ЧАСТЬ ПЕРВАЯ

Chapter One: The Origin of Power paragraph 1. Divine establishment of royal power The Word of God proclaims to Christians, and through them to all nations, to all humanity: “There is no power except from God; But the powers that are are created by God” (Rom. 13:1). It is not difficult for a reverent and impartial seeker to find out and understand how power, according to the teaching of the word of God, comes from God. Where does this multitude of people come from, united by religion, law, language, customs, which is called “the people”? It is obvious that this multitude was “born” from some smaller tribe, and the tribe came from the “family”. So, “in the family,” properly so-called, lie the seeds of everything that later opened up and grew in the great family, which is called the “state.” Consequently, in the family one must look for the beginnings and the first example of power and subordination, which later revealed itself in the large family - the state. Namely: the father, who, by the natural gift of God, has the power to give life to his son and form his abilities, is the first ruler; a son who cannot develop his ability to educate himself or preserve his life itself without obedience to his parents and educators is naturally subservient. But since the power of the father was not created by the father himself and was not given to him by the son, but occurred together with man from the One who created man, it is revealed that the deepest source and the highest beginning of the first power, and, consequently, of all subsequent power between men, is in God, the Creator of man. “From Him,” firstly, according to the word of God, “every fatherland in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph. 3:15); then, when the sons of sons were born into a people and into nations, and from the family a state grew, immense for the natural power of the father, God gave this power a new, artificial image and a new name in the person of the king, and thus – by His wisdom “king reign” (Proverbs 8:15) and further, no matter how long nations continue and multiply, no matter how states change, always, through the all-effective Providence, “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Dan. 4:22). In times of ignorance, when people forgot their Creator and human societies did not recognize their Master, God - along with His other secrets - even sensually presented the secret of the origin of the holding power before the eyes of the world in the Jewish people chosen for this, namely: in the patriarch Abraham He miraculously again created the quality of a father and gradually produced from him a tribe, a people and a kingdom; He himself raised up judges and leaders for this people; He himself “reigned” over this kingdom (1 Sam. 8:7); Finally, He Himself made kings over him, continuing the miraculous signs of His supreme power over the kings. Therefore, God is called “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15), and in Him “kings reign” (Prov. 8:15). “The Most High owns the kingdom of men, and to whom he delights he will give it” (Dan. 4:22). “The kingdom is the Lord’s, and He has tongues” (Ps. 21:29). “The power of the earth is in the hand of the Lord, and He will raise up what is needed in it in time” (Sir. 10:4). Maybe they will say that all this happened during theocracy, that is, government of God, and that times are different now. No one, of course, will argue that times are changing and that this year is already different, and not the one that has passed. But do any other times have another God? Has God ever renounced His divine rule over the world and the human race, and especially over those kingdoms and peoples in which His spiritual kingdom, that is, the true faith and the holy Church, is predominantly contained and extended or is especially in touch? If they think that the government of God was limited only to the times of the Old Testament and ended with the beginning of Christian times, as if the Christian world no longer needed the government of God, then, on the contrary, it must be said that with the Old Testament only the former, more particular and sensory-figurative type of government of God ended and at the same time a new, more general and spiritually figurative one began. In the Old Testament revelation, God the Father spoke to His incarnate Son: “Ask of Me, and I will give Your tongues Your inheritance, and Your possession the ends of the earth” (Ps. 2:8). And according to the New Testament revelation, Jesus Christ is the “Prince of the kings of the earth” (Apoc. 1:5). “Prince of kings”, of course, not by a vain and ineffective name, but according to actual power and according to the action of this power. p. 2. The reality and property of God’s direct control of the earthly kingdoms of men The kingdom of the Lord is “the kingdom of all ages and His dominion in every generation and generation” (Ps. 144:13). The transient kingdoms of men collectively and from time to time appear in the disgrace of the world in order to serve that spiritual kingdom, and the mighty lands are successively tormented by the rackets of its guard. Having bound nature with necessity and “leaving man in the hands of his will” (Sir., 15, 14), the great Artist of the world - God extends His finger into the diverse interweaving of events of natural and free acts and with the mysterious movement of some hidden threads, then visible tools, forms and connects everything into a single multi-artistic fabric of world events, which time unfolds to the surprise of itself eternity. The various states of earthly citizenship are constantly directed by the omnipotent hand of God so that they prepare within themselves citizens for heaven: for this purpose, the All-Provider God acts both through society on man, and mutually through man on society; For this reason the tongues that are tottering and rebelling against the Lord are grazed with a rod of iron, and like the vessels of the wicked they are broken (Ps. 2, 1–2, 9), those who convert are recreated and replanted (Jer. 18, 9), those who are tempted are led “through fire and water” (Ps. 65:12), those who are steadfast in testing are brought “into rest” (Ps. 65:12); for this purpose, “the chosen of the people” of the Lord are exalted (Ps. 88:20), strong, predestined to do the will of God’s Providence, “supported by the right hand” by the right hand of the Almighty, which “levels the mountains before them and breaks down the gates of brass” (Is. 45:1–2); and meanwhile - “may the height of man be humbled and the Lord alone be exalted” (Isa. 2:17) - the lot of the most numerous nations is sometimes hidden for a long time in the unknown hand of a single mortal, and the fate of every strong man of the earth is made up of innumerable accidents, which no human wisdom can comprehend, no earthly power can subdue. If this all-encompassing sovereignty of God subjects us to a certain fate, then to a wise fate. If it apparently imposes bonds, then perhaps it is on self-will and violence. If it humiliates, then only those who think of being the creators of their own greatness dream of “rising above the clouds and being like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14). If, however, it sometimes lifts up the lot of the wicked, it is no other way than that a rod is lifted up, which will soon strike some guilty person, be crushed and rejected. On the contrary, those who themselves do not seek anything other than the glory of the Divine and the good of humanity find their hope and security in submitting themselves to Divine Providence, in His power the foundation of their power, in His glory the source of their true greatness. In our times, many peoples know little about the relationship of the kingdoms of men to the Kingdom of God, and what is especially strange and worthy of regret and horror is that Christian peoples know little about this. They know little, not because they cannot know, but because they do not want to know, and those who claim to be wise among them disdainfully reject what has been known and recognized by Ancient wisdom, sanctified and approved by Divine authority; they do not like the ancient construction of the state on the basis of the blessing and Law of God; They themselves think it is much better to erect the edifice of human societies in a new taste, on the sand of popular opinions, and support it through the storms of endless strife. In such times, it is especially necessary and especially gratifying for us, God-fearing and pious Russians, to often remind ourselves and firmly keep in our memory the teaching justified by the fate of our fatherland, handed down to us from our ancestors, or, better to say, from the prophets of God, that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Dan. 4:14), that “the kingdom is the Lord’s and He possesses languages” ( Ps.21,29) Even if the word of God had not revealed this truth to us, we could have found it in the general composition of our knowledge about God - the Creator and Provider. Since God is the Creator of the material world and the spiritual world, then, without a doubt, He is the Provider of both the one and the other world. And if the providence of God is required by the material world, driven by the necessity of laws impressed into it during creation, then all the more does the spiritual world require it, which beings, taking advantage of freedom, can therefore deviate from creative purpose and direction, and for such especially cases they need to call on the hand of the Provider, protecting and increasing. And since the improvement and protection of human society primarily depends on the supreme power over it, it turns out to be necessary that God’s providence should be primarily concentrated over the supreme power, so that “the Most High rules the kingdom of man.” It happens that the reign or direct providence of God over the kingdom of man is not for everyone and is not always clearly visible. This happens, firstly, because the King of Heaven is immeasurably high and incomprehensible, and His descending action is often hidden in a chain of intermediary natural causes and actions. Secondly, this happens because, reigning over the creatures to whom he was pleased to grant freedom, God keeps this gift of His inviolable, that is, he leaves quite a lot of room for free human action. Because of this, it happens that we hear noise for quite a long time, see the movement of human affairs, often mixed and disorderly, and do not notice how God’s Providence and judgment quietly follow them, affirming, protecting and exalting that which serves the Kingdom of God, and sooner or later deposing that which opposes it. paragraph 3. Historical evidence of God's direct control of the kingdoms of men In order to more clearly see the reign of God over the kingdom of man, it is necessary to consider with special attention such cases in which the direct action of God is revealed with particular clarity. Do you want to see from actual historical events the justification of this gratifying truth for the believer? Let's point out some examples. Let's look at the election of David as king of Israel. “The Lord spoke to Samuel: ... come, I will send you to Jesse as far as Bethlehem, because I have seen a king for myself in his sons” (1 Samuel 16:1). Samuel hesitated, finding the embassy dangerous. And the Lord recognized the danger and ordered the emergency embassy to be covered up with the guise of an ordinary sacrifice, but did not cancel the deed itself. The prophet comes to Bethlehem, reviews the sons of Jesse, not knowing which of them should be king. As soon as David was finally found, he was with the flock and left unattended by his father, and then Samuel received a definite will from God and anointed David as king. But what then? David did not go to the throne, but back to the flock. According to the time, he was called to the king’s house, but not to reign, but to play the harp. Even in time he came to the army, but not as a warrior with weapons, but as a convoy with food for his brother warriors; here he accidentally volunteered to fight Goliath, defeated the hero, gained fame through this, and became a relative of the king. Now he is no longer so far from the throne; but even after this he should still not be a king, but an exile, homeless, wandering through the mountains and wilds, not finding safety in his fatherland and forced to retire to foreigners. The question arises: why was David anointed king so early, so, apparently, at the wrong time, and even with danger for him? In order, firstly, to impart to him royal grace by anointing, which would make him a winner, and dear to the people, and invincible in adversity, and finally bring him to the throne, as it is said in Scripture that, as a result of the anointing, “the Spirit of the Lord hovered over David from that day and thereafter” (1 Sam. 16:13). Secondly, David was anointed early for this purpose, so that after his actual accession to the throne, the disobedient would be forced to admit that the king was installed not by chance, not by the people, but by God Himself, when David’s accession, undoubted by the natural course of affairs, was miraculously fulfilled in reality itself. Finally, in order to make it clear, “that with God every word fails” (Luke 1:37). Let's move on to Christian times. From the very beginning of Christianity, the Kingdom of God on earth, that is, the Church of Christ, for three whole centuries did not enjoy the help and protection of the kingdoms of men, but, on the contrary, suffered persecution and hostility from them. The apostolic word introduces us to the understanding of the mystery of such permission of God: “God has chosen the weak of the world, that the strong may be put to shame, so that all flesh may not boast before God” (1 Cor. 1:27, 29); that is: according to the supreme destinies of God, the Church of Christ had to appear helpless, so that it would be clear that it is founded, affirmed and exalted not by human, but by God’s power; she had to suffer and overcome through suffering in order to stop the mouths of unbelievers and detractors, ancient and modern. But it was finally necessary to give truth and visible justice; It was necessary that, according to the words of the prophet, “truth would have peace” (Is. 32:17), so that the Church of Christ, after so many persecuting kings, would have a patron king. For this purpose God chooses Constantine; but Constantine is a pagan, and Christ’s truth does not penetrate to the depths of his heart through the ordinary path of human instruction. And so God Himself takes upon Himself the work of Constantine’s conversion. Let's listen to Konstantin's own confession about this. “Once, at midday, when the sun began to lean towards the west,” said Constantine, “with my own eyes I saw with my own eyes the sign of the cross made of light and lying in the sun with the inscription: hereby conquer.” Following this, Christ appeared to Constantine in a dream and commanded, having made a banner similar to that seen in heaven, to use it for protection from the attacks of enemies (Evsev. on the life of Constantine, book 1, chapters 28–9). Constantine fulfilled his command; under the sign of the cross he defeated Maxentius and became the autocratic ruler of the Roman Empire; believed in Christ and appeared as the first Christian king, equal to the apostles. Isn’t it obvious from this that Christian kings trace their origins directly to the Heavenly King? The same Divine providence can be seen in the actions of the Russian Grand Duke, Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, who enlightened his kingdom with the light of the faith of Christ, as well as in the fate of other pious Christian kings. If God Himself, both by His word and by His actions, inspires us with the idea that through His special providence He Himself reigns over the kingdom of man, then, of course, this thought is beneficial for us and we should not lose sight of it. In it, in this thought, lies strength, weapons, support, guidance - both for the king, and for the kingdom, and for everyone in the kingdom. Chapter Two: Monocracy - the autocracy of the Tsar Just as the sky is undoubtedly better than the earth and the heavenly is better than the earthly, then just as indisputably the best on earth should be recognized as what is built on it in the image of the heavenly, as Moses, the seer of God, was told: “See, and create everything in the image shown to you on the mountain (Ex. 25, 40), that is, at the height of the vision of God. In accordance with this, God, in the image of His heavenly unity of command, established a king on earth; in the image of His heavenly Almighty he created an autocratic king on earth; in the image of His eternal kingdom, lasting from century to century, He established a hereditary king on earth. Let us not go into the area of ​​speculation and competition, in which some people, it is not known whether they have more wisdom than others, but, of course, they trust their wisdom more than others, work to invent and establish the best, in their opinion, principles for the formation and transformation of human societies. For more than half a century, the most educated part of the human race, in places and at times, has seen their transformative efforts in action; but nowhere and never have they created a “quiet and silent life” (1 Tim. 2:2), which by the word of God has been set as the always desired example of earthly human well-being. They know how to shake the ancient buildings of states, but they do not know how to create anything lasting. Suddenly, according to their drawings, new governments are formed, but just as suddenly they are destroyed. They are burdened by the paternal and rational power of the tsar and introduce the blind and cruel power of the people's crowd and endless feuds of the seeking power. They seduce people, assuring them that they are leading them to freedom, but in reality they are drawing them from legal freedom to self-will, in order to then rightfully overthrow them into oppression. More reliably than self-made speculations, one must learn the royal truth from the history of peoples and kingdoms, and especially from predominantly reliable history, as written not by human passions, but by the holy prophets of God, that is, from the history of the anciently chosen and God-ruled people of God. This story shows that the best and most useful things for human societies are usually done not by people, but by one person, not by many, but by one. So, what government gave the Jewish people public education and laws? One man Moses. Which government was in charge of the conquest of the Promised Land and the distribution of the tribes of the Jewish people on it? One Joshua. During the time of the judges, one judge saved an entire people from enemies and evil. But since the power of the judges was not continuous, but was stopped with the death of each judge, then, after the suppression of unity of command, the people fell into disorder, piety became impoverished, idolatry and corruption of morals spread; then followed disasters and enslavement by foreigners. And in explanation of such disorder and disasters among the people, the sacred writer of everyday life says that “in those days there was no king in Israel; a man who does what pleases his eyes" (Judges 21:25). Once again, one, empowered by the power of prayer and the gift of prophecy, Samuel, appeared - and the people were protected from enemies, the riots stopped, piety triumphed. Then, for continuous unity of command, God appointed a king among His people. And such kings as David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah represent examples of how successfully an autocratic sovereign can and should serve to glorify the King of Heaven in the earthly kingdom of man and at the same time - to establish and protect true prosperity among his people. There were also kings who were not like that, but that was when the kings themselves apostatized from God and indulged in idolatry. And in times of new grace, the All-Provider God deigned to call one Constantine and in Russia - one Vladimir, who apostolically enlightened their pagan kingdoms with the light of Christ’s faith and thereby established the unshakable foundations of their true greatness. Good for the people and the state in which the king stands as a single universal and all-moving focus, like the sun in the universe, freely limiting his unlimited autocracy by the will of the Heavenly King, wisdom “from God,” as well as generosity, love for his people, desire for the common good, attention to good advice, respect for the laws of his predecessors and for his own, and in which the relationship of subjects to the supreme power is not established on questions that are revived daily, and not on disputes that never end, but on the sacredly preserved tradition of our forefathers, on the hereditary and acquired love for the king and the fatherland, and even deeper - on reverence for the King of kings and the Lord of lords. All-Provider Lord! You gave this gift to Russia faithful to You! It remains for us to reverently preserve and actively nurture this gift of Thy, to give thanks for it with all our souls and to pray: “Confirm, O God, this which Thou hast done in us!” (Ps. 67:29). Chapter Three Heredity of royal power In the Book of Psalms we read: “The Lord swears to David in truth, and it will not be rejected: of the fruit of your womb I will set on your throne” (Ps. 131:11). People who are thorough in their thoughts and actions do not use oaths about the truth of what is testified or promised, wastefully and unnecessarily, but save it for matters of special importance and for protecting and establishing such truth, which primarily requires protection from bewilderment. If God, whose word is self-reliable even without an oath, if its authenticity is confirmed by an oath, then, of course, this indicates both the special importance of the subject of the oath, and the primary need and benefit of undoubted certification of that. With this concept of an oath, we must admit that when “the Lord swears to David in truth,” that is, he confirmed the truth of His word with an oath, and, moreover, with the addition that “he will not deny it,” that is, that he will not only fulfill His word once, but will preserve it for a continuation of time, then this already indicates the subject of the oath is important, beneficial, beneficial. What kind of object is this? Inheritance of royal power: “I will plant from the fruit of your womb on your throne.” From this presentation of the matter, the following truths or dogmas obviously follow. The first is that God “places” the king “on the throne,” or, in other words: royal power is a Divine institution. The second is that God “seats on the throne” the king “from the fruit of the king’s womb,” that is: the inheritance of royal power is also a Divine institution. The third is that royal hereditary power is a high gift of God to the person chosen by God, as evidenced by the promise of this gift with an oath, as well as another Divine saying: “I have exalted the chosen one from My people” (Ps. 88:20). The fourth is that royal hereditary power is an important and beneficial gift of God for the people. The goodness of God is impartial, and the wisdom of God is all-inclusive; and therefore, if God gives the king a gift on which the fate of the people should depend, then, without a doubt, He gives this gift, foreseeing and thereby arranging the good of the entire people. These are the fundamental provisions, or dogmas, of royal and state law, based on the word of God, approved by the authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords, sealed with the seal of His oath. “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Ps. 112:2) from all Russians, that this beneficial and happiest gift of God for the fatherland - the inheritance of royal power - was given to Russia at the very calling and emergence of her to historical life, was holy, sometimes and miraculously protected during the past whole millennium of her historical life and was invariably handed over as a sacred heritage to the coming new millennium. But let us be careful and let us not be careless! According to the inscrutable supreme destinies of God, who carry out righteous execution over the sinful world, the time has already come when, according to the prophecy of the prophets of God (1 Tim., 4, 1-3; 2 Tim., 3, 4, etc.), the spirit of the time is intensifying to shake and eclipse every religious Divine truth, every state and family truth, every life truth. When it gets dark outside, they turn up the lights in the house. Take care, Russia, and build up your inner, home light more strongly, because beyond your borders, according to the prophetic word, “darkness covers the earth, and darkness over the tongues” (Is. 60:2); “The nations staggered, and the people learned in vain” (Ps. 2:1). Having ceased to confirm state decrees on the word and authority of Him by whom “kings reign” (Prov. 8:15), they no longer knew how to honor or keep kings. The thrones became unstable, the nations became foolish. It’s not that there were no longer any understanding, but daring madness took over the top 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 do not even want to understand the obviousness that for such a huge idol there will be no sacrifices for them. They dream of reaping the world when they sow rebellion, not wanting to freely obey the legal and beneficial power 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, His voice is still heard in events: “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 cliff, at the foot of which the waves of the sea are crushed. She is calm because the sovereign hand of God’s anointed 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!” - let 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 gracious gift of blessed hereditary autocracy. May we also abide with God in pure faith and a life worthy of faith, unshakable loyalty to the God-given king and corresponding unanimity! Chapter Four: Holy Confirmation and Crowning of the Tsar God predestined David to be king for His people, and before the time came to actually fulfill this predestination, God wanted to announce this appointment to David and his family. The prophet Samuel is chosen as the executor of this will of God. What needed to be done to fulfill this command of God? It would seem that all you had to do was go and say a word to David. Is there any other special action needed, and what exactly? Is it miraculous to testify to David? But the young prophet David, even without a miracle, would have believed the elderly prophet Samuel, who from his youth was known to all Israel as a true prophet of God. Is a ritual action necessary for solemnity? But this would even seem premature, because this is not yet the actual and solemn accession of David, but only a secret foreshadowing, which during the event itself or fulfillment would serve as a confirmation of the will of God. But what does the Lord say to Samuel? “Fill your horn with oil,... arise and anoint David” (1 Sam. 16, 1, 12). If one cannot think that God would do anything unnecessary or useless, for to think so would be blasphemy, then one must conclude that the anointing of the king chosen by God was in this case beneficial even in the eyes of God; and for this reason alone one cannot help but recognize it as important for a person. The truth of this is even more revealed and learned from the direct effect of the anointing on David. What action? This is what it is: “and Samuel anointed him... and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day onwards” (1 Sam. 16:13). “The Spirit of God hovered over David.” What a high state! Without a doubt, it was very beneficial for David. Without a doubt, from the Spirit of God hovering over David, bright rays descended into his mind to enlighten him in the knowledge of what is true, godly and saving; holy sparks fell into the heart to ignite it to good intentions and saving deeds; and his whole being was filled with the highest power, with which he began difficult things with boldness and accomplished them with success. For if the influx of the Spirit of God had not been marked by such beneficial influences, then what could they mean, how could these words be said: “the Spirit of the Lord moved over David from that day and then.” There is no doubt that with the pouring of oil on the head of the anointed one there was an influx of the grace of God. There is no doubt that the influx of the all-holy and all-sanctifying Spirit of God was not ineffective. If the Old Testament sacred ritual actions turn out to have such importance and power, while they were only “the shadow of things to come” (Col. 2:17), then what should we think about the spiritual and sacramental institutions of the New Testament Church of Christ, in which the life-giving currents of the Holy Spirit, abundantly and solemnly poured out on the apostles, flow continuously and irrigate all its fulfillment, “like Jesus” already “glorified” (John 7:39)? Are these institutions not more important, are they not more filled with grace? According to the order of the Orthodox Church of Christ, the ceremony of the royal wedding begins with the Church inviting the most pious emperor to pronounce publicly the Orthodox confession of faith. What does it mean? This means that the Church, just as it is itself founded unshakably on the rock of faith, also desires to establish the royal dignity and blessed reign unshakably on the rock of faith. Truly, if to our Lord Jesus Christ, who rules over everything according to Divinity, as a result of the merit of saving suffering and resurrection in a new way as the God-man, “was given, according to His own saying, all authority on earth as in heaven” (Matt. 28:18); if He, according to the word of the Mystic, is the “Prince of the kings of the earth” (Apoc. 1:5), then, according to this very fact, the earthly king and kingdom can be truly blessed and prosperous only when they are pleasing to the Heavenly King and His supreme dominion; They can undoubtedly be pleasing to Him only when they confess the right and actively preserve faith, which is the power, and the means, and the goal of His Divine sovereignty. And this truth is actively confessed by our most pious autocrat with the solemn confession of the most holy Symbol of the most holy faith of Christ. Further, the Holy Church envelops the entire rite of the royal wedding as if with a cloud of spirit, as if it fulfills it with the fragrance of a sacred censer - with abundant prayer. Every sign of majesty accepted by the king - purple, crown, scepter, orb - she overshadows with the divine name of the Most Holy Trinity. In order to assimilate the king to a more internal, mysterious sanctification, she places on him with sacred anointing the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Finally, he brings him closer to the Lord’s table itself and strengthens him for the great feat of his reign with the divine food of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Presenting this as sacred, equally majestic spectacle, who would not think with reverence how great truly is the significance of the Orthodox royal majesty! It is overshadowed, embraced, imbued with sanctification from above. Let those ancient prophetic voices from the face of God be heard here too: “I have lifted up the chosen one from My people... with holy oil... I anointed him; My truth and My mercy are with him!” (Ps. 88, 20, 21, 25) Chapter Five The Inviolability of Royal Power God commands through His prophets: “Touch not My anointed!” (1 Chron. 16, 22). And: “touch them as you touch the apple of the eye of the Lord” (Zech. 2:8). Even if the word of God did not proclaim the inviolability of God’s anointed, nevertheless, human society, for its own good, would have to establish by law and protect the inviolability of the powers that be. Reason sensibly and thoroughly. A government that is not protected by sacredly revered inviolability from all the people cannot act with all the fullness of its power, nor with all the freedom of zeal necessary for the establishment and protection of the public good and security. How can it develop all its strength in its most beneficial direction if its strength is in an unreliable struggle with other forces that suppress its action in as many different directions as there are opinions, prejudices and passions that more or less dominate in society? How can it indulge in all its jealousy, when it must of necessity divide its attention between concern for the welfare of society and concern for safety? But when the government is so unstable, then the state will also be unstable. Such a state will be like a city built on a fire-breathing mountain: what will all its strongholds mean when underneath them lies a force that can turn everything into ruins every minute? Subjects who do not recognize the sacred inviolability of those who rule are driven by the hope of self-will to seek self-will; and power, not confident in its inviolability, is prompted by the very concern for its own safety to strive for dominance: in such a situation, the state oscillates between the extremes of self-will and dominance, between the horrors of anarchy and oppression and cannot establish in itself obedient freedom, which is the focus and soul of social life. Let us raise our minds from civil considerations to divine teaching. God commands: “Do not touch My anointed!” This commandment expresses both the requirement of obedience to the powers that be, as well as a deep explanation of the reasons for this requirement and conviction to obedience. Namely: “Touch not” the powers that be, says the Almighty, for they are Mine; do not touch, for they are “anointed” from Me. So, one of the deep reasons for the inviolability of the powers that be is that they are God's. “There is no power except from God: but the powers that exist were created by God” (Rom. 13:1). If, therefore, every power that holds openly or secretly comes from God and belongs to Him, then how can one dare to touch it? If we demand that our work be inviolable for others and that our property be inviolable, then who can violate the structure and property of the Almighty with impunity? Another sacred basis for the inviolability of those in power is that they are “anointed” by God. The word of God assigns the name “anointed” to kings in relation to the sacred and solemn anointing, which, according to divine institution, they accept upon entering the kingdom. No matter how we talk about this action - whether it means the dedication of the anointed to God or his sanctification from God; Whether we contemplate in this action a sacrament that brings to the anointed the divine Spirit and spiritual power, or we only see a solemn action that places on the king the indestructible seal of the highest election, in any case the name of God’s anointed represents a face sealed by God, sacred, exalted, worthy of reverence and therefore inviolable. It is worthy of special note that the word of God also calls such earthly rulers as anointed who have never been sanctified by visible anointing. Thus, the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming the will of God about the Persian king, says: “The Lord says to His anointed Cyrus” (Is. 45:1), while Cyrus has not yet been born, and when he is born he does not know the God of Israel, of which he is previously convicted by Him: “I strengthened you, and you did not know Me” (Is. 45:5). How then did this same Cyrus at the same time called the anointed of God? God Himself explains this when He prophesies about Cyrus through the same prophet: “I have raised up this city, and will bring back the captivity of My people” (Is. 45:13). Penetrate here, Christian, the deep mystery of the ruling power; Cyrus does not know the true God, but Cyrus is the anointed one of the true God. Why? that God, “who created the future” (Is. 45, 11), appointed Cyrus for execution and anointed the spirit of Cyrus even before he brought him into the world; and Cyrus, although he does not know by whom and for what he was anointed, moved by the secret anointing, accomplishes the work of the Kingdom of God. How powerful is the anointing of God! How majestic is God's anointed! He is a living instrument of God; the power of God emanates through him into the universe and moves a greater or lesser part of the human race towards the great goal of universal perfection. If even one who does not know God can be like this, then isn’t the greatness of those anointed ones more sacred who recognized Him who anointed them and not only accepted the gift of anointing for others, but also embraced it for themselves with faith and piety - who are anointed in order to reign piety with themselves? Even if the formidable commandment did not proclaim such purely sacred anointed ones, reverent love itself feels that touching them is like “touching the apple of the eye of the Lord.” Dear Russians! Guard carefully and reverently the apple of the eye of the Lord! “Do not touch God’s anointed!” The Lord’s commandment does not say: do not rebel against the powers that be, because those in power themselves can understand that by destroying power, they destroy the entire composition of society and, consequently, destroy themselves. The commandment says: “do not touch” - even in the way one touches something without intention, through frivolity, through carelessness; because it often happens that even this is unnoticeably wrong. Christian soul! You are called to “obey... for your conscience’s sake” (Rom. 13:5), and therefore, as much as possible, do not touch the authority with a word of murmuring or a thought of condemnation, and believe that “as the soul of those who are anointed in your sight is magnified, so... you will be magnified before the Lord, and... He will cover you, and sweep you away from all sorrow” (1 Samuel 26, 24). Chapter Six Royal exploits, or the work of the king When the reverent loyal thought begins to consider the high royal service; when he considers how the sovereign mind passes through the entire vast composition of the state, embraces with attention and various care the life, security, contentment, morals, enlightenment, faith of millions of people, in order to everywhere implant goodness, restore, protect, suppress evil, avert, warn, educate the uneducated, improve the imperfect, correct the damaged, and for this purpose from time to time utters new ones or complements the old ones laws, constantly moves the numerous springs of government, oversees justice, builds and animates the army; how he extends his penetrating and far-sighted gaze beyond his borders into other kingdoms, in order to protect and establish peace from everywhere, to acquire and support good allies, to suppress the seeds of discord, warfare and sedition, to disarm envy, to discern what is generally useful and to assimilate it, to discover in the distance the creeping influence of some infection and to block its paths - with such thoughts of exploits The king's joy for him is joined by surprise and concern of love. How many burdens are borne by the sovereign ramen alone to relieve us all! Truly, so that from the crown of the king, as from the center, the life-giving light of the “honest... stones of great value” (Proverbs 3:15) of government wisdom would extend to the entire kingdom, - so that the waves of the king’s scepter would always point to the subordinate authorities and servants of the king’s will in the right direction for the good of the public, - so that the hand of the king would tightly and completely embrace his power, so that the sword of the king would always be prepared for defense of the truth and with one appearance would already defeat untruth and evil, so that the royal banner would gather millions of people into unity and bring into order, so that the labor and vigil of the king would be enough to excite and elevate their activity and to ensure their peace - isn’t the highest measure of human gift required for this in the king?! Therefore, our most pious emperor, accepting his royal crown, with the popular prayer of the entire kingdom and church, seeks even more anointing from the Holy One, seeks extraordinary gifts of the Almighty Spirit for a successful and godly reign. With reverent joy we look at the royal crown, which is unattainably exalted above us, but which overshadows us all and which we can all boast about before the nations. This crown is joyful for us, because for all of us it is protection, protection, glory, decoration; but it is difficult for the crown bearer, because it is the crown of election and consecration for great deeds, and not the crown of reward and peace after deeds. The most pious autocrat bears the burdens of vast Russia, fulfilling the “law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2) and the royal law. What strength is needed to lift, and carry, and direct the forces of all Russia into movement! It is righteous, therefore, that all the forces of the Russians should unite in order to lighten, as far as possible, the burden carried by the autocrat - that all the hearts of the Russians should unite, so that with all-zealous prayers they call upon him strength from Him in Whom “kings reign” ( Proverbs 8:15 ) “Lord, in Your power may the king rejoice and in Your salvation rejoice greatly” ( Ps.20:2)! You might be interested in: