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the Apostle Paul said: for the word is for the perfect: Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am not indignant? And being in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him; for he saw that the city was full of idols. So we too, brothers, seeing some abandoning the law of God and his commandments, become despondent, since it is written: You shall love your neighbor as yourself; and afterwards in this psalm it is said: I saw the senseless and I was grieved, because they did not keep your words. Your statutes have been my songs in the place of my sojourning. The blessed David indeed sojourned, persecuted by Saul, among the Philistines; but I think he calls sojourning not that time, but all of his life. For not as one dwelling, but as one sojourning, he passed through it, and singing the statutes of God, he went through life. For so also the other interpreters have translated: Your commandments were songs to me in the place of my sojourning. Therefore, all the saints and those who live according to God have held this life as a sojourning, having the future one as their dwelling. Therefore, the statutes of God are songs to them in this life. For to this end also man was created, that he might praise and glorify God. I have remembered your name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept your law, For not only have I done this during the day, but also in the night, when there is rest for the body, and it dreams of nonexistent phantoms, and unpleasant thoughts are formed; I have given no place to these, but I remembered your name. Therefore I also kept your law. And the choir of the saints, rising up always at night, both prays and sings hymns to the God of all. But I think that night here is named for the time of temptations; for it brings on darkness, and comes upon men like the night. And in this, the remembrance of the God of all is especially necessary, comforting and encouraging the soul and driving out contrary thoughts. This has become mine, because I have sought your statutes. What, "This"? The nocturnal meditation. For thus, he says, was I able to overcome, and to choose the remembrance or the possession of your statutes, because I sought your statutes, and in the night I did not cease making remembrance of you. Therefore, brothers, let us be taught to spend the night in prayer and psalmody. You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep your law. God is not the portion of all, but of those who embrace perfection. Thus he became the portion and inheritance of the priests and Levites. For to the sons, he says, of Levi there shall be no portion in the midst of their brothers, because I the Lord am their portion. So also he said in the fifteenth psalm: 55.687 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup. Therefore he says here also, that having disregarded all other things, I have you as my portion and possession and wealth. For this reason I also hasten to keep your laws. This, then, is the voice of the perfect, who dedicate their whole selves to God, and are not led away into pleasures and many cares. For the Lord said: You cannot serve God and mammon. I have entreated your face with my whole heart. The word teaches us what sort of people we ought to be when we pray to God, as though we are standing face to face. For I have entreated your face. Or also the Son is the face of the Father, as the divine apostle said: The brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person; and through him we offer an acceptable sacrifice to God, our reasonable service. And everywhere David adds to the law, With my whole heart, and in this being persuaded to be devoted to God, teaching us to love him with our whole heart. For you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And, Have mercy on me according to your word, is nothing other than, that in

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ἀπόστολος Παῦλος ἔλεγε· τῶν γὰρ τελείων ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος· Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; Καὶ ἐν Ἀθήναις ὢν, Παρωξύνετο τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ· ἐθεώρει γὰρ κατείδωλον τὴν πόλιν οὖσαν. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὁρῶντές τινας καταλιμπάνοντας τὸν νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ γινώμεθα, ἐπειδὴ γέγραπται· Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, ὡς σεαυ τόν· καὶ κατόπιν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ψαλμῷ εἴρηται· Εἶδον ἀσυνετοῦντας, καὶ ἐξετηκόμην, ὅτι τὰ λόγιά σου οὐκ ἐφυλάξαντο. Ψαλτὰ ἦσάν μοι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐν τόπῳ παροικίας μου. Παρῴκησε μὲν ὁ μακά ριος ∆αυῒδ, ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διωκόμενος, παρὰ τοῖς Ἀλ λοφύλοις· παροικίαν δὲ αὐτὸν οἶμαι καλεῖν οὐκ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὸν βίον. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς κατοικῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς παροικῶν, αὐτὸν διετέλεσε, καὶ ᾄδων τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιώματα, τὸν βίον διώδευσεν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡρμή νευσαν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταί· Ἄσματα ἦν μοι τὰ προστάγματά σου ἐν τόπῳ τῆς παροικίας μου. Πάν τες οὖν οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ οἱ κατὰ Θεὸν ζῶντες, ὡς παροικίαν ἔσχον ταύτην τὴν ζωὴν, κατοικίαν ἔχοντες τὴν μέλλου σαν. Ψαλτὰ οὖν αὐτοῖς εἰσι τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἔκτισται ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα αἰνῇ καὶ δοξάζῃ τὸν Θεόν. Ἐμνήσθην ἐν νυκτὶ τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, Κύριε, καὶ ἐφύλαξα τὸν νόμον σου, Οὐ μόνον γὰρ διημερεύων τοῦτο πεποίηκα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ, ὅτε ἡ ἀνάπαυσίς ἐστι τοῦ σώματος, καὶ πρὸς φαν τασίας ἀνυπάρκτους ὀνειροπολεῖ, καὶ λογισμοὶ ἀηδεῖς ἀνατυποῦνται· οὐ δέδωκα χώραν τούτοις, ἀλλ' ἐμιμνη σκόμην τοῦ ὀνόματός σου. ∆ιὸ Καὶ ἐφύλαξα τὸν νόμον σου. Καὶ ὁ τῶν ἁγίων δὲ χορὸς νύκτωρ ἀεὶ διανιστάμε νος καὶ προσεύχεται καὶ ἀνυμνεῖ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν. Οἶμαι δὲ νύκτα ἐνταῦθα τῶν πειρασμῶν τὸν καιρὸν ὀνο μάζεσθαι· ζόφον γὰρ ἐπιφέρει, καὶ νυκτὸς δίκην τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπέρχεται. Ἐν δὲ τούτῳ διαφερόντως ἀναγκαία τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἡ μνήμη, ψυχαγωγοῦσα καὶ παρα θαῤῥύνουσα καὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐξελαύνουσα λογισμούς. Αὕτη ἐγενήθη μοι, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐξεζήτησα. Τίς, Αὕτη; Ἡ νυκτερινὴ μελέτη. Οὕτω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἠδυνήθην περιγενέσθαι, καὶ τῶν σῶν δικαιωμάτων προ ελέσθαι τὴν μνήμην ἢ τὴν κτῆσιν, ἐπειδὴ τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐξεζήτησα, καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ οὐ διέλιπον μνήμην σου ποιούμενος. Οὐκοῦν, ἀδελφοὶ, διδασκώμεθα διανυ κτερεύειν ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ ψαλμῳδίᾳ. Μερίς μου εἶ, Κύριε· εἶπα τοῦ φυλάξασθαι τὸν νόμον σου. Οὐ πάντων ἐστὶ μερὶς ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀσπαζομένων τὰ τέλεια. Οὕτω τῶν ἱερέων καὶ Λευϊτῶν μερὶς καὶ κλῆρος ἐγένετο. Τοῖς γὰρ υἱοῖς, φησὶ, Λευὶ οὐκ ἔσται μερὶς ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν, ὅτι μερὶς αὐτῶν ἐγὼ Κύριος. Οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ ἔφη ψαλμῷ· 55.687 Κύριος μερὶς τῆς κληρονομίας μου, καὶ τοῦ ποτη ρίου μου. Λέγει τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ὑπεριδὼν, σὲ ἔχω μερίδα καὶ περιουσίαν καὶ πλοῦτον. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ φυλάξαι τοὺς σοὺς ἐπείγομαι νό μους. Ἔστι τοίνυν τῶν τελείων αὕτη φωνὴ, οἵτινες ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ ἀνατίθενται, καὶ εἰς ἡδονὰς καὶ πολλὰς φροντίδας μὴ ἀπαγόμενοι. Εἶπε γὰρ ὁ Κύριος· Οὐ δύ νασθε Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ. Ἐδεήθην τοῦ προσώπου σου ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου. ∆ιδάσκει ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος, ὁποίους δεῖ ἡμᾶς παρεστάναι, ὅταν δεώμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς ὅτι κατ' ὄψιν παριστάμεθα. Ἐδεήθην γὰρ τοῦ προσώπου σου. Ἢ καὶ πρόσωπον ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Πατρὸς, καθὼς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἔφη· Ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης, καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως· καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ἀναφέ ρομεν Θυσίαν εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λα τρείαν ἡμῶν. Πανταχοῦ δὲ τὸ, Ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ, ὁ ∆αυῒδ προστίθησι τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ πειθόμενος προσκεῖ σθαι Θεῷ, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς τὸ ἀγαπᾷν αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρ δία. Ἀγαπήσεις γὰρ Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐλέησόν με κατὰ τὸ λόγιόν σου, ἕτερον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἢ, ὅτι ἐν