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speaking the truth from a disposition, they say, As a menstrual rag, all our righteousness is before you; but we are justified freely by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ, having the righteousness apart from the law, which has been revealed, being testified to by the Law and the Prophets. Or perhaps since he who believes in Him is not judged, he prays to receive perfect faith from Him, in order that he may attain to not being judged. For judgment is for those who loved darkness rather than light because they have evil works. Therefore when God hears someone in His own righteousness, He does not enter into judgment with him; for he happens to be His servant, doing all these things that were commanded him. 1237 Ps 142,3b-4a For one's life to be humbled to the earth is to look at the things below and to think about the things on the earth. For just as the life of those who store up treasure in heaven and have their heart there is raised up and exalted, so the one who stores up treasure on the earth and has his mind on sensible things is humbled, having his life on the earth. And he says in the dark places of an age (where the world-rulers of this darkness rule) so that the one who is caught may be likened to the dead of the age. And these are the so-called sons of this age, except that the one who laments these things is not dead of the age but has become *as* dead of the age. Wherefore also the spirit with him for the sake of help, called the spirit of man that is in him, became despondent over him. For since it saw the man being helped by it encountering the aforesaid things, it reasonably became despondent and disheartened, as it alone knows the things of man. 1238 Ps 142,6b The unclean spirit passes through this waterless land and similar souls which are waterless places, not finding a dwelling or rest among them. But even if they happen to be waterless by being deprived of worthless waters, yet they pursue the Lord to find Him ready in the morning, when He will come to them as the early and the latter rain. Wherefore they will also become watered, having in themselves springs of living water leaping up to eternal life. 1239 Ps 142,7bc And since the Holy Spirit does not endure to be where sin is, having said, The enemy has persecuted my soul, and what follows, he is wary lest for these reasons the spirit then present with him might abandon him, so that the present text is the same as, Do not turn your face away, and Do not take your Holy Spirit from me. For no one who is in the sight of God and has the spirit is immediately cast off when he sins, but rather the one who persists in sinning so as to establish a very bad habit; for then such a person will be cast out from the divine face and deprived of the Holy Spirit. However, even if the one in this state is not stripped of the spirit, yet he grieves it, though it is present, through sinning. 1240 Ps 142,8a To me, being at the beginning of the day enlightened by You and beginning to be illuminated by the rising of the sun of Your righteousness, make Your mercy heard; speaking thus about it according to my own state and hearing. For then, having been helped by the hearing concerning it, I will be able to make progress so as even to desire to see it. And I shall attain the sight of it, when, entreating with all my fellow-zealots, I say, Show us, Lord, Your mercy; for it becomes visible then, when one receives it as audible, not being in ignorance but in the beginning of knowledge, which he indicated by 'in the morning'. 1241 Ps 142,8c Perhaps also, one who has walked the former ways, Moses and the prophets, according to 'Stand in the ways and ask for the ancient paths of the Lord,' after the journey in them, seeking the good way, will say to its Father who alone knows the way, which is the Son, 'Make known to me the way in which I shall walk.' Wherefore also, with the Father's assent, manifesting herself she will say to the worthy, 'I am the way; for no one comes to the Father except through me.' 1242 Ps 142,9 His soul having been persecuted by one enemy, as he just said, he now asks to be delivered from a multitude of enemies. But these different words do not conflict; for he called the one enemy the originator of evil, but the

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διαθέσεως ἀληθευούσης φασὶν ̔Ως ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης πᾶσα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῶν ἐναντίον σου· δικαιούμεθα δὲ δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ πίστεως ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εχοντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν χωρὶς νόμου φανερωθεῖσαν μαρτυρουμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Η τάχα ἐπεὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται, ευχεται τελείαν πίστιν παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν, ινα τύχῃ τοῦ μὴ κριθῆναι. γίνεται γὰρ ἡ κρίσις πρὸς ἀγαπήσαντας μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος η τὸ φῶς τῷ πονηρὰ εργα εχειν. οὐκοῦν οταν ἐπακούσῃ ὁ θεὸς τινὶ ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ ἑαυτοῦ, οὐκ εἰσέρχεται μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς κρίσιν· τυγχάνει γὰρ αὐτοῦ δοῦλος, ποιῶν ταῦτα πάντα τὰ διαταχθέντα αὐτῷ. 1237 Ps 142,3b-4a Ταπεινωθῆναι εἰς γῆν ἐστι τὴν ζωήν τινος τὸ σκοπεῖν τὰ κάτω καὶ φρονεῖν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ὡς γὰρ μετεωρίζεται καὶ ὑψοῦται ἡ ζωὴ τῶν θησαυριζόντων ἐν οὐρανῷ κἀκεῖ τὴν καρδίαν εχειν, ουτως ὁ θησαυρίζων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ περὶ τὰ αἰσθητὰ τὴν διάνοιαν εχων ταπεινοῦται, εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωὴν αὐτοῦ εχων. ̓Εν σκοτεινοῖς δέ φησιν αἰῶνος (ενθα αρχουσιν οἱ κοσμοκράτορες τοῦ σκότους τούτου) ὡς τὸν ἁλόντα ὁμοιωθῆναι τοῖς νεκροῖς τοῦ αἰῶνος. ουτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ λεγόμενοι υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πλὴν ὁ ταῦτα ἀποδυράμενος οὐ νεκρὸς αἰῶνος ἀλλ' ὡς νεκρὸς αἰῶνος γέγονε. διὸ καὶ ἠκηδίασεν ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὸ βοηθείας χάριν συνὸν αὐτῷ πνεῦμα λεγόμενον πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ. ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὸν βοηθούμενον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ανθρωπον ειδε τοῖς προκειμένοις περιτυχόντα, εἰκότως ἠκηδίασε καὶ ἠθύμησεν ατε μόνον εἰδὸς τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. 1238 Ps 142,6b Ταύτην τὴν ανυδρον γῆν καὶ τὰς παραπλησίους ψυχὰς ἀνύδρους τόπους ουσας διέρχεται τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον, οὐχ εὑρίσκον παρ' αὐτοῖς μονὴν η ἀνάπαυσιν. πλὴν εἰ καὶ ανυδροι τυγχάνουσι τῷ στερεῖσθαι τῶν φαύλων ὑδάτων, ἀλλ' ουν διώκουσι τὸν κύριον ἐπὶ τῷ ορθρον ετοιμον εὑρεῖν αὐτόν, οτε καὶ ηξει αὐταῖς ὡς ὑετὸς πρόϊμος καὶ οψιμος. διὸ καὶ ενυδροι γενήσονται, πηγὰς ἐν αὐταῖς εχουσαι υδατος ζῶντος ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. 1239 Ps 142,7bc Καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ αγιον πνεῦμα οὐχ ὑπομένει ειναι ενθα ἁμαρτία, εἰπὼν Κατεδίωξεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ τὰ ἑπόμενα, εὐλαβεῖται μὴ διὰ ταῦτα ἐγκαταλείψει αὐτὸν τότε ὡς παρὸν αὐτῷ πνεῦμα, ὡς ειναι τὸ προκείμενον ταὐτὸν τῷ Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ Τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ αγιόν σου μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν ἐν οψει θεοῦ καὶ ἐχόντων πνεῦμα εὐθὺς ἀποβάλλεται ἁμαρτάνων ἀλλ' ὁ ἐπιτείνων τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ὡς εξιν χειρίστην συγκροτῆσαι· τότε γὰρ ἐκβληθήσεται ὁ τοιοῦτος τοῦ θεϊκοῦ προσώπου καὶ ἀφαιρεθείη τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. ομως δὲ εἰ καὶ μὴ γυμνοῦται ὁ ουτως εχων τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀλλ' ουν λυπεῖ αὐτὸ παρὸν διὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν. 1240 Ps 142,8a ̓Εν ἀρχῇ τῆς ὑπὸ σοῦ φωτιζομένης ἡμέρας τυγχάνοντι καὶ ἀρξαμένῳ καταλάμπεσθαι ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου ἀκουστόν μοι ποίησον τὸ ελεος· ουτω περὶ αὐτοῦ λαλῶν ὡς ἡ ἐμὴ εξις καὶ ἀκοή. τότε γὰρ καὶ ὠφεληθεὶς ἐκ τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀκροάσεως προκόψαι δυνήσομαι ὡς καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸ ποθῆσαι. τεύξομαι δὲ καὶ τῆς θέας αὐτοῦ, οταν μετὰ πάντων τῶν ὁμοζήλων παρακαλῶν ειπω ∆εῖξον ἡμῖν, κύριε, τὸ ελεός σου· ὁρατὸν γὰρ τότε γίνεται, οταν ἀκουστόν τις αὐτὸ λάβοι οὐκ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ἀλλ' ἐν ἀρχῇ γνώσεως ων, ο διὰ τοῦ Πρωῒ ἐδήλωσεν. 1241 Ps 142,8c Τάχα δὲ καὶ τὰς προτέρας ὁδούς, Μωυσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας, βαδίσας τις κατὰ τὸ Στῆτε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς καὶ ἐρωτήσατε τρίβους κυρίου αἰωνίας, μετὰ τὴν ἐν αὐταῖς πορείαν ζητῶν τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἀγαθὴν τῷ ταύτης πατρὶ ἐρεῖ μόνῳ γινώσκοντι τὴν ὁδὸν ουσαν υἱὸν Γνώρισόν μοι ὁδὸν ἐν ῃ πορεύσομαι. διὸ καὶ ἐπινεύσαντος τοῦ πατρὸς ἐμφανίζουσα ἑαυτὴν ἐρεῖ τοῖς ἀξίοις ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ερχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι' ἐμοῦ. 1242 Ps 142,9 ̔Υπὸ ἑνὸς ἐχθροῦ καταδιωχθείσης τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀρτίως ειπεν, ἀπὸ πλήθους ἐχθρῶν ἐξαιρεθῆναι νῦν παρακαλεῖ. ἀλλ' οὐ μάχονται αἱ ουτω διάφοροι λέξεις· τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἀρχηγέτην τῆς κακίας ἐχθρὸν ενα ειπε, τὴν δὲ