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of this comes, and in me he will have nothing. But He, having committed no sin, said He had nothing; but for a man it is sufficient, if he dares to say, that The ruler of this world comes, and in me he will have a few and small things. But there is a danger of suffering these things, if we do not have the one who redeems us, nor the one who saves. To the two things that lie before us there are two things that follow; Save me from the multitude of those who persecute me, and deliver, lest I ever be snatched away, as though there were no one to redeem. O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands, if I have repaid those who repaid me with evil, may I fall away from my enemies empty. May the enemy then persecute my soul, and overtake it. It is customary in Scripture for the word "recompense" to be used not only for what is considered, as when some good or evil has pre-existed, but also for what is initiated; as in, Recompense your servant. For instead of saying, Give, it is said, Recompense. Therefore, a gift is the beginning of a good deed, a repayment is the measuring back of an equal amount by the one who has been well treated; but a recompense is a kind of second beginning and cycle of good or evil things conferred upon someone. But I think, when, instead of a request, the word seeks recompense, making a kind of demand, it presents some such meaning as this: Grant to me this debt of care necessarily owed by nature to offspring from their parents. For providence for their life is owed to children by a father, according to natural affection. For, it says, parents ought to lay up treasure for their children, so that in addition to life itself, they might also provide them with the means for living. Such is often the case in Scripture, in initial actions, that "repayment" or "recompense" is used. But now the speaker seems to be confident in not having given back to those who repay with evil, not having repaid in kind. If then I have done this, and if I have repaid those who repaid me with evil, may I then fall away from my enemies empty. He falls away empty from his enemies who has fallen from the grace that comes from the fullness of Christ. May the enemy then persecute my soul, and overtake it, and trample my life into the ground. The soul of the righteous man, being separated from sympathy with the body, has its life hidden with Chr 29.236 ist in God; so that it is able to say according to the Apostle, that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me; and, The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith. But the soul of the sinner who lives according to the flesh and is mixed up with the pleasures of the body is rolled about in the passions of the flesh as if in mire; which the enemy, trampling upon, strives to pollute further and, as it were, to bury, stepping on the one who has fallen, and with his own feet trampling into the earth, that is, into the body, the life of the one who has slipped. And make my glory dwell in the dust. Since the saints have their citizenship in heaven, and lay up for themselves good things in eternal treasures, their glory is in the heavens; but for those who are of dust and live according to the flesh, their glory is said to dwell in the dust. For he who is glorified in earthly wealth, and he who pursues the short-lived honor of men, and he who trusts in bodily advantages, has for himself a glory that does not look up to heaven, but remains in the dust. Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; be exalted in the borders of my enemies. The Prophet prays for the mystery of the resurrection to be at work already, for the setting aside of their sin; or for the lifting up on the cross, which was to happen after the wickedness of the enemies was lifted up to the utmost limit. Or also the phrase, Be exalted in the borders of my enemies, suggests some such meaning as this: that however much wickedness may come to a head, and proceed, pouring forth to what is immeasurable and limitless, by the abundance of Your power You are able, like a good physician having taken hold of the extremities of the spreading sore, to stop the spreading and creeping disease,

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τούτου ἔρχεται, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἕξει οὐδέν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν, μὴ ποιήσας ἁμαρτίαν, ἔλεγεν ἔχειν οὐδέν· ἀνθρώπῳ δὲ αὔταρκες, ἐὰν τολ μήσῃ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἔρχεται ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τού του, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἕξει ὀλίγα καὶ μικρά. Κίνδυνος δὲ ταῦτα παθεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχωμεν τὸν λυτρούμενον ἡμᾶς, μηδὲ τὸν σώζοντα. Πρὸς τὰ δύο τὰ προκείμενα δύο ἐστὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα· Σῶσόν με ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν διωκόντων με, καὶ ῥῦσαι, ἵνα μή ποτε ἁρπα σθῶ, ὡς μὴ ὄντος λυτρουμένου. Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, εἰ ἐποίησα τοῦτο, εἰ ἔστιν ἀδικία ἐν χερσί μου, εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀντα ποδιδοῦσί μοι κακὰ, ἀποπέσοιμι ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενός. Καταδιώξαι ἄρα ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ καταλάβοι. Σύνηθες τῇ Γραφῇ τὸ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως ὄνομα οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν νομιζομένων. ὡς ὑπάρξαντός τινος ἀγαθοῦ ἢ κακοῦ, μόνον λαμβά νειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προκαταρχομένων· ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ, Ἀνταπόδος τῷ δούλῳ σου. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, ∆ὸς, εἴρηται, Ἀνταπόδος. ∆όσις μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ἡ καταρχὴ τῆς εὐποιίας, ἀπόδοσις δὲ ἡ τοῦ ἴσου ἀν τιμέτρησις παρὰ τοῦ εὖ πεπονθότος· ἀνταπόδοσις δὲ δευτέρα τις ἀρχὴ καὶ περίοδος τῶν καταβαλλομέ νων εἴς τινας ἀγαθῶν ἢ κακῶν. Οἶμαι δὲ, ὅταν ἀντὶ τῆς αἰτήσεως οἱονεὶ ἀπαίτησίν τινα ποιούμενος ὁ λό γος τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν ἐπιζητῇ, τοιοῦτόν τινα νοῦν παρ ιστᾷ· ὅτι, Τὸ παρὰ τῆς φύσεως ἀναγκαίως ὀφειλό μενον τῆς ἐπιμελείας χρέος τοῖς ἐγγόνοις παρὰ τῶν γεννησάντων, τοῦτό μοι παράσχου. Χρεωστεῖται γὰρ τέκνοις παρὰ πατρὸς κατὰ τὴν φυσικὴν στοργὴν ἡ περὶ τοῦ βίου πρόνοια. Ὀφείλουσι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ γονεῖς τοῖς τέκνοις θησαυρίζειν, ἵνα πρὸς τῷ ζῇν ἔτι καὶ τὰς κατὰ τὸν βίον αὐτοῖς ἀφορμὰς παράσχωνται. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι πολλάκις ἐπὶ τῆς Γραφῆς ἐν ταῖς προ καταρκτικαῖς ἐνεργείαις τὸ ἀπόδομα ἢ τὸ ἀνταπόδομα παραλαμβανόμενον. Νῦν δὲ ἔοικε θαῤῥεῖν ὁ λέγων τῷ μὴ ἀντιδεδωκέναι τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσι κακὰ, μὴ ἀντ αποδεδωκέναι τὰ ὅμοια. Εἰ οὖν ἐποίησα τοῦτο, καὶ εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσί μοι κακὰ, ἀποπέ σοιμι ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενός. Κενὸς ἀπο πίπτει ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὁ τῆς χάριτος τῆς ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκπεσών. Καταδιώξαι ἄρα ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ καταλάβοι, καὶ κα ταπατήσαι εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωήν μου. Τοῦ μὲν δικαίου ἡ ψυχὴ, χωριζομένη τῆς πρὸς τὸ σῶμα συμπα θείας, τὴν ζωὴν ἔχει κεκρυμμένην σὺν τῷ Χρι 29.236 στῷ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ· ὥστε δύνασθαι λέγειν κατὰ τὸν Ἀπό στολον, ὅτι Ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χρι στός· καὶ, Ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκὶ, ἐν πίστει ζῶ. Τοῦ δὲ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ κατὰ σάρκα ζῶντος καὶ συμ πεφυρμένου ταῖς τοῦ σώματος ἡδοναῖς ἡ ψυχὴ οἷον ἐν βορβόρῳ τοῖς πάθεσι τῆς σαρκὸς ἐγκεκύλισται· ἣν καὶ καταπατῶν ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐπὶ πλέον ἐκμολύνειν καὶ οἱονεὶ καταχωννύειν φιλονεικεῖ, ἐπιβαίνων τῷ πεπτω κότι, καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ποσὶ καταπατῶν εἰς γῆν, τουτ έστιν, εἰς τὸ σῶμα τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ ὀλισθήσαντος. Καὶ τὴν δόξαν μου εἰς χοῦν κατασκηνώσαι. Τῶν μὲν ἁγίων τὸ πολίτευμα ἐχόντων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ θησαυ ριζόντων ἑαυτοῖς ἐν τοῖς αἰωνίοις θησαυροῖς τὰ ἀγα θὰ, ἡ δόξα ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· τῶν δὲ χοϊκῶν καὶ κατὰ σάρκα ζώντων, ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν κατασκηνοῦν εἰς τὸν χοῦν λέγεται. Ὁ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ χοϊκῷ πλούτῳ δοξα ζόμενος, καὶ ὁ τὴν ὀλιγοχρόνιον τιμὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων περιέπων, καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῖς σωματικοῖς πλεονεκτήμασι πεποιθὼς, δόξαν ἑαυτῷ ἔχει, οὐκ ἀνανεύουσαν εἰς οὐρανὸν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν χοῦν ἐναπομένουσαν. Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, ἐν ὀργῇ σου· ὑψώθητι ἐν τοῖς πέρασι τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου. Τὸ μυστήριον τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἤδη ἐνεργεῖσθαι εὔχεται ὁ Προφήτης εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν· ἢ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ ὕψωσιν, ἥτις γενήσεσθαι ἔμελλε μετὰ τὸ εἰς τὸν ἔσχα τον ὅρον τὴν κακίαν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑψωθῆναι. Ἢ καὶ τὸ, Ὑψώθητι ἐν τοῖς πέρασι τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου, τοιοῦτόν τινα ὑποβάλλει νοῦν· ὅτι ὅσον ἂν κορυφωθῇ ἡ κακία, καὶ προέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄμετρον καὶ ἀπεριόριστον χυθεῖσα, τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς δυνάμεως δύνασαι, ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸς ἰατρὸς προκαταλαβὼν τῆς νομῆς τὰ πέρατα, στῆσαι τὴν νόσον νεμομένην καὶ ἕρπουσαν,