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I am the truth, having spoken in the last days in a Son. For you, O God, are my savior; for through what you have taught me, you have provided me with salvation. 219 Ps 24,6 Just as the proper activity of light is to illuminate and of knowledge to lead to knowing, so the proper activity of God is to have compassion and to pity, whence he is also called the Father of mercies. What the saint wishes to say, then, is something like this: being a compassionate Father, in that you are their source and beginning, Remember these your offspring. For even if for a little while you were angered at those who have sinned, yet let the anger—not being according to your nature but having arisen usefully for the purpose of destroying wickedness—cease, as you take remembrance of the compassions that are according to your nature. We too are accustomed, when we are indignant with our own, to say even to gracious men, Remember your goodness and imitate yourself by being reconciled to those under your indignation. Just as, then, compassions are fittingly present to God, so also his mercies, being present to him by nature, are from of old, whence they also remain forever according to For his mercy is forever; and to someone God says, With an everlasting mercy I have had mercy on you. 220 Ps 24,7ab No one repenting confesses present and still active sins, but those that have ceased and are no more. This, at any rate, he now says, stating, Do not remember the sins of my youth and my ignorance. For the things sinned and done in ignorance in youth are no longer active for one who has passed beyond youth. Perhaps, however, the name of 'youth' here does not signify age but the unstable and unsteady character of one's disposition. For as long as someone is in such a state, he is ignorant and sins, until God gives perception and understanding, of which Scripture says, To give prudence to the simple, and to the young man perception and understanding. Having therefore asked that he not remember the sins and ignorances of his youth, he immediately added, According to your mercy, remember me. For according to mercy God remembers one whose transgressions he does not remember. 221 Ps 24,7c Being gracious and good by nature, God has an innate kindness, on account of which he remembers with mercy one who repents. 222 Ps 24,8 And he is upright, either because he is not naturally disposed to sin, or because he demands an accounting from sinners, whence also He will legislate for sinners in the way. For he subjects to the law those who are still practicing evil, so that, having been prevented from sinning, they may travel the way of salvation. 223 Ps 24,9 The lawgiving God will guide those who have meekness and stability in judgment, that is, in a tested and exact manner. For one who has learned that there are two ways before the face of man, that of life and that of death, and having turned away from the way of death, travels the way of life, walks in judgment, being led by the Lord, on account of the serene and stable state of his mind; for the meek have tranquility of thoughts. And the Lord himself, after guiding the meek in judgment, will also teach them his ways, either those that lead to him or those which he himself travels; for one who travels after the Lord learns his ways. 224 Ps 24,10 All the ways that lead to the Lord or which he himself walks in the aforementioned manner, being accomplished in truth and happening with kindness, are mercy and truth; for it is necessary to be shown mercy first, so that one may embark on them and thus, through the very act of traveling, may arrive at truth itself. But the ways of the Lord are not seen as mercy and truth by all, but by those who seek out his covenant and his testimonies; for one who is outside the covenant and the testimonies is inexperienced in the kindness and beauty of the Lord's ways. One must therefore seek out the covenant which God made with the fathers when he led them out of the spiritual Egypt, that is, the polytheistic error. For having sought out and investigated it, we will also know the new covenant which Jesus confirmed with his own blood; for every covenant is invalid without the death of the one who made it, as the apostle says: For a covenant is upon

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εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν λαλήσας ἐν υἱῷ. καὶ γὰρ σύ, ω θεέ, σωτήρ μου τυγχάνεις· δι' ων γὰρ ἐδίδαξάς με, σωτηρίαν μοι παρέσχου. 219 Ps 24,6 ̔Ως ἰδία ἐνέργεια τοῦ φωτὸς τὸ φωτίζειν καὶ τῆς ἐπιστήμης εἰς τὸ γινώσκειν αγειν, ουτω τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεία ἐνέργεια τὸ οἰκτείρειν καὶ ἐλεεῖν οθεν καὶ Πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν ειρηται. ο ουν βούλεται λέγειν ὁ αγιος τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οἰκτίρμων τυγχάνων πατὴρ τῷ πηγὴ καὶ ἀρχὴ αὐτῶν ειναι Μνήσθητι τούτων τῶν σῶν γενημάτων. εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον ὠργίσθῃς τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσιν, ἀλλ' ἡ ὀργὴ οὐ κατὰ φύσιν σου ουσα ἀλλὰ χρησίμως ὑποστᾶσα ἐπὶ τῷ ἀναιρῆσαι κακίαν παυσάσθω, μνήμην σου λαμβάνοντος τῶν κατὰ φύσιν σου οἰκτιρμῶν. εἰώθαμεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀγανακτοῦντες τοῖς ἡμετέροις, καὶ ιλεω ἀνθρώποις λέγειν Μνήσθητι τῆς ἀγαθότητός σου καὶ μίμησαι σεαυτὸν καταλλασσόμενος τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν. Ωσπερ ουν οἱ οἰκτιρμοὶ καταλλήλως τῷ θεῷ πρόσεισιν, ουτω καὶ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτῷ παρόντα ̓Απὸ τοῦ αἰῶνός εἰσιν, οθεν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένουσιν κατὰ τὸ Οτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ· καὶ πρός τινα δέ φησιν ὁ θεὸς ̓Ελέῳ αἰωνίῳ ἠλέησά σε. 220 Ps 24,7ab Οὐδεὶς μετανοῶν ἐπὶ παροῦσιν καὶ ετι ἐνεργουμένοις ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐξομολογεῖται ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παυσαμένοις καὶ οὐκ ετ' ουσιν. τοῦτο γοῦν λέγει καὶ νῦν, φάσκων ̔Αμαρτίας νεότητός μου καὶ ἀγνοίας μου μὴ μνησθῇς. τὰ γὰρ ἐν νεότητι ἡμαρτημένα καὶ ἠγνοημένα οὐκ ετ' ἐνεργεῖται τῷ τὴν νεότητα διαβεβηκότι. τάχα δὲ τὸ τῆς νεότητος ονομα οὐχ ἡλικίαν ἐνταῦθα δηλοῖ ἀλλὰ τὸ αστατον καὶ ἀβέβαιον τοῦ ηθους. οσον γάρ τις ἐν τοιαύτῃ καταστάσει ἐστίν, ἀγνοεῖ καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, εως ὁ θεὸς αισθησιν καὶ εννοιαν δῷ ῃ φησὶν ἡ γραφὴ Ινα δῷ ἀκάκοις πανουργίαν, παιδὶ δὲ νέῳ αισθησίν τε καὶ εννοιαν. ̓Αξιώσας ουν οπως μὴ μνησθῇ τῶν τῆς νεότητος αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ἀγνοιῶν, ἐπήγαγεν εὐθὺς τὸ Κατὰ τὸ ελεός σου μνήσθητί μου. κατὰ ἐλεημοσύνην γὰρ μιμνήσκεται ὁ θεὸς ου τῶν πταισμάτων οὐ μνημονεύει. 221 Ps 24,7c Κατὰ φύσιν ιλεως ων καὶ ἀγαθὸς ὁ θεὸς σύμφυτον εχει χρηστότητα, ης ενεκα σὺν ἐλέῳ μνημονεύει τοῦ μετανοοῦντος. 222 Ps 24,8 Καὶ εὐθής ἐστιν ητοι διὰ τὸ πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν μὴ πεφυκέναι η διὰ τὸ εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, οθεν καὶ Νομοθετήσει ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐν ὁδῷ. τοὺς γὰρ ετι ἐνεργοῦντας τὸ κακὸν ὑποβάλλει νόμῳ, οπως κωλυθέντες τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν τὴν σωτήριον ὁδεύσωσιν ὁδόν. 223 Ps 24,9 ̔Ο νομοθετῶν θεὸς ὁδηγήσει τοὺς πραότητα καὶ εὐστάθειαν εχοντας ἐν κρίσει τουτέστιν ἐξητασμένως καὶ ἠκριβωμένως. ὁ γὰρ μαθὼν δύο ὁδοὺς πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ειναι, τὴν τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ τὴν μὲν τοῦ θανάτου ἀποστραφείς, ὁδεύων δὲ τὴν τῆς ζωῆς ὁδόν, ̓Εν κρίσει βαδίζει, ποδηγούμενος ὑπὸ κυρίου, διὰ τὸ γαληνὸν καὶ εὐσταθὲς τῆς διανοίας· οἱ γὰρ πραεῖς ἀταραξίαν εχουσι λογισμῶν. Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ κύριος μετὰ τὸ ὁδηγῆσαι ἐν κρίσει τοὺς πραεῖς διδάξει αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ὁδούς, ητοι τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν φερούσας η ας αὐτὸς πορεύεται· ὁ γὰρ ὀπίσω κυρίου πορευόμενος τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ μανθάνει. 224 Ps 24,10 Πᾶσαι αἱ πρὸς κύριον φέρουσαι ὁδοὶ η ας αὐτὸς βαδίζει τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον κατ' ἀλήθειαν κατορθούμεναι καὶ σὺν χρηστότητι γινόμεναι ελεός εἰσι καὶ ἀλήθεια· δεῖ γὰρ ἐλεηθῆναι πρότερον, ινα τις ἐπιβῇ αὐταῖς καὶ ουτω δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὁδεύειν ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἀλήθειαν φθάσῃ. οὐ πᾶσιν δὲ ελεος καὶ ἀλήθεια θεωροῦνται αἱ ὁδοὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἀλλὰ Τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσι τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτοῦ· ὁ γὰρ ἐκτὸς ων τῆς διαθήκης καὶ τῶν μαρτυρίων απειρός ἐστιν τῆς χρηστότητος καὶ τοῦ κάλλους τῶν κυριακῶν ὁδῶν. ̓Εκζητητέον ουν τὴν διαθήκην ην διέθετο ὁ θεὸς τοῖς πατράσιν ἐξάγων αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς πνευματικῆς Αἰγύπτου τουτέστιν τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης. ἐκζητήσαντες γὰρ καὶ ἐρευνήσαντες αὐτὴν εἰσόμεθα καὶ τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην ην ἐβεβαίωσεν ̓Ιησοῦς τῷ αιματι τῷ ἰδίῳ· πᾶσα γὰρ διαθήκη ἀνίσχυρος μὴ θάνατον ἐσχηκότος τοῦ διατιθεμένου, ῃ φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος· ∆ιαθήκη γὰρ ἐπὶ