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upon the Lord, than to trust in man. It is good to hope in the Lord, than to hope in princes." For He is good, and loves mankind, and wills good things, and is able to do what He wills, and has indestructible authority. But men are both corruptible by nature and changeable in mind, and often they do not will good things; and there are times when, even willing to defend the wronged, they are not able; and even if they are rulers, they hold their rule for a time; and sovereignty among men is subject to fate, and rules for a short time. It is better, therefore, to abandon the assistance of men and to ask for divine help. 10. "All the nations surrounded me, and in the name of the Lord I repelled them." The Church, on the one hand, received the assaults of all the nations, but Jerusalem, not of all, but of some; concerning the former, therefore, the word is used hyperbolically, but concerning the Church, truly. For those in each nation who have believed endured the tumults and dangers from the unbelievers; but nevertheless, both they and the others, trusting in God, conquered their adversaries. 11. "Surrounding, they surrounded me, and in the name of the Lord I repelled them." But Symmachus has it thus: They surrounded me, and again they encircled me, instead of, They used successive assaults, and all kinds of sieges; but I, fortifying myself by the invocation of God, scattered their phalanx. 12. "They surrounded me like bees a honeycomb." Just as, he says, bees, finding a honeycomb, suck out the moisture of the honey, so these men attempted to take away the 80.1813 sweetness of piety that was in me. "And they were burned up like a fire among thorns." And they hoped to overcome me very easily, just as fire easily consumes thorns. "And in the name of the Lord I repelled them." But having expected these things, they missed their hope, being conquered by my hope; for I set my Master against all of them, and through Him I obtained the victory. 13. "Being pushed, I was overturned so as to fall, and the Lord took hold of me." These things are fitting for both those and these. For those would have suffered complete destruction, if they had not enjoyed divine grace; and these would have fallen into impiety, had not divine virtue supported them. 14. "The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." Him, therefore, we have as both strength, and victory, and a source of hymnody. For having enjoyed good things from Him, we offer the hymn with gladness. 15. "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous." For after the victory, having been delivered from their former lamentations, they were in gladness and praise, hymning God. "The right hand of the Lord has done valiantly. [16] The right hand of the Lord has exalted me." By "right hand," as we have often said, he means the good energy. And doing well, they do not ascribe the victory to themselves, nor do they trust in their own zeal and power, but they cry out that they have obtained it by divine grace. "The right hand of the Lord has done valiantly. [17] I shall not die, but I shall live, and declare the works of the Lord." Having therefore enjoyed the assistance from above, and having become stronger than death, I will both teach the divine benefactions to those who are ignorant, and I will remind those who know, and by the memory of these things I will kindle love for him. 18. "The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death." For He allowed grievous things to assail me, chastening me in a fatherly way; but He dispersed the grim cloud of these things, and completely freed me from the ruin therefrom. 19. "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them, I will give thanks to the Lord." He calls gates of righteousness not the gates of the temple, but the various forms of virtue; for through them it is possible to worthily hymn the God of all. And this he showed more clearly through the things that follow. For he gives a kind of response, and says: 20. "This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it." Thus also to the young man who had asked to learn the way of 80.1816 eternal life, the Lord said: "You know the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, honor your father and your mother,

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ἐπὶ Κύριον, ἢ πε ποιθέναι ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον. Ἀγαθὸν ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ Κύ ριον, ἢ ἐλπίζειν ἐπ' ἄρχουσι." Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὸς, καὶ φιλάνθρωπος, καὶ βουλόμενος ἀγαθὰ, καὶ δρᾷν δυνάμενος ὅπερ βούλεται, καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχων ἀνώλεθρον. Οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ φύσει φθαρτοὶ, καὶ γνώμῃ τρεπτοὶ, καὶ πολλάκις μὲν οὐ βούλονται τὰ ἀγαθά· ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ βουλόμενοι τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις ἐπαμύνειν οὐ δύνανται· κἂν ἄρχουσι δὲ, πρὸς και ρὸν ἔχουσι τὴν ἀρχήν· καὶ ἡ βασιλεία δὲ παρ' ἀν θρώποις ἐπίκηρος, καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον ἄρ χουσα. Ἄμεινον τοίνυν καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπικουρίαν, τὴν δὲ θείαν αἰτῆσαι βοή θειαν. ιʹ. "Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐκύκλωσάν με, καὶ τῷ ὀνό ματι Κυρίου ἠμυνάμην αὐτούς." Ἡ μὲν Ἐκκλησία τὰς ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐδέξατο προσβολὰς, ἡ δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οὐ πάντων, ἀλλ' ἐνίων· ἐπ' ἐκείνων τοίνυν ὑπερβολικῶς ὁ λόγος προσφέρεται, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀληθῶς. Οἱ γὰρ ἐν ἑκάστῳ ἔθνει πεπιστευκότες τοὺς παρὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θορύβους καὶ κινδύνους ὑπέμενον· ἀλλ' ὅμως, καὶ αὐτοὶ, κἀ κεῖνοι, τῷ Θεῷ τεθαῤῥηκότες τοὺς ἀντιπάλους ἐνί κησαν. ιαʹ. "Κυκλώσαντες ἐκύκλωσάν με, καὶ τῷ ὀνό ματι Κυρίου ἠμυνάμην αὐτούς." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Ἐκύκλωσάν με, καὶ πάλιν περιεκύκλω σάν με, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐπαλλήλοις ἐχρήσαντο προσβο λαῖς, καὶ πολιορκίαις παντοδαπαῖς· ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπικλήσει φραξάμενος, τὴν ἐκείνων ἐσκέδασα φάλαγγα. ιβʹ. "Ἐκύκλωσάν με ὡσεὶ μέλισσαι κηρίον." Καθάπερ, φησὶ, μέλιτται κηρίον εὑροῦσαι τὴν τοῦ μέλιτος ἐκμυζῶσιν ἰκμάδα, οὕτως οὗτοι τὴν ἐνοῦσάν 80.1813 μοι γλυκύτητα τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀφελεῖν ἐπειράθησαν. "Καὶ ἐξεκαύθησαν ὡς πῦρ ἐν ἀκάνθαις." Ἤλ πισαν δὲ καὶ μάλα ῥᾳδίως μου περιέσεσθαι, καθά περ τὸ πῦρ εὐπετῶς δαπανᾷ τὰς ἀκάνθας. "Καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἠμυνάμην αὐτούς." Ταῦτα δὲ προσδοκήσαντες διήμαρτον τῆς ἐλπίδος, τῇ ἐμῇ νι κηθέντες ἐλπίδι· τὸν γὰρ ἐμὸν ∆εσπότην πᾶσιν ἐκείνοις ἀντέταξα, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν νίκην ἐκομι σάμην. ιγʹ. "Ὠσθεὶς ἀνετράπην τοῦ πεσεῖν, καὶ ὁ Κύ ριος ἀντελάβετό μου." Ταῦτα κἀκείνοις ἁρμόττει, καὶ τούτοις. Κἀκεῖνοι γὰρ ὄλεθρον ἂν ὑπέμειναν παντελῆ, εἰ μὴ τῆς θείας ἀπήλαυσαν χάριτος· καὶ οὗτοι ἂν ἐξέπεσαν εἰς ἀσέβειαν, μὴ τῆς θείας αὐ τοὺς ὑπερεισάσης ἀρετῆς. ιδʹ. "Ἰσχύς μου καὶ ὕμνησίς μου ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ἐγένετό μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν." Αὐτὸν τοίνυν ἔχομεν καὶ δύναμιν, καὶ νίκην, καὶ πηγὴν ὑμνῳδίας. Παρ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσαντες μετ' εὐθυμίας τὸν ὕμνον προσφέρομεν. ιεʹ. "Φωνὴ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ σωτηρίας ἐν σκηναῖς δικαίων." Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν νίκην, τῶν προτέρων θρή νων ἀπαλλαγέντες, ἐν θυμηδίαις ἦσαν καὶ εὐφη μίαις, τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦντες. "∆εξιὰ Κυρίου ἐποίησε δύναμιν. [ιʹ] ∆εξιὰ Κυρίου ὕψωσέ με." ∆εξιὰν, καθὰ πολλάκις εἰ ρήκαμεν, τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐνέργειαν λέγει. Εὖ δὲ ποιοῦντες οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιγράφουσι τὴν νίκην, οὐδὲ τῇ οἰκείᾳ προθυμίᾳ καὶ δυνάμει θαῤῥοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς θείας χάριτος ταύτης τετυχηκέναι βοῶσιν. "∆εξιὰ Κυρίου ἐποίησε δύναμιν. [ιζʹ] Οὐκ ἀποθα νοῦμαι, ἀλλὰ ζήσομαι, καὶ διηγήσομαι τὰ ἔργα Κυ ρίου." Τῆς ἄνωθεν τοίνυν ἐπικουρίας ἀπολαύσας, καὶ κρείττων τοῦ θανάτου γενόμενος, τὰς θείας εὐ εργεσίας, καὶ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξω, καὶ τοὺς εἰ δότας ἀναμνήσω, καὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τούτων τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ἀγάπην πυρσεύσω. ιηʹ. "Παιδεύων ἐπαίδευσέ με ὁ Κύριος, καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ οὐ παρέδωκέ με." Συνεχώρησε γὰρ προσ βαλεῖν μοι τὰ λυπηρὰ, πατρικῶς με παιδεύων· τὸ δὲ στυγνὸν τούτων διέλυσε νέφος, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθέν με παντελῶς ἠλευθέρωσε λώβης. ιθʹ. "Ἀνοίξατέ μοι πύλας δικαιοσύνης· εἰσελθὼν ἐν αὐταῖς ἐξομολογήσομαι τῷ Κυρίῳ." Πύλας δι καιοσύνης οὐ τὰς τοῦ ναοῦ πύλας καλεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὰς διαφόρους τῆς ἀρετῆς ἰδέας· δι' ἐκείνας γὰρ δυνατὸν ἀξίως ὑμνῆσαι τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον διὰ τῶν ἐπιφερομένων ἐδήλωσεν. Οἷον γάρ τινα ἀπόκρισιν δίδωσι, καί φησιν· κʹ. "Αὕτη ἡ πύλη τοῦ Κυρίου, δίκαιοι εἰσελεύ σονται ἐν αὐτῇ." Οὕτω καὶ τῷ νεανίσκῳ τῷ τῆς 80.1816 αἰωνίου ζωῆς τὴν ὁδὸν ᾐτηκότι μαθεῖν, ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· "Τὰς ἐντολὰς οἶδας· Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ κλέ ψεις, τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου,