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if we only go forth to seek, God does not allow us to labor much; for this reason he says: Everyone who seeks finds. Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion. Another, To him who is enthroned. Declare among the nations his deeds. Another says, Among the peoples his contrivances. What are you saying? He whose throne is heaven and the earth his footstool, in whose hand are the ends of the earth, does he dwell in Zion? Yes; for here 'dwelling' does not mean to be enclosed, for his majesty is boundless, but the familiarity with the place, and to be intimately related to it, so that the Jews might be drawn to him through this condescension; since for this reason a house is so called among us, because we have a familiar relationship with it. And he is said to dwell in us, not being contained by us, but having an intimate relationship with us. And Zion, in an allegorical sense, is called the Church. For you have come to Mount Zion, and to the church of the firstborn. And the Church is rightly a mountain, because of its firmness, and stability, and immovability. For just as it is not possible to shake a mountain, so neither is it possible to shake the Church of God. Declare among the nations his deeds. He wants us to be heralds of the benefactions of God, and never to conceal his good deeds. And he seeks this everywhere, both for the sake of those who speak, and for the sake of those who hear. For there is profit for the latter, and for the former, if they pay attention. Because he who avenges their blood has remembered. Do you see what deeds he means? The benefactions. Here he also alludes to a great dogma: that murder is not committed with impunity, but is always avenged; which Moses also shows in Genesis, saying: I will require your blood. This is a sign of his infinite providence, of his extended care. But if he does not avenge immediately, do not be surprised; for he gives to sinners an opportunity for repentance. He has not forgotten the cry of the poor. See again the poor being well-pleasing. But he does not simply say 'the poor,' but those who are poor in spirit, as Christ says. For these are especially heard when they pray, the humble in heart, and the contrite. And here he puts two things, both prayer and humility. For on whom will I look, he says, but on him who is humble and quiet, and who trembles at my words? And everywhere humility is found to be the vehicle of prayer. For the Lord is near to the contrite in heart. So one who prays must especially be free from inflammation, which Paul also seeks, saying: Without anger and quarreling. He said well, The cry of the poor, calling a cry the disposition of the mind, not the tone of the voice; and by saying, He has not forgotten, he showed that they were calling continuously, 55.131 and did not receive from the outset. What then is he saying? Do not think that God has forgotten, and for this reason did not take action; for it is his own nature to seek such things, even when no one is calling; but when they do call, and those calling are humble, much more so. Have mercy on me, O Lord; see my humiliation from my enemies. You who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion. Another, Your hymns. Another, Your praises. See him continually devoted to prayer. For even after being delivered from terrible things and having come to safety, he does not cease to pray again, saying, Have mercy on me, and beseeching him for future things. For we always need the providence of God, but especially in deliverance from evils. For another war succeeds, more difficult than the former, that of sloth, that of despair; and then the devil breathes more fiercely. So that especially after being delivered from evils, we need that influence, that we may easily bear prosperity. Since the Jews too, after being delivered from the Egyptians, were in a difficult war, with despair and sloth. Then indeed especially

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ἐξέλθωμεν μόνον ἐπὶ τὸ ζητῆσαι, οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἡμᾶς πολλὰ κόπτεσθαι ὁ Θεός· διὰ τοῦτο λέγει· Πᾶς ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει. Ψάλατε τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ κατοικοῦντι ἐν Σιών. Ἄλλος, Τῷ καθημένῳ. Ἀναγγείλατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ. Ἄλλος φησὶν, Ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς τὰ μηχανήματα αὐτοῦ. Τί λέγεις; Οὗ ὁ οὐρανὸς θρόνος καὶ ἡ γῆ ὑποπόδιον, οὗ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, οὗτος ἐν Σιὼν οἰκεῖ; Ναί· οἴκησιν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸ περικλείεσθαι λέγει ἀπέραντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη, ἀλλὰ τὴν οἰκειότητα τὴν πρὸς τὸν τόπον, καὶ τὸ οἰκείως ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτὸν, διὰ τὸ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους διὰ τῆς συγκαταβάσεως ταύτης πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπισπᾶσθαι· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἰκία διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται ἐφ' ἡμῶν, διὰ τὸ οἰκείως ἡμᾶς ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτήν. Καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν δὲ οἰκεῖν λέγεται, οὐ περιεχόμενος ὑφ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' οἰκείως πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχων. Σιὼν δὲ κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν ἡ Ἐκκλησία λέγεται. Προσεληλύθατε γὰρ ὄρει Σιὼν, καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων. Καὶ εἰκότως ὄρος ἡ Ἐκκλησία, διὰ τὸ βέβαιον, καὶ πάγιον, καὶ ἄσειστον. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὄρος σαλεῦσαι οὐ δυνατὸν, οὕτως οὐδὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ἀναγγείλατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ. Κήρυκας εἶναι βούλεται τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μηδέποτε αὐτοῦ κατακρύπτειν τὰς εὐεργεσίας. Καὶ τοῦτο πανταχοῦ ζητεῖ, διά τε τοὺς λέγοντας, διά τε τοὺς ἀκούοντας. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τούτοις κέρδος, κἀκείνοις, ἐὰν προσέχωσιν. Ὅτι ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὰ αἵματα αὐτῶν ἐμνήσθη. Εἶδες τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ποῖα λέγει; Τὰς εὐεργεσίας. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ μέγα τι αἰνίττεται δόγμα· ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι φόνος ἀτιμωρητὶ τολμώμενος, ἀλλ' ἐκδικεῖται πάντως· ὃ καὶ ἐν τῇ Γενέσει Μωϋσῆς δείκνυσι, λέγων· Τὸ αἷμα ὑμῶν ἐκζητήσω. Τοῦτο τῆς ἀπείρου προνοίας δεῖγμα, τῆς ἐκτεταμένης αὐτοῦ κηδεμονίας. Εἰ δὲ μὴ κατὰ πόδας ἐκζητεῖ, μὴ θαυμάζῃς· δίδωσι γὰρ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι μετανοίας ἀφορμήν. Οὐκ ἐπελάθετο τῆς κραυγῆς τῶν πενήτων. Ὅρα πάλιν τοὺς πένητας εὐδοκιμοῦντας. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ λέγει τοὺς πένητας, ἀλλ' ἐκείνους τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῷ πνεύματι, καθὼς ὁ Χριστός φησιν. Οὗτοι γὰρ μάλιστα ἀκούονται εὐχόμενοι, οἱ ταπεινοὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ συντετριμμένοι. ∆ύο δὲ ἐνταῦθα τίθησι, καὶ εὐχὴν, καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην. Ἐπὶ τίνα γὰρ ἐπιβλέψω, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν ταπεινὸν, καὶ ἡσύχιον, καὶ τρέμοντά μου τοὺς λόγους; Καὶ πανταχοῦ ὄχημα εὐχῆς εὑρίσκεται ταπεινοφροσύνη. Ἐγγὺς γὰρ Κύριος τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ὥστε φλεγμονῆς δεῖ μάλιστα ἀπηλλάχθαι τὸν εὐχόμενον, ὃ καὶ Παῦλος ζητεῖ, λέγων· Χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ. Καλῶς εἶπε, Τῆς κραυγῆς τῶν πενήτων, κραυγὴν λέγων τὴν διάθεσιν τῆς διανοίας, οὐ τὸν τόνον τῆς φωνῆς· τῷ δὲ εἰπεῖν, Οὐκ ἐπελάθετο, ἐδήλωσεν ὅτι συνεχῶς ἐκά 55.131 λουν ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ οὐκ ἐκ προοιμίων ἐτύγχανον. Τί τοίνυν ἐστὶν ὃ λέγει; Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἐπελάθετο ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπεξῆλθε· καὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἴδιον τὸ τὰ τοιαῦτα ζητεῖν, καὶ μηδενὸς παρακαλοῦντος· ὅταν δὲ παρακαλῶσι, καὶ ταπεινοὶ οἱ παρακαλοῦντες ὦσι, πολλῷ πλέον. Ἐλέησόν με, Κύριε, ἴδε τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου. Ὁ ὑψῶν με ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου, ὅπως ἂν ἐξαγγείλω πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις σου ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών. Ἄλλος, Τὰς ὑμνήσεις σου. Ἄλλος, Τοὺς ἐπαίνους σου. Ὅρα αὐτὸν διηνεκῶς τῇ εὐχῇ προσηλωμένον. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπαλλαγεὶς τῶν δεινῶν, καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ γενόμενος, οὐκ ἀφίσταται τοῦ πάλιν εὔχεσθαι, λέγων, Ἐλέησόν με, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων αὐτὸν παρακαλῶν. Ἀεὶ μὲν γὰρ δεόμεθα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, μάλιστα δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγῇ. Ἕτερος γὰρ διαδέχεται πόλεμος τοῦ προτέρου χαλεπώτερος, ὁ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας, ὁ τῆς ἀπονοίας· καὶ σφοδρότερον τότε ὁ διάβολος πνεῖ. Ὥστε μάλιστα μετὰ τὸ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν κακῶν, δεόμεθα τῆς ῥοπῆς ἐκείνης, ἵνα εὐκόλως τὰς εὐημερίας ἐνέγκωμεν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἀπαλλαγέντες, ἐν χαλεπῷ ἦσαν πολέμῳ, τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ καὶ τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ. Τότε γοῦν μάλιστα