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the president; so that he both watches over human affairs, and grants the requests of those who approach diligently; and having cast off your vain reasonings. 5. "Know that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful; the Lord will hear me when I cry to him." For he did not simply free me from the 80.892 misfortunes that befell me, but also made me renowned and admired through the victory; for this is what he said, "he has made wonderful;" and he continually persists in receiving my prayers. And again here he has put "holy one" instead of "the innocent one," and the one who has in no way wronged his attackers, but has been wronged by them. He fittingly called the unbelieving "heavy of heart," as those not willing to look up to God, and not wanting to see the divine dispensations; from the metaphor of those whose heads are weighed down by some drunkenness from the vapors sent up from below, and are forced to close their eyes, and are unable to open them. Be angry. Here one must punctuate, and thus read the rest, "and do not sin." Be indignant, he says, and be vexed, seeing those unjustly rising up against you prospering. But do not increase evil with evil, trying to persuade others also that all things are carried on in disorder and without a pilot. For it is fitting to do the opposite of these things, to exact from oneself at night the penalties for the sins committed during the day. "What you say in your hearts, be pierced with compunction on your beds." For since the time of night, being free from external disturbances, provides much quiet for one's thoughts; he fittingly "commanded that the examination of what is said or done during the day be made in this time, and legislated to heal the wounds with the medicine of compunction." 6. "Offer a sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord." And through these words he dismisses the legal worship as superfluous, and legislates to offer the sacrifice of righteousness; for the possession of righteousness is more pleasing to God than any hecatomb or chiliomb, with hope in him obviously being joined to it. Since many, both of Greeks and of Jews, and of heretics who think the opposite, sometimes pursue both self-control and righteousness; but being deprived of piety, they obtain no fruit from this. Therefore the all-holy Spirit through the divine David exhorts not only to offer a sacrifice of righteousness, but also to hope in the Lord. Thus also the Lord Christ says to his disciples, "I am the true vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the vinedresser." Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes it away; and he did not simply say, "not bearing fruit," but "in me not bearing fruit," that is, according to my commandments, 80.893 according to my laws, with faith in me, as some seem to care for virtue without confessing him, for the sake of human glory. "Many say, Who will show us good things?" He alludes to those whom he called heavy of heart, as being vexed at the sorrowful things that befall them, daring to say this. 7. "The light of your face has been signed upon us, O Lord; you have given gladness to my heart." They, then, both reason and utter such things; but we who have received the splendor of the knowledge of you as God, and have been enlightened by the rays from you, even in the very misfortunes that rise up against us, have sufficient consolation in our hope in you. 8. "From the fruit of their wheat, wine, and oil they were multiplied." Again he accuses those who say, "Who will show us good things?" as enjoying so many things even in the present life, and yet suffering from ingratitude. The meaning is by hyperbaton: "Many say, 'Who will show us good things?' from the fruit of their wheat, and wine, and oil they were multiplied." And yet, he says, those who say these things enjoy all kinds of fruits of the earth; for through these three kinds that are preeminent for human nature, he necessarily also included the other good things; refuting their ignorance, that even in the
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τὸν πρύτανιν· ὅπως καὶ ἐφορᾷ τὰ ἀνθρώ πεια, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιμελῶς προσιοῦσι τὰς αἰτήσεις ὀρέγει· καὶ τοὺς ματαίους ὑμῶν λογισμοὺς ἀποῤ ῥίψαντες. εʹ. "Γνῶτε ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσε Κύριος τὸν ὅσιον αὐτοῦ· Κύριος εἰσακούσεταί μου, ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς αὐτόν." Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς με τῶν προσπε 80.892 σουσῶν ἠλευθέρωσε συμφορῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περι φανῆ, καὶ περίβλεπτον διὰ τῆς νίκης πεποίηκε· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν, "ἐθαυμάστωσε·" καὶ ἐπιμένει διηνεκῶς τὰς ἐμὰς δεήσεις δεχόμενος. Ὅσιον δὲ πάλιν ἐνταῦθα ἀντὶ τοῦ τὸν ἀθῶον τέθεικε, καὶ τὸν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα τοὺς πολεμοῦντας, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἠδικημένον. Βαρυκαρδίους δὲ τοὺς ἀπίστους εἰκότως ὠνόμασεν, ὡς ἀναβλέπειν πρὸς Θεὸν οὐκ ἐθέλοντας, καὶ τὰς θείας οἰκονομίας οὐ βουλομένους ὁρᾷν· ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ὑπό τινος οἰνοφλυγίας βα ρυνομένων τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκ τῶν κάτωθεν ἀναπεμπο μένων ἀτμῶν, καὶ μύειν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀναγκα ζομένων, καὶ διανοίγειν οὐ δυναμένων. Ὀργίζεσθε. Ἐνταῦθα ὑποστικτέον, καὶ οὕτως τὰ λοιπὰ ἀναγνωστέον, "καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε." Ἀγανακτεῖτε, φησὶ, καὶ δυσχεραίνετε τοὺς ἀδίκως ὑμῖν ἐπανιστα μένους εὐημεροῦντας ὁρῶντες. Ἀλλὰ μὴ αὔξετε κακὸν τῷ κακῷ, πείθειν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πειρώμε νοι, ὡς ἄτακτα πάντα καὶ ἀκυβέρνητα φέρεται. Τούτων γὰρ τοὐναντίον προσήκει ποιεῖν, τῶν μεθ' ἡμέρας γινομένων ἁμαρτάδων σφᾶς αὐτοὺς νύκτωρ τὰς εὐθύνας εἰσπράττειν. "Ἃ λέγετε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν κατα νύγητε." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ νυκτερινὸς καιρὸς τῶν ἔξω θεν θορύβων ἀπηλλαγμένος πολλὴν παρέχει τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡσυχίαν· εἰκότως ἐν τούτῳ τὴν ἐξέτασιν ποιεῖσθαι "προσέταξε τῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ λεγομένων ἢ πραττομένων, καὶ τῷ τῆς κατανύξεως φαρμάκῳ τὰ τραύματα θεραπεύειν ἐνομοθέτησε." ϛʹ. "Θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ Κύριον." Καὶ διὰ τούτων τῶν ῥημάτων τὴν νομικὴν λατρείαν, ὡς περιττὴν, ἀποπέμπεται, καὶ τὴν τῆς δικαιοσύνης θυσίαν προσφέρειν νομοθετεῖ· πάσης γὰρ ἑκατόμβης καὶ χιλιόμβης τῆς δικαιοσύ νης ἡ κτῆσις θυμηρεστέρα τῷ Θεῷ, συνημμένης αὐτῇ δηλονότι τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδος. Ἐπεὶ πολλοὶ καὶ Ἑλλήνων καὶ Ἰουδαίων, καὶ τῶν τἀναντία φρονούντων αἱρετικῶν, καὶ σωφροσύνην, καὶ δι καιοσύνην ἔστιν ὅτε μετίασιν· ἀλλὰ τῆς εὐσε βείας ἐστερημένοι, καρπὸν ἐντεῦθεν οὐδένα πορίζονται. ∆ιὸ τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα διὰ τοῦ θεσπε σίου ∆αβὶδ παρεγγυᾷ, οὐ μόνον θῦσαι θυσίαν δικαιο σύνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλπίσαι ἐπὶ Κύριον. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστός φησι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς, "Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινὴ, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλή ματα, καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστι." Πᾶν κλῆμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ φέρον καρπὸν, αἴρει αὐτό· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, "Μὴ φέρον καρπὸν," ἀλλ' "ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ φέρον καρπὸν," τουτέστι, κατὰ τὰς ἐμὰς ἐντο 80.893 λὰς, κατὰ τὰς ἐμὰς νομοθεσίας, μετὰ τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ πίστεως ὥς τινων καὶ δίχα τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ὁμολο γίας διὰ δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δοκούντων. "Πολλοὶ λέγουσι, Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά;" Αἰνίττεται οὓς βαρυκαρδίους ὠνόμασεν, ὡς δυσχεραίνοντας ἐπὶ τοῖς προσπίπτουσι λυπηροῖς, λέγειν τοῦτο τολμῶντας ζʹ. "Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε· ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα καὶ λογίζονται καὶ φθέγγονται· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ τῆς σῆς θεογνωσίας τὴν αἴγλην δεξάμενοι, καὶ ταῖς παρὰ σοῦ φωτισθέν τες ἀκτῖσι, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἐπανισταμέναις ἡμῖν συμφοραῖς ἀποχρῶσαν ἔχομεν παραψυχὴν τὴν εἰς σὲ ἐλπίδα. ηʹ. "Ἀπὸ καρποῦ σίτου, οἴνου, καὶ ἐλαίου αὐτῶν ἐπληθύνθησαν." Πάλιν ἐκείνων κατηγορεῖ τῶν λεγόντων· "Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά;" ὡς τοσού των καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἀπολαυόντων, καὶ ἀχαριστίαν νοσούντων. Ἔστι δὲ τὸ νόημα μεθ υπέρβατον· "Πολλοὶ λέγουσι· Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά; ἀπὸ καρποῦ σίτου, καὶ οἴνου, καὶ ἐλαίου αὐτῶν ἐπληθύνθησαν." Καίτοι, φησὶν, οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες τῶν παντοδαπῶν τῆς γῆς καρπῶν ἀπο λαύουσι· διὰ γὰρ τῶν τριῶν τούτων εἰδῶν τῶν τῇ ἀνθρωπείᾳ φύσει διαφερόντων, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τὰ ἄλλα συμπεριέλαβεν ἀγαθά· τὴν ἐκείνων ἐλέγχων ἀγνωμοσύνην, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ταῖς