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I have become troubled; for the discernments of my initial passion were not at all established for me in the fear that comes from passion. At any rate, I uttered none of the things which cowards are accustomed to say. But if the "guards" are spoken of in the masculine gender, he will say that all my enemies anticipated all the thoughts, which I ought to have set up around myself to guard me, substituting destructive and harmful thoughts for the guarding ones. Let these things be said concerning invisible enemies. And if the divisions of the night are also called "watches" (if it should happen, he says, that the whole night be filled with sleep according to Ephraim), all the enemies, anticipating these watches, will attack; For they will not sleep, unless they have done evil. 794a Ps 76,6 When these things happened to me, he says, I roused myself to remember the circumstances from of old and the many that had befallen (not only me but also my fathers in virtue), from all of which the Lord delivered both me and them; on which account I also became more cheerful to endure to the end, so that I might obtain the prize of salvation from such contests; For he who endures to the end, he will be saved. For having considered the ancient days and having remembered and meditated on the eternal years, I often found myself and other men fallen into such a state of helplessness, as to despair of salvation and to abandon all hope; but when trust in God came to be, all resourcefulness appeared in the situations that had been beset by helplessness. You shall remember for the present matters the Hebrew multitude coming to the shores of the sea; for when no good hope remained there, suddenly God provided breadth in narrow places and resourcefulness in helpless situations. 795a Ps 76,7 Since this whole life, because of the prevailing ignorance of things, is called night, I did not, like other men, give myself over to sleep and stupor, but roused myself to sobriety and watchfulness; For those who sleep, sleep at night, and get drunk at night. With my heart, that is, my mind, reasoning with myself about things to be done and the natures of things (for, knowing that the present things are temporary) I learned that the evil things that beset me will have an end. And with agricultural skill I was tilling my spirit, wishing to sow into it, so that from it I might reap eternal life; For he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap eternal life. But "spirit" must not be thought to be said synonymously, but homonymously in the present phrase and in the one previously set down; for there the soul was called spirit, but here it is the spirit of man that is in him. For if here also "spirit" is said instead of "soul," who is it that tills his spirit and meditates with his heart? For it is not possible for the body to do these things. Therefore it is the soul, which is also properly the human being, that both meditates with the mind and tills the spirit yoked with the mind; For I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the mind; I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the mind. 796a Ps 76,8-10 For it would be a corruption to depart from natural goodness, with the substance no longer remaining, if any of its natural properties were taken away from it. For previously I saw him being pleased to help and assenting to those who ask, when I "considered ancient days." Does his kindness therefore stand only up to those times, with him no longer adding to his good pleasure? Away with the thought. For neither does he cut off his mercy from the former generation, not reaching to the one to come. For this is the thought of those who suppose his mercy will have an end, if in one generation he might do good and have mercy, but in another, not. For he will not forget to have compassion, just as fire and light will not forget to give light and to warm. For even if through temporary anger on account of a sin that occurred he should seem to restrain his compassions, yet they will not be restrained forever. 797a Ps 76,11 Even if many grievous things that have happened concerning me cast me into turmoil by which

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τεθορυβημένῃ γεγένημαι· εστη γάρ μοι τὰ τῆς κρίσεως τῆς προπαθείας οὐδ' ολως ἐν τῷ παθητικῷ φόβῳ γεγενημένῳ. ἐφθεγξάμην γοῦν οὐδὲν ων οἱ δειλωθέντες φιλοῦσι λέγειν. Εἰ δὲ ἀρρενικῶς οἱ φύλακες λέγοιντο, ἐρεῖ οτι πάντας τοὺς λογισμούς, ους εδει με στῆσαι περὶ ἐμαυτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ φρουρεῖν με, εφθασαν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου ἀντὶ τῶν φυλαττόντων ὀλεθρίους καὶ ἐπιβλαβεῖς ὑποβάλλοντες λογισμούς. ταῦτα δὲ περὶ ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν λεγέσθω. Εἰ δὲ καὶ φυλακαὶ οἱ τῆς νυκτὸς μερισμοὶ λέγονται (εἰ συμβαίη, φησίν, ολην τὴν νύκτα υπνου ἐμπλησθῆναι κατὰ τὸν ̓Εφραίμ), προκαταλαμβάνοντες ταύτας τὰς φυλακὰς πάντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἐπιθήσονται· Οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑπνώσωσιν, ἐὰν μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν. 794a Ps 76,6 Τούτων συμβάντων μοι, φησίν, διήγειρα ἐμαυτὸν πρὸς τὸ μνημονεῦσαι τῶν ανωθεν καὶ πολλῶν προκαταλαβουσῶν περιστάσεων (οὐ μόνον ἐμὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἀρετὴν πατέρας μου) ἀφ' ων πασῶν ὁ κύριος ἐρρύσατο ἐμέ τε κἀκείνους· ἐφ' ῳ καὶ εὐθυμότερος γέγονα πρὸς τὸ ὑπομεῖναι εἰς τέλος, ινα αθλου τῶν τοιούτων ἀγώνων σωτηρίας τύχω· ̔Ο γὰρ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, ουτος σωθήσεται. διαλογησάμενος γὰρ τὰς ἀρχαίας ἡμέρας καὶ τὰ αἰώνια ετη μνησθεὶς καὶ μελετήσας, ευρον πολλάκις ἐμαυτόν τε καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς ἀπορίαν τοιαύτην ἐμπεσόντας, ὡς ἀπογνῶναι τὴν σωτηρίαν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα καταλεῖψαι· ἀλλὰ πεποιθήσεως ἐπὶ θεὸν γεγενημένης, πᾶσα εὐπορία ἐν τοῖς καταλαβοῦσιν ἀπόρεις ἀναπέφανται. μνημονεύσῃς εἰς τὰ προκείμενα τῆς ̔Εβραϊκῆς πληθύος ἐλθούσης παρὰ τὰς οχθας τῆς θαλάσσης· οὐδεμιᾶς γὰρ ἐκεῖ ὑπολειπομένης ἐλπίδος χρηστῆς, ἐξαίφνης ὁ θεὸς ἐν στενοῖς πλάτος καὶ ἐν ἀπόροις εὐπορίαν παρέσχεν. 795a Ps 76,7 Παντὸς τοῦ βίου τούτου διὰ τὴν ἐπιπολάζουσαν αγνοιαν τῶν πραγμάτων νυκτὸς ὀνομαζομένου, οὐ κατὰ τοὺς αλλους ἀνθρώπους υπνῳ καὶ κάρῳ ἐμαυτὸν παραδέδωκα ἀλλὰ πρὸς νηφαλεότητα καὶ γρήγορσιν διαναστήσας ἐμαυτόν· Οἱ γὰρ καθεύδοντες νυκτὸς καθεύδουσιν καὶ νυκτὸς μεθύουσιν. Μετὰ τῆς καρδίας μου, τουτέστι τοῦ νοῦ μου, αὐτὸς ἐμαυτῷ διαλεγόμενος περὶ τῶν πρακτέων καὶ φύσεων τῶν πραγμάτων (γνοῦς γὰρ οτι πρόσκαιρα τὰ παρόντα) εμαθον οτι τέλος εξει τὰ περιστηκότα πονηρά. ἐσκάλευον δὲ σὺν γεωργικῇ τέχνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου, σπείρειν εἰς αὐτὸ βουλόμενος, ινα ἐξ αὐτοῦ θερίσω ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ̔Ο σπείρων γὰρ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος θερίσει ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Οὐ νομιστέον δὲ συνωνύμως εἰρῆσθαι τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀλλ' ὁμωνύμως ἐπὶ τῆς παρούσης λέξεως καὶ τῆς πρότερον τεθείσης· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ πνεῦμα ἐλέγετο, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ πνεῦμα ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς λέγεται, τίς ὁ σκάλλων τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀδολεσχῶν μετὰ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ; οὐ γὰρ οιόν τέ ἐστι τὸ σῶμα ταῦτα ποιεῖν. Ψυχὴ ουν ἐστιν ἡ καὶ κυρίως ανθρωπος ουσα καὶ ἀδολεσχοῦσα μετὰ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ σκαλεύουσα τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ τῷ νῷ συνεζευγμένον· Προσεύξομαι γὰρ τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξομαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ· ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ. 796a Ps 76,8-10 Φθορὰ γὰρ αν ειη τὸ ἐκστῆναι τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ἀγαθότητος, οὐκέτι τῆς οὐσίας μενούσης, εἰ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ὑπαρχόντων τι ἀφαιρεθείη αὐτῆς. πρότερον γὰρ εὐδοκοῦντα βοηθεῖν καὶ ἐπινεύοντα τοῖς αἰτουμένοις ειδον αὐτόν, οτε ∆ιελογισάμην ἡμέρας ἀρχαίας. αρ' ουν μέχρις ἐκείνων εστη ἡ χρηστότης αὐτοῦ, οὐκέτι προστιθέντος αὐτοῦ εὐδοκῆσαι; απαγε. ουτε γὰρ τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ ἀποκόπτει ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας γενεᾶς, οὐ φθάνον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐσομένην. τοῦτο γὰρ οἰομένων ἐστὶ τέλος εξειν τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ, εἰ εν τινι μὲν γενεᾷ εὐεργετοίη καὶ ἐλεοίη, εν τινι δὲ μή. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπιλήσεται τοῦ οἰκτειρῆσαι, ωσπερ οὐδὲ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐπιλήσεται τοῦ φωτίζειν καὶ θερμαίνειν. καν γὰρ διὰ πρόσκαιρον ὀργὴν διὰ ἁμαρτίαν συμβᾶσαν δόξῃ συνέχειν τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τὸ ἀεὶ συσχεθήσονται. 797a Ps 76,11 Εἰ καὶ πολλὰ θλιβερὰ περὶ ἐμὲ γεγενημένα τάραχον ἐνέβαλέ μοι ῳ