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of assaults, and you will not receive harm from them. Thus divine grace fenced about the house of Job; and the enemy is a witness, crying out: "Have you not fenced what is within and what is without his house? 80.1613" But when he permitted, that one showed his own wickedness, and the just judge crowned the victorious athlete. 11. "For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways." This he also said in the 33rd Psalm: "The angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him, and will deliver them." And we have heard Jacob the patriarch saying: "The angel who has delivered me from all evils." And the great Abraham, encouraging his servant, said, "God will send his angel before your face, and you shall take a wife for my son Isaac from there." From all sides, therefore, we learn that the God of all guards through angels those who have put their trust in him. 12. "On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." You will enjoy every kind of providence from them, so that not even a small harm might befall you from anywhere; for he has indicated the smallness of the harm through the stumbling against the stone. And the phrase, "On their hands they will bear you up," is instead of, they will lead you by the hand, they will guide your feet, they will offer every kind of assistance. 13. "You will tread on the asp and the basilisk, and you will trample the lion and the dragon." He mentioned the most powerful and most bitter beasts, wishing to declare the dominion over every kind of wickedness. For through the lion and the dragon he signified strength; for these beasts are exceedingly powerful. But through the asp and the basilisk, he hinted at extreme wickedness. For the one injects deadly venom, while the other works ruin even by its glance. And indeed, many who have believed in God became superior to these beasts. Thus the wondrous Daniel bound the mouths of the lions; thus the divine Paul did not receive harm from the viper; [and that I may speak concisely, let us run back to ancient things;] thus, Noah, living together with the beasts, was saved unharmed. Thus countless men, having embraced the eremitic life and living together with beasts, through their hope in God overcome their harmfulness. 14, 15. "Because he has hoped in me, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he has known my name. He will cry to me, and I will hearken to him." 80.1616 These things, then, the God of all said, teaching what the fruit of hope is: For I will deliver him, he says, from the aforementioned visible and invisible plotters, since he is fenced by his hope in me; for this reason I will guard and protect him, and I will hear him when he speaks, and I will receive his supplication. "I am with him in tribulation." And if he should fall into any trial, I will be with him, and I will offer sufficient comfort. "I will deliver him, and I will glorify him." And not only will I free him from sorrows, but I will also make him admired. 10. "With length of days I will fill him, and I will show him my salvation." And I will grant to him both to reach a deep old age, and I will show him beforehand the salvation that will be his in the life to come. Of these things the blessed Hezekiah also enjoyed. For having asked for an extension of life, he received the number of fifteen years; and from the destruction of the Assyrians he acquired great renown; and to him greatly fits the saying: "I will deliver him, and I will glorify him, and I will show him my salvation." But also all those who have hoped in God will enjoy all kinds of good things; as both the ancient histories teach, and what is seen now bears witness.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 1ST PSALM. 1. "A Psalm of a song, for the Sabbath day." The Sabbath legislated inactivity,

but not all inactivity; for it made spiritual work manifold; for it commanded to be diligent in prayers and hymns, and to offer double sacrifices to God; a cessation therefore from bodily labors the [law] concerning the Sabbath

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προσβολῶν, καὶ βλάβην ἐκεῖθεν οὐ δέξῃ. Οὕτως ἡ θεία χάρις τὴν τοῦ Ἰὼβ περιέφρατ τεν οἰκίαν· καὶ μάρτυς ὁ πολέμιος βοῶν· "Οὐ σὺ περιέφραξας τὰ ἔσωθεν καὶ τὰ ἔξωθεν τῆς οἰκίας 80.1613 αὐτοῦ;" Ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνεχώρησε, κἀκεῖνος τὴν οἰκείαν ἔδειξε πονηρίαν, καὶ ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς τὸν νικηφόρον ἐστεφάνωσεν ἀθλητήν. ιαʹ. "Ὅτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ, τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ λγʹ ἔφη ψαλμῷ· "Παρεμβαλεῖ ἄγγελος Κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν, καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς." Ἠκούσαμεν δὲ καὶ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ πατριάρχου λέγοντος· "Ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ῥυσάμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν." Καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀβραὰμ τὸν οἰ κέτην παραθαῤῥύνων ἔφη, "Ὁ Θεὸς ἀποστελεῖ τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ πρὸ προσώπου σου, καὶ λήψῃ γυναῖκα Ἰσαὰκ τῷ υἱῷ μου ἐκεῖθεν." Πανταχόθεν τοίνυν μανθάνομεν, ὡς δι' ἀγγέλων φρουρεῖ τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πεποιθότας ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός. ιβʹ. "Ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἀροῦσί σε, μήποτε προσκόψῃς πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα σου." Τῆς παντοδαπῆς παρ' αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσεις προνοίας, ἵνα μηδὲ βραχεῖά σου ποθὲν προσγένηται βλάβη· τὸ σμικρὸν γὰρ τῆς βλάβης, διὰ τοῦ προσπταῖσαι τῷ λίθῳ δεδήλωκε. Τὸ δέ· "Ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἀροῦσί σε," ἀντὶ τοῦ χειραγωγή σουσι, ποδηγήσουσι, παντοδαπὴν ἐπικουρίαν προσοίσουσιν. ιγʹ. "Ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ, καὶ καταπατήσεις λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα." Τῶν δυνατω τάτων καὶ πικροτάτων ἐμνήσθη θηρίων, τὴν κατὰ παντὸς εἴδους πονηρίας ἐπικράτειαν δηλῶσαι θε λήσας. ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ λέοντος καὶ τοῦ δράκοντος τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐσήμανε· δυνατὰ γὰρ ταῦτα κομιδῆ τὰ θηρία. ∆ιὰ δὲ τῆς ἀσπίδος καὶ τοῦ βασιλίσκου, τὴν ἄκραν πονηρίαν ᾐνίξατο. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐνίησι θανατη φόρον ἰὸν, ὁ δὲ καὶ τῇ θέᾳ λώβην ἐργάζεται. Καὶ αὐτῶν μέντοι τῶν θηρίων κρείττους ἐγένοντο πολ λοὶ πεπιστευκότες Θεῷ. Οὕτως ὁ θαυμάσιος ∆α νιὴλ τὰ τῶν λεόντων ἐπέδησε στόματα· οὕτως ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐχίδνης οὐκ ἐδέξατο βλάβην· [καὶ ἵνα συντόμως εἴπω, ἐπὶ τὰ παλαιὰ ἀναδράμωμεν·] οὕτως, ὁ Νῶε, τοῖς θηρίοις συν διαιτώμενος ἀλύμαντος διεσώθη. Οὕτω μυρίοι τὸν ἐρημικὸν ἀσπασάμενοι βίον, καὶ θηρίοις συμβιο τεύοντες διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδος τῆς τού των περιγίνονται λύμης. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "Ὅτι ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἤλπισε, καὶ ῥύσομαι αὐ τόν· σκεπάσω αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἔγνω τὸ ὄνομά μου. Κε κράξεται πρός με, καὶ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτοῦ." 80.1616 Ταῦτα λοιπὸν ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεὸς, διδάσκων τίς ὁ τῆς ἐλπίδος καρπός· Ῥύσομαι γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων ἐπιβού λων, τῇ ἐμῇ ἐλπίδι φραξάμενον· διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν φρουρήσω τε καὶ σκεπάσω, καὶ λαλοῦντος ἀκούσο μαι, καὶ τὴν δέησιν δέξομαι. "Μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰμι ἐν θλίψει." Κἄν τινι πειρασμῷ περιπέσῃ, συν έσομαι, καὶ τὴν ἀρκοῦσαν προσοίσω παραψυχήν. "Ἐξελοῦμαι αὐτὸν, καὶ δοξάσω αὐτόν." Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὸν ἐλευθερώσω τῶν λυπηρῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περίβλεπτον ἀπεργάσομαι. ιʹ. "Μακρότητα ἡμερῶν ἐμπλήσω αὐτὸν, καὶ δείξω αὐτῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου." Παρέξω δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ εἰς γῆρας ἐλάσαι βαθὺ, καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸν μέλλοντα βίον σωτηρίαν προδείξω. Τούτων καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἀπήλαυσεν Ἐζεκίας. Προσθήκην γὰρ αἰτήσας ζωῆς, πέντε καὶ δέκα ἐτῶν ἔλαβεν ἀριθμόν· πολλὴν δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυ ρίων ἀπωλείας ἐκτήσατο περιφάνειαν· καὶ λίαν αὐ τῷ ἁρμόττει τό· "Ἐξελοῦμαι αὐτὸν, καὶ δοξάσω αὐτὸν, καὶ δείξω αὐτῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου." Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅπαντες οἱ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἠλπικότες παντο δαπῶν ἀπολαύσουσιν ἀγαθῶν· ὡς καὶ αἱ παλαιαὶ διδάσκουσιν ἱστορίαι, καὶ τὰ νῦν ὁρώμενα μαρ τυρεῖ.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Αʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς, εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ Σαββά του." Τὸ Σάββατον ἀργίαν

ἐνομοθέτει, ἀλλ' οὐ πᾶσαν ἀργίαν· τὴν γὰρ πνευματικὴν ἐργασίαν πολλαπλασίαν ἐποίει· εὐχαῖς γὰρ καὶ ὕμνοις προσεδρεύειν ἐκέλευσε, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ διπλᾶς ἱε ρεύειν θυσίας· τῶν σωματικῶν τοίνυν πόνων παῦ λαν ἔχειν ὁ περὶ τοῦ Σαββάτου