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extends the blessing to the true treasure. For the others, he says, blessed those who have these things; but I bless the people, Whose Lord is their God; by this one thing showing all their abundance, the plenty of good things, the wealth. For those things flow by and pass away, but this blessing remains forever, instead of sheep and children and oxen and a hedge and a vineyard, the blessing of God is to be both wealth and security and an unconquerable wall. Hearing these things, therefore, be not troubled by any of them, but running past the shadows, hold fast to the truth. For he said beforehand, that Man is like to vanity, and, His days are as a shadow that passes away. If, therefore, you see some abounding in all these things and living in wickedness, even if the whole world calls them blessed, you must pity them, and consider them to be wretched; but count those dedicated to God as enviable and blessed. And let us all ever seek this wealth, and this blessing; so that we may obtain the good things both of the present and of the future, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power, for ever and ever. Amen. ON PSALM 144. I will exalt you, my God, my king; and I will bless your name for ever, and for ever and ever. 1. It is worthwhile to pay close attention to this psalm in particular. For this is the one that has these words, which the initiated constantly sing, saying: The eyes of all hope in you, and you give them their food in due season. For he who has become a son and enjoys a spiritual table would be right to glorify the father. For a son, he says, glorifies his father, and a servant will fear his master. You have become a son and enjoy a spiritual table, being fed with the flesh and the blood that regenerated you; therefore, render the return for so great a benefit, and glorify him who has provided such things, and as you read the words, conform your mind to what is said; and saying, "I will exalt you, my God, my king," show great intimacy, so that God may also say of you, as he did of Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For if you say, "My God, my king," and not only say it, but also show such love, he himself will say the same things about you, "My bondservant," and "My servant;" which was also said of Moses. And I will bless your name for ever, and for ever and ever. Do you see how it shows the prelude of the life to come? But here he means blessing, not that which is through words, but also that which is through deeds. For thus God is exalted, thus also he is blessed. This also we are commanded to say in the prayer, "Hallowed be your name," that is, "glorified." Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name 55.465 for ever, and for ever and ever. Another, For ever continually. This especially is of a devout soul, to be freed from worldly affairs and dedicated to hymns. For it would be shameful for the rational man, who is more honorable than all visible things, to offer less than creation in the matter of praise; not only shameful, but also absurd. And how is it not absurd, if it sends up a doxology to the Master every day and hour, For "the heavens," he says, "declare the glory of God, and the... proclaims the work of his hands."

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ἐπὶ τὸν ἀληθῆ θησαυρὸν τὸν μακαρισμὸν ἐκτείνει. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι, φησὶν, ἐμακάρισαν τοὺς ταῦτα ἔχοντας· ἐγὼ δὲ μακαρίζω τὸν λαὸν, Οὗ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῦ· ἑνὶ τούτῳ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν τὴν εὐπορίαν ἐνδειξάμενος, τὴν εὐθηνίαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, τὸν πλοῦτον. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ παραῤῥεῖ καὶ παρέρχεται, οὗτος δὲ ὁ μακαρισμὸς μένει διηνεκῶς, ἀντὶ προβάτων καὶ παίδων καὶ βοῶν καὶ φραγμοῦ καὶ ἀμπελῶνος, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακαρισμὸς μέλλων εἶναι καὶ πλοῦτος καὶ ἀσφάλεια καὶ τεῖχος ἀκαταγώνιστον. Ταῦτα τοίνυν ἀκούοντες, μηδενὶ τούτων θορυβεῖσθε, ἀλλὰ τὰς σκιὰς παρατρέχοντες, τῆς ἀληθείας ἀντέχεσθε. Καὶ γὰρ προλαβὼν εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἄνθρωπος ματαιότητι ὡμοιώθη, καὶ, Αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ σκιὰ παράγουσιν. Ἂν τοίνυν ἅπασι τούτοις ἴδῃς τινὰς περιῤῥεομένους καὶ πονηρίᾳ συζῶντας, κἂν ἡ οἰκουμένη αὐτοὺς μακαρίζῃ, ταλάνιζε, καὶ ἀθλίους εἶναι νόμιζε σύ· τοὺς δὲ ἀνακειμένους τῷ Θεῷ ζηλωτοὺς ἡγοῦ καὶ μακαρίους. Καὶ τοῦτον ἀεὶ πάντες ζητήσωμεν τὸν πλοῦτον, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν μακαρισμόν· ἵνα καὶ τῶν παρόντων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΜ∆ʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Ὑψώσω σε, ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ βασιλεύς μου· καὶ εὐλογήσω τὸ ὄνομά σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. αʹ. Μετὰ ἀκριβείας τούτῳ μάλιστα προσέχειν ἄξιον τῷ ψαλμῷ. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τὰ ῥήματα ἔχων ταῦτα, ἅπερ οἱ μεμυημένοι συνεχῶς ὑποψάλλουσι, λέγοντες· Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ πάντων εἰς σὲ ἐλπίζουσι, καὶ σὺ δίδως τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν ἐν εὐκαιρίᾳ. Ὁ γὰρ γενόμενος υἱὸς καὶ τραπέζης ἀπολαύων πνευματικῆς, δοξάζειν δίκαιος ἂν εἴη τὸν πατέρα. Υἱὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, δοξάζει τὸν πατέρα, καὶ δοῦλος τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ φοβηθήσεται. Γέγονας υἱὸς καὶ τραπέζης ἀπολαύων πνευματικῆς, σιτούμενος τὰς σάρκας καὶ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἀναγεννῆσάν σε· ἀποδίδου τοίνυν τῆς τοσαύτης εὐεργεσίας τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, καὶ δόξαζε τὸν τοιαῦτα παρεσχηκότα, καὶ ἀναγινώσκων τὰ ῥήματα ῥύθμιζέ σου τὴν γνώμην πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα· καὶ λέγων, Ὑψώσω σε, ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ βασιλεύς μου, πολλὴν ἐπιδείκνυσο τὴν οἰκείωσιν, ἵνα καὶ περὶ σοῦ λέγῃ ὁ Θεὸς, ὥσπερ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ τοῦ Ἰακώβ·Ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ. Ἂν γὰρ σὺ λέγῃς, Ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ βσιλεύς μου, καὶ μὴ λέγῃς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπιδεικνύῃς τοιαύτην, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ ἐρεῖ περὶ σοῦ, Ὁ δοῦλός μου, καὶ Ὁ θεράπων μου· ὃ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως εἴρηται. Καὶ εὐλογήσω τὸ ὄνομά σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Εἶδες καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς τὰ προοίμια πῶς ἐνδείκνυται; Εὐλογίαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγει, οὐ τὴν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὑψοῦται Θεὸς, οὕτω καὶ εὐλογεῖται. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ κελευόμεθα λέγειν, Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου, τουτέστι, δοξασθήτω. Καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ αἰνέσω τὸ ὄνομά σου 55.465 εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἕτερος, Εἰς αἰῶνα διηνεκῶς. Τοῦτο μάλιστα ψυχῆς εὐλαβοῦς, τὸ τῶν βιωτικῶν ἀπαλλαγεῖσαν πραγμάτων τοῖς ὕμνοις ἀνακεῖσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν ἂν εἴη τὸν λογικὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἁπάντων τιμιώτερον, ἔλαττον τῆς κτίσεως φέρειν κατὰ τὸν τῆς εὐφημίας λόγον· οὐκ αἰσχρὸν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄτοπον. Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἄτοπον, εἴ γε αὐτὴ μὲν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν καὶ ὥραν ἀναπέμπει τῷ ∆εσπότῃ δοξολογίαν, Οἱ γὰρ οὐρανοὶ, φησὶ, διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