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treats. βʹ. "Sing to him, and psalm to him; tell of all his wondrous works." Repay him with hymns and melodies; and teach those who do not know the wonders that have come from him. γʹ. "Glory in his holy name." But Aquila has put "boast" instead of "glory." And the Word exhorts not to be proud in wealth, not in strength, not in power, but in the knowledge and providence of God. This the divine Apostle also commanded: "For he that glories," he says, "let him glory in the Lord." These things the most wise Anna also recounts, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the strong man glory in his strength." And, "Let not the rich man glory in his wealth, but let him who glories glory in this, in understanding and knowing the Lord, and doing judgment and justice upon the earth." -"Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice." For gladness is the fruit of hope in God. δʹ. "Seek the Lord, and be strengthened." And teaching how this must be done, he added: "Seek his face always." For not once or twice, but throughout all of life it is fitting to seek aid from above, and to reap the benefit. For those who seek will be invincible, and unconquerable. This the Lord also decreed when making his law: "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened." εʹ. "Remember his wonderful works which he has done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth." Do not consign to oblivion the ineffable wonders which the Master wrought, having adorned them with his righteous decree. For here he called judgments the wonders justly brought about by God. For since he is making a narration of the things that happened in Egypt, he teaches beforehand the justice of the punishment of the Egyptians. ʹ. "Seed of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen." He calls the same people both this and that, 80.1712 as they were named descendants on the one hand, and sons on the other. And he called them chosen, as they were called the people of God above all the nations. And this he also showed through what follows. ζʹ. "He is the Lord our God, his judgments are in all the earth." For being the same God and Lord of all, and ruling over the whole inhabited world, he called these his own people. ηʹ. "He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations." Through these words he teaches the lasting and permanent nature of the promises made to Abraham. For the word is not, as some have supposed, hyperbolic, but true and divine. And the God of all promised that in his seed he would bless all the nations. And his seed is the Lord Christ according to the flesh, who has eternal power and an imperishable kingdom. The mention of a thousand generations also indicates this. For the word does not signify a number of years, but hints at the lasting and eternal multitude of generations. θʹ, ιʹ. "Which he covenanted with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac. And he established it to Jacob for a commandment, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant." The divine Moses also made mention of these oaths; "For God said," he says, "to Abraham, By myself have I sworn, that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven in multitude; and in your seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed." He also reminds Isaac of this oath; he confirms the agreements also with Jacob; and indeed he fulfills them, by freeing their descendants from the bondage of the Egyptians through Moses, and by giving them the promised land through Joshua the son of Nun; and concluding the end of the promise through the Lord Christ. ιαʹ. "Saying, To you will I give the land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance." He called the ownership of the land "portion"; for it is characteristic of those who possess it to subject the land to measurement. ιβʹ. "When they were few in number, very few and sojourners in it." And these things, he says, he promised to the fathers, who were few
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πραγματεύεται. βʹ. "Ἄσατε αὐτῷ, καὶ ψάλατε αὐτῷ· διηγήσασθε πάντα τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ." Ὕμνοις αὐτὸν καὶ μελῳδίαις ἀμείβεσθε· καὶ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδά ξατε τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γεγενημένα θαύματα. γʹ. "Ἐπαινεῖσθε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας καυχᾶσθε ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπαινεῖσθε τέθεικε. Παρακελεύεται δὲ ὁ λόγος, μὴ ἐπὶ πλού τῳ, μὴ ἐπὶ ῥώμῃ, μὴ ἐπὶ δυναστείᾳ μέγα φρονεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ γνώσει καὶ προμηθείᾳ. Τοῦτο παρηγγύησε καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀποστόλος· "Ὁ καυχώμενος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχάσθω." Ταῦτα καὶ ἡ σοφωτάτη Ἄννα διέξεισι, "Μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ σο φὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὑτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ ἰσχυ ρὸς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὑτοῦ." Καὶ, "Μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ πλού σιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὑτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος, ἐν τῷ συνιεῖν καὶ γινώσκειν τὸν Κύ ριον, καὶ ποιεῖν κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." -"Εὐφρανθήτω καρδία ζητούντων τὸν Κύ ριον." Τῆς γὰρ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδος εὐφροσύνη καρπός. δʹ. "Ζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον, καὶ κραταιώθητε." Καὶ διδάσκων πῶς δεῖ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἐπήγαγε· "Ζητήσατε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ διαπαντός." Οὐ γὰρ ἅπαξ ἢ δὶς, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπικουρίαν προσήκει ζητεῖν, καὶ τὴν ὠφέ λειαν καρποῦσθαι. Ἄμαχοι γὰρ οἱ ζητοῦντες ἔσονται, καὶ ἀήττητοι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος νομοθετῶν ὑπηγ γείλατο· "Αἰτεῖτε καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτε καὶ εὑρήσετε, κρούετε καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει, καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει, καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται." εʹ. "Μνήσθητε τῶν θαυμασίων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησε, τὰ τέρατα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ κρίματα τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ." Μὴ παράδοτε λήθῃ τὰς ἀῤῥήτους θαυ ματουργίας, ἃς τῇ δικαίᾳ ψήφῳ κοσμήσας ὁ ∆εσπό της εἰργάσατο. Κρίματα γὰρ ἐνταῦθα προσηγό ρευσε τὰ ἐνδίκως ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγενημένα θαύ ματα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γεγενημένων ποιεῖται διήγησιν, προδιδάσκει τῆς Αἰγυπτίων τι μωρίας τὸ δίκαιον. ʹ. "Σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ, υἱοὶ Ἰακὼβ ἐκλεκτοὶ αὐτοῦ." Τοὺς αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο 80.1712 καλεῖ, ὡς τοὺς μὲν ἀπογόνους, τοὺς δὲ υἱοὺς χρη ματίσαντας. Ἐκλεκτοὺς δὲ προσηγόρευσεν ὡς παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη λαὸς κληθέντας Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐπιφερομένων ἐδήλωσεν. ζʹ. "Αὐτὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ." Ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὢν ἁπάντων Θεὸς καὶ Κύριος, καὶ πάσης δεσπόζων τῆς οἰκου μένης, τούτους ἴδιον λαὸν προσηγόρευσεν. ηʹ. "Ἐμνήσθη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαθήκης αὑτοῦ, λόγου οὗ ἐνετείλατο εἰς χιλίας γενεάς." Τὸ διαρ κὲς καὶ μόνιμον τῶν πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ γεγενημένων ὑποσχέσεων διὰ τούτων διδάσκει. Οὐ γὰρ, ὥς τινες ὑπέλαβον, ὑπερβολικὸς ὁ λόγος· ἀλλ' ἀληθὴς καὶ θεῖος. Ὑπέσχετο δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ σπέρ ματι αὐτοῦ εὐλογήσειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Σπέρμα δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς κατὰ σάρκα· ὃς αἰώνιον ἔχει τὸ κράτος, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀνώλεθρον. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τῶν χιλίων γενεῶν ἡ μνήμη παραδηλοῖ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν ὁ λόγος σημαίνει, ἀλλὰ τὸ διαρκὲς καὶ αἰώνιον τῶν γενεῶν τὸ πλῆθος αἰνίτ τεται. θʹ, ιʹ. "Ὅ τι διέθετο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τοῦ ὅρκου αὑτοῦ τῷ Ἰσαάκ. Καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὸν τῷ Ἰακὼβ εἰς πρόσταγμα, καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον." Τούτων τῶν ὅρκων καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος ἐμνημόνευσε Μωσῆς· "Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, Κατ' ἐμαυτοῦ ὤμοσα, ἦ μὴν εὐλο γῶν εὐλογήσω, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου, ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει· καὶ εὐλο γηθήσονται ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς." Τούτῳ τῷ ὅρκῳ καὶ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἀναμιμνή σκει· βεβαιοῖ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἰακὼβ τὰς συνθήκας· καὶ μέντοι καὶ πληροῖ ταύτας, διὰ μὲν Μωσοῦ τοὺς ἐκείνων ἐκγόνους τῆς Αἰγυπτίων ἐλευθερώσας δουλείας, διὰ δὲ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην γῆν ἀποδούς· τὸ δὲ τέλος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας διὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου συμπεράνας Χριστοῦ. ιαʹ. "Λέγων, Σοὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν Χαναὰν, σχοί νισμα κληρονομίας ὑμῶν." Σχοίνισμα τὴν τῆς γῆς ἐκάλεσε δεσποτείαν· τῶν κεκτημένων γὰρ ἴδιον μέτρῳ τὴν γῆν ὑποβάλλειν. ιβʹ. "Ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀριθμῷ βραχεῖς, ὀλι γοστοὺς καὶ παροίκους ἐν αὐτῇ." Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ὑπέσχετο τοῖς πατράσιν ὀλίγοις