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He called his army, in the plural, enemies. He demands most justly to be delivered from enemies, since he fled to no one else but to him alone. 1243 Ps 142,10 Teach me, he says, not only to know but also to do your will; for knowing it without doing it is not sanctifying and blessed, but rather when it is put into action and done. Wherefore the Savior also says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." It is clear that the one who does God's will also knows it, but not always the one who knows and does not do it; with this agrees the saying, "Learn to do good." What this learning of the divine will is, the following text signifies: that it is the guidance of the Holy Spirit into the right land. For he who has learned the will of God in moral virtues will be guided by the gift of God by the Holy Spirit who works into all truth. And the right land is the good and pure heart in which the seed of Jesus or that of the meek will bear fruit. It can also be understood thus: Teach me to do your will, so that I may no longer fulfill your law in a typical manner but spiritually, it being no other than your will; and having progressed this far and been led by the Holy Spirit into the right land, I may henceforth articulate the truth face to face. In some versions, instead of "Your Holy Spirit," it reads "Your good Spirit;" from which it is shown that the holy is good and the good is holy, and good not by participation in goodness but by being such in essence, just as it is also holy. Such also is the Father; and it is said of him, "Holy Father," and, "No one is good except God alone." And the Son from the good and holy is said to be good and holy. 1244 Ps 142,11 For the sake of your name which has been called upon, I am called yours. You will give me life in your righteousness, justifying me according to it; for thus it will come to pass that I shall live in it. He fittingly used the future tense for "You will give me life," since here we have life partially, just as we have other good things, and we will live completely then, when Christ our life is revealed; for he is the righteousness of God in which the one who cleaves to him will live.

1245 Ps 143,1 Since whatever is good and profitable for humans

comes from God, whatever the saints may have of such things, they give thanks to God, knowing that he is the cause of good things. Behold, David too, warring against his enemies and being experienced in the things of war by which the various invisible enemies are overthrown and cast down, blesses God who became his teacher of the knowledge of such wars, so that the fingers and hands of the inner man may skillfully touch the means of defense, by which it is possible to strike and wound the champions of wickedness and of falsely called knowledge, both wicked men and demons. 1246 Ps 143,4 The constitution of human beings, composed of a corruptible body and an immortal soul, according to the immortal and intelligent soul has reason and knowledge of the cause of all things, but according to the body, being nothing, it is likened to vanity, being compared to the easily moved and easily vanished shadow of the day of a man's life. But even if the power of the soul is intellectual, it does not, however, perceive or reason about God at random, but only as he provides good things to it. For it is not said, "What is man, that he knows you and reasons about you," but, "That you were made known to him and you are mindful of him." For the Savior reveals himself to those who are prepared for this, and in this way he is said to be known by them. And having been made known and seen through intellectual contemplation, he also shows the Father by being seen himself; "For he who has seen me has seen the Father," and "No one has known the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Then, since the Son, having the Father in himself, shows him by being seen himself,

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στρατιὰν αὐτοῦ πληθυντικῶς ἐκάλεσεν ἐχθρούς. ̓Απαιτεῖ δὲ τὸ ἐξαιρεθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δικαιότατα, ἐπείπερ πρὸς οὐδένα η πρὸς αὐτὸν μόνον κατέφυγεν. 1243 Ps 142,10 ∆ίδαξόν με, φησίν, μὴ εἰδέναι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημά σου· οὐ γὰρ τὸ ἐπίστασθαι αὐτὸ ανευ τοῦ ἐνεργεῖν ἁγιαστικὸν καὶ μακαριοποιόν ἐστιν ἀλλ' ἐνεργούμενον καὶ πραττόμενον. διὸ καὶ ὁ σωτήρ φησιν Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι Κύριε κύριε εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. φανερὸν δὲ οτι ὁ ποιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ θέλημα καὶ ἐπίσταται αὐτό, οὐ πάντως τοῦ εἰδότος καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντος· τούτῳ συνᾴδει τὸ Μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν. τίς δὲ αυτη ἡ μάθησις τοῦ θείου θελήματος ἡ ἑξῆς σημαίνει λέξις, οτι ὁδήγησις τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματός ἐστιν εἰς τὴν εὐθείαν γῆν. ὁ γὰρ μαθὼν τὸ ἐν ἠθικαῖς ἀρεταῖς τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ θέλημα ὁδηγηθήσεται δωρεᾷ θεοῦ ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πᾶσαν. γῆ δὲ εὐθεία ἡ ἀγαθὴ καὶ καθαρὰ καρδία ἐστὶν ἐν ῃ ὁ ̓Ιησοῦ καρποφορήσει σπόρος η ὁ τῶν πραέων. ∆ύναται δὲ καὶ ουτως· ∆ίδαξόν με τοῦ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημά σου, οπως αν μὴ τυπικῶς ετι ἀλλὰ πνευματικῶς ἐπιτελῶ σου τὸν νόμον τυγχάνοντα οὐχ ετερον τοῦ θελήματός σου· προκόψας δὲ μέχρι τούτου καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ποδηγηθείην ἐν τῇ εὐθείᾳ γῇ, πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον περιαρθρῶν λοιπὸν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Εν τισι φέρεται ἀντὶ τοῦ Τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ αγιόν σου Τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀγαθόν σου· ἐξ ου παρίσταται τὸ αγιον ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν αγιον ειναι, ἀγαθὸν δὲ οὐ κατὰ μετουσίαν ἀγαθότητος ἀλλὰ τῷ κατ' οὐσίαν ειναι τοιοῦτον ωσπερ καὶ αγιον. τοιοῦτος δὲ καὶ ὁ πατήρ· καὶ ειρηται γοῦν περὶ αὐτοῦ Πάτερ αγιε, καὶ τὸ Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εις ὁ θεός. καὶ ὁ υἱὸς δὲ ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἁγίου ἀγαθὸς καὶ αγιος ειρηται ειναι. 1244 Ps 142,11 Ενεκα τοῦ ἐπικεκλημένου ὀνόματός σου σὸς χρηματίζω. Ζήσεις με ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου, κατὰ ταύτην δικαιῶν με· ουτω γὰρ συμβήσεται τὸ ζήσεσθαί με ἐν αὐτῇ. εἰκότως δὲ εἰς μέλλοντα χρόνον ἐνέκλινε τὸ Ζήσεις με, ἐπείπερ ἐνταῦθα ωσπερ τὰ αλλα ἀγαθὰ μερικῶς ουτω καὶ τὸ ζῆν εχομεν, ζησόμενοι τελείως τὸ τηνικαῦτα οταν φανερωθῇ Χριστὸς ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῶν· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ δικαιοσύνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ῃ ζήσεται ὁ προσβαλὼν αὐτῇ.

1245 Ps 143,1 ̓Επεὶ πᾶν ει τι καλὸν καὶ ὠφέλιμον ἐκ θεοῦ εἰς ἀνθρώπους

παραγίνεται, ο τι ποτ' αν εχουσι περὶ τῶν τοιούτων οἱ αγιοι, εὐχαριστοῦσι τῷ θεῷ, εἰδότες αὐτὸν αιτιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν οντα. ἰδοὺ γοῦν καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ καταπολεμῶν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ἐμπείρως εχειν περὶ τὰ πολεμικά, οις ἀνατρέπονται καὶ βάλλονται οἱ ἀόρατοι διάφοροι, εὐλογεῖ τὸν θεὸν διδάσκαλον αὐτῷ γινόμενον τῆς ἐπιστήμης τῶν τοιούτων πολέμων, ὡς τοὺς δακτύλους καὶ τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ εσω ἀνθρώπου τεχνικῶς ἐφάπτεσθαι τῶν ἀμυντηρίων, δι' ων εστι βαλεῖν καὶ τρῶσαι τοὺς τῆς κακίας καὶ τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως προστάτας ἀνθρώπους τε πονηροὺς καὶ δαίμονας. 1246 Ps 143,4 ̔Η σύστασις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκ σώματος φθαρτοῦ καὶ ἀθανάτου ψυχῆς συνηρμοσμένη κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἀθάνατον καὶ νοερὰν ψυχὴν λογισμὸν καὶ γνῶσιν εχει τοῦ πάντων αἰτίου, κατὰ δὲ τὸ σῶμα οὐδὲν ουσα ματαιότητι παρεικάζεται τῷ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εὐκινήτῳ καὶ εὐαφανίστῳ σκιᾷ παραβάλλεσθαι. ομως δὲ εἰ καὶ νοερὰ ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς δύναμις, ἀλλ' ουν οὐχ ὡς ετυχε νοεῖ η λογίζεται θεὸν ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ αὐτῇ τὰ ἀγαθὰ παρέχοντος. οὐ γὰρ ειρηται Τί ἐστιν ανθρωπος, οτι γινώσκει σε καὶ λογίζεται περὶ σοῦ, ἀλλ' Οτι ἐγνώσθης καὶ λογίζῃ αὐτῷ. ἐμφανίζει γὰρ ὁ σωτὴρ ἑαυτὸν τοῖς εἰς τοῦτο παρεσκευασμένοις, καὶ ταύτῃ ἐγνῶσθαι αὐτοῖς λέγεται. γνωσθεὶς δὲ καὶ κατὰ θεωρίαν νοητὴν ὁραθεὶς δείκνυσι καὶ τὸν πατέρα τῷ αὐτὸς ἑωρᾶσθαι· ̔Ο γὰρ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα, καὶ Οὐδεὶς εγνω τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ῳ αν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι. ειτ' ἐπεὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἐν ἑαυτῷ εχων τὸν πατέρα δείκνυσιν αὐτὸν τῷ αὐτὸς ἑωρᾶσθαι,