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he will uncover forests. First the voice of the Lord prepares the deer; then it uncovers forests, places overgrown and dense with wild and barren wood, where venomous beasts are accustomed to flee. Since, therefore, the deer has already been perfected through the preparation made by the Lord, the righteous one, who is likened to it, uncovers the forests, so that the destroyers of our life might be handed over, stripped bare and ready. And since *Every tree that does not bear 29.301 good fruit is cut down by the axe, and thrown into the fire*, of necessity the forests are cleared out, the woody souls, in which, like some wild beasts, the various passions of sins lurk, by the word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword. But since many men, burdened with the cares of life, have their own souls like some thorn-bearing ground, and do not allow them to be nurtured for the fruitfulness of the word, the Lord uncovers the forests, that is, the shameful and unseemly and harmful nature of the cares in this life, so that, the topic concerning good and evil having been made clear, men may not have their judgments about things distorted by ignorance. For many consider good things to be evil when they are laborious; but they pursue evil things as good because of the pleasure associated with them; and the delusion among men concerning such things is unspeakable. Therefore, of the nature of good things are fruit-bearing trees and all cedars, which are also taken up for praise; but of evil things, the forests, which, so that those who think they will find some useful fruit in them may not be deceived, the voice of God uncovers and reveals. *And in his temple everyone says, Glory.* Let them hear the words of the psalm, and let those who give themselves over to long speeches be ashamed. What does the psalm say? He who is in the temple of God does not report slander, nor vanity, nor words full of shameful things, but *in his temple everyone says, Glory.* The holy angels who record the words are standing by; the Lord is present, observing the dispositions of those who enter. The prayer of each has been made manifest to God; who out of disposition, who with knowledge seeks the heavenly things; who utters the words devoutlessly with the tips of his lips, while his heart is far from God. Even if he prays, he seeks health of body, and bodily wealth, and human glory. But one must seek none of these, as the word teaches, but *in his temple everyone says, Glory.* *The heavens declare the glory of God.* It is the work of angels to give glory to God. For the whole host of the heavenly beings, this one work: to send up glory to the Creator. All creation, both silent and speaking, both super-cosmic and earthly, glorifies the Creator. But wretched men, leaving their homes and running together to the temple, as if they will benefit themselves in some way, do not hold their ears to the words of God, do not acquire a sense of their own nature, are not grieved at having been seized by sin; are not grieved when they arrive at the 29.304 memory of their sins, do not tremble at the judgment; but smiling, and putting their right hands in one another's, they make the house of prayer a place for long-winded talk, disregarding the psalm which testifies and says, that *In the temple of God everyone says, Glory.* But you not only do not say it, but you also become a hindrance to another, turning him toward yourself, and with your own noise drowning out the teaching of the Spirit. See that you do not depart, instead of receiving a reward for giving glory, having been condemned along with those who blaspheme the name of God. You have a psalm, you have a prophecy, the evangelical commandments, the proclamations of the apostles. Let the tongue sing psalms, let the mind search out the meaning of the things spoken, so that you may sing with the spirit, and sing with the mind also. For God is not in need of glory, but he wishes you to be worthy of being glorified. For *Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.*

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ἀποκαλύψει δρυ μούς. Πρῶτον ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ Κυρίου καταρτίζεται τὰς ἐλάφους· ἔπειτα ἀποκαλύπτει δρυμοὺς, τοὺς συμ φύτους καὶ ἀπὸ ἀγρίας καὶ ἀκάρπου ὕλης πεπυκνω μένους τόπους, οἷς μάλιστα προσφεύγειν τὰ ἰοβόλα πέφυκεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἤδη τετελείωται διὰ τὸν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου γενόμενον καταρτισμὸν ἡ ἔλαφος, ὁ ταύτῃ ὁμοιούμενος δίκαιος ἀποκαλύπτει τοὺς δρυμοὺς, ἵνα γυμνοὶ καὶ ἕτοιμοι παραδοθῶσιν οἱ φθαρτικοὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ Πᾶν ξύλον μὴ ποιοῦν 29.301 καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται ὑπὸ τῆς ἀξίνης, καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται, ἀναγκαίως οἱ δρυμοὶ ἀνακαθαίρον ται, αἱ ὑλώδεις ψυχαὶ, ἐν αἷς, ὥσπερ τινὰ θηρία, τὰ ποικίλα πάθη τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐμφωλεύει, ὑπὸ τοῦ λό γου, ὅς ἐστι τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστο μον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, πεφορτι σμένοι ταῖς βιωτικαῖς μερίμναις, οἷόν τινα γῆν ἀκανθοφόρον τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἐῶ σιν αὐτὰς εἰς τὴν τοῦ λόγου καρποφορίαν ἐντρέφεσθαι, ἀποκαλύπτει ὁ Κύριος τοὺς δρυμοὺς, τουτέστι, τὸ ἄσχημον καὶ ἀπρεπὲς καὶ βλαβερὸν τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ φροντίδων, ἵνα, τρανωθέντος τοῦ περὶ τοῦ ἀγα θοῦ καὶ κακοῦ τόπου, μὴ ἔχωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὑπὸ ἀμαθίας τὰς περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων κρίσεις ἐνηλ λαγμένας. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τὰ μὲν ἀγαθὰ, ὅταν ἐπίπονα ᾖ, κακὰ νομίζουσι· τὰ δὲ κακὰ διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἡδονὴν ὡς ἀγαθὰ μεταδιώκουσι· καὶ ἀμύθη τος ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἡ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πλάνη. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν φύσεως ξύλα καρπο φόρα καὶ πᾶσαι κέδροι, ἃ καὶ πρὸς τὸν αἶνον παρα λαμβάνεται· τῶν δὲ κακῶν οἱ δρυμοὶ, οὓς, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἀπατηθῆναι τοὺς νομίζοντας εὑρήσειν τινὰ καρ πὸν χρήσιμον ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀποκαλύπτει καὶ φανεροῖ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φωνή. Καὶ ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ πᾶς τις λέ γει δόξαν. Ἀκουέτωσαν τῶν ῥημάτων τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, καὶ ἐντραπήτωσαν οἱ τοῖς μακροῖς λόγοις ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδιδόντες. Τί φησιν ὁ ψαλμός; Ὁ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ γενόμενος οὐ κακολογίαν, οὐ ματαιότητα, οὐκ αἰσχρῶν πραγμάτων γέμοντα ῥήματα ἀπαγγέλλει, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ πᾶς τις λέγει δόξαν. Ἑστή κασιν οἱ ἀπογραφόμενοι τὰ ῥήματα ἅγιοι ἄγγε λοι· πάρεστιν ὁ Κύριος τὰς διαθέσεις τῶν εἰσιόντων ἐπισκοπῶν. Ἡ προσευχὴ ἑκάστου πεφανέρωται Θεῷ· τίς ἐκ διαθέσεως, τίς ἐπιστημόνως ἐπιζητεῖ τὰ ἐπουράνια· τίς ἀφωσιωμένως ἄκροις τοῖς χείλεσι τὰ ῥήματα φθέγγεται, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτοῦ πόῤῥω ἀπέχει ἀπὸ Θεοῦ. Κἂν εὔχηται, ὑγίειαν σαρκὸς, καὶ σωματι κὸν πλοῦτον, καὶ δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐπιζητεῖ. ∆εῖ δὲ οὐδὲν τούτων, ὡς ὁ λόγος διδάσκει, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ πᾶς τις λέγει δόξαν. Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ. Ἀγγέλοις ἔργον δοξολογεῖν Θεόν. Πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἓν τοῦτο ἔργον, δό ξαν ἀναπέμπειν τῷ κτίσαντι. Ἡ κτίσις πᾶσα, ἥ τε σιωπῶσα, καὶ ἡ φθεγγομένη, ἥ τε ὑπερκόσμιος, ἥ τε περίγειος δοξάζει τὸν κτίσαντα. Ἄνθρωποι δὲ ἐλεει νοὶ, καταλιπόντες τοὺς οἴκους καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ναὸν συν δραμόντες, ὡς δή τι ἑαυτοὺς ὠφελήσοντες, οὐχ ὑπ έχουσι τὰς ἀκοὰς λόγοις Θεοῦ, οὐ λαμβάνουσιν αἴσθησιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν φύσεως, οὐ λυποῦνται προλη φθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· οὐ λυποῦνται εἰς 29.304 μνήμην τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀφικνούμενοι, οὐ τρέμουσι τὴν κρίσιν· ἀλλὰ μειδιῶντες, καὶ τὰς δεξιὰς ἀλλήλοις ἐμβάλλοντες, τόπον μακρολογίας τὸν οἶκον ποιοῦνται τῆς προσευχῆς, παρακούοντες τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τοῦ δια μαρτυρομένου καὶ λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ πᾶς τις λέγει δόξαν. Σὺ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐ λέ γεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρῳ ἐμπόδιον γίνῃ ἐπιστρέφων πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ θορύβῳ ὑπερηχῶν τὴν δι δασκαλίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ὅρα μή ποτε ἀπέλθῃς, ἀντὶ τοῦ μισθὸν λαβεῖν ἐπὶ δοξολογίᾳ, τοῖς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημοῦσι συγκαταδικασθείς. Ψαλμὸν ἔχεις, προφητείαν ἔχεις, εὐαγγελικὰ παραγγέλματα, τὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων κηρύγματα. Ἡ γλῶσσα ψαλλέ τω, ὁ νοῦς ἐρευνάτω τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν εἰρημένων, ἵνα ψάλλῃς τῷ πνεύματι, ψάλλῃς δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ. Μὴ γὰρ δόξης ἐπιδέεται ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλά σε βούλεται ἄξιον εἶναι τοῦ δοξασθῆναι. ∆ιότι Ὃ σπείρει ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει.