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easy prey for enemies. But who now has such purity of soul, as to use such words with confidence? Indeed, the divine apostle has said things similar to these: For our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience. Great is he who dares to speak these things to God. For by saying, I have done judgment and justice, he claimed the accomplishment of all virtues and commandments. Hence he also supplicates not to be handed over to those who do wrong, to evil demons and irrational impulses and disorderly thoughts. Receive your servant for good. But Symmachus says, Undertake for me your servant for good; and Aquila and Theodotion, Be surety; instead of, I speak the truth, I do not lie; believe your servant who has promised; you yourself be the guarantor of my promise, that I will hasten to fulfill your laws. Undertake for me, O Master, he says, and believe your servant, and be my guarantor for good, because I keep your commandments; and let me not be slandered by the arrogant. For all who do not keep the commandments of God are called arrogant, according to the saying that says: The arrogant have transgressed exceedingly. Let not the arrogant slander me. Slander is painful, even if it has a great reward. To this even the wonderful Joseph fell victim, 55.699 and countless others. And the Lord also commands to pray not to enter into temptation. Therefore, the prophet did nothing unfitting in making this request. For especially the slander of the boastful and powerful is more grievous. For injustice, when it gains power, works greater harm. My eyes have failed for your salvation, and for the word of your justice. Again here he calls the promise "word". Continually, he says, I await salvation from you, and I await the fulfillment of the promise. He has put "have failed," indicating intense desire. This he also indicated above, saying: My soul faints for your salvation. But what salvation? That which Simeon, embracing the Lord, said: For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples. Therefore, the prophet prays that this may come quickly for the salvation of the human race. For "My soul faints" is nothing other than the intensification of desire. Deal with your servant according to your mercy, and teach me your statutes. He who is a worker of such great virtue deems it worthy to receive mercy, and asks to enjoy salvation; and he does not demand a wage, but asks for philanthropy. For even if the prophet was advancing in virtues, yet he still sought the mercy of God. So also we, brethren, if we do any good, let us ask him to become our helper, and to be saved by his mercy. I am your servant; give me understanding, and I will know your testimonies. All men are by nature servants of God; but by disposition, those who genuinely choose the lordship of God. Of this company, therefore, the prophet calls himself a servant, and exhorts to be deemed worthy of understanding, so as to know the testimonies of God. It is time for the Lord to act; they have scattered your law. God, who governs all things with weight and measure, bears for a very long time the sins of men; but when he sees wickedness increased by his long-suffering, then he brings on punishment. This, therefore, he also says here: it is time for you to rise up for the help of the wronged, O Master; for the enemies have utterly trampled on your law. And the apostle Paul also said concerning the coming of our Lord: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. It was time also for the Jews to believe; but they did the opposite, disbelieving and rejecting the Gospel. For this is what "They have scattered your law" means. For this reason I have loved your commandments above gold and topaz. They indeed

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δυσμενέσιν εὐάλωτος. Τίς δὲ νῦν ἔχει τοσ αύτην ψυχῆς καθαρότητα, ὥστε σὺν παῤῥησίᾳ τοιούτοις χρήσασθαι λόγοις; Τούτοις μέντοι καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος προσόμοια εἴρηκεν· Ἡ γὰρ καύχησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστὶ, τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς συνειδήσεως ἡμῶν. Μέγας ὁ ταῦτα θαῤῥῶν προσομιλῆσαι Θεῷ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, Ἐποίησα κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην, πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν καὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν τὴν κατόρθωσιν ἐπεσπάσατο. Ἔνθεν καὶ ἱκε τεύει μὴ παραδοθῆναι τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι, πονηροῖς δαίμοσι καὶ ἀλογίστοις ὁρμαῖς καὶ λογισμοῖς ἀτάκτοις. Ἔκδεξαι τὸν δοῦλόν σου εἰς ἀγαθόν. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ἀνάδεξαί με τὸν δοῦλόν σου εἰς ἀγαθόν· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων, Ἐγγύησαι· ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀληθεύω, οὐ ψεύδο μαι· πίστευσον ὑποσχομένῳ τῷ δούλῳ σου· αὐτὸς ἐγ γυητὴς γενοῦ τῆς ἐμῆς ὑποσχέσεως, ὅτι σου σπουδάσω πληρῶσαι τοὺς νόμους. Ἀνάδεξαί με, ∆έσποτα, φησὶ, καὶ πίστευσον τῷ δούλῳ σου, καὶ ἐγγυητής μου γενοῦ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ὅτι φυλάττω τὰ προστάγματά σου· καὶ μὴ γένωμαι συκοφαντούμενος ὑπὸ ὑπερηφάνων. Πάντες γὰρ οἱ μὴ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ φυλάττοντες ὑπερήφανος ὀνομάζονται, κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν τὸ λέγον· Ὑπερήφανοι παρηνόμουν ἕως σφόδρα. Μὴ συκοφαντησάτωσάν με ὑπερήφανοι. Ἀλγεινὸν ἡ συκοφαντία, κἂν μέγαν ἔχῃ μισθόν. Ταύτῃ καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος περιπέπτωκεν Ἰωσὴφ, 55.699 καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ μυρίοι. Παρακελεύεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος εὔχεσθαι μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμόν. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἀπεικὸς οὐδὲ ὁ προφήτης πεποίηκε ταύτην αἰτήσας τὴν αἴτησιν. ∆ιαφερόντως γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἀλαζόνων καὶ δυνατῶν συκο φαντία χαλεπωτέρα. Ἀδικία γὰρ προσλαβοῦσα τὴν δυ ναστείαν μείζονα τὴν λώβην ἐργάζεται. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐξέλιπον εἰς τὸ σωτήριόν σου, καὶ εἰς τὸ λόγιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα λόγιον τὴν ὑπό σχεσιν καλεῖ. ∆ιηνεκῶς, φησὶ, τὴν παρὰ σοῦ σωτηρίαν προσμένω, καὶ τῆς ὑποσχέσεως ἀναμένω τὸ τέλος. Τὸ δὲ Ἐξέλιπον τέθεικε, τὴν ἐπιτεταμένην ἐπιθυμίαν δη λῶν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· Ἐκλείπει εἰς τὸ σωτήριόν σου ἡ ψυχή μου. Ποῖον δὲ σωτήριον; Ὃ ὁ Συμεὼν ἀγκαλιζόμενος τὸν Κύριον ἔφη· Ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου, ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν. Τοῦτο οὖν εὔχεται ὁ προφήτης τάχιον γενέσθαι διὰ τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τὸ γὰρ Ἐκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου, ἕτερον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἢ ἡ ἐπίτασις τῆς ἐπιθυμίας. Ποίησον μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου κατὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ τὰ δικαιώ ματά σου δίδαξόν με. Ὁ τοσαύτης ἀρετῆς ἐργάτης ἐλέους τυχεῖν ἀξιοῖ, καὶ σωτηρίας ἀπολαῦσαι αἰτεῖ· καὶ οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖ μισθὸν, ἀλλὰ φιλανθρωπίαν αἰτεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ καὶ προέκοπτεν ὁ προφήτης ἐν ἀρεταῖς, ἀλλὰ οὖν τὸν ἔλεον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξῃτεῖτο. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰ καί τι ἀγαθὸν ποιοῦμεν, αὐτὸν αἰτησώμεθα συνεργὸν ἡμῶν γενέσθαι, καὶ τῷ ἐλέει αὐτοῦ σωθῆναι. ∆οῦλός σου εἰμὶ ἐγώ· συνέτισόν με, καὶ γνώσομαι τὰ μαρ τύριά σου. Ἅπαντες μὲν ἄνθρωποι φύσει δοῦλοι Θεοῦ· διαθέσει δὲ, οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δεσποτείαν γνησίως αἱρούμενοι. Ταύτης οὖν τῆς συμμορίας ὁ προφήτης δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει, καὶ συνέσεως ἀξιωθῆναι παρακαλεῖ, ὥστε γνῶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ μαρτύρια. Καιρὸς τοῦ ποιῆ σαι τῷ Κυρίῳ· διεσκέδασαν τὸν νόμον σου. Ὁ πάντα σταθμῷ καὶ μέτρῳ πρυτανεύων Θεὸς φέρει μὲν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς ἁμαρτίας· ὅταν δὲ αὐξη θεῖσαν ἴδῃ τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ τὴν πονηρίαν, τότε τὴν τι μωρίαν ἐπάγει. Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησι· καιρὸς διαναστῆναί σε εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τῶν ἀδικουμένων, ὦ ∆έ σποτα· κομιδῇ γάρ σου τὸν νόμον ἐπάτησαν οἱ πολέμιοι. Ἔφη δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος περὶ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν· Ἰδοὺ νῦν καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἰδοὺ νῦν ἡμέρα σωτηρίας. Καιρὸς ἦν καὶ τοὺς Ἰου δαίους πιστεῦσαι· ἀλλ' οὖν τοὐναντίον ἔπραξαν, ἀπιστή σαντες καὶ ἀθετήσαντες τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, ∆ιεσκέδασαν τὸν νόμον σου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἠγάπησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ τοπάζιον. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν