488. Слово в день торжественного венчания и священного помазания Благочестивейшего Императора Николая Павловича

(Said in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral on August 22) And my truth and my mercy are with him. (Ps.89:25). In the psalm from which these words are taken, mercy is mentioned several times in such a way that truth is added to it. At the very beginning of the psalm, the Psalmist exclaims to God: “I will sing of Your mercies, O Lord, forever: I will proclaim Your truth with my mouth to generation and generation” (Ps. 89:2). And further: “mercy will be built up forever: Your truth will be prepared in heaven” (Ps. 89:3). And again: “mercy and truth will go before You” (Ps. 89:15). Then, depicting God’s promises to the chosen, exalted and anointed King David, the Psalmist, among other things, speaks about him on behalf of God. “And My truth and My mercy are with him.” And even further, about the descendants of David it is also said on behalf of God: “My mercy... I will not destroy My mercy from them, nor will I fail in My truth” (Ps. 89:34). From this last saying it can be noted that the prophet spoke about the mercy of God, looking at the gifts and promises of God, and about the truth, looking at the fulfillment of these promises. The mercy of God was with David when God gave him the kingdom, established it, spread it, especially when he swore this unparalleled promise about him: “His seed will endure forever, and his throne is like the sun before Me” (Ps. 89:37). The truth of God remained with David when Solomon and his subsequent descendants reigned blessedly over the people of God, especially when Jesus Christ “gave... the Lord God the throne of David His Father, and He reigned in the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:32–33). Be that as it may, one cannot help but notice in the sayings of the Psalmist a special effort to show mercy in close union and inseparable combination with truth in heaven and on earth. There he raises this sacred couple to God himself and places them side by side as the supports of His throne, and as the forerunners of His face; here also represents truth and mercy in equal proximity to the King, who is to be exalted and glorified: “and my truth and my mercy are with him, and in my name his horn will be exalted.” Russians! With a full heart we now sing the mercy and truth of God, revealed in the anointing of the King over us, with whom both truth and mercy reign, no less than the other. Our joy is all the more alive, and we are all the more worthy of such a reign, the more sincerely and ourselves we use noble efforts, not only in reflection, but also in action, to imagine truth and mercy mutually united, consonant, inseparable. All pure and holy properties, virtues, perfections, originally and essentially belong to God: and to every creature, and therefore to man, not otherwise than by gift, by communion, by imitation. But just as between the properties, virtues, perfections of God there is no division, no contradiction, no mutual exclusion, but there is an everlasting union, agreement, and in infinite completeness everything contains a unity: then in man the gift is higher, the communion of the gift is more abundant, the imitation of God is truer, since all the pure and holy properties and virtues, promoting one another, merge into a single fullness spiritual perfection. Therefore, we must be careful that the truth does not drive out mercy through excessive severity, and that mercy does not deviate from the truth through excessive condescension. The psalmist presents a beautiful image of the majesty of God to the mind when he says that “mercy and truth will go before the face of God.” Truly, in order for God to appear and be known, it is necessary that the truth of God should go before His face, without which vision and no knowledge of the Divine is possible: and in order for man to enter into a blissful approach to God, it is necessary that the mercy of God first come to meet man, without which not only mortal and sinful man, but also no higher creature would dare to approach the unapproachable Deity. The truth of God shines on the mind; God's mercy attracts the heart; and thus, both acting together, lead a person to God and the bliss of His kingdom. But this truth of God and this same mercy of God descend to help man, who must be an instrument of the kingdom of God. “And My truth,” says God, “and My mercy is with him.” So, if a person wants to act in the Divine order, then let him not separate truth and mercy, which God has united for man, let his mind honor the holiness of truth, while his heart feels the sweetness of mercy; let mercy and truth come before his face, that is, appear in his actions and intentions; let mercy protect those who love the truth, let the truth condescend to those who hope for mercy; let mercy exalt dignity and reward merit, but in such a way that truth determines the measure of exaltation and reward; let the truth frighten and punish evil, but in such a way that mercy is not horrified by it; let truth preside in judgment, but let “mercy boast in judgment” (James 2:13); let truth command the sword to be drawn against the enemy, who responds to the meek convictions of truth with the fury of malice, but let mercy return the righteous sword to its scabbard, as soon as the pacified or reasoned enemy submits to the convictions of the truth and asks for mercy. Let no one think that the law of combining truth with mercy applies only to those who govern and own. It extends further, and, with the right understanding, can and should have its effect even at low degrees of subordination. The Apostle, without distinguishing any title or public position, says: “there is spiritual fruit in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Eph. 5:9). That is, the action of the spirit, or the grace of God in a Christian, no matter who he is, turns out to be goodness, righteousness and truth in all possible cases. Only he acts in a Christian manner whose deeds are marked both by gentle goodness and strict truth. Truth without goodness is like moonlight, which, although it somewhat disperses the darkness, does not warm or enliven. Goodness without truth is a blind virtue that leads to success and often falls. In order to better discern the disorder that results from the separation of truth and mercy, let us point out some more specific cases. The miser collects endlessly, the luxurious squanders to the end; and both think that they are acting justly, on the basis of the recognized truth that whoever has acquired has the right to dispose of what he has acquired. One could argue with them about this very truth if we remember what the Lord said when he saw the coin marked with the image and inscription of Caesar. “Reward,” He said, “Render unto Caesar the Lord and the God of God” (Matthew 22:21). These words show that He recognizes the coin as belonging not only to the one who has it, by right of acquisition, but also to the king, by the sign of his power over it, and above all to God, who created gold and silver. Consequently, the complete law of property should be that the one who acquired the treasure should use it partly according to his will for his own needs, partly according to the will of the king, and especially according to the will of God. But even by conceding to people one civil truth, which they cling to more readily than to the Divine, in the hope of protecting their passions, we can nevertheless tell them that pure and holy truth will by no means be a protector of such actions that are alien to all goodness. If they acquired wealth not by theft or deception, then they are not subject to civil punishment: this is all the right that the truth they call for help can assert for them. But if they do not use their wealth for charity, then there is no spiritual fruit in them, or, in other words, they are not true Christians. This is an imaginary truth outside of union with mercy! Let us also point out such cases where they think about mercy, but forget the truth. Give me a position, a reward, an honor, says the shameless seeker, and when they answer him that he is not prepared for the desired position, that he has not deserved the reward or honor, he objects: do me a favor. And since for a long time there have been people to whom it seems that to fulfill such a request means to truly show mercy, and who have made this kind of mercy not unusual, then meekness and good nature find it difficult to refuse such requests. Let us call on the truth to help beneficent souls who are attacked without mercy by seekers of mercy. How? Giving a position to an incapable person is complete, is it mercy? True, this is a mercy because he will receive advantages and benefits associated with the position; but on the other hand, this is not mercy, since he is placed in danger, due to ignorance of the position, of falling into errors, into misdeeds, and of being punished. And what a disgrace for a position that receives an incapable performer! What disgrace for those, perhaps very many, whose peace, security, contentment, improvement depend on the prudent and accurate performance of this position! What a disgrace for a whole society, in which such cases encourage unrighteous seeking, dishearten dignity, arouse murmuring, weaken zeal for improvement and hope for well-being! In the same way, the reward for the undeserving is not so much mercy for one, but injustice against many. For as much as is given to the undeserving, so much is proportionately deprived to those who deserve it. – And honor with accepted signs, shown to true dignity, elevates a person, and at the same time is elevated by a person, bestowed by generosity, not against the truth, elevates, and is not yet humiliated; thrown down on the unworthy is more humiliated than exalted! I repeat that the law of combining truth with mercy does not apply to just those who rule, but extends to all Christians, and is the true measure of their virtue. Let us each apply it to our own condition and our actions. Do not seek mercy that would offend the truth, and do not lead the guardians of order and truth into temptation. Without seeking the wrong exaltation, you find yourself more elevated than if you had elevated yourself through low means. Use what you have justly acquired righteously and graciously. The art of turning everything into gold is by no means as important as the art of turning dead gold into a living virtue that delivers from death. Give food and clothing to those who do not have and cannot acquire through labor: and to the begging parasite, instead of alms, give the truth of the Apostolic teaching: “We hear... some who walk among you disorderly, doing nothing, but going around craftily. We forbid such people and pray in our Lord Jesus Christ, that they who work in silence may eat their own bread” (2 Thess. 3:11-12). So in a similar way, “let mercy and truth meet” both in our hearts and in our deeds, Christians enlightened by the truth and saved by mercy, and in our communities “truth and peace kiss each other” (Ps. 84:11). Amen 970. According to the Jewish collection, this is followed by “The Sermon on the Consecration of the Church of St. Trinity, in Pushkari, September 2, 1828,” which, due to its insignificant difference with what was said at the consecration of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, in Bronnaya, in 1842 (Collected 1848, T. II. p. 71), is postponed until printing under this year. You might be interested in: