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Therefore whatever he says comes to pass according to what is written, He has said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good? whence it is also said, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. In addition to being faithful in his words and holy in all his works, he imparts to them holiness from himself. For as he is holy in those who partake of his holiness, and the Savior is wisdom in those who are wise according to him, so the Lord is holy in all his works, which have become holy by communion with him. 1258 Ps 144,14 Perhaps those who are able to fall are those who are in desires and evil thoughts without action; while those who are broken are those who actively sin. Yet helping both, he supports the one group, and raises up the other. And how does he support? By commanding each one, You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and the rest, and, Let not the desire of beauty overcome you, exhorting through a wise man. And those who fall might be those who sin in morals, but are contained within Christianity, while those who are dashed down are those who have apostatized from it; or those who fall are those who sin in practice, while those who are broken are those who pursue the tenets of impious heresies. 1259 Ps 144,17a In all his ways in which he proceeds, providing and administering, judging, doing good, bestowing favor, punishing, he is found to be just; For God is faithful, and there is no unrighteousness. And if one should call the virtues his ways (for they bring to him the one who travels practically and intellectually), in these also he is shown to be just. For no one living earnestly and according to virtue blames providence, but only some wicked person who has stepped outside of his ways; For the foolishness of a man ruins his ways, and he blames God in his heart. And if his ways are also called the commandments given by him, he would be known as just, having proportioned them to the strength of those who received them. But he who says that nature in men is incapable of virtue or that fate compels one to sin will not say that God is just in the ways which he ordained by law. 1260 Ps 144,18 He is said to be near to those who call upon his name. Therefore, as they advance, they move on to call upon him in truth; for to call upon the name of the Lord is more introductory, while calling upon him belongs to the perfect; for it says, Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his name. They called upon the Lord, and he heard them, distinguishing those who do this genuinely and not by chance. It is possible to say that those who live according to the letter of the law call upon the name of the Lord, while those who follow the newness of the spirit call upon him in truth, appropriately to worship him in spirit and in truth. 1261 Ps 144,19a Each of those who are piously disposed, having denied the human will, prays to have the will of God, saying, Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Therefore also, by doing the will of those who fear him, he transforms his own will into action, which will he who fears God has chosen to have as his own. And it makes no difference to speak of the wills in the plural or the will in the singular; for his wills are the virtues according to their kind, and his one general will is universal and common virtue. 1262 Ps 144,20 He who wishes to be guarded by him, so that in nothing the evil one may touch him, let him love God with all his heart and soul and strength. For those who are thus kept by him because they love him, the things truly promised have been prepared by him, concerning which it is said, What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him. 1263 Ps 144,21ab He says mouth, not the perceptible one but the intelligible one, concerning which he also said to God in another psalm, You will open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. Yet when it utters the Lord's praise, all flesh, having heard it, will bless the holy name

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γοῦν πᾶν ο λέγει γίνεται κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον Αὐτὸς ειπεν, οὐχὶ ποιήσει η λαλήσει καὶ οὐχὶ ἐμμενεῖ· οθεν ειρηται καὶ τὸ ̔Ο οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ ειναι πιστὸς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ καὶ οσιος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς εργοις αὐτοῦ, μεταδιδοὺς αὐτοῖς τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ ὁσιότητος. ὡς γὰρ αγιός ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς μετέχουσι τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ σοφία ἐστὶν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς κατ' αὐτὸν σοφοῖς, ουτως οσιος ὁ κύριος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς εργοις αὐτοῦ γενομένοις ὁσίοις τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν κοινωνίᾳ. 1258 Ps 144,14 Τάχα καταπίπτειν οιοί τέ εἰσιν οἱ ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ φαύλοις λογισμοῖς ανευ πράξεως οντες· κατερραγμένοι δὲ οἱ ἐνεργητικῶς ἁμαρτάνοντες. πλὴν ἑκατέροις βοηθῶν, τοὺς μὲν ὑποστηρίζει, τοὺς δὲ ἀνορθοῖ. πῶς δὲ ὑποστηρίζει; ἐντελλόμενος ἑκάστῳ Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, καὶ τὸ Μή σε νικήσει κάλλους ἐπιθυμία παραινῶν διὰ σοφοῦ ἀνδρός. Καταπίπτοντες δὲ ειεν αν οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες μὲν ἐν ἠθικοῖς, περιεχόμενοι δὲ τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ, καταρραχθέντες δὲ οἱ ἀποστάντες αὐτοῦ· η καταπίπτοντες μέν εἰσιν οἱ πρακτικῶς ἁμαρτάνοντες, κατερραγμένοι δὲ οἱ τὰ τῶν δυσσεβῶν αἱρέσεων μετερχόμενοι. 1259 Ps 144,17a ̓Εν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ αις ἐπιπορεύεται προνοῶν καὶ διοικῶν κρίνων εὐεργετῶν χαριζόμενος κολάζων δίκαιος εὑρίσκεται· Θεὸς γὰρ πιστός, καὶ οὐκ εστιν ἀδικία. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ λέγοι τις τὰς ἀρετάς (φέρουσι γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν πρακτικῶς καὶ διανοητικῶς ὁδεύοντα), καὶ ἐν ταύταις δίκαιος ἀναφαίνεται. οὐδεὶς γοῦν σπουδαίως καὶ κατ' ἀρετὴν βιῶν αἰτιᾶται τὴν πρόνοιαν, ἀλλ' ει τις φαῦλος εξω τῶν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ βεβηκώς· ̓Αφροσύνη γὰρ ἀνδρὸς λυμαίνεται τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, τὸν δὲ θεὸν αἰτιᾶται τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. λεγομένων δὲ ὁδῶν καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ δοθεισῶν ἐντολῶν, δίκαιος γνωρισθείη αν, συμμετρήσας αὐτὰς τῇ δυνάμει τῶν εἰληφότων. ̔Ο δὲ λέγων φύσιν ἀνεπίδεκτον ἀρετῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ειναι η εἱμαρμένην βιαζομένην εἰς ἁμαρτίαν οὐ δίκαιον ἐρεῖ τὸν θεὸν ειναι ἐν αις ἐνομοθέτησεν ὁδοῖς. 1260 Ps 144,18 ̓Εγγὺς ειναι λέγεται τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων τὸ ονομα αὐτοῦ. διὸ καὶ προκόπτοντες μετίασιν ἐπὶ τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ· εἰσαγωγικώτερον γὰρ τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ονομα κυρίου, τελείων οντων τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτόν· Μωυσῆς γάρ φησιν καὶ ̓Ααρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ονομα αὐτοῦ ἐπεκαλοῦντο τὸν κύριον, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν, τῶν γνησίως καὶ μὴ ὡς ετυχε τοῦτο πραττόντων διαστελλόμενοι. ∆υνατὸν τοὺς κατὰ τὸ γράμμα τοῦ νόμου βιοῦντας ἐπικαλουμένους τὸ ονομα κυρίου εἰπεῖν, τῶν τῇ καινότητι τοῦ πνεύματος ἀκολουθούντων ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἁρμοδίως τὸ προσκυνεῖν αὐτὸν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. 1261 Ps 144,19a Εκαστος τῶν εὐλαβῶς διακειμένων ἀρνησάμενος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον θέλημα τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ευχεται εχειν, φάσκων ∆ίδαξόν με τοῦ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημά σου, οτι θεός μου ει σύ. διὸ καὶ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θέλημα εἰς εργον μεταβάλλει, οπερ ιδιον εχειν ειλατο θέλημα θεὸν εὐλαβούμενος. Οὐδὲν δὲ διαφέρει πληθυντικῶς η ἑνικῶς τὰ θελήματα η τὸ θέλημα φάναι· θελήματα γὰρ αὐτοῦ αἱ κατ' ειδος ἀρεταί, εν δὲ γενικὸν θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἡ καθόλου καὶ κοινὴ ἀρετή. 1262 Ps 144,20 ̔Ο θέλων φρουρηθῆναι παρ' αὐτοῦ, οπως κατὰ μηδὲν ὁ πονηρὸς αψεται αὐτοῦ, ἀγαπάτω τὸν θεὸν ἐξ ολης τῆς καρδίας καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ ἰσχύος. τοῖς ουτω ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φυλαττομένοις διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ηὐτρέπισται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀψευδῶς ἐπηγγελμένα, περὶ ων ειρηται Α ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ ειδε καὶ ους οὐκ ηκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, α ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. 1263 Ps 144,21ab Στόμα φησὶ οὐ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ νοητόν, περὶ ου καὶ ἐν αλλῳ ψαλμῷ πρὸς θεὸν ειπεν ̓Ανοίξεις τὰ χείλη μου, καὶ τὸ στόμα μου ἀναγγελεῖ τὴν αινεσίν σου. ομως αὐτοῦ αινεσιν κυρίου φθεγγομένου, πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀκούσασα αὐτοῦ εὐλογήσει τὸ ονομα τὸ αγιον