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they will stand against wickedness; and others will enjoy great pleasure, seeing both their change, and the transfer to the better, and others becoming more zealous by this. They will rejoice forever, and you will dwell among them. For this joy is especially perpetual; while others are no better disposed than the currents of rivers, at once appearing and flowing by; but the joy according to God remains and is firm, and it is lasting and permanent, not interrupted by any unexpected circumstances, but becoming higher through the very things that hinder. Since also the apostles were scourged, and they rejoiced; and Paul was afflicted, and he leaped for joy; he was about to die, and he called others to share his pleasure, saying: But even if I am poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. So you too 55.69 rejoice and share your joy with me. God dwells with those who so rejoice. Therefore this also says thus: They will rejoice forever, and you will dwell among them. Christ Himself also said this, making clear the indissolubility of the pleasure: I will see you again, and no one takes your joy. And Paul again: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. And those who love your name will boast in you. For it is possible for these alone to boast, for these to rejoice, for these to be glad; while he who prides himself on the things of this life, is no different from those who revel in a dream. 2. For what, tell me, of human things is such as to provide cause for boasting? Strength of body? But the achievement is not of choice, therefore it is deprived of boasting; and besides it withers and quickly fails, and often it has harmed the one who has it, not using it as is necessary. This can be said also of beauty and of good form, and of wealth, and of power, and of luxury, and of all the things of this life. But to boast in God, and in love for him, is an adornment greater than all, and a splendor surpassing countless diadems, even if the one who boasts is a prisoner. This adornment is not cut through by sickness, nor by old age, nor by circumstance of affairs, nor by irregularity of seasons, nor by death itself, but even then it shines more brightly. For you will bless the just. Since many of those so disposed are reviled and laughed at by men, and especially those who pursue virtue; so that none of the more dull-witted may fall down because of these things, see how he holds up his thought, saying: For you will bless the just. For what is the harm of men despising, and of the whole world, when the Lord of angels praises and proclaims? So then, just as if he were not blessing, even if all who inhabit the land and sea should praise, there is no benefit. Therefore let us consider this everywhere, that he himself may proclaim us, that he himself may crown us. And if this be so, we are higher than all, even if in poverty, even if in sickness, even if we are in the last of evils. Since also the blessed Job, both sitting on a dunghill and ulcerated with the discharge of his wounds, and gushing forth with countless springs of worms, and suffering those incurable things, and being spat upon by servants, and by friends, and by enemies, and being plotted against by his wife, and having been brought down to poverty, and to hunger, and to that incurable sickness, he was more blessed than all. How? Because God blessed him, saying: A blameless man, just, true, god-fearing, abstaining from every evil thing. Lord, as with a shield of good will you have crowned us. Again he ended in thanksgiving, offering hymns of thanksgiving to God. And what is a shield of good will? An excellent weapon, a weapon according to the mind of God, a most beautiful weapon. What he says is something like this: With a most beautiful 55.70 alliance you have fortified us. And another interpreter saying, "You will crown him," teaches that this was said concerning the just man; that "You will crown him, the just man," that is, your good pleasure instead of a weapon

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στήσονται τῆς πονηρίας· καὶ ἕτεροι πολλῆς ἀπολαύσονται τῆς ἡδονῆς, τήν τε ἐκείνων μεταβολὴν ὁρῶντες, καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸ βέλτιον μετάθεσιν, καὶ ἑτέρους σπουδαιοτέρους ταύτῃ γινομένους. Εἰς αἰῶνα ἀγαλλιάσονται, καὶ κατασκηνώσεις ἐν αὐτοῖς. Αὕτη γὰρ μάλιστα ἡ χαρὰ διηνεκής· ὡς αἵ γε ἄλλαι τῶν ποταμίων ῥευμάτων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διάκεινται, ὁμοῦ τε φαινόμεναι καὶ παραῤῥέουσαι· ἡ δὲ κατὰ Θεὸν εὐφροσύνη μένει καὶ πέπηγε, διαρκής τέ ἐστι καὶ μόνιμος, οὐδεμιᾷ τῶν ἀδοκήτων περιστάσεων διακοπτομένη, ἀλλ' ὑψηλοτέρα γινομένη δι' αὐτῶν τῶν κωλυόντων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐμαστιγοῦντο, καὶ ἔχαιρον· καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐθλίβετο, καὶ ἐσκίρτα· τελευτᾷν ἔμελλε, καὶ κοινωνοὺς ἐκάλει τῆς ἡδονῆς, λέγων· Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ σπένδομαι ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ καὶ λειτουργίᾳ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν. Τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς 55.69 χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι. Τοῖς οὕτως ἡδομένοις ὁ Θεὸς συνοικεῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ αὕτη οὕτω φησίν· Εἰς αἰῶνα ἀγαλλιάσονται, καὶ κατασκηνώσεις ἐν αὐτοῖς. Τοῦτο αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δηλῶν ἔλεγε, τὸ ἀκατάλυτον τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐμφαίνων· Πάλιν ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὴν χαρὰν ὑμῶν οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει. Καὶ Παῦλος πάλιν· Πάντοτε χαίρετε, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε. Καὶ καυχήσονται ἐν σοὶ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸ ὄνομά σου. Τούτοις γὰρ μάλιστα ἔστι καυχᾶσθαι μόνοις, τούτοις χαίρειν, τούτοις εὐφραίνεσθαι· ὡς ὅγε ἐπὶ τοῖς βιωτικοῖς καλλωπιζόμενος, οὐδὲν διενήνοχε τῶν ἐν ὀνείρῳ τρυφώντων. ʹ. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, οἷον παρέχειν καυχᾶσθαι; Ῥώμη σώματος; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι προαιρέσεως τὸ κατόρθωμα, διὸ καὶ τοῦ καυχᾶσθαι ἐστέρηται· ἄλλως δὲ καὶ μαραίνεται καὶ διαπίπτει ταχέως, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τὸν ἔχοντα ἔβλαψεν, οὐκ εἰς δέον ταύτῃ χρησάμενον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ ὥρας καὶ ἐπὶ εὐμορφίας ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἐπὶ πλούτου, καὶ ἐπὶ δυναστείας, καὶ ἐπὶ τρυφῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν βιωτικῶν. Τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ καυχᾶσθαι, καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν, κόσμος ἁπάντων μείζων, καὶ λαμπρότης ὑπερβαίνουσα μυρία διαδήματα, κἂν δεσμώτης ὁ καυχώμενος ᾖ. Οὗτος ὁ κόσμος οὐ νόσῳ, οὐ γήρᾳ, οὐ πραγμάτων περιστάσει, οὐκ ἀνωμαλίᾳ καιρῶν, οὐκ αὐτῷ διατέμνεται τῷ θανάτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τότε διαλάμπει μειζόνως. Ὅτι σὺ εὐλογήσεις δίκαιον. Ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τῶν οὕτω διακειμένων παρὰ ἀνθρώπων κακίζονται καὶ καταγελῶνται, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ ἀρετὴν μετιόντες· ἵνα μηδεὶς τῶν παχυτέρων ἐκ τούτων καταπίπτῃ, ὅρα πῶς ἀνέχει τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ λέγων· Ὅτι σὺ εὐλογήσεις δίκαιον. Τί γὰρ βλάβος ἀνθρώπων καταφρονούντων καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης, ὅταν ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότης ἐπαινῇ καὶ ἀνακηρύττῃ; Ὥσπερ οὖν αὐτοῦ μὴ εὐλογοῦντος, κἂν ἅπαντες ἐπαινῶσιν οἱ γῆν οἰκοῦντες καὶ θάλασσαν, οὐδὲν ὄφελος. Τοῦτο τοίνυν πανταχοῦ σκοπῶμεν, ὅπως αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ἀνακηρύξῃ, ὅπως αὐτὸς στεφανώσῃ. Κἂν τοῦτο ᾖ, πάντων ἐσμὲν ὑψηλότεροι, κἂν ἐν πενίᾳ, κἂν ἐν νόσῳ, κἂν ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ὦμεν κακοῖς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ καὶ ἐν κοπρίᾳ καθήμενος καὶ τῷ ἰχῶρι τῶν τραυμάτων ἡλκωμένος, καὶ μυρίας βρύων πηγὰς σκωλήκων, καὶ τὰ ἀνήκεστα πάσχων ἐκεῖνα, καὶ παρὰ οἰκετῶν ἐμπτυόμενος, καὶ παρὰ φίλων, καὶ παρὰ ἐχθρῶν, καὶ παρὰ γυναικὸς ἐπιβουλευόμενος, καὶ εἰς πενίαν, καὶ εἰς λιμὸν, καὶ εἰς ἀῤῥωστίαν τὴν ἀνήκεστον ἐκείνην κατενεχθεὶς, πάντων μακαριστότερος ἦν. Πῶς; Ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ηὐλόγει λέγων· Ἄνθρωπος ἄμεμπτος, δίκαιος, ἀληθινὸς, θεοσεβὴς, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος. Κύριε, ὡς ὅπλῳ εὐδοκίας ἐστεφάνωσας ἡμᾶς. Πάλιν εἰς εὐχαριστίαν κατέληξεν, εὐχαριστηρίους ἀναφέρων ὕμνους τῷ Θεῷ. Τί δέ ἐστιν ὅπλον εὐδοκίας; Ὅπλον ἄριστον, ὅπλον κατὰ γνώμην Θεοῦ, ὅπλον κάλλιστον. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Συμ 55.70 μαχίᾳ καλλίστῃ ἡμᾶς ἐτείχισας. Ἕτερος δὲ λέγων ἑρμηνευτὴς, Στεφανώσεις αὐτὸν, περὶ τοῦ δικαίου εἰρῆσθαι τοῦτο διδάσκει· ὅτι Στεφανώσεις αὐτὸν τὸν δίκαιον, τουτέστιν, ἡ σὴ εὐαρέστησις ἀντὶ ὅπλου