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of my heart. For this is the city of the Lord, as a house of the Holy Spirit, according to the saying: Her foundations are in the holy mountains; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Therefore, since the prosperity of wickedness is truly a plague against the virtues, it is well to emulate the prophetic word and make a morning for ourselves, in order to kill all the sinners of the land, to destroy from the city of the Lord—and the soul is the city—all the thoughts that work iniquity, whose destruction becomes life for the better things, according to the saying, I kill and I make alive; I wound and I will heal, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. For when the members that are on the earth are mortified, and the body is bruised and brought into subjection, the occasions for sin that come from the flesh are not able to raise up in the soul thoughts that hasten to work iniquity through the enjoyment of pleasure; and so the better things live. Therefore, we must not only be slayers of bodily passions, but also destroyers of the impassioned thoughts of the soul. For the passions of the body are sinners of the land, while the lawless thoughts of the soul are those who work iniquity, who are destroyed from the city of the Lord. And according to the saying, Slay, it says, the sinners, for the sake of destroying the transgressors, so that transgression, seeing the severity of the punishment, may be checked and disappear. And the morning signifies diligence according to speed; and the removal of the wicked is lawful. For Remove, it says, the wicked person from among you.

A PRAYER FOR THE POOR, WHEN HE IS FAINT, AND POURS OUT HIS SUPPLICATION BEFORE THE LORD. 101.

Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Turn not your face away from me, and so forth. Since the inscription has, A prayer for the poor, when he is faint, and pours out his supplication before the Lord, you will understand the poor man spoken of here, connecting him with the one who is blessed, according to the saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And to the faint poor man would also fit: Blessed are those who weep and mourn, for they shall be comforted. Therefore, everyone dedicated to God, being poor in the affairs of this life but rich toward God, is faint with sorrow, or, is seized with despondency, according to the interpretation of Symmachus, at the wickedness and perdition of the many; such was he who said: Woe is me, for the godly man has perished from the earth, 23.1252 and there is none upright among men; they all lie in wait for blood, every man hunts his neighbor with a net; and he who said: There is none that does good. Nevertheless, at these things the poor man, being faint and despondent, devises a therapeutic remedy for his passion for himself; and this was prayer to God, which he had as his only consolation, through which, pouring out his soul, and offering all his thoughts before God, he is said to pour out his supplication before the Lord, or, his speech, according to Symmachus. But also the one poor according to God, that is, the choir of the prophets, filled with sorrow at the destruction of the former people, comes to the Lord, sending up supplications for the people with fasting and tears, so that the people themselves might be pitied. In whatever day I am afflicted, incline your ear to me. Here let the saying of Isaiah be mentioned: O Lord, in trouble we have remembered you; in a little trouble was your instruction to us. It is therefore necessary to be occupied with supplications even before being afflicted, and not only in times of crisis. The

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τῆς καρδίας μου. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ πόλις τοῦ Κυρίου, ὡς οἶκος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, κατὰ τό· Οἱ θεμέλιοι αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τοῖς ἁγίοις· ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος τὰς πύλας Σιὼν ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ σκηνώματα Ἰακώβ. ∆εδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ πληγή ἐστιν, ὡς ἀληθῶς, κατὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡ τῆς κακίας εὐημερία, καλῶς ἔχει τὸν προφητικὸν ζηλώσαντας λόγον πρωΐαν ἑαυτοῖς ποιεῖν, διὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι πάντας τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τῆς γῆς τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἐκ πόλεως Κυρίου, ψυχὴ δὲ ἡ πόλις, πάντας τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν, ὧν ὁ ὄλεθρος ζωὴ γίνεται τῶν ἀμεινόνων, κατὰ τὸ, Ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ καὶ ζῇν ποιήσω· πατάξω, κἀγὼ ἰάσομαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἐξελεῖται ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου. Νεκρουμένων γὰρ τῶν μελῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὑπωπιαζομένου τε καὶ δουλαγωγουμένου τοῦ σώματος, αἱ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφορμαὶ οὐχ οἷαί τέ εἰσιν ἐγεῖραι λογισμοὺς τῇ ψυχῇ τοὺς σπεύδοντας δι' ἡδονῆς ἀπόλαυσιν τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖν· καὶ λοιπὸν ζῶσι τὰ κρείττονα. ∆εῖ τοίνυν ἡμᾶς μὴ μόνον παθῶν εἶναι σωματικῶν φονευτὰς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κατὰ ψυχὴν ἐμπαθῶν λογισμῶν ὀλετῆρας. Ἁμαρτωλοὶ γὰρ γῆς τὰ τοῦ σώματος πάθη, ἐργαζόμενοι δὲ ἀνομίαν ἐκ πόλεως Κυρίου ἐξολοθρευόμενοι, τῆς ψυχῆς οἱ ἀνομοῦντες λογισμοί. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν, Ἀπέκτεινον, φησὶ, τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς, χάριν τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι τοὺς παρανομοῦντας, ἵνα τὴν ἀποτομίαν τῆς κολάσεως ἡ παρανομία βλέπουσα συσταλῇ καὶ ἀφανισθῇ. Ἡ δὲ πρωΐα τὸ σπουδαῖον δηλοῖ κατὰ τὸ τάχος· νόμιμος δὲ ἡ τῶν πονηρῶν ἐξαίρεσις· Ἐξαιρεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν.

ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΗ ΤΩ ΠΤΩΧΩ, ΟΤΑΝ ΑΚΗ∆ΙΑΣΗ, ΚΑΙ ΕΝΑΝΤΙΟΝ ΚΥΡΙΟΥ ΕΚΧΕΗ ΤΗΝ ∆ΕΗΣΙΝ ΑΥΤΟΥ. ΡΑʹ.

Κύριε, εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου, καὶ ἡ κραυγή μου πρὸς σὲ ἐλθέτω. Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ ἔχει, Προσευχὴ τῷ πτωχῷ, ὅταν ἀκηδιάσῃ, καὶ ἐναντίον Κυρίου ἐκχέῃ τὴν δέησιν αὐτοῦ, νοήσεις τὸν ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενον πτωχὸν, συμβάλλων αὐτὸν τῷ μακαριζομένῳ, κατὰ τό· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἁρμόσειε δ' ἂν τῷ ἀκηδιῶντι πτωχῷ καὶ τό· Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες καὶ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Πᾶς τοιγαροῦν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνακείμενος, πτωχεύων ἐν τοῖς τοῦ βίου πράγμασι· παρὰ δὲ Θεῷ πλουτῶν, ἀκηδιᾷ λυπούμενος, ἢ, ἀθυμίᾳ, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Συμμάχου ἑρμηνείαν, κατέχεται, ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν πολλῶν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀπωλείᾳ· οἷος ἦν ὁ λέγων· Οἴμοι, ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαβὴς ἀπὸ γῆς, 23.1252 καὶ ὁ κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐχ ὑπάρχει· πάντες εἰς αἵματα δικάζονται, ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐκθλίβουσιν ἐκθλιβῇ· καὶ ὁ εἰπών· Οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα. Πλὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ πτωχὸς ἀκηδιῶν καὶ ἀθυμῶν, φάρμακον τοῦ πάθους θεραπευτικὸν περινοεῖ ἑαυτῷ· τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εὐχὴ, ἣν μόνην εἶχε παραμυθίαν, δι' ἧς ἐξαπλῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ σύμπαντας ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς λογισμοὺς προσφέρων ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγεται ἐνώπιον Κυρίου ἐκχέειν τὴν δέησιν αὐτοῦ, ἢ, τὴν λογοποιίαν ἑαυτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν πτωχὸς, τουτέστιν ὁ τῶν προφητῶν χορὸς, λύπης πεπληρωμένος ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ καταστροφῇ, προσέρχεται τῷ Κυρίῳ, τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀναπέμπων δεήσεις μετὰ νηστείας καὶ δακρύων, ὅπως ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ λαὸς οἰκτειρηθῇ. Ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ θλίβωμαι κλῖνον πρὸς μὲ τὸ οὖς σου. Ἐνταῦθα εἰρήσθω τὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου· Κύριε, ἐν θλίψει ἐμνήσθημέν σου, ἐν θλίψει μικρᾷ ἡ παιδεία σου ἡμῖν. Χρὴ δὲ ἄρα καὶ πρὸ τοῦ θλίβεσθαι, ταῖς ἱκετηρίαις σχολάζειν, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἐν τοῖς περιστατικοῖς καιροῖς. Ὁ