De privilegiis sanctae matris ecclesiae a pio rectore conservandis, ac dignis ecclesiarum praepositis atque ministris.
Honoring God by Cherishing the Church
A wise and holy Christian ruler, mindful of God's benefits, devoutly honors the church and priesthood, defends God's people, and seeks both temporal and eternal peace by following the example of just and godly princes.
For anyone who is a wise and holy ruler of the Christian people always remembers the Lord's benefits, and so he honors the giver of those benefits with all honor, since he knows that it is from him that he himself has been honored, and with devout affection he takes praiseworthy care for the privileges and affairs of the holy mother church, which is the bride of the living God, to preserve and increase them, as well as for the honor and reverence due to the priesthood. Then indeed he shows himself to be a faithful worshiper of God when, with Christian devotion, he diligently strives to order whatever pertains to the honor and glory of Christ and his holy church in a fitting manner, and he sets himself as a shield against every adversity, if necessary, for the defense of God's people, since he longs for himself and his kingdom to be protected by divine protection. Nor does he cease to advance the church of God with honors, since he wants his own rule to be increased and enlarged, and with devout prudence he handles ecclesiastical matters concerning peace and security, because he desires to obtain both passing and eternal peace and security. So then, let him be a strong imitator of those princes who reigned justly and devoutly in God's will before him, who governed the Christian people well and cherished Christ's churches with timely comfort, always keeping before their eyes the fear of God and the hope of heavenly reward, and hastening to carry out in everything they did or arranged, according to his will, not consenting to the wickedness of the wicked but redirecting wicked things onto the right path with the highest zeal, according to the standard of justice.
The Warning of Eli's Neglect
Drawing on the example of Eli, the text warns that rulers who fail to correct sin share in the guilt, and holy leaders must reject flattery and wicked consent, lest both sinners and those who consent perish.
For they knew that someone who can correct a fault and neglects it makes himself, without any doubt, a sharer in the guilt—just as the book of Kings tells of Eli the priest, who spared his sons when they were offending in divine worship and the people were offering their offerings to God with violence, and besides that, with the women who were sleeping at the entrance of the tabernacle, and he did not sharply correct them with paternal authority.✦ How great the punishment that came upon them and upon all the people!✦ For Eli's own sons were delivered, together with the ark of the Lord and all the people, into the hands of the Philistines, and Israel was struck with a very great slaughter, so that thirty thousand foot soldiers fell there and the ark of God was captured; Eli's two sons also died, Hophni and Phinehas, and when Eli heard that the ark of God had been captured and his sons were dead, he fell backward off his seat and, his neck broken, died—and so the priesthood was taken from his house and transferred to another house, and no one from Eli's line ever ministered in the temple of the Lord again.✦ So then, having considered this example and others like it recorded in sacred scripture, the most holy rulers and leaders did not accept the flattery of those who mixed the sweet honey of their words with the poison of wicked persuasion, and they did not consent to the deceits of the wicked who fawned over them with base flattery, because if one consents to such wickednesses, not only do those who sin perish, but those who consent with them perish as well.
Correcting Faults and Guarding Church Order
Good rulers correct the fallen with holy zeal, seek a twofold reward by reproving evil and encouraging good, and must ensure that church leaders lawfully hold office, are supported rather than hindered, and are provided for so that God's ministers and the poor are duly sustained.
But good and wise rulers, since they themselves live rightly, rebuke and correct those who fall away with a devout and disciplined zeal. And so they win for themselves a twofold reward from the Lord, as they work to reprove what is evil in those under their care and to spur those same people on to what is good by their words and example.1 For the ruler who is to be beloved by God — the one divine providence has willed to stand as his own representative in governing the church and to whom he has granted authority over both ranks, of those who preside and those who are subject — ought to determine what is just for each person, and under his own stewardship the higher order is to preside by teaching and acting well, while the lower order is to become obedient by devoutly following.2 And so a good ruler ought to have a worthy intention and a careful concern to foresee that those who preside over God's churches may lawfully hold their office, and for this purpose the king's clemency should lend its support, so that they may fully carry out their ministry according to God's commands and the institutions of the sacred canons; nor should secular authorities stand in their way, but rather support them in preserving the faith of God and fulfilling the practice of justice.3 And therefore, as we said above, synodal gatherings must be held each year, where church matters and business may be duly and lawfully discussed. For this reason, a good and devout ruler must carefully provide that the sanctification of the Lord's name, which dwells in places consecrated to God, be preserved without any reproach, as far as possible, and that such rulers and stewards be appointed there who, free from insatiable greed and extravagance, will manage affairs well, give God's servants and ministers sufficient food and clothing, and first of all provide widows, orphans, and the poor with a fitting livelihood according to the canons, and so render appropriate service to the orthodox king from what remains — giving first place to what belongs to God, and in the second place to what belongs to human duty.4 For if careful attention must be given to flesh-and-blood soldiers, so that they are paid everything they need and those who labor more in the turmoil of war and become more devoted, more courageous, and more useful for the common good receive greater pay and honor, how much more must provision be made for the soldiers of Christ, by whose holy labors and prayers the commonwealth itself is kept safe and unharmed, visible and invisible enemies are overcome, an abundance of temporal goods is heaped up with the blessing of prosperity, holy angels are called to the people's aid, the calm of peace is restored, the realm is enlarged, and finally royal dignity and honor are long and happily extended by the Lord's favor, and children's children are ennobled at the summit of the kingdom!56
The Blessed Ruler's Zeal and the Fruit of Peace
The outstanding ruler, moved by the fear of God and love, rejects flattery, defends Christ's flock, honors holy ministers, and thereby brings about joyful peace and the flourishing of public affairs.
That orthodox and blessed ruler stands out, who, struck by the fear of God and burning with love, always puts these things before courtly business. Christian glory grows everywhere with kindly effect; who keeps every privilege with a devout tenor, so that the bride of Christ, the king's radiant one, may rejoice; who drives off rapacious wolves with royal justice, so that the Christian sheepfolds may not be oppressed by the wicked. He himself is a zealot and presses on, burning like a lightning bolt, shining forth and pursuing the wicked as an avenging sword. With modest ears he scorns those golden words, lest the honey from a flattering mouth offer toxic poison. For the flatterer carries honeyed words in his mouth by craft, and holds plots backed by gall within his heart and breast. Let the Christian judge resist these petty men, learned as they are in the laws, the custom and order of the fatherland's rules. And let him worship God's ministers, shining with holiness, who know how to please God with their mouth, heart, and conduct. For these praying ones, blessed public affairs abound with all good things as fields abound with fruits; the prince's honor enthrones them and proclaims their trophies. Joyful peace reigns everywhere, bringing gladness in its calm.
Read the original Latin
Nam quisquis est prudens et sanctus Christiani populi dominator, beneficiorum Domini semper fit memor ideoque beneficii largitorem honoribus magnificat, a quo honoratum se esse cognoscit, piaque affectione de privilegiis et causis sanctae matris ecclesiae, quae est sponsa Dei vivi, conservandis et augendis nec non de honore ac reverentia sacerdotali laudabilem sollicitudinem habet. Tunc enim se fidelem Dei esse cultorem ostendit, dum Christiana devotione, quicquid ad honorem et gloriam Christi sanctaeque eius ecclesiae pertinet, ordinabiliter disponere fideli fervore studet seque omnibus adversitatibus, si necesse fuerit, ob defensionem populi Dei tamquam scutum obicit, qui se suumque regnum divina protectione defendi exoptat. Nec cessat augere honoribus Dei ecclesiam, qui vult suum augeri et amplificari imperium, ac de pace et securitate pia sollertia pertractat ecclesiastica, qui transitoriam et aeternam pacem ac securitatem desiderat obtinere. Sit ergo fortis imitator ipsorum principum, qui ante ipsum iuste et pie in voluntate Dei regnaverunt et Christianum populum bene rexerunt Christique ecclesias oportuno solatio foverunt, Dei timorem et caelestis remunerationis spem semper ante oculos habentes et omnia quae agebant sive disponebant secundum voluntatem eius perficere festinantes, non pravorum iniquitatibus consentientes, sed prava in directa summo studio secundum trutinam iustitiae transferentes. Sciebant enim quia, qui emendare potest et negligit, participem se procul dubio delicti constituit, quomodo in libro Regum narratur de Heli sacerdote, qui filiis suis in cultu divino delinquentibus et populo oblationes suas Deo offerenti vim facientibus, insuper et cum mulieribus quae observabant ad ostium tabernaculi dormientibus, negligenter pepercit et non eos auctoritate paterna acriter corripuit. Quanta vindicta super eos venit et super omnem populum! Quoniam traditi sunt ipsi filii Heli simul cum arca Domini et universus populus in manus Philistiim, et caesus est Israhel plaga magna nimis, ita ut triginta milia peditum ibi cecidissent et arca Dei capta est; duo quoque filii Heli mortui sunt, Ophni et Phinees, ipseque Heli, cum audisset arcam Dei captam et filios suos mortuos, cecidit de sella retrorsum et fractis cervicibus mortuus est, sicque sacerdotium ab eius domo ablatum ad aliam domum translatum est, nec quisquam de stirpe Heli ultra in templo Domini ministravit. Hoc itaque exemplo et aliis similibus, quae in scripturis sacris referuntur, consideratis, sacratissimi principes atque rectores non recipiebant personas adulatorum mel dulcedinis verborum pravae persuasionis veneno intermiscentium nec consentiebant fraudibus iniquorum nequiter blandientium, quoniam, si illis consentiatur in talibus nequitiis, non solum ipsi peccantes, sed et eis consentientes pariter interibunt.
At boni et prudentes reges, quoniam ipsi recte vivunt, pio zelo praevaricantes disciplinabiliter redarguunt et corrigunt. Unde sibi duplicem remunerationis a Domino palmam adquirunt, dum mala in subiectis redarguere et eosdem ad bona verbo et exemplis provocare student. Oportet enim Deo amabilem regnatorem, quem divina ordinatio tamquam vicarium suum in regimine ecclesiae suae esse voluit et potestatem ei super utrumque ordinem praelatorum et subditorum tribuit, ut singulis personis ea quae iusta sunt decernat, et sub sua dispensatione prior ordo bene docendo et operando praesit et sequens ordo devote oboediendo fideliter subditus fiat. Et ideo in bono rectore debet laudabilis intentio esse ac bono studio illud praevidere, quatinus praepositi ecclesiarum Dei suum locum legitime teneant, eisque ad hoc adminiculum regia clementia tribuat, ut officium suum secundum mandata Dei et sacrorum canonum instituta pleniter agere valeant; nec eis saeculares potestates impedimento fiant, sed potius ad fidem Dei servandam et cultum iustitiae perficiendum faveant. Ideoque, ut in superioribus praediximus, per singulos annos synodales fieri conventus necesse est, ubi ecclesiastica iura et negotia iuste et legitime discutiantur. Idcirco diligentissime bono et pio rectori providendum est, ut sanctificatio nominis Domini, quae in locis Deo consecratis manet, sine ulla reprehensione, in quantum possibile fuerit, servetur, et tales rectores atque dispensatores in eis constituantur, qui sine inexplebili avaritia atque luxuria res bene tractent divinas et Dei servis atque famulabus sufficientem victum atque vestitum tribuant viduisque et orphanis atque pauperibus iuxta canones provisionem condignam primum impendant, et sic servitutem congruam regi orthodoxo de rebus, quae supersunt, exhibeant, ut primo ordine fiat, quod ad divinum, et in sequenti, quod ad humanum pertinet obsequium. Nam si provida sollertia erga carnales milites cura est exhibenda, quatinus eis cuncta necessaria erogentur stipendia et, qui plus in bellicis tumultibus laborant et ad profectum rei publicae devotiores et fortiores atque utiliores fiunt, plus mercedis et honoris accipiunt, quanto magis providendum est de spiritualibus Christi militibus, quorum sanctis laboribus et orationibus ipsa res publica servatur incolumis et illaesa, hostes quoque visibiles et invisibiles superantur, copia rerum temporalium cum prosperitatis eventu cumulatur, sancti angeli in adiutorium populo invitantur, serenitas pacis redditur, imperium amplificatur, postremo regia dignitas et honorificentia diu atque feliciter praestante Domino extenditur ac filii filiorum in apice regni nobilitantur!
