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they have fallen from divine oversight. And he commands them to become interpreters and explainers of the secrets in the divine oracles; which would be his wonders; and simply to repay him with hymns and to teach his wonders done by him to those who are ignorant. 23.1300 Be praised in his holy name; let the heart of those seeking the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord, and be strengthened; seek his face always. For praise and glory are for those who recount the virtue of God. But Aquila, instead of 'be praised', has put 'boast'. And the word exhorts the apostles and their successors not to be proud of wealth, nor of strength, nor of power; but in the knowledge and providence of the true God and in being called Christians. The divine Apostle also commanded this: for, he says, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord;' for not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. Jeremiah and the most wise Anna also relate these things: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth; but let him who boasts boast in this, to understand and to know that I am the Lord who practices mercy and justice upon the earth.' Let the heart of those seeking the Lord rejoice; that is, of those calling upon him for help, or journeying toward him through virtue, by whom he is also found. And he teaches how much benefit will come from confessing. For what you have sought, he says, this will happen to you, joy in the mind; for this is the fruit of hope in God. But see how he began from confession, and ended in joy. For the beginning of progress according to God is confession; and the end is joy according to God; and there are very many things between these. It will be necessary, therefore, first to confess to the Lord through genuine repentance, and fruits befitting confession; then, having been improved, to be confident and to call upon his name, and so, calling upon him after confession, to be deemed worthy of the gifts from God; then having received these things, to benefit others by announcing to everyone the works of his which they have learned; and upon these things, as having been deemed worthy of gladness according to God, to sing and make melody to him; and after these things, to become explainers of the secrets in the divine oracles; then, having already accomplished so many things, to be praised in his name; and finally, after all things, to rejoice in the mind, which is called the heart. This, seeking out the Lord, from the seeking itself and from the finding that follows the seeking, let it enjoy the joy that is according to God. And I consider all these things to be spoken by the Holy Spirit with reference to the person of the apostles. For 'Declare his works among the nations,' is not fitting to be said of others than them. And the outcome testifies to the word; for they alone declared the works of God among the nations who through them came to know the God of all, whom he addressed above as a new generation and a people being created. It is necessary, therefore, for one who is about to seek the Lord first to confess through sincere repentance and its fruits; for such a one is able both to seek, and in seeking to find. 23.1301 For if, in the case of precious stones, there is need of those who know, and in the case of divers, there is need of much knowledge, how much more in the case of God. For there are many things that hinder one from finding him: both the crowd of affairs, and the rebellions of the flesh, and diseases of souls, and the plots of demons, and indolence of mind. And if we may be rid of all these things, we will quickly find him, and we will strip off wickedness, and choose virtue. For this is the way that leads there. What then is seeking? To constantly think of him and reflect; for the one who seeks has what is sought in his mind. Seek the Lord and be strengthened; seek his face

