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he exhorted, offering himself as an example to those turning from sins; so also to the just he preaches the good news of what is their own and fitting for them through the preceding words, exhorting them to rejoice in none of the worldly things, but to think greatly of the Lord, and to rejoice in him alone, and to be glad and exult in so great a good. But also, "let him who boasts, boast in the Lord," according to the Apostle. Rightly, therefore, here also the conclusion of the whole discourse is sealed, saying: And boast in him, all you upright of heart; for you should not think greatly of yourselves, but of the Lord who became the cause of all virtue for you. A PSALM OF DAVID 32. According to the Hebrew reading and according to the other interpreters, the psalm is without inscription; but it preserves a great consistency with the one before it. For having said at the end of that one, "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just," he almost began with the very same expression of the present one, saying, "Rejoice, you just, in the Lord." And it seems to me that what is said through the preceding words is prophetically referred to the person of those mentioned in the psalm before this one, according to, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." For it is as if to those who have obtained the forgiveness of sins through saving grace that "Rejoice, you just, in the Lord" is proclaimed. For not in yourselves or in any of the worldly things, but trusting in the Lord, and glorying in him and boasting in him, rejoice, you who are blessed, whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. For, it says, praise to God is fitting for all the upright. But according to 23.281 Aquila, "To the upright, a hymn is beautiful." For since a hymn is not beautiful in the mouth of a sinner, praise of God is rightly fitting for those who possess pure minds and pure lips. Give thanks to the Lord on the lyre; on a ten-stringed psaltery sing praise to him. Written according to the first tradition of the law. And he who keeps his inner and outer senses pure and blameless plays a ten-stringed psaltery to God. Sing to him a new song. The old song, through an old lyre and an old psaltery, lifeless instruments, was earnestly pursued by the former people as through symbols and images; but the new song, more sublime and more befitting of God, is sent up to God through a living lyre, and through the ten-stringed psaltery that has been rendered. Sing praises well with a shout of joy. This shout of joy is mystical; wherefore it is said somewhere: "Blessed is the people that knows the joyful shout." But also, instead of bulls and calves, and sacrifices of blood, he who said: "I went about and offered in his tabernacle a sacrifice of joyful shouting," says he has offered sacrifices of joyful shouting. For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are in faith. He loves mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. Let the matters of the comprehension of existing things proceed for us through faith, and those of the practical life through mercy and judgment. For the right word of the Lord loves these things; since he has made us capable of judgment and of distinguishing both the good and its opposite. Therefore he wishes us to do nothing without judgment, nor to be carried away irrationally by our impulses, but to deliberate with judgment concerning what must be done, and above all to be merciful, becoming forgiving towards sinners, and sympathetic and philanthropic towards those in need of mercy. By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the spirit of his mouth all their host. To the Father, therefore, all the super-celestial host

