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he mourned for Saul when he sinned; but he was not able to propitiate God, not having as a cooperator in his mourning the fitting correction of the one who sinned. Therefore God, putting a stop to the useless mourning of his servant, says to him, "How long will you mourn for Saul, when I have rejected him from being king over Israel?"

3.82 (πβ΄) And again Jeremiah, the most compassionate, on behalf of the people of the Jews, who were maddened concerning the error of the demons, 1297 is not heard when he prays, not having for the power of prayer the turning back from the error of the godless Jews. Wherefore, leading him away from praying in vain, God says this, "And you, do not pray for this people, and do not ask for them to be shown mercy, and do not pray, and do not approach me any more concerning them, for I will not listen."

3.83 (πγ΄) It is indeed of great foolishness, not to say madness, for one who by disposition delights in destructive things to seek salvation through the prayer of the righteous; and to ask forgiveness for those things in which he boasts by action, being defiled by his purpose, when the one in need of it ought not to allow the supplication of the righteous one to become idle and motionless, if he truly detests evil things; but to make it active and strong, winged by his own virtues, and reaching the one who is able to grant forgiveness for sins committed.

3.84 (πδ΄) The supplication of a righteous person is very powerful, whether it is energized by the righteous one making it, or by the one asking the righteous one that it be made. For when energized by the righteous one, it gives him boldness before the one who is able to grant the requests of the righteous; but when by the one asking the righteous one for it, it makes him desist from his former wickedness, changing his disposition toward virtue.

15∆_184 3.85 (πε΄) Since the Apostle has said, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials," how can someone who is grieved in trials rejoice in that in which he is grieved?

3.86 (πστ΄) The word of truth knows grief to be twofold: the one, according to the soul, invisibly; the other, subsisting manifestly according to perception; and the one, embracing the whole depth of the soul, which is tormented by the scourge of conscience; the other, circumscribing all perception, which is contracted from its natural diffusion by the weight of painful things; and the one, of pleasure according to perception; the other, being the end of gladness according to the soul; or rather the one, of volitional things according to perception; the other, happening to be a conclusion of passions contrary to the will itself.

3.87 (πζ΄) Grief is, so to speak, a disposition deprived of pleasures; and deprivation of pleasures is an introduction of pains; and pain is clearly a lack or retreat of a natural state; and a lack of a natural state is an affection of the power underlying the state according to nature. And the affection of the power underlying the state according to nature is the mode according to the misuse of the natural energy; and misuse of the mode according to energy is the movement of the power toward that which is not naturally constituted and subsistent.

1300 3.88 (πη΄) He says that grief according to the soul is the end of pleasure according to perception; for from this latter is constituted the grief of the soul; just as, therefore, the end of pleasure according to the soul is grief according to the flesh; for the gladness of the soul becomes the punishment of the flesh.

3.89 (πθ΄) He speaks of grief as twofold: the one, concerning perception, constituted by the deprivation of bodily pleasures; the other, concerning the mind, occurring by the deprivation of the goods of the soul. And he also speaks of temptations as twofold, the one, voluntary; the other, involuntary. And the voluntary, of the

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ἐπένθει τόν Σαούλ πλημμελοῦντα· ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἴσχυσε τόν Θεόν ἱλεώσασθαι, μή λαβών συλλήπτορα 15∆_182 τοῦ πένθους τήν καθήκουσαν τοῦ πλημμελοῦντος διόρθωσιν. ∆ιό τοῦ ἀνονήτου πένθους ὁ Θεός καταπαύων τόν ἑαυτοῦ θεράποντα, φησί πρός αὐτόν, Ἕως πότε σύ πενθεῖς ἐπί Σαούλ, καί ἐγώ ἐξουδένωκα αὐτόν, τοῦ βασιλεύει ἐπί τόν Ἰσραήλ;

3.82 (πβ΄) Καί πάλιν Ἱερεμίας ὁ συμπαθέστατος, ὑπέρ τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, περί τήν πλάνην μανέντος τῶν δαιμονίων, 1297 οὐκ εἰσακούεται προσευχόμενος, οὐκ ἔχων εἰς προσευχῆς δύναμιν, τήν ἀπό τῆς πλάνης τῶν ἀθέων Ἰουδαίων ἐπιστροφήν. Ὅθεν τοῦ διακενῆς προσεύχεσθαι καί τοῦτο ἀπάγων ὁ Θεός, φησί, Καί σύ μή προσεύχου περί τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καί μή ἀξίου τοῦς ἐλεηθῆναι αὐτούς, καί μή εὔχου, καί μή προσέλθῃς μοι περί αὐτῶν ἔτι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι.

3.83 (πγ΄) Πολλῆς ὄντως ἐστίν ἀβελτηρίας, ἵνα μή λέγω παραφροσύνης, δι᾿ εὐχῆς δικαίων ἐπιζητεῖν σωτηρίαν, τόν κατά διάθεσιν τοῖς ὀλεθρίοις ἡδόμενον· κἀκείνων αἰτεῖσθαι συγχώρησιν, οἷς ἐγκαυχᾶται κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν προθέσει σπιλούμενος, δέον μή ἀργήν ἐᾶν γίνεσθαι καί ἀκίνητον τοῦ δικαίου τήν δέησιν, τόν ταύτης δεόμενον, εἴπερ ἀληθῶς τοῖς πονηροῖς ἀπεχθάνεται· ἀλλ᾿ ἐνεργόν ποιεῖν καί ἰσχυράν, ταῖς οἰκείαις ἀρεταῖς πτερουμένην, καί φθάνουσαν τόν συγχώρησιν διδόναι τῶν πλημμεληθέντων δυνάμενον.

3.84 (πδ΄) Πολύ ἰσχύει τοῦ δικαίου ἡ δέησις, εἴτε ἐκ τοῦ ποιουμένου ταύτην δικαίου, εἴτε ἐκ τοῦ γίνεσθαι αὐτήν αἰτουμένου τόν δίκαιον, ἐνεργουμένη. Ὑπό μέν γάρ τοῦ δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη, δίδωσιν αὐτῷ παῤῥησίαν πρός τόν δοῦναι δυνάμενον τά τῶν δικαίων αἰτήματα· ὑπό δέ τοῦ ταύτην αἰτουμένου τόν δίκαιον, τῆς προτέρας αὐτόν μοχθηρίας ἀφίστησι, μεταβάλλουσα πρός ἀρετήν αὐτῷ τήν διάθεσιν.

15∆_184 3.85 (πε΄) Τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰρηκότος, Ἐν ᾧ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὀλίγον ἄρτι, εἰ δέον ἐστί λυπηθέντας ὑμᾶς ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς, πῶς τις λυπούμενος ἐν πειρασμοῖς δύναται ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι ἐν ᾧ λυπεῖται;

3.86 (πστ΄) Τήν λύπην διττήν οἶδε τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ λόγος· τήν μέν, κατά ψυχήν ἀφανῶς· τήν δέ, κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν φανερῶς συνισταμένην· καί τήν μέν, ὅλον ψυχῆς τό βάθος περιλαμβάνουσαν, τῇ μάστιγι τῆς συνειδήσεως αἰκιζόμενον· τήν δέ, πᾶσαν τήν αἴσθησιν περιγράφουσαν, τῷ βάρει τῶν ἀλγεινῶν συστελλομένην τῆς φυσικῆς διαχύσεως· καί τήν μέν, τῆς κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἡδονῆς· τήν δέ, τῆς κατά ψυχήν εὐφροσύνης τέλος ὑπάρχουσαν· μᾶλλον δέ τήν μέν, τῶν κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν γνωμικῶν· τήν δέ, τῶν κατ᾿ αὐτήν συμπέρασμα παρά γνώμην παθῶν τυγχάνουσαν.

3.87 (πζ΄) Λύπη ἐστί, κατ᾿ ἐμέ φάναι, διάθεσις ἡδονῶν ἐστερημένη· στέρησις δέ καθέστηκεν ἡδονῶν, πόνων ἐπαγωγή· πόνος δέ σαφῶς ἐστι, φυσικῆς ἕξεως ἔλλειψις ἤ ὑποχώρησις· ἔλλειψις δέ φυσικῆς ἐστιν ἕξεως, πάθος τῆς κατά φύσιν ὑποκειμένης τῇ ἕξει δυνάμεως. Τό δέ πάθος τῆς κατά φύσιν ὑποκειμένης τῇ ἕξει δυνάμεώς ἐστιν, ὁ κατά τήν παράχρησιν τῆς φυσικῆς ἐνεργείας τρόπος· παράχρησις δέ τοῦ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν τρόπου καθέστηκεν, ἡ πρός τό μή πεφυκός κατά φύσιν καί ὑφιστάμενον τῆς δυνάμεως κίνησις.

1300 3.88 (πη΄) Τήν κατά ψυχήν λύπης τέλος εἶναί φησι τῆς κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἡδονῆς· ἐκ γάρ ταύτης συνίσταται λύπη ψυχῆς· ὥσπερ οὖν καί τῆς κατά ψυχήν ἡδονῆς τέλος ἐστίν ἡ κατά σάρκα λύπη· ψυχῆς γάρ εὐφροσύνη σαρκός γίνεται κόλασις.

3.89 (πθ΄) ∆ιττήν τήν λύπην λέγει· τήν μέν, περί τήν αἴσθησιν, κατά 15∆_186 στέρησιν τῶν σωματικῶν ἡδονῶν συνισταμένην· τήν δέ, περί νοῦν κατά στέρησιν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγαθῶν γινομένην. ∆ιττούς δέ λέγει καί τούς πειρασμούς, τούς μέν, ἑκουσίους· τούς δέ, ἀκουσίους. Καί τούς μέν, ἑκουσίους, τῆς