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the watch-tower, "that I bring evils from the north and a great destruction." Of the evils brought "from the north," the north of the adversary, as has often been said, whoever is found not having hastened nor having entered "into the walled cities," not having become "in the churches of God," but standing outside, he himself, having been seized by the enemies, will be destroyed. But who is the enemy? Let us see from what follows in what manner it is said: "A lion has come up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out." This is the enemy, whom we must flee. "A lion" pursues us; who is this? Peter teaches us, saying: "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith;" and according to the ninth Psalm, "he lies in wait in a secret place; he lies in wait like a lion in his den," and this lion lies in wait not during the day, but when it becomes night; for according to the one hundred and third Psalm: "You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the beasts of the forest creep about. The young lions roar for prey, and seek their food from God." 5.17 Therefore, "a lion has come up from his thicket;" where? when? He has fallen below, he has come down into the lowest parts of the earth; "A lion has come up from his thicket." You are a human being, you are higher than the devil; for you are better than him, whatever sort you may be; he is below on account of his evil. Therefore, "a lion has come up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out;" having come up "from his thicket," a place proper to his own punishment, "a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place <to> make your land a desolation;" he wants to enter your land, about which we spoke a little before, he wants to possess each one of us; therefore he comes "to make your land <a > desolation," so that he may trample down the seeds, the lion, so that he may make your land desolate, "and your cities will be laid waste, so that they are not inhabited. For these things, gird yourselves with sackcloths." Since, therefore, a lion has come up and a lion threatens you and wants to destroy your land, gird yourself with sackcloth, weep and mourn, through prayers beseech God, that He may destroy this lion from you and you may not fall into his mouth. For "as when a shepherd rescues from the mouth of a lion two legs or a piece of an ear," this lion seeks to take you by the ears, so that through your gluttony, by setting false words before you, he may drive you out from the truth, he wants to snatch your feet away from the truth and devour them; but you, gird yourself with sackcloths and beat your breast and weep and wail, seeing the enemy who is at hand, so that the "anger" of the Lord's "wrath" may turn away from you, and when the anger has turned away, you may be able, having become free from care, with the lion no longer creeping up on you, because you have entered into the walled city, to glorify God who delivers you in Christ Jesus, to whom is the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 6.t <On "Lord, your eyes look for faith" up to "I will go to the great and will speak to them." Homily 2.> 6.1 "Lord," he says, "your eyes look for faith." Just as "the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous," for from the unrighteous he turns them away, so the eyes of the Lord look for faith, for from unbelief he turns them away; wherefore it has been well said by the one who understands what he says in the prayer, the phrase "Lord, your eyes look for faith." Therefore, what is written here is: "Lord, your eyes look for faith;" but since "if a man of understanding hears a wise word, he will praise it and add to it," see how many things it is possible to make from "Lord, your eyes look for faith." Paul says: "But now these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love;" as the eyes of the Lord look for faith, the eyes of the Lord look for hope, the eyes of the Lord look for love; and since there is a spirit "of power and of love and of self-control," as the eyes of the Lord look for love, so the eyes of the Lord look for power, so the eyes of the Lord look for self-control, "the eyes of the Lord are upon righteousness," so the eyes of the Lord are upon all virtues. If, therefore, you also wish the
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τὸ Σκοπευτήριον, «ὅτι κακὰ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ἀπὸ βορρᾶ καὶ συντριβὴν μεγά λην». Τῶν κακῶν ἐπαγομένων «ἀπὸ βορρᾶ», βορρᾶ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου, ὡς πολλάκις λέλεκται, ὃς ἐὰν εὑρεθῇ μὴ σπεύσας μηδὲ εἰσελθὼν «εἰς τὰς πόλεις τὰς τειχήρεις», μὴ γενόμενος «ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ θεοῦ», ἀλλ' ἔξω ἑστηκώς, αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων καταληφθεὶς ἀναιρε θήσεται. Τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ πολέμιος; Ἴδωμεν ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς τίνα τρόπον λέγεται· «Ἀνέβη λέων ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας αὐτοῦ, ἐξολοθρεύων ἔθνη ἐξῆρεν.» Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πολέμιος, ὃν δεῖ ἡμᾶς φυγεῖν. «Λέων» ἡμᾶς καταδιώκει· τίς οὗτος; Πέτρος ἡμᾶς διδάσκει λέγων· «Ὁ ἀντίδικος ὑμῶν διάβολος ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ· ᾧ ἀντίστητε στερεοὶ τῇ πίστει»· καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἔνατον Ψαλμὸν «ἐνεδρεύει ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ, ἐνεδρεύει ὡς λέων ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὐτοῦ», καὶ ἐνεδρεύει οὗτος ὁ λέων οὐχ ἡμέρας, ἀλλ' ἐπὰν γένηται νύξ· κατὰ γὰρ τὸν ἑκατοστὸν τρίτον Ψαλμόν· «Ἔθου σκότος καὶ ἐγένετο νύξ· ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσονται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ, σκύμνοι ὠρυόμε νοι ἁρπάσαι καὶ ζητῆσαι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ βρῶσιν αὐτοῖς.» 5.17 «Ἀνέβη» οὖν «λέων ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας αὐτοῦ»· ποῦ; πότε; Κάτω ἐστὶν πεσών, εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς κατε λήλυθεν· «Ἀνέβη λέων ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας αὐτοῦ.» Ἄνθρωπος εἶ, ἀνωτέρω εἶ τοῦ διαβόλου· κρείττων γὰρ εἶ αὐτοῦ, ὁποῖος ἐὰν ᾖς· ἐκεῖνος διὰ τὴν κακίαν κάτω ἐστίν. «Ἀνέβη» οὖν «λέων ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας αὐτοῦ, ἐξολο θρεύων ἔθνη ἐξῆρεν»· ἀναβὰς «ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας αὐτοῦ», τόπου τοῦ οἰκείου τῇ κολάσει ἑαυτοῦ, «ἐξολοθρεύων ἔθνη ἐξῆ ρεν· ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ <τοῦ> θεῖναι τὴν γῆν σου εἰς ἐρήμωσιν»· βούλεται εἰσελθεῖν σου εἰς τὴν γῆν, περὶ ἧς πρὸ βραχέως ἐλέγομεν, ἕκαστον ἡμῶν βούλεται νεμη θῆναι· ἔρχεται οὖν «τοῦ θεῖναι τὴν γῆν σου <εἰς> ἐρήμωσιν», ἵνα καταπατήσῃ τὰ σπέρματα, ὁ λέων, ἵνα ποιήσῃ ἔρημόν σου τὴν γῆν, «καὶ πόλεις σου καθαιρεθήσονται παρὰ τὸ μὴ κατοικεῖσθαι αὐτάς· ἐπὶ τούτοις περιζώσασθε σάκ κους». Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀνέβη λέων καὶ ἀπειλεῖ σοι λέων καὶ βούλεταί σου ἀφανίσαι τὴν γῆν, περίζωσαι σάκκον, κλαῖε καὶ πένθει, διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν παρακάλει τὸν θεόν, ἵνα τοῦτον τὸν λέοντα ἐξολοθρεύσῃ ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ μὴ ἐμπέσῃς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ στόμα. «Ὃν τρόπον» γὰρ «ὅταν ἐκσπάσῃ ὁ ποιμὴν ἐκ στόματος λέοντος δύο σκέλη ἢ λοβὸν ὠτίου», οὗτος ὁ λέων ζητεῖ τῶν ὤτων σε λαβεῖν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς λιχνείας σου λόγους ψευδεῖς σοι παραβαλὼν ἐκστήσῃ σε ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλη θείας, βούλεταί σου ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἁρπάσαι τοὺς πόδας καὶ καταφαγεῖν· ἀλλὰ σὺ περίζωσαι σάκκους καὶ κόπτου καὶ κλαῖε καὶ ἀλάλαζε βλέπων τὸν πολέμιον τὸν ἐνεστη κότα, ἵνα ἀποστραφῇ «θυμὸς» ὀργῆς «κυρίου» ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ ἀποστραφέντος τοῦ θυμοῦ δυνηθῇς ἐν ἀμεριμνίᾳ γενό μενος, μηκέτι τοῦ λέοντος ὑπεισερχομένου σοι, τῷ σε εἰσεληλυθέναι εἰς τὴν τειχήρη πόλιν, δοξάζειν τὸν ῥυό μενόν σε θεὸν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 6.t <Εἰς τὸ «κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν» μέχρι τοῦ «πορεύσομαι πρὸς τοὺς ἁδροὺς καὶ λαλήσω αὐτοῖς». Ὁμιλία ʹ.> 6.1 «Κύριε» φησὶν «οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν». Ὡς «ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους», ἀπὸ γὰρ ἀδί κων ἀποστρέφει αὐτούς, οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς πίστιν, ἀπὸ γὰρ ἀπιστίας ἀποστρέφει αὐτούς· διὸ καλῶς λέλεκται ὑπὸ τοῦ νοοῦντος, τί λέγει ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ, τὸ «κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν». Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐνταῦθα γεγραμμένον ἐστίν· «Κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν»· ἐπεὶ δὲ «λόγον σοφὸν ἐὰν ἀκούσῃ ἐπιστήμων, αἰνέσει αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸν προσθήσει», ὅρα πόσα ἔστιν ποιῆσαι ἀπὸ τοῦ «κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν». Φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος· «Νυνὶ δὲ μένει τὰ τρία ταῦτα, πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη· μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη»· ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς πίστιν, ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς ἐλπίδα, ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς ἀγάπην· ἐπεὶ δέ ἐστιν πνεῦμα «δυνά μεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ», ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς ἀγάπην, οὕτως ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς δύναμιν, οὕτως [οἱ] ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς σωφρονισμόν, «ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην», οὕτως ἐπὶ πάσας ἀρετὰς ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου. Εἰ οὖν βούλει καὶ σὺ τὰς