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him such, as "I give someone over to a debased mind," not he himself acting. The fact that they were given over, being in a debased state, shows that they had become such by their own doing. Therefore, when God is said to pervert someone, he then shows him to be perverted. The one, therefore, whom God has rejected and shown to be perverted, "who can set him right?" "But those who turn aside," he says, "to crooked ways, the Lord will lead away with the workers of iniquity." For he does not lead them away against their will with the workers of iniquity, but because they turned aside by their own choice, he showed them to be such. In a day of goodness, live in goodness, and in a day of evil, behold, and this is indeed consistent with that. "In the day of goodness." It is a day of goodness when virtue is present. And this is productive of life. So, therefore, conduct your life as a good man, as one who partakes of life; you will be blessed among the blessed. Have a life-giving disposition. You will be living in it. Why "in a day of goodness"? It means the state of the one who possesses it. For often states are also signified by the name of seasons and times. In a day of evil. 213 As from the "day of goodness" one is to live in goodness, so in a day of evil is to live badly. But he was silent about "badly," so that the saying would not be too forceful. This is consonant with that, as from wisdom comes being wise and from folly comes being foolish; they have an analogy, not a similarity. Therefore this is consonant with that by analogy, not according to quality or quantity nor of the things that follow. God made it concerning speech, so that man may not find anything after him. I have seen everything in the days of my vanity. God has placed such a principle among existing things, so that man may not find any of the things that will be after him. Here he does away with human foreknowledge; man does not find any of the things that will succeed him. But he speaks of human things. For that the virtuous man knows that a blessed state will succeed him, is surely clear to everyone. Unless, if the adjacent term "man" suggests another meaning, and by "man" he means not the mortal rational animal, but the one "walking according to the flesh" and pleasures, such a man, insofar as he is such, will discern nothing of the things that will succeed him, since indeed he lives by sense alone. For sense perceives present things. Since such a one belongs wholly to sense, walking "according to the flesh" and pleasures and the other evils, he does not know the things "after," the things that will succeed. For it is the part of the mind to know this. Therefore, in the days of my vanity I saw all things. By "days of vanity" he means the days of this life, in which one ought not to hope. For it makes pitiable those who hope. There is a just man who perishes in his justice; and there is a wicked man who continues in his wickedness. There is justice simply, and there is someone's justice. Therefore when the divine word commands "to pursue justice justly," it does not say to each person, "justly pursue your justice," but that which is simply and properly just. But since every man seems just to himself and "there are ways that seem right to a man, but their end looks to the bottom of Hades," one must not abide in 214 that justice. For this destroys the one who has it, it corrupts the one who has it. There is, therefore, a just man perishing in his own justice. But those who are truly just, about whom many things have been written, for example: "The just will spend many years in wealth," these do not abide in their own justice, they do not trust in their own justice. Therefore he does not perish in righteousness, as the psalmist says: "in your righteousness I will live." Paul, at any rate, being a great man and being in Christ, to whom also the revelation of truth came, says: "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby justified." For it is possible for me not to possess what is truly just, and not to be justified because of this, that I am not aware of anything harmful in myself. And again holy David says: "If I had regarded iniquity in my heart, let the Lord not hear."

αὐτὸν τοιοῦτον, ὡς "παραδίδω σίν̣ τινα εἰς ἀδόκι̣μον νοῦν", οὐκ αὐτ̣ὸς ἐνεργῶν. τὸ παραδοθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τ̣ῷ ἀδοκίμῳ ὄντα̣ς̣ ἀποδείκνυσιν κ̣αὶ α̣ὐτο̣υ`̣ς παρ' ἑαυτοὺς τοιού τους γεγε̣νημένους. ὅταν οὖν ὁ θεὸς διαστρέφειν λέγηταί τινα, ἀπο δείκνυσιν διεστραμμένον τ̣ο´̣τε̣. ὃν ο῾̣ θεὸς οὖν α᾿̣ποδοκίμασεν κ̣αι`̣ ἀπ̣έδειξεν διαστραφέντα, "τι´̣ς δ̣υ´̣ν̣α̣ται ἐπικοσμῆσαι;" "τοὺς δὲ ἐκκλίνοντας", φησίν, "εἰς τὰς στραγγαλιὰς ἀπάξει κύριος μετὰ τῶν ἐρ γαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν". μὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἀπάγει μετὰ τῶν τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργαζομένων, ἀλλ' ἐκκλίνοντας π̣ροαιρέσει τῇ αὐτῶν ἀπέ δειξεν αὐτοὺς τοιούτους ὄντας. ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀγαθοσύνης ζῆθι ἐν ἀγαθῷ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακίας, ἰδέ, καί γε τοῦτο συμφώνως τούτῳ. "ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀγαθοσύνης". ἀγαθοσύνης ἡμέρα ἐστίν, ὅταν ἀρετὴ προσῇ. ζωῆς δὲ αὕτη περιποιητική ἐστιν. οὕτω οὖν ἔχε τὸ ζῆν ὡς ἀγαθός, ὡς ζωῆς μετέχων· μακαρίζῃ ἐν μακαρίοις. ἴσθι τὴν ζῳοποιητικὴν ἔχων διάθεσιν. ζῶν ἔσο ἐν αὐτῇ. ἐπερ· "ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀγαθοσύνης"; τὴν κατάστασιν τοῦ ἔχοντος. πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ αἱ καταστάσεις σημαίνον ται ὀνόματι καιρῶν καὶ χρόνων. ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακίας. 213 ὡς ἔστιν ἀπὸ τῆς "ἡμέρας τῆς ἀγαθοσύνης" ὡς ἐν ἀγαθῷ, οὕτως ἐν ἡμε´̣ρᾳ τῆς κακίας ἐστὶν ζῆν φαύλως. ἀλλ' ἐσιώπησεν τὸ φαυ´̣λως, ἵνα μὴ λίαν ἀναγκαστικὸς ᾖν ὁ λόγος. σύνφωνον τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ ἐστίν, ὡς ἀπο`̣ τ̣η῀̣ς φ̣ρονήσεως τὸ φρονεῖν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀφροσύνης τὸ ἀφραίνειν ἀναλογίαν, οὐ τὴν ὁμοιότητα ἔχουσιν. συμφωνεῖ γοῦν τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν, οὐ κατὰ ποιότητα ἢ ποσότητα οὐδὲ τῶν παρεπομένων. ἐποίησεν ο῾̣ θεὸς περὶ λαλίας, ἵνα μὴ εὕρῃ ἄνθρωπος ὀπί σω αὐτου῀̣ μηδέν. τὰ πάντα εἶδον ἐν ἡμέραις ματαιότη τός μου. ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τοιοῦτον λόγον ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν, ἵνα ὁ ἄνθρωπος μὴ εὕ ρῃ μηδὲν τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν ἐσομένων. ὧδε π̣ρόγνωσιν ἀναιρεῖ ἀνθρωπίνην· οὐκ εὑρίσκε̣ι ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὐδὲν τῶν διαδεξομένων αὐτόν. πε̣ρ̣ι`̣ τ̣ῶν ἀν θρωπίνων δὲ λέγει. ὅτι γὰρ οἶδεν ὁ σπουδαῖος, ὅτι διαδέξεται αὐτὸν κατάστασις μακαρία, παντί που σαφές. εἰ μή, ἐὰν ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου προσηγορία παρακειμένη ἄλλην ὑποβάλῃ διά νοιαν, ἄνθρωπον δὲ μ̣ὴ τὸ θνητὸν λογικὸν ζῷο̣ν λέγῃ, ἀλλὰ τὸν "κατὰ σάρκα" καὶ ἡδονὰς "περιπατοῦντα", ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄνθρωπος, ᾗ τοιοῦτός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν διαγνώσεται τῶν διαδεξομένων̣ αὐτόν, ἅτε δ̣ὴ αἰσθήσει μόνῃ ζῶν. ἡ γα`̣ρ αἴσθησις τὰ παρόντα καταγ̣ιγνώσκει. ἐπ̣εὶ ὁ τοιοῦτος ὅλος τῆς αἰσθήσεώς ἐστιν, "κατὰ σάρκα" καὶ ἡδονὰς καὶ τὰς ἄλλας κακίας περιπατῶν, τὰ "ὀπίσω", τὰ διαδεξόμενα, οὐκ οἶδεν. νοῦ γὰρ ἔστιν τοῦτο εἰδέναι. ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου οὖν τῆς ματαιότητος τὰ πάντα εἶδον. ἡμέρας δὲ ματαιότητος λέγει τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης, ἐφ' ᾗ οὐ δεῖ αὐτὸν ἐλπίζειν. ἐλεεινοὺς γὰρ κατασκευάζει τοὺς προσδοκοῦντας. ἔστιν δίκαιος ἀπολλύμενος ἐν δικαίῳ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἔστιν ἀσεβὴς μένων ἐν κακίᾳ αὐτοῦ. ἔστιν ἁπλῶς δίκαιον καὶ ἔστιν τινὸς δίκαιον. ὅταν οὖν ὁ θεῖος προσ τάττῃ λόγος "δικαίως τὸ δίκαιον διώκειν", οὐχ ἑκάστῳ λέγει ὅτι "δι καίως τὸ δίκαιόν σου δίωκε", ἀλλὰ τὸ ἁπλῶς καὶ κυρίως δίκαιον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος φαίνεται ἑαυτῷ δίκαιος καὶ "εἰσὶν δοκοῦσαι ἀνθρώπῳ ὀρθαὶ ὁδοὶ εἶναι, τὰ τελευταῖα βλέποντα εἰς πυθμένα ᾅδου", οὐκ ἐν 214 ἐκείνῳ τῷ δικαίῳ δεῖ ἐνμένειν. ἀπόλλυσιν γὰρ τοῦτον τὸν ἔχοντα, φθεί ρει τὸν ἔχοντα. ἔστιν οὖν δίκαιος ἀπολλύμενος ἐν δικαίῳ ἑαυτοῦ. οἱ δ̣ὲ κατ' α᾿̣λήθειαν δίκαιοι, περὶ ὧν πολλὰ γέγραπται, οἷον· "δίκαιοι ποιήσουσιν ἐν πλούτῳ ἔτη πολλά", οὗτοι οὐκ ἐν δικαίῳ ἑαυτῶν ἐνμένου σιν, οὐ θαρροῦσιν τῷ ἑαυτῶν̣ δικ̣αίῳ. διὸ οὐκ ἀπόλλυται ἐν τῇ δικαι οσύνῃ, ὡς λέγει ὁ ὑμνῳδός· "ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ζήσομαι". Παῦλος γοῦν, μέγας ἄνθρωπος ὑπάρχων καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ τυγχάνων, ᾧ και`̣ η῾̣ ἀποκάλυ ψις τη῀̣ς̣ ἀληθείας γέγονεν, λέγει· "οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ συνοῖδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτ̣ῳ δεδικαίωμαι". ἐνχωρεῖ γάρ με μὴ τὸ ἀληθῶς δίκαιον ἔχειν καὶ μὴ διὰ τοῦτο, ὅτι̣ μηδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα τῶν βλαπτόντων, δεδικαιῶσθαι. καὶ π̣άλιν ὁ ἁ´̣γιος ∆αυῒδ λέγει· "εἰ ἀδικίαν ἐθεώρουν ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, μὴ εἰσακουσα´̣τ̣ω κ̣ύριος".