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they may drive her to death, condemning innocent blood. For they are not content with financial penalties, nor with the blows and torments against the body of the righteous, but they also cast the vote for death against them. And they are of such a kind; but I, having learned to despise such things, and to stand courageously even to death, knowing that I have the Lord for my refuge, and my God as the helper of my hope; who will help me by becoming my refuge; but to those who hunt the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood, He will return their iniquity upon their own head, and will turn their wickedness against them in the time of righteous judgment, when the Lord our God will also destroy them; wherefore also at the beginning of the psalm He is called God of vengeance. PSALM 94. Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout for joy to God our Savior. The inscription is not found among the Hebrews; and rightly so; for it was not reasonable to inscribe it as a psalm, or a hymn, or a song, since it calls the people of the Jews to rejoicing, but threatens them with wrath and describes the ends of the commandments in gloomy terms. But you may note if the word, come, is said anywhere else in Scripture, and in what way He calls them to approach Him as ones who have fallen away and gone far off; you will observe also that He always makes the call for a good purpose, as in, Come children, listen to me, and, Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and, Come to me all you who labor, and, Come you blessed of my Father. But in the psalm at hand He clearly exhorts to come for rejoicing. Therefore you may note, that they do not think well who consider the yoke of piety to be gloomy and grievous; for He makes the call for good and cheerful things. Compare with these the phrase, Go into the eternal fire, and the like, which are said to sinners in opposition to come. Since in times of war the victors are accustomed to shout aloud, and to cry out greatly against their enemies, it is fitting that He commands not only to rejoice and be glad, but also to shout aloud at the saving victory. And who would our Savior and our God be, but the Word of God who said, Be of 23.1209 good cheer, I have overcome the world? who also delivered us from the demonic power that long held sway over us, whose name Jesus also means savior in the Hebrew language. But whom does the Word principally call to rejoicing? You would find out by paying attention to what follows, where it is said, In the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted me. For through these words He clearly indicates the sons of those who provoked Him in the wilderness, that is, clearly, those of the circumcision. Therefore He calls them back, saying: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord. But He prophesies that they will not obey the call; for He says at the end: They always go astray in their heart. And they have not known my ways, so I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest. Since, therefore, they always go astray in their heart, it is fitting that the following psalm calls all the nations to the new song, and to rejoicing in God. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms. For at His first coming, the Word of God, hiding His divine face, put on the form of a servant; wherefore it is said: A man in suffering, and knowing how to bear infirmity; because He turned away His face, He was dishonored, and was not esteemed. But at His second coming He will appear with unveiled face and with great power and glory; wherefore the Word, having set forth first the things that have been said, which ought to be done at His first coming, next in order reminds of His second and glorious appearing, exhorting us to anticipate the future, and to come before His face with thanksgiving. For it is good to come before and to anticipate,

