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in the habitation of the earth." And this is the teaching of another prophet. For the blessed David says: "Whatever the Lord willed, he has done in heaven and on earth." This he also preaches. "For what he wills," he says, "both in the power of heaven, and in the habitation of the earth," he governs and rules, not only of the earth, but indeed also of the heavens themselves. Then also showing the power to be invincible: "And there is none," he says, "who will resist his hand, and say to him: What is this you have done?" For it is necessary to accept the things done by him, whether they be pleasant, or whether they be painful; for it is audacious to oppose and to find fault with the things wisely governed by him. These things, he says, having known and confessed, and having glorified the Most High, I returned to myself, and received my former kingdom with piety. 33. "For at that very time my senses were restored to me, and I came into the honor of my kingdom, and my form returned to me." For being squalid, as is likely, and filthy, having cut my hair and removed the excess of my nails, and having washed away the filth, and having enjoyed the divine grace, it was recognized that he was that man, who formerly governed the greatest kingdom. "And my rulers," he says, "and my nobles sought me." For they too, having put away their hatred, took on a disposition and affection for me. "And I was strengthened in my kingdom, and more abundant majesty was added to me." And this saying again is full of piety; for he did not say, I acquired more abundant majesty, but, "It was added to me," indicating the giver, and proclaiming the cause of good things. 34. "Now therefore," he says, "I Nebuchadnezzar praise, and exalt, and glorify the king of heaven, because all his works are true, and his ways are judgments, and all who walk in pride he is able to humble;" For having had experience of painful things, then having been delivered from them, I praise and hymn the one who brought these and those things upon me beneficially, and very wisely; and I know him to be king of heaven and Lord of all, using truth and justly governing all things, and being able to humble those who use pride. Let us learn, therefore, how pride and arrogance harm those who use them, and as he who rejoices in these things reaps fruits that are not good, let us acquire 81.1376 humility, the mother of good things; for the Lord also blesses this possession, as having the kingdom of heaven for its revenue. "For blessed," he says, "are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And he also sets himself forth as an archetype for those wishing to be benefited, saying: "Learn from me, that I am meek and humble in heart." And showing how great is the fruit of these things, he immediately added: "And you will find rest for your souls." But if the Creator and Lord of all calls himself humble and shows it through his deeds, what other counsel does a human need, who is dust, clay, a clod, ashes, vanity, a flower, grass? For all these things are addressed by the divine Scripture. Let us therefore be ashamed of the Lord's moderation, who, being rich, for our sakes became poor, so that we by his poverty might become rich, and let us learn the mortality of our nature; and observing the swift-flowing nature of present prosperity, let us not think anything arrogant about present things; but let us rather laugh at their changeable and uncertain nature, and desire to attain those good things, which have an enduring and permanent nature; may it be granted to all of us to enjoy them, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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κατοικίᾳ τῆς γῆς." Καὶ αὕτη δὲ ἑτέρου προφήτου διδασκαλία. Ὁ γὰρ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ λέγει· "Πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ὁ Κύριος, ἐποίησεν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ." Τοῦτο καὶ οὗτος κηρύττει. "Ἃ γὰρ θέλει, φησὶ, καὶ ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ κατοικίᾳ τῆς γῆς," πρυτανεύει καὶ δεσπόζει, οὐ μόνον τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἶτα καὶ ἄμαχον δεικνὺς τῆς δυνάμεως· "Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι, φησὶν, ὃς ἀντιστήσεται τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· Τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας;" Ἀνάγκη γὰρ στέργειν τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γινόμενα, ἐάν τε θυμήρη, ἐάν τε ἀλγεινὰ ᾖ· τολμηρὸν γὰρ τὸ ἀντιτείνειν, καὶ αἰτιᾶσθαι τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ σοφῶς πρυτανευόμενα. Ταῦτα, φησὶ, γνοὺς καὶ ὁμολογήσας, καὶ τὸν Ὕψιστον δοξάσας, εἰς ἐμαυτὸν ἐπανῆλθον, καὶ τὴν προτέραν βασιλείαν μετ' εὐσεβείας ἀπέλαβον. λγʹ. "Αὐτῷ γὰρ τῷ καιρῷ αἱ φρένες μου ἐστρά φησαν πρός με, καὶ εἰς τὴν τιμὴν τῆς βασιλείας μου ἦλθον, καὶ ἡ μορφή μου ἐπέστρεψεν ἐπ' ἐμέ." Αὐχμῶν γὰρ, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ ῥυπῶν, ἀποκειράμενος καὶ τὰ περιττὰ τῶν ὀνύχων ἀφελόμενος, καὶ τὸν ῥύπον ἀπονιψάμενος, καὶ τῆς θείας χάριτος ἀπολαύ σας, ἐπεγνώσθη ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ἦν ἐκεῖνος, ὁ πρότε ρον τὴν μεγίστην διέπων βασιλείαν. "Καὶ οἱ τύ ραννοί μου, φησὶ, καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνές μου ἐπεζήτουν με." Ἀποθέμενοι γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι τὸ μῖσος, διάθεσιν περὶ ἐμὲ καὶ φίλτρον ἔλαβον. "Καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασι λείαν μου ἐκραταιώθην, καὶ μεγαλωσύνη περισσο τέρα προσετέθη μοι." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ πάλιν εὐσεβείας γέμει τὸ ῥῆμα· οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Μεγαλωσύνην περισ σοτέραν ἐκτησάμην, ἀλλὰ, "Προσετέθη μοι," τὸν χορηγὸν ὑποδεικνὺς, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν κηρύττων τὸν αἴτιον. λδʹ. "Νῦν οὖν, φησὶν, ἐγὼ Ναβουχοδονόσορ αἰνῶ, καὶ ὑψῶ, καὶ δοξάζω τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἀληθινὰ, καὶ αἱ τρίβοι αὐτοῦ κρίσεις, καὶ πάντας τοὺς πορευομένους ἐν ὑπερηφα νίᾳ δύναται ταπεινῶσαι·" Λαβὼν γὰρ πεῖραν τῶν λυπηρῶν, εἶτα τούτων ἀπαλλαγεὶς, αἰνῶ καὶ ὑμνῶ τὸν ταῦτά μοι κἀκεῖνα λυσιτελῶς ἐπαγαγόντα, καὶ λίαν σοφῶς· καὶ οἶδα αὐτὸν οὐρανοῦ βασιλέα καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ∆εσπότην, ἀληθείᾳ χρώμενον καὶ δικαίως ἅπαντα πρυτανεύοντα, καὶ τοὺς ὑπερηφανίᾳ χρωμέ νους ταπεινῶσαι δυνάμενον. Μαθόντες τοίνυν, ὅπως ὑπερηφανία καὶ τῦφος τοὺς χρωμένους λωβᾶται, καὶ ὡς ὁ τούτοις χαίρων τρυγᾷ καρποὺς οὐκ ἀγαθοὺς, τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ταπεινοφροσύνην κτησώ 81.1376 μεθα· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος μακαρίζει τὸ κτῆμα, ὡς πρόσοδον ἔχον τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. "Μα κάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐ τῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν." Προτίθησι δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀρχέτυπον τοῖς ὠφελεῖσθαι βουλομένοις, λέγων· "Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ." Καὶ δεικνὺς, ἡλίκος τούτων ὁ καρπὸς, εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν." Εἰ δὲ τῶν ἁπάντων ὁ Ποιητὴς καὶ ∆εσπότης ταπεινὸν ἑαυτὸν καλεῖ καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγ μάτων δείκνυσι, ποίας ἑτέρας συμβουλῆς δεῖται ἄν θρωπος, ὁ χοῦς, ὁ πηλὸς, ἡ βῶλος, ἡ σποδὸς, ἡ μα ταιότης, τὸ ἄνθος, ὁ χόρτος; Ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα ὑπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς προσαγορεύεται. Αἰσχυνθῶμεν τοίνυν τὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου μετριότητα, ὃς, πλούσιος ὢν, δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσεν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτω χείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν, καὶ τῆς φύσεως τὸ θνητὸν κα ταμάθωμεν· καὶ τῆς παρούσης εὐημερίας θεώμενοι τὸ ὀξύῤῥοπον, μηδὲν μὲν ἀλαζονικὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσι φρονήσωμεν· γελάσωμεν δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν τὸ εὔτρεπτον καὶ ἀβέβαιον, καὶ ἐπιθυμῶμεν ἐκεί νων ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἃ διαρκῆ τὴν φύσιν καὶ μόνιμον ἔχει· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χρι στοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΜΟΣ Εʹ.