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pitying those who fear him, he placed them in the rank of sons. For he did not create them out of hatred, but knowing the hearts of men, which he alone fashioned, he knows what is expedient for each; and of the things for which we have the power and the starting-point, these he gives, so that by possessing them in practice we might become his sons. And one might also say that he had experience of our frame by becoming flesh, and had a natural disposition, considering us as sons. For he knew our frame. He remembered that we are dust. For the Creator of our nature knows our weakness; he knows also from where we were fashioned, and to where we will go again. As in a supplication, they put forward the worse of the things in us. For we are not entirely dust, but also in the image and likeness of God. The dust, therefore, pitiably shows weakness. Man, his day is as grass; as a flower of the field, so he will flourish. For a wind has passed through him, and he will not exist, and he will no longer know his place. We differ in nothing from grass and a flower, which blossoms in the spring, but after a short time withers and falls away; for the discourse is again about the outward man. For according to the material life, in which we are dust, extending the present time for some days, we are compared to withering grass. For also according to Isaiah, All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The sun rose, and dried up the grass, and its flower fell; through which it represents the seeming prosperities of men, wealth, glory, dignities, which indeed wither like grass. But Symmachus rendered it, Because a spirit passes through him, then he is no more. And by spirit he means the soul, in whose presence the body both lives and acts; but when it flies away, it is extinguished and perishes, so that not even its former features are recognized, nor is it known that this is the body of so-and-so, and that is the body of so-and-so. And one might see this more accurately, having peered into a tomb. For all things alike become the food of corruption, and do not preserve their former features. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him; and his righteousness is upon children's children to those who keep his covenant, and remember his commandments, to do them. Nature, therefore, is so perishable; but the divine love for man grants a long-lasting life, and preserves until grandchildren the reward of righteousness owed to their forefathers. Therefore, on account of the patriarchs, he deemed the people who sprung from them afterwards worthy of the calling and of his own visitation. This he made clear through Moses, saying: Do not say, 'Because of my righteousness the Lord chose me'; for you are a stiff-necked people; but because he loved your fathers. But you will also understand in another way the sons of righteous men to be the zealous followers of their works. And he extends his mercy through all time; for since he is always good by nature, having righteousness coupled with this mercy upon those who keep his covenant, by which they were also enrolled through virtue as heirs of the promises to come. For they do not simply remember the commandments, but they do them, for which they were also given; as the Savior also said, He who has my commandments and does them, he it is who loves me. And not the one who remembers, but the one who has done the commandments inherits the promises. Thus for Jehu he kept the kingdom until the fourth generation, although he had not acquired perfect piety, but had shown zeal at the beginning of his reign. Thus for the divine David he kept the spark of his lineage unquenched, and this though many impious men had sprouted in the midst. This mercy, he says, he will extend to those who keep his covenant, and not simply remember his commandments, but add deeds to the words, and regulate their own life according to them. The Lord has prepared his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

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φοβουμένους αὐτὸν οἰκτεί ρων εἰς υἱῶν ἔθετο τάξιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μισῶν κατεσκεύασεν, ἀλλ' ἐπιστάμενος τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἃς κατὰ μόνας ἔπλασεν, οἶδε τί ἑκάστῳ συμφέρει· καὶ ὧν ἔχομεν δύναμίν τε καὶ ἀφορμὴν, ταῦτα δίδωσιν, ἐπὶ τῷ κατ' ἐνέρ γειαν ἔχοντας αὐτὰ υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι. Λέγοι δ' ἂν καὶ ὡς πεῖραν ἔλαβε τοῦ πλάσματος ἡμῶν γενόμενος σὰρξ, καὶ φυσικὴν ἔσχε διάθεσιν, υἱοὺς ἡμᾶς λογισάμε νος. Ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔγνω τὸ πλάσμα ἡμῶν. Ἐμνήσθη ὅτι χοῦς ἐσμεν. Οἶδε γὰρ ὁ ∆ημιουργὸς τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν· οἶδε καὶ πόθεν διεπλάσθημεν, καὶ ποῦ πάλιν χωρήσομεν. Ὡς ἐν ἱκετείᾳ δὲ, τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν τὸ χεῖ ρον προτείνουσιν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ πᾶν ἐσμεν χοῦς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ καὶ ὁμοίωσιν. Ὁ χοῦς οὖν ἐλεεινῶς δηλοῖ τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Ἄνθρωπος, ὡσεὶ χόρτος ἡ ἡμέ ρα αὐτοῦ· ὡσεὶ ἄνθος τοῦ ἀγροῦ, οὕτως ἐξανθήσει. Ὅτι πνεῦμα διῆλθεν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐχ ὑπάρξει, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιγνώσεται ἔτι τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ. Οὐδὲν χόρτου καὶ ἄνθους διενηνόχαμεν, ὃ ἐν ἔαρι μὲν τέθηλε, μετὰ δὲ βραχὺ μαραίνεταί τε καὶ διαῤῥεῖ· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἔξω πά λιν ὁ λόγος ἀνθρώπου. Κατὰ γὰρ τὴν ἔνυλον ζωὴν, καθ' ἥν ἐσμεν χοῦς, ἐφ' ἡμέρας τινὰς τὸν παρόντα παρεκτεί νοντες χρόνον, παραβαλλόμεθα χόρτῳ ξηραινομένῳ. Καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν γὰρ, Πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ ἐξήρανε τὸν χόρτον, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτοῦ ἐξ έπεσε· δι' ὧν τὰς δοκούσας ἀνθρώπων εὐημερίας παρ ίστησι, πλοῦτον, δόξαν, ἀξίας, ἃ δὴ χόρτου δίκην μα ραίνεται. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν, Ὅτι πνεῦμα διέρχεται αὐτὸν, εἶτα οὐχ ὑπάρχει. Πνεῦμα δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν λέγει, ἧς παρούσης καὶ ζῇ τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἐνεργεῖ· ἀπο πτάσης δὲ, κατασβέννυταί τε καὶ φθείρεται, ὡς μηδὲ τοὺς προτέρους ἐπιγινώσκεσθαι χαρακτῆρας, μηδὲ εἰ δέναι, ὡς τοῦτο τοῦ δεῖνος, ἐκεῖνο δὲ τοῦ δεῖνος τὸ σῶμα. Καὶ τοῦτο ἴδοι τις ἂν ἀκριβέστερον, διακύψας εἰς τάφον. Πάντα γὰρ ὁμοίως φθορᾶς γίνεται παρανάλωμα, καὶ τοὺς προτέρους χαρακτῆρας οὐ διασώζει. Τὸ δὲ ἔλεος τοῦ Κυ ρίου ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐπὶ τοὺς φο βουμένους αὐτόν· καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ υἱοῖς υἱῶν τοῖς φυλάσσουσι τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ, καὶ με μνημένοις τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτάς. Ἡ μὲν οὖν φύσις οὕτως ἐπίκηρος· ἡ δὲ θεία φιλανθρωπία τὸν μακραίωνα χαρίζεται βίον, καὶ μέχρις ἐγγόνων διατηρεῖ τὴν τοῖς προγόνοις ὀφειλομένην τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀντί δοσιν. Τοιγαροῦν διὰ τοὺς πατριάρχας τὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν φύντα μετὰ ταῦτα λαὸν τῆς κλήσεως καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπισκοπῆς κατηξίωσεν. Ὅπερ διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδήλωσε, λέγων· Μὴ εἴπῃς· ∆ιὰ τὰς δικαιοσύνας μου ἐξελέ ξατό με Κύριος· σὺ γὰρ λαὸς σκληροτράχηλος· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾷν τοὺς πατέρας σου. Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ ἄλλως υἱοὺς τῶν δικαίων ἀνδρῶν, τοὺς τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν ζηλωτάς. Παρατείνει δὲ διὰ παντὸς τὸ ἔλεος αὐ τοῦ· ἀεὶ γὰρ ὡς φύσει ὢν ἀγαθὸς ἐλέους, τὴν σύζυγον ἔχων τῷ ἐλέῳ τούτῳ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τοὺς φυλάσσοντας τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ, ᾗ καὶ ἐνεγράφησαν δι' ἀρετῆς κλη ρονόμοι τῶν μελλουσῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς μέ μνηνται τῶν ἐντολῶν, ἀλλὰ πράττουσιν, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ δέδον ται· καὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰπόντος, Ὁ ἔχων τὰς ἐντολάς μου καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὰς, ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαπῶν με. Κληρονομεῖ δὲ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας οὐχ ὁ μεμνημένος, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιήσας τὰς ἐντολάς. Οὕτω τῷ Ἰοὺ μέχρι τετάρτης γενεᾶς τὴν βασιλείαν τετήρηκε, καίτοι μηδὲ τελείαν εὐσέβειαν κτησαμένῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιδειξαμένῳ τὸν ζῆλον. Οὕτω τῷ θεσπεσίῳ ∆αυῒδ ἄσβε στον διετήρησε τὸν τοῦ γένους σπινθῆρα, καὶ ταῦτα πολ λῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐν μέσῳ βεβλαστηκότων. Τοῦτον δὲ, φησὶν, ὀρέξει τὸν ἔλεον Τοῖς φυλάσσουσι τὴν διαθήκην αὐ τοῦ, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς μεμνημένοις τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐπιτιθεῖσι τοῖς λόγοις τὰ ἔργα, καὶ κατὰ ταύτας τὸν οἰκεῖον ῥυθμίζουσι βίον. Κύριος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἡτοί μασε τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ πάν των δεσπόζει.