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"I walked in the innocence of my heart in the midst of my house; I did not set before my eyes any unlawful thing. I hated those who commit transgressions. A crooked heart did not cleave to me; when the wicked man turned away from me, I did not know him. Him that secretly slanders his neighbor, him I drove away; with a man of haughty eye and insatiable heart, with him I did not eat. My eyes were upon the faithful of the land, that they might sit with me; he who walks in a blameless way, he ministered to me; he who practices pride did not dwell in the midst of my house. He who speaks unjust things did not prosper before my eyes." 12.11 Through these words he taught us not only that it is possible to imitate the all-powerful and all-wise Lord, but he also showed us the very manner of the imitation. For he did not command us to create heaven and earth and sun and moon and the rest, nor to have a simple and uncircumscribed nature, but only to hate what he has hated, and to love what he has greatly loved. Having achieved this virtue, the prophet cries out to the Master 12.12 with boldness: "To me thy friends, O God, are greatly honored; their rule is greatly strengthened." And a little after: "Did I not hate them that hate thee, O Lord, and did I not pine away because of thine enemies? I hated them with a perfect hatred; they became enemies to me." And again: "Men of blood, depart from me." And again: "Depart from me, you evildoers, and I will search out the commandments of my God." And again: "I have hated transgressors, but I have loved thy law." And again: "How I have loved thy law, O Lord! it is my meditation all the day." And: "How sweet are thy words to my throat! more than 12.13 honey and the honeycomb to my mouth." And one might find many more such sayings in this melody; for the prophecy is full of such teaching. And Moses the lawgiver also shows in his laws what pleases the God of all, and again, what He hates. And indeed Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and the whole chorus of the prophets taught us this distinction. 12.14 And their God himself also said in the gospels: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of God, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." And again: "He who does and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." And again: "He who loves me will keep my command 12.15 ments." And indeed in the parable of the talents he showed that he will not only ask for the number of what he gave, but he will also collect the profit; and the one who does not have it, he will strip of the grace, and deliver bound to the darkness. And the virgins who did not have enough oil he left outside the bridal chamber, and this despite calling them virgins. And the one clothed in a garment not fitting for a wedding he separated from the guests and cast out from the feast; and yet he had entered having been called, and had not rushed in of his own accord; but since, having enjoyed the invitation solely through the generosity of the bridegroom, he did not change his garment, 12.16 he suffered what he suffered. For this reason also the divine apostle cries out, saying: "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour 12.17 the adversaries." Then he confirms this word by an example: "Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, '12.18 The LORD will judge His people.'" Then he frightens those who live in ease and says: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." And elsewhere he cries out: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

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"∆ιεπορευόμην ἐν ἀκακίᾳ καρδίας μου ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου μου· οὐ προετιθέμην πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου πρᾶγμα παράνομον. Ποιοῦντας παραβάσεις ἐμίσησα. Οὐκ ἐκολ λήθη μοι καρδία σκαμβή· ἐκκλίνοντος ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ, οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον. Τὸν καταλαλοῦντα λάθρᾳ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξεδίωκον· ὑπερηφάνῳ ὀφθαλμῷ καὶ ἀπλήστῳ καρδίᾳ, τούτῳ οὐ συνήσθιον. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐπὶ τοὺς πιστοὺς τῆς γῆς, τοῦ συγκαθῆσθαι αὐτοὺς μετ' ἐμοῦ· πορευόμενος ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ οὗτός μοι ἐλειτούργει· οὐ κατῴκει ἐν μέσῳ τῆς οἰκίας μου ποιῶν ὑπερηφανίαν. Λαλῶν ἄδικα οὐ κατεύθυνεν ἐνώπιον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου." 12.11 ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων οὐ μόνον ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι μιμήσασθαι δυνα τὸν τὸν παναλκῆ καὶ πάνσοφον Κύριον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν ἡμῖν ὑπέδειξε τὸν τῆς μιμήσεως τρόπον. Οὐ γάρ τοι οὐρανὸν ἡμᾶς καὶ γῆν καὶ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ τἄλλα δημιουργεῖν ἐκέλευσεν οὐδὲ ἁπλῆν ἔχειν καὶ ἀπερίγραφον φύσιν, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἐχθραίνειν, ἅπερ ἐκεῖνος μεμίσηκε, καὶ φιλεῖν, ἅπερ δὴ μάλα πεφίληκεν. Ταύτην κατορθώσας τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁ προφήτης πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην 12.12 ξὺν παρρησίᾳ βοᾷ· "Ἐμοὶ δὲ λίαν ἐτιμήθησαν οἱ φίλοι σου, ὁ Θεός· λίαν ἐκραταιώθησαν αἱ ἀρχαὶ αὐτῶν." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Οὐχὶ τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε, Κύριε, ἐμίσησα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου ἐξετηκόμην; τέλειον μῖσος ἐμίσουν αὐτούς· εἰς ἐχθροὺς ἐγένοντό μοι." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἄνδρες αἱμάτων, ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ." Καὶ αὖθις· "Ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ πονηρευόμενοι, καὶ ἐξερευνήσω τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ μου." Καὶ πάλιν· "Παρανό μους ἐμίσησα, τὸν δὲ νόμον σου ἠγάπησα." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὡς ἠγάπησα τὸν νόμον σου, Κύριε· ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελέτη μού ἐστιν." Καί· "Ὡς γλυκέα τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου· ὑπὲρ 12.13 μέλι καὶ κηρίον τῷ στόματί μου." Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων πολλαπλάσια εὕροι τις ἂν ἐν τῇδε τῇ μελῳδίᾳ· ἔμπλεως γὰρ ἡ προφητεία τῆς τοιαύτης διδασκαλίας. Καὶ Μωϋσῆς δὲ ὁ νομοθέτης δείκνυσιν ἐν τοῖς νόμοις, τί μὲν ἀρέσκει τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, τί δ' αὖ πάλιν ἐχθραίνει. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ Ἡσαΐας καὶ Ἱερεμίας καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ καὶ πᾶς ὁτῶν προφητῶν χορὸς ταύτην ἡμᾶς τὴν διαφορὰν ἐξεπαίδευσεν. 12.14 Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ τούτων Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἔφη· "Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι Κύριε Κύριε εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὁ ποιήσας καὶ διδάξας μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὁ ἀγαπῶν με τὰς ἐντο 12.15 λάς μου πληρώσει." Καὶ μέντοι κἀν τῇ παραβολῇ τῶν ταλάντων ἔδειξεν, ὡς οὐ μόνον ὧν δέδωκεν ἀπαιτήσει τὸν ἀριθμόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν εἰσπράξεται· καὶ τὸν ταύτην οὐκ ἔχοντα γυμνώ σας τῆς χάριτος, τῷ ζόφῳ παραδώσει πεπεδημένον. Καὶ τὰς παρθένους δὲ τὰς ἀρκοῦν οὐκ ἐσχηκυίας τὸ ἔλαιον ἔξω τοῦ νυμφῶνος κατέλιπε, καὶ ταῦτα παρθένους καλῶν. Καὶ τὸν ἐσθῆτα περιβεβλημένον οὐχ ἁρμόττουσαν γάμῳ τῶν δαιτυμόνων ἐχώρισε καὶ τῆς εὐωχίας ἐξήλασε· καίτοι κληθεὶς εἰσελήλυθεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ αὐτόματος εἰσεπήδησεν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διὰ μόνην τὴν τοῦ νυμφίου φιλοτιμίαν ἀπολαύσας τῆς κλήσεως οὐκ ἤμειψε τὴν στολήν, 12.16 ἔπαθεν, ἅπερ ἔπαθεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος κέκραγε λέγων· "Ἑκουσίως γὰρ ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκέτι περὶ ἁμαρτίας ἀπολείπεται θυσία, φοβερὰ δέ τις ἐκδοχὴ κρίσεως καὶ πυρὸς ζῆλος ἐσθίειν 12.17 μέλλοντος τοὺς ὑπεναντίους." Εἶτα ἐκ παραδείγματος τόνδε κρατύνει τὸν λόγον· "Ἀθετήσας τις νόμον Μωϋσέως χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἢ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνῄσκει. Πόσῳ δοκεῖτε χείρονος ἀξιωθήσεται τιμωρίας ὁ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατήσας καὶ τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος, ἐν ᾧ ἡγιάσθη, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος ἐνυβρίσας; οἴδαμεν γὰρ τὸν εἰπόντα· ἐμοὶ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ πάλιν· 12.18 Κρινεῖ Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ." Εἶτα τοὺς ῥᾳστώνῃ ξυζῶντας δεδίττεται καί φησιν· "Φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας Θεοῦ ζῶντος." Καὶ ἑτέρωθι βοᾷ· "Πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε κακόν."