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It is said that He is master of all, but not that He is king, since not all are worthy of His kingdom. Therefore, to those who live the evangelical life rightly, the Savior promised the kingdom of heaven; but He also rules 55.645 over the unworthy, as Lord. This resembles what is said in another psalm: He who dwells on high, and looks upon the humble things. For here too the prophetic word teaches us that the Lord of all has His throne in heaven, but He watches over and governs creation, since indeed He is the creator and king and master of all. Bless the Lord, all His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, to hear the voice of His words. 4. Rightly he called the invisible powers into the fellowship of hymnody. For human nature is not sufficient to praise the benefactor worthily; but the incorporeal and holy natures, having a life free from passions, are able to fulfill the divine commands. But the prophet also speaks another thought. The things concerning you, he says, O soul, are too weak to praise God worthily; yet let it do this in part. But know that His angels, being mighty in strength, and unerringly doing His word, and being worthy to hear His voice and His words, bless Him fittingly and worthily. But if there are any among men who pursue a life equal to the angels, according to the one who said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me; let these also bless Him; but let no one of those who transgress His word, and disobey His voice, dare to do this rashly. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His ministers, who do His will; having said angels, so that he might not list in part the orders in heaven, of which Paul made mention in part, saying, Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named; and again, Whether invisible, or visible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; embracing all in one word, he called them hosts. But by calling them ministers who do His will, he distinguished them from the opposing powers of the same name. For he does not call these to the hymn, the principalities of this and the authorities and the world-rulers of this darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness.

But he called all the heavenly orders angels and hosts; the one because they minister to the divine commands and convey the divine words; and hosts, as being able to do what is commanded and having received power in their nature from their maker. Bless the Lord, all His works, in every place of His dominion; bless the Lord, O my soul. Through these words he persuades the soul not to shrink from the hymn, as being far inferior to the heavenly beings. For not only they, but all the works of the Lord are commanded to bless the Lord together, each according to its ability. For every place is suitable for the hymn, not only heaven; for the worthiness of blessing is through good deeds. And everything inanimate, and irrational, even if it seems harmful, as it benefits the whole through ineffable wisdom, contributes to the doxology of God, as each one blesses God according to the worth of the place in which it is. Which indeed do, he says, O soul, in the place where you happen to be dwelling, whether on the earth, or in a better region. For there too, bless with the choirs of angels for heavenly and perfect goods. But this is not fitting for the Jews. For they, when commanded by their captors to sing from the songs of Zion, said, acting lawfully, How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? But to us the divine Apostle exhorts us in every place, praying, to lift up holy hands. And the Lord Christ said this to the Samaritan woman: Amen, amen, I say to you, woman, that the hour is coming and now is, when neither in this place,

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∆εσπόζειν πάντων, ἀλλ' οὐ βασιλεύειν εἴρηται, ἐπεὶ μὴ πάντες ἄξιοι τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας. ∆ιὸ τοῖς τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν κατορθοῦσι βίον τὴν τῶν οὐ ρανῶν βασιλείαν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐπηγγείλατο· κρατεῖ δὲ καὶ 55.645 τῶν ἀναξίων, ὡς Κύριος. Ἔοικε δὲ τοῦτο τοῖς ἐν ἑτέρῳ εἰρημένοις ψαλμῷ· Ὁ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν, καὶ τὰ ταπεινὰ ἐφορῶν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ὁ προφητικὸς ἡμᾶς διδάσκει λόγος, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ μὲν ἔχει τὸν θρόνον τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, ἐφορᾷ δὲ καὶ πρυτανεύει τὴν κτίσιν, ἅτε δὴ πάντων ὢν δημιουργὸς καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ ∆εσπότης. Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, δυνατοὶ ἰσχύϊ, ποιοῦντες τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ἀκοῦ σαι τῆς φωνῆς τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ. δʹ. Εἰκότως τὰς ἀοράτους δυνάμεις εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς ὑμνῳδίας ἐκάλεσεν. Οὐκ ἀπόχρη γὰρ ἡ ἀνθρωπεία φύ σις ἀξίως ὑμνῆσαι τὸν εὐεργέτην· αἱ δὲ ἀσώματοι καὶ ἅγιαι φύσεις ἐλευθέραν ἔχουσαι παθημάτων ζωὴν, ἱκαναὶ πληροῦν τὰ θεῖα προστάγματα. Λέγει δέ τινα καὶ ἑτέραν ἔννοιαν ὁ προφήτης. Τὰ μὲν κατὰ σὲ, φησὶν, ὦ ψυχὴ, ἐξασθενεῖ πρὸς τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ὑμνεῖν τὸν Θεόν· ἐκ μέ ρους δὲ τοῦτο ὅμως ποιείτω. Ἴσθι δὲ ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐ τοῦ, δυνατοὶ ἰσχύϊ ὄντες, καὶ ἀδιαπτώτως τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ποιοῦντες, ἄξιοί τε ὄντες ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ τῆς φω νῆς καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων, πρεπόντως καὶ κατ' ἀξίαν εὐλογοῦσιν αὐτόν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐν ἀνθρώποις εἶέν τινες ἰσάγ γελον βίον μετερχόμενοι, κατὰ τὸν φήσαντα, Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ· καὶ οὗτοι εὐ λογείτωσαν αὐτόν· μηδεὶς δὲ τῶν παραβαινόντων τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, καὶ παρακουόντων τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ, προ πετέστερον τολμάτω τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύ ριον, πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, λειτουργοὶ αὐτοῦ, ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ· ἀγγέλους εἰπὼν, ἵνα μὴ κατὰ μέρος τὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ τάγματα καταλέγῃ, ὧν ἐμνη μόνευσεν ἐκ μέρους ὁ Παῦλος, Ὑπεράνω πάσης, εἰπὼν, ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ κυριότητος καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου· καὶ πάλιν, Εἴτε ἀόρατα, εἴτε ὁρατὰ, εἴτε θρόνοι, εἴτε κυριότητες, εἴτε ἀρχαὶ, εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· ἑνὶ λόγῳ πάντα περιλαβὼν, δυνά μεις ἐκάλεσε. Ποιοῦντας δὲ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ λειτουργοὺς εἰπὼν, ἀντιδιέστειλε ταῖς ὁμωνύμοις ἐναντίαις δυνάμεσιν. Οὐ γὰρ καὶ ταύτας καλεῖ πρὸς τὸν ὕμνον, τὰς ἀρχὰς τού του καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκό τους τούτου καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας.

Πάντα δὲ τὰ οὐράνια τάγματα ἀγγέλους καὶ δυνάμεις ἐκάλεσε· τὸ μὲν ὡς τοῖς θείοις ὑπουργοῦντας προστάγμασι καὶ τοὺς θείους λόγους διαπορθμεύοντας· δυνάμεις δὲ, ὡς ἱκανοὺς τὸ κελευόμενον πράττειν καὶ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐν τῇ φύσει παρὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος λαβόντας. Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ τῆς δεσποτείας αὐτοῦ, εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν Κύριον. ∆ιὰ τούτων πείθει τὴν ψυχὴν μὴ ἀπ οκνεῖν πρὸς τὸν ὕμνον ὡς πολὺ λειπομένην τῶν οὐρανίων. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτὰ μόνα, πάντα δὲ προστέτακται τὰ ἔργα Κυ ρίου κοινῶς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον εὐλογεῖν πρὸς δύναμιν ἕκα στον. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν ὕμνον πᾶς τόπος, ἀλλ' οὐ μόνος οὐρα νὸς ἐπιτήδειος· διὰ πράξεων γὰρ ἀγαθῶν ἡ τοῦ εὐλογεῖν ἐστιν ἀξία. Καὶ πᾶν δὲ ἄψυχον, καὶ ἄλογον, κἂν δοκῇ βλαπτικὸν, ὡς δι' ἀῤῥήτου σοφίας λυσιτελεῖ τῷ παντὶ, πρὸς δοξολογίαν συντείνει Θεοῦ, ὡς ἕκαστον κατ' ἀξίαν τοῦ ἐν ᾧ ἐστι τόπου τὸν Θεὸν εὐλογεῖν. Ὃ δὴ ποίει, φη σὶν, ὦ ψυχὴ, ἐν ᾧ τυγχάνεις διατρίβουσα τόπῳ, κἄν τε ἐν τῇ γῇ, κἄν τε κρείττονι χωρίῳ. Κἀκεῖ γὰρ εὐλόγει σὺν ἀγγέλων χοροῖς ὑπὲρ ἐπουρανίων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τε λείων. Τοῖς δὲ Ἰουδαίοις οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἁρμόττει. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνδραποδισάντων ᾆσαι προσταχθέντες ἐκ τῶν ᾠδῶν Σιὼν, ἔφασαν ἔννομα δρῶντες, Πῶς ᾄσομεν τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας; Ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος παρεγγυᾷ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ προσευχομένους αἴρειν ὁσίους χεῖρας. Τοῦτο δὲ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς πρὸς τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν ἔφη· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν, λέγω σοι, γύναι, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οὔτε ἐν τῷ τόπῳ,