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accusing of sin. δʹ. "For day and night your hand was heavy upon me." I lament and I supplicate, being struck with all kinds of chastisements and punishments. For "Your hand was heavy upon me," he has set down metaphorically, from those striking with the hand, and persisting for a long time. "I was turned to misery when a thorn was fixed in me." Your chastisement, he says, is not unjust, but very just. For the cause of my evils is sin, which I sprouted instead of a grape; and I am continually pricked by it. For he called sin a thorn, 80.1089 both as a useless sprout, and as one that is naturally able to prick. εʹ. "I acknowledged my sin, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my iniquity against myself to the Lord; and you took away the impiety of my sin." Immediately after sinning, I was silent; but after these things, I made an accusation against myself night and day; and from the accusation I reaped great fruits; for you gave me the remission of my sins. But it is fitting to note that he did not say, You forgave my sin, but, the impiety of the sin; that is, You did not punish me according to the worth of my transgression, but you forgave the excess of the sin, and applied the cure with a commensurate chastisement. This the history also teaches. For when David said, "I have sinned against the Lord," Nathan answered, "And the Lord has taken away your sin, you shall not die." He threatened, however, to fill his house with all kinds of calamities. So also here, "And you took away the impiety of my sin." It was necessary, he says, for me, having dared those things, to be delivered immediately to death according to the law; but using loving-kindness you did not deliver me to death, but healed me with moderate chastisements. ʹ. "For this every holy one will pray in a suitable time." He calls the way of life of the new covenant a suitable time, in which throughout all the earth and sea the faithful honor God with the hymns of David; therefore he foretells this here and says to the Master, that not only I supplicate you for this sin, but also all throughout the world who will receive the knowledge of God will offer this prayer on my behalf. For somehow, in speaking the words of David, we seem to take up his tongue to praise God. "Yet in a flood of many waters they will not come near him." But Symmachus interpreted this thus: For this every holy one will pray, having found a time, so that many overwhelming waters will not come near him. He who offers you earnest supplication will enjoy all kinds of providence. So that even if he falls into various calamities that overwhelm him like waters, he may overcome these and be shown to be stronger than the grievous things. ζ. "You are my refuge from the affliction that surrounds 80.1092 me; my exultation, deliver me from those who have surrounded me." Having said those things concerning sin, he beseeches to be delivered from the evils brought on by it; and indeed he receives the answer. For the Lord says to him; ηʹ. "I will instruct you, and guide you in this way in which you will go; I will fix my eyes upon you." Having gone astray, he says, and having recognized the error, I will lead you back again to the straight way, and I will put in you the knowledge and understanding of it; and I will also give you of my former good will. For he said this, "I will fix my eyes upon you," as a metaphor of those who are friendly disposed towards someone, and wish to look upon him continually. For just as one who is angry seems to turn his face away, so he shows his own benevolence by paying attention. Therefore the Prophet also said elsewhere, "Look upon me and have mercy on me." And again, "Do not turn your face away from me." And God himself through Jeremiah the prophet, "Return to me, and I will return to you." From this the prophetic word exhorts those who live in transgression not to imitate the irrationality of beasts, and the just to have divine gladness always. And it says thus: θʹ. "Be not like a horse and a mule,

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ἁμαρτίας κατηγορῶν. δʹ. "Ὅτι ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἐβαρύνθη ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ χείρ σου." Ὀλοφύρομαι δὲ καὶ ποτνιῶμαι, ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς παιδείαις καὶ τιμωρίαις βαλλόμενος. Τὸ γὰρ, "Ἐβαρύνθη ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ χείρ σου," ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τέθεικε τῶν τῇ χειρὶ παιόντων, καὶ ἐπι μενόντων μέχρι πολλοῦ. "Ἐστράφην εἰς ταλαιπω ρίαν ἐν τῷ ἐμπαγῆναί μοι ἄκανθαν." Οὐκ ἄδικος δέ σου, φησὶν, ἡ παιδεία, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάλα δι καία. Αἰτία γάρ μοι τῶν κακῶν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἣν ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς μὲν ἐβλάστησα· κεντοῦμαι δὲ διηνεκῶς ὑπ' αὐτῆς. Ἄκανθαν γὰρ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκάλεσε, 80.1089 καὶ ὡς ἄχρηστον βλάστημα, καὶ ὡς κεντεῖν πεφυ κός. εʹ. "Τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐγνώρισα, καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου οὐκ ἐκάλυψα. Εἶπον, Ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ σὺ ἀφεῖλες τὴν ἀσέ βειαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου." Εὐθὺς μὲν ἁμαρ τήσας ἐσίγησα· ἀλλὰ μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν κατ' ἐμοῦ κατηγορίαν νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν πεποίημαι· ἐκ δὲ τῆς κατηγορίας μεγάλους ἐδρεψάμην καρπούς· ἔδωκας γάρ μοι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν ἄφεσιν. Ἐπι σημήνασθαι δὲ προσήκει, ὅτι οὐκ ἔφη, Ἀφῆκάς μοι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλὰ, τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· τουτέστιν, Οὐ πρὸς ἀξίαν με τῆς παρανομίας ἐκό λασας, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας συν εχώρησας, συμμέτρῳ δὲ παιδείᾳ τὴν θεραπείαν ἐπέθηκας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Εἰρηκότι γὰρ τῷ ∆αβὶδ, "Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ," ἀπεκρί νατο ὁ Νάθαν, "Καὶ Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς." Ἠπείλησε μέντοι παντοδα πῶν ἐμπλήσειν τὴν οἰκίαν συμφορῶν. Οὕτω κἀνταῦ θα, "Καὶ σὺ ἀφεῖλες τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου." Ἔδει με, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνα τετολμηκότα εὐθὺς κατὰ τὸν νόμον θανάτῳ παραδοθῆναι· ἀλλὰ φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρη σάμενος θανάτῳ μὲν οὐ παρέδωκας, μετρίαις δὲ παιδείαις ἰάτρευσας. ʹ. "Ὑπὲρ ταύτης προσεύξεται πᾶς ὅσιος ἐν καιρῷ εὐθέτῳ." Καιρὸν εὔθετον λέγει τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης τὴν πολιτείαν, ἐν ᾗ κατὰ πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν ταῖς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὑμνῳδίαις οἱ πεπιστευκό τες γεραίρουσι τὸν Θεόν· τοῦτο τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα προ αγορεύει καί φησι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ὅτι Οὐ μόνος ὑπὲρ ταύτης ἀντιβολῶ σε τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν θεογνωσίαν δεξόμενοι, ταύτην ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ προσοίσουσι τὴν εὐχήν. Καὶ γάρ πως ἐοίκαμεν τὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ φθεγγόμενοι ῥήματα, τὴν ἐκείνου γλῶτταν ἀναλαμβάνειν ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνεῖν. "Πλὴν ἐν κατακλυσμῷ ὑδάτων πολ λῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐγγιοῦσι." Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Σύμ μαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν· Περὶ τούτου προσεύξε ται πᾶς ὅσιος, καιρὸν εὑρὼν, ὥστε ἐπικλύζοντα ὕδατα πολλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν μὴ ἐγγίσαι. Ὁ σπου δαίαν σοι προσφέρων τὴν ἱκετείαν παντοδαπῆς ἀπολαύσεται προμηθείας. Ὥστε κἂν διαφόροις συμ φοραῖς περιπέσῃ, δίκην αὐτὸν ὑδάτων περικλυζού σαις, περιγενέσθαι τούτων καὶ κρείττονα δειχθῆναι τῶν λυπηρῶν. ζ. "Σύ μου εἶ καταφυγὴ ἀπὸ θλίψεως τῆς περι 80.1092 εχούσης με· τὸ ἀγαλλίαμά μου, λύτρωσαί με ἀπὸ τῶν κυκλωσάντων με." Ἐκεῖνα περὶ τῆς ἁμαρ τίας εἰρηκὼς, ἱκετεύει τῶν διὰ ταύτην ἐπενεχθέντων ἀπαλλαγῆναι κακῶν· καὶ μέντοι καὶ τυγχάνει τῆς ἀποκρίσεως. Λέγει γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Κύ ριος· ηʹ. "Συνετιῶ σε, καὶ συμβιβῶ σε ἐν ὁδῷ ταύτῃ ᾗ πορεύσῃ, ἐπιστηριῶ ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου." Ἐκτραπέντα, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπιγνόντα τὴν πλάνην, ἐπ ανάξω πάλιν εἰς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν, καὶ γνῶσίν σοι ταύτης καὶ εἴδησιν ἐνθήσω· μεταδώσω δέ σοι καὶ τῆς προτέρας εὐνοίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν, "Ἐπιστη ριῶ ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου" ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν φιλικῶς περί τινα διακειμένων, καὶ ἀποβλέπειν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐθελόντων διηνεκῶς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τὸ πρόσωπον δοκεῖ ἀποστρέφειν, οὕ τω τὴν οἰκείαν εὐμένειαν διὰ τοῦ προσέχειν δηλοῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἑτέρωθι ὁ Προφήτης ἔφη, "Ἐπίβλεψον ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐλέησόν με." Καὶ πάλιν, "Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ." Καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου, "Ἐπιστράφητε πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς." Ἐντεῦθεν ὁ προφητικὸς παραινεῖ λόγος, τοῖς μὲν παρανομίᾳ συ ζῶσι, μὴ μιμεῖσθαι τὴν τῶν κτηνῶν ἀλογίαν, τοῖς δὲ δικαίοις, τὴν θείαν εὐφροσύνην ἔχειν ἀεί. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· θʹ. "Μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος,