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but the things of the Church flourish. Let all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. Another, Let them be turned back. Let them be like grass on the housetops, which withers before it is plucked up; with which the reaper has not filled his hand. Another says, His handful. Nor his bosom, he who gathers the sheaves. And those who pass by did not say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you. We have blessed you in the name of the Lord. He concludes the exhortation with a prayer, preparing the hearer to be confident both from the narrative of past events and from the prayer, and showing the cause of the war to be unjust. For the matters of the battle arose from envy and hatred; wherefore he says, Let all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. May they not only be defeated, but also shamefully and ridiculously. Then, having said, Let them be like grass on the housetops, he dwells on the image, not simply comparing them to grass, but to that on housetops. And yet even that in a rich field quickly perishes, but he, showing the greater worthlessness of the enemies, compares them to that on the housetops; so as to show from both sides their tendency to fall easily, both from the nature of the grass and from the nature of the place. Such, he says, are the assaults of the enemies, having no root, nor substance; but for a short time they seem to flourish, but later they are exposed, and fall upon themselves. Such also is the prosperity of those who live in injustice, the splendor of worldly things; for at once it appears and perishes, having neither any substance, nor power. Therefore one must not pay attention to these things, but considering their easily dissolved nature, one must long for immortal and immovable things, which have no change; of which may it be granted for us all to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom is glory to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen. ON THE 129TH PSALM. Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice. 1. What is, Out of the depths? Not simply, from the mouth, nor simply, from the tongue; for even when the mind is wandering, words are poured out; but, from the deepest heart, with much earnestness and eagerness, from the very foundations of the mind. For such are the souls of the afflicted; they stir up the entire heart, calling upon God with much compunction; wherefore indeed they are also heard. For such prayers have great power, not being overthrown or shaken, even if the devil should attack with great force. For just as a strong tree, sending its root deep down into the earth, and gripping its bosom, withstands every rush of winds, while that which lies on the surface is shaken by a small breeze falling upon it, and being plucked up by the roots lies on the ground; so indeed also prayers, those ascending from below and rooted in the depth, even if ten thousand reasonings should approach, even if the entire battle-line of the devil, remain steadfast and unyielding, not being overthrown; but those proceeding from the mouth and the lips, and not ascending from below, are not able to ascend to God, on account of the laziness of the one approaching. For a certain sound, if it should occur, overthrows such a one; or a noise, it leads him away from his supplication; and the mouth indeed sounds, but the heart is empty and the mind is desolate. But the saints did not pray thus, but with such intensity, as even the whole

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τὰ δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀνθεῖ. Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ ἀποστραφήτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω πάντες οἱ μισοῦντες Σιών. Ἄλλος, Ἀνατραπήτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. Γενηθήτωσαν ὡσεὶ χόρτος δωμάτων, ὃς πρὸ τοῦ ἐκσπασθῆναι ἐξηράνθη· οὗ οὐκ ἐπλήρωσε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ὁ θερίζων. Ἕτερός φησι, Τὴν δράκα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὸν κόλπον αὐτοῦ ὁ τὰ δράγματα συλλέγων. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπαν οἱ παράγοντες, Εὐλογία Κυρίου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς. Εὐλογήκαμεν ὑμᾶς ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Εἰς εὐχὴν κατακλείει τὴν παραίνεσιν ἀπό τε τῆς διηγήσεως τῶν παρελθόντων, ἀπό τε τῆς εὐχῆς θαῤῥεῖν παρασκευάζων τὸν ἀκροατὴν, καὶ δεικνὺς τοῦ πολέμου τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἄδικον. Ἀπὸ γὰρ φθόνου καὶ μίσους τὰ τῆς μάχης ᾔρετο· διό φησιν, Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ ἀποστραφήτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω πάντες οἱ μισοῦντες Σιών. Μὴ μόνον ἡττηθείησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἰσχρῶς καὶ καταγελάστως. Εἶτα εἰπὼν, Γενηθήτωσαν ὡσεὶ χόρτος δωμάτων, ἐνδιατρίβει τῇ εἰκόνι, οὐχ ἁπλῶς χόρτῳ παραβάλλων, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐπὶ δωμάτων. Καίτοι γε καὶ ὁ ἐν πεδίῳ λιπαρῷ, ταχέως διαῤῥεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος πλείονα δεικνὺς τῶν ἐναντίων τὴν εὐτέλειαν, τῷ ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων αὐτοὺς παραβάλλει· ὥστε ἑκατέρωθεν δεῖξαι αὐτῶν τὸ εὐκατάπτωτον, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ χόρτου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ τόπου. Τοιαῦται, φησὶ, τῶν ἐναντίων αἱ ἔφοδοι, οὐκ ἔχουσαι ῥίζαν, οὐδὲ ὑπόστασιν· ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὀλίγον μὲν δοκοῦσιν ἀνθεῖν, ὕστερον δὲ ἐλέγχονται, καὶ ἑαυτοῖς περιπίπτουσι. Τοιαύτη καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀδικίᾳ ζώντων ἡ εὐημερία, τῶν βιωτικῶν ἡ φαιδρότης· ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ φαίνεται καὶ ἀπόλλυται, οὔτε ὑπόστασίν τινα, οὔτε δύναμιν ἔχουσα. ∆ιόπερ οὐ δεῖ τούτοις προσέχειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ εὐκατάλυτον αὐτῶν ἐννοοῦντας, τῶν ἀθανάτων ἐφίεσθαι καὶ ἀκινήτων πραγμάτων, καὶ οὐκ ἐχόντων μεταβολήν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΚΘʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Ἐκ βαθέων ἐκεκραξά σοι, Κύριε· Κύριε, εἰσάκου σον τῆς φωνῆς μου. αʹ. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐκ βαθέων; Οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀπὸ στόματος, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς, ἀπὸ γλώττης· καὶ γὰρ τῆς διανοίας πλανωμένης τὰ ῥήματα ἐκχεῖται· ἀλλὰ, ἀπὸ καρδίας βαθυτάτης, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τῆς προθυμίας, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῆς διανοίας τῶν βάθρων. Τοιαῦται γὰρ αἱ τῶν θλιβομένων ψυχαί· αὐτὴν συγκινοῦσιν ὁλόκληρον τὴν καρδίαν, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κατανύξεως τὸν Θεὸν καλοῦντες· διὸ δὴ καὶ ἀκούονται. Αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται εὐχαὶ πολλὴν ἔχουσι δύναμιν, οὐ περιτρεπόμεναι οὐδὲ σαλευόμεναι, κἂν μετὰ πολλῆς ῥύμης ὁ διάβολος ἐπέλθῃ. Καθάπερ γὰρ δένδρον ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ κατὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ βάθους τῆς γῆς παραπέμπον τὴν ῥίζαν, καὶ τοὺς κόλπους αὐτῆς περισφίγγον, πρὸς ἅπασαν πνευμάτων ῥύμην ἀνθίσταται, τὸ δὲ περὶ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν κείμενον, μικρᾶς προσπεσούσης αὔρας διασαλεύεται, καὶ πρόῤῥιζον ἐκτιλὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κεῖται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ αἱ εὐχαὶ αἱ μὲν κάτωθεν ἀνιοῦσαι καὶ πρὸς τὸ βάθος ἐῤῥιζωμέναι, κἂν μυρίοι προσέλθωσι λογισμοὶ, κἂν ἅπασα ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου παράταξις, ἐκτενεῖς μένουσι καὶ ἀνένδοτοι, μὴ περιτρεπόμεναι· αἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος καὶ τῶν χειλέων προϊοῦσαι, καὶ μὴ ἀνερχόμεναι κάτωθεν, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀναβῆναι δύνανται, διὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τοῦ προσιόντος. Τὸν γὰρ τοιοῦτον κἂν κτύπος τις γένηται, περιέτρεψε· κἂν θόρυβος, ἀπήγαγε τῆς ἱκετηρίας· καὶ τὸ μὲν στόμα ἠχεῖ, ἡ δὲ καρδία κενὴ καὶ ἡ διάνοια ἔρημος. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οἱ ἅγιοι οὕτως ηὔχοντο, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοσαύτης τῆς ἐπιτάσεως, ὡς καὶ ὅλον τὸ