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the darkness; but when it is under the earth, night takes over everything; and from their own lairs come forth wild beasts and men who are workers of iniquity; thus, when God turns away, the enemies of the soul rise up and run it down; but when he shines the light of his divinity, which Scripture is accustomed to call the face of God, all those who practice the deeds dear to darkness are turned away and flee, and everything contrary to God is dissolved. Therefore he who first confessed exhorts, saying: Make your face to shine upon your servant; and again: Not because of my deeds, he says, but because of your mercy do I ask to be saved; and again: Since I have called upon you, he says, may I not be put to shame, for in you I have hoped. For to the impious, to those who do not know you, O God, shame is fitting; wherefore he says: Let the impious be ashamed and be brought down to Hades; or according to Aquila and Symmachus: Let them be silent in Hades. For now they speak, daring much; but when they are brought down to the place fitting for them, then they will cease from their boasting; then also the lips that at present speak many things against the just man with arrogance will become mute; then also all contempt against the just will be avenged. How great is the abundance of your goodness, O Lord, which you have hidden for those who fear you! You have wrought it for those who hope in you before the sons of men. You will hide them in the secret of your presence from the disturbance of men. You will shelter them in a tabernacle. from the strife of tongues. These things, he says, I besought, that your face might shine upon your servant, and that I might be saved by your mercy and not be ashamed, because I have called upon you, being persuaded 23.273 that your goodness is great and ineffable, and is full of great wealth. Therefore it is also said by the Apostle: Or do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering? But now you do not make your goodness manifest to all; but you hide it and store it up, keeping it for those who fear you. Since you have also wrought it for this very purpose; I mean, to provide it to those who hope in you, and you will provide it in due time before the eyes of the sons of men, so that all may see your goodness, given at the time of the reward of good things to the worthy; wherefore also in this life you deign to hide the souls dedicated to you during times of temptation with shelter from yourself, rescuing them from the disturbance of men, and as if in a shelter under your hand you cover them from the strife of tongues, so that they may not be harmed at all either by those who war against them with words, or by those who devise plots against them through deeds. Blessed is the Lord, for he has made his mercy wonderful in a fortified city. Having made his petition to God through so many things, the one confessing concludes his discourse with a good end, blessing God, because he has made his mercy wonderful in a fortified city; which Symmachus interpreted thus: Blessed is the Lord who showed his mercy to me, as in a fenced city. For through me, he says, God was glorified, because, when countless enemies rose up against me, and attempted to besiege my soul like a great city, my guardian, having placed a fence around me, showed his wonderful mercy, saving me thus as if a city surrounded by a strong wall. Such have you been to me, you my Lord, when I humbled myself in the ecstasy that came upon me, in which my eye was troubled with grief, and my soul, and my belly. I was not crushed, but I humbled myself, as though cast out from your eyes on account of my sin. But these things I said while confessing; but you, O philanthropic and good God, did not cast away your servant, but according to the

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τὸ σκότος· ὑπὸ γῆν δὲ γενομένου, νὺξ διαλαμβάνει τὸ πᾶν· προΐασί τε ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων καταδύσεων θῆρες ἄγριοι καὶ ἄνδρες κακουργίας ἐργάται· οὕτως, ἀποστρεφομένου μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἱ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐχθροὶ ἐπανίστανται καὶ κατατρέχουσιν αὐτῆς· ἐπιλάμψαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ φῶς τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητος, ὅπερ πρόσωπον Θεοῦ ὀνομάζειν εἴωθεν ἡ Γραφὴ, ἀποτρέπονται μὲν καὶ ἀποφεύγουσι πάντες οἱ τὰ φίλα τοῦ σκότους ἔργα διαπραττόμενοι, διαλύεται δὲ πᾶν τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ Θεῷ. ∆ιὸ παρακαλεῖ ὁ τὰ πρῶτα ἐξομολογησάμενος φάσκων· Ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου εἰς τὸν δοῦλόν σου· καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ διὰ τὰς ἐμὰς πράξεις, φησὶ, διὰ δὲ τὸ σὸν ἔλεος σωθῆναι ἀξιῶ· καὶ αὖθις· Ἐπεὶ δέ σε ἐπεκαλεσάμην, φησὶ, μὴ καταισχυνθείην, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἀσεβέσι, τοῖς σὲ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐπισταμένοις, αἰσχύνη πρέπει· διό φησιν· Αἰσχυνθείησαν ἀσεβεῖς καὶ καταχθείησαν εἰς ᾅδου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Σιωπάτωσαν εἰς ᾅδην. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ λαλοῦσι πολλὰ τολμῶντες· ἐπειδὰν δὲ καταχθῶσιν εἰς τὸ κατάλληλον αὐτοῖς χωρίον, τὸ τηνικαῦτα παύσονται τῆς μεγαλαυχίας· τότε δὲ καὶ ἄλαλα γενήσεται τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος πολλὰ κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου φθεγγόμενα χείλη μεθ' ὑπερηφανίας· τότε δὲ καὶ ἐκδικηθήσεται πᾶσα ἡ κατὰ τῶν δικαίων ἐξουδένωσις. Ὡς πολὺ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητός σου, Κύριε, ἧς ἔκρυψας τοῖς φοβουμένοις σε! Ἐξειργάσω τοῖς ἐλπίζουσιν ἐπὶ σὲ ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Κατακρύψεις αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τοῦ προσώπου σου ἀπὸ ταραχῆς ἀνθρώπων. Σκεπάσεις αὐτοὺς ἐν σκηνῇ. ἀπὸ ἀντιλογίας γλωσσῶν. Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἱκέτευσα, ἐπιφάναι τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ τὸν δοῦλόν σου, καὶ σωθῆναι τῷ ἐλέει σου μὴ καταισχῦναι, ὅτι ἐπεκαλεσάμην σε, πεπεισμέ 23.273 νος, ὡς ἡ σὴ χρηστότης πολλή τις καὶ ἄφατος τυγχάνει, πλούτου δὲ γέμει πολλοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ εἴρηται· Ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς; Ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν οὐ τοῖς πᾶσι φανερὰν ποιεῖς τὴν χρηστότητά σου· κρύπτεις δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ ταμιεύῃ φυλάττων τοῖς φοβουμένοις σε. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐξειργάσω αὐτὴν εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο· λέγω δὲ εἰς τὸ τοῖς ἐλπίζουσιν ἐπὶ σὲ παρασχεῖν αὐτὴν, καὶ παρέξεις γε αὐτὴν κατὰ καιρὸν πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥστε πάντας ἰδεῖν τὴν σὴν χρηστότητα, καιρῷ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀμοιβῆς διδομένην τοῖς ἀξίοις· διόπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τάς σοι ἀνακειμένας ψυχὰς κατὰ τοὺς τῶν πειρατηρίων καιροὺς τῆς παρὰ σαυτοῦ σκέπης καταξιῶν ἀποκρύπτεις, ῥυόμενος αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ταραχῆς ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν σκέπη ὑπὸ τὴν σαυτοῦ χεῖρα σκεπάζων αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἀντιλογίας γλωσσῶν, πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν καταβλάπτεσθαι μήτε ὑπὸ τῶν λόγοις αὐτοὺς καταπολεμούντων, μήτε ὑπὸ τῶν δι' ἔργων τὰς κατ' αὐτῶν μηχανὰς συσκευαζομένων. Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος, ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσε τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐν πόλει περιοχῆς. ∆ιὰ τοσούτων τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔντευξιν πεποιημένος ὁ ἐξομολογούμενος, ἐπὶ χρηστὸν περιγράφει τέλος τὸν λόγον, εὐλογῶν τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσε τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐν πόλει περιοχῆς· ὅπερ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν οὕτως· Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ παραδείξας τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐμοὶ, ὡς ἐν πόλει περιπεφραγμένῃ. ∆ι' ἐμοῦ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς ἐδοξάσθη, ὅτι, μυρίων ἐπ' ἐμὲ πολεμίων συστάντων, καὶ δίκην μεγάλης πόλεως τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν πολιορκεῖν πεπειραμένων, ὁ ἐμὸς φύλαξ, φραγμόν μοι περιβαλὼν, τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ θαυμαστὸν ἔδειξεν, οὕτω με σώσας ὡσεὶ καὶ πόλιν τείχει περιβεβλημένην ὀχυρῷ. Τοιοῦτος δέ μοι γέγονας σὺ ὁ ἐμὸς Κύριος, ὁπηνίκα αὐτὸς ἐμαυτὸν ταπεινῶν ἐν τῇ γενομένῃ μοι ἐκστάσει, ἐν ᾗ ἐταράχθη ἐν θυμῷ ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἡ γαστήρ μου. Οὐκ ἐπετρίβην, ἀλλ' ἐταπείνουν ἐμαυτὸν, ὡς ἀποῤῥιφεὶς ἀπὸ τῶν σῶν ὀφθαλμῶν διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἐγὼ μὲν ἔλεγον ἐξομολογούμενος· σὺ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος καὶ ἀγαθὸς Θεὸς, οὐκ ἀπέῤῥιψας τὸν σὸν οἰκέτην, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν