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those who are well-pleasing; not simply the poor, but those who are contrite in heart. For these 55.134 are especially suited for patience; or rather, these build each other up, humility patience, and patience humility. But if one should say: And how is humility poverty? we shall say this, that it is more suited for virtue. For the rich man is restless and disturbed; but the poor man bears all things easily, as one often trained in the wrestling-school of poverty. For this reason Christ also said that it is difficult for one with riches to enter into the kingdom. What is, The patience of the poor shall not perish forever? Never, he says, but it will certainly receive its proper fruit. This is not the case in worldly matters, but one often fails of the end, the labors having been lost. For both the farmer waits, and the merchant; but often due to the irregularity of the weather both fail to receive the fruit of their labors. But with God this is not the case, but it is necessary to enjoy the end in every case. And this is no small word of consolation, to be always confident about the end. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail. Another, Let him not be insolent. Let the nations be judged in thy sight. Another, And before thy face. Having spoken of the wickedness possessing the majority of men, and having described their evil, their robberies, their greed, their murders, he beseeches God for help for the wronged. For such is the compassion of the saints, not to care for their own things only, but as if for one house, the inhabited world, or one body, the multitude of men, so to beseech God. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail. What then is, Arise, O Lord? Go forth, he says, help, punish the wrongdoers. And well did he use the bare names, saying, Arise, and, Let not man prevail; so as to show that he is insignificant, from the earth, ashes and, dust. Let the nations be judged in thy sight. What is this? Let them pay the penalty, he says, for their sins. They have not become better by long-suffering; demand an accounting of what has been dared. Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them. Let the nations know that they are men. Diapsalma. Another, Always. What is, Appoint a lawgiver over them? Since, he says, they do all things as if under their own law, not willing to pay the penalty, go forth, and let their punishment be an admonition to them. Another also, making this clear, said, Appoint, O Lord, a terror over them. See how he seeks not their punishment, but their admonition and correction, and that they not live lawlessly. For their punishment will be, he says, instead of an admonition; not for them only, but also for others. And that you may learn how great the profit is, and how it suppresses the disease, listen to what follows. Let the nations know, he says, that they are men. And what he says is this: Many have lost even this, they have forgotten their nature, they have run aground into madness, they have not known themselves. And well did he add, Always, to show that not only in adversities, but also 55.135 in prosperity. But indeed, if you punish them now, having their fear at its height, and the memory of the terrible things that have happened, even if they should come into prosperity, they will know their own nature. 9. Do you see how he makes supplication on their behalf, and asks that their madness be corrected? For to not know oneself is worse than the utmost madness and frenzy. For the one is a disease of necessity, but the other of a corrupt will. Why, O Lord, have you stood afar off, why do you overlook us in times of opportunity, in tribulations? The Prophet says these things, from the person of those in tribulation beseeching and praying, not accusing; may it not be. Since many of those in tribulation, because of their pain, ask that the judgment come before the proper time; just as those being cut, when the incision is not yet complete, beseech the physician to remove his hand; asking for a harmful favor, because they cannot bear the pains

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εὐδοκιμοῦντας· πένητας οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς συντετριμμένους τῇ καρδίᾳ. Οὗτοι 55.134 γὰρ μάλιστά εἰσι καὶ πρὸς ὑπομονὴν ἐπιτήδειοι· μᾶλλον δὲ ἄλληλα συγκατασκευάζει ταῦτα, ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη τὴν ὑπομονὴν, ἡ ὑπομονὴ τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην. Εἰ δέ τις εἴποι· Καὶ πῶς πενία ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη; ἐκεῖνο ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι αὕτη ἐπιτηδειοτέρα πρὸς ἀρετήν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πλουτῶν ἀλύει, καὶ θορυβεῖται· ὁ δὲ πένης πάντα ῥᾳδίως φέρει, καθάπερ ἐν παλαίστρᾳ τῇ πενίᾳ πολλάκις γυμναζόμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν, ὅτι δύσκολον μετὰ πλούτου εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσελθεῖν. Τί ἐστιν, Ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῶν πενήτων οὐκ ἀπολεῖται εἰς τέλος; Οὐδέποτε, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ πάντως ἀπολήψεται τὸν οἰκεῖον καρπόν. Ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν οὐκ ἔνι, ἀλλ' ἐκπίπτει τοῦ τέλους πολλάκις, τῶν πόνων ἀπολωλότων. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ γεωργὸς ἀναμένει, καὶ ἔμπορος· πολλάκις δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀέρων ἀνωμαλίας ἀμφότεροι τοῦ καρποῦ τῶν πόνων ἐκπίπτουσιν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔνι τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ ἀνάγκη πάντως ἀπολαῦσαι τοῦ τέλους. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τοῦτο εἰς παραμυθίας λόγον, τὸ θαῤῥεῖν ἀεὶ περὶ τοῦ τέλους. Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, μὴ κραταιούσθω ἄνθρωπος. Ἄλλος, Μὴ θρασυνέσθω. Κριθήτωσαν ἔθνη ἐνώπιόν σου. Ἄλλος, Καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπόν σου. Εἰπὼν τὴν κακίαν τὴν κατέχουσαν τοὺς πλείους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ διηγησάμενος τὴν πονηρίαν, τὰς ἁρπαγὰς, τὰς πλεονεξίας, τὰς ἀνδροφονίας, παρακαλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀδικουμένων βοηθείας. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τῶν ἁγίων τὰ σπλάγχνα, μὴ τὰ ἑαυτῶν μεριμνᾷν μόνον, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ περὶ μιᾶς οἰκίας, τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἢ σώματος ἑνὸς, τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πλήθους, οὕτω παρακαλεῖν τὸν Θεόν. Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, μὴ κραταιούσθω ἄνθρωπος. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε; Ἐπέξελθε, φησὶ, βοήθησον, κόλασον τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας. Καὶ καλῶς τοῖς ὀνόμασι γυμνοῖς ἐχρήσατο, εἰπὼν, Ἀνάστηθι, καὶ, Μὴ κραταιούσθω ἄνθρωπος· ὥστε δηλῶσαι, ὅτι ὁ εὐτελὴς, ὁ ἀπὸ γῆς, ὁ τέφρα καὶ, σποδός. Κριθήτωσαν ἔθνη ἐνώπιόν σου. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; ∆ότωσαν δίκην, φησὶ, τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Οὐ γεγόνασι τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ βελτίους· ἀπαίτησον εὐθύνας τῶν τετολμημένων. Κατάστησον, Κύριε, νομοθέτην ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Γνώτωσαν ἔθνη, ὅτι ἄνθρωποί εἰσι. ∆ιάψαλμα. Ἄλλος, Ἀεί. Τί ἐστι, Κατάστησον νομοθέτην αὐτοῖς; Ἐπεὶ, φησὶ, καθάπερ ἐν αὐτονομίᾳ πάντα πράττουσι, μὴ θέλοντες διδόναι δίκην, ἐπέξελθε, καὶ γενέσθω αὐτοῖς ἡ τιμωρία ἀντὶ νουθεσίας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἕτερος δηλῶν εἶπε, Κατάστησον, Κύριε, φόβημα αὐτοῖς. Ὅρα πῶς οὐ κόλασιν αὐτῶν ἐπιζητεῖ, ἀλλὰ νουθεσίαν καὶ διόρθωσιν, καὶ τὸ μὴ παρανόμως ζῇν. Ἔσται γὰρ ἡ τιμωρία αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἀντὶ νουθεσίας· οὐκ αὐτοῖς δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέροις. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅσον τὸ κέρδος, καὶ πῶς καταστέλλει νόσημα, ἄκουε τοῦ ἑξῆς. Γνώτωσαν ἔθνη, φησὶν, ὅτι ἄνθρωποί εἰσιν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Πολλοὶ καὶ τοῦτο ἀπολωλέκασιν, ἐπελάθοντο τῆς φύσεως, εἰς μανίαν ἐξώκειλαν, ἠγνόησαν ἑαυτούς. Καὶ καλῶς προσέθηκε τὸ, Ἀεὶ, ἵνα δηλώσῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν ταῖς δυσπραγίαις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ 55.135 ἐν ταῖς εὐημερίαις. Ἀλλὰ γάρ, ἂν κολάσῃς αὐτοὺς νῦν, ἔχοντες τὸν φόβον ἀκμάζοντα, καὶ τὴν μνήμην τῶν συμβεβηκότων δεινῶν, κἂν εἰς εὐημερίαν ἔλθωσιν, εἴσονται τὴν ἑαυτῶν φύσιν. θʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ποιεῖται τὴν δέησιν, καὶ τὴν μανίαν ἀξιοῖ διορθωθῆναι; Τὸ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ἀγνοεῖν, ἐσχάτης μανίας καὶ φρενίτιδος χαλεπώτερον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνάγκης νόσημα, τὸ δὲ διεφθαρμένης προαιρέσεως. Ἵνα τί, Κύριε, ἀφέστηκας μακρόθεν, ὑπερορᾷς ἐν εὐκαιρίαις, ἐν θλίψεσι; Ταῦτά φησιν ὁ Προφήτης, ἐκ προσώπου τῶν θλιβομένων παρακαλῶν καὶ δεόμενος, οὐκ ἐγκαλῶν· μὴ γένοιτο. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν θλιβομένων ὑπὸ τῆς ὀδύνης πρὸ τοῦ προσήκοντος καιροῦ ἀξιοῦσι γενέσθαι τὴν κρίσιν· καθάπερ οἱ τεμνόμενοι, μηδέπω τελείας γενομένης τῆς τομῆς, παρακαλοῦσι τὸν ἰατρὸν ἀποστῆσαι τὴν χεῖρα· ἐπιβλαβῆ μὲν χάριν αἰτοῦντες, τῷ δὲ μὴ φέρειν τὰς ὀδύνας