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31, 32. "Let them confess to the Lord his mercies, and his wonders to the sons of men. Let them exalt him in the church of the people, and in the seat of the elders let them praise him." And one may see this continually happening among the believing gentiles. For in all the churches throughout the world, with the sacred assembly leading, all the people hymn the benefactor, recounting the wondrous deeds of the divine philanthropy. 33, 34. "He turned rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into thirsty ground. A fruitful land into saltness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein." And those who have obtained salvation hymn him, seeing the strange change. For those who were of old watered by many prophetic rivers, and offered ripe fruit to God, now do not enjoy even a little moisture, but have become completely desolate of their former watering on account of their own wickedness. 35. "He turned the wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into water-springs." But the nations that were formerly desolate, and had not even a slight stream, are flooded with the waters of teaching, receiving rational streams beyond their need. 30. "And there he made the hungry to dwell, and they prepared cities for habitation." For those who were formerly wasting away with hunger, and in need of spiritual food, he settled in those rivers, and established the pious polity. 37. "And they sowed fields, and planted vineyards, and made fruit of the increase." And the prophet has said all these things figuratively. And the Lord used such parables; and sometimes he called the apostles reapers, sometimes 80.1748 himself the sower and farmer, and good ground those who obediently receive the seeds of the word. And the Apostle also says: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." And again: "You are God's field, you are God's building." So then the apostles sowed the salvific preachings, and planted rational paradises for God, and offered the ripe fruit of righteousness to God; and all those after them who were entrusted with the teaching, continue doing this same thing. 38. "And he blessed them, and they were multiplied greatly, and he did not diminish their cattle." For he who sows in blessings will also reap in blessings, according to the divine Apostle. And he calls cattle those who are pastured by them, whom he himself increased by bestowing the power of wonderworking. And the blessed Luke is a witness in the Acts, saying: "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." And the Lord himself also calls the believers sheep: "For my sheep," he says, "hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life." Here again he prophesies the evils that will happen to the Jews. 39. "And they were diminished, and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow." So then he says this: Those who formerly inhabited the desert and waterless land, having believed, enjoyed so great a blessing and abundance. But those who formerly enjoyed the watering of the prophetic rivers, then were deprived of it because of the wickedness of their mind, and having remained completely desolate and fruitless, they fell into all kinds of misfortunes, and were scattered throughout the whole world, so that their populous metropolis is inhabited by few. 40. "Contempt was poured out upon their princes." And events bear witness to the prophecy. For those who seem to be their rulers and teachers have become worthy of no account; but those who were formerly illustrious and conspicuous are now completely obscure, and despised even by those themselves. "And he made them wander in a pathless place, and not in a way." But Symmachus has it thus: And he will make them wander in vanity of mind. God does not bring on wandering, but forbids wandering; but those who do not obey he leaves rudderless; and the unballasted, being carried hither and thither, wander about. This the Jews have also suffered; for having abandoned the divine way, they follow their own reasonings.

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λαʹ, λβʹ. "Ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀν θρώπων. Ὑψωσάτωσαν αὐτὸν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ λαοῦ, καὶ ἐν καθέδρᾳ πρεσβυτέρων αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτόν." Καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐθνῶν διηνεκῶς γινόμενον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Ἐν πάσαις γὰρ ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἐκκλησίαις, τοῦ ἱεροῦ καθηγουμένου συλλόγου, ἅπας ὁ λαὸς τὸν εὐεργέτην ὑμνεῖ, τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας τὰς θαυματουργίας διεξιών. λγʹ, λδʹ. "Ἔθετο ποταμοὺς εἰς ἔρημον, καὶ διεξ όδους ὑδάτων εἰς δίψαν. Γῆν καρποφόρον εἰς ἅλμην ἀπὸ κακίας τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν αὐτῇ." Ὑμνοῦσι δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκότες, τὴν ξένην ὁρῶντες μεταβολήν. Οἱ γὰρ πάλαι πολλοῖς ἀρδόμε νοι προφητικοῖς ποταμοῖς, καὶ καρπὸν ὥριμον προσ φέροντες τῷ Θεῷ, νῦν οὐδὲ νοτίδος μικρᾶς ἀπολαύου σιν, ἀλλ' ἔρημοι πάμπαν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν πονηρίαν τῆς προτέρας ἀρδείας γεγένηνται. λεʹ. "Ἔθετο ἔρημον εἰς λίμνας ὑδάτων, καὶ γῆν ἄνυδρον εἰς διεξόδους ὑδάτων." Τὰ δὲ πάλαι ἔρημα ἔθνη, καὶ οὐδὲ βραχεῖαν ἐσχηκότα λιβάδα, τοῖς τῆς διδασκαλίας ὕδασι περικλύζεται, ὑπὲρ τὴν χρείαν τὰ λογικὰ δεχόμενα ῥεύματα. λʹ. "Καὶ κατῴκισεν ἐκεῖ πεινῶντας, καὶ συν εστήσαντο πόλεις κατοικεσίας." Τοὺς γὰρ πάλαι λιμῷ τηκομένους, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς τροφῆς ἐν δεεῖς, ἐν ἐκείνοις κατῴκισε τοῖς ποταμοῖς, καὶ τὴν εὐσεβῆ συνεστήσατο πολιτείαν. λζʹ. "Καὶ ἔσπειραν ἀγροὺς, καὶ ἐφύτευσαν ἀμπε λῶνας, καὶ ἐποίησαν καρπὸν γεννήματος." Καὶ ταῦτα ἅπαντα τροπικῶς εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος παραβολαῖς τοιαύταις ἐχρήσατο· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐκάλεσε θεριστὰς, ποτὲ 80.1748 δὲ αὐτὸν σπορέα καὶ γεωργὸν, καὶ γῆν καλὴν τοὺς εὐπειθῶς δεχομένους τοῦ λόγου τὰ σπέρματα. Καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δέ φησιν· "Ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλὼςἐπότισεν, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ηὔξανε." Καὶ πάλιν· "Θεοῦ γεώργιόν ἐστε, Θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε." Καὶ ἔσπειραν τοίνυν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὰ σωτήρια κηρύγματα, καὶ τοὺς λογικοὺς τῷ Θεῷ κατεφύτευσαν παραδεί σους, καὶ τὸν ὥριμον τῆς δικαιοσύνης καρπὸν τῷ Θεῷ προσεκόμισαν· καὶ ἅπαντες δὲ οἱ μετ' ἐκείνους τὴν διδασκαλίαν πεπιστευμένοι, ταυτὸ τοῦτο δρῶντες διατελοῦσιν. ληʹ. "Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπληθύνθησαν σφόδρα, καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐσμίκρυνεν." Ὁ γὰρ σπείρων ἐπ' εὐλογίαις, ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον. Κτήνη δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῶν νεμομένους, οὓς αὐτὸς ηὔξη σεν τῆς θαυματουργίας χορηγήσας τὴν δύναμιν. Καὶ μάρτυς ὁ μακάριος Λουκᾶς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι λέγων· "Ὁ δὲ Κύριος προσετίθει τοὺς σωζομένους καθ' ἡμέραν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ." Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Κύ ριος πρόβατα καλεῖ τοὺς πιστεύοντας· "Τὰ πρό βατα γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούει, κἀγὼ γινώσκω αὐτὰ, καὶ ἀκολουθοῦσί μοι, κἀγὼ ζωὴν αἰώνιον δίδωμι αὐτοῖς." Ἐνταῦθα πάλιν τὰ Ἰουδαίοις συμβησόμενα προθεσπίζει κακά. λθʹ. "Καὶ ὠλιγώθησαν, καὶ ἐκακώθησαν ἀπὸ θλίψεως κακῶν καὶ ὀδύνης." Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν φη σιν· Οἱ πάλαι τὴν ἔρημον οἰκοῦντες καὶ ἄνυδρον, τοσαύτης εὐλογίας καὶ εὐθηνίας πεπιστευκότες ἀπήλαυσαν. Οἱ δὲ πάλαι τῆς τῶν προφητικῶν πο ταμῶν ἀπολαύσαντες ἀρδείας, εἶτα ταύτης στερη θέντες διὰ τὴν πονηρίαν τῆς γνώμης, καὶ ἔρημοι παντελῶς μεμενηκότες καὶ ἄκαρποι, παντοδαπαῖς περιέπεσον συμφοραῖς, καὶ εἰς ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμέ νην διεσκεδάσθησαν, ὥστε τὴν πολυάνθρωπον αὐτῶν μητρόπολιν ὑπὸ ὀλίγων οἰκεῖσθαι. μʹ. "Ἐξεχύθη ἐξουδένωσις ἐπ' ἄρχοντας αὐ τῶν." Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῇ προῤῥήσει τὰ πρά γματα. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ δοκοῦντες αὐτῶν ἄρχοντες καὶ διδάσκαλοι, οὐδενὸς ἄξιοι καθεστήκασι λόγου· ἀλλ' οἱ πάλαι περιφανεῖς καὶ περίβλεπτοι, ἄσημοι παν τελῶς εἰσι, καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐκείνων καταφρονούμε νοι. "Καὶ ἐπλάνησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀβάτῳ, καὶ οὐχ ὁδῷ." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτω· Καὶ πλανήσει αὐτοὺς ἐν ματαιότητι διανοίας. Ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐπάγει πλάνην, ἀλλ' ἀπαγορεύει τὴν πλάνην· τοὺς δὲ μὴ πειθομέ νους ἀκυβερνήτους ἐᾷ· οἱ δὲ ἀνερμάτιστοι περιφε ρόμενοι τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιπλανῶνται. Τοῦτο καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι πεπόνθασι· τὴν θείαν γὰρ καταλιπόντες ὁδὸν, τοῖς οἰκείοις ἕπονται λογισμοῖς.