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τῆς θείας ἐπισκοπῆς ἐκπεπτώκασι. Κελεύει δὲ καὶ ἑρμηνέας γίνεσθαι καὶ σαφηνιστὰς τῶν ἐν τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἀποῤῥήτων· ἅπερ ἂν εἴη τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἁπλῶς ὑμνῳδίαις αὐτὸν ἀμείβεσθαι καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γενόμενα τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξαι θαυμάσια. 23.1300 Ἐπαινεῖσθε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ· εὐφρανθήτω καρδία ζητούντων τὸν Κύριον. Ζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον, καὶ κραταιώθητε· ζητήσατε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ διαπαντός. Ἔπαινος γὰρ καὶ δόξα τοῖς τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ διηγουμένοις. Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπαινεῖσθε, καυχᾶσθε τέθεικε. Παρακελεύεται δὲ ὁ λόγος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις καὶ τοῖς διαδόχοις αὐτῶν, μὴ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, μὴ ἐπὶ ῥώμῃ, μὴ ἐπὶ δυναστείᾳ, μέγα φρονεῖν· ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ γνώσει καὶ προμηθείᾳ καὶ τῷ καλεῖσθαι Χριστιανούς. Τοῦτο παρηγγύησε καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος· Ὁ καυχώμενος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχάσθω· οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἑαυτὸν συνιστῶν ἐκεῖνος δόκιμος, ἀλλ' ὃν ὁ Κύριος συνίστησι. Ταῦτα καὶ Ἱερεμίας καὶ ἡ σοφωτάτη Ἄννα διέξεισι· Μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ σοφὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος, συνιεῖν καὶ γινώσκειν, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Κύριος ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Εὐφρανθήτω καρδία ζητούντων τὸν Κύριον· τουτέστιν ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτὸν εἰς βοήθειαν, ἢ δι' ἀρετῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁδευόντων, οἷς καὶ εὑρίσκεται ∆ιδάσκει δὲ πόσον ὄφελος ἐκ τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι γενήσεται. Ὃ γὰρ ἐζητήσατε, φησὶ, τοῦτο συμβήσεται ὑμῖν, ἡ περὶ τὸν νοῦν εὐφροσύνη· τῆς γὰρ εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος αὕτη καρπός. Θέα δὲ ὅπως ἀπὸ ἐξομολογήσεως ἤρξατο, καὶ κατέληξεν εἰς εὐφροσύνην. Ἀρχὴ μὲν γὰρ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν προκοπῆς ἐξομολόγησις· τέλος δὲ ἡ κατὰ Θεὸν εὐφροσύνη· πλεῖστα δὲ τὰ μεταξὺ τούτων. ∆εήσει τοίνυν πρῶτον ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τῷ Κυρίῳ διὰ γνησίας μετανοίας, καὶ καρπῶν πρεπόντων τῇ ἐξομολογήσει· ἔπειτα βελτιωθέντας θαῤῥεῖν καὶ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὕτως μετὰ τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν ἐπικαλουμένους καταξιοῦσθαι τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισμάτων· εἶτα τούτων τυχόντες, ἑτέρους ὠφελεῖν διὰ τοῦ ἀπαγγέλλειν εἰς ἅπαντας, ἅπερ μεμαθήκασιν ἔργα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡς ἂν καταξιωθέντας τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν θυμηδίας, ᾄδειν αὐτῷ καὶ ψάλλειν· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα σαφηνιστὰς γίνεσθαι τῶν ἐν τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἀποῤῥήτων· εἶτ' ἤδη κατωρθωκότας τὰ τοσαῦτα ἐπαινεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ· καὶ τέλος μετὰ πάντα, εὐφραίνεσθαι κατὰ διάνοιαν, καρδίαν ὀνομαζομένην. Αὕτη, τὸν Κύριον ἐκζητοῦσα, ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ζητήσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγινομένης τῇ ζητήσει εὑρέσεως, ἀπολαυέτω τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν εὐφροσύνης. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἡγοῦμαι εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν ἀποστόλων ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀναφέρεσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἀπαγγείλατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἄλλοις ἁρμόζει λέγεσθαι ἢ αὐτοῖς. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα· μόνοι γὰρ ἀπήγγειλαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἔργα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς δι' αὐτῶν τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν ἐπεγνωκόσιν, οὓς ἀνωτέρω καινὴν γενεὰν καὶ λαὸν κτιζόμενον προσηγόρευσε. ∆εῖ τοίνυν τὸν μέλλοντα ζητεῖν τὸν Κύριον ἐξομολογεῖσθαι πρότερον δι' εἰλικρινοῦς μετανοίας καὶ τῶν ταύτης καρπῶν· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος καὶ ζητεῖν δύναται, καὶ ζητῶν εὑ 23.1301 ρεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ λίθων τιμίων τῶν εἰδότων χρεία, καὶ ἐπὶ κολυμβητῶν πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιστήμης δεῖ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ Θεοῦ. Πολλὰ γάρ ἐστι τὰ κωλύοντα αὐτὸν εὑρεῖν, καὶ πραγμάτων ὄχλος, καὶ σαρκὸς ἐπαναστάσεις, καὶ νοσήματα ψυχῶν, καὶ δαιμόνων ἐπιβουλαὶ, καὶ ῥᾳθυμία γνώμης. Κἂν ἀπαλλαγῶμεν τούτων ἁπάντων, ταχέως αὐτὸν εὑρήσομεν, καὶ τὴν κακίαν ἀποδυσόμεθα, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἑλώμεθα. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκεῖ φέρουσα ὁδός. Τί οὖν ἐστι ζήτησις; τὸ συνεχῶς ἐκεῖνον ἐννοεῖν καὶ λογίζεσθαι· ὁ γὰρ ζητῶν ἐπὶ διανοίας ἔχει τὸ ζητούμενον. Ζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον καὶ κραταιώθητε· ζητήσατε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