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worthless sons of men were shown to be—, but the seed that is 83 begotten according to instruction and imitation of virtue. 14 The Lord is a stronghold for those who fear him. Next, he speaks of the greatness of the one who fears God. Those who fear God have no other stronghold than him whom they fear. He is their strength, he is their king, he rules over them. "And his name" has become the possession "of those who fear him." It is not the possession of men, but of those who fear; for he has given it to all, but it has become the property of those who fear. 14 And his covenant, to make it known to them. When covenants are sealed, the things written within are not yet clear to the heirs. Therefore, this covenant does not always remain sealed, but will one day be opened, so that the inheritance may be given to those written in it. Therefore, he will make it known to them. And since in many places he calls the divine word a covenant, both the old and the new, the one before the coming and the one after it, this covenant must be made known, it must be opened. And it is opened then, when the things foretold are fulfilled through their outcome, according to the phrase: "so that what was spoken might be fulfilled"; for it becomes binding then, when the one who made the will has died; for the opening happens then. And even if it is not opened because there is no dispute, it has been opened in effect; for then the things decreed are delivered; for those who have received them, the covenant has been opened. 15 My eyes are always toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the snare. Observe that, if we do not pay close attention to the words, at times contradictions are found. It is no longer in accordance with the one who says: "my sin is great," to say: "my eyes are always toward the Lord"; for he who always has his eyes on the Lord has no sin at all, he has a pure heart. Thus he is also able to see God himself. Therefore, when he does not see at one time and not at another, having his eyes always toward the Lord, he says: "But I am always with you." And being with you I do not sin. Unless someone becomes separate from God, he does not sin. Therefore, "those who distance themselves from you will perish." Question: "And his covenant"? —The covenant of God is made known when someone is shown to be worthy of receiving the things promised. But the covenant of God has something paradoxical compared to other covenants: the covenants of men are opened once for all. But God's, daily. He therefore both makes known the covenant to those who approach and are worthy. Just as in all other things the things of God differ—for I was saying that this perceptible light, when it appears, illuminates the one who has sight; it does not provide perception to the blind. But the light of God, at the same time it appears, both provides the sight and illuminates it. So to those who do not know him, being blind, when it rises, it grants both things: to have sight of the mind and to perceive the light—, so 84 also the covenant is not opened once for all, but if someone today makes himself worthy of being a son of the one who made the will and an heir, then it is made known to him. "My eyes are always toward the Lord." Since "the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous," it is necessary for the righteous also to have their eyes always toward him. They do not see him at one time, and at another time not see him but rather see some of the forbidden things; for just as "no one can serve two masters," so no one can have his eyes toward God and also toward evil or the first author of evil. God is an intelligible substance, seen by the eyes of the mind. When the eyes of the mind are directed to him alone, they see nothing else. They are not by nature able to see worse things when they see God, just as he who serves God is not by nature able to serve mammon. And I say "is not by nature able" in this way: the one who does injustice is not by nature able to do righteousness; for I do not say it in the way I say "man is not by nature able to fly," but insofar as he is righteous he is not naturally inclined toward sin; when he is a sinner, he is not naturally inclined toward virtue. "My eyes"

