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of the Lord. And since the end of blessedness is not in the courts, he who is received there encamps in them, so that having advanced and come to the house itself, he may dwell being blessed; for he says, "Blessed are they that dwell in your house, they will praise you for ever and ever." That to be received by the one who chose is more perfect than to be chosen is clear from, "You have guided me with your counsel, and with glory you have received me." For when the one chosen does everything according to the will of God, then he receives the promises with glory. And these words are uttered by those who glorify the ones who have departed from this life. 655a Ps 64,5cδ Writing to Timothy, Paul calls the church the house of God: "But if I am delayed, that you may see how one ought to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God." The good things of this house are the gifts of the Spirit, both the doctrines concerning the Trinity and the other doctrines, and the ordinances and canons handed down by the apostles. They expect to be filled with these good things who have said, "Be merciful to our impieties, which we thought we had," when the words of the lawless have prevailed against us. Virtue, signified by the name of righteousness, is wonderfully accomplished in it. The one who believes and is filled with good works has the Lord in himself; for it is said that Christ dwells in the inner man through faith. Thus the Lord, to the one who keeps his word, coming with the Father, makes an abode, so that man is a holy temple; for it is written, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" and after other things: "For the temple of God is holy, which you are." This is wonderful and he sets aright in righteousness which consists in faith in Jesus Christ, being full of the good divine gifts of the Spirit, of which those who expect to partake will say, "We shall be filled." 656 Ps 64,8c.9 For how would the inhabitants of the ends of the earth not be afraid and the nations be troubled, with the oracles being destroyed, so that the divining demons no longer boast and promise healing, and in addition to these things, magic and sorcery being destroyed, and Satan himself, who has the power of death, being brought to nothing? For the things accomplished are sufficient signs, showing that the one who worked them is God. Surely, having known his divinity from the things that happened, they understand henceforth that he also provides for the things in heaven, as the stars rise and set by his laws. For the outgoings of the morning are the sunrises, and the delights of the evening are the sunsets, the believing nations henceforth being delighted and rejoicing, having seen that the one who makes the sun and the moon and the other stars to rise and set is himself the one who became man and freed from deceit and death. 657a Ps 64,10ab You have visited the earth and have watered it, you have multiplied to enrich it, giving spiritual rain, early through the Old, and late through the New Testament, by which the allegorized earth (which is the soul of man), having been watered, was enriched with all speech and all knowledge and good works, God himself multiplying it. 658a Ps 64,10cδ.11 The river of God is his Word, he himself being life and a spring. And perhaps when he is with God, he is a spring; for it is said, "With you is the spring of life," being found then to be a river when he waters the rational creation. The streams of this, that is, the partial teachings, gladden the city of God, that is, the church. And since the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him, he is filled with waters, as it is said concerning him, "We have seen his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Therefore, not only is all rational creation watered from these waters of which the river is full, but it also has food prepared by God, as Jesus sows seed bearing fruit a hundredfold. From this river the furrows of the earth, upon which is cast the spiritual
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τοῦ κυρίου. καὶ ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς τὸ τῆς μακαριότητος τέλος, κατασκηνοῖ ἐν αὐταῖς ὁ ἐκεῖ παραληφθείς, ινα προκόψας καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν οικον ἐλθὼν κατοικῇ μακαριζόμενος· Μακάριοι γάρ φησιν οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν τῷ οικῳ σου εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων αἰνέσουσίν σε. οτι τελειότερον τοῦ ἐκλεγῆναι τὸ προσληφθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐκλεξαμένου δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ ̓Εν τῇ βουλῇ σου ὡδήγησάς με καὶ μετὰ δόξης προσελάβου με. οταν γὰρ ὁ ἐκλεγεὶς πάντα κατὰ βούλησιν θεοῦ πράττῃ, τότε μετὰ δόξης τὰς ἐπαγγελίας προσλαμβάνεται. Τὰς δὲ λέξεις ταύτας προφέρουσιν οἱ τοὺς ἀπαλλαγέντας τοῦ βίου δοξολογοῦντες. 655a Ps 64,5cδ Οικον θεοῦ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπιστέλλων ὁ Παῦλος Τιμοθέῳ καλεῖ· ̓Εὰν δὲ βραδύνω ινα ιδῃς πῶς δεῖ ἐν οικῳ θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ητις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος. τούτου τοῦ οικου ἀγαθὰ τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος χαρίσματα τά τε περὶ τριάδος καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δόγματα οι τε παραδοθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων θεσμοὶ καὶ κανόνες. Τούτων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐμπλησθήσεσθαι προσδοκῶσιν οἱ εἰρηκότες ̔Ιλάσθητι ταῖς ἀσεβείαις ἡμῶν ας εχειν ἐδόξαμεν, τῶν ἀνόμων λόγοις ὑπερδυναμωθέντων καθ' ἡμῶν. ̔Η ἀρετὴ τῷ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὀνόματι σημαινομένη θαυμαστῶς ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπιτελεῖται. ̔Ο πιστεύων καὶ εργων ἀγαθῶν πληρωθεὶς εχει τὸν κύριον ἐν ἑαυτῷ· ειρηται γὰρ διὰ τῆς πίστεως κατοικεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν εἰς τὸν εσω ανθρωπον. ουτως ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὸν τηροῦντα τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐρχόμενος μονὴν ποιεῖται, ωστε ναὸς αγιος ὁ ανθρωπός ἐστιν· γέγραπται γὰρ Οὐκ οιδατε οτι ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν; καὶ μεθ' ετερα· ̔Ο γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ αγιός ἐστιν οιτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς. ουτος θαυμαστός ἐστι καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ κατορθοῖ τῇ διὰ τῆς πίστεως ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ συνισταμένῃ, πλήρης ων ἀγαθῶν θείων χαρισμάτων τοῦ πνεύματος ων οἱ μετασχεῖν προσδοκῶντες ἐροῦσι Πλησθησόμεθα. 656 Ps 64,8c.9 Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἐφοβοῦντο οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὰ πέρατα καὶ συνεταράσσοντο τὰ εθνη, τῶν χρηστηρίων καταλυθέντων ὡς μὴ κομπάζειν ετι τοὺς μαντικοὺς δαίμονας καὶ ἰατρείαν ἐπαγγελλομένους, πρὸς τούτοις μαγείας καὶ φαρμακείας καταλυομένης καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σατανᾶ τοῦ τὸ κράτος εχοντος τοῦ θανάτου καταργουμένου; σημεῖα γὰρ ἱκανὰ τὰ τελεσθέντα, δεικνῦντα θεὸν ειναι τὸν ἐργασάμενον. ἀμέλει γνόντες αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα ἐκ τῶν γινομένων, ἐπίστανται λοιπὸν ὡς καὶ τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν αὐτὸς προνοεῖ, ὡς τοῖς νόμοις αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει καὶ δύεται τὰ αστρα. εξοδοι γὰρ πρωΐας αἱ ἀνατολαί, ἑσπέρας δὲ τέρψεις αἱ δύσεις, τερπομένων καὶ εὐφραινομένων λοιπὸν τῶν πιστευσάντων ἐθνῶν θεωρησάντων οτι ὁ τὸν ηλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς αλλους ἀστέρας ἐπιτέλλειν καὶ δύεσθαι ποιῶν αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ γενόμενος ανθρωπος καὶ τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τοῦ θανάτου ἐλευθερώσας. 657a Ps 64,10ab ̓Επεσκέψω τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμέθυσας αὐτήν, ἐπλήθυνας τοῦ πλουτίσαι αὐτήν, ὑετὸν πνευματικὸν διδούς, πρώϊμον μὲν διὰ τῆς παλαιᾶς οψιμον δὲ διὰ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης δι' ων μεθυσθεῖσα ἡ ἀλληγορουμένη γῆ (ψυχὴ δὲ ἀνθρώπου αὐτή) ἐπλουτίσθη παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ εργοις ἀγαθοῖς, πληθύνοντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. 658a Ps 64,10cδ.11 Θεοῦ ποταμὸς ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει καὶ ζωὴ καὶ πηγὴ αὐτὸς ων. καὶ τάχα οτε πρὸς τὸν θεόν ἐστι, πηγὴ ὑπάρχει· ειρηται γὰρ Παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, ποταμὸς τότε εὑρισκόμενος οταν τὴν λογικὴν κτίσιν ποτίζῃ. τούτου τὰ ὁρμήματα τουτέστιν αἱ κατὰ μέρος διδασκαλίαι εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ θεοῦ ητοι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ, πεπληρωμένος ὑδάτων ἐστίν, καθὸ λέγεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ̓Εθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. οὐ μόνον τοίνυν ἐκ τούτων τῶν ὑδάτων ων πλήρης ὁ ποταμός ἐστιν ποτίζεται πᾶσα ἡ λογικὴ κτίσις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τροφὴν θεόθεν ἑτοιμαζομένην εχει, σπείροντος ̓Ιησοῦ σπορὰν ἑκατονταπλασίονα καρποφοροῦσαν. ̓Εκ τούτου τοῦ ποταμοῦ οἱ αυλακες τῆς γῆς ἐφ' ην βέβληται τὸ πνευματικὸν