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παρῄνεσεν, ἑαυτὸν ὑπόδειγμα παρασχὼν τοῖς ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν ἐπιστρέφουσιν· οὕτω καὶ τοῖς δικαίοις τὰ οἰκεῖα καὶ αὐτοῖς ἁρμόδια εὐαγγελίζεται διὰ τῶν προκειμένων, παραινῶν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ μηδενὶ μὲν τῶν κοσμικῶν εὐφραίνεσθαι, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν Κύριον μέγα φρονεῖν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ μόνῳ εὐφραίνεσθαι, χαίρειν τε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷν ἐπὶ τῷ τοσούτῳ ἀγαθῷ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ καυχώμενος ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχάσθω, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον. Εἰκότως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ συμπέρασμα τοῦ παντὸς λόγου ἐπισφραγίζεται λέγων· Καὶ καυχᾶσθε ἐν αὐτῷ, πάντες οἱ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ· μὴ γὰρ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς μέγα φρονεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπ' αὐτῷ τῷ πάσης ὑμῖν ἀρετῆς αἰτίῳ γενομένῳ Κυρίῳ. ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΛΒʹ. Κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν ἀνάγνωσιν καὶ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς ἀνεπίγραφός ἐστιν ὁ ψαλμός· πολλὴν δὲ σώζει ἀκολουθίαν πρὸς τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ. Προειπὼν γὰρ κατὰ τὸ τέλος ἐκείνου· Εὐφράνθητε ἐπὶ Κύριον καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, δίκαιοι, μονονουχὶ αὐτῆς ἤρξατο τῆς λέξεως τοῦ προκειμένου, φήσας· Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, δίκαιοι, ἐν Κυρίῳ. Καί μοι δοκεῖ προφητικῶς τὰ λεγόμενα διὰ τῶν προκειμένων εἰς πρόσωπον ἀναπέμπεσθαι τῶν ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ δηλωθέντων, κατὰ τὸ, Μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Ὡς γὰρ πρὸς ἐκείνους τοὺς τετυχηκότας τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου χάριτος ἀναφωνεῖται τὸ, Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, δίκαιοι, ἐν Κυρίῳ. Μὴ γὰρ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς ἢ ἐπί τι τῶν κοσμικῶν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ πεποιθότες, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ σεμνυνόμενοι καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ καυχώμενοι, ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὑμεῖς οἱ μακάριοι, ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Πρέπει γὰρ, φησὶ, πᾶσιν τοῖς εὐθέσιν ἡ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν αἴνεσις. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν 23.281 Ἀκύλαν, Τοῖς εὐθέσιν ὡραιοῦται ὕμνησις. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ οὐχ ὡραῖος ὕμνος ἐν στόματι ἁμαρτωλοῦ, εἰκότως τοῖς καθαρὰς διανοίας καὶ καθαρὰ χείλη κεκτημένοις εὐπρέπει ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ αἴνεσις. Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ ψάλατε αὐτῷ. Κατὰ πρώτην τοῦ νόμου παράδοσιν γεγραμμένα. Καὶ ὁ τὰς ἔσω δὲ καὶ τὰς ἔξω αἰσθήσεις καθαρὰς καὶ ἀμέμπτους φυλάττων ἐν δεκαχόρδῳ ψαλτηρίῳ ψάλλει τῷ Θεῷ. Ἄσατε αὐτῷ ᾆσμα καινόν. Τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν ᾆσμα διὰ παλαιᾶς κιθάρας καὶ παλαιοῦ ψαλτηρίου, τῶν ἀψύχων ὀργάνων, ὥσπερ διὰ συμβόλων καὶ εἰκόνων ἐσπουδάζετο τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ· τὸ δὲ καινὸν ᾆσμα μεγαλοφυέστερον καὶ θεοπρεπέστερον διὰ κιθάρας ζώσης, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀποδοθέντος δεκαχόρδου ψαλτηρίου ἀναπέμπεται τῷ Θεῷ. Καλῶς ψάλατε ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ. Οὗτος ὁ ἀλαλαγμός ἐστι μυστικός· διὸ εἴρηταί που· Μακάριος ὁ λαὸς ὁ γινώσκων ἀλαλαγμόν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντὶ βοῶν καὶ μόσχων, καὶ τῶν δι' αἵματος θυσιῶν, θυσίας ἀλαλαγμοῦ κατατεθυκέναι φησὶν ὁ εἰπών· Ἐκύκλωσα καὶ ἔθυσα ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ αὐτοῦ θυσίαν ἀλαλαγμοῦ. Ὅτι εὐθὺς ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἐν πίστει. Ἀγαπᾷ ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν· τοῦ ἐλέους Κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ. Τὰ μὲν τῆς τῶν ὄντων καταλήψεως διὰ πίστεως ἡμῖν χωρείτω, τὰ δὲ τοῦ πρακτικοῦ βίου διὰ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ κρίσεως. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ ὁ εὐθὺς τοῦ Κυρίου λόγος· ἅτε κριτικοὺς ἡμᾶς κατασκευάσας καὶ διακριτικοὺς τοῦ τε καλοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἐναντίου. ∆ιὸ βούλεται ἡμᾶς μηδὲν ἀκρίτως πράττειν, μηδὲ ἀλόγως φέρεσθαι ταῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁρμαῖς, κεκριμένως περὶ τῶν πρακτέων βουλεύεσθαι, καὶ πρός γε πάντων ἐλεημονικοὺς εἶναι, συγνωμονικοὺς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας γιγνομένους, συμπαθεῖς δὲ καὶ φιλανθρώπους πρὸς τοὺς ἐλέου δεομένους. Τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν. Τῷ οὖν Πατρὶ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις ἡ ὑπερουράνιος