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627a Ps 61,3 β Everyone who falls from virtue into wickedness is shaken; but this does not happen all at once, a prior disturbance occurring in thoughts through the passions, after which, if a corresponding action is undertaken, agitation and a fall come upon the disturbed thoughts. Therefore, at the beginning of a shameful desire or some other irrational movement, it is necessary to restrain, with a pious thought and with God's help, the impulse toward the action, so that no further agitation may occur. The Savior clearly teaches these things in the gospel, destroying the beginnings of sins so that, with them not remaining, a further shaking in practice might not occur. 628 Ps 61,4c He who is founded and rooted in love is an unshakeable wall and has a secure fence, so that wicked men and evil powers passing by the way might not gather its fruit. God surrounds the one who has such a secure fence, saying, *And I have trenched and put a fence around it*. For this fence is composed of guarding angels and dogmas of truth and actions performed according to virtue. As long as this remains, no one will be able to harm the divine fruits of the spiritual plant. But if it should ever happen that the guarded vineyard brings forth thorns instead of grapes, God, abandoning it, says, *I will take away its fence, and it will be for plundering, and I will break down its wall, and it will be for trampling*. If, then, this happens because evil fruit has come from us, the wall becomes leaning and the fence pushed down. *** 629 Ps 61,5 The honor of the wise man, which the wicked conspire to reject, is virtue and piety, according to *Glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good*. Dishonor, then, is wickedness, into which those who have fallen, perceiving what they have suffered, say, *Our dishonor has covered us for affliction*. To this you will also take *Man, being in honor, did not understand*. Then, since the attacking deceivers cannot drag one into wickedness by force, he did not say, "They rejected my honor," but "They conspired to reject"; for they are not able to overcome one who strongly resists. Akin to these are those about whom Paul writes, *By blessing and fair speech deceiving the hearts of the innocent*. Of the same mind is *If your enemy should ask of you with a loud voice, do not be persuaded*; for there are seven evils in his soul, arising perhaps from the seven spirits which the unclean spirit takes, being more wicked than itself ** ...having the seven evils in his soul, he beseeched, saying bright and pleasant things in the morning punitively, do not be persuaded; for with his mouth he blesses but with his heart he curses. 630 Ps 61,7b I shall not be moved, a wanderer being one who is estranged from God through sin, according to what is written concerning Jacob, *He grew fat, he grew thick, and he forsook God his savior*. 631 Ps 61,8 With God's help I have not become a wanderer, whence the salvation and glory I have are in God; for I was not saved by my own power or skill. And he says he has glory in God, which the one God gives to those who seek him, and salvation not of the flesh but of the rational soul, which he has who has believed in the Trinity, according to what was said, *Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls*. Therefore, even if something should again force me into agitation, I place my hope in him who has often saved me. 632a Ps 61,9 All you assemblies of the peoples who have believed from the nations, so that you may no longer be without God and without hope, hope in him without any craftiness, revealing your hearts before him; for God will become a helper to you. To pour out the heart before him is the same as to love him with all the soul and with all the heart. For in many places "to pour out" is used for rich abundance and supply, as in *The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit*. 633a Ps 61,10 633a To such people was said, *Why do you love vanity and seek falsehood?*, although they are commanded not to have a small weight

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627a Ps 61,3 β Σαλεύεται πᾶς ὁ ἐξ ἀρετῆς εἰς κακίαν μεταπίπτων· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀθρόως συμβαίνει τοῦτο, προτέρας γινομένης ταραχῆς ἐν λογισμοῖς διὰ παθῶν μεθ' ην, εἰ προσληφθείη κατάλληλος πρᾶξις, τοῖς τεταραγμένοις λογισμοῖς κλόνος καὶ πτῶμα γίνεται. ἀρχομένης τοιγαροῦν αἰσχρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας η ἑτέρου τινὸς ἀλόγου κινήματος, ἐπισχεῖν δεῖ τῷ εὐσεβεῖ λογισμῷ, συλλαμβανομένου θεοῦ, τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ὁρμήν, ινα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον κλόνος γένηται. ταῦτα ὁ σωτὴρ σαφῶς ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διδάσκει, τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀναιρῶν ινα μὴ μενόντων αὐτῶν τὸ ἐπὶ πλεῖον σαλευθῆναι πρακτικῶς γένηται. 628 Ps 61,4c ̔Ο ἐν ἀγάπῃ τεθεμελιωμένος καὶ ἐρριζωμένος ασειστός ἐστι τοῖχος καὶ φραγμὸν εχει ἠσφαλισμένον, οπως μὴ τρυγῶσιν αὐτὸν οἱ τὴν ὁδὸν παραπορευόμενοι φαῦλοι ανθρωποι καὶ πονηραὶ δυνάμεις. τὸν ουτως ἀσφαλῶς εχοντα φραγμὸν ὁ θεὸς περιβάλλει, φάσκων Καὶ ἐχαράκωσα καὶ φραγμὸν περιέθηκα. σύγκειται γὰρ ουτος ὁ φραγμὸς ἐξ ἀγγέλων φρουρούντων καὶ δογμάτων ἀληθείας καὶ πράξεων κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐπιτελουμένων. τούτου μένοντος, οὐδεὶς βλάψαι τοὺς θείους καρποὺς τοῦ πνευματικοῦ φυτοῦ δυνήσεται. εἰ δὲ συμβαίη ποτὲ ἀντὶ σταφυλῶν ἀκάνθας ἐξενέγκειν τὸν φρουρούμενον ἀμπελῶνα, ἐγκαταλιπὼν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς λέγει ̓Αφελῶ τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ εσται εἰς διαρπαγήν, καὶ καθελῶ τὸν τοῖχον αὐτοῦ καὶ εσται εἰς καταπάτημα. εἰ δὴ τοῦτο συμβαίνει διὰ τὸ φαῦλον καρπὸν γενέσθαι ἐξ ἡμῶν, κεκλιμένος ὁ τοῖχος καὶ ὠσμένος γίνεται ὁ φραγμός. *** 629 Ps 61,5 Τιμὴ τοῦ σοφοῦ ην βουλεύονται ἀπώσασθαι οἱ πονηροὶ ἡ ἀρετὴ καὶ ἡ εὐσέβεια, κατὰ τὸ ∆όξα καὶ τιμὴ καὶ εἰρήνη παντὶ τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ ἀγαθόν. ἀτιμία τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἡ κακία εἰς ην οἱ ἐκπεσόντες ο πεπόνθασιν αἰσθανόμενοι λέγουσιν ̓Επεκάλυψεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀτιμία ἡμῶν εἰς θλῖψιν. εἰς τοῦτο λήψῃ καὶ τὸ Ανθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ων οὐ συνῆκεν. ειτ' ἐπεὶ μὴ βίᾳ ἑλκύσαι εἰς κακίαν δύνανται οἱ ἐπικείμενοι ἀπατεῶνες, οὐκ ̓Απώσαντο ειπε τὴν τιμήν μου ἀλλ' ̓Εβουλεύσαντο ἀπώσασθαι· οὐ γὰρ οιοί τέ εἰσιν ἑλεῖν τὸν ἰσχυρῶς ἀνθιστάμενον. τούτων συγγενεῖς εἰσι περὶ ων γράφει ὁ Παῦλος ∆ι' εὐλογίας καὶ χρηστολογίας ἐξαπατῶντες τὰς τῶν ἀκάκων καρδίας. τῆς αὐτῆς διανοίας ἐστὶ τὸ ̓Εὰν δέηταί σου ὁ ἐχθρὸς μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ, μὴ πεισθῇς· ἑπτὰ γάρ εἰσι πονηρίαι ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ, ἐγγινόμεναι τάχα ἀπὸ τῶν Ζ πνευμάτων ων παραλαμβάνει τὸ ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα πονηρωτέρων ἑαυτοῦ ὑπαρχόντων ** ...σαν τὰς ἑπτὰ πονηρίας εχων ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἱκετεύησε, τὸ Πρωῒ λαμπρὰ καὶ ἡδέα λέγων κολαστικῶς, μὴ πεισθῇς· στόματι γὰρ εὐλογῶν καταρᾶται τῇ καρδίᾳ. 630 Ps 61,7b Οὐ μὴ μεταναστεύσω, μετανάστου γινομένου τοῦ δι' ἁμαρτίας μακρυνομένου τοῦ θεοῦ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον περὶ τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ ̓Ελιπάνθη, ἐπαχύνθη καὶ ἀπέστη ἀπὸ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ. 631 Ps 61,8 ̓Αντιλαμβανομένου θεοῦ οὐ γέγονα μετανάστης, οθεν ην εχω σωτηρίαν καὶ δόξαν ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ τυγχάνουσι· οὐ γὰρ ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει η τέχνῃ ἐσώθην. δόξαν δὲ λέγει ἐπὶ θεῷ εχειν ην δίδωσιν ὁ μόνος θεὸς τοῖς ζητοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ σωτηρίαν οὐ τὴν σαρκῶν ἀλλὰ τὴν ψυχῆς λογικῆς ην εχει ὁ πιστεύσας εἰς τὴν τριάδα κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν Κομιζόμενοι τὸ τέλος τῆς πίστεως σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν. ∆ιὸ καν τι πάλιν εἰς σάλον με βιάζηται, ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὴν ἐλπίδα ποιοῦμαι πολλάκις με σώσαντι. 632a Ps 61,9 Πᾶσαι αἱ τῶν λαῶν τῶν πιστευσάντων ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν συναγωγαί, οπως μηκέτι αθεοι καὶ ἐλπίδα μὴ εχοντες ητε, ἐλπίσατε ἐπ' αὐτὸν ανευ πάσης πανουργίας, ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ φανερώσαντες τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν· γενήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν ὁ θεὸς βοηθός. Ταὐτὸν τῷ ἐκχεῖν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν τὸ ἐξ ολης ψυχῆς καὶ ἐξ ολης καρδίας ἀγαπᾶν αὐτόν. πολλαχοῦ γὰρ τὸ ἐκχέαι ἀντὶ δαψιλείας πλουσίας καὶ χορηγίας τέτακται, ὡς ἐν τῷ ̔Η ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκέχυται ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου. 633a Ps 61,10 633a Πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους ἐρρήθη Ινα τί ἀγαπᾶτε ματαιότητα καὶ ζητεῖτε ψεῦδος, καίτοι παραγγέλλονται μὴ στάθμιον εχειν μικρὸν