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putting a new song and hymn into his mouth, having put off the old man with his deeds, and having put on the new man who is renewed in the knowledge of God. Then after all these things he becomes an example to many, so that others also, seeing his change, might take up good hopes, and make the change from worse things to better; wherefore he says: Many shall see and shall fear, and shall hope in the Lord. And what shall they see? This very thing, he says, that I have come into a depth of evils, and into the pit and the mire of the deep; and from there, having been drawn up by the grace of God, I stood upon the rock and my steps were directed, and I was deemed worthy of a new song. For the many, having seen these things, will take up the fear of God, about which it is said, The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and they will subscribe to a similar hope for themselves. Blessed is the man, whose hope is the name of the Lord, and who has not regarded vanities and false madnesses. He who has come through experience of the grace of God proclaims to all the good deeds done for him, and puts forth a universal declaration from what has happened to him, teaching that it is possible for all men to obtain the same things as he. For not I alone, he says, having been deemed worthy of such things, would be blessed; but the same way is open to all, and not to some, but not to others. Therefore, everyone who places his hope in God will not fail of the blessedness of which I myself was also deemed worthy. But vanity and false madnesses are all the pursuits concerning temporary and vain things; since Vanity of vanities, all is vanity; and through the preceding words it was said: But all is vanity, every man living; and again: But in vain are they troubled. He lays up treasures, and knows not for whom he shall gather them. And false madnesses are the cares pursued by the many unto what is empty and vain. Just as, then, a sober madness is the insurrection against the present life, on account of which the prophets of God were also considered by the many to be ecstatic. And the just man prides himself on such an ecstasy, saying: But I said in my ecstasy: Every man is a liar; and the Apostle, having experienced this, said: For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God; or whether we be of sober mind, it is for you. 23.356 You have done many wonderful things, O Lord my God. He who has understood the manifold wisdom of God both in the universal creations and in the particular ones, both in the perceptible ones and in those contemplated by the mind, having come to astonishment at the exceeding great power of the God of all things, would say: You have done many wonderful things, O Lord my God. But also having examined the principles of universal providence, according to which He directs all things, and then finding them incomprehensible, he will add, saying: And in your thoughts there is no one who will be like you. Such was he who said: O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! But in the present words David at the appropriate time uttered these cries, having learned by deed that he was saved in a certain new way through obedience to the divine oracles. For of old, through Moses, sacrifices and whole burnt offerings were commanded to be offered for sins; but now a new way of salvation is handed down, one without sacrifices and whole burnt offerings. And he also teaches that there are countless remedies of salvation, which the grace of God has bestowed upon men. And it is not possible to speak worthily, nor to comprehend with the mind the multitude of God's thoughts. But Symmachus says: Very many have you made, O Lord my God, your wonders, and your thoughts for us it is not possible to set forth before you. Then instead of: I have declared and I have spoken, they are multiplied beyond the sand, again Symmachus interpreted it in this way: If declaring I announce, they are more than can be narrated. For we know in part, he says, and in

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ἐμβάλλοντος εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ καινὸν ᾆσμα καὶ ὕμνον, ἀποδυσαμένου τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ, ἐνδυσαμένου δὲ τὸν νέον τὸν ἀνακαινούμενον κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶτα μετὰ πάντα ταῦτα ὑπόδειγμα πολλοῖς γίνεται, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἕτεροι, τὴν μεταβολὴν αὐτοῦ θεώμενοι, ἐλπίδας ἀγαθὰς ἀναλάβοιεν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω ποιήσαιντο μεταβολήν· διό φησιν· Ὄψονται πολλοὶ καὶ φοβηθήσονται, καὶ ἐλπιοῦσιν ἐπὶ Κύριον. Τί δὲ ὄψονται; Αὐτὸ τοῦτο, φησὶν, ὡς εἰς βάθος ἐλήλυθα κακῶν, καὶ εἰς τὸν λάκκον καὶ τὸν πηλὸν τῆς ἰλύος· κἀκεῖθεν Θεοῦ χάριτι ἀνελκυσθεὶς, ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν ἔστην καὶ κατηυθύνθη τὰ διαβήματά μου, καὶ ᾄσματος κατηξιώθην καινοῦ. Ταῦτα γὰρ οἱ πολλοὶ θεασάμενοι φόβον Θεοῦ, περὶ οὗ λέλεκται, Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Θεοῦ, ἀναλήψονται, καὶ τὴν ὁμοίαν ἑαυτοῖς ὑπογράψουσιν ἐλπίδα. Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, οὗ ἐστι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐπέβλεψεν εἰς ματαιότητας καὶ μανίας ψευδεῖς. Ὁ διὰ πείρας ἐλθὼν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος τοῖς πᾶσι κηρύττει τὰς εἰς αὐτὸν γενομένας εὐεργεσίας, προφέρει τε καθολικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἐκ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν συμβάντων, διδάσκων, ὅτι πᾶσι δυνατὸν ἀνθρώποις τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτῷ τυχεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐγὼ, φησὶ, μόνος, τοιούτων ἀξιωθεὶς, εἴην ἂν μακάριος· ἔκκειται δὲ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἡ αὐτὴ ὁδὸς, καὶ οὐ τισὶ μὲν, τισὶ δὲ οὔ. Πᾶς οὖν ὁ τὴν ἐλπίδα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀναθήσας οὐκ ἀποπεσεῖται τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ, οὗ καὶ αὐτὸς κατηξιώθην. Ματαιότης δὲ καὶ μανίαι ψευδεῖς πᾶσαι αἱ περὶ τὰ πρόσκαιρα καὶ μάταια τυγχάνουσι σπουδαί· ἐπείπερ Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης· καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐλέγετο· Πλὴν τὰ πάντα ματαιότης, πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ζῶν· καὶ πάλιν· Πλὴν μάτην ταράσσονται. Θησαυρίζει, καὶ οὐ γινώσκει τίνι συνάξει ταῦτα. Μανίαι δὲ ψευδεῖς αἱ εἰς κενὸν καὶ μάταιον σπουδαζόμεναι τοῖς πολλοῖς φροντίδες. Ὥσπερ οὖν μανία σώφρων ἡ τοῦ παρόντος βίου κατεξανάστασις, δι' ἣν καὶ ἐξεστῶτες ἐνομίζοντο τοῖς πολλοῖς οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ προφῆται. Σεμνύνεται δ' ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ ἐκστάσει λέγων ὁ δίκαιος· Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου· Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης· καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δὲ τοῦτο πεπονθὼς ἔλεγεν· Εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν Θεῷ, εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν ὑμῖν. 23.356 Πολλὰ ἐποίησας σὺ, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, τὰ θαυμάσιά σου. Ὁ τὴν πολυποίκιλον τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν κατανενοηκὼς ἔν τε τοῖς καθόλου κτίσμασι καὶ τοῖς κατὰ μέρος, τοῖς τε αἰσθητοῖς καὶ τοῖς κατὰ διάνοιαν θεωρουμένοις, εἰς ἔκπληξιν ἐλθὼν τῆς ὑπερμεγέθους δυνάμεως τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ, εἴποι ἄν· Πολλὰ ἐποίησας σὺ, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, τὰ θαυμάσιά σου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς λόγους ἐξετάσας τῆς καθόλου προνοίας, καθ' οὓς τὰ σύμπαντα διοικεῖ, κἄπειτα εὑρὼν αὐτοὺς ἀκαταλήπτους, προσθήσει λέγων· Καὶ τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς σου οὐκ ἔστι τίς ὁμοιωθήσεταί σοι. Οἷος ἦν ὁ λέγων· Ὢ βάθους πλούτου καὶ σοφίας, καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ! ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ! Ἐν δὲ τοῖς προκειμένοις ὁ ∆αυῒδ κατὰ καιρὸν ταύτας προηνέγκατο τὰς φωνὰς, ἔργῳ μαθὼν, ὡς καινῷ τινι τρόπῳ σέσωσται τῷ δι' ὑπακοῆς τῶν θείων λογίων. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ διὰ Μωϋσέως θυσίαι καὶ ὁλόκαυτοι ἀναφοραὶ προσετάττοντο ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν προσφέρεσθαι· νυνὶ δὲ καινὸς παραδίδοται τρόπος σωτηρίας, ὁ δίχα θυσιῶν καὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ ὡς ἔστι μυρία σωτηρίας φάρμακα, ἅπερ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐδωρήσατο. Οὐκ ἔστι τε κατ' ἀξίαν εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲ διανοίᾳ περιλαβεῖν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ διαλογισμῶν τὸ πλῆθος. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Πάμπολλα, φησὶν, ἐποίησας σὺ, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, τὰ τεράστιά σου, καὶ τοὺς διαλογισμούς σου τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκθέσθαι ἐπὶ σοῦ. Εἶτα ἀντὶ τοῦ· Ἀπήγγειλα καὶ ἐλάλησα, ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ ἄμμον, πάλιν ὁ Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσε τὸν τρόπον· Ἐὰν ἀπαγγέλλων καταγγέλλω, πλείω ἐστὶ τοῦ διηγηθῆναι. Ἐκ μέρους μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, γινώσκομεν, καὶ ἐκ