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Chapter Seven About reverent veneration of the king Our Lord and Savior commands us: “Render... the things that are Caesar’s that are Caesar’s, and the things that are God’s that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Thus, the Heavenly King does not exempt us from fulfilling our duties to the king of the earth, but He Himself proclaims these duties and Himself commands us to fulfill them. Demanding from everyone the fulfillment of duties to God: “Render... God’s things to God,” He also demands from everyone the fulfillment of duties in relation to the king: “Render... Caesar’s to Caesar.” The Lord was pleased to combine both of these commandments, to compare them with one another, without a doubt, so that both of them would be inseparable in our thoughts and in our hearts and so that by the thought of God we would be excited and strengthened in the fulfillment of our duties in relation to the king. And Christ’s Apostle Peter commands us: “Fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17). Again, both commandments - about our duties to the heavenly God and to the earthly king - are placed side by side, in direct proximity to each other, as if the thought of them is inseparable. In order to more clearly understand the high significance of the apostolic commandment to honor the king, let us remember who and what kind of kings were - the contemporaries of the apostles. Herod then reigned in Judea. What was his relationship to Christianity? “Put,” says the book of the Acts of the Apostles, “Herod the king laid the hand on the hand of a certain man from the church. Kill James’s brother John with the sword. And having seen that he was a Jew for a year (pleasantly, pleasantly), put him and Peter, ... and put him in prison” (Acts 12: 1-4). The Angel of God miraculously rescued Peter from prison and from the king; and after that Peter preaches the commandment: “Honor the king.” What did the Roman power reward Peter for his exploits, not with the cross of honor, but with the cross of crucifixion. Peter expected this from previous examples and was even forewarned of this by the Lord Himself; with all this, he preaches respect for the king and commands the subjects of the king from whom he himself was preparing to suffer. Is this commandment based? Without a doubt, it is based on Divine truth. Namely, the commandment “Fear God” is clear and unshakable in itself, since reverence for God is necessarily combined with the thought of God. On this first commandment the second is necessarily affirmed: “honor the king”; for if you fear God, then you cannot help but respect what has been decreed by God Himself; how, according to the word of God, “there is no... power unless it is from God, but the powers that exist are created by God,” and the king is “God’s... servant” (Rom. 13:1, 4), then, truly reverent before God, you cannot help but zealously honor the king. Thus, it is revealed what the apostle was thinking when he directly connected the thought of reverence for the king with the thought of the fear of God. He wanted to briefly, but at the same time purely and thoroughly teach the doctrine of the office of a Christian and citizen. Having said: “Fear God,” he outlined the teachings of a Christian and at the same time laid the foundation for the teachings of a citizen. Having said immediately: “Honor the king,” he not only set out the citizen’s teaching, but also established it on an unshakable basis. He simultaneously demonstrated both the independent divine dignity of religion and the dignity of royal power, which depended on God’s dispensation. If, inseparably with the great commandment of God “fear,” the commandment “honor the king” was proclaimed - at a time when kings did not honor the true God and even persecuted His worshipers, then how sacred, and easy, and sweet should be for us the commandment to honor the king now, when the king who reigns over us not only knows and confesses the true God, but is also sanctified by the anointing from God, protects true piety with its power, empowers with its example, protects with laws! May the beautiful and beneficial union of these two commandments be inseparable: “Fear God, honor the king!” (1 Peter 2:17) A people that pleases God is worthy to have a king blessed by God. The people who honor the king thereby please God, because the king is God’s dispensation. Chapter Eight Prayer for the King The Apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, Bishop of the Church of Ephesus, writes: “I pray, first of all, to make prayers, supplications, petitions, thanksgivings for all people, for the king and for all those in power, so that we may live a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). If we pay attention to the time at which the holy apostle wrote this instruction to Bishop Timothy, then we can see the all-encompassing space of Christian love, discover the deep, God-inspired insight of the apostle and deeply feel the power of our duty to pray for the king. The Apostle Paul gave instructions on prayer for the king and for those in power when there was not a single Christian king in the whole world; when the kings and authorities were either Jewish, not believing in Christ, or pagan, immersed in the errors and vices of idolatry, and who, coming into contact with Christianity, for the most part were its enemies and persecutors, with the intention of even completely destroying it. Natural reason, of course, would say that it is incongruous to pray for people who want to destroy you. But Christian love says: pray for these too; wish and ask for every good thing for them; perhaps in their good deeds they will recognize the Benefactor - God, having come to know Him, they will believe in Him, having believed, they will be at peace in relation to other believers in Him... and if not so, then, according to the commandment of the beloved Savior, “pray for those who harm you and drive you out” (Matthew 5:44). When looking at the dispositions of modern, and therefore earthly, authorities that are alien to Christianity and even hostile to it, the Apostle’s instruction on prayer for them is a kind of extraordinary in that it commands to “do” for them not only “prayers,” but also “thanksgiving.” Can enemies and hostile actions, persecutors and persecutions even be the subject of gratitude? This bewilderment will be eliminated if we take into account that the holy apostle is not just a mentor, but a God-inspired mentor. Christ the Savior and to all Christians for important occasions, when they need to speak or testify to the truth of Christ with special fidelity and firmness, gave the following promise: “You will not... be the one who speaks, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:20). Without a doubt, this gift was given in predominant power and completeness to the apostle as the herald of Christ’s teaching for the universal Church. So, Saint Paul writes instructions for the Church of Ephesus, and the Holy Spirit at the same time deigns through him to write instructions for the universal Church. Paul looks at the church of Ephesus as it is, and the Spirit of God in him at the same time looks at the universal Church as it is and will be. Paul sees the present darkness of the pagan kingdoms, and the Spirit of God in him foresees and more or less shows him the future light of the Christian kingdoms. The gaze of the inspired one, penetrating future centuries, meets Constantine, pacifying the Church and sanctifying kingdoms by faith; sees Theodosius and Justinian defending the Church from heresies; of course, he also sees Vladimir, Alexander Nevsky and others - spreaders of the faith, defenders of the Church, guardians of Orthodoxy. After this, it is not surprising that St. Paul writes: “I pray that you do” not only “prayers,” but also “thanksgiving for the king and for all those in power,” because there will be kings and authorities not only for whom we must pray with sorrow or consolation, but also for whom, as a precious gift of God, we must thank God with joy. The deep humility and at the same time the strong desire of the apostle to make the instruction he taught effective is revealed in the fact that he does not present the truth indifferently and does not command with apostolic authority, but asks and begs that prayers be offered for the king: “I pray,” he says, “to say prayers for the king.” And can we not deeply and strongly feel this duty, so convincingly instilled in us by the apostle? No matter how distant we are from Saint Paul in time, it seems that the sound of his apostolic broadcast should resonate louder and sweeter in our hearts than in the Christians of Ephesus and other churches contemporary to the apostle; for with fear, through tears, they had to pray for the kings who were alien to Christianity and who threatened it; guardians of Orthodoxy - pray in peace, with joy, with gratitude. To reinforce his teaching on prayer for the king, the holy apostle also points to the fruit expected from it, namely: “let us live a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity.” So, the apostle believes that the king, through the prayer of the Church and the kingdom, enlightened and strengthened by God, depends very much on “a quiet and silent life,” that is, a calm and safe life, and not only a quiet and silent life, but also “a life in all piety and purity.” Let us multiply, faithful children of Russia, multiply our heartfelt prayers to God for our most pious sovereign, the Emperor, so that the King of Kings Himself may bless him with a gracious blessing, to the complete joy of him and ours, to the complete prosperity of our fatherland. Chapter Nine Celebration of Royal Days The prophet and king David in the 143rd Psalm prays and sings to God: “O God, I will sing to You a new song, in a ten-stringed psalter I sing to You, who gives salvation as a king” (Ps. 143:9-10). David promises to sing a new song to God and at the same time reveals his promise to be fulfilled: “I sing to You.” A promise or desire to sing a new song indicates the fulfillment of previous, or usual, songs or praises. Singing a song for the salvation of the kings, he thanks God for His protection of the kings. Obviously, this is a solemn prayer song to God, “who gives salvation to kings,” that is, solemn thanksgiving and glorification of God for His special patronage of royal dignity or service. On what days, or on what occasions, was this royal prayer singing performed? Undoubtedly, on such days, or on such occasions, when special protection or providence of God over the king was revealed. And it is not difficult to look for such days. For example, what day was more memorable and sacred for David and for the kingdom, if not that happiest day, on which David, through a special sanctifying action, was elevated from an ordinary state to a high state of grace and about which it is written: “And Samuel anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day onwards” (1 Samuel 16:13)? Is it possible to think that David would forget this day, so remarkable and decisive in his life? Is it not more likely, on the contrary, that he remembered it and, at each turn of the annual circle of days, greeted it with special attention, with reverence for God, with thanksgiving, with prayer for the continuation of the beneficial overshadowing from the Spirit of the Lord? And what does it mean that David will accept to sing another “new” song about the salvation of kings: “O God, I will sing a new song to You,... who gives salvation to the king”? It is obvious that some new royal circumstances or events, for example, deliverance from new dangers, the overcoming of new difficulties, protection and help again revealed by God to the king, aroused new thoughts in the mind of the Psalmist, new feelings in the heart, new sounds in the ten-stringed psalter, and a new song in the usual prayer for the king. This is how constant royal holidays and random celebrations on special, random royal events arose and became established. The sacred basis for the celebration of royal days remains forever unchanged in the people of God and in the Church of God. The God who commanded to anoint David as king is not the same God by whom even now “kings reign” (Prov. 8:15)? There is no doubt that He Himself blesses and sanctifies the wedding and anointing of our most pious kings - emperors. From the day the king was anointed, the Spirit of God’s grace hovered over the anointed one. And since the subsequent commemorative celebration of the day of royal anointing is obviously connected with the day of the event itself, shouldn’t we think that at each celebration of such a day the Spirit of the Lord especially looks into the hearts of those celebrating, so that, according to the measure of their faith, according to the sincerity of their thanksgiving for the past, according to the zeal and purity of their prayers for the future, to extend His blessed overshadowing over the king and the kingdom, beneficial to the king, beneficial and saving for the kingdom? And therefore, the celebration of the king’s day should be for all of us as joyful and solemn as it is sacred. On such a day, especially may we be animated by both love for the king and reverence for the King of kings. Let joy move hearts; but let prayer also lift up souls under the gracious overshadowing of the Spirit of the Lord. Sample of private prayer on royal holidays “Thou art ruler over all, O Lord, the beginning of every beginning, and in Thy hand is strength and power, and in Thy hand is mercy, the Almighty, magnified and strengthened all things” (1 Chronicles 29:12). Bless the beginning, and the course, and the crown of the king’s summer. “You will add days upon days of the king, his years until the day of generation and generation” (Ps. 60:7). Give Your strength to our king and exalt the horn of Your anointed (1 Samuel 2:10). Sharpen and deepen the gaze of his wisdom, so that hidden good and useful things can often be revealed and brought to light; so as to discern the sneaking evil from afar and return the spirits of wickedness to the heads. Unsparingly restore in his power the “strong, ... and watchful, ... and wondrous adviser, ... and an intelligent listener” (Is. 3:2, 3), for “salvation... is in much counsel” (Proverbs 11:14). Rejoice the most pious king with the prosperity of the blessed kingdom, and the blessed kingdom with the prosperity of the most pious king! Chapter Ten Obedience, or obedience, to the king and the authorities or principalities appointed by him That one must obey the authorities - is it necessary to prove this? Where there is human society, there must be power that unites people into society; for without power one can only imagine an unsettled multitude of people, and not a society. But power operates in society and preserves it through obedience. This means that obedience is necessarily connected with the very existence of society. Whoever began to shake or weaken obedience would shake or weaken the very foundation of society. Let us learn obedience to authority from the word of God. The Apostle Peter instills in Christians: “Submit yourselves... to every human creation (that is, to every authority appointed by God over men) for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king, as he is predominant, or to a prince, as sent by him, for vengeance as an evildoer, but for praise as a doer of good” (1 Peter 2:13-14). What a satisfying teaching! By obeying the king and the authorities appointed by him, you undoubtedly please the king; and at the same time, “obeying” them “for the Lord’s sake,” you thereby please the Lord Himself. Let us note that the apostle is not content with teaching to obey somehow; but he teaches to obey with a certain motive, namely, “for the Lord’s sake.” Here is an assumption that the apostle also had in mind other types of obedience, that is, for other motives, such as: obedience out of personal interests, obedience for the sake of society, for the sake of superiors... but the apostle commands and inspires precisely obedience “for the Lord’s sake” to his disciples. He who obeys out of fear of punishment for disobedience obeys for his own sake, that is, to protect himself from the unpleasantness of punishment. There are people for whom this incentive to obedience is necessary; but who would want to boast that he chose this particular type of obedience for himself? He who obeys to achieve benefit, reward, honor, also obeys for his own sake. The authorities act shrewdly and beneficently when they use incentives for obedience; but incentives, in their essence, can only take place in certain cases, and cannot establish and ensure universal obedience: the most general acts of obedience and, moreover, those necessary for society, such as the payment of taxes, are least capable of combining with them any reward or honor. A wise mind will praise so-called obedience for the sake of society and at the same time for the sake of itself for the following reasons. The well-being and contentment of a person cannot be arranged and preserved otherwise than through society, namely: society provides a person with personal security, the formation of abilities, cases for using them, ways for various acquisitions and acquisitions, and again - the security of what has been acquired. And just as obedience is necessary to preserve society, each member of society must obey, both for the sake of society - out of gratitude to it for the benefits everyone receives from it, and again for his own sake, so that, while maintaining society by obedience, he preserves for himself what he enjoys from society. This speculation is fair. But how many people in society are capable of establishing their own obedience based on ideas and speculations? When we look at experiments, how in our time some peoples and states want to base obedience on such speculations, and how nothing stands firm there - both thrones and altars shake, and, in the words of the prophet, people become, in the words of the prophet, “people like a priest and a slave like a master” (Isa. 24: 2), the reins of government are torn, rebellions swarm, vices are shameless, crimes are mocked at the law; there is no unanimity, no mutual trust, no security, every coming day threatens; then, seeing all this, we are involuntarily prompted to conclude: it is clear that state improvement should not be based on human speculation. There is also obedience for the sake of society and for the sake of superiors - not so much out of speculation, but out of the feeling of the heart, that is, out of love for the sovereign and the fatherland. Happy are the people animated by such love. This is the vital warmth in the body of the state, the self-propelled direction towards social unity, the winged chariot of power, free obedience, obedient freedom. We, Russians, imbued with love for the sovereign and the fatherland from our mother's milk, know from ancient and recent experiences how nourishing this food was for the most difficult deeds, in the most difficult times. But in order for natural love for the sovereign and the fatherland to be unchanging, pure, and saving, it must be established on an unshakable foundation, and such a foundation can only be in God. That is why the apostle, bypassing other incentives to obedience, affirms obedience on a single thought about God: “Obey,” he says, “for the Lord’s sake!” That is, obey out of faith in God and out of fear of God; or obey by faith in the word of God and the command of God and out of fear of being disobedient to His will. And it is not difficult to understand and comprehend how faith in God and the fear of God constitute the most important incentive to obedience. Faith sanctifies earthly powers, showing their heavenly origin, declaring to us on the behalf of God that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and will give it to Him He desires” (Dan. 4:29), that through Him “kings reign” and “great men are magnified” (Prov. 8:15-16), that “there is no... authority except from God” (Rom. 13:1), that every ruler is “servant of God”, placed over us for our own “good” (Rom. 13:4). Faith confirms us in the idea that the laws issued by the government are drawn up under the influence of God's Providence. Faith commands us to “submit... to the authorities” (Rom. 13:1) “not only to the good and meek, but also to the obstinate” (1 Peter 2:18), threatening with heavenly wrath (Eph. 5:6) those who do not submit to the authorities as a criminal who “resists God’s command” (Rom. 13:2). Faith instructs us to serve the authorities with respect and in simplicity of heart, “as the Lord Himself, and not... men” (Eph. 6:5, 7), and not out of fear only or any selfish reasons, “but... according to conscience” (Rom. 13:5), out of the conviction that, by fulfilling their commands “from the heart,” we are doing the will of God” (Eph. 6:6), and not human. And precisely where the human mind and will are submissive to the faith of the Gospel, the subjects honor civil laws as a shrine, they revere power as a divine institution; and where this heavenly feeling becomes impoverished, where minds, unfortunately for society, become infected with unbelief, then public institutions are not respected, there obedience to authorities seems like a heavy yoke, there cannot be public prosperity. So, “submit to every human authority,” to every legal and, of course, mainly to the supreme authority – “for the Lord’s sake”! That is: obey with complete unquestioning obedience, for the sake of the Almighty and Just Lord, Who cannot leave resistance to His institution unpunished; obey sincerely, for the sake of the Lord, the Knower of the Heart, Who sees and condemns not only every act of disobedience, but also every stiff-necked or murmuring thought; obey with hope, for the sake of the Lord, the all-wise and all-good Provider, who constantly watches over bringing His dispensation to saving goals for us and who especially “has a king’s heart in His hand” (Prov. 21:1); obey with love for the sake of the Lord, Whose glorious kingdom in heaven and the gracious kingdom in human souls is the kingdom of love, and Who commanded us with all the strength of our souls to strive for His will to be done as it is in heaven and on earth, and therefore in the earthly kingdom. This is obedience, always satisfactory to the authorities and always blissful to those who obey! Put such obedience in the strongest test - let, for example, it be necessary to even sacrifice oneself to obedience, that is, to suffer or die for the sovereign and the fatherland; let natural love for one’s own life, for the blessings of life, for everything dear in life, raise a natural struggle against this - all the warfare of thoughts will, without a doubt, be cast down, as soon as the word strong in grace comes: “For the Lord’s sake”! Sacrifice everything to obey the Lord for the sake of! If it is sweet to sacrifice for the king and the fatherland, then isn’t it much more blessed to sacrifice for the Lord? And in this case, it is no longer bitter to leave earthly life, instead of which the Lord, who accepts this sacrifice, promises an incomparably more blessed heavenly life; It is not bitter to leave everything dear on earth, because it will be left in the arms of love of the Heavenly Father. Pious Russians! In explaining to you the Christian doctrine of obedience, I think that by doing so I have explained your own feelings. May the meek spirit of the Lord Jesus, “obedient to him... even unto death” (Phil. 2:8), may it not cease to graciously animate our hearts and lives with a sense of meek, perfect Christian obedience, and may it be our continuous thanksgiving to our most pious sovereign, who continually strives for our good, and at the same time may it be our grateful and reverent sacrifice to God Savior and Provider. Chapter Eleven: Loyalty to the Tsar In our oath of allegiance, we, before the all-seeing God, give an oath of allegiance to our most pious autocrat. And the more we all value loyalty to the king, the more each of us must take care to have this quality in full strength and in perfect purity. Our loyalty to the king and the law must be complete, observed always and in everything, both great and small, extending even to self-sacrifice. About the course and development of this moral valor we have from the Knower of the Heart of God the following deep observation and revelation: “he who is faithful in a little is also faithful in much: and the unjust in a little is also unrighteous in much” (Luke 16:10). The short-sighted do not notice this. To betray the Tsar and the Fatherland in war, to plunder a state treasure, to condemn an ​​innocent person to heavy punishment - such and similar blatant infidelities against the Tsar, the Fatherland and the law amaze everyone, and therefore the very gravity of the crime is among the means that protect against an attempt on it. But do not do deeds of royal service and take advantage of rewards or rewards for service; introduce types of personal self-interest into the disposal of public affairs and funds; to accept a petition in court instead of evidence and to acquit a wrongdoer - these, they say, are minor inaccuracies that do not interfere with fidelity in the most important matters. Don't flatter yourself! These small inaccuracies are not very small, especially because they are pregnant with major inaccuracies. This seemingly harmless untruth in the small leads to a harmful untruth in the larger. For the word of the Savior is immutable: “he who is unrighteous in few and in many ways is unrighteous.” Let us explain the truth of this with a visible example. Usually, clothes that are still clean are taken care of more carefully and carefully than clothes that have received a stain, which are therefore easily doomed to use, subjecting the stains to multiplying. This happens with the clothes of the soul and with the conscience of what has been done: there is an inner urge to take care of it when it is clean; there is a special pleasure in this storage; there is a special power for this, since the grace of God is close to the pure, strengthening and protecting. But as soon as even one stain of untruth falls on the clothes of a neglected soul, the soul no longer has the same vigor as before, nor the same kind of gracious help in protecting itself from the second and third moral stain. When repeating acts of untruth, the moral sense becomes dulled; the eye of the soul darkens; the eye for distinguishing between small and large untruths becomes less and less true; an evil habit comes. This is how a moral direction that allows untruth in a small amount has a direct, inherent outcome in untruth in a large number. It is even more convenient to understand the other half of Christ’s saying: “he who is faithful in little and in many is faithful.” For any force, with constantly repeated experiments, moving from less to more, naturally develops, increases and reaches possible perfection. So, constantly acting fidelity in the small, naturally, finally turns out to be fidelity in the many, which is especially visible under circumstances favorable to its manifestation. An important attribute of true loyalty is the readiness for self-sacrifice. He who is faithful only within the limits of his own safety is completely faithful only to himself. Loyalty that is not disposed to self-sacrifice becomes insignificant in those very cases in which it is most needed and would be beneficial and in which its beauty and greatness could be revealed with special light. Defending the Tsar and the Fatherland against a warring enemy is obviously impossible without a decisive willingness to sacrifice one’s life for the salvation of those being defended. But even in peaceful relations within the fatherland, loyalty is not guaranteed unless it is strengthened to the point of readiness for self-sacrifice. Is it necessary, for example, in court or in government to protect a right but weak person from a wrong but strong rival or persecutor - who can do this? Without a doubt, only the one who decided to undergo persecution rather than betray the persecuted innocence. Is it necessary in the face of the mighty of the earth to express a truth that does not agree with their thoughts and desires, but is saving for society - who can do this? Without a doubt, only the one who would rather suffer for the truth and the common good than to keep himself in peace at the expense of the public good. A valiant ascetic of this virtue must always keep in mind the promise and commandment of the Heavenly King: “Be faithful... until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Apoc. 2:10). Chapter Twelve Oath of Loyalty “Men swear by great things, and every contradiction of theirs comes to an end with an oath” (Heb. 6:16). An oath, or oath, is a certificate approved in the name of God about the pure truth of what is being declared, or about the faithful fulfillment of what is promised. Regarding oaths, the apostle says in general that “men swear by great things,” that is, they usually swear by what is higher or more important than a person. At the same time, the apostle could have in mind the custom of his time to swear not only by the name of God, but also by heaven and earth, church and altar. All these images of an oath, as explained by Christ the Savior Himself, have one true meaning, according to which they directly or indirectly refer to God, and in Him, in His name, they have their strength and importance. “Whoever swears by the church, swears by it and by Him who lives in it: and whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it” (Matthew 23:21–22). How then do we dare to use the holy and terrible name of God in our assurances and promises? Is such boldness permissible? And in what cases is it permissible? We have the solution to these questions in the words of the apostle: “every controversy ends with an oath” (Heb. 6:16), that is, an oath is permissible as a last resort means of certification in cases where it is necessary to eliminate doubt and stop controversy. It is clear, therefore, that if controversy or doubt occurs in relations between people, it is not so important that it requires extraordinary means to eliminate it; or if there are simple, ordinary means for this, found in the properties and circumstances of affairs and relationships, then in such cases ordinary prudence will not advise resorting to an extraordinary means of certification, and a pious feeling should not allow swearing in the name of God. Do you want, for example, to believe your word in a conversation, your promise in a hostel? In many cases of this kind, most of them unimportant, resorting to an oath would be as daring as it would be unnecessary. For the degree of identification that is needed in such cases, there are simple immediate means. Namely: always tell the truth with accuracy and without evasion - and your simple word will be believed as an oath. Don’t make promises that you’re not sure can be fulfilled, but keep your promises unfailingly, and they will undoubtedly believe your simple promise. Such cases include the ancient commandment “do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7), and the commandment of Christ “not to swear in any way” (Matthew 5:34), and the admonition of the Apostle “do not swear by heaven, or earth, or any other oath; you will fall into hypocrisy” (James 5:12). But there are other types of cases in which ordinary means are insufficient to eliminate doubt and achieve confirmation; and failure to obtain certification would be accompanied by extreme harm, not only private, but also public. Hence comes the necessity, and from the necessity the obligation, to achieve “death with notice” with extreme effort, to resort to the extreme means of identification that is possible. For example, the sovereign and the state require loyalty from their subjects in general and in special ministries, positions and assignments. This loyalty needs firm confirmation, because without this, public order would not be ensured and there would not even be public safety. How to ensure fidelity? Laws? But for the laws to have full force and effect, this requires strict fidelity in their use; But how can we ensure fidelity in the use of laws? Isn't it honesty, which is pre-determined? For this purpose, it is more convenient to find time and methods in a small circle of private relations than in the vast space of state relations. Power uses its closest and most important tools, no doubt, with preliminary testing and inquiry, as far as the limited human gaze reaches and penetrates; But is it possible, through testing and inquiry, to decisively determine the honesty of each of the thousands of people before using them as instruments of the state? The question returns again: how to ensure fidelity? Isn't it fair? But a word of honor can only be accepted by ensuring proven honesty from the lips of a person; and where a preliminary inquiry into honesty is not feasible, there is no guarantee of a word that declares itself honest. Who doesn’t know that the so-called word of honor is also given by those who have not ensured its fulfillment for themselves and do not even think about fulfilling it! How to ensure fidelity? Is it not fear of punishment? How unpleasant it would be, even if it were possible, to base general peace on one common fear. But this is also impossible; because there may be violations of fidelity that human insight cannot discover and human justice cannot pursue. Fear of punishment is necessary and useful to curb those prone to crime; but not sufficient to create the quality of loyal subjects. Thus, the unsatisfactory nature of closer and more ordinary means of ensuring fidelity leads to an extraordinary means: to seal the promised fidelity with the great and terrible name of God, so that everyone respects fidelity as much as he reveres God; so that anyone who would boldly touch his promise would inevitably encounter the name of God, which is not only a pronounced sound, but the invoked power of God, penetrating souls, testing hearts, blessing the faithful and punishing the unfaithful. That this “death for notice,” this extreme means of authentication between people is not just a human institution or that the oath is not just an invention of the art of government, but that this support of the earthly kingdom is accepted, affirmed and sanctified by the Heavenly Kingdom itself, this is not difficult to see from the fact that God Himself swears. “By myself he swore, saith the Lord” (Gen. 22:16) to Abraham. And the apostle explains this word of the Lord exactly as an example of God’s oath: “To Abraham... the promise of God, since not one of the great ones swears, they swear by themselves” (Heb. 6:13). And there is no doubt that God accepts (uses) into His hands only those earthly (human) instruments that are pure and worthy of heaven. An oath in the name of God in the faithful performance of public service, or the faithful execution of a public task, is necessary both to certify the authorities and society, and to confirm the promise of fidelity. Doesn’t fidelity often require not only self-denial, but also self-sacrifice? Are you not faced with temptations - sometimes gross, which, however, are not always as easy to repel as they are easy to notice, sometimes subtle, in which you can get entangled almost imperceptibly? The arrogant person will rely on himself for this, but will hardly make an exception from the prophetic judgment that “every man is a lie” (Ps. 115:2), that is, outside the help of God. But he who has more self-knowledge will not be relieved from doubting himself unless he resorts to God and confirms his hope in Him. “The Lord is faithful in His words, and holy in all His deeds” (Ps. 144:13). Bless the faithfulness of my word and the honor of my deed! Show me truth and righteousness; Grant me the readiness to self-sacrifice for them, the firmness to withstand the attacks of strong untruth, the foresight so as not to get entangled in the networks of cunning or partiality! This is what it is like to say to the heart of a person who sincerely wants to remain faithful in service or public affairs; Likewise, the sample oath prescribed by law from the days of our ancestors commands us to say: “May the Lord God help me mentally and physically!” Attentive observers can see in events how amazingly sometimes the threat to perjurers expressed in the law of God is carried out by God’s Providence. Let us remember one ancient event. Joshua, during the capture of the first city of Jericho upon entering the promised land, appointed all its treasures as an offering to God, and ordered all the rest to be destroyed by sword and fire and by an oath to faithfully fulfill this determination. But one of the people, Achar, did not fulfill this spell, secretly taking for himself enemy clothing, money and a golden vessel. What happened? The hitherto victorious Israel was defeated before the small city of Ai. Why is this? God Himself explained this: “there is an oath in you,” that is, a violation of an oath, “you cannot stand before your enemies until you have swept away the oath from yourself” (Joshua 7:13). And after that, by the command of God, through the lot the hidden perjurer was discovered and stoned, and through this act of justice over the perjurer, God's favor and victorious power were returned to Israel. What a terrible example! One perjury deed, one perjurer, seriously harms an entire people, and only the special help of God stops the harm. The judgment of God will not bother to convict and strike an oath-breaker, against whom there was neither evidence nor proof and who, probably, would never have been found by an ordinary human court. May the thought of unfaithfulness to the oath be removed from us! And so that he is more likely to be removed, strike him like an arrow with the formidable word of God: “The Lord will not cleanse him who takes His name in vain” (Ex. 20:7). If “the Lord does not purify the one who takes His name in vain,” that is, in vain, frivolously, unnecessarily, then what should one expect who, swearing an oath before God, would use the name of God unintentionally, sacrilegiously, in order to cover up the impurity of his infidelity with its holiness? “Destroy all who speak lies” (Ps. 5:7), but will you not destroy first of all, O Lord, those who speak lies in Your name and before Your face, who lie, like Ananias and Sapphira, not to men, but to You, God? When the Apostle Peter denounced Ananias with these exact words: “Thou didst not lie to man, but to God; When Ananias heard these words, he fell and came out”; and then Sapphira, after a similar reproof, “Abiy fell before his feet, and departed” (Acts 5:4–5, 10). This example and many examples outside of Sacred history show that a lie in the name of God and before the face of God, a lie of perjury, seems to impair heavenly Justice and attract formidable and sudden blows of fate. May this prophetic word always protect us from breaking an oath: “Lord, who dwells in Your habitation? ...Walk blamelessly and do righteousness, speak the truth in your heart, ...swear... and do not be cast away” (Ps. 14:1-2, 4). Chapter Thirteen: Civic Duties of Loyal Subjects “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's” (Matthew 22:21) means: to reward the actions of the royal power that are beneficial to the subjects by the unswerving fulfillment of the corresponding loyal duties. The king gives you a coin, marked by his power, as a solid and convenient tool for determining the dignity of your property, for the production of economic and trade turnover; you, too, must repay him with a certain share of your property and this very coin, so that he has the means to provide you with both this and other conveniences of social life. The king gives you law and government, so that there is order in society, so that the rights of your title are known and recognized, so that your property is undoubted and your personality is inviolable by outside willfulness - reward him with obedience to his law and government, and thereby make it easier for him to deliver these benefits to both you and everyone. The Tsar gives you justice and truth against insults and unjust deprivations - repay him and you with your well-intentioned jurisdiction; appear in court with the truth, and not with slander and deceit; do not allow yourself to be arbitrary; be a truthful witness when required by the court. The king provides you with public peace and security from enemies, constantly vigilant against the spirit of anxiety and warfare not only within and on the borders, but also outside the borders of his power, forming with many labors, using the army with many difficult considerations, and even himself and his associates becoming the rank of warriors - you, too, should reward him, on the one hand, with the love of a “quiet and silent life” (1 Tim. 2:2), and on the other hand, readiness to make any sacrifice to protect public safety that the tsar and fatherland may require. Chapter Fourteen The Fate of Kings and Kingdoms David, handing over the kingdom to his son Solomon, said among other things: “May the Lord establish His word concerning me, saying: If your sons keep their ways, and walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, ... your husband will not be cut off from the throne of Israel” (1 Kings 2:4). This is the fate of the king and the royal tribe, which in the word of God are presented as an example of kings and royal tribes! Solomon in his turn wrote: “righteousness exalts the tongue, but the tribes of sin degrade” (Proverbs 14:34). This is the common fate of kingdoms and peoples! It is impossible to think about the all-righteous King of Heaven, so that He, while rewarding each individual person according to his deeds, would not reward entire kingdoms and peoples - according to their deeds of truth or sin, according to the piety or wickedness that prevails in them, according to the virtues or vices that mark the properties of this or that people, the state of this or that kingdom. It is even more convenient to imagine a person as a separate person without reward in this life, because for a person there is another life in which reward for his deeds will be accomplished - than to imagine a kingdom and people without reward in their earthly fate - according to the truth or sins of the kingdom and people, for just as for earthly kingdoms and peoples there is no other royal and national existence other than the earthly one, then no other than in this earthly existence must the whole work of God's righteousness will be accomplished over them. Thus, according to the properties of God operating in the Divine rule of the world, it is necessary that good or evil in the moral life of the kingdom and the people leads to good or evil in state life, namely: so that “truth”, or virtue, “elevates the language,” that is, brings prosperity to the people; and so that they “belittle”, that is, bring into a low and disastrous state, the “tribes of sin.” That this actually happens can be seen in the actual existence of kingdoms and peoples, especially those and at those times in which truth or sins reach a high degree of power and action. Blessed be God, Who until now has elevated our language, Russians, with righteousness! May the power of His grace reduce the sins that belittle the tribes in us! Chapter Fifteen How we could and should correspond to, or contribute to, the arduous, high royal service The first means to this end is taught to us by the Holy Church. This is a prayer for the king. For if, according to the word of Scripture, “the prayer of one righteous person can do much” (James 5:16), then, of course, the prayer of a faithful people can do a lot, in which the Lord trusts to have more than one righteous person, since for the righteous He keeps the world. But in order to find out if there is another way in which subjects, without touching the affairs of the autocrat, could help ease the royal burden - imagine that all subjects would live among themselves in love and do nothing but good deeds - then the king’s business would be eased! There would be no need to multiply laws, because love fulfills the law before it is written. Concerns about public order and decorum would decrease, because “love... does not commit disorder” (1 Cor. 13:4-5). There would be a long holiday from the deeds of justice, because evil deeds give work to the courts. Then the king would be in the full sense what the praying Church imagines him to be - a father rejoicing over his children. Well? Can't we ourselves help ensure that everyone in the kingdom lives in love, so that everyone strives to do good deeds? And we can, and we must - according to the admonition of the Apostle: “Let us consider one another to encourage love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24). Conclusion of the Christian teaching on royal power and the duties of loyal subjects Oh, if only all the kings of the earth would pay enough attention to their heavenly dignity and would faithfully add to the features of the heavenly image that are required of them - godlike truth and goodness, heavenly wakefulness, purity of thought, holiness of intention and activity! Oh, if all peoples were sufficiently aware of the heavenly dignity of the king and the structure of the earthly kingdom in the image of heaven and constantly marked themselves with the features of that image, such as: reverence and love for the king, humble obedience to his laws and commands, mutual consent and unanimity, and would remove from themselves everything that has no image in heaven, such as: exaltation, discord, self-will, self-interest and all evil thoughts, intentions and actions! Then everything arranged in the heavenly image, in the heavenly image, would be blessed. Then the kingdoms of earth would be a worthy threshold of the Kingdom of Heaven. Russia! You have a share in this good more than many kingdoms and peoples. “Take hold, O imashi, so that no one may receive your crown” (Apoc. 3:11). Preserve and continue to decorate your bright crown, constantly striving to more perfectly fulfill these crowning commandments: “Fear God, honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:17). 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