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carrying the gifts of God in their hands, and lavishly delighting in his good things, dare to say as though enjoying nothing: "Who will show us good things?" But I, having enjoyed your light, and having acquired knowledge, 9, 10. "In peace I will both lie down and sleep. For you, Lord, alone have made me dwell in hope." For having driven out all disturbance and discord from my thoughts, and having governed these with peace, and having taught them to think these things concerning your good providence, I will accept death in the hope of the resurrection. For here he called death sleep. And very fittingly he joined hope to the memory of death, having gone through the arguments concerning providence. For since many in the present life, having fallen into misfortune, and being wronged by those who live in wickedness, receive the end of life having obtained no assistance, the great David teaches not to be disheartened, as hope is joined to death, and after death the recompense will come.

80.896 COMMENTARY ON THE 5TH PSALM. 1. "To the end, for her that obtains the inheritance; a psalm of David." Thus also the others have interpreted the inscription. It is clear, therefore, that the divine word calls heir, in a common sense, the Church of God, and in a specific sense, the soul that lives with piety. For one can hear the Lord saying in the holy Gospels: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And the divine Paul says the same thing: "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." And again, "So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." And many other such things can be found in the divine Scripture, by which, being guided, we will be able to perceive the meaning. 2, 3. "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my cry. Heed the voice of my supplication, my King and my God." The Church of God, buffeted by many storms from all sides, and indeed every soul that embraces the pious life, survives and swims above the surge, calling continually upon divine assistance. Indeed, the prophetic word also trains us in this, teaching how one ought to entreat and supplicate the God and king of all; and it teaches by saying: "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my cry, heed the voice of my supplication." But one must understand neither the Cry as a cry, nor the ears as ears; for it is the custom of the divine Scripture to speak of the God of all in a more bodily manner, and to call the divine energies by human parts: the seeing faculty eyes, and the hearing faculty ears, and the rest likewise. And Cry, in the case of those who pray, it calls eagerness, and the earnest supplication of the mind. And "give ear," instead of, Let the words of my prayer be within your ears, and graciously hear my supplication, and attend precisely to the words of my prayer, since I know you to be God and king. 4, 5. "For to you I will pray, O Lord, and in the morning you will hear my voice. In the morning I will stand before you, and you will see me." For trusting that you receive my supplications, as soon as the light rises, having shaken off sleep from my eyelids, as to a 80.897 king and master, I stand before you, offering my request to you. It is not for everyone to say to the God of all, "I will stand before you, and you will see me;" but for those who, like the great Elijah, dare to say through the confidence that comes from their way of life, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand today." "For you are not a God who wills iniquity. [6.] He who does evil will not dwell with you; nor will transgressors remain before your eyes." You receive my prayers, and you watch over the one who entreats; since you forbid all iniquity, and you completely turn away those who live in wickedness;

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χερσὶ φέροντες τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεὰς, καὶ φιλοτίμως αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφῶντες, ὡς μηδενὸς ἀπολαύοντες λέγειν τολμῶ σι· "Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά;" Ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦ σοῦ φωτὸς ἀπολαύσας, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν κτησάμε νος, θʹ, ιʹ. "Ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κοιμηθήσομαι, καὶ ὑπνώσω. Ὅτι σὺ, Κύριε, κατὰ μόνας ἐπ' ἐλπίδι κατῴκισάς με." Πάντα γὰρ θόρυβον, καὶ διχόνοιαν τῶν λογισμῶν ἐξελάσας, καὶ τούτοις πρυτανεύσας εἰρήνην, καὶ ταῦτα περὶ τῆς ἀγαθῆς σου προνοίας διδάξας φρονεῖν, ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὸν θάνατον δέξομαι. Ὕπνον γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὸν θάνατον προσηγόρευσεν. Εἰκότως δὲ μάλα τῇ τοῦ θανάτου μνήμῃ τὴν ἐλπίδα συνέζευξε, τοὺς περὶ προνοίας λόγους διεξελθών. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ κατὰ τὸν παρ όντα βίον δυσπραγίᾳ περιπεσόντες, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρίᾳ συζώντων ἀδικούμενοι, δέχονται τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος οὐδεμιᾶς τινὸς ἐπικουρίας τετυχη κότες, διδάσκει μὴ δυσχεραίνειν ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ, ὡς τῆς ἐλπίδος τῷ θανάτῳ συνεζευγμένης, καὶ μετὰ θάνατον τῆς ἀντιδόσεως ἐσομένης.

80.896 ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Εʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονομούσης· ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ." Οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ

λοιποὶ τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἡρμηνεύκασιν. ∆ῆλον τοίνυν, ὡς κληρο νόμον ὁ θεῖος ἀποκαλεῖ λόγος, κοινῶς μὲν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, ἰδικῶς δὲ τὴν εὐσεβείᾳ συζῶ σαν ψυχήν. Ἔστι γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· "∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου." Καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος ταὐτό φησι· "Τὸ Πνεῦμα συμ μαρτυρεῖ τῷ πνεύματι ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐσμὲν τέκνα Θεοῦ· εἰ δὲ τέκνα, καὶ κληρονόμοι, κληρονόμοι μὲν Θεοῦ, συγκληρονόμοι δὲ Χριστοῦ· εἴπερ συμπάσχομεν, ἵνα καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν." Καὶ πάλιν, "Ὥστε οὐκ έτι εἶ δοῦλος, ἀλλ' υἱός· εἰ δὲ υἱὸς, καὶ κληρονόμος Θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ." Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἔστιν εὑρεῖν παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, ἐξ ὧν ποδηγού μενοι τὴν διάνοιαν κατιδεῖν δυνησόμεθα. βʹ, γʹ. "Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνώτισαι, Κύριε, σύνες τῇ κραυγῇ μου. Πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου, ὁ βασιλεύς μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου." Πολλαῖς καὶ πάντοθεν βαλλομένη τρικυμίαις ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησία, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἑκάστη ψυχὴ τὸν εὐσεβῆ βίον ἀσπαζομένη, περιγίνεται καὶ τοῦ κλύδωνος ὑπερνήχεται, τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν καλοῦσα διη νεκῶς. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκπαιδεύει λόγος, διδάσκων ὅπως προσήκει τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα λιπαρεῖν τε καὶ ἱκετεύειν· καὶ διδάσκει λέγων· "Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνώτισαι, Κύριε, σύνες τῇ κραυγῇ μου, πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου." Ἀλλ' οὔτε τὴν Κραυγὴν κραυγὴν νοητέον, οὔτε τὰ ὦτα ὦτα· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων σωματικώ τερον ἔθος τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ λαλεῖν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων μορίων τὰς θείας ἐνεργείας ἀποκαλεῖν· ὀφθαλμοὺς τὴν ὀπτικὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀκουστικὴν ὦτα, καὶ τἄλλα ὡσαύτως. Κραυγὴν δὲ, ἐπὶ τῶν εὐχομέ νων τὴν προθυμίαν καλεῖ, καὶ τὴν σπουδαίαν τῆς διανοίας ἱκετείαν. Τὸ δὲ "ἐνώτισαι," ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἴσω τῶν ὤτων σου γενέσθω μου τῆς προσευχῆς τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ εὐμενῶς ἄκουσον τῆς ἐμῆς ἱκετείας, καὶ πρόσχες ἀκριβῶς τοῖς τῆς δεήσεώς μου λόγοις, ἐπειδή σε Θεὸν οἶδα καὶ βασιλέα. δʹ, εʹ. "Ὅτι πρὸς σὲ προσεύξομαι, Κύριε, καὶ πρωῒ εἰσακούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς μου. Τὸ πρωῒ παραστή σομαί σοι, καὶ ἐπόψει με." Θαῤῥοῦσα γὰρ ὡς δέχῃ τὰς ἐμὰς ἱκετείας, εὐθὺς τοῦ φωτὸς ἀνίσχον τος, τῶν βλεφάρων ἀποσεισαμένη τὸν ὕπνον, οἷα 80.897 δὴ βασιλεῖ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ παρίσταμαι, τὴν αἴτησίν σοι προσφέρουσα. Οὐ παντὸς δὲ ἐστὶ λέγειν τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, "Παραστήσομαί σοι, καὶ ἐπόψει με·" ἀλλὰ τῶν κατὰ τὸν μέγαν Ἠλίαν διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πολιτείας παῤῥησίαν λέγειν θαῤῥούντων, "Ζῇ Κύριος, ᾧ παρέστην ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ σήμερον." "Ὅτι οὐχὶ Θεὸς θέλων ἀνομίαν σὺ εἶ. [ ϛʹ.] Οὐ παροικήσει σοι πονηρευόμενος· οὐδὲ διαμενοῦσι παράνομοι κατέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου." ∆έχῃ τὰς ἐμὰς δεήσεις, καὶ ἐποπτεύεις ἀντιβολοῦσαν· ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαν μὲν ἀνομίαν ἀπαγορεύεις, καὶ τοὺς πονηρίᾳ συζῶντας παντελῶς ἀποστρέφῃ·