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of himself; but also remembering that there will be a time in which God himself will kill the sinners, from then on he now drives these far from himself, so that he might not become a partner with them, nor by drawing near partake of the harm from them. And since also into contentious words and strifes, they will take your cities in vain, the divine Scriptures being called cities, but the heterodox take these 24.41 in vain, and not as they ought; I turn away and avoid them. Test me, O God. Having said in the beginning, "Lord, you have tested me and known me," now as one not yet tested he said, "Test me, Lord, and know my heart." And then it was said, "You have traced my path and my bed, and you foresaw all my ways;" but now, "Examine me, and know my paths;" surely then he does not say contrary things. For then he simply said he had been tested and known, but now he prays to be tested, so that his heart might be known; for it is a greater thing to be pure and upright in heart than to be simply pure and upright; and to be tested for the purpose of his heart being known surpasses being simply tested and known; but also for his paths to be known after having been examined is greater than for his ways to be simply foreseen. Therefore he also added: "And see if you have seen iniquity in me," that is, in my state and disposition. It is also rendered thus: "And see if there is a way of iniquity in me;" that is, consider if iniquity ever walked in my soul, so that traces of its path remain with me. Yet even if such sinlessness has been accomplished for me from you and through you, nevertheless you have guided me in an eternal way, leading to immortality and incorruptibility.

PSALM 139.

Coals of fire will fall upon them. For he will suffer punishment from him, a disease

having such a thing. Evils will hunt an unjust man to destruction. But what is "to destruction"? because many are hunted for salvation, as those by the apostles, as those by holy men but the wicked are hunted by wickedness and destruction; for every unjust man, as if corrupted by his own disease by his own wickedness, will suffer the fitting punishment; for it is sufficient instead of all punishment to corrupt the soul that has it. I know that the Lord will execute the judgment of the poor. From here Solomon, benefiting from his father, says in Ecclesiastes: "Hear the end of the matter, the whole of it, that God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil;" for now also, he says, God will judge, avenging the now oppressed poor and needy. But after these things he turned the psalm to a good end; wherefore it is also inscribed "To the end," speaking of the hope laid up for the just. But Symmachus says, "before your face." What is better than with a purified mind to see God face to face? according to the beatitude of the Savior who said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God;" having obtained which they will give thanks.

24.44 PSALM 140.

Following the preceding psalm, this one is also inscribed; it is of David,

and has the same power of prayer. But this one has something more, being more dogmatic, and teaching more and more profitable things through its beginning; and says: I cried out; not

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ἑαυτοῦ· ἀλλὰ καὶ μνημονεύσας ὅτι ἔσται τις καιρὸς ἐν ᾧ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἀποκτενεῖ, ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη καὶ τούτους ἑαυτοῦ μακρὰν ἐλαύνει, ὡς ἂν μὴ κοινωνὸς αὐτῶν γένοιτο, μηδὲ ἐκ τοῦ πλησιάζειν μετάσχῃ τῆς παρ' αὐτῶν βλάβης. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ εἰς ἐριστικοὺς λόγους καὶ ἔριδας, τὰς σὰς εἰς ματαιότητα λήψονται πόλεις, τὰς θείας Γραφὰς πόλεις χρηματιζούσας, ματαίως δὲ ταύτας λαμ 24.41 βάνουσιν οἱ ἑτερόδοξοι, καὶ οὐχ ὡς δεῖ· ἀποστρέφομαι καὶ ἐκκλίνω ἀπ' αὐτῶν. ∆οκίμασόν με, ὁ Θεός. Εἰπὼν ἐν ἀρχῇ, Κύριε, ἐδοκίμασάς με καὶ ἔγνως με, νῦν ὡς μήπω δοκιμασθεὶς ἔφη, ∆οκίμασόν με, Κύριε, καὶ γνῶθι τὴν καρδίαν μου. Καὶ τότε μὲν εἴρηται, Τὴν τρίβον μου καὶ τὴν σχοῖνόν μου ἐξιχνίασας, καὶ πάσας τὰς ὁδούς μου προεῖδες· ἄρτι δὲ, Ἔτασόν με, καὶ γνῶθι τὰς τρίβους μου· μήποτ' οὖν οὐκ ἐναντία λέγει. Τότε γὰρ ἁπλῶς δεδοκιμάσθαι καὶ ἐγνῶσθαι εἶπε, νῦν δὲ εὔχεται δοκιμασθῆναι, ὅπως γνωσθῇ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ· μεῖζον γὰρ τὸ καθαρὸν καὶ εὐθὲς τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ ἁπλῶς καθαρὸν καὶ εὐθῆ ὑπάρχειν· καὶ ὑπεραίρει τοῦ ἁπλῶς δοκιμασθέντα γνωσθῆναι τῷ δοκιμασθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ γνωσθῆναι τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἁπλῶς προοραθῆναι τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, μεῖζον τὸ γνωσθῆναι τὰς τρίβους ἐτασθέντας αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἰδὲ εἰ εἶδες ἀνομίαν ἐν ἐμοὶ, τουτέστιν ἐν ἕξει καὶ διαθέσει μου. Φέρεται καὶ οὕτως· Καὶ ἰδὲ εἰ ὁδὸς ἀνομίας ἐν ἐμοί· τουτέστι, κατανόησον εἰ ὥδευσέ ποτε ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου ἀνομία, ὡς ἴχνη τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτῆς μεῖναι παρ' ἐμοί. Ὅμως δὲ καὶ εἰ τοσαύτη ἐκ σοῦ καὶ διὰ σὲ κατώρθωταί μοι ἀναμαρτησία, ἀλλ' οὖν σὺ ὡδήγησάς με ἐν ὁδῷ αἰωνίᾳ, ἐπὶ ἀθανασίαν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν ἀγούσῃ.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΛΘʹ.

Πεσοῦνται ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἄνθρακες πυρός. ∆ίκην γὰρ ὑφέξει πρὸς αὐτοῦ, νόσον

ἔχων τοιαύτην. Ἄνδρα ἄδικον κακὰ θηρεύσει εἰς διαφθοράν. Τί δέ ἐστιν εἰς διαφθοράν; ὅτι πολλοὶ θηρεύονται εἰς σωτηρίαν, ὡς οἱ παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὡς οἱ παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν ἀλλ' οἵ γε πονηροὶ ὅταν ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας θηρεύονται καὶ φθορᾶς· πᾶς γὰρ ἄδικος, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ οἰκείας νόσου διαφθαρεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κακίας, δίκην ὑφέξει τὴν προσήκουσαν· ἱκανὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἀντὶ πάσης τιμωρίας τὴν ἔχουσαν αὐτὴν ψυχὴν διαφθεῖραι. Ἔγνων ὅτι ποιήσει Κύριος τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ πτωχοῦ. Ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Σολομὼν ὠφεληθεὶς τὸν πατέρα φησὶν ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ· Τέλος λόγου τὸ πᾶν ἄκουε, ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ποίημα ἄξει ὁ Θεὸς εἰς κρίσιν, ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐάν τε ἀγαθὸν, ἐάν τε πονηρόν· καὶ νῦν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκδικῶν τὸν νῦν καταπονούμενον πένητα καὶ πτωχόν. Ἐπὶ χρηστὸν δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα τέλος κατέστρεψε τὸν ψαλμόν· διὸ καὶ Εἰς τέλος ἐπιγέγραπται, τὴν ἀποκειμένην τοῖς δικαίοις λέγων ἐλπίδα. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, παρὰ τῷ προσώπῳ σου, λέγει. Τί δὲ κρεῖττον τοῦ κεκαθαρμένῃ διανοίᾳ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον ὁρᾷν τὸν Θεόν; κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος μακαρισμὸν εἰπόντος· Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται· οὗ τυχόντες εὐχαριστήσουσιν.

24.44 ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΜʹ.

Ἀκολούθως τῷ προάγοντι ψαλμῷ καὶ οὗτος ἐπιγέγραπται· ἔστι δὲ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ,

καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει τῆς προσευχῆς δύναμιν. Ἔχει δέ τι πλέον οὗτος δογματικώτερος ὢν, καὶ πλείονα καὶ ὠφελιμώτερα διὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς παιδεύων· καὶ φησίν· Ἐκέκραξα· οὐ