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μέχρι θανάτου περιελάσωσιν αὐτὴν, αἷμα ἀθῶον καταδικάζοντες. Οὐκ ἀρκοῦνται γὰρ ταῖς διὰ χρημάτων ζημίαις, οὐδὲ ταῖς κατὰ τοῦ σώματος τῶν δικαίων πληγαῖς τε καὶ αἰκίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ψῆφον κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκφέρουσι. Κἀκεῖνοι μὲν τοιοῦτοι· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τοιούτων καταφρονεῖν μεμαθηκὼς, καὶ μέχρι θανάτου εὐθαρσῶς ἵστασθαι, εἰδὼς ἔχειν ἐμαυτῷ καταφυγὴν τὸν Κύριον, καὶ βοηθὸν ἐλπίδος μου τὸν Θεόν μου· ὃς ἐμοὶ μὲν βοηθήσει καταφυγή μου γινόμενος· τοῖς δὲ θηρεύουσι τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ αἷμα ἀθῶον καταδικάζουσιν, ἀποδώσει τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν εἰς κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὴν πονηρίαν αὐτῶν στρέψει κατ' αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ τῆς δικαιοκρισίας καιρῷ, ὅτε καὶ ἀφανιεῖ αὐτοὺς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν· διὸ καὶ Θεὸς ἐκδικήσεων κατ' ἀρχὰς εἴρηται τοῦ ψαλμοῦ. ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ∆ʹ. ∆εῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ Θεῷ τῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν. Οὐ φέρεται παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἡ προγραφή· καὶ εἰκότως· οὔτε γὰρ ψαλμὸν, οὔτε ὕμνον, οὔτε ᾠδὴν εὔλογον ἦν ἐπιγράφειν, τὸν καλοῦντα μὲν τὸν Ἰουδαίων λαὸν ἐπὶ ἀγαλλίασιν, ἀπειλοῦντα δὲ αὐτοῖς ὀργὴν καὶ τὰ τέλη τῶν παραγγελμάτων ἐπὶ σκυθρωποῖς περιγράφοντα. Σημειώσῃ δὲ εἴ που καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς τὸ, δεῦτε, εἴρηται, καὶ τίνα τρόπον ὡς ἀφεστῶτας καὶ μακρὰν γεγονότας πλησιάζειν αὐτῷ καλεῖ· τηρήσεις καὶ ὅτι πάντοτε τὴν κλῆσιν ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ ποιεῖται, ὡς ἐν τῷ, ∆εῦτε τέκνα, ἀκούσατέ μου, καὶ, ∆εῦτε ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ, ∆εῦτε πρὸς μὲ πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες, καὶ, ∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου. Ἐν δὲ τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας ψαλμῷ σαφῶς ἐπὶ ἀγαλλίασιν ἥκειν παρακαλεῖ. ∆ιὸ σημειώσῃ, ὅτι μὴ καλῶς ἡγοῦνται οἱ σκυθρωπὸν καὶ ἐπίλυπον νομίζοντες εἶναι τὸν τῆς θεοσεβείας ζυγόν· ἐπ' ἀγαθοῖς γὰρ καὶ φαιδροῖς ποιεῖται τὴν κλῆσιν. Τούτοις παράθες τὸ, Πορεύεσθε εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια, ἐναντίως τὸ, δεῦτε, τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι λεγόμενα. Ἐπειδὴ ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν πολέμων οἱ νικῶντες ἀλαλάζειν εἰώθασι, καὶ μέγα βοᾷν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων, εἰκότως οὐ μόνον χαίρειν καὶ ἀγαλλιᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλαλάζειν ἐπὶ τῇ σωτηρίῳ νίκῃ προστάττει. Τίς δ' ἂν εἴη ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ἢ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ὁ εἰπὼν, Θαρ 23.1209 σεῖτε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον; ὁ καὶ ῥυσάμενος ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πάλαι κατακρατούσης ἡμῶν δαιμονικῆς ἐνεργείας, οὗ καὶ τὸ Ἰησοῦς ὄνομα σωτήριον Ἑβραϊκῇ φωνῇ σημαίνει. Τίνας δὲ προηγουμένως ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀγαλλίασιν παρακαλεῖ, εὕροις ἂν ἐπιστήσας τοῖς ἑξῆς, ἐν οἷς εἴρηται, Κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. Σαφῶς γὰρ διὰ τούτων δηλοῖ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ παραπικρανάντων, δῆλον δ' ὅτι τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς. Τούτους τοιγαροῦν ἀνακαλεῖται λέγων· ∆εῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ. Θεσπίζει δ' ὅτι μὴ ὑπακούσονται τῇ κλήσει· λέγει δ' οὖν ἐπὶ τέλει· Ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ. Αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου, ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου, εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐκεῖνοι ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ, εἰκότως ὁ ἐπιφερόμενος ἑξῆς ψαλμὸς τὰ ἔθνη πάντα καλεῖ ἐπὶ τὸ καινὸν ᾆσμα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐν Θεῷ ἀγαλλίασιν. Προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς ἀλαλάξωμεν αὐτῷ. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς πρώτης αὐτοῦ παρουσίας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔνθεον ἀποκρύψας ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφὴν περιεβάλετο· διὸ εἴρηται· Ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν, καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν· ὅτι ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ἠτιμάσθη, καὶ οὐκ ἐλογίσθη. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ παρουσίας ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ καὶ μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς ἐπιστήσεται· διόπερ ὁ λόγος, προτάξας τὰ εἰρημένα διὰ τῶν πρώτων, ἅπερ ἐχρῆν ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ παρουσίας πράττειν, ἑξῆς ἀκολούθως τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνδόξου ἐπιφανείας ὑπομιμνήσκει, παρακελευόμενος προβαλεῖν τὸ μέλλον, καὶ προφθάσαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει. Καλὸν γὰρ προφθάσαι καὶ προλαβεῖν,