Orthodoxus ac beatus ille rector eminet, Qui Dei timore mactus atque amore fervidus Anteponit illa semper aulicis negotiis. Christiana quis ubique crescit alma gloria; Qui pio tenore servat omne privilegium, Unde regis candidata sponsa Christi gaudeat; Qui lupos rapaces arcet aequitate regia, Christiana ne premantur improbis ovilia. Ipse zelotes et instat ardens more fulminis, Emicans et ultor ensis insequendo reprobos. Auribus modestis ille verba temnit aurea Ne mel ore suggerentis det venena toxica. Nam colax in ore gestat arte verba mellea, Cordis ac sinu retentat intus felle machinas. His homunculis resistat Christianus arbiter, Scita legum, mos et ordo patriaeque regulae. Ac Dei colat ministros sanctitate fulgidos, Qui Deo placere norunt ore, corde, moribus. His precantibus beatis res beata publica Omnibus bonis abundat sicut arva fructibus, Principis honos thronizat ac tropaea bucinant.
Laeta pax ubique regnat dans quiete gaudia.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Sam.2.12-1Sam.2.17 — Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD. 1Sam.2.13 — And the custom of the priests with the people was this: when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 1Sam.2.14 — and he would strike it into the basin, or into the kettle, or into the cauldron, or into the pot; all that the fork would bring up, the priest would take for himself. Thus they did to all Israel who came there at Shiloh. 1Sam.2.15 — Even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw." 1Sam.2.16 — And the man said to him, "Let them burn the fat today, and take for yourself whatever your soul desires." But he said to him, "No, you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force." 1Sam.2.17 — And the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt.
- ↩1Sam.4.11-1Sam.4.18 — The ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli died—Hophni and Phinehas. 1Sam.4.12 — A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that same day, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 1Sam.4.13 — And when he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And the man came into the city to tell the news, and all the city cried out. 1Sam.4.14 — When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is the sound of this tumult?" And the man hurried and came and told Eli. 1Sam.4.15 — Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had grown dim, so that he could not see. 1Sam.4.16 — The man said to Eli, "I am the one who came from the battle line, and I fled from the battle line today." And he said, "What happened, my son?" 1Sam.4.17 — The messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and also a great slaughter has come upon the people, and also your two sons have died — Hophni and Phinehas — and the ark of God has been captured." 1Sam.4.18 — And it came about, when he mentioned the ark of God, that he fell backward off his seat beside the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy; and he had judged Israel forty years.
- ↩1Sam.4.11-1Sam.4.18 — The ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli died—Hophni and Phinehas. 1Sam.4.12 — A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that same day, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 1Sam.4.13 — And when he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And the man came into the city to tell the news, and all the city cried out. 1Sam.4.14 — When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is the sound of this tumult?" And the man hurried and came and told Eli. 1Sam.4.15 — Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had grown dim, so that he could not see. 1Sam.4.16 — The man said to Eli, "I am the one who came from the battle line, and I fled from the battle line today." And he said, "What happened, my son?" 1Sam.4.17 — The messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and also a great slaughter has come upon the people, and also your two sons have died — Hophni and Phinehas — and the ark of God has been captured." 1Sam.4.18 — And it came about, when he mentioned the ark of God, that he fell backward off his seat beside the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy; and he had judged Israel forty years.
Notes
- 1 ↩palma rendered 'reward' rather than 'palm' to avoid an English image that would suggest a physical object rather than a recompense.
- 2 ↩vicarium rendered 'representative' rather than 'vicar' to avoid anachronistic or overly technical resonance in modern English.
- 3 ↩regia clementia rendered 'king's clemency' to capture the concrete political sense of royal favor and support.
- 4 ↩victum atque vestitum rendered 'food and clothing' for natural modern English.
- 5 ↩carnales milites rendered 'flesh-and-blood soldiers' to capture the contrast with spiritual soldiers.
- 6 ↩res publica rendered 'commonwealth' to convey the public good in natural modern English.
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