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Wherefore also one of the wise said: Give me not the help of men. Turn away from me, you who do evil, and I will search out the commandments of my God. He commands us to turn away from every assault of demons and evil thoughts, so that he may keep the commandments of God in himself in deed and word. For this is the meaning of, I will search out. For these things, he says, I was saying both to wicked thoughts and to those who attempt to advise evil things, that you suggest no such counsel to me; for I must choose a life according to the divine commandments. And I will not simply follow these, but I will search them out with all accuracy, so that none of these things may escape me, but that I may fulfill all things, whatsoever the Lord of all has commanded. 55.698 Uphold me according to your word, and make me live; and do not put me to shame for my expectation. Therefore, deem him who has this purpose worthy of your providence, so that, not failing in my hope, I may not be filled with shame. And the Word here means the promise, instead of, "Grant me the salvation that was promised." Therefore, as one who is perfect and has kept the commandments of God, the prophet expects honor and glory at the second coming of Christ our God, where he hopes to live the eternal life, and not be put to shame with the sinners, and the disobedient, and those who have distanced themselves from the commandments of God. Help me, and I will be saved, and I will meditate on your statutes continually. For having obtained salvation, I will not neglect your statutes, but I will continually make these my meditation. And he says "meditation" not only in words, but also in deeds. For the continual meditation on the statutes of God draws his help to us, and from it salvation is born. You have brought to nothing all those who depart from your statutes, because their thought is unjust. And I will have this zeal for your commandments, knowing that those who transgress them have become shameful and ridiculous. And in another psalm he says concerning sinners, "They will be brought to nothing like water that runs away." And again, The reproach for those who are at ease, and the contempt for the proud. I have reckoned all the sinners of the earth as transgressors; therefore I have loved your testimonies. The word "transgressors," Theodotion has rendered "as nothing," but Symmachus, "dross." But the prophet has declared that, despising the transgressors himself, similarly to God, he brought all zeal to the fulfillment of the divine oracles, since he knew the penalty of lawlessness. Therefore John the apostle said: He who commits lawlessness, also commits sin. Therefore, among those who live piously, sinners are known as transgressors of the law. Pierce my flesh with your fear; for I was afraid of your judgments. My soul, he says, is surrounded by your fear; but since the body rises up against it, I beseech that its members be pierced with this fear, so that they, having become dead to sin, may follow the guidance of the soul. That apostolic saying is like this: Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. And again: I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. For just as one who is nailed to a stone cannot be moved, so also one who is pierced with the fear of God cannot be separated from the fear of God. And again the same apostle said: I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. I have done judgment and justice; do not hand me over to those who wrong me. 7. Having chosen, he says, to follow your laws, may I not become subject to the

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Ὅθεν καί τις τῶν σοφῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἀνθρώπων βοήθειαν μή μοι δῷς. Ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, πονηρευόμενοι, καὶ ἐξερευνήσω τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ μου. Πᾶσαν προσβολὴν δαιμόνων καὶ λογισμῶν πονηρῶν ἐκκλίνειν ἐπιτάττει, ὅπως τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ φυλάττῃ ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἐξερευνήσω. Ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ τοῖς ἀτόποις ἔλεγον λογισμοῖς καὶ τοῖς τὰ φαῦλα συμβουλεύειν ἐπιχει ροῦσιν, ὅτι μηδεμίαν μοι τοιαύτην ὑποτίθεσθε συμβου λήν· ἐμοὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὰς θείας ἐντολὰς προαιρετέα ζωή. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ ταύταις ἀκολουθήσω, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πάσης αὐτὰς ἀκριβείας ἀνερευνήσω, ὥστε μηδέν με τούτων λαθεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντα πληρῶσαι, ὅσα τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος ἐνετείλατο. 55.698 Ἀντιλαβοῦ μου κατὰ τὸ λόγιόν σου, καὶ ζῆσόν με· καὶ μὴ καταισχύνῃς με ἀπὸ τῆς προσδοκίας μου. Τοῦτον τοίνυν ἔχοντα τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς σῆς προ νοίας ἀξίωσον, ἵνα μὴ διαμαρτὼν τῆς ἐλπίδος, αἰσχύνης ἀναπλησθῶ. Τὸ δὲ Λόγιον ἐνταῦθα τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν λέγει, ἀντὶ τοῦ, τὴν ἐπαγγελθεῖσάν μοι παράσχου σωτηρίαν. Ὡς οὖν τέλειος καὶ φυλάξας τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ προσδοκᾷ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν ὁ προφήτης ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ παρουσίᾳ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἔνθα καὶ ζήσεσθαι ἐλπί ζει τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν, καὶ μὴ καταισχυνθῆναι μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, καὶ ἀπειθησάντων, καὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑαυτοὺς ἀπομακρυνάντων. Βοήθησόν μοι, καὶ σωθήσομαι, καὶ μελετήσω ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου διαπαντός. Καὶ γὰρ τυχὼν τῆς σωτηρίας, τῶν σῶν δικαιωμάτων οὐκ ἀμελήσω, ἀλλὰ διαπαντὸς τὴν τούτων μελέτην ποιήσομαι. Μελέτην δὲ λέγει οὐ τὴν ἐν λόγοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐν ἔργοις. Ἡ γὰρ πάντοτε γινο μένη τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων μελέτη τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῖν τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπισπᾶται, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τίκτεται ἡ σωτηρία. Ἐξουδένωσας πάντας τοὺς ἀποστατοῦντας ἀπὸ τῶν δικαιωμάτων σου, ὅτι ἄδικον τὸ ἐνθύμημα αὐτῶν. Ταύτην δὲ περὶ τὰς σὰς ἐντολὰς ἕξω τὴν προ θυμίαν, ἐπονειδίστους καὶ καταγελάστους γεγενημένους τοὺς τούτων παραβάτας εἰδώς. Καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ δὲ ψαλμῷ λέγει περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. Ἐξουδενωθήσονται ὡσεὶ ὕδωρ διαπορευόμενον. Καὶ πάλιν, Τὸ ὄνειδος τοῖς εὐθηνοῦσι, καὶ ἡ ἐξουδένωσις τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις, Παραβαίνοντας ἐλογισάμην πάντας τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τῆς γῆς· διὰ τοῦτο ἠγάπησα τὰ μαρτύριά σου. Τὸ, Πα ραβαίνοντας, ὁ μὲν Θεοδοτίων Εἰς οὐδὲν εἴρηκεν, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Σκωρίαν. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης δεδήλωκεν, ὡς ἐξουθενῶν καὶ αὐτὸς, τῷ Θεῷ παραπλησίως, τοὺς παρα βάτας, πᾶσαν προθυμίαν εἰς τὴν ἐκπλήρωσιν τῶν θείων λογίων προσήνεγκεν, ἅτε δὴ τὴν τῆς παρανομίας ζημίαν εἰδώς. Ἰωάννης οὖν ὁ ἀπόστολος ἔφη· Ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ποιεῖ. Παρὰ οὖν τοῖς εὐ σεβῶς ζῶσιν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ παραβάται τοῦ νόμου γνωρί ζονται. Καθήλωσον ἐκ τοῦ φόβου σου τὰς σάρκας μου· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν κριμάτων σου ἐφοβήθην. Ἡ ψυχή μου, φησὶ, τὸν σὸν περίκειται φόβον· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὸ σῶμα κατεξανίσταται ταύτης, καὶ τὰ τούτου μέλη πα ρακαλῶ τούτῳ καθηλωθῆναι τῷ φόβῳ, ὥστε αὐτὰ νεκρὰ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ γενόμενα τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀκολουθεῖν ποδηγίᾳ. Τούτῳ ἔοικε τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο ῥητόν· Νεκρώσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακὴν, καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρεία. Καὶ πάλιν· Χριστῷ συνεσταύ ρωμαι. Ζῶ δὲ οὐκ ἔτι ἐγὼ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ καθηλωμένος ἐν λίθῳ οὐ δύναται κινεῖσθαι, οὕτως οὐδὲ ὁ ἐν τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθηλωμένος, τοῦ φό βου τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρίζεσθαι. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος ἔφη· Ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μήπως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι. Ἐποίησα κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην· μὴ παραδῷς με τοῖς ἀδικοῦσί με. ζʹ. Τοῖς σοῖς, φησὶν, ἀκολουθεῖν προελόμενος νόμοις, μὴ γένωμαι τοῖς