227. Слово в день рождения Благочестивейшаго Государя Императора Николая Павловича

(Said in the Dormition Council on June 25; printed in the Works of the Holy Ot. 1848, in the Gazette of the Moscow City Police and in the collection of 1861) The Lord has sworn to David in truth, and it will not be repudiated: I will plant the fruit of your body on your throne. (Ps.132:11). When we remember the day of the accession of our Most Pious Autocrat, we bring this memory with gratitude, with joy, with prayer in church before God: through this we commemorate the fact that the earthly kingdom is connected with the heavenly, that the King reigns and reigns not without the action and assistance of the King of kings: we respond to the voice of the Most High: “By me kings reign” ( Proverbs 8:15). In a similar way, when we bring the memory of the sacred wedding and anointing of the King before God: through this we assume and acknowledge that He was crowned, anointed and sanctified by God for the affairs of the reign. When we solemnly remember the very birth of the Tsar, who was born not as a Tsar, but as a baby, although from a royal family, before God: through this action we express the truth that not only the accession, the crowning, the anointing, but, even before, the very birth of the Tsar is a special dispensation of the Providence of God; that on the day on which the Ever-Living King blessed this baby for life, he also blessed Him for the kingdom. Therefore, at the return of this day, we resort to God with a crying heart: bless Him and again, bless Him to reign for a long time, and always with hereditary and hereditary blessing. It is a deep thought to place the power and authority of God as the basis of the royal power and authority. Sublime thought - to seek the source for the wisdom and goodness of the Tsar in the light and love of the Divine, and the royal majesty of the greatness of God at the same time and to exalt and incline to meekness and humility. It is a wonderful idea to contemplate the dawn of the heavenly light, which will later shine on the Throne, even above the cradle. If these thoughts were our invention, we could boast of a happy invention. If these were only conjectural thoughts, it would be a pity to shake them with doubt. So they are attractive; so soothing; so beneficial. Fortunately, these are the essence of solid thoughts, confirmed by the word of God. Look on what the wise Solomon bases his royal greatness and his royal hopes: - on the fact that “the Lord swears to David in truth, and it will not be repudiated: I will plant the fruit of your womb on your throne.” Oaths about the truth of what is testified and promised are not used wastefully and unnecessarily by people who are thorough in their thoughts and actions; but they save it for matters of special importance, and for the establishment of truth, which primarily requires protection from bewilderment. If God, whose word is self-authentic even without an oath, if its authenticity is strengthened by an oath, then, of course, this indicates the special importance of the subject, and the primary need and benefit of authentication. Let's confirm this with examples. According to the mysterious command of God, Abraham, although not by the final work of his hands, nevertheless, with the perfect determination of his will, sacrifices his only begotten son; and represents the image of the sacrifice on the cross of the Only Begotten Son of God, who gave Himself and was betrayed by God the Father for the salvation of the world. It was necessary to reward unparalleled obedience, point out the sacrament, give Abraham a promise about Christ: and God utters it with an oath. “By myself, saith the Lord, thou hast sworn, for his sake thou hast created this word, and thou hast not spared thy beloved son for my sake: indeed, in blessing, I will bless thee, and through thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:16-18). In a similar way, it was once necessary to explain that, according to the eternal advice of God, Christ is not only a suffering sacrifice, but also an eternal Priest, who by divine power ministers our salvation: and God, in the Prophet, utters this great and saving truth with an oath confirming it: “The Lord swears and will not repent: You are a Jew forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 109:4). In accordance with these examples, it should be assumed that when “the Lord swore to David in truth,” that is, he affirmed the truth of His word with an oath with the addition that “he will not reject it,” that is, he will not at the same time fulfill His word, but will preserve it for the continuation of time: then this indicates an important, beneficial, beneficial subject. What item is this? - Royal power is hereditary. “Of the fruit of your womb I will plant on your throne.” As a result of these considerations, we can resolve the Divine saying into the following sayings of truth. First: God “seats” the king on the “throne”; or, in other words: royal power is a Divine institution. Second: God “seats on the throne” the king “from the fruit of his womb,” that is, the inheritance of royal power is also a Divine institution. Third: royal hereditary power is a high gift of God to God’s chosen one, as evidenced by the promise of this gift with an oath, and another Divine saying: “I have exalted the chosen one from My people” (Ps. 89:20). Fourth: royal hereditary power is also a useful and beneficial gift of God for the people: since the goodness of God is impartial, and the wisdom of God is all-encompassing; and therefore, if God gives the Tsar a gift on which the fate of the people should depend, then, without a doubt, he gives, foreseeing and arranging for the good of the entire people. These are the fundamental provisions of royal and state law, of course, not lacking in firmness, because they are based on the word of God, approved by the authority of the King of the reigning, and sealed with the seal of His oath! A non-Russian, perhaps, would ask me now: why do I look at what God decreed for one people, and what was promised to one Tsar, as a common law for Tsars and peoples? And I would not have difficulty answering: because the law that came from the goodness and wisdom of God is, without a doubt, a perfect law; Why not offer something perfect for everyone? Or are you thinking of inventing a law that would be more perfect than the law that came from God’s goodness and wisdom? From a Russian I can expect a different question: why bother to certify the Divine institution and the beneficence of hereditary royal power? This teaching is already written on the hearts of Russians. “I know, beloved, and I rejoice.” But even if there is no need to confirm what is already in the heart, it is nevertheless natural to talk about it. This is the law of the word, which wisdom itself recognized: “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Besides this, now is the time to repeat to yourself and confirm the most well-known truths: because the spirit of the time has not left a single truth that it would not attempt to shake, either in word or in deed. When it gets dark outside: increase the light in the house. Take care, Russia, and kindle your home light more strongly: because beyond your borders, according to the prophetic word, “darkness covers the earth, and darkness falls on the tongues” (Is. 60:2), “The nations reel, and people have learned in vain” (Ps. 2:1). Having ceased to affirm state decrees on the word and authority of Him “by whom kings reign,” they no longer knew how to honor or preserve kings. The thrones there became unstable; the peoples went crazy. It’s not that there are no more understanding people at all: but daring madness has taken over and tramples on cowardly wisdom, which has not strengthened itself with the wisdom of God. From the thought of the people they have developed an idol: and they do not even want to understand the obviousness that for such a huge idol there will not be enough victims. They dream of reaping peace when they sow rebellion. Not wanting to freely obey the lawful and beneficent authority of the king, they are forced to servile before the wild power of self-willed crowds. Thus, the solid land there turns into a turbulent sea of ​​peoples, which is already swallowing up some, and threatens to swallow up, institutions, laws, order, public trust, contentment, and security. But blessed is “He who rebukes the sea” (Matthew 8:26)! For us, in events, His voice is still audible: “You will come to this, and you will not pass away” (Job.38:11). Russia, strong in piety and autocracy, stands firmly and calmly, like a stone mountain, at the foot of which “the waves of the sea are crushed.” She is calm because the sovereign hand of God’s Anointed One holds her world: and she is purely calm because this is a world that does not sleep, but is awake with weapons against those who hate the world. “God is with us!” may each of us cry out together with our Most Pious Autocrat. God is with us through the grace of the Orthodox faith. God is with us with the grace of the blessed hereditary Autocracy. May we also abide with God, with pure faith and a life worthy of faith, with unshakable fidelity to the God-given King and unanimity corresponding to the unity of command! Let those in authority borrow from the heavenly Father and from the king of the earth the fatherly spirit of love and trusteeship in order to influence their subordinates in a way that is pleasing to both parties. Let those who are subordinate be zealous to be, both before the Father of the heavenly fatherland and before the father of the earthly fatherland, “children of obedience” (1 Pet. 1:14) sincere and perfect, thinking that just as “one who resists authority resists God’s command” (Rom. 13:2), so he who obeys authority obeys God’s command, and consequently, by one action obedience can be accomplished, a great virtue, and a great reward can be acquired. Let the guardians of justice remember, “that this is the judgment of God” (Deut. 1:17), and let them pronounce upon those judged no other judgment than that which is spoken by God by Himself in His word, in the law, and in their conscience. Justice, in relation to the body of society, is a kind of healing: if they do not provide replenishment to the members who have suffered deprivation, correction to the damaged, and do not cut off those infected with a deadly ulcer; they may become guilty of a fatal infection of the whole body. Let the servants of enlightenment open the eyes of the ignorant to the heavenly, and congenial with the heavenly, light, in which one can rightly walk and do useful things: and let them not be seduced, and let them not be seduced by some night light of a worm or rotten substance, whose brilliance may surprise for a moment; but it will not disperse the darkness, will not illuminate the path, will not illuminate the cause. Let those who are called to arms for the safety of the fatherland come with love and selflessness, according to the voice of the Tsar and according to the voice of Christ: “Greater love has no one to sow, but whoever lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Let each one deal honestly in the work of his calling, in agriculture, in crafts, in art, in trade, in royal and public service, preferring the common good to his own benefit, expecting success in the organization of the general and private good, from God's blessing to justice, “not being jealous of those who are evil, nor seeing those who do iniquity; “He who lives in heaven will laugh at them, and the Lord will mock them” (Ps. 2:4). “God is with us”, faithful to God and the Tsar, Russians! Our strength is in God. In Him is hope. From Him is peace, and, if necessary, from Him is victory. Amen. You might be interested in: