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the sins of the Amorites are fulfilled until now, instead of, they have not yet dared things worthy of utter destruction; and it is not just to bring punishment upon them, nor by foreknowledge of the greater sin to pass sentence of punishment, but to await the end of the matter. For I use a measure, and I rule by weight, and nothing is unweighed with me. For this reason, after waiting for a period of four hundred years, he thus cast them out, and gave the promises to these. That they might keep his statutes, and seek out his law. And he has given them, he says, the land which he promised, having given them a law, and commanding them to live according to it.

PSALM 105. Alleluia.

1. In this psalm he recounts the sins of the former people, teaching

how and for what reasons their rejection occurred. Therefore, in the one hundred and fourth psalm the prophetic word went through the divine benefactions; but in this one he both remembers the benefactions, and accuses the ingratitude of those who received the benefactions, and teaches the various punishments brought upon them. And it is framed as from the person of the more pious ones lamenting the common misfortunes, and beseeching to receive mercy. For the psalm reasonably has the same inscription as the preceding one; for it holds to the same subject. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy is for ever. The inscription meaning, Praise the Lord, indicates the psalm contains praise of God. And it now teaches from the beginning those who are turning from sins to approach the Savior, as one would a physician, showing their wounds, as it were, by the confession of their transgressions; doing this, clearly, with a disposition of the soul, and not with mere word. For he is ready, he says, on account of his goodness, to show mercy to those who repent, knowing that the things of the present age, being mortal and perishable, are in need of mercy. And what does it mean, For his mercy is for ever? He has mercy continually; he shows love for mankind continually. He is always ready to give what is his. For the time is not appointed by him, but by your disposition. Who will speak of the mighty acts of the Lord? Who will make all his praises heard? Whatever things God does in us beyond mortal nature, these are mighty acts of the Lord, which Paul calls workings of powers, saying: For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another workings of powers. And again elsewhere: Are all prophets? Are all mighty powers? Do all have gifts of healing? And he distinguishes the powers from the healings. For Jesus performed the one, for example, by walking on the sea, and by rebuking the winds and the waves, and by transfiguring himself on the 55.661 mountain; and the other by cleansing lepers, and healing every disease. And in the Old Testament, the plagues against the Egyptians were powers, and the parting of the sea, and the river Jordan turning back, and the standing still of the sun in the time of Joshua; and healings, when Moses healed the leprous Miriam, and all that Elijah and Elisha worked. And all these mighty acts the apostles made heard throughout all the earth, together with his praises. For every act of the Lord is full of praise. Perhaps the mighty acts of the Lord contain his wonders, and the gifts of healing his praises. Blessed are they who keep judgment, and do righteousness at all times. To the sense of sin, the fruit of virtue, that is, a blessing, enters

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ρωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων ἕως τοῦ νῦν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐδέπω πανωλεθρίας τετολμήκασιν ἄξια· καὶ οὐ δίκαιον αὐτοῖς τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπαγαγεῖν, οὐδὲ τῇ προ γνώσει τῆς μείζονος ἁμαρτίας τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενεγκεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἀναμεῖναι τῶν πραγμάτων τὸ τέλος. Μέτρῳ γὰρ χρῶμαι, καὶ σταθμῷ πρυτανεύω, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀστάθμητον παρ' ἐμοί. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τετρακοσίων ἐτῶν ἀνα μείνας περίοδον, οὕτω κἀκείνους ἐξέβαλε, καὶ τούτοις τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀπέδωκεν. Ὅπως ἂν φυλάξωσι τὰ δι καιώματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ ἐκζητήσωσι. ∆έδωκε δὲ αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο γῆν, νόμον αὐ τοῖς δεδωκὼς, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτον βιοτεύειν κελεύσας.

ΨΑΛΜ. ΡΕʹ. Ἀλληλούια.

αʹ. Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ψαλμῷ τὰς ἁμαρτίας καταλέγει τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ, διδάσκων

πως καὶ δι' ἃ γέγονεν ἡ ἀπο βολὴ αὐτῶν. Ἐν μὲν οὖν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ καὶ τετάρτῳ ψαλ μῷ τὰς θείας ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος διεξῆλθεν εὐεργεσίας· ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν μέμνηται, καὶ τῆς τῶν εὐεργετηθέντων ἀχαριστίας κατηγορεῖ, καὶ τὰς ἐπενεχθεί σας αὐτοῖς διαφόρως τιμωρίας διδάσκει. Ἐσχημάτισται δὲ ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τῶν εὐσεβεστέρων τὰς κοινὰς ὀλοφυ ρομένων συμφορὰς, καὶ φειδοῦς τυχεῖν ἀντιβολούντων. Τὴν γὰρ αὐτὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ὁ ψαλμὸς εἰκότως ἔχει τῷ φθάσαντι· τῆς γὰρ αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως ἔχεται. Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι χρηστός· ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ σημαίνουσα τὸ, Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, δηλοῖ τὸν ψαλμὸν αἶνον περιέχειν Θεοῦ. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ νῦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοὺς ἀπὸ ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιστρέφοντας, καθάπερ ἰατρῷ, προσιέναι τῷ Σωτῆρι, δεικνύντας ὥσπερ τῇ ἐξομολογήσει τῶν πεπλημμελημέ νων τὰ τραύματα· διαθέσει δηλονότι ψυχῆς, ἀλλ' οὐ λόγῳ τοῦτο ποιοῦντας ψιλῷ. Ἕτοιμος γὰρ, φησὶ, διὰ χρηστό τητα τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν εἰς ἔλεον, εἰδὼς ἐλέου δεῖσθαι τὰ τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος, οἷα δὴ θνητὰ καὶ ἐπίκηρα. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, ∆ιαπαντὸς ἐλεεῖ· διαπαντὸς φιλανθρωπεύεται. Ἕτοιμός ἐστιν ἀεὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ διδόναι. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι καιρὸς ὡρισμένος αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ τῆς γνώμης τῆς σῆς. Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου; ἀκου στὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ; Ὅσα ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ θνητὴν φύσιν ποιεῖ, ταῦτα δυναστεία Κυ ρίου, ἅπερ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων ὁ Παῦλός φησι, λέγων· Ὧ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδοται λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, ἑτέρῳ δὲ πίστις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ Πνεύματι, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἐνερ γήματα δυνάμεων. Καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρωθι· Μὴ πάντες προφῆται; μὴ πάντες δυνάμεις; μὴ πάντες χαρί σματα ἔχουσιν ἰαμάτων; ∆ιαιρεῖται δὲ τὰς δυνά μεις ἀπὸ τῶν ἰαμάτων. Τὰς μὲν γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ἐπετέλει περιπατῶν τυχὸν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, ἐπιτιμῶν δὲ τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ κλύδωνι, καὶ μεταμορφῶν ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῷ 55.661 ὄρει· τὰ δὲ λεπροὺς καθαρίζων, καὶ πᾶσαν νόσον ἰώμε νος. Καὶ ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ ∆ιαθήκῃ δυνάμεις μὲν αἱ κατὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πληγαὶ, θάλαττά τε διαιρουμένη, καὶ ποταμὸς Ἰορδάνης ὑποχωρῶν, ἡλίου τε στάσις ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· ἰάσεις δὲ, ὅτε Μαρίαν λεπρῶσαν ἰάσατο Μωϋσῆς, ὅσα τε Ἠλίας καὶ Ἐλισσαῖος εἰργάσαντο. Ταύτας δὲ πάσας τὰς δυναστείας οἱ ἀπόστολοι εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐποίησαν ἀκουστὰς μετὰ καὶ τῶν αἰνέσεων αὐτοῦ. Ἑκά στη γὰρ πρᾶξις τοῦ Κυρίου αἰνέσεως γέμει. Τάχα δὲ αἱ μὲν δυναστεῖαι τοῦ Κυρίου τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ περι έχουσι, τὰ δὲ χαρίσματα τῶν ἰαμάτων τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐ τοῦ. Μακάριοι οἱ φυλάσσοντες κρίσιν, καὶ ποιοῦντες δικαιοσύνην ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ. Τῇ αἰσθήσει τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ τῆς ἀρετῆς καρπὸς ἤτοι μακαρισμὸς ὑπεισ