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your good things, and likewise Lazarus the evil things; for this reason he is comforted here, but you are in anguish. But what does, I hoped in your words, mean? For I am dependent on your promise, and upon this hope I walk. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in your judgments. Truth is precious, so that Christ himself said: I am the truth and the life. And another prophet teaches: These are the words which you shall do: Speak truth each one to his neighbor, and do not love a false oath. But the opposite of truth is the lie, which is also from the evil one. For he first lied and whispered to Eve. The prophet therefore teaches us to love the truth, and to ask for it from the God of all with much eagerness. And I will keep your law continually, forever and ever. Hence, in this life I will keep your law and I will observe your commandments; but the good things are laid up for me for doing this; for thus I will become more eager about the keeping of your laws. However, by, Forever, and forever and ever, he indicated the future life, in which the pure and unmixed keeping of the divine laws will be given to all, and the good things, Which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man. For these things God has prepared for those who love him. And I walked at liberty, for I sought your precepts. And I spoke of your testimonies before kings, and was not ashamed. With much, he says, ease, and living according to your commandments, I did not fear even royal power, but with much boldness I engaged in conversation with them. For a life in accordance with the law is a creator of boldness; 55.685 and of this the great David is a witness. For before the sin he converses with Saul with much boldness; but after the sin, and fleeing his parricidal son, he walked stooping to the ground and covering his head. But 'liberty' here he calls the readiness and ease with which those who live well walk, and they do not turn to the right or to the left, if they have their mind on the way of God. For the Lord sends crooked ways to the crooked. And since I walked in the liberty of your commandments, I spoke of your testimonies before kings, and was not ashamed. Such was the great Elijah, confident in righteousness, rebuking the lawlessness of Ahab. Such was the divine Daniel, saying to Nebuchadnezzar: And now, O king, let my counsel be pleasing to you, and atone for your iniquities with alms, and your injustices with mercy to the poor. Such was John, rebuking the adultery of Herod, saying to him: It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother. Thus the divine Paul conversed with Agrippa and Festus and Felix. Thus the gloriously triumphant martyrs despised the impious kings. And I meditated on your commandments, which I loved exceedingly. And I lifted up my hands to your commandments, which I loved, and I spoke of your statutes. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power; and, He who has done and taught, this one will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For this very reason, the divine prophet has added action to meditation. For having said, I meditated on your commandments, which I loved exceedingly, and having shown his fervent desire, he added: And I lifted up my hands to your commandments, which I loved, and I spoke of your statutes. For what I was taught through the divine words, these things I pursued through deeds. For the meditation on the divine words and the hearing of the reading leads to good works. For this is the meaning of, I lifted up my hands to your commandments. For hands are indicative of actions; for the Apostle said: Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law

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ἀγαθά σου, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ Λάζαρος τὰ κακά· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνος μὲν ὧδε παρακαλεῖται, σὺ δὲ ὀδυνᾶσαι. Τὸ δὲ, Ἤλπισα ἐπὶ τοὺς λόγους σου, τί ἐστι; Τῆς γὰρ σῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐξήρτημαι, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης ὁδεύω τῆς ἐλπίδος. Καὶ μὴ περιέλῃς ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου λόγον ἀληθείας ἕως σφόδρα, ὅτι ἐπὶ τοῖς κρίμασί σου ἐπήλπισα. Τίμιον ἡ ἀλήθεια, ὥστε καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς ἔφη· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή. Καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης διδάσκει· Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι, οὓς ποιήσετε· λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ὑμῶν, καὶ ὅρκον ψευδῆ μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε. Τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ ψεῦδος, ὃ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ πρῶτος ψευσάμενος ἐψιθύρισε τῇ Εὔᾳ. Ἐρᾷν τοίνυν ἡμᾶς τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ προφήτης διδάσκει, καὶ ταύτην αἰτεῖν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων σὺν προ θυμίᾳ πολλῇ. Καὶ φυλάξω τὸν νόμον σου διαπαντὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἐντεῦ θεν μὲν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ φυλάξω τὸν νόμον σου καὶ τὰς ἐντολάς σου διατηρήσω· ἀπόκειται δέ μοι τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοῦτο ποιοῦντι· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ προθυμότερος περὶ τὴν τῶν σῶν νόμων γενήσομαι φυλακήν. ∆ιὰ μέντοι τοῦ, Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ἐδήλωσε τὸν μέλλοντα βίον, ἐν ᾧ καθαρὰ καὶ ἀκραιφνὴς δοθήσεται ἅπασι τῶν θείων νόμων ἡ φυλακὴ, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ, Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρ δίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη. Ταῦτα γὰρ Ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐπορευόμην ἐν πλα τυσμῷ, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου ἐξεζήτησα. Καὶ ἐλάλουν ἐν τοῖς μαρτυρίοις σου ἐναντίον βασιλέων, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχυνόμην. Μετὰ πολλῆς, φησὶν, εὐκολίας, καὶ κατὰ τὰς σὰς ἐντολὰς βιοτεύων, οὐδὲ βασιλικὴν ἔδεισα δυνα στείαν, ἀλλὰ σὺν παῤῥησίᾳ πολλῇ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐποιού μην διάλεξιν. Ἡ γὰρ ἔννομος ζωὴ παῤῥησίας δημιουργός· 55.685 καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ μέγας ∆αυΐδ. Πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μετὰ πολλῆς τῷ Σαοὺλ διαλέγεται παῤῥη σίας· μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τὸν πατραλοίαν ἀποδι δράσκων υἱὸν, κύπτων εἰς γῆν καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν καλύπ των ἐβάδιζε. Πλατυσμὸν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν εὐχέρειαν καὶ τὴν εὐκολίαν λέγει, ἣν οἱ ἀγαθῶς βιοῦντες πορεύονται, καὶ οὐκ ἐκκλίνουσι δεξιᾷ οὔτε ἀριστερᾷ, εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔχουσι τὸν νοῦν αὐτῶν. Πρὸς γὰρ τοὺς σκο λιοὺς σκολιὰς ὁδοὺς ἐπαποστέλλει Κύριος. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐν πλατυσμῷ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου ἐπορευόμην, Ἐλάλουν ἐν τοῖς μαρτυρίοις σου ἐναντίον βασιλέων, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχυνόμην. Τοιοῦτος ἦν Ἠλίας ὁ πάνυ, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ θαῤῥῶν, ἐλέγχων τὴν παρανομίαν τοῦ Ἀχαάβ. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆ανιὴλ, λέγων τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ· Καὶ νῦν, βασιλεῦ, ἡ βουλή μου ἀρεσάτω σοι, καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι, καὶ τὰς ἀδικίας σου ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς πενήτων. Τοιοῦτος ἦν Ἰωάν νης, ἐλέγχων τὴν μοιχείαν τοῦ Ἡρώδου, λέγων αὐτῷ· Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. Οὕτως ὁ θεῖος Παῦλος πρὸς τὸν Ἀγρίπ παν καὶ τὸν Φῆστον καὶ τὸν Φήλικα διελέγετο. Οὕτως οἱ καλλίνικοι μάρτυρες τῶν δυσσεβῶν κατεφρόνησαν βασι λέων. Καὶ ἐμελέτων ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς σου, ἃς ἠγά πησα σφόδρα. Καὶ ἦρα τὰς χεῖράς μου πρὸς τὰς ἐν τολάς σου, ἃς ἠγάπησα, καὶ ἠδολέσχουν ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει· καὶ, Ὁ ποιήσας καὶ διδάξας, οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος προφήτης τῇ μελέτῃ τὴν πρᾶξιν προστέθεικεν. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ, Ἐμελέτων ἐν ταῖς ἐντο λαῖς σου, ἃς ἠγάπησα σφόδρα, καὶ τὸν θερμὸν ἐπι δείξας πόθον, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἦρα τὰς χεῖράς μου πρὸς τὰς ἐντολάς σου, ἃς ἠγάπησα, καὶ ἠδολέσχουν ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου. Ἃ γὰρ διὰ τῶν θείων λόγων ἐδι δασκόμην, ταῦτα διὰ τῶν ἔργων μετῄειν. Ἡ γὰρ μελέτη τῶν θείων λόγων καὶ ἡ ἀκρόασις τῆς ἀναγνώσεως πρὸς ἔργα ἀγαθὰ καταντᾷ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἦρα τὰς χεῖ ράς μου πρὸς τὰς ἐντολάς σου. Αἱ χεῖρες γὰρ πρά ξεών εἰσι δηλωτικαί· ἔφη γὰρ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Οὐχ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δίκαιοι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' οἱ ποιηταὶ τοῦ νόμου