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he takes refuge in this, just as Moses did. But God does not always do this, being concerned for the salvation of men. For if He were always going to do this, many of the slothful would have become worse, having the greatest pledge of not suffering evil, namely, being continually saved for the sake of His glory. But this does not happen. For He is not so concerned for His own glory as for the salvation of men. For if men despise this, much more so does God, who needs nothing from us; but as I said, the Prophet, since he has the role of an advocate, makes his plea from the available arguments, and doubles his word, saying: Not to us, O Lord, not to us; showing emphatically the unworthiness of those being saved; But to Your name give glory. For we are indeed worthy of countless evils; but may Your name not be profaned. For Your mercy and for Your truth. Another interpreter says, Because of Your mercy. Do you see how he himself also knows clearly that often God, despising this, looks to one thing only, the correction of sinners. For this reason he added: For Your mercy, and for Your truth. That is, for Your mercy's sake help us, even if you are not concerned with the glory from men, but for Your mercy and Your truth. For it is possible, it is possible to receive glory by punishing, not only by showing mercy. But not so, he says, but for Your mercy's sake. For glory ought to have been given by us to Your name through our life and conduct; but since we have betrayed this, do it through Your help, through Your mercy and loving-kindness. Lest the nations should say, Where is their God? 4. I hear many who pray even now saying these things; but there is a fear, lest they say in another way, Where is their God? when many seize, and do wrong, and do countless terrible things. But our God is in heaven and on earth; He has done all that He willed. Here he corrects the error of the foolish. For since many are ignorant that there is a God, correcting such a belief, he says: But our God in heaven has done all that He willed. And if in heaven, much more on earth. But what is, In heaven He has done all that He willed? Either he means the powers above, and those countless hosts, or the commands, which are accomplished with ease. But if the earth has much confusion and disorder, do not be surprised. This happens from the wickedness of men, and the evil of those who pursue it, but not from the weakness of God. For that He is strong and 55.310 powerful, the things done in heaven show. But if on earth it is not so, those who make themselves unworthy are the cause. And one might handle this argument in another way, that many things, on account of long-suffering, do not yet receive their deserved retribution. For this reason also the wicked prevail over the just, as the man-loving God does not wish to demand an accounting for transgressions from each one immediately; since our race would have long ago been snatched away. This, therefore, he says here, that He is powerful and strong, and able to punish; and it is clear from the things that happen in heaven; but He does not do this, everywhere using long-suffering, and drawing those who live in wickedness to repentance. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have a mouth, and will not speak; they have eyes, and will not see; they have ears, and will not hear; they have noses, and will not smell; they have hands, and will not feel; they have feet, and will not walk; they will not make a sound in their throat. May those who make them become like them. For in the one hundred and fifth psalm, describing their madness, he said, that They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons; in

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τοῦτο καταφεύγει, καθάπερ καὶ Μωϋσῆς. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀεὶ αὐτὸ ποιεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, τῆς σωτηρίας κηδόμενος τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Εἰ γὰρ ἀεὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἔμελλε, πολλοὶ τῶν ῥᾳθύμων χείρους ἂν ἐγένοντο, μέγιστον ἐνέχυρον ἔχοντες τοῦ μὴ πάσχειν κακῶς, τὸ διὰ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ διηνεκῶς σώζεσθαι. Ἀλλ' οὐ γίνεται τοῦτο. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω μέλει τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ αὐτῷ, ὡς τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι καταφρονοῦσι τούτου, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ μὴ δεόμενός τινος τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔφην, ὁ Προφήτης, ἐπειδὴ συνηγόρου τάξιν ἔχει, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνόντων τὴν συνηγορίαν ποιεῖται, καὶ διπλασιάζει τῷ λόγῳ, λέγων· Μὴ ἡμῖν, Κύριε, μὴ ἡμῖν· σφόδρα τὸ ἀνάξιον τῶν σωζομένων δεικνύς· Ἀλλ' ἢ τῷ ὀνόματί σου δὸς δόξαν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ μυρίων ἄξιοι κακῶν· ἀλλ' ὅπως τὸ ὄνομά σου μὴ βεβηλωθῇ. Ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλέει σου καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου. Ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτής φησι, ∆ιὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου. Ὁρᾷς πῶς αὐτὸ καὶ αὐτὸς οἶδε σαφῶς, ὅτι πολλάκις τούτου καταφρονῶν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς ἓν ὁρᾷ μόνον, τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων διόρθωσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλέει σου, καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου. Τουτέστι, διὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου βοήθησον ἡμῖν, εἰ καὶ τῆς δόξης οὐ μέλει σοι τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου. Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔστι καὶ κολάζοντα δόξαν λαβεῖν, οὐκ ἐλεοῦντα μόνον. Ἀλλὰ μὴ οὕτω, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου. Ἐχρῆν μὲν γὰρ παρ' ἡμῶν τῷ ὀνόματί σου δίδοσθαι δόξαν διὰ τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς πολιτείας· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο προδεδώκαμεν, διὰ τῆς ἀντιλήψεως ποίησον, διὰ τοῦ ἐλέου καὶ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας. Μήποτε εἴπωσι τὰ ἔθνη, Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν; δʹ. Πολλῶν καὶ νῦν εὐχομένων ἀκούω ταῦτα λεγόντων· ἀλλὰ δέος, μήποτε ἄλλως εἴπωσι τὸ, Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν; ὅταν ἁρπάζωσι πολλοὶ, καὶ ἀδικῶσι, καὶ μυρία ποιῶσι δεινά. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησεν. Ἐνταῦθα τὴν πλάνην τῶν ἀνοήτων διορθοῦται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ ἀγνοοῦσιν εἶναι Θεὸν, τὸ τοιοῦτον δόγμα διορθούμενος, φησίν· Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησεν. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησεν; Ἢ τὰς δυνάμεις τὰς ἄνω φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς δήμους τοὺς ἀπείρους ἐκείνους, ἢ τὰ ἐπιτάγματα, ἃ μετὰ εὐκολίας ἀνύεται. Εἰ δὲ ἡ γῆ πολλὴν ἔχει τὴν σύγχυσιν καὶ τὴν ἀταξίαν, μὴ θαυμάσῃς. Ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων κακίας, καὶ τῆς πονηρίας τῶν μετιόντων, ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἀτονίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο γίνεται. Ὅτι γὰρ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ 55.310 δυνατὸς, τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ δηλοῖ πραττόμενα. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τῇ γῇ οὐχ οὕτως, οἱ ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς καθιστῶντες αἴτιοι. Καὶ ἑτέρως δ' ἄν τις τοῦτον μεταχειρίσειε τὸν λόγον, ὅτι πολλὰ καὶ διὰ μακροθυμίαν οὐδέπω τὴν κατ' ἀξίαν λαμβάνει ἀντίδοσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πονηροὶ δικαίων περιγίνονται, οὐ βουλομένου τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ παρὰ πόδας ἕκαστον τὰς εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖν τῶν πεπλημμελημένων· ἐπεὶ πάλαι ἂν τὸ γένος ἀνηρπάσθη τὸ ἡμέτερον. Τοῦτο τοίνυν ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ὅτι δυνατὸς μέν ἐστι καὶ ἰσχυρὸς, καὶ οἷός τε ἐπεξελθεῖν· καὶ δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ γενομένων· οὐ ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο, πανταχοῦ τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ χρώμενος, καὶ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἕλκων τοὺς ἐν πονηρίᾳ ζῶντας. Τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων. Στόμα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ λαλήσουσιν· ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται· ὦτα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούσονται· ῥῖνας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὀσφρανθήσονται· χεῖρας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ ψηλαφήσουσι· πόδας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ περιπατήσουσιν· οὐ φωνήσουσιν ἐν τῷ λάρυγγι αὐτῶν. Ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτά. Ἐν μὲν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ πέμπτῳ ψαλμῷ τὴν μανίαν αὐτῶν διηγούμενος ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ἔθυσαν τοῖς δαιμονίοις· ἐν