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praise him. For his mercy is for ever. But what is, "For ever"? He does not, it says, sometimes do good and at other times desist, nor does he sometimes have mercy and at other times cease, which happens with men, who are hindered by passion, and cut off by insignificance, and impeded by need of care, and not permitted by circumstance; but God is not such, but he perpetually has mercy, and never ceases from doing this, even if he accomplishes it in different and various ways. Therefore he always has mercy, and never stops doing good to men. Then, having said that he has mercy perpetually, he also shows the signs of his mercy, and of his mercy remaining perpetually, making the proof from things that are seen; and since he was leading them to piety, see how again he directs himself to the gods of the Greeks, again using the same condescension. For what does he say? Give thanks 55.400 to the God of gods, adding to each, For his mercy is for ever. And, To the Lord of lords. Therefore in the previous psalm he said that he is above all the gods; but here, still more, that he is also their Lord and their Master, whether you speak of idols, or of demons. For even if the demons are dishonored and have offended, yet they are slaves and subject. For this reason, then, give thanks, he says, because you have a God superior to all, to whom none is similar, the Master of all, the Lord of all. And yet he is called the God of those who please him, as when he says: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. How then does he here say [God] of demons? But that is in one way, and this is in another way. For there it is to show his affinity, and his great love towards them; but here, it is to make known his superiority. To him who alone does great wonders; for his mercy is for ever. Since he declared that he is Lord of gods, and Master, he now provides the proof for the declaration, and establishes what has been said, proclaiming him again from his power. And he did not say, To him who did, but, To him who does, showing him perpetually doing good, and working wonders, and performing paradoxes. And he posits these two exceptional things of him, that he does, and that he alone does; or rather, even three, and four; for he does, and he does wonders, and great wonders, and he alone does them. But these things are not said for the rejection of the Son, but for the sake of contrast with the demons. And what are these wonders, let us see, the great ones, which he alone does. And yet, at the beginning he did not discourse to us about power, but about love for mankind and goodness. For, he says, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. How then does he now fall into the discourse about power here? Because these wonders are not only of power, but also of love for mankind. Showing what the wonders are, he adds, saying: To him who made the heavens with understanding, to him who established the earth upon the waters. Another, To him who condensed the earth by the waters, to him who alone made great lights, the sun to rule the day, the moon and the stars to rule the night. Although these things display his power and wisdom, nevertheless they also show his great love for mankind. For that they were made so great, and beautiful and lasting, proclaims his strength and his wisdom; but that they were made for us, and for our need, [proclaims] his love for mankind and his perpetual goodness. Do you see how his mercy is for ever? For he has not made them for ten or twenty years, nor for a hundred, or two hundred, or a thousand, but he has extended them through our whole life. For this reason, making this clear, he adds in each verse, For his mercy is for ever. And what is astonishing, is that he made them, and gave them when they were created from the beginning; but when man transgressed, not even so did he cast him out; but what he gave to him when he had not sinned, with these 55.401 he allowed him to live even after sin, and

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εὐφημεῖτε αὐτόν. Ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; Οὐ ποτὲ μὲν, φησὶν, εὐεργετεῖ, ποτὲ δὲ ἀφίσταται, οὐδὲ ποτὲ μὲν ἐλεεῖ, ποτὲ δὲ παύεται, ὅπερ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων συμβαίνει, καὶ πάθει κωλυομένων, καὶ εὐτελείᾳ διακοπτομένων, καὶ θεραπείᾳ ἐμποδιζομένων, καὶ περιστάσει πραγμάτων οὐ συγχωρουμένων· ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς οὐ τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς ἐλεεῖ, καὶ οὐδέποτε παύεται τοῦτο ποιῶν, κἂν διαφόρως καὶ ποικίλως ἐπιτελῇ. Ἀεὶ οὖν ἐλεεῖ, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἵσταται τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εὐεργετῶν. Εἶτα εἰπὼν, ὅτι ἐλεεῖ διαπαντὸς, δείκνυσι καὶ τὰ δείγματα τοῦ ἐλέους, καὶ τοῦ διαπαντὸς μένειν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἔλεον, ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων ποιούμενος τὴν ἀπόδειξιν· καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν αὐτοὺς ἐχειραγώγει, ὅρα πῶς πάλιν πρὸς τοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων θεοὺς ἀποτείνεται, πάλιν τῇ αὐτῇ συγκαταβάσει κεχρημένος. Τί γάρ φησιν; Ἐξομο 55.400 λογεῖσθε τῷ Θεῷ θεῶν, καθ' ἕκαστον ἐπιλέγων, Ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ, Τῷ Κυρίῳ τῶν κυρίων. Ἐν μὲν οὖν τῷ προτέρῳ ψαλμῷ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι παρὰ πάντας τοὺς θεούς ἐστιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἔτι πλέον, ὅτι καὶ Κύριος αὐτῶν καὶ ∆εσπότης αὐτῶν ἐστιν, ἄν τε τῶν εἰδώλων λέγῃς, ἄν τε τῶν δαιμόνων. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἠτιμωμένοι, καὶ προσκεκρουκότες οἱ δαίμονες, ἀλλὰ δοῦλοι καὶ ὑποκύπτοντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν ἐξομολογεῖσθε, φησὶν, ὅτι Θεὸν ἔχετε πάντων ἀνώτερον, οὗ ὅμοιος οὐδεὶς, πάντων ∆εσπότην, πάντων Κύριον. Καίτοι τῶν εὐαρεστούντων καλεῖται Θεὸς, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ. Πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθα τῶν δαιμόνων φησίν; Ἀλλ' ἑτέρως ἐκεῖνο, καὶ ἑτέρως τοῦτο. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἵνα τὴν οἰκείωσιν παραστήσῃ, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀγάπην· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἵνα τὴν ὑπεροχὴν γνωρίσῃ. Τῷ ποιοῦντι θαυμάσια μεγάλα μόνῳ· ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ ἀπεφήνατο, ὅτι Κύριός ἐστι τῶν θεῶν, καὶ ∆εσπότης, τῇ ἀποφάσει παρέχει λοιπὸν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ κατασκευάζει τὸ εἰρημένον, ἀπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτὸν πάλιν ἀνακηρύττων. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Τῷ ποιήσαντι, ἀλλὰ, Τῷ ποιοῦντι, δεικνὺς αὐτὸν διηνεκῶς εὐεργετοῦντα, καὶ θαυματοποιοῦντα, καὶ παράδοξα ἐργαζόμενον. Καὶ δύο ταῦτα αὐτοῦ τίθησιν ἐξαίρετα, ὅτι τε ποιεῖ, καὶ ὅτι μόνος ποιεῖ· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τρία, καὶ τέσσαρα· καὶ γὰρ ὅτι ποιεῖ, καὶ ὅτι θαύματα, καὶ μεγάλα θαύματα, καὶ ὅτι μόνος ποιεῖ. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ πρὸς ἀθέτησιν τοῦ Παιδὸς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν εἴρηται τῶν δαιμόνων. Καὶ τίνα ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ θαύματα, ἴδωμεν, τὰ μεγάλα, ἃ μόνος ποιεῖ. Καίτοι γε ἀρχόμενος οὐ περὶ δυνάμεως διελέχθη ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ περὶ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ ἀγαθότητος. Ἐξομολογεῖσθε γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἀγαθός. Πῶς οὖν εἰς τὸν περὶ δυνάμεως ἐμπίπτει λόγον ἐνταῦθα λοιπόν; Ὅτι οὐχὶ δυνάμεως μόνον, ἀλλὰ φιλανθρωπίας ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ θαύματα. Τίνα δέ ἐστι τὰ θαύματα δεικνὺς, ἐπάγει λέγων· Τῷ ποιήσαντι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐν συνέσει, τῷ στερεώσαντι τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Ἕτερος, Τῷ πιλήσαντι τὴν γῆν παρ' ὕδασι, τῷ ποιήσαντι φῶτα μεγάλα μόνῳ, τὸν ἥλιον εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἡμέρας, τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς νυκτός. Ταῦτα εἰ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σοφίαν ἐμφαίνει, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ πολλὴν τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν δείκνυσι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ οὕτω μεγάλα γενέσθαι, καὶ καλὰ καὶ διαρκῆ, τὴν ἰσχὺν ἀνακηρύττει, καὶ τὴν σοφίαν· τὸ δὲ δι' ἡμᾶς αὐτὰ γενέσθαι, καὶ τὴν χρείαν τὴν ἡμετέραν, τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ τὴν ἀγαθότητα τὴν διηνεκῆ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ; Οὐ γὰρ πρὸς δέκα καὶ εἴκοσι ἔτη πεποίηκεν αὐτὰ, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἑκατὸν, καὶ διακόσια, καὶ χίλια, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν ἐξέτεινεν αὐτά. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν, ἐν ἑκάστῳ στίχῳ ἐπιλέγει, Ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὸ δὴ ἐκπλῆττον, ὅτι ἐποίησε μὲν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενόμενα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ παρέβη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλεν· ἀλλὰ ἅπερ ἔδωκεν οὐχ ἁμαρτόντι, τούτοις 55.401 ἀφῆκε καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐνδιαιτᾶσθαι, καὶ