεσθαι, ὁ ποιῶν ἐκ μὲν νυκτὸς ἡμέραν, ἐκ δὲ χειμῶνος ἔαρ, ἐκ δὲ ζάλης γαλήνην, ἐκ δὲ αὐχμῶν ἐπομβρίαν· καὶ τοῦτο δι' ἑνὸς δικαίου πολλάκις εὐχὴν ἐπὶ πολὺ διωχθέντος· ὁ ἀναλαμβάνων πραεῖς εἰς ὕψος, καὶ ταπεινῶν ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἕως γῆς, ἐκεῖνο πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπεν· Ἰδὼν εἶδον τὴν κά κωσιν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ οὐ μὴ προσθῶσιν ἔτι τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τῇ πλινθείᾳ ταλαιπωρεῖν· καὶ εἰπὼν, ἐπεσκέψατο, καὶ ἐπισκεψάμενος ἔσωσε, καὶ ἐξήγαγε, τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν χειρὶ κραταιῷ, καὶ ἐν βρα χίονι ὑψηλῷ ἐν χειρὶ Μωσῆ καὶ Ἀαρὼν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ. Τί γίνεται, καὶ τί θαυματουργεῖται; Ἃ βίβλοι καὶ μνῆμαι φέρουσιν. Ἐκτὸς γὰρ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν θαυμασίων, καὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἐκείνης βομβήσεως, ἵν' εἴπω τι συντομώτατον, Ἰωσὴφ εἰς Αἴγυπτον εἷς, καὶ μυριάδες ἑξήκοντα μετ' ὀλίγον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. Τί τούτου θαυμασιώτερον, ἢ μεῖζον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλονοίας τεκμήριον, ὅταν ἐκ τῶν ἀπό ρων θέλῃ πόρον δοῦναι τοῖς πράγμασι; καὶ γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας κληροδοτεῖται δι' ἑνὸς μισηθέντος, καὶ ὁ πραθεὶς ἔθνη μεθίστησι, καὶ εἰς ἔθνος καθίσταται μέγα, καὶ ἡ μικρὰ παραφυὰς ἐκείνη, ἄμπελος εὐ κληματοῦσα γίνεται, καὶ τοσαύτη, ὡς ἐπεμβαίνειν μὲν ποταμοῖς, ἐκτείνεσθαι δὲ μέχρι θαλάσσης, ἐξ ὁρίων εἰς ὅρια πλατυνομένην, καλύπτειν δὲ 36.465 ὄρη τῷ ὕψει τῆς δόξης, κέδρων δὲ ὑπεραίρεσθαι, καὶ ταῦτα τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἅτινα δὴ τὰ ὄρη ταῦτα, καὶ ἅστινας τὰς κέδρους ὑποληπτέον.

ςʹ. Τοιοῦτόν ποτε τοῦτο τὸ ποίμνιον, καὶ τοιοῦτον νῦν, οὕτως εὐεκτοῦν τε καὶ πλατυνόμενον· εἰ δὲ μήπω τελείως, ἀλλ' εἰς τοῦτό γε ταῖς κατὰ μέ ρος ὁδεῦον προσθήκαις· προφητεύω δὲ, ὅτι καὶ ὁδεῦσον. Τοῦτό μοι τὸ Πνεῦμα προλέγει τὸ ἅγιον, εἴ τι προφητικὸς ἐγὼ, καὶ βλέπων τὰ ἔμπροσθεν· καὶ ἅμα τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἔχω θαῤῥεῖν, καὶ λογισμῷ γινώσκειν, ὡς λόγου σύντροφος. Πολὺ γὰρ παραδοξότερον, ἐξ ἐκείνου τοσαύτην γενέσθαι, ἢ τὴν νῦν οὖσαν εἰς ἄκρον προελθεῖν λαμπρότητος. Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ συνάγεσθαι ἤρξατο παρὰ τοῦ ζωογονοῦντος τοὺς νεκροὺς, ὀστᾶ πρὸς ὀστᾶ, καὶ ἁρμονία πρὸς ἁρμονίαν, καὶ τοῖς ξηροῖς ἐδόθη Πνεῦμα ζωῆς καὶ παλιγγενεσίας, πᾶσαν, εὖ οἶδα, πληρωθῆναι δεῖ τὴν ἀνάστασιν· ὥστε μὴ ὑψούσθωσαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ παραπικραίνοντες· μηδὲ σκιὰν κρατοῦντες, ἢ ἐν ύπνιον ἐξεγειρομένων, ἢ αὔρας διαπνεούσας, ἢ νηὸς ἴχνη καθ' ὕδατος, ἔχειν τι νομιζέτωσαν. Ὀλο λυζέτω πίτυς, ὅτι πέπτωκε κέδρος. Τοῖς τῶν ἄλλων κακοῖς παιδευέσθωσαν, καὶ μανθανέτωσαν, ὅτι οὐκ εἰς τέλος ἐπιλησθήσεται ὁ πτωχός· οὐδὲ ἀνέξεται, μὴ ἐν ἐκστάσει διακόψαι κεφαλὰς δυναστῶν, ὡς ὁ Ἀμβακούμ φησιν, ἡ διακοπτομένη θεότης, καὶ διαιρουμένη κακῶς εἴς τε τὸ ἄρχον καὶ τὸ ἀρχό μενον· ὡς ἂν μάλιστα καὶ θεότης ὑβρισθείη καταγομένη, καὶ βαρηθείη κτίσις ὁμοτιμίᾳ θεότητος.

Ζʹ. ∆οκῶ μοι κἀκείνης ἀκούειν τῆς φωνῆς, παρὰ τοῦ συνάγοντος τοὺς συντετριμμένους, καὶ τοὺς πε πιεσμένους εἰσδεχομένου· Πλάτυνον τὰ σχοινίσματά σου ἔτι· ἐκπέτασον εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά· πῆξον, τῶν αὐλαιῶν μὴ φείσῃ. Ἐγὼ παραδέδωκά σε, καὶ ἐγὼ βοηθήσω σοι. Ἐν θυμῷ μι κρῷ ἐπάταξά σε, καὶ ἐν ἐλέῳ αἰωνίῳ δοξάσω σε. Μεῖζον τὸ μέτρον τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον τῆς παιδαγωγίας. Ἐκεῖνα, διὰ τὴν πονηρίαν· ταῦτα, διὰ τὴν Τριάδα προσκυνουμένην. Ἐκεῖνα, διὰ τὴν κάθαρσιν· ταῦτα, διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν δόξαν· ὃς ∆ο ξάζω τοὺς δοξάζοντας, καὶ παραζηλῶ τοὺς παραζηλοῦντας. Ἰδοὺ ταῦτα ἐσφράγισται παρ' ἐμοὶ, καὶ οὗτος ἄλυτος νόμος ἀντιμετρήσεως. Σὺ δέ μοι περιείχου τῶν τοίχων, καὶ τῶν πλακῶν, καὶ τῆς κε 36.468 κομψευμένης ψηφῖδος, καὶ τῶν μακρῶν δρόμων καὶ περιδρόμων, καὶ