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Chapter 8JonasInstReg.1.8

CAPUT VI. Quod aequitas judicii, stabilimentum regni, et injustitia sit ejus eversio.

Justice Establishes the Throne

The king’s throne is strengthened by justice, mercy, and truth, while wickedness and injustice lead to ruin.

That a kingdom stands by justice, Solomon affirms in Proverbs, saying: Justice lifts up a nation, but sin makes peoples wretched (Prov. XIV, 34). Again: Mercy and truth protect the king, and his throne is strengthened by justice (Prov. XX, 28). Again: Take wickedness away from the king's presence, and his throne will be made firm by justice (Prov. XXV, 5). Again: Doing mercy and judgment pleases the Lord more than sacrifices (Prov. XXI, 3). And further on: The plunder of the wicked will drag them down, because they refused to do justice (Ibid.✦ v.✦ 7). Likewise in the same place: Whoever pursues justice and mercy will find life, justice, and glory (Ibid.✦ v.✦ 21).

The Fall of Unjust Kingdoms

Isaiah, Amos, and Daniel show how injustice, pride, and sin cause the destruction of kingdoms and the casting down of rulers.

But that a kingdom falls through injustice, Isaiah shows: "For you," he says, "have ruined your land; you have killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be named again."✦ Prepare his children for slaughter because of the iniquity of their fathers: they will not rise, nor inherit the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities (Isa.✦ 14:20).1 In Amos: "See, the eyes of the Lord are on the sinful kingdom, and I will crush it from the face of the earth," says the Lord (Amos. 9:8). Daniel speaks to Belshazzar: "O king, the Most High God gave kingdom and majesty and glory and honor to Nebuchadnezzar your father; and because of the majesty he had given him, all peoples, tribes, and languages trembled and feared him. Whoever he wanted, he killed; whoever he wanted, he struck down; whoever he wanted, he raised up; and whoever he wanted, he humbled."✦ But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit became hardened in pride, he was cast down from the throne of his kingdom, and his glory was taken away; and he was driven out from among the children of men—and even his heart was set among the beasts (Dan.2 5:18).3

God Humbles the Proud and Exalts the Meek

Wisdom literature confirms that God casts down proud rulers, dries up proud nations, and transfers kingdoms because of injustice.

In the Book of Wisdom: God has cast down the thrones of proud rulers and seated the meek in their place (Eccli. X, 17). Again: God dried up the roots of proud nations and planted the humble from among those same peoples (Ibid. v. 18). Again: A kingdom is transferred from one nation to another because of injustices, outrages, and various deceits (Ibid. v. 8).

Piety, Justice, and Mercy Sustain a Kingdom

The conclusion affirms that piety, justice, and mercy uphold a kingdom, while injustices overthrow it, as history confirms.

From these words it's perfectly clear that piety, justice, and mercy hold a kingdom firm; and that wrongs done to widows and orphans, false charges against the poor, violent judgments, and the perversion of justice plainly overthrow it. And so the collapse of many kingdoms, because they didn't have the support of piety, justice, and mercy, openly confirms what has been said above.

Read the original Latin

Quod per justitiam stet regnum, Salomon in Proverbiis astruit, ita inquiens: Justitia elevat gentem, miseros autem populos facit peccatum (Prov. XIV, 34) . Item: Misericordia et veritas custodiunt regem, et roboratur justitia thronus ejus (Prov. XX, 28) . Item: Aufer impietatem de vultu regis, et firmabitur justitia thronus ejus (Prov. XXV, 5) . Item: Facere misericordiam et judicium magis placet Domino, quam victimae (Prov. XXI, 3) .

Et infra: Rapinae impiorum detrahent eos, quia noluerunt facere judicium (Ibid. v. 7) . Item ibidem: Qui sequitur justitiam et misericordiam, inveniet vitam, justitiam et gloriam (Ibid. v. 21) .

Quod vero per injustitiam cadat, Isaias demonstrat: Tu enim, inquit, terram tuam disperdidisti, tu populum tuum occidisti: non vocabitur in aeternum semen pessimorum. Praeparate filios ejus occisioni in iniquitate patrum suorum: non consurgent, nec haereditabunt terram, neque implebunt faciem orbis civitatum (Isa. XIV, 20) . In Amos: Ecce oculi Domini super regnum peccans, et conteram illud a facie terrae, dicit Dominus (Amos. IX, 8) . Daniel loquitur ad Balthasar: O rex, Deus altissimus regnum et magnificentiam et gloriam et honorem dedit Nabuchodonosor patri tuo: et propter magnificentiam quam dederat ei, universi populi, tribus et linguae tremebant et metuebant eum; quos volebat, interficiebat, et quos volebat, percutiebat; quos volebat, exaltabat, et quos volebat, humiliabat. Quando autem elevatum est cor ejus, et spiritus ejus obfirmatus est ad superbiam, depositus est de solio regni sui, et gloria ejus ablata est: et a filiis hominum ejectus, sed et cor ejus cum bestiis vositum est (Dan. V, 18) .

In libro Sapientiae: Sedes ducum superborum detraxit Deus, et sedere fecit mites pro eis (Eccli. X, 17) . Item: Radices gentium superbarum arefecit Deus, et plantavit humiles ex ipsis gentibus (Ibid. v. 18) . Item: Regnum a gente in gentem transfertur propter injustitias et contumelias et diversos dolos (Ibid. v. 8) .

Quibus verbis liquido claret quod pietas, justitia et misericordia stabiliant regnum; et laesiones viduarum et pupillorum, calumniaeque miserorum, violentaque judicia, et perversio justitiae evidenter illud evertant. Unde et multorum regnorum collapsio, quia pietatis, justitiae et misericordiae non habuerunt stabilimentum, his quae praemissa sunt patenter fidem attribuit.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Prov.21.7 — The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do justice.
  2. ↩Prov.21.7 — The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do justice.
  3. ↩Prov.21.21 — Whoever pursues righteousness and steadfast love will find life, righteousness, and honor.
  4. ↩Prov.21.21 — Whoever pursues righteousness and steadfast love will find life, righteousness, and honor.
  5. ↩Isa.14.20 — You will not be joined with them in burial, for you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. The seed of evildoers will never be renowned.
  6. ↩Isa.14.20 — You will not be joined with them in burial, for you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. The seed of evildoers will never be renowned.
  7. ↩Dan.5.18 — O king, the Most High God gave the kingdom, the greatness, the glory, and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Printed citation closes as Isa. 14:20, though the immediately preceding sentence quotes the following verse of the oracle.
  2. 2 ↩Source reads vositum; translated as the standard biblical reading positum ('was set/placed').
  3. 3 ↩Printed citation closes as Dan. 5:18, though the quoted material continues through the pride-and-fall material of 5:20–21.

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