Статья 7: О взаимной должности христианской

The previous article briefly proposed (a discussion) about the common duty of Christians to each other, which a Christian has to a Christian. This (article) offers a discussion about the position that bosses have to bosses, and subordinates to bosses, parents to children, and children to parents, and so on. Chapter 1: About Christian power in general and those subject to it “Let every soul be subject to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God; the existing authorities have been established by God. Therefore, he who resists authority resists God's institution. But those who resist will bring upon themselves condemnation” (Rom. 13:1-2 et seq. 1 Pet. 2:13-19; Wisdom 6:1-8 et al.). § 453. We see that in Christian society there is a dual power: civil and spiritual. Civil power manages external affairs, and spiritual power oversees what concerns the internal, spiritual state. The civil governs civil laws, and the spiritual corrects with the word of God. Civil lawlessness and temptations of those under power are suppressed by the sword, and spirituality, by the word of God, the fear and judgment of God and temporary excommunication from Christian society, humbles those who walk unseemly. The goal of both authorities, civil and spiritual, should be no other than the good condition of the governed and the glory of the name of God. § 454. All power, great or small, is from God, according to Scripture: “There is no power but from God.” The power was created by God, as we see, for a good purpose: 1) To avert any trouble that may occur in society. 2) To pacify the outrage, impudence and violence of daring people, to protect the innocence and gentleness of good people, as the Apostle Peter teaches that rulers are sent from the king “to punish criminals and to reward those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:14). And Saint Paul says: “Governors are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil ones. Do you want to not be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from her, for the ruler is God's servant, for your good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God’s servant, an avenger to punish those who do evil” (Rom 13:3-4). 3) To gain and preserve all well-being, both physical and mental. “God,” says Saint Chrysostom, “created the authorities for the common benefit” (Discourse 6 on 1 Epistle to Timothy). § 455. Therefore, all power is like a head in the human body, in its society. Every society is like a living person. What is in man is power in society. The head in a person, like the seat of the mind and reasoning, controls all members and provides for them all. So the authorities must manage and provide for all their subordinates. And just as the head cares about the good condition of the entire body of the body, so it is appropriate for the authorities to care and try for every well-being of the society subordinate to itself, for it was for this purpose that it was established by God, as said above. Every ruler is elected and appointed not for his own sake, but for the benefit of his subordinates, therefore he must take care of their benefit. Therefore, every godly ruler, civil and spiritual, must be his subordinate, like a father to his children. Just as a prudent father keeps his children in fear and has mercy on them, so should the authorities act with their subjects. They must imitate the highest and beginningless Power, the Heavenly Father Himself, who punishes and has mercy on us who sin, beats and does not take away mercy, hurts and heals, saddens and comforts. The authorities must take the middle path and act with their subordinates: not allow them to live according to their will, punish those who sin, curb them with fear and lead them to good morals, and not torture them. § 456. From the above it is clear: 1) Only that true and useful ruler is one who is conscientious and reasonable, and it cannot be otherwise. For an evil ruler, although reasonable, will act shamelessly with his subordinates, neglect them, worry about himself and not about them, seek his own self-interest and not their benefit, and so, instead of the general well-being, he will inflict misfortune on society. Also, a conscientious, but without reason, ruler will achieve little. For although he will care about the common good, but due to impoverishment of the mind, he will often not do what he should, and when he should, to whom and what he should; and so, although he will carry out his work for a good purpose, it will often be to the detriment of his society. However, a good ruler without wisdom is more useful to society than an evil one with his wisdom and cunning. 2) Those authorities who care about their own self-interest and not about the general well-being do very bad things. Thus they oppose God’s institution, which instructs the authorities to preserve the general well-being. For all power is not given for the sake of one’s own self-interest, but for the sake of the integrity of society, as it has been said. This is what society should look for, for what it is supplied. But when he wrongly seeks his own, instead of the common good, he brings harm to society, not benefit, and so does not create, but ruins society and, instead of a benefactor, becomes its enemy. 3) Just as those authorities do bad things who punish and torture their subordinates immoderately and inappropriately, so do those who leave criminals of the law without punishment. This gives them a reason to commit other sins and iniquities. The thief, not punished for his lawlessness, again turns to the same lawless deed. For lawlessness, left without punishment, is nothing more than a door to other lawlessness. From there will follow the habit of sin and hardening in sin, which leads to obvious destruction. Therefore, leaving a criminal without punishment is not mercy, but inhumanity and madness, which leads even the one who has mercy to destruction. Moderation is everywhere commendable: both punishment with mercy, and mercy with justice and punishment are required from a pious ruler. This is also shown by nature, in which both excessive frost and extreme heat are harmful, but warmth through cooling and dry weather dissolved by rain are beneficial. This is how society is built and prospers through moderation. 4) Those who, through all sorts of machinations, or through the intercession of others, or through bribes, or in any other way, gain honor, act badly and un-Christianly. By this they show that they suffer either from vain love of glory, which is indecent for Christians, or from the desire for bad profit, which is harmful to themselves and society, and thus by this quest they show themselves unworthy of power. For all power for a Christian is not peace and honor, but the greater is the cross, burdened with great and abundant labor, care and constant patience, which no one will desire. Everyone must first make and prepare themselves worthy of the honor and title of God to await, which happens through the election of the highest and preferential authorities. § 457. Position to the authorities subordinate to them: 1) Those who are subject to their authorities must obey in everything, and obey the Lord for the sake of the Lord, as the Apostle Peter teaches: “Be subject to all human authority for the Lord’s sake” (1 Pet. 2:13). God made them - for God’s sake we must obey them. God commands to listen to them - for the sake of God who commands, one must listen to them. He who obeys authority obeys God, just as “he who resists authority resists God’s institution” (Rom. 13:2). If something is commanded according to God's law, it is God's command, not man's, although men also command. 2) We must lovingly honor them as our fathers and providers. Conscience itself convinces us to love and honor those who care and provide for our benefit. Pious authorities are nothing more than seekers and guardians of the general well-being. We love and honor our fathers according to the flesh, for they gave birth to us and provide for us. Moreover, the pious authorities, who care and provide for us and for our fathers, provide, I say, for us, for they provide for the society in which we are included. For whoever cares about the benefit of the whole body, he also cares about the benefit of all the bodily members of which the body consists. They are God's servants, God's messengers and, as it were, God's vicegerents, who carry out the office entrusted to them by God, who lives in heaven, on earth; Therefore, as God’s messengers and servants, those sent for our benefit should be accepted and respected. 3) We must pray to God for them, to keep their lives intact and strengthen them, to protect them from all enemy slander, to enlighten and make them wise for the common benefit, so that they can avert everything that harms society, and do things that create and increase the common well-being. For the general well-being depends on good and reasonable authorities. That house is in good condition, with a kind and reasonable owner. So prosperous is the city in which the good and wise mayor lives; prosperous are those people who have a good, wise and careful shepherd; prosperous is the army that is led by a good, skillful and careful commander; prosperous is the state over which a kind, wise and careful monarch reigns. Therefore, it is necessary for all those under their control to earnestly pray to God for their powers, so that they will be correct in their work, and so, with their well-being, they themselves will be prosperous. To this end, the holy apostle exhorts Christians: “I ask that you make prayers, petitions, supplications, and thanksgivings for all men, for kings and for all those in authority, that we may lead a quiet and serene life in all godliness and purity, for this is good and pleasing to God our Savior” (1 Tim. 2:1-3). § 458. Christians who do not correct the above-described positions sin gravely. It is obvious that such people do not know what the authorities are and from whom they were instituted, and for what purpose they were instituted; and they do not feel at all where the general well-being comes from, in which their (well-being) lies. But more than that, those who act shamelessly and lawlessly are those who create evil intentions and rebel against their lawfully established authorities, and such are nothing more than sons of destruction and enemies of the fatherland and general well-being. They need to fear the Last Judgment of God that befell Korah, Dathan and Abiron, whom the earth swallowed up alive as punishment for rebelling against Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:25–32). § 459. – Someone will ask: “What should the authorities do if they do lies?” Answer. 1) What is wrong with you? Do your thing and act according to your position. For their unrighteousness they will give an answer to the righteous God, “Who will search their deeds and test their intentions. For they, being servants of His kingdom, did not judge fairly, did not keep the law and did not act according to the will of God,” and so on (Wis. 6:3-4 et seq.). 2) Whatever is commanded that is not contrary to the law of God, listen and do it, but otherwise do not listen, since “you must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). This is what the holy martyrs did. The wicked authorities commanded them to dig the ground, and they dug; carry stones, carried; to go to prison and exile, they went; bow your head under the sword, bowed your head; their estates were taken away from them, given away, and other things that were not contrary to the law of God, they were ordered to do, they did it. They commanded me to renounce Christ and do other ungodly things, but they did not listen. Do the same. Your master commands you to do any work, do it; tells you to lie, to offend, to steal, to lie, etc. - don’t listen. For this he threatens with execution, do not be afraid, for it is more appropriate to fear God, who has the power to “destroy both soul and body in Gehenna,” than a person who “kills only the body, but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). If he takes life, do not resist, for he who sacrifices his life for truth will find it in the coming century. Chapter 2: On the office of pious monarchs and their subjects “The time drew near for David to die, and he commanded his son Solomon, saying: Behold, I am going on the journey of all the earth; but you must be strong and of good courage, and keep the covenant of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes and His commandments, and His statutes and His statutes, as it is written in the law of Moses” (1 Kings 2:1-3). §460. 1) The monarch does not have an owner over himself on earth, but has in heaven the One who rules heaven and earth: “He rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he wants” (Dan. 4:22). It has no ruler on earth, but has one in heaven; has no overseer and judge - a man, but has God, who sees all the deeds, words and thoughts of men (see Ps. 32:13-15, 139:1-16), and judges everyone according to his works (Rom. 2:6), “he will not be afraid of face and will not be afraid of greatness” (Wis. 6:7). For this reason, a pious monarch, firstly, what he commands his subjects, he himself has a duty to do, and what he forbids them to do, therefore he himself first (must) retire, so that for what he judges others, his conscience does not judge him before God. 2) The king sits in a high place and is therefore visible to everyone; everyone turns their eyes to him, not only those present, but also those living far from him, their deeds and words take note, and everyone wants to know what he is doing in their chambers, and they accept their way of life from him, and they want to follow his example. For this reason, even for all Christians, but especially those placed high, as on a candlestick, it is necessary to note the word of Christ: “So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). 3) The royal throne is surrounded by many caresses, as we see enough of this in stories from which some, wanting to sneak into the favor of the monarch, others to commit malice against another, can manage to do a lot with their flattering and poisonous tongue, praising the unworthy, but passing by or defaming the worthy, and so deceive a person who does not know the intentions of the heart, and thus cause harm to society. Therefore, the pious crown should not quickly believe such people, but test them, and drive out slanderers, following the example of the holy king of Israel, David: “Whoever secretly slandered his neighbor, I drove him out; having a proud eye and an insatiable heart—with this I have not eaten” (Ps. 100:5). 4) The royal crown is adorned with wisdom, truth and mercy: “the throne is established with righteousness” (Proverbs 16:12). “Mercy and truth keep a king, and by mercy he upholds his throne” (Proverbs 20:28). Truth requires that everyone be given their due, rewards for their loyalty to the good and loyal subjects, and punishment for the evil and faulty, so that others who want to dishonor may have fear. Mercy wants to warm everyone with its embrace, but since many are unworthy of mercy, wisdom dissolves that with truth and teaches the good to reward, to punish the faulty, but with mercy and the hope of correction, to cut off the hardened from the company of the good, so that even those are not damaged by their anger. This is what the righteous, merciful and wise King of Heaven, the King of kings and Lord of lords, does to us, “he resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5); He loves the good and enriches them with His blessing; He punishes the faulty, but has mercy on those who are punished and humbled; He rejects the hardened from His presence and consigns them to eternal punishment. The kings of the earth who were created by Him and the kings of the earth subordinate to Him have a duty to imitate this example of the Heavenly King, and to do the same with their subjects, and with the reigning prophet to sing to the Lord: “I will sing to You of mercy and judgment, O Lord” (Ps. 100 et seq.). Excessive severity is harmful, and reckless mercy is useless. The first leads people to indignation, grief and despondency; the second opens the door to relaxation, self-will, disorder and corruption; truth, coupled with mercy, turns away everything. This is the wisdom of the ruler, this is the royal path - to adhere to the truth and not to forget mercy. It is bad to show mercy where punishment is required; It is bad to forgive and spare someone who does not leave sin and does not repent. An unpunished sin gives rise to other sins, and one villain, forgiven by many, gives encouragement to such a crime. For the evil, seeing an unpunished villain, turn to the same crime with such hope that they too will be forgiven in the event of exposure. This will result in an increase in atrocities, and this will result in a considerable loss for the fatherland. On the contrary, it is not good to use the sword there, where a plaster of mercy and binding is required, where sin is due to weakness, to which good people are subject, and not committed out of intent and prejudice; it is also useless to punish someone who voluntarily punishes himself. Far from wisdom is that punishment which is not imposed according to the crime. Everywhere moderation, both in nature and in citizenship, is praiseworthy and useful, as above mentioned. Therefore, sound reasoning and a quick determination are needed everywhere. 5) True justice does not accept human faces: it treats the rich and the poor equally, it is not ashamed of the dignitary and does not despise the simple, it does not look at faces, but it judges their cases and passes judgment on them. He punishes a simple, faulty person and does not let go of a high-ranking person who has acted contrary to the honor of his rank and his oath, but since a greater and higher sin is committed by a greater and higher person, then the subsequent greater punishment is concluded for the (greater) sin, reasoning that if it is evil to do a lie to a simple person, then there is a greater evil to the high-ranking person, who was established for this purpose in order to eradicate untruth and instill truth. Therefore, a pious king, when he wants to preserve justice, but it is necessary to preserve it, the office has not to accept persons, but to look at their deeds and judge by them, following the example of the Heavenly King, who “does not look on the face of a person” (Gal. 2:6), “will not be afraid of the face and will not be afraid of greatness” (Wis. 6:7). Great and small, high-ranking and simple - they are equally sons of the fatherland, equally they make up the fatherland, they demand equal paternal care from the monarch and want to be warm and nourished in the deceased fatherland's bosom. However, those considered lower bring greater benefits. What can a city do without a village? Where does the bread and other things needed for the maintenance of life come from? The village brings everything to the city, the villager feeds the citizen, and the farmer the master. A city will become desolate without a village, and a master will become impoverished without an owner. A commander without soldiers is like a body or head without arms and legs. Just as everyone makes up the fatherland and brings benefit, so the pious monarch, as the head of his members, undertakes to provide for everyone in a fatherly manner, and both to humble the great and proud, and to protect and deliver the little oppressed. 6) Although the king sits in a high place, he must remember that he is the same person as other people, he also dies and is consigned to the earth, like his subjects, where there is no difference between the king and the subject, and the master from the slave, and the nobleman from the commoner. Death makes everyone equal and returns and turns everyone into the earth. Therefore, according to Scripture, “as great as you are, humble yourself, and you will find grace from the Lord” (Sir.3:18). If Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is not ashamed to call His faithful brethren (Heb. 2:11; see also John 20:17; Ps. 21:23), then how much more worthy is it for a man to have people like himself as brethren. From here Christian virtues will flow, like streams from a source; hence patience, Christian victory, which triumphs not over defeated enemies, but over one’s own heart; hence the meekness and gentleness with which the heart is preserved in silence. Blessed is the crown that these precious and otherworldly stones adorn. She will become more famous than by victories over external enemies: it is more glorious to defeat herself than to defeat people. She will preserve her cities more than military weapons, for she will have God as her Protector. He will teach his people more than laws and decrees, for we learn more by deeds than by words, and by a good example rather than by the command of superiors. 7) Pious kings have the duty to protect and multiply the Holy Church, according to the prophecy of the holy Prophet: “And kings will be your nourishers, and their queens your nurses” (Is. 49:23). Therefore, they must protect her from persecutors and scolders, provide for good shepherds; useful teachings by which it is established, multiplied, expanded and prospers, expanded; schools in which the seeds of teachings are sown, plant, spread and properly maintain them. 8) Pious sovereigns should provide for the peace and well-being of their fatherland. Therefore, they need to elect and send to power good and reasonable people who would preserve justice, like the apple of their eye, and would seek the common, and not their own, benefit while in power, and thus would preserve and increase the integrity and well-being of their subjects. The integrity and well-being of society depends on good and reasonable authorities, just as it becomes exhausted, ruined and falls on evil and faulty ones. 9) The duty of pious monarchs is to defend their fatherland from foreigners. Therefore, when they start a war, they must be extremely careful not to start a wrong war and fight without the right reason, to preserve their own and not to touch someone else’s, so that they do not lose their own, and do not shed the blood of their subjects in vain, and in this they do not seriously sin before God. And it is terrible to shed the blood of one person in vain, much less many. One, killed in vain, the blood cries to heaven and brings down vengeance, much less many. For all those killed in a wrongful war, an answer should be given to God, Who tests human hearts, and knows plans and undertakings, and writes everything in His book (Ps. 139:16). 10) Since the kingdom is governed not by human, but by God’s wisdom, and is protected and preserved not by human, but by God’s almighty power, therefore a pious king has the duty to pray to the Heavenly King, so that He Himself will instruct and make him wise to govern the kingdom entrusted to him. 11) The kings bear a great burden of work, burdened by their constant concern for the integrity of the fatherland, and as a result they sometimes find themselves in no small amount of boredom, sadness and exhaustion. Therefore, the pious royal heart in this case can console itself with the hope of future reward in eternal life, for all labors, sorrows and sorrows will soon pass, and for many labors, briefly raised about Christ, there will be a great and endless reward. The Lord is righteous: He will reward everyone according to their deeds. § 461. The duty of loyal subjects to their pious monarch: 1) We must love him from the bottom of our hearts, as God’s first father, providence and trustee, vigilantly concerned about the integrity of the fatherland and the general well-being. 2) It is high and loving to pay respect to him, as sent from God. 3) His commands and decrees, as given for the benefit of society, must be carried out without grumbling and with zeal. 4) The tribute required from him should be given willingly and without delay. 5) Pray earnestly to God for his health, as necessary for the fatherland, for a peaceful reign and wise rule, for He has counsel and truth; He is the mind, He has the power. With them “kings reign and rulers legitimize the truth; The rulers and the nobles and all the judges of the earth rule over him” (Proverbs 8:14–16). 6) On occasion, do not spare his health and your health. The head in the natural body, when danger follows it, is protected and preserved by all members, although they themselves suffer, for from the disaster of the head and the whole body comes disaster. In society, the head is the king, whose integrity and health must be preserved by everyone, for integrity depends on his integrity and society, and from his misfortune the entire society suffers misfortune. Chapter 3: About the position of judges and those coming to court “Hear your brothers and judge fairly, both brother and brother and his stranger; do not distinguish between persons in judgment; listen to both small and great: do not be afraid of the face of man, for judgment is the work of God” (Deut. 1:16-17). § 462. True justice is necessary in court, so without it there cannot be a righteous court, but only a form of court. This is what the truth is all about. It demands that the right be acquitted and the guilty be condemned; so that the one who is raped is protected, the one who rapes is humble, the one who is embittered is pleased, the one who is embittered is punished, so that others may also have fear. Consequently, justice in the matter of judgment does not know the person, as God commands: “do not distinguish between persons in court”; but he only watches and listens to things. Rich and poor, high-ranking and simple, fellow countryman and foreigner, relative and non-relative, friend and enemy, acquaintance and stranger are equal to him in the matter of judgment. It means the rich and the poor, the dignitary and the simple, the friend and the enemy, the relative and the stranger guilty when it finds untruth in him, and judges him right when his deeds justify him. This means not looking at faces in court. Therefore, justice is not indecently likened to a person with closed eyes, because in court it does not look at faces, but only listens to cases; he is likened to one who has one ear open and the other closed, for with one he listens to the informer, and with the other he protects the defendant; it is likened to scales, for it measures and considers a matter of reasoning, as if it were placed on a scale, and on which side the truth weighs, it leans towards that one, sticks to it, and praises and justifies that one. § 463. Four things more than others do not allow justice to exist and transform righteous judgment: the passion of extortion, human fear, carnal love and hatred of enemies. Covetousness attracts the hand of the judge to accept gifts, and for the sake of them teaches to justify the rich, even if he was guilty, and to condemn the beggar, even if he was right. Human fear can turn the heart of a judge when higher officials, to whom the judge himself is subordinate, defend the guilty person and threaten the judge with deprivation of dignity, or something else, if he does not do as they wish. Carnal love, for example, the love of brothers, relatives, friends and other loved ones who either intercede for the guilty, or are themselves guilty in court, strikes the judge’s heart and wants to turn the weight of justice. Hatred of enemies who sue the judge’s friends or other persons who are not his enemies can corrupt the judge, when in court his enemies are right, and his friends and others are guilty, and prompts a friend, as a loved one, to acquit, and an enemy, as a slanderer, to condemn. These four things are the enemies of justice more than others! These want to overthrow the truth from their throne and plant untruth! Pious judges should not look at faces, but at deeds, and not be deceived by gifts, and not be afraid of human fear. If the judge stretches out his hand to the gifts and judges by them, then in the place of truth he will place mammon and instead of the judicial place he will create a marketplace. If, for the sake of human fear, he commits a lie, a man, and not God, Who commanded to preserve the truth, he will be afraid and will prefer the human fear to the fear of God. If he bows down with the love of his friends, then he will abandon and offend God, who loved him. If for the sake of enmity he condemns the enemy, then he will take revenge, and not judge, and commit malice, and not carry out judgment. And so, when he commits any of this, he ceases to be a righteous judge, and therefore, a true Christian. Without truth and a good conscience, there cannot be a righteous judge or a true Christian. If a judge wants to preserve truth and piety, then he must stand motionless, neither on one side nor on the other (without deviating), and strive against everything that is prescribed above, in order to serve God with righteousness, and not mammon with unrighteousness. "No one can serve two masters." It is impossible to “serve both God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Let the fear of man be driven away by the fear of God, and let him strengthen himself with trust in God, to whose judgment both higher and lower authorities and judges are subject. Let carnal love be extinguished by the love of God, and let the enemy’s hatred be overcome by patience and meekness. And so justice will be preserved, and truth will triumph over untruth. § 464. The following encourages judges to preserve justice: 1) God is Eternal Truth, Who is pleased with righteousness and is irritated by unrighteousness, Who is invisibly present in court, and sees the judge’s plans, intentions and deeds, and hears the words, and writes in His book, and “will illuminate the hidden things in darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart” (1 Cor. 4:5), and says to the judges through His prophet: “Do not do unrighteousness in court” ( Lev.19:15). 2) Christian position, which requires that the justifications show the fruits, and do the truth, and preserve their conscience. Although all Christians must preserve the truth if they want to be Christians; especially to judges who, as the best and most intelligent, have been chosen from among all, and, like luminaries, have been placed in a high place, and therefore must publish the light of truth, and lead others to the truth. 3) The oath that the judges made before God and His holy Gospel, and promised to preserve the truth, defend, and eradicate untruth, and in this they called God as a witness in their conscience. May this very important oath of theirs encourage them to preserve the truth, which cannot be violated without blasphemy and dishonor of the name of God and their obvious destruction. God is not mocked, Who heard their promise, and oath, and calling on His name as a testimony to their conscience. 4) The integrity and well-being of society, in which they themselves lie, which is created and prospers from the truth preserved, and from untruth is ruined and falls. Where does robbery, violence, theft and all untruth among the wicked come from? From the untruth of the judge. Judicial truth eradicates evil, but untruth teaches evil. One and another evil person paid off execution with a bribe, with this hope many learn evil, and so evil grows and multiplies. From here the wrath of God and terrible judgments are sent to the fatherland. General untruth is punished by general execution. The present age sees this evil, in which truth is trampled underfoot, and untruth has its place. We see this evil, and we mourn and sigh, so that the Lord may look at the tears of poor widows and orphans and turn away that evil. May the general well-being motivate judges to preserve the truth, and may the general disadvantage turn them away from untruth. 5) We read in stories that the pagans, who did not know the true God and His written law, but were governed by natural law, kept the truth in court. Christians are ashamed to remain inferior to the pagans in this matter. And those who are lower than them show that they are becoming worse than them. Therefore, more than the pagans, they are subject to the most terrible judgment of God. 6) We see in the Holy Scriptures that the judgment of God on unrighteous judges is terrible. “Cursed is he who judges wrongly the stranger, the orphan and the widow!” And further: “Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill a soul and shed innocent blood!” (Deut.27:19, 25). “Woe to those who make unjust laws and write cruel judgments to exclude the poor from justice and to steal the rights of the weak of my people, to make widows their prey and rob the orphans” (Isaiah 10:1-2). “They have become fat, fat, they have even gone beyond all limits in evil, they do not deal with court cases, the affairs of orphans; they prosper, and the just cause of the poor is not given justice. Am I not going to punish you for this? - says the Lord; and shall not my soul take vengeance on such a people as this” ( Jer. 5:28–29 )? The Most High “will examine your deeds and test your intentions. For you, being servants of His kingdom, did not judge justly, did not keep the law, and did not walk according to the will of God. He will appear to you fearfully and quickly, and judgment will be severe on those in authority, for the lesser deserves mercy, but the stronger will be greatly tormented,” according to another translation, “they will be greatly tormented,” says Solomon (Wis. 6:3-6). From these and other passages of Holy Scripture it is clear that the more untruths a judge commits, the more destruction he gathers for himself. The unrighteous judge will be crowded from everywhere when he stands at the judgment seat of Christ. His conscience, the rule and law common to all people, will expose him for acting against it. He will expose the promise made at baptism, but abandoned. The word of God will convict, heard so many times, but despised. An oath will convict, with an oath and invocation of the omniscient God as a witness to his justice, created but trampled upon. They will denounce the tears of widows, orphans and other poor people shed, but for the sake of bribery they did not achieve anything. Deeds, words and thoughts will appear, unrighteously, cunningly and craftily intended and created. There will be as many witnesses to his untruth as he has committed and decided unjustly and against his conscience. Hence the worldwide shame and from the righteous Judge he will feel as much anger as he has done wrong. Then he will realize that although he collected a lot from the world, he brought nothing from the world except great destruction; although he was revered here by the rich, famous and glorious, he appeared to the poor, the wretched, the vile and dishonest and the most damned more than others. “The strong will be greatly tormented,” says God’s word, true and unchangeable (Wis. 6:6). Reason about this, judge, and beware of falsehood more than fire. § 465. Witnesses are often called to court in order to better discover and prove the truth. And since the whole matter is established on the testimony of witnesses, and according to their words and testimony, as those who have heard or seen it, the case will be decided, and one of the judged is determined to be right and the other to be guilty, therefore the witnesses in this case must be faithful, not deviate to either side, not know either friendship, no enmity, no love, no malice towards the judged, no fear of man, and not be afraid to turn away the hand from accepting gifts. Let one truth be their friend, which, if it sees something good in an enemy, it praises, and if it sees something evil in a friend, it testifies, and it, like truth, does not know the face of man, but shows what it sees and hears, and leans toward that side in which it finds rightness, and turns away from that side in which it sees untruth that is contrary to itself. Therefore, witnesses must adhere to the truth and strive against lies, as the Lord commands: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16), so that by your false witness those who are innocent will end up in great trouble, those guilty of great insolence and self-will, those who judge, they will not lead into sin and themselves from the Christian society, therefore, from Christ Himself. All this follows from false testimony. For the basis of the entire court case rests on the witnesses. § 466. About the position of subordinate judges, see in its place. And Christians who want to bring their offense to the court and turn away their offense through court, let them heed the passages described below in Holy Scripture (Ex. 20:16; Matt. 5:39–40, 44 et seq.; Matt. 6:14–15, 7:12–14; Mark 8:36, 38; James 5:7–11; Rom. 12 et seq.; 1 Cor.6:7–8; Heb.12, etc.). Chapter 4: About the office of shepherds and those subordinate to them “I implore your shepherds, a fellow shepherd and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a sharer in the glory that is to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God which is yours, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but out of zeal, and not lording it over the inheritance of God, but setting an example for the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:1-4). “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). § 467. Every Christian who has subordinates must be their shepherd: the master of his household, the shepherd, the father of children and other household, the master of his slaves and peasants, the abbot of the monastery of his brethren, the leader of his subordinates. For all of these, by virtue of their Christian position, undertake to instruct their subordinates on the path of salvation, and to present themselves as an example of pious living, and have an answer to give for them on the day of judgment of Christ. However, according to the general Christian voice, bishops and presbyters in particular are called shepherds, and the word of God ascribes this title to them, and entrusts into their hands the flock of verbal sheep of Christ, purchased by the Blood of Christ. § 468. The very name shepherd shows that there is a shepherd, and to the shepherds their title and position is presented before their eyes, and exhorts and proves that they are chosen from people who are called by the name of Christ as the best, most intelligent and most perfect, and are appointed to shepherd the flock of Christ, contracted by His Blood, as the Apostle teaches. The shepherd of dumb animals is chosen to drive out the flock and drive it whole, to graze in the pastures and save it from the beasts. So the shepherd of the verbal sheep of Christ is chosen for this purpose, so that he can shepherd the flock, and feed it with the word of God, and preserve it from wolves, that is, invisible demons surrounding the flock of Christ, and looking for someone to devour from that flock (1 Pet. 5:8). From here every shepherd can see what he should be like. That is, both in reason and in good living, he is more perfect than other Christians; he must show in himself by deeds what Saint Paul wrote to Christians about himself: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). § 469. Without the title and election of the right one, no one should enter into the pastoral ministry, as the apostle says: “No one of himself accepts this honor, but he is called by God, like Aaron. So Christ did not appropriate to Himself the glory of being a high priest, but He who said to Him: You are My Son, today I have begotten You” (Heb. 5:4-5). And the holy Forerunner teaches: “A man cannot take upon himself anything unless it is given to him from heaven” (John 3:27). Just as the prophets and apostles were directly chosen by the voice of God and called to the great service of their work, as we read in their books, so those who want to enter into their work must wait for the calling and election of the Church and the chief leaders of the church, to whom the church government is entrusted, and without this they should not interfere with anyone in that great work. Sirach wisely admonishes: “Do not seek those who are superior to you” (Sir. 3:21). Consequently, those who enter into it without such election do evil; worse than that, those who seek this through bribes or intercession of nobles and princes. They don’t know what they are looking for, as you will see below. For by this they show that they either consider themselves content to be engaged in such a great and difficult task, that is, to shepherd the flock of Christ and keep them from the devil’s tricks, which is arrogance, or they want to graze more than to be shepherded. They must be wary lest the word of Christ befits them: “Whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in elsewhere, is a thief and a robber. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:1, 10). § 470. It is proper to elect shepherds: 1) Reasonable and teaching, so that they could instruct on the path of salvation, admonish, correct and console the people under their control. 2) Those who are virtuous, so that what they teach people, they show in themselves. So their teaching, confirmed by their virtuous life, will be strong, valid and useful to people. The apostle demands these qualities in a pastor: “A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, chaste, well-behaved, honest, hospitable, a teacher, not a drunkard, not a violent person, not quarrelsome, not self-seeking, but gentle, peace-loving, not a lover of money, ruling his household well, keeping his children in obedience with all honesty” (1 Tim. 3:2-4). And in another place: “The bishop must be blameless, as God’s steward, not arrogant, not wrathful, not a drunkard, not a murderer, not a covetous man, but a lover of hospitable interests, a lover of good, sober, just, godly, self-controlled, holding to the true word according to doctrine, so that he may be able to teach sound doctrine and reprove those who resist” (Titus 1:7-9). ). These pastoral properties will be better known from the following article. Note here, reader, that in times of apostolic bishops were called presbyters and presbyters bishops. Bishop is a Greek name and means that, in our dialect, an overseer, and presbyter is also a Greek name, and means that a senior or elder. From this you see that their title is common. To be an overseer is to be an overseer over others, and an elder also over other elders. We see this common naming of them in the Apostolic Writings. Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Philippians, says: “to those who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Phil. 1:1). You see that here he calls presbyters bishops, because Philippi is one city, in which one bishop was usually installed, and not many, but he writes to many, and not to one, thus calling many presbyters in one city bishops. We also read in the Acts of the Apostles that the same apostle, having sent from Miletus to Ephesus, “called the elders of the church,” to whom he among other things says: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you bishops, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God” (Acts 20:17, 28). Here too, presbyters are called bishops. Also, when Saint Titus commanded that he appoint presbyters in cities, he immediately added, as those presbyters should be, “the bishop must be blameless” (Titus 1:7). And here he calls the presbyter a bishop. Saint Chrysostom tells about this that at that time presbyters were called bishops. "What is this! Were there many bishops in the same city? No, but the elders were called that.” And below: “And from ancient times bishops were called presbyters, and presbyters were called ministers of Christ and bishops” (Discourse 1 on the Epistle to the Philippians on the words of the apostles: “to those who are in Philippi, with bishops and deacons.” We see that in the days of the Apostles, bishop and presbyter had a common name, and for this, among other reasons, they were especially appointed to shepherd the Church Christ. But in subsequent times and now bishops are called only bishops and presbyters are called presbyters only, and what they are, and what the title of both is, is known to all Christians. The work of pastoral care is care, diligence and diligence for the flock of Christ's sheep; from their very names, as it is said, one knows to be equal: both of them must shepherd the Church of Christ equally. § 471. Position of shepherds: 1) They themselves should pay attention to the reading of the Holy Scriptures, “which are able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). The holy apostle in the person of Saint Timothy exhorts the shepherds to this end: “Engage in reading, instruction, teaching,” and a little later: “Pay attention to yourself and to the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you” (1 Tim. 4:13, 16). “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The holy apostles and prophets were directly enlightened by the Holy Spirit (see 2 Pet. 1:21) and taught people, and wrote their holy teachings for the benefit of the Church. Shepherds who have entered into their positions must adhere to their scriptures, read, study in them day and night, and from this draw teaching, and offer it to their people, and thereby teach, then reprove, then correct, then comfort them, and pray to Christ God, so that “he may open their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Without this, the reason and power of the Scriptures cannot be comprehended, and there will be no benefit from reading, even if someone knew all the Scriptures by heart. Consequently, those shepherds who abandon the reading and attention of Divine Scripture and spend their time in other matters, or to the title of things that are not proper for them, or, what is worse, are contrary, do bad things. The word of Christ befits such people: “Blind leaders of the blind; and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14). 2) We must carefully teach the people entrusted to us, as Saint Peter exhorts them: “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (1 Peter 5:2). The flock of God is grazed by the word of God and His Holy Mysteries. And Saint Paul also excites them: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). And he also wrote to Timothy and in his person to the holy shepherd: “Preach the word, be persistent in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). Shepherds have assumed their apostolic office and must certainly follow it. They preached the word of God throughout the entire universe, and the shepherds in their places, where they were established as shepherds, must reveal that spiritual treasure to people. The shepherds who leave this position are sinning. Such shepherds are likened to dumb dogs: “Their guards are all blind and ignorant: they are all dumb dogs, unable to bark, lying delirious, loving to sleep” (Is. 56:10). The Lord threatens them through the prophet: “You ate the fat and clothed yourself with the wool, you slaughtered the fatted sheep, but did not feed the flock. They did not strengthen the weak, and they did not heal the sick sheep, and they did not bandage the wounded ones, and they did not return the stolen ones, and they did not look for the lost ones,” and so on. And further the Lord says: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will seek My sheep out of their hand” (Ezek. 34:3–5, 10). The Lord will require such shepherds of his sheep when he comes to judge the world. The owner asks the shepherd for his sheep and punishes him when he does not bring them in, and tortures him for them. Thus, Christ the Lord will seek His verbal sheep from the shepherds, sheep which “we purchased not with corruptible things like silver or gold, but with His precious blood” (1 Pet. 1:18–19; see also John 10:15). Woe then will be the careless shepherd, the shepherd who destroyed the sheep of Christ, which were bought at such a high price! Therefore, it is necessary for such shepherds to look around and correct themselves, so that they do not destroy the sheep of Christ entrusted to them, and they themselves do not fall under His terrible judgment and torture. They need to remember that they are chosen to shepherd the flock of God, and not to be grazed. 3) He is a good shepherd who teaches, and what he teaches, he shows in himself. Therefore, shepherds must not only teach, but also show themselves the image of good deeds. To them the Chief Shepherd Christ says: “So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). And the holy apostle: “Be an example for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). And in another place: “In everything show yourself as an example of good works” (Titus 2:7). A shepherd needs to have a clear and unscrupulous conscience before God and an example of good deeds before people, so that his conscience does not convict him of what it denounces in people, and justifies him of what it teaches others. Then the shepherd will teach freely when his conscience agrees with his teaching. Consequently, shepherds who teach, but do not create, will achieve little, because what they teach in word, they destroy by their life, the truth that they preach in word, they bring into doubt and suspicion by example. Such shepherds will hear the word: “Doctor! heal yourself” (Luke 4:23). “How is it that when you teach others, you don’t teach yourself? While preaching not to steal, are you stealing? When you say, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” are you committing adultery? By abhorring idols, are you blasphemous? You boast about the law, but by breaking the law you dishonor God?” ( Rom. 2:21-23 ) To such shepherds God says: “Why do you preach My statutes and keep My covenant in your mouth? After all, you hated instruction and threw My words back. If you saw a thief, you hurried along with him, and took part with the adulterer. Your lips multiplied slander, and your tongue weaved deceits. While sitting (in the assembly) you slandered your brother, and set a stumbling block for your mother’s son” (Ps. 49:16-20). Such shepherds are likened to pillars placed on the road, which point the way into the city, but do not move from their place; they are likened to bells, which call people to church, but do not themselves enter. On the contrary, a good shepherd is like a leader who shows the way to people and himself goes ahead, as St. Luke wrote about the Chief of Shepherds, our Savior: “Jesus did and taught from the beginning” (Acts 1:1). He who teaches and lives piously teaches in two ways: he teaches in word and by his life, for he confirms his teaching by his deed and life. 4) Shepherds should not flatter or please people, which especially happens in front of nobles, princes, the famous and the rich, but testify to the truth and righteousness everywhere. The Apostle of Christ gives them an image of himself: “We never had words of endearment before you, as you know” (1 Thess. 2:5). And he didn’t want to please anyone: “If I still pleased people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). Shepherds should imitate this example when they want to be servants of Christ, and should try not to please people, but to God, Whom they serve; what is vicious, unrighteous and lawless, everywhere and in front of every person; do not remain silent where you should speak; not to praise what is not praiseworthy, and not to denigrate what is worthy of praise. Affection does nothing else but cause spiritual destruction both to themselves and to whom they are endearing. So they do not turn away from sins, but confirm in the sins from which they should turn away, and they do not please God, but please people, and therefore they act against their calling. Therefore, shepherds must always and everywhere testify to the truth, and, if necessary, endure everything for the truth, whatever the world, which hates the truth, imagines or inflicts on them. Thus, the holy prophets, apostles and hierarchs of Christ fought for the truth, fought to the point of bleeding - and Christ Himself, preached by the prophets and apostles, testified “before Pontius Pilate with a good confession” (1 Tim. 6:13). Let today’s shepherds look at this image and testify to the truth with all boldness, remembering the word of Christ: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). And further: “Whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father in heaven; But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32–33). 5) Pastors have a duty to act, look and reason wisely in their teaching, where to offer comforting gospel teaching, where to offer legitimate accusatory and frightening teaching. It is bad and useless, and even harmful, to offer a word of consolation where fear is needed, and to thunder where consolation is needed. Among the people there are two types of people: careless and fearless, and those overwhelmed by fear and sad. For the sake of the fearless, the fear of God is needed so that they awaken from the sleep of sin and repent. For the sake of the contrite and sad, the plaster of gospel consolation is needed, so that they can be confirmed in the faith and receive the living consolation in their hearts. Therefore, shepherds should offer teaching in such a way that everyone from their teaching would find a suitable medicine for themselves and, applying it to their ulcers, would be healed, which we see in the writings of the prophets and apostles and their followers, the holy fathers, which today’s shepherds should follow. 6) Pastors should often repeat this teaching, so that in others the fear of God, in others faith and the true consolation from it may be implanted and established in their hearts. Saint Paul saw this benefit and wrote: “Writing to you about the same things is not burdensome for me, but edifying for you” (Phil. 3:1). In the book of Genesis we read that God Himself repeated His merciful promise to Abraham so many times. We see the same thing in the holy teachers of the church, who vigilantly taught, instructed, admonished, frightened and consoled the people entrusted to themselves. For the human heart is fickle and easy-going, and soon turns away from the true path. Therefore, the everlasting requires reminders, admonitions, strengthening, instruction and encouragement. 7) Shepherds, since they cannot accomplish anything without God’s help, must earnestly pray to God both for themselves, to help them in this difficult task, and for the people entrusted to themselves, so that their spiritual eyes can be enlightened to the knowledge of the truth, and guide their hearts to do His will, and preserve them from the wiles of the devil. The holy apostles did this, as we read in their Epistles, and the shepherds, their successors and church teachers did it. Today's shepherds should do the same. 8) Although all Christians are subject to all persecution, for, according to the apostolic word, “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12), but shepherds are especially subject to this. The reason for this is that they destroy the kingdom of the devil by preaching the word of God, they reveal its charm and darkness, they capture human souls at his hands and bring them into the kingdom of Christ, and therefore the devil is more furious and rebels against them, and raises all persecution through evil people, as his true weapon. Therefore, good shepherds need to prepare themselves for patience, and always, like a ship on the sea, expect the storm of disaster that comes, and bear what it finds with a patient heart. May the Chief Shepherd Jesus Himself, Who from His people endured the cross, and the holy apostles, His followers, who were reproached, persecuted, blasphemed, who were “like the rubbish of the world,” be “like dust trampled upon by all” (1 Cor. 4:12-13), and the saints of Christ who were before, who were so many reproaches, slander, They suffered bitterness, persecution and imprisonment from ungrateful people whom they taught the truth and tried to guide on the path of salvation. May he encourage them to be patient and may the many rewards hidden for them in heaven confirm them in this. “Rejoice,” Christ tells them, “and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12). 9) They should learn how to teach and what, and how to deal with their people, from the books of the prophetic, apostolic and God-bearing fathers. And therefore it is clear how much they need reading Holy Scripture and other Christian books. 10) How careful shepherds should be in their calling, and how carefully they should adhere to God’s word, and thus instruct people, both themselves and the whole flock, they can notice from Paul’s exhortations: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). As if he said: you were appointed not by man, but by God - the Holy Spirit, to shepherd not a dumb flock, which is surrounded by visible beasts, but to shepherd the flock of Christ's sheep, which are surrounded by invisible beasts, the devil, like a lion, and his evil spirits, and these sheep, which you shepherd, were acquired by Christ, the Lord and God, not with silver and gold, but with His Blood. Take care of yourself and this flock, entrusted to you by God for preservation. He also wrote to Saint Timothy in two epistles, and encouraged him to be diligent, diligent and diligent about himself and about people, and in his person every shepherd: “Before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the chosen angels, I charge you to keep this without prejudice, doing nothing out of partiality” (1 Timothy 5:21). And again: “Before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who bore witness to the good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you to keep the commandment purely and blamelessly, even until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:13–14). And then he calls out: “Oh, Timothy! keep what is given to you” (1 Timothy 6:20). And again: “I charge you before God and our Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word, be persistent in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). We see from these words of the holy Apostle, written to Saint Timothy, with what desire, zeal and zeal his holy heart burned, so that Saint Timothy would diligently and vigilantly shepherd the flock of Christ and act faithfully according to the teachings of him, calling God Himself as a witness, Who knows everything and tests the hearts of men, and the Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom he should appear for judgment, and the holy Angels, with whom the Judge will come to judge the whole world. “I conjure,” he says, “before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the chosen Angels.” What? Yes, these, that is, the faithful commandments, “keep without prejudice, doing nothing out of partiality.” And he cries out: “O Timothy! keep what has been committed to you.” The apostolic words spoken to Saint Timothy also apply to all shepherds, admonishing them in this calling to remain holy and blameless, and to preserve his tradition, “to preach the word, in season and out of season, to reprove, to rebuke, to exhort with all longsuffering and edification, and to be an example for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” They should appear with all the sheep entrusted to them by Christ and give an answer to Him about all of them. then: “Here are I and the children whom God has given Me” (Heb. 2:13). Those who are wretched and poor will not be able to say this then, but, overcome with shame and fear, will hear: “Throw out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). “I know your works” (Rev. 2:2, 9, 13, 19, 3:1, 8, 15). What does this mean? Nothing more than that Christ observes every shepherd, and notes his deeds, plans and undertakings, and writes them down in His book, and rewards everyone according to his deeds, as we see there, although He has the same omniscience about every person. If the shepherds want to be shameless on that day, let them reason that Christ looks at all their deeds, and therefore, as before His eyes, let them turn and pay attention to themselves and all their flock. We also read from St. John the Evangelist that Christ, when after rising from the dead, asked Peter three times: “Simon the Jonah! do you love me? - and Peter answered: “Yes, Lord! You know that I love You,” he said to him: “Feed My lambs” (John 21:15-17). From this we see that shepherds, when they want to show love for Christ, must show it by deed - feeding His lambs. Christ loves His sheep, for He acquired them with His Blood. If anyone wants to love Christ, as everyone should, then he must love His sheep, and shepherd them and present them whole to Him, and not neglect them, as mercenaries do. § 472. The duty of people to their shepherds: 1) Obey them and the teaching they offer, listen, and accordingly correct your life, as the apostle exhorts: “Obey your teachers and be submissive, for they watch vigilantly for your souls, as those who are obliged to give an account; so that they do this with joy, and not with groaning” (Heb. 13:17). The seed is sown on earth for this purpose, so that it may bear fruit for the farmer, and so the seed of God’s word is sown in the fields of hearts, so that it may produce fruit suitable for itself, that is, a Christian and pious life. Otherwise, it is sown in vain when it is fruitless. Therefore, people should listen to the pastoral teaching, and deepen it in their hearts, and show the fruit, so that the shepherd, seeing the fruit of his teaching, rejoices and is more willing to do his saving work. 2) Whether the shepherd offers his teaching, simply or eloquently, one must accept it, and accept it with joy, as the word of God, and not of man, as long as his teaching is in accordance with Holy Scripture. For the pastoral duty is to teach and train, and not to delight the ears, so it is the duty of people to learn and learn, and not to delight and be fruitless. Therefore, Christians who want to learn must equally accept simple and ornate teaching. 3) When a shepherd speaks an accusatory word, people should not be indignant at him, much less blaspheme his name. Since he is fulfilling his office: “Reprove,” the apostle says to him, as stated above. He denounces sins, not persons, for in his word he does not name any persons, but only sins. A word of reproof is like a mirror that shows us the blemishes on our face so that they can be cleansed. So the accusatory word represents sins, so that, having seen them in our conscience, we try to blot them out with repentance. Leave sin and repent, and then you will be at peace. If you do not see in your conscience the sin that is exposed and denigrated by the shepherd, then his word does not concern you. For conscience and the word of convict come together, and what the word convicts, so does conscience, and what the word does not convict in you, conscience does not convict. Just as we look into a mirror and do not see any blemishes on our face, we walk away from it calmly, so when we hear an accusatory word and do not find sins exposed in our conscience, we must be calm. And just as we are not angry at a mirror that shows our vices, so we should not be angry at a shepherd that exposes our sins. Just as a mirror shows what is on the face and does not show what is not there, so the word exposes what is done against the law of God and conscience, and does not expose what is not done. You see that the accusatory word is aimed at sins, and not at persons, just as cruel medicine is given to a sick person not for the sake of the sick person, but for the sake of his illness, so that the disease will be driven out of him, and not (so that) the sick person will suffer and suffer. A severe disease is a sin and requires cruel medicine for the sake of expulsion. If you thank the doctor for the medicine, although cruel, and you give him a bribe for the fact that your weak and mortal body wants to be healed, then how much more should you thank the shepherd who is trying to heal your immortal soul from sin. For the more honest the soul is than the body, the more dangerous its illness is than that of the body, and its healing more expensive than that of the body. 4) People should love their shepherds and out of love honor them as their fathers, who give birth not to temporary, but to eternal life by the word of the living God and with a fatherly heart are sick, “until Christ is represented among men” (Gal. 4:19). 5) Supply them from your estates. For “the worker is worthy of his reward” (1 Tim. 5:18). 6) Protect them from slanderous tongues, which torment and darken their glory and name. For no one is more subject to slander and slander than a good shepherd. And this is Satan’s intrigue and cunning! He tries through an evil tongue to blaspheme and slander their name, so that people would abhor them, and would not listen to their teachings, and would not be saved, and the malice of evil people, who are denounced by them for their iniquities, invents various slander against them, as church history shows. Satan and the evil world do not like the truth, which the shepherds are trying to plant, but they cling to lies and untruths, which they are trying to eradicate. What will follow them from there if not hatred and malice from the peace-loving people? Therefore, pious people should not only not believe the slander spread about them, but also stop the mouths of those who slander. 7) If they themselves notice any weaknesses in them, then they should be forgiven, for shepherds are the same people as others, and are burdened with the same weaknesses as other people. 8) Pray to God for them, so that He will make them wise and strengthen them in their no small difficult and important task. The shepherd is for the people, and the people must pray for the shepherd, and so they will help each other in the matter of salvation. 9) Although the shepherds will be faulty in their lives, we should not condemn them. For if it is forbidden to condemn a simple person, then even more so a shepherd. They will give an answer for themselves and for you to the Judge before Whom they fall, and not you for them. Turn your eyes away from their faults and listen only to their teaching, when they teach according to faith, as Christ says about the Pharisees: “The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses; So whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do; But do not do what they do, for they say and do not do” (Matthew 23:2-3). Chapter 5: About the position of parents and their children “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is what justice requires. Honor your father and mother, this is the first commandment with a promise: that it may be good for you, and that you may live long on earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:1–4). § 473. Some parents raise and support their children so tenderly and weakly that they do not want to punish them for their crimes, and so fearlessly and willfully allow them to live, while others use immeasurable severity, and inflict their anger and rage on them rather than punish them. Both of them make mistakes. For everywhere excess is vicious, severity and reckless mercy are condemned in every rank. One leads young people who are by nature prone to all kinds of evil into relaxation, self-will, corruption and obvious destruction, while the other creates grief, irritation and despondency in them. Everywhere moderation and the middle path are praised. Therefore, pious parents must adhere to the middle path. § 474. The duty of parents to their children. 1) As soon as children begin to come to their senses and understand the teaching, they should immediately be poured with the milk of piety and brought into the knowledge of God and Christ the Son of God: Who is God in whom we believe, and remember His name, and confess and pray to Him? And who is Christ, and how should He be revered? Why are we all born into this world and baptized, and why do we drink tea after death? For our present life is nothing other than the path along which we go to eternity, good for the prosperous, and evil for the unfavorable. We are not born into this world for the sake of honor, wealth, sweet food, beautiful clothes, rich houses and other things, for we leave all this behind at death. But we are born in order to live piously here, and to please God, and after death to go to Him, and to abide in His eternal bliss. Otherwise, if we were born into this life, then we would have to remain here forever, but we see the opposite. Therefore, we are born into a different life, and we enter the path of this world in order to reach another. That is why we are baptized, and we believe in God and Christ the Son of God, and we call upon His name, and we go to Church and pray in order to receive from Him eternal future bliss. All this and other things must be offered to young children at the beginning, so that when they come to age, they come to the knowledge of God, and the positions and hopes of Christians. From here you can expect good hope in a young heart when it begins to be brought up like this. For both evil and good are firmly rooted in a youth’s heart, and what we learn in youth, when we reach perfect age, we remain, like a young tree, whichever side it leans toward, it stands until the end. Therefore, such pious education in youth is necessary. And when the parents themselves either cannot or are not allowed by their title to do this, they need to look for such mentors and teach their children. Many teach their children foreign languages ​​and arts, but do not teach them in the matter of piety, which makes it clear that they themselves do not know it, although they are called Christians. It is useful for the sake of society and commerce and to teach foreign languages, but the sacraments of the faith must be taught, and it is necessary without fail, since “only one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). What happens in French, or some other language, when the language is learned, but the heart is not taught good? The tongue flows well and eloquently, but the heart is idle without faith and emits the stench of unbelief, which is a disaster for both neglectful parents and children. 2) Since according to Scripture, “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 110:10), therefore, first the fear of God should be planted in young hearts, for youth, by nature inclined to evil, is turned away from it by nothing more than this fear, like every person. And in order to plant the fear of God in their hearts, they need to be reminded often that God is everywhere and is present with every person, and that no matter what a person does or thinks, he sees, and no matter what he says, he hears, and for every word, deed and thought of evil he is angry, and will judge, and will deliver sinners to eternal torment, and will reward righteous and good people for their good deeds, and he who sins or does evil can actually be executed, as we read in stories, and now the same thing happens. This needs to be ingrained in them at the beginning, so that they not only openly, but also secretly avoid all evil, so that, like children before their parents, slaves before their masters, subjects before the authorities, they do nothing indecent, but act reverently, so they would act and walk with fear before God, who notices everything, and would think that God is with them, and sees all their actions, and can execute them when they act badly. Although it happens that a person does not see a bad deed, God, who is greater than all the light and the Judge of all, sees everything. From such teaching and reasoning about God, the fear of God can be instilled in the young, which both the old and the old need to remember. “How,” says Saint Chrysostom, “will there be fear of God? If we think that God is present everywhere, that He hears everything, that He sees everything, not only what is done and said, but also everything that is in the heart and what is in the depths of thoughts, for He judges the thoughts and thoughts of the heart. If we do this, we will not do anything evil, we will not say anything, we will not think anything” (Conversation 8 on the Epistle to the Philippians). 3) Children who are defective should be punished by their parents. So the word of God commands them: “Do not leave the young man unpunished: if you punish him with a rod, he will not die; You will punish him with the rod and save his soul from hell” (Proverbs 23:13–14). We see that God Himself loves His children, but out of love He punishes them, “for the Lord punishes whom He loves; and he beats every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6). Likewise, carnal parents should follow God and discipline their children out of love. Blind love is that desperate love that leaves faulty children without punishment, just as true and wise love is that love that humbles their willfulness with punishment. “Whoever spares his rod hates his son; but whoever loves punishes him from childhood” (Proverbs 13:25; also see about this Proverbs 29:17; Sir 7:25, 30:1-13). 4) We should not use immeasurable severity in punishment, as the apostle commands: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, lest they become discouraged” (Col. 3:21), but act in the middle way, as said above. 5) Present yourself to them as an image of good deeds. Youth, and every age, is better taught to virtue by a good life than by words, for especially young children have as a rule the life of their parents, and what they notice in them, they themselves do, whether it be good or bad, what they see. Therefore, parents should both guard against temptations and set an example of virtuous living for their children if they want to instruct them in virtue. Otherwise they won’t be able to do anything. For they look more at the life of their parents, and reflect it in their young souls, rather than listening to their words. Every mentor’s word, coupled with life, is a fair and strong instruction, and even more so a parental instruction. 6) The very nature of parents attracts and convinces children to love: even the most dumb creatures love their own. Therefore, there is no need to suggest this, as long as there is no reckless love, as said above. 7) Parents should pray to God for their children, so that He Himself may instruct them in His fear and make them wise for salvation. 8) How harmful neglect of the correct upbringing and punishment of children is for both the parents themselves and their children, everyone can see from what has been described above, and is shown by the story of Elijah, the priest of Israel, who, because he did not properly raise and did not punish his sons for their insolence, was himself punished by God, and his children (1 Samuel 4:17-18). Saint Chrysostom teaches about this: “Parents will be punished not only for their sins, but also for their children, if they are not raised in piety.” And again: “Parents who neglect to raise their children in a Christian manner are more lawless than child killers. For child killers separate the body from the soul, and they cast both soul and body into fiery Gehenna. According to natural law, that death cannot be avoided in any way, but this one would have been possible if the negligence of the parents had not been to blame for it. Moreover, this death will be abolished by the future resurrection, but no one can return spiritual destruction” (Word 3 against detractors of monastic life). § 475. Duty of children to their parents. 1) Children should love their parents from the bottom of their hearts and be grateful to them, for they were born and raised by them. Natural law and conscience convince everyone of this. 2) Obedience is their due, as the apostle commands them: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord” (Eph. 6:1). 3) Show them loving respect in word and deed. 4) When they are punished in word or deed, accept their punishment for good, do not be indignant or grumble at them, but, recognizing your crime, with humility, love and regret ask for forgiveness from them. 5) In need and old age, feed them and serve them with all zeal. 6) For lawless children who do not honor their parents, terrible punishments are prescribed in the law of the Lord. “Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death” (Ex. 21:15). “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death” (Lev.20:9). Chapter 6: About the office of husbands and wives “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her,” and so on (Eph. 5:25 et seq.). “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (Col 3:18). § 476. Satan, the ever-present enemy of Christians, strives to take away love and peace and sow enmity between other Christians and between wives and husbands. This is something worthy of surprise or even regret! Where can we expect greater love if not between husband and wife? With natural love a man loves his father and mother, but the Holy Scripture says: “A man will leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife; and the two will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). There are one flesh, husband and wife, according to Scripture. A strong union in one flesh! And who is at enmity with his own flesh? “For no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and delights in it” (Eph. 5:29). But we see how much enmity we see between these individuals, who are so closely connected! You can hardly find a house in which there are no such devilish tares. So the devil’s cunning prevails that, where he notices great love, there he puts more effort into tearing it apart and putting an end to his enmity. It is impossible to explain how much this plague harms other Christians, especially those married in marriage! Therefore, against this enemy we must arm ourselves with faith and heed what God in His word commands one another to do. § 477. Duty of husbands to wives. 1) Husbands must love their wives, according to the apostolic exhortation: “Husbands! love your wives." The reason is: because husband and wife are one flesh. Therefore he says below: “Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. For no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and warms it.” And as an image he presents to them Christ Himself, the Son of God, Who loves His Church: “Just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her.” 2) We should not treat them harshly, as the apostle teaches: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them” (Col 3:19), but as St. Peter exhorts: “Treat your wives wisely, as with the weakest vessel, showing them honor, as heirs together of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). 3) They must remain faithful to their wives, keep the marital bed immaculate, and not touch someone else’s bed: “Let everyone’s marriage be honest and the bed undefiled; But fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4). 4) Although husbands should love their wives, they should not be captivated by their love and should not please them without reason. We see how harmful it is to please wives without reason. Adam was captivated by his wife’s immeasurable love and fell into grave sin, destroying himself and the human race (Gen. 3:17). Solomon the wise, captivated by excessive love of wives, fell into the sin of apostasy and idolatry (1 Kings 11 et seq.). The wicked Jezebel taught her husband Ahab, the king of Jerusalem, to commit lawlessness. The lawless Herod was not afraid to innocently behead the great Forerunner for the sake of a woman’s love. We read the same thing in church history. Similar troubles and misfortunes still happen today from wives, when their husbands do things to please them that are not reasonable. A foolish and fearless wife does not change her customs, she caresses and seduces her husband. The husband, as the head of his wife, should not be seduced by her affection, and especially not the one who is invested with any power - so that he himself does not die and does not cause many troubles to others. § 478. The duty of wives to their husbands. 1) Likewise, wives should love their husbands and please them for their good and according to the will of God. 2) Be faithful to the marital bed and not know anyone other than your legal husbands. 3) We must be reverent towards our husbands, according to the apostolic command: “Let the wife fear her husband” (Eph. 5:33). This fear must be coupled with love. 4) Wives must submit to their husbands, as the apostle commands them: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (Col 3:18). And again: “I do not allow a wife to teach, nor to rule over her husband, but to be in silence.” The apostle believes the reason for this: “For Adam was created first, and then Eve; and it was not Adam who was deceived; but the woman was deceived and fell into transgression” (1 Tim 2:12–14). However, husbands should remember that the apostle wrote in another place: “There is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28) - and not to have their wives as slaves, but as helpers and to love their own bodies, according to the apostolic admonition, as said above. Let Saint Sarah be an example for wives in submitting to their husbands, who “submitted herself to Abraham, calling him master” (1 Peter 3:6). Let not the wife now be ashamed to call her husband master, if she wants to be the daughter of Saint Sarah. § 479. The marriage union must be firm and cannot be broken without good reasons. This is what God’s word commands: “Whoever divorces his wife, except for the guilt of fornication, gives her a reason to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matthew 5:32). “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery” (Luke 16:18). “Are you united with your wife? don’t look for divorce.” And “a woman is bound by the law as long as her husband lives” (1 Cor. 7:27, 39). Chapter 7: About the office of masters and their slaves “Slaves, obey your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ, not with only visible obsequiousness, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul, serving with zeal, as the Lord, and not as men, knowing that everyone will receive from the Lord according to the measure of the good that he has done, whether slave or free. And you, gentlemen, do the same with them, moderate severity, knowing that both over you and over them there is a Lord in heaven, with whom there is no partiality” (Eph. 6:5-9). § 480. In the Church of Christ or Christian society there is no master and slave, but all are brothers in Christ, all servants of the Lord Most High and sons of the Heavenly Father, and therefore are all one, according to the apostolic teaching: “There is no longer Jew, nor pagan; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal.3:28). That some are called masters, and others slaves, this happens in the image of this age, the distinction of which in society is not taken away by God’s word. It preaches freedom to Christians and commands them to remain in it. “Stand fast in the freedom that Christ has given us, and do not be subjected again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). But freedom here is of course spiritual, that is, freedom from sin, the curse of the law, the devil, hell and Old Law rituals. Pious slaves also have this freedom. On the contrary, masters, although free in body, when they serve sin and passions, do not have that freedom, but are slaves, according to the word of Christ: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). And this freedom, that is, spiritual, Christian, internal freedom, is common to all, pious masters and slaves, and as long as they have living faith in our Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts. For without this faith it is impossible for anyone to have spiritual freedom, for without Christ no one can be spiritually free. He alone gives us this freedom: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). We see that those in the Holy Church are all free spiritually, and there is no difference between slave and master, but all are brothers among themselves and slaves of Christ the Lord. “For the servant who is called in the Lord is the freeman of the Lord; likewise, he who is called free is a servant of Christ” (1 Cor. 7:22). According to the external appearance of this world, some are free, others are slaves, and the Lord does not take away this external distinction, but commands everyone in what rank they are to remain in that rank: “In what rank you are called, brethren, in that let each one remain” (1 Cor. 7:24). What kind of position there is for both (titles), that is, masters and slaves, is briefly presented. § 481. The duty of masters to their slaves. 1) Masters must remember that they themselves and their servants are brothers in Christ and have one Lord in heaven. Consequently, although they command their slaves, they should not despise them and have them as their stool. Christ, the Lord and King of heaven and earth, is not ashamed to call Christians His brethren (Ps. 21:23; Heb. 2:12), especially since a simple man should have a man like himself for a brother. Let the masters follow Christ as slaves do to their Lord, and let them treat their slaves as they treat their brethren. And although masters must keep their slaves in fear, yet inside their hearts they should consider them to be brothers, and think of themselves that they are in no way better than them. 2) Although it will be necessary to punish the faulty, they must do it moderately, and act in a spirit of meekness, and moderate severity, “knowing that both over you and over them there is a Lord in heaven, with whom there is no partiality,” according to the teaching of the Apostles (Eph. 6:9). Let the masters reason that they themselves are subject to the Lord of lords, who does not look at personalities, but judges righteously between masters and their slaves, before whose judgment freedom will not protect masters, and slaves will not be put to shame by their servile state, but will accept everything according to their deeds (Eph. 6:8). 3) Do not burden them with unnecessary work and dues. For both masters and slaves have the same flesh: they also want to eat, dress and rest with their wives and children; also, so that they have time to pray, praise God and listen to God’s word, and gather with other Christians in holy churches. 4) Love them as your brethren in Christ and protect them, and provide for them in a fatherly manner. For every godly master must be a father to his servants. 5) By word and exhortation, convert and instruct them on the path of truth and, through the fear of God, curb the disorderly. 6) Give them yourself as an example of pious Christian life, so that the slaves, seeing their master pious and good-natured, would themselves be good-natured. For nothing brings slaves to good morals more than the example of a good master. The servant is convinced to live piously by his master's pious life. A strong and real encouragement for slaves to live a sober and prosperous life is a sober and prosperous life for the master. Then the master correctly and strongly admonishes the slave not to offend, not to steal, not to use foul language, not to curse, not to commit adultery, not to get drunk, not to be disorderly when he himself does not do so. Otherwise, that word is appropriate for him: “Doctor! heal yourself” (Luke 4:23). § 482. The gentlemen sin against the Christian office: 1) Those who despise their slaves and do not treat them leniently. Such people transgress the teaching of the Gospel. For our Savior obliges everyone to love (Matthew 22:39, 5:44–47). And the holy Apostle Paul exhorts to show them what is due and just (Col. 4:1). 2) Who oppress them and act mercilessly. To punish them is no other way than so that they are corrected, but to dissolve the punishment with anger, rage and revenge is a lawless matter. We must remember that they are from the same Creator and have the same humanity. They are obliged by their dues and work to earn the care that the master takes for them, but they must be left with time to provide food for themselves and their household and give them time to rest. We must all remember that we all have a Lord in heaven, who looks at everyone, and sees everyone’s deeds, and hears the sighs of the poor, and looks at the tears they shed, and does not accept human faces, but judges master and slave alike, and rewards everyone according to their deeds. And those who forgot about the Lord also forgot that they were Christians. They forgot that the Lord equally provides for everyone, equally “commands His sun to rise on the evil and the good”, and equally “sends rain on the righteous and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), equally gives food and clothing to everyone, equally determines the day for work and the night for rest, equally pours out His bounties to everyone and wants all His goodness to be satisfied and, having been satisfied, to give thanks Benefactor. But the insatiable human delicacy stops this, one devours everything with which many could be content and, contented, praise the Lord, “who opens His hand and satisfies all living things according to (His) good pleasure” (Ps. 144:16). It is necessary to feel like this and change your morals, and act like a Christian, if you believe that there is a Lord in heaven, Who does not accept the face of man and judges everyone according to their deeds. And if they don’t feel it now, then they will feel it when they all stand together before the righteous Judge, and they will see many, whom they now have for their stool and like cattle, in a wondrous change, they will see dressed in honor and eternal glory, but they will be covered with shame and eternal shame, and they will wish to have participation with those whom they now abhor, but they will not receive it, but will hear the word spoken: “Child! remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus received your evil; now he is comforted here, but you suffer” (Luke 16:25). § 483. The duty of slaves to their masters. God’s word teaches them this duty: “Slaves, obey your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ, not with only visible obsequiousness, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul, serving with zeal, as the Lord, and not as men, knowing that everyone will receive from the Lord according to the measure of the good that he has done, whether a slave or a slave. free" (Eph. 6:5-8). And again: “Slaves, obey in everything your masters according to the flesh, not only serving them in appearance as people-pleasers, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that as a reward from the Lord you will receive an inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ” (Col 3:22-24). And again: “Admonish slaves to obey their masters, to please them in everything, not to contradict, not to steal, but to show all good fidelity, so that in everything they may adorn the teaching of our Savior God” (Titus 2:9-10). And again: “Servants, obey your masters with all fear, not only the good and gentle, but also the harsh. For this pleases God if someone, thinking about God, endures sorrows, suffering unjustly. For what is praise if you endure being beaten for your wrongdoings? But if, while doing good and suffering, you endure, this pleases God. For to this you were called” (1 Peter 2:18–21). § 484. Pious slaves can console themselves in their low and poor state with the following: 1) Although they work for their masters, they are nevertheless servants of Christ, for they serve the Lord Christ, according to the word of the apostles (Col 3:24). Human slaves in body, but free in spirit. For no one can enslave the spirit. “For the servant who is called in the Lord is the freeman of the Lord,” according to the apostolic teaching (1 Cor. 7:22). The holy martyrs consoled themselves and boasted with this great title, and although they served wicked kings and princes and lords, they nevertheless answered them: “We are Christ’s servants, we serve Christ, the Heavenly King.” May pious slaves draw consolation from here that they are slaves of Christ the Heavenly King, although they serve people. On the contrary, someone who is noble and does not serve any person is deprived of this sweet title if he lives impiously, that is, he serves his own whims. For it is impossible to serve Christ and whims at the same time. 2) Those who suffer innocently from their masters, or are deprived of what is necessary for this life, let them think that wealth and poverty, bitterness and patience, will all pass, and will pass soon. For death will conclude everything, and then there will be a wonderful change. Nowadays human fury and pride are only becoming more ferocious, but then this will not happen. Then humility and patience will ascend, and self-will and fury will humble themselves and fall, and both patience and fury will be sufficiently rewarded by the truth of God. “For it is right in the sight of God to repay those who insult you with sorrow, and you who are insulted with joy together with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,” and so on (2 Thess. 1:6-7 et seq.). 3) Although slaves are deprived of their allowance, they spend their days just like the masters who deprive them. Yesterday passed just as much for the slave as for their master, with the only difference being that one lived in luxury, indulgence and many sins, while the other lived in poverty, poverty and lesser sins. And equally both, both the master and his slave, are approaching the end, which will make both slaves and masters equal, and will send them to the land from which a person was taken, where there is no difference between slave and master. 1) What has been proposed about the positions above briefly described, we must also talk about others similar to them, such as: about the position of teachers who instruct youth, and about their students, craftsmen and students of them, benefactors and recipients of good deeds, generous rich people and the poor, supplied by them, and so on. 2) Everywhere there must be a place of exhortation of the apostolic word, which he offers to all Christians: “Serve one another through love” (Gal. 5:13). For without love a Christian office cannot be fulfilled in any capacity, because every work without love is dead. The life of every action is love. Just as the body is soul, so every deed is enlivened by love. A Christian without love is like a tree that is barren, or even withered. 3) Every person, no matter who and what he may be, for example, parents of children and children of parents, a husband’s wife and a husband’s wife, and so on, must be loved until that love agrees with the love of God. Otherwise, love for man must give way to the love of God. Especially, love for one’s life should not be preferred to the love of God: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). And again: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and indeed his own life, he cannot be My disciple,” says Christ (Luke 14:26). For one must love God more than every creature, more than every man, and more than oneself. 4) Since it happens that people often command against the commandment of God, then everyone who is subordinate, for example, who is subject to his own authority, the son and daughter of his parents, the wife of his husband, the servant of his master, the disciple of his teacher, etc., must listen until they command what is in accordance with the law of God or what is not contrary. Otherwise, the commandment of God must be preferred to the commandment of man, according to the apostolic teaching: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29; see also Acts 4:19). Although everyone, but especially those subject to power, and even more so shepherds to people, parents to small and young children, teachers to their students, give temptation to their students, and therefore they must be extremely careful not to give temptation. Because, just as woe to the world from temptation, so woe to the man through whom temptation comes. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world from temptations, for temptations must come; but woe to that man through whom temptation comes,” says the Lord (Matthew 18:6–7). Temptation comes either with a rotten, corrupted word, contrary to Holy Scripture and heretical, or with a lawless deed. The superiors must beware of all this, so as not to seduce the inferiors. You might be interested in: