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he asks for salvation, and entreats him to judge both him and his enemies. Salvation is far from sinners, because they have not sought out your ordinances. He says, those living together in lawlessness have deprived themselves of the salvation that is from you, not wanting to learn what you have legislated to do. This is a cause of destruction, our not seeking out the ordinances of God. And he did not say only, that they did not believe, but, "Because they have not sought out your ordinances." For in our scorning the commandments of God, he keeps salvation far from us. Your compassions are many, O Lord; according to your judgment, give me life. This verse has an obvious meaning, and needs no words for interpretation; for it says: great is the wealth of your love for humanity, just is your decree; I ask for the salvation that comes from these things. Many are they who persecute me and afflict me; from your testimonies I have not turned aside. Surrounded, he says, by many misfortunes, I did not endure to transgress any of the things legislated by you. And having stated the hypothesis of the psalm, we said that the divine David gathered all the things that had happened to him into this psalm, and that some things are fitting to the grievous things done to him by Saul, and others to those by Absalom. These things, however, it is clear he said while being persecuted by Saul; for at that time he was inexperienced in sin. Many, therefore, persecuted the saints, and led them away to death, but they did not turn aside from the testimonies of God. For they remembered the Lord saying: "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"; likewise also the apostle Paul: "For through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heaven." For this reason the blessed and renowned martyrs passed through fire and water, and gave their bodies for the confession and love of God; but they have a reward, having become of the same body and partakers with Christ our God. I saw them that were without understanding, and I wasted away, because they kept not your oracles. Thus the blessed Paul lamented the Jews; thus the Lord himself bewailed Jerusalem; thus the divine Jeremiah mourned the lawlessness of the people. Such we ought to be, brothers; to be consumed and grieved over those who walk disorderly, and to reprove them and exhort them, making our own life manifestly upright; For he who converts a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins; but if they remain incorrigible, withdraw from such, as the Apostle teaches; For, he says, "Withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly"; and, "If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or a drunkard, or a reviler, or an extortioner, with such a one do not even eat." Behold that I have loved your commandments, O Lord; in your mercy give me life. He continually mentions commandments and ordinances and laws and testimonies, showing his desire for these things. And the saying teaches us that, according to James, the brother of God, we should love not in word and tongue, but in deed and in truth. For thus we will live in the mercy of God. The beginning of your words is truth, and all the judgments of your righteousness are forever. 4. You have promises that are without falsehood, you adorn your pronouncements with truth, you confirm your words by deed. In the beginning, therefore, at the creation of the world, God said to Adam: "Of every tree that is in paradise you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die." This decision, therefore, has held for eternity; for to disobey God brings in death. The word 55.705 also has another meaning. For it is written: God said to Abraham, "In your seed all the nations shall be blessed," which is Christ. Through

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σωτηρίαν αἰτεῖ, καὶ κρῖναι αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς δυσμενέσιν ἀντιβολεῖ. Μακρὰν ἀπὸ ἁμαρτωλῶν σωτηρία, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν. Τῆς παρὰ σοῦ, φησὶ, σωτηρίας ἑαυτοὺς ἐστέρησαν οἱ παρανομίᾳ συζῶντες, μὴ βουληθέντες καταμαθεῖν τίνα πράττειν ἐνομοθέτησας. Τοῦτο δὲ παραίτιον τῆς ἀπ ωλείας, τὸ μὴ ἐκζητεῖν ἡμᾶς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιώματα. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε μόνον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν, ἀλλ', Ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ κατα φρονεῖν ἡμᾶς τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, μακρύνει ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν. Οἱ οἰκτιρμοί σου πολλοὶ, Κύριε· κατὰ τὸ κρίμα σου ζῆσόν με. Οὗτος ὁ στίχος προφανῆ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχει, καὶ οὐ δέεται λόγων εἰς ἑρμηνείαν· λέ γει γάρ· πολὺς τῆς σῆς φιλανθρωπίας ὁ πλοῦτος, δι καία σου ἡ ψῆφος· τὴν ἀπὸ τούτων σωτηρίαν αἰτῶ. Πολλοὶ οἱ ἐκδιώκοντές με καὶ θλίβοντες· ἐκ τῶν μαρτυρίων σου οὐκ ἐξέκλινα. Πολλαῖς, φησὶ, περι στοιχιζόμενος συμφοραῖς, τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ νενομοθετημέ νων οὐκ ἠνεσχόμην τι παραβῆναι. Καὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν εἰρηκότες τοῦ ψαλμοῦ εἴπομεν, ὡς ἅπαντα ὁ θεῖος ∆αυῒδ τὰ συμβεβηκότα αὐτῷ ἐν τούτῳ συνήγαγε τῷ ψαλμῷ, καὶ ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἁρμόττει τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ προγεγε νημένοις αὐτῷ λυπηροῖς, τὰ δὲ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀβεσσα λώμ. Ταῦτα μέντοι δῆλον ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διωκόμενος εἴρηκε· τηνικαῦτα γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπείρατος ἦν. Πολλοὶ οὖν τοὺς ἁγίους ἐδίωκον, καὶ εἰς θάνατον ἀπ ήγαγον, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐκ τῶν μαρτυρίων τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἐξ έκλιναν. Ἐμέμνηντο γὰρ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Μακάριοι οἱ διωκόμενοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὡσαύτως καὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου· Ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τούτου ἕνεκεν διῆλθον διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος οἱ μακάριοι καὶ ἀοίδιμοι μάρτυρες, καὶ ἔδωκαν τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁμολογίαν καὶ ἀγάπην· ἀλλ' ἔχουσιν ἀντάμειψιν, γεγονότες σύσσωμοι καὶ συμμέτοχοι Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Εἶδον ἀσυνετοῦντας, καὶ ἐξ ετηκόμην, ὅτι τὰ λόγιά σου οὐκ ἐφυλάξαντο. Οὕτως ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος Ἰουδαίους ὠδύρετο· οὕτως αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὠλοφύρετο· οὕτως ὁ θεῖος Ἱερεμίας τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίαν ἐθρήνησε. Τοιούτους χρὴ εἶναι ἡμᾶς, ἀδελφοί· ἐκτήκεσθαι καὶ λυπεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀτάκτως περιπατούντων, καὶ ἐλέγχειν αὐτοὺς καὶ παρακαλεῖν, πρόδηλον τὴν ἡμετέραν ζωὴν διευθύνοντες· Ὁ γὰρ ἐπιστρέφων ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ, σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου, καὶ καλύψει πλῆ θος ἁμαρτιῶν· εἰ δὲ ἀδιόρθωτοι μένουσι, στέλλεσθε ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων, ὡς ὁ Ἀπόστολος διδάσκει· Στέλλε σθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περι πατοῦντος· καὶ, Ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ᾖ πόρνος, ἢ πλεονέκτης, ἢ μέθυσος, ἢ λοίδορος, ἢ ἅρπαξ, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν. Ἴδε ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου ἠγάπησα, Κύριε· ἐν τῷ ἐλέει σου ζῆ σόν με. Συνεχῶς ἐντολῶν καὶ δικαιωμάτων καὶ νόμων μνημονεύει καὶ μαρτυρίων, τὸν περὶ ταῦτα πόθον δει κνύς. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς τὸ ῥητὸν, ἵνα, κατὰ τὸν ἀδελφό θεον Ἰάκωβον, ἀγαπῶμεν μὴ λόγῳ καὶ γλώσσῃ, ἀλλ' ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἐν τῷ ἐλέει τοῦ Θεοῦ ζησόμεθα. Ἀρχὴ τῶν λόγων σου ἀλήθεια, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα πάντα τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου. δʹ. Ἀψευδεῖς ἔχεις τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, ἀληθείᾳ τὰς ἐπαγ γελίας κοσμεῖς, ἔργῳ βεβαιοῖς σου τοὺς λόγους. Ἐν τῇ κατ' ἀρχὰς τοίνυν κοσμογενείᾳ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀδάμ· Ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φαγῇ· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Ἐκράτη σεν οὖν αὐτὴ ἡ ἀπόφασις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· τὸ γὰρ παρα κοῦσαι Θεοῦ θάνατον ἐπεισφέρει. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἕτερον ὁ 55.705 λόγος. Γέγραπται γάρ· Εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραάμ· Ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου ἐνευλογηθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· ὅς ἐστι Χριστός. ∆ι'