43

Nor does a farmer obtain so much of the farm's portion through agricultural diligence, as through the God who gives the increase to the things being farmed. For neither he that plants is anything, nor he that waters; but God that gives the increase. And if the king's heart is in the hand of God, he is not saved by his military power, but by the divine guidance. And not just anyone is in the hand of God, but he who is worthy of the title of king. And some have defined kingship as lawful supervision, or rule over all, not accountable for sin. And a giant shall not be saved by the multitude of his strength. He calls a giant one who uses natural power and bodily vigor. Therefore, neither does a king have sufficient help from his army for salvation, nor is the brave man sufficient to suffice for himself in all things. For all human things together are weakness and powerlessness when compared to the true power. For this reason God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the strong; and out of the mouth of babes and sucklings He has perfected praise, that He might destroy the enemy and the avenger. For divine grace shone most brightly when it was at work in infants and the simple-minded. A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he be saved by his great strength. The horse has been cast out from the use of the saints. And Israel, when prospering in wars, is never seen to have used cavalry power, nor did any of the saints privately accept the use of horses as fitting; but Pharaoh uses the horse, and Sennacherib the proud is greatly minded on the abundance of his horses. Therefore, He threw Pharaoh’s horse and rider into the sea; and of Sennacherib, all who had mounted the horses fell asleep; whence also the law through Moses, legislating concerning kings, says, He shall not multiply horses to himself. Neither shall he be saved by his great strength. For when I am weak, he says, then I am strong. But the abundance of bodily strength is an impediment to the salvation of the spirit. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him. Elsewhere it is said: The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous; but here, Upon them that fear 29.348 him. When we look upon the Lord, and our eyes are toward him, so that we might say: Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, so are our eyes toward the Lord our God; then, as it were, we draw upon ourselves for our oversight the eye of the Lord. upon them that hope in his mercy. It shows the humility of those who serve the Lord, how they hope in his mercy. For he who does not trust in his own valiant deeds, nor expects to be justified by works, has as his only hope of salvation the compassions of God. For when he considers, Behold, the Lord and his reward, to give to every man according to his work, and reckons his own evil deeds, he fears the punishment and shrinks from the threats; but so as not to be swallowed up by grief, he is hopeful, looking toward the compassions of God and His love for mankind. And he hopes that his soul shall be delivered from death, and that he will be fed by him in famine. But our soul waits for the Lord, for he is our helper and our defender. The word has an exhortation to patience; so that if ever we are overtaken by any of those who afflict us, we should not be separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, but with our whole soul endure the hardships, awaiting help from God. For our heart shall rejoice in him, and we have hoped in his holy name. This is in harmony with the things at the beginning of the psalm: Rejoice, you righteous, in the Lord; and, In him our heart shall rejoice. And it seems to me that in accordance with these things the Apostle said, In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us; and, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also. For when the Psalmist said, Our soul waits for the Lord, in order to show that not by force nor being oppressed by afflictions the patience

43

οὐδὲ γεωργὸς τοσοῦτον διὰ τὴν γεωργικὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τυγχάνει τοῦ γεωργικοῦ μέρους, ὅσον διὰ τὸν αὔξοντα τὰ γεωργούμενα Θεόν. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ φυτεύων ἐστί τι, οὔτε ὁ ποτίζων, ἀλλ' ὁ αὐξάνων Θεός. Εἰ δὲ καρδία βασιλέως ἐν χειρὶ Θεοῦ, οὐ σώζεται διὰ τὴν ὁπλιτικὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν θείαν χειραγωγίαν. Ἐν χειρὶ δὲ Θεοῦ ἐστιν οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν, ἀλλ' ὁ ἄξιος τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως προσηγορίας. Ὡρίσαντο δέ τινες βασιλείαν εἶναι τὴν ἔννομον ἐπιστασίαν, ἢ τὴν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀρχὴν ἀνυπεύθυνον ἁμαρτίᾳ. Καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. Γίγαντα λέ γει τὸν φυσικῇ δυνάμει καὶ τόνῳ σωματικῷ κεχρη μένον. Οὔτε οὖν βασιλεὺς τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ βοή θειαν ἀρκοῦσαν ἔχει πρὸς σωτηρίαν, οὔτε ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ἑαυτῷ πρὸς πάντα ἐπαρκεῖν ἐστιν ἱκανός. Ἀσθένεια γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἀδυναμία πάντα ὁμοῦ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πρὸς τὴν ἀληθινὴν δύναμιν παραβαλλόμενα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Τὰ ἀσθενῆ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τὰ ἰσχυρά· καὶ ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσατο αἶνον, ἵνα καταλύσῃ τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν. Μάλι στα γὰρ ἔλαμψεν ἡ θεία χάρις ἐν τοῖς νηπίοις καὶ ἀνοήτοις ἐνεργουμένη. Ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σω τηρίαν· ἐν δὲ πλήθει δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ οὐ σω θήσεται. Ἐκβέβληται τῆς χρήσεως τῶν ἁγίων ὁ ἵππος. Καὶ οὔτε ἐν πολέμοις εὐημερῶν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἱππικῇ δυνάμει ποτὲ φαίνεται κεχρημένος, οὔτε ἰδίᾳ τις τῶν ἁγίων τὴν χρῆσιν τῶν ἵππων ὡς ἁρμόζου σαν παρεδέξατο· Φαραὼ δὲ ἵππῳ χρῆται, καὶ Σεναχηρεὶμ ὁ ὑπερήφανος τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῶν ἵππων μέγα φρονεῖ. ∆ιόπερ τοῦ μὲν Φαραὼ ἵππον καὶ ἀνα βάτην ἔῤῥιψεν εἰς θάλασσαν· τοῦ δὲ Σεναχηρεὶμ ἐνύσταξαν πάντες οἱ ἐπιβεβηκότες τοῖς ἵπποις· ὅθεν καὶ ὁ διὰ Μωϋσέως νόμος τὰ περὶ βασιλέων νο μοθετῶν, Οὐ πληθυνεῖ, φησὶν, ἑαυτῷ ἵππον. Ἐν δὲ πλήθει δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ οὐ σωθήσεται. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀσθενῶ, φησὶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι. Τὸ δὲ πλῆθος τῆς σωματικῆς δυνάμεως ἐμπόδιόν ἐστι πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ πνεύματος. Ἰδοὺ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβου μένους αὐτόν. Ἀλλαχοῦ μὲν εἴρηται· Ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, Ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβου 29.348 μένους αὐτόν. Ὅταν ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἀποβλέ πωμεν, καὶ ὦσιν ἡμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν ἡμᾶς· Ἰδοὺ ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ δούλων εἰς χεῖρας τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν, οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν· τότε οἱονεὶ ἐφελκόμεθα πρὸς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἡμῶν τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ Κυρίου. Τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐ τοῦ. Τὸ ταπεινὸν τῶν δουλευόντων τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐμφαί νει, πῶς ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐλπίζουσιν. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἀνδραγαθήμασι, μηδὲ προσδοκῶν ἐξ ἔργων δικαιωθήσεσθαι, μόνην ἔχει τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐνθυμηθῇ τὸ, Ἰδοὺ Κύριος καὶ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ ὡς τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ, καὶ λογίσηται ἑαυτοῦ τὰ πονηρὰ ἔργα, φοβεῖται μὲν τὴν κόλασιν καὶ ὑποπτήσσει τοῖς ἀπειλουμένοις· πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ καταποθῆναι ὑπὸ τῆς λύπης, εὔελπίς ἐστι πρὸς τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ φιλάνθρω πον ἀποβλέπων. Ἐλπίζει δὲ, ὅτι ῥυσθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου, καὶ διατραφήσεται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐν λιμῷ. Ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ὑπομενεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς ἡμῶν ἐστι. Παρά κλησιν ἔχει πρὸς ὑπομονὴν ὁ λόγος· ὥστε κἄν ποτε καταληφθῶμεν ὑπό τινος τῶν ἐκθλιβόντων ἡμᾶς, μὴ χωρισθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅλῃ ψυχῇ ὑπομένειν τὰ ἐπίπονα, τὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν ἀναμένοντας. Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐφρανθήσεται ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ ἠλπίσαμεν. Τοῦτο συνᾴδει τοῖς ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ· Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, δίκαιοι, ἐν Κυρίῳ· καὶ, Ἐν αὐτῷ εὐφρανθήσεται ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν. Καί μοι δοκεῖ κατὰ ταῦτα εἰρηκέναι ὁ Ἀπό στολος τὸ, Ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν διὰ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς· καὶ τὸ, Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς, ὅτι Ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ὑπομενεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐχὶ βιαίως οὐδὲ καταπιεζόμε νος ὑπὸ τῶν θλίψεων τὴν ὑπομονὴν