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being delivered and being set free are protected in progress; for the one who has turned away from evil in order to do good, does not, at the same time as turning away from evil, perfectly have the good in himself. He becomes a disciple of the single-mode tongue, of the tongue of God. But tongues signify words, and this has often been demonstrated; "They bent their tongue like a bow," their word. And: "Death and life are in the hand of the tongue." The physical tongue does not have a hand at all. But it has an activity: the word being called a tongue. 22 Blessed is the Lord, for he has shown his mercy wonderfully in a fortified city. Having attended to what has been said and having come to a knowledge of them, he finally sends up praises by way of thanksgiving and says: "He has shown his mercy wonderfully in a fortified city." I was saying that he hid the abundance of his goodness for the sake of mercy, that he might show mercy. Knowing the reason why the abundance of goodness was hidden, he blesses the one who did this and says that "in the fortified city" we have done this. We can call "fortified city" this life here, the sojourn in this world; for in a certain way we are enclosed as in a guardhouse. But since also in Kings Zion is called "a fortified city"-"for who will lead me into the fortified city?" -, this enclosure is praiseworthy, it is an unconquerable garrison, an invulnerable fence. Therefore, "he has shown his mercy wonderfully in the fortified city." If someone is outside this city, he does not know why God hides the abundance of his goodness. But we say that the little ones are those who do not do evil for fear of punishment. since: "his mercy to me" is not found? -the greatness of God's mercy is taken away, if you add "to me." It is universal. We sometimes do something. If we do something because he is diligent or because he is knowledgeable, we have not done it for him alone, but for every diligent person, for every knowledgeable person. Therefore one must not have the "to me." Some self-loving person added it. 23 But I said in my ecstasy, I am cast away from the presence of your eyes. He speaks about his former circumstance, in which he was seeking and was troubled. Being beside himself at the greatness of the wonder. And being amazed at the economy of the hiding of the goodness of God, I seemed to be cast away from the presence of the eyes of God, from which the one who does things unworthy of his presence is cast away from the presence of God. Yet this one is not so evil as the one who by his own choice comes to be outside the presence of God. Cain, therefore, was such a one; for "Cain went out from the presence of the Lord God." He deserted to evil, embraced godlessness, became an introducer of improvidence. But concerning Adam it is said that the Lord "cast out." But he is cast out who desires to be inside. But he was not as evil as Cain. And so this one saying these things said that: since such things have come to pass and of the economy according to the image of the hiding of the abundance of your goodness from those who fear you, I seemed to be cast away from the presence of your eyes. And it is possible also in this way: just as all who have approached by faith are the "body of Christ" "and members in part," so also of the divine powers, the full complement of rational beings is the body of God. And just as in the case of the members of Christ we say that the discerning are called eyes, the practical hands, those "not lagging in diligence" feet-this: "the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,'" nor can the hand say, "I am not of the body, because I am not an eye." And see indeed: the eye is greater than the hand, and this discerning eye cannot, because it observes the economies, say: "I have no need of you"; for you know that the hand has an action which an eye cannot principally perform. And...at least and it is a matter of conceit that the greater cannot say to the lesser: "I have no need of you." The discerning men are the eyes of God. And he says: since I attended to matters and did not understand them, I am not an eye.

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ῥυόμενοι καὶ ἀπαλλαττόμενοι σκέπονται ἐν προ̣κοπῇ· ὁ γ̣ὰρ ἐκκλίνας ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ ἵνα τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιήσῃ, οὐχ ἅμα τῇ ἐκκλίσει τῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ τελείως ἔχε̣ι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. γίνεται μαθητὴς τῆς μονοτρόπου γλώττης, τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γλώττης. λόγους δὲ σημαίνουσιν αἱ γλῶσσαι, καὶ πολλάκις τοῦτο ἀποδέδεικται· "ἐνέτειναν τὴν γλῶτταν αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ τόξον", τὸν λόγον αὐτῶν. καί· "θάνατος καὶ ζωὴ ἐν χειρὶ γλώσσης". οὐκ ἔχει ὅλως χεῖρα ἡ αἰσθητὴ γλῶσσα. ἐνέργ̣ειαν δὲ ἔχει· ὁ λόγος καλούμενος γλῶσσα. 22 εὐλογητὸς κύριος, ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσεν τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐν π̣όλει περιοχῆς. ἐπιστήσας τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ ἐν γνώσει αὐτῶν γεγενημένος λοιπὸν εὐλογίας̣ τρόπῳ χαριστηρίους ἀναπέμπει αἴνους καὶ λέγει· "ἐθαυμάστωσεν τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐν πόλει περιοχῆς". ἔλεγον ὅτι τὸ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητος ἑαυτοῦ ἔκρυψεν ἐλέους ἕνεκα ἵνα ἐλεήσῃ. γνοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ κεκρύφθαι τὸ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητος εὐλογεῖ τὸν τοῦτο πεποιηκότα καὶ λέγει ὅτι "ἐν τῇ πόλει τῆς περιοχῆς" τοῦτο πεποίηκαμεν. δυνάμεθα "πόλιν περιοχῆς" εἰπεῖν τὴν ἐνταῦθα ζωήν, τὴν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ διατριβήν· τρόπον γάρ τινα ὡς ἐν φρουρᾷ περιεχόμεθα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις λέγεται ἡ Σιὼν "πόλις περιοχῆς"-"τίς ἀπάξει με" γὰρ "εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς"; -, ἐπαινετή ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ περιοχή, φρουρά ἐστιν ἀκαταμάχητος, ἄβλητον ἕρκος. "ἐθαυμάστωσεν" οὖν "τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ πόλει τῆς περιοχῆς". εἴ τις ἔξω τῆς πόλεώς ἐστιν ταύτης, ἀγνοεῖ διὰ τί κρύπτει ὁ θεὸς τὸ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητος α̣ὐτοῦ. λέγομεν δὲ τοὺς μικροὺς εἶναι τοὺς φόβῳ κολάσεως μὴ πράττοντας τὸ κακόν. ἐπερ · "τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐμοὶ" οὐ κεῖται; -ἀφαιρεῖται τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐὰν προσθῇς τὸ "ἐμοί". καθόλου ἐστίν. ποιοῦμεν ἐνίοτέ τινα. ἐὰν ποιήσωμεν ὅτι σπουδαῖος ἢ ὅτι ἐπιστήμων, οὐκ ἐκείνῳ πεποιήκαμεν μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ παντὶ σπουδαίῳ, παντὶ ἐπιστήμονι. οὐ δεῖ οὖν ἔχειν τὸ "ἐμοί". φίλαυτός τις προσέθηκεν αὐτό. 23 ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου Ἀπέριμμαι ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου. περὶ τῆς προτέρας ἑαυτοῦ περιστάσε̣ως λέγει, ἐν ᾗ ἐζήτει καὶ ἐταράττετο. ἐκστὰς ἐπὶ τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ θαύματος. καὶ ἐκπλαγεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ οἰκ̣ονομίᾳ τῆς κρύψεως τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἔδοξα ἀπερῖφθαι ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, ὧν ἀπορίπτεται ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ἀνάξια τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ πράττων. πλὴν οὗτος οὔκ ἐστιν οὕτω κακὸς ὡς ὁ ἰδίᾳ προαιρέσει ἔξω τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ γινόμενος. ὁ Κάϊν οὖν τοιοῦτος ἦν· "ἐξῆλθεν" γὰρ "Κάϊν ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ". αὐτομόλησεν πρὸς τὸ κακόν, ἀθεότητα ἠσπάσατο, ἀπρονοησίας γέγονεν εἰσηγη̣τής. περὶ μέντοι τοῦ Ἀδὰμ λέγεται ὅτι "ἐξέβαλεν" κύριος. ἐκβάλλεται δὲ ὁ ἐφιέμενος ἔσω εἶναι. οὐκ ἦν δὲ οὕτω κακὸς ὡς ὁ Κάϊν. καὶ οὗτος οὖν ὁ ταῦτα λέγων εἶπεν ὅτι· ἐπειδὴ τοιαῦτα ἐπέστησαν καὶ τοῦ κα̣τ' εἰκόνα τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ κεκρύφθαι τὸ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητός σου ἀπὸ τῶν φοβουμένων σε, ἔδοξα ἀπορερῖφθαι ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως· ὥσπερ πάντες οἱ τῇ πίστει προσεληλυθότες "σῶμα Χριστοῦ" εἰσιν "καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους", οὕτω καὶ τῶν θείων δυνάμεων, τῶν λογικῶν τὸ συνπλήρωμα σῶ155 μα θεοῦ ἐστιν. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μελῶν λέγομεν ὅτι οἱ διορατικοὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ λέγονται, οἱ δὲ πρακτικοὶ χεῖρες, οἱ "τῇ σπουδῇ μὴ ὀκνηροὶ" πόδες-τόδε "οὐ δύναται ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς εἰπεῖν τῇ χειρί· χρείαν σου οὐκ ἔχω", οὐδὲ ἡ χεὶρ δύναται εἰπεῖν· "οὔκ εἰμι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος, ἐπεὶ ὀφθαλμὸς οὔκ εἰμι". καὶ ὅρα γε· μείζ̣ων ἐστὶν ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς τῆς χειρός, καὶ οὐ δύναται οὗτος ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ὁ διορατικὸς διὰ τὸ σκοπεῖν τὰς οἰκονομίας εἰπεῖν ὅτι· "χρείαν σου οὐκ ἔχω"· οἶδας γὰρ ὅτι ἔχει πρᾶξιν ἡ χεὶρ ἣν ὀφθαλμὸς προηγουμένως ποιεῖν οὐ δύναται. κα̣······ν̣ γοῦν καὶ οἰήσεώς ἐστιν τοῦτο ὅτι ὁ μείζω τῷ ἐλάττονι οὐ δύναται εἰπεῖν· "χρείαν σου οὐκ ἔχω". οἱ διορατικοὶ ἄνδρες ὀφθαλμοί εἰσιν τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ λέγει· ἐπειδὴ ἐπέστησα πράγμασιν καὶ οὐκ ἐνόησα αὐτά, οὔκ εἰμι ὀφθαλμός.