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ἀνδρῶν φαῦλοι υἱοὶ ἀπεδείχθησαν-, ἀλλὰ τὸ σπέρμα τὸ 83 γεννώμενον κατὰ παίδευσιν καὶ μίμησιν ἀρετῆς. 14 κραταίωμα κύριος τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν. λοιπὸν λέγει τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ φοβουμένου τὸν θεόν. οὐκ ἄλλο κραταίωμα ἔχουσιν οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν̣ θ̣εὸν ἢ αὐτὸν τόν, ὃν φοβοῦνται. ἰσχὺς αὐτῶν ἐστιν, βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν ἐστιν, κρατεῖ αὐτῶν. "καὶ τὸ ὄνομα" αὐτοῦ ἴδιον γέγονεν "τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν". οὔκ ἐστιν ἴδιον ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ τῶν φοβουμένων· πᾶσιν μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸ δέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν φοβουμένων κτῆμα γέγονεν. 14 καὶ ἡ διαθήκη αὐτοῦ τοῦ δηλῶσαι αὐτοῖς. αἱ διαθῆκαι ὅτε εἰσὶν ἐσφραγισμέναι, οὔπω δῆλά εἰσιν τὰ ἐνγεγραμμένα τοῖς κληρονόμοις. οὐκ ἀεὶ οὖν μένει ἡ διαθήκη αὕτη ἐσφραγισμένη, ἀλλὰ λυθήσεταί ποτε, ἵνα ἀποδοθῇ ἡ κληρονομία τοῖς ἐνγραφεῖσιν. δηλώσει οὖν αὐτοῖς. καὶ ἐπεὶ πολλαχοῦ λέγει τὸν θεῖον λόγον διαθήκην τόν τε παλαιὸν καὶ καινόν, τὸν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας καὶ μετ' αὐτήν, δεῖ ταύτην τὴν διαθήκην δηλωθῆναι, δεῖ λυθῆναι. τότε δὲ λύεται, ὅταν πληρωθῇ τὰ προαναφωνηθέντα δι' ἐκβάσεως κατὰ τό· "ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθέν"· τότε γὰρ βεβαία γίνεται, ὅτε τέθνηκεν ὁ διαταξάμενος· ἡ λύσις γὰρ τότε γίνεται. κἂν μὴ λυθῇ τῷ μὴ εἶναι ἀντίρρησιν, λέλυται τῇ δυνάμει· τὅτε γὰρ ἀποδίδεται τὰ διαταγέντα, τοῖς εἰληφόσιν λέλυται ἡ διαθήκη. 15 οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν κύριον, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐκσπάσει ἐκ παγίδος τοὺς πόδας μου. θεώρει ὅτι, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστάνωμεν ταῖς λέξεσιν, ὁτὲ ἐναντιώματα εὑρίσκεται. οὐκέτι ἐστὶν κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· "πολλή ἐστιν ἡ ἁμαρτία μου", τό· "οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν κύριον"· ὁ γὰρ διὰ παντὸς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς προσέχων πρὸς τὸν κύριον οὐκ ἔχει ὅλως ἁμαρτίαν, καθαρὰν ἔχει καρδίαν. οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν ὁρᾶν δύναται. ὅταν οὖν μὴ ποτὲ ὁρᾷ, ποτὲ δὲ μή, διὰ παντὸς ἔχων πρὸς τὸν κύριον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, λέγει· "ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ παντὸς μετὰ σοῦ". μετὰ σοῦ δὲ ὢν οὐχ ἁμαρτάνω. εἰ μὴ ἐκτός τις γένηται θεοῦ, οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει. "οἱ μακρύνοντες" οὖν "ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ ἀπολοῦνται". ἐπερ · "καὶ ἡ διαθήκη αὐτοῦ"; -ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ διαθήκη δηλοῦται, ὅταν τις ἀποδειχθῇ ἄξιος τοῦ λαβεῖν τὰ ἐπαγγελλόμενα. ἔχει δέ τι παράδοξον παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας διαθήκας ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ· προσάπαξ λύονται αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαθῆκαι. ὁ θεὸς δὲ καθ' ἡμέραν. οὗτος οὖν τὴν διαθήκην καὶ δηλοῖ τοῖς προσερχομένοις καὶ ἀξίοις οὖσιν. ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσιν παραλλάττει τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἔλεγον γὰρ ὅτι τὸ φῶς τοῦτο τὸ αἰσθητὸν ὅταν εἰς μέσον ἔλθῃ, φωτίζει τὸν ὄψιν ἔχοντα· οὐ παρέχει ἀντίλημψιν τῷ τυφλῷ. τὸ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ φῶς ἅμα φαινόμενον καὶ τὴν ὄψιν παρέχει καὶ φωτίζει αὐτήν. τοῖς γοῦν ἀγνοοῦσιν αὐτὸν τυφλοῖς οὖσιν ὅτε ἀνατέλλει, ἀμφότερα χαρίζεται καὶ τὸ ὄψιν ἔχειν νοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τοῦ φωτός-, οὕτω 84 καὶ ἡ διαθήκη οὐ προσάπαξ λύεται, ἀλλ' ἐάν τις σήμερον ἄξιον ἑαυτὸν καταστήσ̣ῃ τοῦ υἱὸν εἶναι τοῦ διαθεμένου καὶ κληρονόμον, τότε δηλο̣ῦται αὐτῷ. "οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν κύριον". ἐπεὶ "οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους", ἀνάγκη καὶ τοὺς δικαίους διὰ παντὸς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτόν. οὐ ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὸν ὁρῶσιν, ποτὲ δὲ οὔ, ἀλλά τινα τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων· ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον "οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶν κυρίοις δουλεύειν", οὕτως οὐδεὶς δύναται πρὸς θεὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχειν καὶ πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ἢ τὸν ποιητὴν τῆς κακίας πρῶτον. ὁ θεὸς νοερά ἐστιν οὐσία βλεπομένη ὀφθαλμοῖς διανοίας. ὅταν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς διανοίας πρὸς τοῦτον μόνον τεταμένοι γένωνται, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὁρῶσιν. τὰ δὲ χείρονα οὐ πεφύκασιν βλέπειν, ὅτε τὸν θεὸν ὁρῶσιν, ὥσπερ οὐ πέφυκεν δουλεύειν μαμωνᾷ ὁ θεῷ δουλεύων. τὸ "οὐ πέφυκεν" δὲ οὕτω λέγω· οὐ πέφυκεν τὸν ἀδικοῦντα δικαιοσύνην ποιεῖν· οὐ γὰρ οὕτω λέγω ὡς λέγω ὅτι "οὐ πέφυκεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον πτῆναι", ἀλλ' ὅσον ἐστὶν δίκαιος οὐ πέφυκεν πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν, ὅτε ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν, οὐ πέφυκεν πρὸς ἀρετήν. "οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου"