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TITLE 28. -Concerning the righteous; that the Lord guards them.

He will not take His eyes from the righteous, and He will set them up for victory, and they will be exalted. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him. The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard them. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them from them all. The Lord guards all their bones; not one of them will be broken. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. The Lord supports the righteous. The Lord guards all who love him. The dwellings of the righteous are blessed. The house of the righteous is blessed. In the house of the righteous is much strength. The blessing of the Lord is on the head of the righteous. Joy tarries for the righteous. Light for the righteous is forever. The righteous spend many years in wealth. The righteous will be in joy and gladness. The righteous man escapes from the hunt; but the ungodly is delivered up in his stead. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine, and rivers shall not enclose you, and if you pass through fire, you shall not be burned. 95.1416 The Lord knows how to deliver the godly from temptation. And the righteous fall into many circumstances; but these are not scourges; the virtuous man endures not on account of sin.

TITLE 29. -Concerning the righteous; that precious in the sight of the Lord is their death.

May my soul die in the tents of the righteous. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. The memory of the righteous is with praises. When a righteous man is praised, many peoples will rejoice. The righteous man is taken away from the face of the unjust, and his burial will be in peace. We honor the tombs of the saints, and of their so glorious manliness, as in the order of honors and rewards, depositing for them an unfading memory. We honor holy men who honor the faith, and who were very well crowned with the boasts of manliness, having struggled even to soul and blood, and having witnessed to the glory of Christ, and being made resplendent by the valiant deeds of piety. He who touches the bones of a martyr, receives a certain participation of sanctification from the grace that attends the body. Precious, therefore, in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

TITLE 30. -Concerning the difference between God and men; and that great is the distance between God and men, and between sinning against God, and against men.

Eli was very old; and he heard what his sons were doing to the sons of Israel; and he said to them: Why do you do according to this word, which I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord? No, children; for the report that I hear is not good, that the people do not serve God. If a man sins against a man, he will pray to the Lord concerning him; but if he sins against the Lord, who will pray for him? Seek God, and when you find him, call upon him. And when he draws near to you, let the ungodly forsake his ways, and the lawless man his counsels; and let him turn to the Lord, and he will be shown mercy, for he will abundantly forgive your sins. Neither are my ways as your ways, says the Lord. But as far as the heaven is from the earth, so far is my way from your ways, and your thoughts from my mind. So great is the distance between God and man, that not even speech will be able to represent it.

ELEMENT E.

TITLE 1. -Concerning the commandments of God, and those who keep them.

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ΤΙΤΛ. ΚΗʹ. -Περὶ δικαίων· ὅτι φυλάττει αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος.

Οὐκ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ δικαίου ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ καθιεῖται αὐτοὺς εἰς νῖκος, καὶ ὑψωθήσονται. Ἰδοὺ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν. Ἐκέκραξαν οἱ δίκαιοι, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν. Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος. Φυλάσσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν, ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ συντριβήσεται. Σωτηρία τῶν δικαίων παρὰ Κυρίου. Ὑποστηρίζει τοὺς δικαίους ὁ Κύριος. Φυλάσσει Κύριος πάντας τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας αὐτόν. Ἐπαύλεις δικαίων εὐλογοῦνται. Οἶκος δικαίων εὐλογεῖται. Οἶκος δικαίων ἰσχὺς πολλή. Εὐλογία Κυρίου ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου Ἐγχρονίζει δικαίοις εὐφροσύνη. Φῶς δικαίοις διὰ παντός. ∆ίκαιοι ποιοῦσιν ἐν πλούτῳ ἔτη πολλά. ∆ίκαιος ἐν χαρᾷ καὶ εὐφροσύνῃ ἔσται. ∆ίκαιος ἐκ θήρας ἐκδύνει· ἀντ' αὐτοῦ δὲ παραδίδοται ὁ ἀσεβής. Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅτι ἐλυτρωσάμην σε· ἐκάλεσά σε τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐμὸς εἶ σὺ, καὶ ποταμοὶ οὐ συγκλείσουσί σε, καὶ ἐὰν διέλθῃς διὰ πυρὸς, οὐ μὴ κατακαυθῇς. 95.1416 Οἶδε Κύριος εὐσεβεῖς ἐκ πειρασμοῦ ῥύεσθαι. Καὶ δίκαιοι πολλοῖς περιστατικοῖς περιπίπτουσιν· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μάστιγες οὐκ εἰσίν· τὸ μὴ δι' ἁμαρτίας ὑπομεῖναι τὸν σπουδαῖον.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΚΘʹ. -Περὶ δικαίων· ὅτι τίμιος παρὰ Κυρίῳ ὁ θάνατος αὐτῶν.

Ἀποθάνοι ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν σκηναῖς δικαίων. Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ. Μνήμη δικαίων μετ' ἐγκωμίων. Ἐγκωμιαζομένου δικαίου, εὐφρανθήσονται λαοὶ πολλοί. Ἀπὸ προσώπου ἀδικοῦντος ἦρται ὁ δίκαιος, καὶ ἔσται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ταφὴ αὐτοῦ. Τιμῶμεν τὰς τῶν ἁγίων θήκας, καὶ τῆς οὕτω λαμπρᾶς αὐτῶν εὐανδρείας, καθάπερ ἐν τάξει γερῶν καὶ ἀντιμισθίας, τὴν ἀμάραντον αὐτοῖς κατατιθέμενοι μνήμην. Τιμῶμεν ἄνδρας ἁγίους τιμῶντας τὴν πίστιν, καὶ τοῖς τῆς εὐανδρείας αὐχήμασιν εὖ μάλα κατεστεμμένους ἀγωνισαμένους τε μέχρι ψυχῆς καὶ αἵματος, καὶ μαρτυρήσαντας τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τοῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀνδραγαθήμασιν ἐκλαμπρυνομένους. Ὁ ἁψάμενος ὀστέων μάρτυρος, λαμβάνει τινὰ μετουσίαν ἁγιασμοῦ ἐκ τῆς τῷ σώματι παρεδρευούσης χάριτος. Τίμιος οὖν ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ.

ΤΙΤΛ. Λʹ. -Περὶ διαφορᾶς Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων· καὶ ὅτι πολὺ τὸ μέσον Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν εἰς Θεὸν, καὶ εἰς ἀνθρώπους.

Ἡλὶ πρεσβύτερος σφόδρα· καὶ ἤκουσεν ἃ ἐποίουν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἵνα τί ποιεῖτε κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, ὃ ἐγὼ ἀκούω ἐκ στόματος παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ Κυρίου; Μὴ, τέκνα· ὅτι οὐκ ἀγαθὴ ἡ ἀκοὴ, ἣν ἐγὼ ἀκούω, τοῦ μὴ δουλεύειν λαὸν Θεῷ. Ἐὰν ἁμαρτάνων ἁμαρτήσῃ ἀνὴρ εἰς ἄνδρα, καὶ προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτοῦ πρὸς Κύριον· ἐὰν δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἁμαρτήσῃ, τίς προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτοῦ; Ζητήσατε τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἐν τῷ εὑρίσκειν αὐτὸν, ἐπικαλέσασθε. Ἡνίκα δ' ἂν ἐγγίζῃ ὑμῖν, ἀπολειπέτω ὁ ἀσεβὴς τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνὴρ ἄνομος τὰς βουλὰς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπιστραφήτω ἐπὶ Κύριον, καὶ ἐλεηθήσεται, ὅτι ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀφήσει τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν. Οὐδὲ ὥσπερ αἱ ὁδοὶ ὑμῶν, αἱ ὁδοί μου, λέγει Κύριος. Ἀλλ' ὅσον ἀπέχει ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, οὕτως ἀπέχει ἡ ὁδός μου ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ διανοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας μου. Τοσοῦτον τὸ μέσον Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπου, ὅσον οὐδὲ ὁ λόγος παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται.

ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΟΝ Ε.

ΤΙΤΛ. Αʹ. -Περὶ ἐντολῶν Θεοῦ, καὶ τῶν φυλαττόντων αὐτάς.