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to err holding a false opinion, and in the contemplation of nature to believe one thing for another, such as they have suffered who have not had you, God, as their teacher, but have conjectured about things with mortal and human reasonings, and been cast far from the truth. But having been taught by you, that you are not only my creator and maker and God, but also my Savior, I rightly waited for you all the day, that is, my whole life, having learned that all who wait for you shall not be put to shame. Remember your compassions, Lord, and your mercies, for they are from eternity. Do not remember the sins of my youth, and of my ignorance. I do not think these things apply as much to David as to those who are taught to confess their former sins. For we do not find that David sinned in his youth, nor in his childhood; nor that he was in ignorance. Could it be, then, that the teaching, as from a physician to those who have been sick, and in the prime of life having come to the knowledge of God, having wallowed in youthful sins, has been delivered like a medicine? so that having learned, they might confess the things they transgressed in ignorance, uncovering them to God, and as it were laying bare to him the old wounds of their own soul, praying to receive healing and therapy through his mercy, for the sake of your goodness, Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he will give laws to sinners in the way. He will guide the meek in judgment, he will teach the meek his ways. Good 23.228 and upright, he says, is the Lord, ordering all things well, and loving the straight way, and bringing the crooked things to straightness. For this reason he does not turn away, nor does he overlook them, leaving them to be destroyed by their own sins; but as a lover of mankind and a good Savior, he cares for the sick rather than the healthy; and to these he gives laws, showing them the ways of repentance, and setting before them laws fitting for their salvation. For there is also a way of salvation shown to sinners, that of conversion and repentance and confession, as being different from that given to the perfect. For God, in giving laws, shows one way to sinners, another to those turning from sin, and another again to those advancing in virtue, and another to the more perfect. Therefore to sinners he points out a way; but he will guide the meek in judgment with discernment, also taking thought for them as being better; which is why he also deems them worthy of beatitudes, according to, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And these he also teaches his ways. But instead of "his ways," Aquila and Symmachus said, "his own way." For the Savior himself walked this way according to what was said: "Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." Therefore, leading them according to this, he becomes their guide and leader by the hand; wherefore as a wise lawgiver, he shows one way to sinners, and another to the meek. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to those who seek his covenant and his testimonies. Many, he says, are the ways of the Lord, but yet in all of them his mercy runs ahead; and with the mercy truth is urged along; for he has mercy on all beings and abhors nothing that he has made; for he did not create anything while hating it. In each way, therefore, of God's administration and providence, his mercy runs ahead, and truth follows his mercy. But to those who seek, who are occupied, he who said: "Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you," delivers the truth concerning the things sought. And his covenant is generally and universally called all the divinely-inspired Scripture delivered to men. And his testimonies happen to be either the things prophetically witnessed about him in the divine Scripture, or the things according to testimony by him to those being taught divine things

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σφάλλεσθαι ψευδοδοξοῦντα, καὶ ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων ἐν τῇ τῶν φυσικῶν θεωρίᾳ δοξάζειν, ὁποῖα πεπόνθασιν οἱ σοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ τυχόντες διδασκάλου, λογισμοῖς δὲ θνητοῖς καὶ ἀνθρωπίνοις καταστοχασάμενοι τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ μακρὰν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξακοντισθέντες. ∆ιδαχθεὶς δὲ παρὰ σοῦ, ὅτι μὴ μόνον κτίστης καὶ δημιουργὸς καὶ Θεός μου τυγχάνεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ Σωτήρ μου, εἰκότως σὲ ὑπέμεινα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, τουτέστι πᾶσαν τὴν ζωήν μου, μεμαθηκὼς, ὅτι πάντες οἱ ὑπομένοντές σε οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῶσιν. Μνήσθητι τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου, Κύριε, καὶ τὰ ἐλέη σου, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνός εἰσιν. Ἁμαρτίας νεότητός μου, καὶ ἀγνοίας μου μὴ μνησθῇς. Οὐχ ἡγοῦμαι ταῦτα τῷ ∆αυῒδ τοσοῦτον ἁρμόζειν, ὅσον τοῖς ἐξομολογεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς πρότερον ἁμαρτήμασιν ἑαυτῶν διδασκομένοις. Οὐ γὰρ εὑρίσκομεν τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῇ νεότητι αὐτοῦ ἡμαρτηκότα, οὐδ' ἐν τῇ παιδικῇ ἡλικίᾳ· ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ γεγενημένον. Μήποτ' οὖν ἡ διδασκαλία ὡς παρὰ ἰατροῦ τοῖς νενοσηκόσι, καὶ ἐν τῇ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀκμῇ ἐντὸς γενομένοις Θεοῦ γνώσεως, νεωτερικοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐγκαλινδηθεῖσιν, δίκην φαρμάκου παραδέδοται; ὡς ἂν μαθόντες ἐξομολογοῖντο τὰ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ αὐτοῖς πεπλημμελημένα, ἀνακαλύπτοντες τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ὥσπερ παλαιὰ τραύματα τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς ἀπογυμνοῦντες αὐτῷ, δεόμενοί τε ἰάσεως καὶ θεραπείας τυχεῖν διὰ τοῦ ἐλέους αὐτοῦ, ἕνεκεν τῆς χρηστότητός σου, Κύριε. Χρηστὸς καὶ εὐθὺς ὁ Κύριος, διὰ τοῦτο νομοθετήσει ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐν ὁδῷ. Ὁδηγήσει πραεῖς ἐν κρίσει, διδάξει πραεῖς τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ. Χρη 23.228 στός ἐστιν καὶ εὐθὲς, φησὶν, ὁ Κύριος, εὖ διατιθέμενος τὰ πάντα, καὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν ἀγαπῶν, τά τε σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν ἄγων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀποστρέφεται, οὐδὲ παρορᾷ καταλιμπάνων αὐτοὺς φθείρεσθαι ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίαις· ἀλλ' οἷα φιλάνθρωπος καὶ ἀγαθὸς Σωτὴρ νοσούντων μᾶλλον ἢ ὑγιαινόντων τὴν φροντίδα ποιεῖται· καὶ τούτοις νομοθετεῖ, μετανοίας ὁδοὺς ὑποδεικνὺς αὐτοῖς, καὶ νόμους τοὺς ἁρμόζοντας αὐτοῖς πρὸς σωτηρίαν παρατιθέμενος. Ἔστι γάρ τις καὶ ὁδὸς τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἐπιδεδειγμένη σωτηρίας, ἡ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς καὶ μετανοίας καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως, ὡς ἑτέρα οὖσα παρὰ τὴν τοῖς τελείοις δεδομένην. Νομοθετῶν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, ἄλλην μὲν ἁμαρτάνουσιν ὁδὸν δείκνυσιν, ἑτέραν δὲ τοῖς ἐπιστρέφουσιν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἄλλην πάλιν τοῖς ἐν ἀρετῇ προκόπτουσι, καὶ ἑτέραν τοῖς τελειοτέροις. ∆ιὸ τοῖς μὲν ἁμαρτάνουσιν ὑποδείκνυσιν ὁδόν· τοὺς δὲ πραεῖς ὁδηγήσει ἐν κρίσει κεκριμένως, καὶ αὐτῶν πρόνοιαν ποιούμενος ὡς βελτιόνων· διὸ καὶ μακαρισμῶν αὐτοὺς ἀξιοῖ, κατὰ τὸ, Μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν. Τούτους δὲ καὶ διδάσκει ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος, ὁδὸν ἑαυτοῦ, ἔφησεν. Ταύτην γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ὥδευσε τὴν ὁδὸν κατὰ τὸ λελεγμένον· Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Κατὰ ταύτην οὖν ἄγων αὐτοὺς, ὁδηγὸς αὐτῶν καὶ χειραγωγὸς γίνεται· διόπερ ὡς σοφὸς νομοθέτης, ἄλλην μὲν ὁδὸν ἐπιδείκνυσι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἑτέραν δὲ τοῖς πράοις. Πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ Κυρίου ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσι τὴν ∆ιαθήκην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτοῦ. Πολλαὶ μὲν, φησὶν, αἱ ὁδοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐν πάσαις τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ προτρέχει· τῷ τε ἐλέει συμπαρορμᾷ ἡ ἀλήθεια· ἐλεεῖ γὰρ τὰ ὄντα καὶ οὐδὲν βδελύσσεται ὧν ἐποίησεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ μισῶν τι κατεσκεύασε. Καθ' ἑκάστην τοίνυν ὁδὸν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ διοικήσεώς τε καὶ προνοίας τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ προτρέχει, ἕπεται δὲ τῷ ἐλέῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια. Τοῖς δ' ἐκζητοῦσιν, ἀσχολουμένοις, ὁ εἰπών· Ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε, κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν, τὴν περὶ τῶν ζητουμένων ἀλήθειαν παραδίδωσιν. ∆ιαθήκη δὲ αὐτοῦ γενικῶς καὶ καθ' ὅλου ὠνόμασται πᾶσα ἡ ἀνθρώποις παραδοθεῖσα θεόπνευστος Γραφή. Μαρτύρια δὲ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει ἤτοι τὰ προφητικῶς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ μεμαρτυρημένα, ἢ τὰ κατὰ διαμαρτυρίαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῖς τὰ θεῖα παιδευομένοις