The law of God for every Christian is a guiding star that shows a person how to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. For many centuries the significance of this Law has not diminished. On the contrary, human life is increasingly complicated by conflicting opinions, which means that the need for authoritative and clear guidance of the Commandments of God increases. That is why so many people turn to them today. And today, the commandments and the seven major deadly sins act as regulators of our lives. The list of the latter is as follows: despondency, gluttony, lust, anger, envy, greed, pride. These, of course, are the main, most serious sins. The 10 commandments of God and the 7 deadly sins are the basis of Christianity. It is not necessary to read the mountains - it is enough to avoid what leads to the spiritual death of a person. However, this is not as easy as it seems at first glance. It is not easy to completely eliminate all seven deadly sins from your life. And keeping the ten commandments is also not an easy task. But we must at least strive for spiritual purity. God is known to be merciful.
Commandments and laws of nature
The foundations of Orthodoxy are the commandments of God. One can compare them with the laws of nature, because the Creator is the source of both. They complement each other: the former give the human soul a moral basis, while the latter regulate the soulless nature. The difference lies in the fact that matter obeys physical laws, while a person is free to obey moral laws or ignore them. God's great mercy lies in giving each of us the freedom of choice. Thanks to it, we improve spiritually and can even become like the Lord. Nevertheless, moral freedom has another side - it imposes on each of us responsibility for our actions.
We will not dwell on the meaning of the first three commandments. They are connected with the attitude towards God and, in general, are understandable. Let's take a closer look at the other 7 commandments of God.
Fourth Commandment
According to her, it is necessary to remember the Sabbath day in order to keep it holy. Six days a person should work and do all things, and the seventh day should be dedicated to God. How is this commandment to be understood? Let's figure it out.
The Lord God commands to do the right things and work for six days - this is understandable. It is not clear what should be done on the seventh day, is it? It must be dedicated to holy works and the service of the Lord. The deeds pleasing to Him include the following: prayer at home and in the temple of God, concern for the salvation of the soul, enlightenment of the heart and mind with religious knowledge, helping the poor, religious conversations, visiting prisoners in prison and the sick, comforting the mourners, as well as other works of mercy.
Saturday at Old Testament celebrated as a remembrance of how God created the world. It says that on the seventh day after the creation of the world, "God rested from his works" (Genesis 2:3). The Jewish scribes, after the Babylonian captivity, began to explain this commandment too rigorously and formally, forbidding any deeds at all on that day, even good ones. The Gospels show that even the Savior was accused by the scribes of "breaking the Sabbath," since Jesus healed people on that day. However, it is "man for the Sabbath", and not vice versa. In other words, the rest established on this day should benefit spiritual and physical forces, and not deprive us of the opportunity to do good deeds and not enslave a person. Weekly removal from everyday activities provides an opportunity to gather your thoughts, think about the meaning of earthly existence and your work. Labor is necessary, but the salvation of the soul is the most important thing.
The fourth commandment is violated not only by those who work on Sunday, but also by those who are lazy on weekdays and evade their duties. Even if you do not work on Sunday, but do not dedicate this day to God, but spend it in entertainment and amusements, indulging in excess and revelry, you also do not fulfill the Covenant of God.
Fifth Commandment
We continue to describe 7 God's commandments. According to the fifth, one should honor the father and mother in order to live happily ever after on earth. How is this to be understood? Honoring parents means loving them, respecting their authority, not daring to offend them with actions or words under any circumstances, obey them, take care of them if they need something, help parents in their labors, pray to God for them, as in life. and after the death of parents. Not respecting them is a big sin. Those who slandered their mother or father were punished with death in the Old Testament.
As the Son of God, Jesus Christ respected his earthly parents. He obeyed them, and helped Joseph with the carpentry. Jesus reproached the Pharisees for denying proper maintenance to their parents under the pretext of dedicating their property to God. In doing so, they violated the fifth commandment.
How to treat strangers? Religion teaches us that it is necessary to show respect to everyone, in accordance with his position and age. One should respect the fathers and spiritual shepherds; civil chiefs who care about the well-being, justice and peaceful life of the country; teachers, educators, benefactors and elders. Young people who do not respect the elderly and elders sin, considering their concepts obsolete, and themselves - backward people.
sixth commandment
It says, "Don't kill." The Lord God by this commandment forbids taking life from oneself or from other people. Life is the greatest gift, only God can set its limits for each person.
Suicide is a very serious sin, since it, besides murder, includes others: lack of faith, despair, grumbling against God, as well as rebellion against His providence. It is also terrible that the one who forcibly cut off own life a person does not have the opportunity to repent of a committed sin, since repentance after death is invalid. A person is guilty of murder even when he does not personally kill, but contributes to this or allows others to do so. In addition to physical murder, there is also a spiritual one, which is no less terrible. It is committed by the one who seduces his neighbor to a vicious life or to unbelief.
seventh commandment
Let's talk about the seventh commandment of the law of God. "Do not commit adultery," she says. God commands to keep mutual fidelity to wife and husband, to be chaste unmarried - pure in words, deeds, desires and thoughts. In order not to sin against this commandment, one should avoid everything that arouses impure feelings in a person, for example: "spicy" jokes, foul language, shameless dances and songs, reading immoral magazines, viewing seductive photographs and films. The seventh commandment of the law of God indicates that sinful thoughts should be stopped at their very appearance. We must not let them take over our will and feelings. Homosexuality is considered a grave sin against this commandment. It was for him that the famous cities of antiquity were exterminated.
eighth commandment
God's 7 commandments deal with various aspects of human life. The eighth is devoted to the attitude towards the property of other people. It says: "Do not steal." In other words, the appropriation of property belonging to others is prohibited. There are various types of theft: robbery, theft, sacrilege, bribery, covetousness (when, taking advantage of the misfortune of others, they take a lot of money from them), parasitism, etc. If a person withholds the salary of an employee, weighs and measures when selling, conceals what is found, evades paying a debt then he commits theft. In contrast to the greedy pursuit of wealth, faith teaches us to be merciful, industrious, and unselfish.
ninth commandment
It says that one cannot bear false witness against one's neighbor. The Lord God thus forbids all lies, including: slander, denunciations, false testimony in court, slander, slander, gossip. Slander is a diabolical thing, since the very name "devil" means "slanderer" in translation. A Christian is unworthy of any lie. It is not consistent with respect and love for others. We should refrain from idle talk, watch what we say. The word is the greatest gift of God. We become like the Creator when we speak. And the word of God immediately becomes deed. Therefore, this gift must be used only for the glory of God and for a good purpose.
tenth commandment
We have not yet described all of God's 7 commandments. It should stop at the last, tenth. It says that it is necessary to refrain from impure desires and envy of one's neighbor. While the other precepts were devoted primarily to behavior, the last one focuses on our desires, feelings and thoughts, that is, what happens inside a person. It is necessary to strive for spiritual purity. It should be remembered that a bad thought is what every sin begins with. If a person stops at it, a sinful desire appears, which pushes him to commit the corresponding act. Therefore, in order to fight various temptations, it is necessary to nip them in the bud, that is, in thoughts.
For the soul, envy is poison. If a person is subject to it, then he will always be dissatisfied, he will always lack something, even if he is very rich. In order not to succumb to this feeling, one should thank God for the fact that he is merciful to us, sinful and unworthy. For our crimes, we could be exterminated, but the Lord not only tolerates, but also sends His mercy to people. The task of every person's life is to acquire pure heart. It is in him that the Lord rests.
Beatitudes
The commandments of God and the gospels discussed above are of great importance for every Christian. The latter are part of the commandments of Jesus, which he spoke during the Sermon on the Mount. They are included in the gospel. They received such a name because following them leads to eternal bliss in eternal life. If the 10 commandments forbid what is sinful, then the beatitudes say how you can achieve holiness (Christian perfection).
The Seven Commandments for Noah's Descendants
Not only in Christianity there are commandments. In Judaism, for example, there are 7 laws of the descendants of Noah. They are considered the essential minimum that the Torah lays down on all mankind. Through Adam and Noah, according to the Talmud, God gave us the following 7 commandments of God (Orthodoxy, in general, says about the same): the prohibition of idolatry, murder, blasphemy, theft, adultery, as well as the prohibition to eat flesh that was cut off from a living animal, and the need to create a fair judicial system.
Conclusion
Jesus Christ to the question of a young man about what should be done in order to inherit eternal life, answered: "Keep the commandments!". After that, he listed them. The Ten Commandments above provide us with the basic moral guidance we need to build life, both public, family and private. Jesus, speaking of them, noted that they all come down in essence to the doctrine of love for neighbors and God.
In order for these commandments to benefit us, we should make them our own, that is, allow them to guide our actions, worldview. These commandments must be rooted in our subconscious or, figuratively speaking, must be written on the tablets of our heart by God.
CLOSE KING. historical reality
“The judgment is without mercy to the one who did not create
mercy: and mercy boasts in judgment.”
Iak. 2, 13.
Spring was in the air. The sun was starting to warm up. The wind was not the same as before. Streams rushed down from the hillocks. The earth was fragrant throughout the vast expanse. Ivan Grigoryevich ordered the horses to be stopped and with a farewell glance cast a glance over the still visible estate. Will the Lord bring you back to your native nest? Ivan Grigorievich knew well what misfortune threatened him and his entire family if they failed to defend their estate in the Senate. He bought this estate twenty-five years ago from old Palicki. He was a good man, a great gentleman! Ivan Grigoryevich did not have enough to pay ten thousand, so Palitsky did not say a word, he immediately knocked off the price.
What are you, God be with you, what a bill of sale! - old man Palitsky was offended when Ivan Grigorievich hinted that it didn’t interfere, de, for the sake of order, to make a purchase. “My word,” he said, “is stronger than any bill of sale. Take charge of your health...
It was embarrassing for Ivan Grigorievich to insist. Himself, thank God, was brought up in the aristocratic customs. In the good old days, relying on noble honor and word, landowners often dispensed with merchants' fortresses. So the trouble came out because of the bill of sale. Palicki's son didn't look like his father at all. He hangs out somewhere abroad, he doesn’t reach anything himself, he dumped everything on the manager. And the main clerk was the old man Palitsky - Senka Ruff. Senka fell in love with the old master for his dashing and ingenuity, for which he was exalted from the kennel.
Senka, of course, did not yawn, on which the light robbed the gentleman. The men did not dare to utter a word about it, Ruff would give a fierce beast a hundred points ahead. As a close neighbor, Orovtsov found out about the exploits of Senka and opened Palitsky's eyes. The lordly court was short. They tore off Senka at the stable, and then they sent him to a distant village. A few years later, he nevertheless forgave master Senka and again made him a clerk. The meek became Senka, but after the death of the old Palitsky, he turned around to the fullest. Young Palitsky was far away, and at home he had his own hand of the lord. From Senka he turned into Semyon Ignatievich, from Ruff he began to be written Yershov. It was not only the peasants who broke their hats before him, the county authorities also visited him. They said that he became in many thousands, he was going to redeem himself, he was aiming to join the guild.
The time has come for Ershov to settle old scores with Orovtsov. He knew that Ivan Grigoryevich did not have a bill of sale for the estate, and he built a plan on that. According to the letter of the law, the young Palitsky remained the owner of the Orovtsov land. Ershov sent a letter abroad to the young master, in which Orovtsov was described in the blackest colors. Out of his kindness, they say, Palitsky the father presented the estate to his accustomer - for use, and he took possession of it on the basis of property rights. The answer came. Ershov was given the authority to "immediately take the most stringent measures of the law against this Orovtsov."
Then everything went like clockwork. Ershov invited an assessor from the district court to discuss the case, to whom, so that the right did not know what the left was doing, he handed over "for advice and help," as much as was necessary. He himself agreed, and reminded about the other judges. This subject was followed by a new bundle of banknotes. The whole county gasped when they learned about Palitsky's lawsuit against Orovtsov "in the form of the return of many years of illegally stolen property." After all, all the landowners knew the ins and outs of this case. What a sin to hide: our old court was not up to par. No wonder it was said: "Do not fight with the strong, do not sue the rich." “For the sake of indisputable clarity of the case,” the district court did not even interrogate the witnesses indicated by Orovtsov and decided the claim in favor of Palitsky.
The letter of the law was observed, and it was impossible to find fault with anything. But real truth was sacrificed to formal truth. “The mosquito will not undermine the nose!” Yershov choked with delight. Orovtsov transferred the case to the Upper Zemstvo Court, but even there Ershov managed to "prepare the ground." The Treasury Civil Chamber left the cassation appeal without consequences, but Ivan Grigoryevich did not give up and appealed the decision to the Senate. And for many months, nothing was heard about his case. It became unbearable for Orovtsov to wait. He collected the last crumbs, borrowed a fraction of the money from a neighbor and set off on his journey: to fuss about his business in the distant capital.
“But if your friend is tearful in the days of separation,
At least once I could give useful advice,
To return the peace of mind of the widow,
To protect the legacy of an orphan from predatory ones,
Save the innocent, then everything will be forgotten.
"To Friends", I. P. Dmitriev.
Tatyana Egorovna Mikulina, the hostess of the inn “for the nobility and eminent merchant guests,” simply Mikulishna, as everyone called her, was an exceptionally good and kind woman. In everything she had a real homebuilder. After her husband's death, she ran a large household. She knew everything - where, to whom and how to address, and she was a kind of "All Petersburg", like other owners of inns of that time. But no one could shake the memories of the old days like Mikulishna. After all, it will soon come to the sixth ten; life was so rich, she had seen so many in her lifetime, what people she knew! He will begin to tell - at least write a chronicle. Mikulishna took a heartfelt interest in Ivan Grigoryevich and immediately won his full confidence. He understood why it was at her place that he was advised to stay.
Mikulishna provided him with accurate information, and the next day Ivan Grigorievich went to the Judicial Department of the Governing Senate to find out about his case. The splendor and solemnity of the situation in the Senate made a strong impression on him. I had to wait until the end of the meeting before the Assistant Chief Secretary came out to him in an unbuttoned uniform with gold embroidery [ 1 ] and kindly inquired how he could be useful. Ivan Grigoryevich realized that here the poor and the rich no longer mean anything, and the mirror of the law is reflected in the human conscience. A certificate was immediately requested, and the assistant chief secretary told Orovtsov that, unfortunately, the other day the cassation appeal was left without consequences, since the Senate did not see any offenses in the proceedings.
What am I to do now? ' poor Ivan Grigoryevich broke out painfully. His frustrated look apparently inspired participation, and the assistant chief secretary advised him to file a petition for the Highest Name.
God is high, the King is far away! Ivan Grigoryevich exclaimed beside himself, and did not even notice how the assistant chief secretary, who was talking to him, with a slight half-bow, majestically sailed away from him along the red carpet into the glass doors ...
Ivan Grigoryevich walked across the square, thinking nothing. Terrible cry: "Pa-di!" suddenly resounded in his ear. At the last moment, only the coachman had difficulty restraining the black trotters so as not to run over Orovtsov. "Move over - and the end!" a sinful thought flashed through Ivan Grigoryevich. Finally he returned to the inn. Mikulishna's big gray eyes gazed kindly into his soul, and somehow felt relieved immediately when he heard her melodious voice. She listened to his misfortune and said:
Don't kill yourself like that, sir. Sometimes it seems that the last minute has come, and there is no way out. And in fact, this is where help comes from Above. You think: the end has come, but lo and behold, the beginning of salvation turns out to be. So I'll tell you ... Have you ever heard of Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev? The dignitary was famous and was very different from the Sovereign.
My husband was with him as a valet. I am also his serf. We ourselves are Simbirsk, Syzran district will be. The family estate of Messrs. Dmitriev was called Bogorodsky. As I grew up, they sent me to Moscow, I got married in a good way. And my husband and I received freedom after the death of the master in the thirty-seventh year. The deceased did not forget who was with him - he rewarded everyone on merit. The gentleman was so kind. We moved here from Moscow, opened an inn - again with the money that the benefactor left us. FROM God help things went well. There are children playing in the yard - you see, the grandchildren waited ...
Eh, be about fifteen years ago - that would be someone to help you; I would have hit the Tsar himself with my forehead, if anything! He was a noble nobleman, had an important rank from the Tsar, I don’t remember what kind of merit, distinctions - I can’t count! The truth of God for him was everything, he himself, in his youth, almost suffered through human malice, if Emperor Pavel Petrovich had not delved into it. Luckily, everything turned out for him, but, having experienced it himself, he knew how to understand people in misfortune, and he fought against untruth in every possible way. Once the Emperor Alexander Pavlovich said to him: “Well, go, Ivan Ivanovich, to the province of Ryazan and Kostroma. It came to Our knowledge that Our Royal trust is violated there, judges take gifts against the innocent, offend widows and orphans. Pull them up there all the way. Here is a ring for you from Our Tsar's hand...
Our master swept through a thunderstorm, rolled up many to court, others were exiled to Siberia, so that it was disrespectful to others ... Otherwise, it happened, the Tsar complains, but the kennel does not have mercy, but there was strength behind the kennel ... Well, just like with your mercy ...
And what kind of incident was with your late master, Mikulishna?
With the death of the blessed memory of Mother Ekaterina Alekseevna, his military service ended. From the Semyonovsky regiment he took an abshid with the rank of colonel. He was forty years old, no more. He had to introduce himself to the new sovereign, for mercy and rank to thank. Suddenly, on the first day of the Nativity of Christ, some high rank comes for the master, as if under arrest, but they are lucky to the Palace itself. Looks - all gentlemen officers of his regiment are right there. And aside from the others, under police custody, too, the Evon friend is also a fellow soldier; Likhachev - his last name was. It was wow, only the tongue was painfully long ...
Suddenly the doors are wide open, and the Sovereign Emperor Pavel Petrovich enters. Darker than the night, upset by something very much. He greets the gentlemen officers, and afterward he approaches Likhachev and tests him point-blank for a long time. Terrified by Tsarsky's gaze, Likhachev knelt down: he said something! Without saying a word, the Emperor approaches our master. And he looks straight into the eyes of the Tsar, he does not know any guilt behind himself ...
Dmitriev! said Emperor Pavel Petrovich. - Confess! Together with Likhachev you abuse our life. About this the other day I received an unknown anticipation ...
But I must tell you that any person of a noble or simple class could put a petition or complaint in a box near the Palace in the Royal Name. Everything reached the hands of the Tsar, this Emperor Pavel Petrovich deigned to keep the key to the box forever with Himself. Somehow they showed me through the window in the Palace where this box was located. The yellow color was...
Emperor Pavel Petrovich even dismissed his beloved adjutant general on such a complaint. The postmaster, you see, was beaten up by this adjutant general for not giving horses on time. And that miraculous hero Suvorovsky was the caretaker, Ishmael took by storm. The adjutant general staggered out of Tsarsky's office, all in tears, without the Tsarsky's name on the epaulettes. The Tsar was correct, all were equal to Him.
Well, having heard such a grave accusation from the Tsar himself, our master, forgetting all subordination, exclaimed in the hall:
"Not true! This vile slander! As an Officer and a Nobleman, for the honor of my Sovereign, I am ready to lay down my soul all the time. My life belongs to Your Majesty, but my honor belongs only to me. If Your Majesty believes more in an unknown denunciation than in me, His Officer, I can only wash away this insult with my own blood "...
All froze. Only a smile flickered across the face of Emperor Pavel Petrovich. He then turned to the gentlemen Officers Semenovsky: “Do you vouch for them?”, To which they, as one, exclaimed: “We vouch!”
Both of you are free, my sirs, the Emperor graciously turned to the master and Likhachev. And you, Dmitriev, I will not forget, you took a big stone from my soul ...
Half a year had not passed, as the master was summoned to the coronation and showered with royal favors ...
And Tsesarevich Alexander Pavlovich, the future Emperor, was also a witness to this event. From that day on, He loved our master, put His apostle on guard of justice ... This is what the Lord does, how he transforms misfortune into happiness. So your truth should tell...
The gentleman did not honor anyone as much as Emperor Pavel Petrovich ... My husband said that every morning and at night for the repose of His prayer with bows to the earth he did. And as he used to come to St. Petersburg, first of all he was in a hurry to the Peter and Paul Cathedral, to bow to the tomb of Pavel Petrovich, that means. He will fall on his knees, and at the very tears flow like a hail.
I also threw out at the tomb. Like some grief, so I go - now consolation comes. Yes, I'm not alone, many people go to worship His Royal Remains. They have already experienced: whoever you ask - all petitions are fulfilled. Especially if the case is a judicial one, who is oppressed by the strong and the rich and cannot achieve the truth ...
It can be seen that he stands high in the Eyes of God in the Kingdom of Heaven. You see, in the holy corner there is a Golden Letter with His signature hanging. After the gentleman of the deceased, she begged for memory ... You only read, sir, better, how Emperor Pavel Petrovich loved His people ...
Under the images, in an oak frame, hung the famous Decree of Emperor Paul the First, given on April 5, 1797 on the Day Happy Easter Christ and His Sacred Coronation to the Russian Kingdom…
- “By the Grace of God, We are Paul the First, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, and so on and so forth. and so on.
We declare to all Our loyal subjects: The Law of God, given to Us in the Decalogue, teaches us to dedicate the seventh day to Him; why on this day, the triumph of the Orthodox Faith, and on which We were honored to receive the sacred chrismation and the Royal wedding on Our Ancestral Throne, we consider it our duty before the Creator, the Giver of all blessings, to confirm throughout Our Empire about the exact and indispensable fulfillment of this law, commanding everyone and everyone to watch, so that no one, under any pretext, keeps compelling the peasants to work on Sundays, especially since for rural products the six days remaining in the week, according to an equal number of them, are generally distributed, both for the peasants themselves and for work in favor of the landowners followed, with good disposal, they will be sufficient to satisfy all economic needs. Given in Moscow on the day of Holy Pascha. April 5th, 1797. On the original signed by His Imperial Majesty's own hand taco: PAUL.
Place of printing. Printed in Moscow in the Senate on April 1797.
Until now, under the influence of the old man Palitsky, Ivan Grigorievich considered Emperor Paul the First to be a cruel, and not yet quite normal, tyrant on the Russian Throne. And now he felt how a drastic change was taking place in his soul and Emperor Pavel Petrovich seemed to him in the halo of the caring Father of the Russian People.
And even if the Senate was denied, do not lose heart. If you give it to the Highest Name, it will probably not reach the Tsar's hands. God is high, the King is far away. But it’s close to Emperor Pavel Petrovich. Listen, sir, to my old me: go tomorrow morning and pray at His tomb for your grief - He will help you ...
This king is ours! People's... Close King!
“... He sees - in ribbons and stars,
Intoxicated with wine and malice,
The killers are coming in secret,
Insolence on the faces, fear in the heart.
The unfaithful sentry is silent,
The underground bridge was lowered silently,
The gates are open in the darkness of the night,
The hand of treachery hired.
His attention was especially attracted by a large group of peasant walkers, who were apparently coming from afar. Their faces were solemn, bearing the imprint of an important assignment.
Ivan Grigoryevich turned to an old peasant of heroic stature, apparently walking behind the elder, where they came from and why they had come, whether he knew where the people were going.
The peasant shook his beard reproachfully:
Al, sir, don't you know what day it is? March eleventh, after all. Half a century has passed since the martyrdom of our benefactor, Father Pavel Petrovich. Where else would the people go, if not to His righteous tomb - to pay worship with a prayer ...
Goosebumps ran down Ivan Grigoryevich's back. Someone from above poured him, alone, into the people's stream, and now they all flow to the cherished tomb of Emperor Paul the First, tortured and slandered by the dark forces. And precisely on the fiftieth anniversary of His untimely death!…
We ourselves are Tambov,” continued the peasant. - Lord Davydovs ... The whole world knows how Pavel Petrovich stood up for our truth and showed His Royal Grace. Since then, we have recognized Him as our Sorrowful.
I was still a boy when the villainy was done to Him. Hey, I wanted to give the people a Golden Letter, so there was a Tsar and people, and there was no one between them b.
Yes, and how it was for Father Pavel Petrovich in His mind to favor the crafty nobles. They blossomed painfully: no matter the reign, they violate the kiss of the cross and act against the Power of the Throne. What a sin to hide - the Parent of Evonny himself was decided. They say among the people that Pavel Petrovich also had an intent on His Parent, the blessed memory of Matushka Ekaterina Alekseevna was offered, but He rejected [2] and for that he was poisoned with a secret poison by the freemason [3]. Only by a miracle of God did he remain alive.
Freemasons / freemasons -ed. / - a well-known case, they don’t honor the Mother of God, they don’t profess the Holy Trinity, they worship the Chernobog in their assemblies. Again, in the twenty-fifth year, they knocked out the darkness of the soldiers for a riot ...
Here they are, and Pavel Petrovich was exhausted by a fierce death, because the Orthodox people did not want to give offense. The Father was right with His courtiers - no one, like them, committed villainy with Him.
The Tsar's head was bright to know, that foreigners valued it worth its weight in gold, paid more than one mellion to the Judas Traitors [4]. And the English ship - their people, Pavel Petrovich, was planning to subdue His feet under His feet - he was waiting by the Neva to take Judas away, if their damned business did not succeed ...
And Tsareva's valets, unlike the nobles treated kindly, kept their oath tightly, entered into an unequal battle with the Elodei, shed their blood. Those were of the noble class, and these of the low; only loyalty and nobility only showed up in them ...
Uncle Polycarp, the very one who lost his leg in the twelfth year and received the cross, later revealed the whole truth to us, how it was. After the murder of this entogo, the regiments of the guards were assembled to take a new oath, but the regiments refuse, do not believe in the death of the Tsar, they demand His body. The people are roaring and roaring, and various gentlemen have gone sickly crazy, they rejoice at the murder of the Anointed of God. One of their main murderers came to the regiment and shouted to the soldiers: “Rejoice, brothers, the tyrant is dead,” and they, as one, answered: “For us, He is not a tyrant, but our own Father!” He just shut up, slurped immediately closed. They almost got up on bayonets! [ five ]
The Lord sought the Righteous Blood. For good, none of the villains finished their days. The main one, the count himself, that the first blow inflicted on him, after that he lost his mind and saw terrible visions, blood seemed to him all the time, until he died in his fetid foam. There is a rumor among the people that eternal punishment is prepared for them even before the Last Judgment. That's it!…
Ivan Grigoryevich then understood that it was in the voice of the people that the voice of God mercilessly condemns the great sin of treason and regicide...
- ... His death struck like a thunder throughout the Orthodox people, but we had the hardest time ...
It's a thing of the past. It was back in ninety-nine. We, our serfs, were sold by the landowner Davydov to other landowners, Khvoshchinsky and Martynov, for the export of shtoba, without land and our belongings. To new places, which means that the landowner got all our goods. He wanted to get hold of us from the poor. What a roar and cry rose up in the village, and it is impossible to tell. Children were sold separately from their parents, well, in a word - Tatar taba ruin. We just gathered the world, but decided to stand to the last, and not to fulfill the lawless command of the master and not to leave the village. What happened next! The landowner demanded a military command for pacification. The head of the province himself, the most important, came in a troika; Litvinov was his last name.
Menacingly, he turned to the descent: “What, did you think of rebelling?” The gathering without hats is worth it. “No way,” he replies. - “You, Your Excellency, do God's favor, figure everything out yourself, there is no rebellion. Somehow you don’t know the Tsar’s Letter, not to sell peasants without land. You yourself heard this Diploma from you. [6] On that we stand firmly. Let Father Himself decide our bitter fate. We are not rebels, but meek people, faithful to the oath of the Tsareva, [ 7 ] why are we such a disgrace? Do not execute us, but write everything to Amperator Pavel Petrovich Himself. Let Him know how His peasants are oppressed, but they do not fulfill the Royal Letters ...
We see the head of the province thinking a thought, and the gathering before him is on his knees, that the children are around their father, huddling. Everyone sheds tears, the truth is kindly asked.
Get up! - He speaks. - If, if you demand the Royal Court - then be on your own. Until the Sovereign's Will, no one will touch you. Just sit still, don't dare to rebel. And then, they say, look! ...
Sat down on a trio and left. And then the Royal Will came out. Father Pavel Petrovich sent a letter to Litvinov, the head of the province, thanking him for his faithful service, and ordered these landlords to retell the wrath and disgrace from the Face of His Tsar for the frustration and oppression inflicted on us through this intention. We were punished to leave in the same place with all the prosperity. [ 8 ]
Well, go ahead, was your landowner fierce with you? - asked Ivan Grigorievich. How embarrassing was he...
That's not it! Soul to soul apostle lived with him. He was not himself at first, he was rushing around the house. And then he ordered the peasants to get together. He comes out to us in tears. "Forgive me, brothers!" - He speaks. Well, we answered, of course: “God will forgive!” Well, that's how it turned out.
Then he gathered in the capital, to ask for the Tsar's forgiveness.
Emperor Pavel Petrovich comes out to him and asks: “Well, did you get along with your peasants? What did they tell you?
They told me, Your Imperial Majesty: "God will forgive!"
I never go against God, answers the Father-King. — Ride yourself with God, but henceforth remember that Our peasants are also created in the Image and Likeness of God. The care of them is entrusted to you only by God's Providence, just like the All Russian Power is to Us. You are responsible for them before Me, and I am responsible before God for them, and for you, and for the entire Russian State...
From that Tsar’s conversation, our landowner, well, became an angel from heaven. And how the fierce villains decided Pavel Petrovich, it was a pity to watch - he was so killed. They all served requiems for Him. So with the heart and mind of Tsarsky, Pavel Petrovich knew how to awaken the Christian conscience ...
Yes, what is there ... Somehow we are alone, is it? Look there - the Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers are coming. We met along the way. They also came to the grave of the Righteous Evonna. He ordered them to allow their churches with icons, and not to persecute them anymore for the old faith. [ 9 ]
Ivan Grigoryevich suddenly saw how the Old Believers walking in front, having caught up with the Engineering - former Mikhailovsky - Castle, as if on command, they all crossed themselves and bowed to the ground.
Look at it, our people's love, - the Tambov walker was touched. -And what are we: we will be worse, or what?
In Thy Kingdom, remember, Lord, the soul of the murdered Servant of Thy Most Pious Sovereign Anperator Pavel Petrovich ....
With an ominous croak, a crow suddenly burst from the roof of the Engineering Castle. Like the shadows of regicides. Chained to the place of the crime, they were disturbed by this prayer of the people.
And on the pediment of the Castle, the motto-revelation of the Autocrat of All Russia, tormented by the dark forces, clearly stood out:
Holiness to the Lord is fitting for your house in the length of days...
“... But with eternal sleep while I sleep,
My love doesn't die
And with it, brothers, I beg you,
Yes, everyone calls to the Lord:
Lord! The day the trumpet
The world's repose will sound -
Accept the deceased slave
To Your blessed villages."
"John of Damascus", Count A. K. Tolstoy.
A huge Trinity Bridge stretches across the entire expanse of the Neva. Ivan Grigoryevich involuntarily admired the view presented to him. The royal Neva was awakening from its winter sleep. Gray masses of ships could be seen. Wherever you throw - bridges, granite embankments, palaces, giant buildings. Among the dark leaden clouds, the golden spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress soared high into the sky. How beautifully this strict silhouette looms, how it matches the lush Neva. Either this is a revived picture, or a prophetic fairy tale that has come true in reality ...
The crowded tray moved slowly. Walked both old and young. Beside him walked Tambov walkers, Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers, wandered with a stick, bent over in three deaths, an old, decrepit old woman. Far away, on the Petersburg side, along the wooden bridge over the Ioannovsky and Peter's Gates, a stream of people poured into the fortress itself.
Suddenly, a mighty “Hurrah!” burst out and rolled out, hats were taken off at once from the heads ...
Tsar! Ivan Grigorievich thought or felt something. Court carriages swept past smoothly. On the first was a monogram with the Imperial crown. A burly coachman - his chest is covered in medals, next to him on the goats - a handsome bearded Cossack.
It seemed to Orovtsov that the Tsar's gaze fell on him. Ivan Grigoryevich bowed low, and when he raised his head it was too late to see anything except a double-headed eagle on a golden helmet in the distance, next to the Tsar - probably the Tsaritsa and a brilliant retinue in other carriages.
He looked - what he gave with a ruble! - Ivan Grigorievich heard near him. Everyone assured with delight that the Tsar was looking at him! ...
"John's Gate 1740" - read Orovtsov at the top of the fortress gates. Between the first and second gates there are fences and small turrets. Water moat. [ 10 ] There is a drawbridge across the moat.
- "Petrovsky" - read the inscription on the gates of the inner fortress. A highly raised semicircular pediment, under it is “God-Sabaoth in the clouds”, lower is “Simon Magus, overthrown by Peter the Apostle.” The gate passage was very deep—thick, apparently, were the walls.
On the way to the Cathedral on the sides - two low houses. On the left - an old one of the last century, on the right - a new artillery storehouse. Behind the garrison house on the square is a guardhouse. From here, the guard was called to the bell. Opposite, at the walls of the Cathedral, the cemetery of commandants. The commandants of the Peter and Paul Fortress, appointed from the oldest generals of the Russian army, were buried near the walls of the Cathedral - the Tomb of the Russian Crowned. Faithful commandants protected the afterlife of their Emperors even after death. A golden spire-needle ascended high into the sky. Above the spire is an Angel with a Cross - a fence and protection of the Reigning City.
But now the chimes on the bell tower solemnly and drawlingly began to play "Kol is glorious." Every quarter of an hour the chimes "Lord have mercy" played; "How glorious is our Lord in Zion" - every hour, and twice a day, at noon and midnight - "God save the King." It was nine o'clock in the morning. Divine service began in the Cathedral. As it was heard, the arrived Moscow Metropolitan Filaret will serve.
Ivan Grigoryevich squeezed his way into the temple with difficulty. At the candle box, the Tambov walker in a booming whisper ordered for Pavel Petrovich's coffin “the biggest candle that is. And with gold! He showed clearly, spreading his arms wide, what kind of candle should be.
From the whole world of Tambov. That's what they were sent for. Respect, look, shtob all without a trace burned down ...
On the right side, at the western doors, there was the Royal Place, upholstered in crimson velvet and overshadowed by a canopy under the Imperial crown. Under the canopy, the State Emblem was embroidered on the shield. The royal place was empty today. Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich today prayed with his people at the tomb of His Sovereign Father.
On the right and left sides, opposite the images of the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul, stood rows of Imperial tombs, surrounded by golden bars. The first tomb, in front of the Apostle Paul, was especially decorated with living plants, flowers, and from a multitude of candles it burned like a burning bush. In the midst of a sea of lights, a gilded pood candle of the Tambov walkers burned flamingly. At the very tomb was the Tsar, Members of the Imperial Family, retinue. Getting there was unthinkable. Ivan Grigoryevich decided to wait until everyone had left, and then to cry out his great grief before Pavel Petrovich.
At the Imperial tombs, prayerful delight was born and reigned, flowing like a wondrous current through the Shrine of Russian History. From the Autocrat-King to the last commoner, there was one flock and One Shepherd in the temple.
At the head of each of the tombs was an Image, lamps shone everywhere. The image of the Primate Apostle Paul was painted to the exact measure of Emperor Pavel Petrovich at birth - eleven and a half inches long and three and a quarter wide.
Also, the Image of the Primate Apostle Peter, before whom Peter the Great was buried, represented a similar measure - a height of eleven, a width of three inches ... A row of Royal graves on the north side begins with the tomb of Emperor Pavel Petrovich, as if marking the beginning of a new century in the history of Russia ...
How much these Royal Tombs tell the Russian heart, how many grateful memories arise at the sight of them! At the Cathedral walls there are trophies everywhere: victorious Russian weapons: banners, standards, naval flags, keys to conquered fortresses, bunchuks, maces, shields, reeds - obtained by Russian blood from the Swedes, Turks, Poles, French. Poltava, Gangut, Chesma, Ochakov, Izmail, Paris, Navarino, Warsaw came to life here. Overshadowing the eternal rest of the Autocrats of All Russia, the trophies testified to Russian glory in the length of their days.
The chandelier flooded the entire Cathedral with a sea of light. Like an angelic host, an invisible choir sang. Metropolitan Filaret served the Divine Liturgy as only he alone could. And the Tambov walkers, and the Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers, and Ivan Grigoryevich himself, all the pilgrims to the last - felt like the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir in Tsaregradskaya Hagia Sophia: we don’t know, they say - we are on earth or in heaven ... Not only the service, but also the splendor of the Cathedral produced Ivan Grigorievich was deeply impressed. The iconostasis was wonderful, perhaps the only one in Russia in terms of its rare carvings. Like thin lace.
Above the Throne, in the entire width and height of the Royal Doors, a magnificent canopy shone with gold, supported by four twisted columns. At the top of the canopy is a gilded image of Christ the Savior enthroned, surrounded by radiance and angels.
Ivan Grigorievich prayed and did not notice that every time the name of Emperor Pavel Petrovich was commemorated at the funeral liturgy, not only he himself, but the whole multitude of people bowed to the ground, and a many-voiced whisper rushed around: “God rest, Lord! ... O-po Whoa!”…
Ivan Grigoryevich went into prayer, asking the murdered Emperor Pavel Petrovich not to impute him for the fact that "even through ignorance" so recently he considered Him a cruel, reckless tyrant ...
During the entire sacred service, the Tambov walkers never got up from their knees. The Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers devoutly overshadowed themselves with two fingers. There were tears in other eyes. It is as if Emperor Pavel Petrovich was tormented by a villainous hand not fifty years ago, but this night, as if the people came to His open tomb to give their last kiss.
‘For forty-two years I live in the world: God
supported me. And now maybe
give me strength and intelligence to carry a heavy burden,
They entrusted to Me. Let's assign
all hope is in His goodness.
(Words of the Heir Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich
F. V. Rostopchin before the ascension
to the Throne on November 7, 1796).
The liturgy was over, a memorial service was to begin. In a reflection of ascetic grandeur, in a golden miter with a Cross,[11] Metropolitan Filaret slowly stepped out of the Royal Doors, open to all the doors.
-"Ispolla these despots!"...
Having accepted the rod from the assistant and overshadowed himself sign of the cross The Metropolitan said:
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
The Cathedral reverently crossed itself, and somehow the whole leaned forward ...
And turning in the direction of the tomb of Pavel Petrovich, Vladyka began the hierarch's teaching:
God-beloved and most God-loving King! Flock my beloved!
The Lord said: “They burn a lamp below and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and shine for everyone who is in the temple (Heb. Matt. ch. 5, v. 15).
All of us have gathered here to pray for the repose of the soul in God of the resting Most Pious Sovereign Emperor and Autocrat of the All-Russian Pavel Petrovich, the Most August Parent of the Sovereign Emperor given to us by God. Now fifty years have passed since the mournful day of His righteous death. The Lord led me to this Sanctuary of History to offer here before the Throne of the Most High the Bloodless Sacrifice...
- “The light of the ascension to the Righteous and gladness of the right heart,” says the Psalmist. (Ps. 96, v. 11).
Truly this testimony is true! And in vain the love of the people for this here resting Monarch, with great tears at the tomb of His kindled candle, with the same Holy Psalmist I rejoice in tenderness: “Thou hast preceded Him with a blessed blessing, put thou on His head from an honest stone.” (Ps. 20, v. 4).
Glory and splendor laid on Him. As if you give Him a blessing forever and ever, rejoice in Him with joy with Your Face ”... (Ps. 20, verses 6 and 7).
From a very young age, the Lord chose the Servant of His Most Pious Emperor Pavel Petrovich, in vain His truth and mercy, the indescribable goodness of the heart. Loving and testing Him, the Lord sent a disease to Him in the earliest years, from which He raised to His glory, may the Providence of God be signified before all people. Then this Royal Servant will speak to His Most Pious Parent, Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna, His wish, that a hospital for the poor and orphans be built in the Mother See of the State of Russia. And with great joy, the Sovereign Mother fulfill the desire of His beloved Child and created a hospital in the ancient capital city, named Pavlovsk in honor of His benevolence, in memory of this goldsmith ordered to make: “Freeing himself from illness, he provides for the sick” [ 12 ] ...
From His youth until His untimely death, this God-loving King was close to the Lord. The Lord especially accepts children's prayers, sees the tears of babies and visits them with the light of His Face, creating a secret in reality. Cherish Otrocha is young and in fear. Affirming God's - so resting here in God - the Empress Empress Elisaveta Petrovna betrayed as a legacy to Emperor Pavel Petrovich the best of the treasury of her soul - her deep faith. Close to the Lord, the Most Pious and Noble Emperor of All Russia Paul the First became close to the heart of the Russian Orthodox people, for the Truth and Grace of God shone in His eyes. On guard of the Russian State, getting ready to stand up, this righteous Monarch said: “I wish it would be better to be hated for a just cause than loved for a wrong cause” [ 13 ]…
- “The supreme power is entrusted to the Sovereign for the common good of the subjects. The Sovereign, the likeness of God, the successor on earth of His supreme power, cannot equally signify either His power or dignity otherwise than by setting in His State immutable rules based on the common good and which He could not violate Himself without ceasing to be a worthy Sovereign ”- thus thought the beneficent Anointed One of God about His Duty. [ fourteen ]
- “And the heart of Tsarevo was in the hand of God” (Prov. ch. 21, v. 1). All were equal in the eyes of this Sovereign, a famous nobleman, a poor and commoner. And the Russian people carried their sorrows to Him, and He quenched them generously, wiped away the tears of orphans and widows, took care of the daily bread for the poor.
For evil and untruth, he was formidable, punished severely, who went against the Truth of the King of Heaven and the Laws, for the benefit of the entire Russian people, especially given by Him.
On the shoulders of His Sovereign He carried the cross of His great Service, ruling by the Grace of God our Fatherland. On Him, and on all the Russian Anointed Ones of God, the Orthodox Church concentrated Her special love, as "David's Beloved Branch" and "Church Bridegroom". And only the bedchamber saw all the sorrow and prayers of His for the people entrusted to Him by Divine Providence, and now, as a Servant of the Living God, I testify to you that other places where He performed His prayer feat are positively worn out from a long vigil and prostrations of the earth [ 15 ] …
- "From the Lord the feet of a man are corrected" says Holy Bible(Ps. 36, v. 23). The life of all people is in the hands of God. God gives man life. He also sends death. Sometimes it is worthy of a victorious crown of martyrdom for the Kingdom of Heaven forever. He also gives a person wisdom to destroy and reject the mind of the prudent and the wisdom of lying wise men. In the course of our entire life's journey, the Lord leads us in ways only known to Him alone. Yes indeed! Great is the Lord and great is His strength, and His mind is innumerable, there is no way to comprehend the mysteries of God. The Almighty King of Kings, owning kingdoms and tribes, grants dominion over them, he wants to (Dan. 5, 21), exalts the chosen one from among those like Him in the Image and Likeness, requires from every human soul obedience to the powers that be, to whom “power and dominion” is given from the Lord (Wisdom 6, 3) for the peace and prosperity of the peoples. There is one Lord and Lawgiver, one power, one Godhead over everything. “Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the Tsar,” says the Holy First Church Apostle Peter (I Epistle of Peter 2:17). From this comes the establishment between people of a lawful principle and authority. And therefore, our beloved Monarch is the Chosen One of God, given from Above to Holy God-bearing Russia, as a special gift of God for the prosperity of the Russian people. Day and night, incessantly, we must thank God that our earthly Sovereign, the Sovereign Emperor was given Autocratic unlimited power as His Anointed and Chosen One, so that in such a state of many millions as ours, the One Will would rule in everything, there would be order and order, because diversity of command and discord destroys everything. According to the words of the Holy Apostle, “The mystery is already being worked on iniquity to the point. Keep it now until Wednesday will be” (II Epistle. Thess. 2, 7). This “Hold” is our Most Pious Confirmed King. And until then, Holy Russia is not afraid of any misfortune, until the Orthodox Tsar and the Orthodox people are united, and the Russian people will see in the face of the Tsar their Father, and the Tsar in them His God-given children, as Emperor Pavel Petrovich of Blessed Memory, the memory of whose death we do, and to whose Tomb we flocked reverently to pay our respects…
- “Your testimonies are strongly convinced. Holiness to the Lord is fitting for your house in the length of days” (Ps. 92, v. 5)…
May the faith of the Russian people be inextinguishable in the God of the reposed Emperor, then His intercession for him before the Throne of the Lord of Glory, which can do much [ 16 ]. Fighting Truth and Mercy during his lifetime, and now in the blessed villages He stands for us before the King of all Kings with zealous boldness ...
May our Lord preserve the Royal Family, chosen and blessed by Him, until the end of time, to the fear of enemies, to the glory of God and to the glory of the faithful subject of the Russian people.
Let us also say eternal grateful memory to All the Royal Hosts of the Holy Russian Land, Whose Remains rest under the vaults of this temple.
And, having kindled the lamps of our hearts, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the Servant of God, the Most Pious Sovereign Emperor Pavel Petrovich. Amen.
Well said Vladyka Metropolitan! That's how it is, that's how I feel! - the nearest Retinue heard the words of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich.
In the Tsar's hand, and in everyone's Cathedral, a modest candle was lovingly lit...
If I am the Emperor even for
one hour, then I will show that I was worthy.
(Words of Emperor Nicholas the First on the morning of December 14, 1825.
to the heads of the Guards assembled before Him).
The tomb of Emperor Paul was still all wrapped in incense, candles were still burning. Having passed in a long line to bow to the tomb of Pavel Petrovich, the people gradually dispersed.
Glory to Thee, Lord! He vouchsafed us to bow to Pavel Petrovich "...
The Old Believers are gone. The Tambov walkers also passed. Tenderly the eldest of them, the same one who spoke with Ivan Grigorievich, said, stroking his beard:
Sermon, what the High Priest said, that's what Presanctification is for! What was our Father Pavel Petrovich! We will retell everything at home to the point ...
“The Sovereign Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia Pavel the First was born on September 20, 1754, and ascended the throne on November 6, 1796. Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem on December 18, 1798. He died on March 11, 1801, from March 11 to 12, was buried on the 23 of the same month, ”read Ivan Grigorievich.
This is where He lies, the close Tsar, the Sovereign Knight, laying down his soul for His people, slain by dark power on guard by God entrusted to Russia! The crowned Defender of Truth, the Foe of evil, the Martyr on the Throne, the afterlife Sorrower of orphans and widows, the wretched and offended!
Now he is alone, as if in spirit, with a close Tsar! Nobody prevents the murdered Emperor Pavel Petrovich from pouring out his prayer for Truth, Mercy and Miraculous Help!
Ivan Grigorievich leaned reverently on the slightly warm from the fire of countless candles, like a living tombstone. A nearby lamp tremblingly flickered, as if the soul of the Crowned Servant of God Paul, martyred for the Truth.
There was almost no one in the Cathedral, except for a few officers examining the victorious trophies of Russian weapons. Among them is a tall, stately general in the white tunic of the Horse Guards, and another, much younger, in the blue uniform of the Ataman Regiment. Examining the Turkish flag at the tomb of Peter the Great - the trophy of the immortal Chesma, the officers drew attention to Ivan Grigoryevich, motionless on his knees, crouching on the tombstone of Emperor Paul the First.
The horse guard general, having separated from his companions, quietly went to the tomb of Pavel Petrovich. A little further behind Him came an Ataman officer, and then a general with monograms on epaulettes and aiguillettes.
Having completely gone into prayer, Ivan Grigoryevich did not notice the approaching general at all and whispered frantically:
Father, Pavel Petrovich! Forgive me damn! I considered You, Sovereign, by someone else's slander, a tyrant and insane ... Now I know how You loved us, Your people. I believe, Sovereign, even beyond the grave, You have no refusal to ask! King of Truth and Mercy, close King to all offended! Save, Father, help! Besides You, Sovereign, I have no Intercessor ...
Suddenly, someone touched him on the shoulder and said: "Get up!" - so powerfully that he immediately got up and - dumbfounded! ... Majestic and beautiful was the general standing in front of him. His blue eyes looked intently into the very soul.
What do you have? He asked, and that “you” sounded so clear.
Here he came to bow ... - Ivan Grigoryevich, bewildered, pointed to the tomb of Emperor Paul the First.
Did you ask for something?
About my judicial case... They refused everywhere...
Poor Russian Tsars! Even the deceased you do not give rest to your slander. Feel free to elaborate...
Poor Ivan Grigorievich was completely embarrassed. He babbled indistinctly and carried such nonsense about his business that he completely lost his way ...
What happened to you? You won't even understand!
Ivan Grigorievich touched the tombstone of Pavel Petrovich with his hand, and thought in despair: “Help, Father!”
And suddenly - he did not recognize himself - a smooth confession flowed like a written one. The fabulist Dmitriev himself could not have put it better...
Sasha! the majestic General addressed the ataman. - Come closer. I want you to listen. What, perhaps, I still cannot succeed, You will have to complete ...
The story of Ivan Grigorievich was verbose. Even Mikulishna, Dmitriev, the Tambov walkers, the Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers were not forgotten ...
So it turns out - finished Orovtsov - the Tsar favors, but the houndsman does not have mercy, and then the power ...
Do you know what happens to the kennel if the Tsar finds out about it? - the General asked with a slight grin. “Have you already applied for the Highest Name?”
Where there! You know yourself: God is high, the Tsar is far away...
Much closer than you think!…
It’s close to Him,” the General pointed to the tomb of Pavel Petrovich, “it’s not farther to Me…
Edya! He called the general with monograms on his shoulders. [ 17 ] Order that his case from the Senate be delivered to Me. I want to see in person.
Introduce me also the Tambov walkers and the Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers. So that they don't just leave. Say that I invite you to visit me. And Mikulishna too...
And Mikulishna is also My Portrait, so that I would be close to her, like the Father ...
Ivan Grigoryevich stood beside himself. Only then did he realize that the Horse Guards General was the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich Himself, and the ataman officer was the Heir Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich.
You have nothing more to do in St. Petersburg, - He turned to Ivan Grigorievich. Go home calmly, I take everything into My own hands. Take care, Edya, that he has enough for the journey...
Neither alive nor dead, Ivan Grigoryevich looked at the Sovereign [ 18 ]…
The handwritten resolution of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich in the case of Palitsky's lawsuit against Orovtsov read:
- “Repeal all decisions from the county court up to and including the Senate. These members of the presence of the county court are themselves to be brought to justice, as judges of the unjust, unmerciful and mercenary. The case is to be transferred for a new trial, imputing to the judges in My Name the duty of serving Truth and Mercy. About the next report to Me especially. Palitsky should be given a suggestion so that his psari would be in their place. NICHOLAS".
The Royal Will, as always, was combined with the Law, Truth and Grace. From the Sovereign Father to the Sovereign Son, by succession, passed the right of proximity of the Tsar to the people and the people to the Tsar ...
- "Not to us, not to us, but to Your Name!" [ 19 ]
NOTES:
[ 1 ] When sitting in the Senate, a mandatory uniform is a uniform. According to tradition, since the time of Peter the Great, the uniform in the Senate was always unbuttoned, and was fastened only in the presence of the Sovereign Emperor.
[2] Testimony of Count FV Rostopchin.
[3] The irritability of Emperor Paul the First did not come from His natural character, but was the result of an attempt to poison Him with poison when he was the Heir to the Throne. Only with great difficulty He was saved by the Life Medic Freygang. Testimony of Prince P. P. Lopukhin. See also: Schilder "Emperor Paul I", pp. 580-582.
[4] “Lopukhin, whose sister was married to the son of Olga Alexandrovna Zherebtsova, affirmatively says that Zherebtsova received from England, after Pavel’s death, two million rubles for distribution to the conspirators, but appropriated them for herself.” E. S. Shumigorsky, "Emperor Paul I", p. 199.
[ 5 ] See “Notes of General N. A. Sablukov about the times of Paul I and the death of this Sovereign”, “Notes” by August Kotzebue and other testimonies.
[ 6 ] Nominal Decree of Emperor Pavel Petrovich of February 16, 1797.
[ 7 ] After the Ascension to the Throne, Emperor Pavel Petrovich for the first time ordered the peasants to take the oath to Himself. Before that, the landowners swore for them.
[ 8 ] Handwritten Rescript of Emperor Pavel Petrovich addressed to the Governor of Tambov:
“Having received your report this month of September on the 5th day regarding the peasants, Colonel Davydov sold for export to the landowners Khvoshchinsky and Martynov, I command you, leaving these peasants in their former place, to make the most severe reprimand from My Face to these landlords for the derangement and oppression they have committed to the peasants through this intention . I express My favor to you for your report, coupled with philanthropy and good order, always similar to My will.
[9] Emperor Pavel Petrovich showed a rare religious tolerance towards the Old Believers. At the beginning of 1798, they were allowed to have their own churches and clergy in the very depths of the Old Believers of the Nizhny Novgorod province. Such generosity caused in the Old Believers a movement towards reunification with Orthodox Church. In 1800, Metropolitan Platon drew up the rules of common faith, and following that Decree of October 27, 1800, the Old Believers were allowed to build their churches. After the atrocity of March 11, 1801, the Old Believers, as General N. A. Sablukov testifies, took every opportunity to express their sympathy to the grief-stricken Dowager Wife of Emperor Pavel Petrovich - Empress Maria Fedorovna. As a token of condolence, from all over Russia, the Empress was sent a huge number of images with the corresponding inscriptions from the Holy Scriptures. On one of them was a significant inscription: “Is it safe, Zamri, the murderer of his Sovereign?” (IV Book of Kings, Ch. 13, Art. 81), which also infuriated the participants in the regicide.
[ 10 ] Moats still existed in the 1980s.
[ 11 ] Initially, only the Metropolitan of Kyiv had a cross on a miter - in memory of the Baptism of Russia. Later, the mitre cross was granted to the Metropolitans of St. Petersburg and Moscow.
[ 12 ] Russian Biographical Dictionary, St. Petersburg. 1902.
[ 13 ] From a letter from the Heir Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich in 1776.
[ 14 ] From the same letter of the Heir Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich.
[ 15 ] Notes of General N. A. Sablukov, p. 7.
[ 16 ] In 1915-16. The clergy of the Peter and Paul Cathedral published a separate book describing hundreds of miracles at the Tomb of Emperor Pavel Petrovich.
[ 17 ] Minister of the Imperial Court Adjutant General Count VF Adlerberg. Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich friendly called him only "Edya".
[ 18 ] The incident in the Peter and Paul Cathedral is described according to an oral account of an eyewitness of the event - one of the Adjutant Wings of Emperor Alexander II, later a prominent Cavalry General.
[ 19 ] Ps. 115, Art. 1. Personal motto of the Autocrat of All Russia Paul the First.
Steinver (Stenver), captain, first commander of the Gatchina team (1784) 319
Shtukin D. 387
Shuvalov Alexander Ivanovich, in 1746-62 head of the Secret Chancellery, from 1754 head of the court staff of Peter and Catherine 158, 167, 176–177, 184, 189, 369
Shuvalov Ivan Ivanovich, favorite of Elisaveta Petrovna 137, 148, 163, 167, 181, 215, 246, 255, 368-369
Shuvalov Petr Ivanovich, one of the main actors in the government of Elisaveta Petrovna 136–137, 148, 167, 181, 367, 369
Shumigorsky E.S. 32, 45, 47, 52, 58, 61, 65, 68-70, 75, 97, 219, 268-269, 280, 283, 302, 306-308, 310, 319-320, 344, 346-347, 349, 353, 375, 380–381, 394
Shcherbatova Daria Fedorovna, maid of honor, rival of Catherine II in relations with A.M. Dmitriev-Mamonov 332
Eidelman N.Ya. 58–59, 62, 82, 85, 97, 221, 282, 359, 361, 364, 375, 394
Enghien, Duke - see: Conde, Duke of Enghien
Epinus Franz Ivanovich, one of the teachers of Paul 314
Yukht A.I. 392
Yaguzhinsky Pavel Ivanovich, Prosecutor General under Peter I, in 1734-35 Cabinet Minister 122, 128
Yaroslav the Wise, in 1019-54 Grand Duke of Kyiv 160
Pedigree
Notes
1
Dates of events that took place in Russia are reported according to the Julian calendar (old style), which lagged behind the Gregorian calendar (new style) adopted by Europe - in the XVIII century by 11 days, in the XIX - by 12. When it comes to events taking place in Europe, numbers are usually indicated according to both calendars.
2
In Rostopchin's note, from where the quoted fragment is taken, Pavel's speech is given in French: "Attendez, mon cher, attendez. J" ai vØcu quarante deux ans. Dieu m "a soutenu; peut-être, donnera-t-Il la force et la raison pour support-er l" Øtat, auquel Il me destine. Espørons tous de Sa bontø".
3
The rewards and promotions of Catherine's seniors in the first days of Paul's reign were in proportion to the loyalty and helpfulness shown by the respective persons in those early days. So, Count Nikolai Zubov received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - the highest Russian award - for the fact that he was the first to come to Paul in Gatchina with a message about the blow that happened to Catherine. Count Bezborodko was promoted, as they said, because it was he who placed in the hands of Paul all the papers of Catherine concerning the succession to the throne. —However, in the part of our text to which this footnote is attached, we are talking only about the first minutes, hours and days of Paul's reign. Very soon (by the end of 1796 - the beginning of 1797) decisive personal replacements will begin in the government.
4
All political criminals were released from custody, except for the insane. Among them are the leaders of the Polish uprising of 1794, suppressed by Suvorov - Kosciuszko, Nemtsevich, Pototsky, as well as all other captured Poles; Moscow Martinists: from the Shlisselburg fortress - Novikov, from exile - book. Trubetskoy, Turgenev, I. V. Lopukhin; finally, from Siberia - Radishchev, the author of a book that broke all domestic records for the amount of time during which it was not allowed to be printed in full in Russia - "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" was first printed in our country in full 115 years after the first edition was confiscated and destroyed.
5
This refers to the end of the war with Persia, begun by Catherine in the spring of 1796 on the territory of Dagestan.
6
Over time, the practice of personal appeals with complaints to the emperor was regulated - in particular, by a decree of May 6, 1799, which forbade the filing of ineffective petitions: "Establishing Our Throne on justice and mercy, We never closed Our hearing and attention to the true and right complaints of Our faithful subjects<…>; but unfortunately for Us, two years of experience has convinced us that impudence and ignorance, using Our patience for evil, countless, weekly, whimsical, inconsistent requests with order and law, occupy Our attention.<…>. We make no provision for Our faithful subjects to bring to Us valid complaints of harassment.<…>, but at the same time we find it necessary to confirm that, in spite of burdening Our attention with weekly requests, We will be forced to renew and put into effect the full force of the decrees issued in 1714, 1718 and 1765 "( PSZ. No. 18957).
7
INFORMATION ON GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS AND POSITIONS. Institutions and positions preserved by Emperor Paul I from the reign of Empress Catherine II: Council of His Imperial Majesty(advisory assembly under the sovereign) - consists of 12-15 first-called persons: Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, heir, prosecutor general, etc.; Governing Senate- in different years the reign of Paul from 46 to 90 senators; Holy Synod- Chief Prosecutor of the Synod plus 6-8 bishops; Attorney General; Boards(ministries): military, admiralty, foreign affairs, medical, justice college, department of post. Government institutions restored or established by Emperor Paul I: berg collegium (mining and coinage), manufactory collegium (light industry), commerce collegium (trade and customs administration), chamber collegium (state tax administration), appanage department (management of estates belonging to the imperial family), department of water communications, main salt office. - "For all the inconsistency of the legislation of 1796-1801, centralization, autocracy was the common spirit, the core of hundreds of new decrees. A series of measures replaced the collegial principle (where it still existed) by the individual."<…>"An iron line of subordination was built: the emperor - the prosecutor general - the minister - the governor.<…>The system of ministries, adopted since 1802 by Alexander I, as you know, was actually introduced under Paul I "( Eidelman 1982. S. 64). "It must be assumed that even before the accession to the throne, Paul came to the conclusion that the best - and in principle the ultimate - form<…>power is the sole monarchical government, based on a centralized, bureaucratically organized from top to bottom administration "( Tartakovsky. S. 213).
INFORMATION ON THE PERSONAL COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS AND POSITIONS. Persons left in their positions upon the accession of the emperor to the throne, in the continuation of the reign, little by little left their positions (in November-December 1796 - in early 1797, Catherine's favorite Platon Zubov and his brothers Nikolai and Valerian, General Attorney A. N. Samoilov, Vice-Chancellor I. A. Osterman, Secretary of State V. S. Popov) or received positions incomparably less important than those they had under Catherine. Of the old-timers of Catherine, only A. A. Bezborodko strengthened the position. - A JOKE ABOUT RAZUMOVSKY: "Of the former most famous nobles, one prince Alexander Andreevich Bezborodko remained at court. Almost all of the others, for various reasons and circumstances, retired and dispersed. Prince Potemkin died under Catherine. Field marshals Count Petr Alexandrovich Rumyantsov and Count Kirilo Grigorievich Razumovsky lived in their villages. The first of them soon died. The courier, sent to him and returning back, drove to Count Razumovsky and, notifying Rumyantsov of the death, asked: what would he order to say about himself. Razumovsky answered: - Say that I died" ( Shishkov. S. 19).
8
According to the charter granted by Catherine II in 1785, the nobles were exempted from corporal punishment even in those cases when they were demoted. Pavel looked at the matter differently, and from 1797, those demoted before being sent into exile or hard labor began to be flogged. It began after the trial of the retired ensign Rozhnov. On January 3, 1797, Rozhnov was found guilty of uttering "daring and lawful words" - he said: that sovereigns are all tyrants, villains and tormentors, that not a single completely virtuous person will agree to be a sovereign, that people are equal by nature and have no right to punish others for misdeeds to which they themselves are subject, that icons are idols, that all those who worship icons with zeal are dishonorable people, and finally, when he was at the watch parade, he, Rozhnov, looked at it as a puppet comedy. Rozhnov was sentenced to deprivation of the nobility and hard labor, and Pavel wrote a resolution on the Senate report on this case: “As soon as the nobility is removed, the privilege does not concern him. ". This resolution later determined the fate of all those demoted: anyone deprived of the nobility was henceforth subject to public flogging. (Klochkov. S. 491–493).
In the film "Exile", based on the book "A Reason for Laughing" by the American writer of Armenian origin William Saroyan, main character, Alexander, leaves the city with his wife Vera, daughter and young son to spend the weekend in his father's old house. Here the wife informs her husband that she is pregnant and that her future child not from him.
Alexander runs out of the house in anger, gets into the car and goes to his brother Mark. A man needs advice on what to do after such a recognition of his wife.
– Lord!.. What is going on, Mark? What's wrong with us? What should I do with Vera?
Mark calmly replies: v– What happens, happens, Alexander. Life is a game. Whatever you do, everything will be right. If you want to kill - kill ... and rightly so. If you want to forgive - forgive ... and rightly so. If you want to drive away, drive away, and that will also be right.
During the conversation, it turns out that Mark also has troubles in the family. He has children, but he left them and accustomed himself to the idea that children do not exist for him. According to him - "and it's right."
The tragedy of the fall is that man lost the ability to distinguish between good and evil. People have ceased to distinguish the holy from the unholy, the righteous from the sinful. For many, it is not at all obvious what is right and what is wrong. But the worst thing is that sometimes people are the least interested in whether they do right or wrong. What is more convenient, what is more profitable, then right.
How do you know where the line between good and evil lies? What is moral and what is immoral? Is there an absolute standard, a universal moral code, a yardstick by which we can determine what is good and what is bad?
Causes and consequences of the moral crisis
In order to understand why moral boundaries are so blurred today, let's turn to Sacred History.
Before the Babylonian captivity, moral chaos reigned among the chosen people of God. Here is what is said about Jerusalem in the book of the prophet Ezekiel: “Thus says the Lord God: O city that sheds blood in its midst… they slander your father and mother, they offend a stranger among you, they oppress an orphan and a widow… someone does an abomination with his neighbor’s wife… they take bribes from you to shed blood…"(Ezekiel 22:3,7,11,12).
The boundaries between good and evil in Israeli society at that time were blurred. The Lord called: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who regard darkness as light, and light as darkness…” (Isaiah 5:20). The situation was so egregious that the Lord expressed his outrage as follows: “And behold, I clasped my hands about your covetousness, which is found in you, and about the bloodshed that is committed among you”(Ezekiel 22:13).
The Lord Himself in the book of the prophet Jeremiah indicates the reason for such a deep moral crisis: “…they forsook my law which I had decreed for them, and neither listened to my voice nor acted in it” (Jer. 9:13).
The reason for the blurred moral boundaries and the moral crisis of our time is the same as in ancient times: man despised and rejected the Law of God.
The well-known Moldavian writer and playwright Ion Druta in his “Confession of the end of the century, the end of the millennium” writes: “Forgive me, Lord, but we have moved away from You so long ago, so far, that we already poorly understand where the sunrise is, where the sunset is, what is earthly, what is heavenly, what is permissible, and what is impossible anywhere, in no way, under any circumstances.
We sit on emptiness, rejoice, like children, in the boundlessness, immensity of this emptiness ... We amuse ourselves with neglect of morals, thinking that it is useful for cheerfulness of the spirit, for rejuvenating the body, and did not notice how immorality has become our nature, our essence. We have destroyed the foundations of Your commandments, O Lord, and we are horrified at the chaos that is coming upon us!”
Left without moral guidelines and guided by situational ethics, we can justify almost everything: theft - a difficult financial situation, adultery - an irresistible attraction to another person, murder - a just revenge.
If in our society the Law of God was revered and promoted, then a person would have a clear criterion of what is good and what is bad, he would know what is “permissible and what is impossible anywhere, in no way, under any circumstances.”
Origin of the Law of God
For the first time in writing, the Ten Commandments were received by Moses from God on Mount Sinai. The Israelites were the only people ancient world who kept the knowledge of the one living God, the Creator of heaven and earth, unlike other peoples who worshiped false gods and idols. That is why ancient Israel is called in the Bible the people of God, and through this people God gave His Law to mankind.
After the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. “And the Lord said to Moses: go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow ... for on the third day the Lord will descend before the eyes of all the people on Mount Sinai”(Ex. 19:10,11).
On the third day, God descended on the mountain. “Mount Sinai was all smoking because the Lord descended on it in fire; and the smoke from it ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. And the sound of the trumpet grew stronger and stronger.”(Ex. 19:18,19).
God wanted to hand over His Law to people in a solemn atmosphere in order to emphasize the sublime essence of the commandments. "And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up" (Ex. 19:20). In the noise of the raging elements, the voice of God was heard, which spoke to Moses the Ten Commandments.
“And when God stopped talking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him two tablets of revelation, tablets of stone, on which it was written with the finger of God”(Ex. 31:18). The Ten Commandments are the only message that God personally wrote down for mankind. They are so important that the Creator Himself inscribed them on stone.
The giving of the Ten Commandments is connected with another important event: here, on Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with Israel. God, entering into an alliance with people, promised to remain faithful to Israel and patronize it. Entering into a covenant relationship with God, the people were to remain loyal to God by keeping the Law.
The Universality and Immutability of the Law of God
There is an opinion that on Mount Sinai God first revealed His Ten Words Law, which was an integral part of Israel's covenant with God. The religion of the Jews is based on the Ten Commandments, the laws were given to Israel, but not to the whole world.
Is it really so? For example, in Genesis, God promises to bless Abraham and his descendants. “because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept what I was commanded to keep: my precepts, my statutes and my laws”(Gen. 26:5). As you can see, long before Sinai, Abraham knew and kept the Law of God, for which he received praise from God.
The principles of the Law of God were known from the very beginning of human history, long before the formation of the Jewish nation. The Ten Commandments were handed down orally from generation to generation before Sinai. And after the proclamation on Mount Sinai, the Decalogue was given to people in writing to remind them of what had been forgotten.
There is an opinion in some modern Christian currents that in the New Testament era, Christians are no longer bound by the obligation to observe the requirements of the Law of God.
To confirm this point of view, they usually refer to the epistles of the Apostle Paul. For example, in the letter to the Colossians it says: “Having destroyed by teaching the handwriting that was about us, which was against us, and He (Christ) took it from the midst and nailed it to the cross”(Col. 2:14). The word "manuscript" is usually interpreted as the written Law that was given to Moses. That's why they say, "Doesn't Paul say quite clearly that the whole Law was nailed to the cross, including the requirement to keep the Sabbath holy?" The apostle Paul says in support of this: “…for you are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). This verse is understood by many as follows: since after the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary we shall be saved by His grace and mercy, the Law has lost its function.
The assumption that the Law of God was abolished on the cross is fundamentally wrong. First of all, it should be noted that the word "law" is not used at all in Colossians chapter 2, verse 14. The word "manuscript" is translated from the ancient Greek "cheirographon" (from "heir" - hand and "grafo" - to write). Researchers point out that the term "cheirographon" in ancient times was used to refer to "Certificate of Debt" or an IOU. A person who borrows a certain amount wrote a document with his own hand, which confirmed the amount of the debt, as well as the conditions of the obligations assumed.
It is this kind of bill of exchange (IOU) that is discussed in the Epistle to the Colossians. No person, even the best, can satisfy all the requirements of the Law, because "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). The apostle Paul uses a metaphor from the vocabulary of business communication to show that a person is "spiritual bankrupt." The moral debt of every person to God is so great that we will never be able to repay Him. But the law is inexorable, it requires retribution, "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). This is what the apostle Paul means when he says that every person is "under the law" (Rom. 6:14), i.e. under the condemnation of the law. “But we know that the law, if it says anything, speaks to those under the law, so that every mouth is stopped, and the whole world becomes guilty before God”(Rom. 3:19).
Thus, the “manuscript” (cheirographon) that the Apostle Paul speaks of is not the Law of God itself, but a symbolic “bill”, our “promissory note”, which indicates our obligations to the Law. The "manuscript" is a list of our sins and moral obligations. This "book of sins" is in the "middle" (see Col. 2:14) of the heavenly judgment seat and accuses mankind, testifying "against us" that we have failed to fulfill the requirements of the Law. Therefore, the Son of God, knowing that we are doomed to death, came to us in human flesh, lived a sinless life instead of us, and then took upon Himself the sins of all mankind and was nailed to the cross. By paying for our sins with His death, Jesus satisfied the requirement of the Law in its entirety. In doing so, He "nullified" our debt and forgave "us of all our sins" (Col. 2:13). “Christ paid for our deliverance from the very curse that is expressed in the Law, taking the curse on Himself for us”(Gal. 3:13, translation edited by MP Kulakov).
When the apostle Paul speaks of "an IOU" being "nailed to the cross," he refers his readers to a well-known Asian practice: when the debt was paid, the IOU was nailed to a post. This is evidenced by Hugo Grotius, a Dutch lawyer, one of the founders of modern international law.
Expression "you are not under the law" (Rom. 6:14) implies that God's grace delivered believers from judgment, not from the Law itself. Christ "nailed to the cross", not the Law, but its ability to condemn. Christ did not annul the Ten Commandments, but our irredeemable debt, the record of our sins. With this metaphor, Paul illustrates the fullness of God's forgiveness.
The apostle Paul does not mean that man is now free to break the Ten Commandments. Jesus Christ on the cross could not cancel and destroy the Law of God, "because where there is no law, there is no crime" (Rom. 4:15). Such a step would deprive mankind of moral principles. And if there were no crime, then there would be no point for Christ to die.
Christ confirmed this truth when he said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until all is fulfilled.» (Matthew 5:17,18). This statement clearly shows that the Law of God has been and remains unchanged. The law of God applies to everyone and for all time.
Thus, the apostle Paul writes about the debt that Christ paid for our sins, thereby “having taken away the strength of the principalities and authorities (the devil), he powerfully put them to shame, triumphing over them with Himself” (Col. 2:15).
The German reformer Martin Luther tells of his dream in which Satan came to him with a large, thickly written scroll. He began to unroll the scroll in front of Luther and demanded: "Read!" Luther began to read and quickly realized that before him was a list of all sins.
Luther carefully read the list to the end and asked Satan:
Are all my sins on this list?
“No,” Satan replied.
“Show me all of them,” Luther said.
Satan left and soon returned with a new list, just as long. Martin Luther also looked at this terrible sheet. Convinced that everything was correct, he again asked Satan:
- That's it?
“Yes,” Satan replied, “that’s all now. You cannot expect to be saved.
“Then take my pen,” said Luther, “and write in red ink across the scroll: "The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin"
(1 John 1:7).
And in the same instant, Satan disappeared along with his scroll.
Purpose and Purpose of the Law of God
A misunderstanding of the purpose and purpose of the Law of God has led modern Christianity to the doctrine of the abolition of the Ten Commandments. What is the real purpose of the Law of God?
The fulfillment of the Law of God expresses fidelity and love for God, serves as an indicator of a person's attitude towards Him. Christ said: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Having appreciated the love of God and the forgiveness granted, the believer moves away from sin because of the desire not to grieve God, not to hurt Him.
The Apostle John writes: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3). Faith in Christ, love for God must lead to obedience to His Law. "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).
Another function of the Law of God is to diagnose the sinner. The apostle Paul states: “But I did not know sin otherwise than by the law…” (Rom. 7:7). Without the Law there is no sin, “for where there is no law, there is no transgression” (Rom. 4:15); "sin is not imputed when there is no law"(Rom. 5:13). The apostle Paul rejects keeping the Law as a way to gain favor from God, but affirms the Ten Commandments as a criterion of morality, a means of defining sin, and an ideal of Christian behavior.
So, for example, when we look in the mirror, we find a dirty face. But the mirror itself is not able to wash away the dirt from our face, water is needed for this. In the same way, the Law is needed to reveal sin and point out the need for a Savior who can forgive us and cleanse us, for only “The Blood of Jesus Christ … cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Letter of the law
Christ said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart ... - this is the first and greatest commandment. The second one is similar to it: “Love your neighbor as yourself”; on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."(Matthew 22:37-40). According to Christ, in the fulfillment of the first four commandments, a person expresses His love for God, the remaining six determine the relationship of people among themselves.
First commandment. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."(Ex. 20:2,3).
In writing, the Lord gave His Law after miraculously leading the people of Israel out of Egyptian slavery, which became the personification of the slavery of sin. The Lord commanded to remember this event, because only the true God can lead out of slavery, save from death, free from the power of sin.
This commandment forbids idolatry. The first commandment explains that man-made "The gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord created the heavens" (Ps. 95:5); "... He is the living God and the King of the Eternal..." (Jer. 10:10). The only one worthy of worship is the Creator of heaven and earth.
Of course, in our time, those forms of idolatry that existed in antiquity are rarely found, but in the Holy Scriptures idolatry is understood much more broadly. An idol is something that occupies a place in our life that rightfully belongs to the Lord God alone: work, material values, hobbies, vicious habits. People also tend to make other people and themselves the object of their worship.
The letter to the Colossians says: “Therefore, put to death your members on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil lust and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience…”(Col. 3:5,6). 1 Samuel also says: “... disobedience is the same sin as magic, and resistance is the same as idolatry ...” (1 Samuel 15:23). Why is resisting the will of God seen as idolatry?
When Moses appeared before the Egyptian pharaoh and declared that God required the release of His people, the pharaoh was indignant: “Who is the Lord that I should listen to His voice and let Israel go?” (Ex. 5:2). A person who opposes the will of God puts God Himself into nothing. Own desires, reason, will and pride become idols. Thus, man, just like Pharaoh, declares: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?”
Today, unfortunately, people have many objects of worship, but not the only one who is worthy of love and worship. But He, Christ, "more than ten thousand" (Song of Songs 5:10).
Second commandment. “Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth; do not worship them and do not serve them, for I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, punishing children for the guilt of their fathers up to the third and fourth generations that hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations to those who love Me and keep My commandments.(Ex. 20:4-6).
The law of God forbids a person to create any image or image for worship. Here is what the Lord says about this through the prophet Isaiah: “Who made a god and poured out an idol that does not bring any benefit? All those who participate in this will be ashamed, for the artists themselves are from the same people ... He is chasing dust; a deceived heart has led him astray, and he cannot free his soul and say, “Is not deceit in my right hand?”(Isaiah 44:10,11, 20).
Today, the idols and images that were worshiped in antiquity have taken on a slightly different form. For example, the cult of icon veneration is widespread in Slavic culture. But the Lord forbade worshiping the products of human hands. Knowing this command of God, one should say: “…will I do an abomination? shall I worship a piece of wood?” (Isaiah 44:19).
The second commandment reveals an important characteristic of God: “I am the Lord your God, a jealous God…” (Ex. 20:5). Jealousy is manifested where claims are made for the loyalty of another person. The Gospel says: “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain: “God who lives in us loves jealously”? (James 4:5). The Lord declares: "... with an eternal love I have loved you..."(Jer. 31:3). God the Jealous in His love for us does not want and cannot put up with what we put in His place in our lives. The Lord loves us and wants us to love him back.
The next sentence of the second commandment reads: “... God is jealous, punishing the children for the guilt of the fathers to the third and fourth generation, who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations to those who love Me and keep My commandments”(Ex. 20:5,6).
These words are often taken literally. Often, people look for the cause of their suffering in their genealogy, and for this they try to find out if their fathers and grandfathers committed a serious sin, for which they are punished.
However, Scripture affirms an important principle: “... the son will not bear the guilt of the father, and the father will not bear the guilt of the son, the righteousness of the righteous remains with him, and the iniquity of the lawless with him remains”(Ezekiel 18:20). It may seem that this text contradicts the content of the second commandment. However, it is not. In this case, we are talking about the individual responsibility of each person before God for their actions. If the son does not imitate the sins of the father, then he will not bear responsibility. But there is a law of cause and effect, and sometimes the consequences of the "guilt of the fathers" can be a heavy burden on future generations. For example, children can inherit bad habits or diseases.
The commandment says that God punishes "up to the third and fourth generation" and shows mercy to "the thousandth generation." Here the punishment for sin should be understood not as a special punishment of God, but as a consequence of sins. The small numbers “three and four” in relation to the curse mean that the Lord does not like to punish, and “thousand” symbolizes the boundless mercy of the Almighty to those who love Him.
Prophet Micah says: “Who is a God like You, who forgives iniquity and does not impute transgression to the remnant of Your inheritance? He is not always angry, because He loves to have mercy.(Micah 7:18). What an amazing message the Bible has about our God! We have repeatedly stepped on the path of resistance, however "philanthropic and merciful, long-suffering and many-merciful and true" (Ex. 34:6) The Lord is always waiting for our return and is always ready to forgive the repentant sinner.
Third commandment.“Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain”(Ex. 20:7).
In no other commandment do we find the warning that is contained in the third commandment: "For the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces His name in vain." Therefore, it is important to understand what the sin is that entails such serious consequences if this commandment is violated.
The Hebrew word translated in the Russian Bible as "do not utter" literally means "carry" in the original language. Therefore, the content of this commandment literally sounds like this: "Do not bear the name of the Lord your God in vain." To understand the meaning of the Hebrew word for “to wear,” consider the use of this word in other places in Scripture.
The Lord gives a command to the High Priest Aaron: “Make the breastplate of judgment with skillful work ... and put in it set stones in four rows ... These stones should be, according to the number of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; on each, as on a seal, one name from among the twelve tribes should be carved ... And Aaron will wear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate with a judgment near his heart, when he enters the sanctuary, for a constant memory before the Lord ”(Ex. 28:15,17,21,29). Here the word "carried" is the same as used in the third commandment.
When the High Priest entered the sanctuary, where the glory of the Lord dwelt, bearing “the names of the sons of Israel before the Lord” on his chest, he symbolically represented the whole people before God, became an intermediary between the people and God.
The word "in vain" Hebrew original means "falsehood, untruth, deceit." Therefore, the content of this commandment can be translated: "Let not the name of God be presented in a false light."
Just as the priest “beared the names” of the tribes of Israel before God, that is, represented them before the Lord, in the same way the believer must “bear the name” of God before people, that is, worthily represent God before people. Surprisingly, the Lord entrusts His reputation to us ordinary people.
Christ commanded to address the Father with the words: "Hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9). Of course, the name of God is dishonored if a person casually and thoughtlessly mentions Him in conversation, or when he repeats in vain or speaks lightly. The Bible says: “Holy and terrible is His name!” (Ps. 110:9). However, to sanctify the name of God means more than just reverently and tremblingly pronounce it. The third commandment calls for a worthy representation of God in your behavior and lifestyle, which, by design, should glorify the Lord.
Fourth commandment. “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; work for six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: do not do any work on it, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the stranger who is in your dwellings; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”(Ex. 20:8-11).
Unfortunately, Sabbath as a day of worship to God is almost a forgotten day, despite the fact that it begins with the word: "Remember." Why don't they talk about her?
There is a belief that it is not necessary to keep the seventh day of the Sabbath as the Lord's Day, as this is a "Jewish tradition". In the Christian tradition, Saturday was replaced by Sunday.
Such statements are not consistent with biblical teaching and common sense. Many people who know the Holy Scriptures agree that worshiping idols, mentioning the name of God in vain, disrespecting parents, murder, adultery, theft, lying, envy are sins. No one seems to dispute the significance and enduring value of the other nine commandments. But as soon as one speaks of the immutability of the Sabbath commandment, it is immediately attributed to the Jewish tradition and it is declared that Christians are not required to observe the Sabbath as the Day of the Lord after the resurrection of Christ.
Are not all the commandments of the Decalogue equal? The fourth commandment is the same universal principle, the observance of which is obligatory for all mankind, and not just for the people of Israel.
The Apostle James states: “Whoever keeps the whole law and sins in one point, he becomes guilty of everything. For the same one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” said also, “Thou shalt not kill”; therefore, if you do not commit adultery, but kill, then you are also a transgressor of the law.”(James 2:10,11).
There is an important foundation underlying the observance of this commandment. The Lord gave the following reason for remembering and keeping the Sabbath day : “for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”(Ex. 20:11).
The book of Psalter about the Creator of heaven and earth says: “He made His miracles memorable…” (Ps. 110:4). The Sabbath is a monument erected by God in time, which from week to week was supposed to remind who the true God is. To separate this day from the other six means to become like God and honor Him as the Creator of heaven and earth. Is honoring the Lord as the Creator the duty of the Jews only? Shouldn't all people show obedience to God and honor the monument of creation by putting aside their daily work on the Sabbath according to the commandment?
The considered commandments of the Law of God describe the spiritual foundations of man's relationship with God. The remaining six commandments of the Ten Word Law define our duties and responsibilities towards our fellowmen.
Fifth commandment.“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12).
God instructs us to love our parents, treat them with respect and forgive them if necessary. Obedience is the main requirement in honoring parents. This will allow children to avoid many unwanted mistakes. The Apostle Paul writes: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Eph. 6:1).
Often, adult children justify inattention to their parents with their busyness. However, the fifth commandment requires that children help their parents, do not leave them to their fate, continue to take care of them in old age.
The sixth commandment. "Dont kill" (Ex. 20:13).
The sixth commandment of the Law of God affirms the inviolability of human life. Today, topics such as the right to euthanasia, abortion and the death penalty are widely discussed. The Lord expressed His position on this matter in the Ten Words Law. Life is the greatest gift of God, and only God sets the limits of a person's earthly life.
Seventh commandment. "Do not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14).
Adultery is adultery. Today, when moral boundaries are blurred, and the laws of some countries allow same-sex marriage, the seventh commandment still stands to protect the family and morality.
Marriage is the original establishment of the Creator of the Universe. The Lord said: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cling to his wife; and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Jesus Christ repeats this institution in the Gospel of Matthew: “So what God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:6). According to this divine institution, the marriage bond is inseparable. This commandment commands us to be faithful throughout our lives.
This commandment also forbids premarital intimacy. The relationship between a man and a woman can only be legal and blessed in marriage. The Lord wanted a person to receive satisfaction from a life where loyalty and responsibility are in honor.
The Bible commands us to keep moral purity and chastity. In the writings of the Apostle Paul we find the following commands: "In order to avoid fornication, each one should have his own wife, and each one should have her own husband" (1 Corinthians 7:2). “Let the marriage of all be honest and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4).
Eighth commandment. "Don't steal" (Ex. 20:15).
The eighth commandment forbids the appropriation of another's property. It requires strict honesty in all matters: it prohibits fraud in trade, tax evasion, failure to return debts, withholding wages to an employee, and stowaways on transport.
Ninth commandment. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Ex. 20:16).
In this commandment, the Lord instructs us to speak only the truth and never lie. The Apostle Paul teaches: "Rejecting falsehood, each one speak the truth to his neighbor, for we are members of one another" (Eph. 4:25).
Tenth commandment. “Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor's."(Ex. 20:17).
All previous commandments spoke mainly about human behavior, and the tenth draws attention to the motives and desires of a person. Every sin begins with an evil thought. If it is not stopped, then sinful desire arises. Desire pushes a person to act.
The tenth commandment forbids us to desire someone else's. This means that we must learn to be content with what we have. The sin of envy underlies many crimes and leads to the violation of the other nine commandments.
The Apostle Paul says: “A great gain is to be godly and contented” (1 Tim. 6:6). About himself he says: "...I have learned to be content with what I have" (Phil. 4:11).
So, the essence of the Law of God lies in two great moral principles: to love God and to love your neighbor. This principle is stated in the letter to the Corinthians: “Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, is not proud, does not act outrageously, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil”(1 Cor. 13:4,5).
L.N. Tolstoy wrote: “People think that there are provisions in which you can treat a person without love, but there are no such provisions. Things can be handled without love: trees can be cut, bricks can be made, iron can be forged without love; but people cannot be treated without love, just as bees cannot be treated without caution. This is the property of bees. If you treat them carelessly, you will harm yourself with them. It's the same with people. And it can't be otherwise because mutual love between people there is the basic law of human life.
The Significance of the Spiritual Side of the Law of God
The law of God requires more than just the literal fulfillment of the Ten Commandments. Love manifests itself on a higher moral level. Christ did not change or abolish the Law, but only revealed its meaning more deeply. He tirelessly spoke about the need to observe the Law, not only its letters, as the scribes and Pharisees taught, but according to the deep spiritual essence inherent in each of the Divine institutions.
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For example, Jesus Christ in His Sermon on the Mount says: “You have heard what the ancients said: “Thou shalt not kill; whoever kills is subject to judgment.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother in vain will be subject to judgment.”(Matthew 5:21,22).
The letter of the Law of God condemns murder. Christ shows that the sin of murder can begin with anger at a brother, neglect, arrogance. Christ says that even insulting a person, calling him stupid (“raka” in Aramaic) (see Matt. 5:22) is a violation of the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”.
Christ said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.”(Matthew 5:43,44). Not only should we not hate enemies and be at enmity with them, but we are called to love them, forgive, help and serve them, no matter what harm they have done to us. One of Jesus' most quoted expressions is the "golden rule": "And as you want people to do to you, do to them" (Luke 6:31).
The law of God condemns adultery. But Christ says: “You have heard what the ancients said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I tell you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”(Matthew 5:27,28). According to Christ, once having met with one woman, a man should not only never cheat on her, but even avoid lustful desires.
The commands of Christ raise the question: is it possible for people to achieve such a high level of righteousness? Is it possible to keep the Ten Commandments exactly?
If we realize how much God loves us, we will be able to love, because the love of God will evoke in us a feeling in return: "Beloved! If God so loved us, then we must also love one another.” (1 John 4:11). Jesus says that obedience is the result of loving God.
Blessings of God's Law
The Lord God created our world and established the laws of the universe, including moral ones. However, one often hears the objection that the commandments of God limit our freedom and deprive life of joy and color. But it's not. God wants us to be free and happy. When we keep the Law of God, only then are we truly free from the bondage of sin. In the Bible, the Law of God is called "law of freedom" (James 2:12). Christ said: "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Here is what the Bible says about the purpose for which He instituted the moral Law: “And keep his ordinances and his commandments which I command you today, so that it will be good for you and for your sons after you.”(Deut. 4:40). The God of the Bible is a loving Heavenly Father who cares about our happiness and knows better than we what it is. Elsewhere in the Bible it says that "God's will is good, acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2).
Breaking the law of God is sin, and sin always brings sad consequences with it. The Bible expresses this principle as follows: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will reap." (Gal. 6:7).
The law of God is a fence, it is given for our good and happiness, in order to protect and save us from evil! The Bible says: "The one who keeps the commandment keeps his life, but the one who neglects his ways will perish" (Prov. 19:16).
Nikolai Leskov's story "The New Testament Jews" tells the story of a man who made his choice.
“In the early fifties… in Kyiv people were carried away by love for Christ… a university medical student, and an elderly, very sickly seal-cutter…
The student… was the most passionate reader of Christ… He always led the life of an unmercenary and… almost a beggar… but he was always cheerful and happy. He was only very concerned about one thing: "to do everything in such a way that the holy brother Jesus of Galilee was on his side." So he said, so he did. The New Testament was the rule of his life, and he expressed this judgment:
- ... Often I have encountered such cases in my life where I did not know what to do so that my brother Jesus would be pleased with me ... but I will dive into the stream of gospel love and jump out, baptized by it - and I clearly see what needs to be done.
Let the leading motive in every choice be not profit and convenience, but only truth. Let the main question of our life be not what I can get, but what I can give, not what is more beneficial for me, but whatever is pleasing to the will of God: "God! what do you want me to do?"
(Acts 9:6).
Would you like to turn to God with the words of the psalmist David : “I desire to do Your will, my God, and Your law is in my heart” (Ps. 39:9)?
In this article, we have listed the ten commandments of Christianity. We have also prepared for you an interpretation of the laws of God.
Ten Commandments of Christianity
Here are the Commandments that the Lord God of Hosts gave to the people through His chosen one and the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:2-17):
- Dont kill.
- Don't commit adultery.
- Don't steal.
Truly, this law is short, but these commandments say a lot to anyone who knows how to think and who seeks the salvation of his soul.
Anyone who does not understand with his heart this main God's law will not be able to accept either Christ or His teachings. Whoever does not learn to swim in shallow water will not be able to swim in depth, for he will drown. And whoever does not learn to walk first will not be able to run, for he will fall and be broken. And whoever does not first learn to count to ten will never be able to count thousands. And whoever does not first learn to read in syllables will never be able to read fluently and speak eloquently. And whoever does not first lay the foundation of the house will try in vain to build a roof.
I repeat: whoever does not keep the commandments of the Lord given to Moses will knock in vain at the doors of the Kingdom of Christ.
FIRST COMMANDMENT
I am the Lord your God... Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
This means:
God is One, and there are no other gods besides Him. From Him all creatures come, thanks to Him they live and return to Him. All strength and power resides in God, and there is no strength outside of God. And the power of light, and the power of water, and air, and stone is the power of God. If an ant crawls, a fish swims and a bird flies, then this is thanks to God. The ability of a seed to grow, grass to breathe, a person to live, are the essence of God's abilities. All these abilities are the property of God, and every creature receives its ability to exist from God. The Lord gives to everyone as He sees fit, and takes back when He sees fit. Therefore, when you want to gain the ability to do something, seek only in God, for the Lord God is the source of life-giving and mighty power. There are no other sources besides Him. Pray to the Lord like this:
“God, Merciful, inexhaustible, the only source of strength, strengthen me, the weak, give me greater strength so that I can better serve You. God, give me wisdom so that I do not use the power received from You for evil, but only for the benefit of myself and my neighbors, to magnify Your glory. Amen".
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth.
It means:
Do not deify creation instead of the Creator. If you climbed a high mountain where you met the Lord God, why should you look back at the reflection in a puddle under the mountain? If a certain person longed to see the king and after much effort managed to stand before him, why would he then look around to the right and left at the king's servants? He can look around for two reasons: either because he does not dare to stand face to face before the king, or because he thinks that the king alone cannot help him.
THIRD COMMANDMENT
Do not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces His name in vain.
What, are there really such people who decide to commemorate, without reason and need, the name that leads to trepidation - the name of the Lord God Most High? When the name of God is pronounced in heaven, the heavens bow, the stars flash brighter, the Archangels and Angels sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,” and the saints and saints of God fall on their faces. Then who among mortals dares to commemorate the Most Holy Name of God without spiritual trembling and without deep sighing from longing for God?
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
Work six days, and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.
This means:
The Creator created for six days, and on the seventh day He rested from His labors. Six days are temporary, vain and short-lived, and the seventh is eternal, peaceful and durable. By the creation of the world, the Lord God entered into time, but did not leave eternity. This mystery is great...(Eph. 5:32), and it is more fitting to think about it than to talk about it, for it is not available to everyone, but only to God's chosen ones.
FIFTH COMMANDMENT
Honor your father and your mother, that your days on earth may be long.
This means:
Before you knew the Lord God, your parents knew Him. This alone is enough for you to bow to them with respect and give them praise. Bow down and give praise to everyone who has known the Highest Good in this world before you.
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
Dont kill.
This means:
God breathed life from His life into every created being. Life is the most precious wealth given by God. Therefore, whoever encroaches on any life on earth raises his hand on the most precious gift of God, moreover, on the very life of God. All of us living today are only temporary bearers of God's life in ourselves, custodians of the most precious gift that belongs to God. Therefore, we do not have the right, and we cannot take away the life borrowed from God, either from ourselves or from others.
SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
Don't commit adultery.
And this means:
Do not have an illegal relationship with a woman. Indeed, in this, animals are more obedient to God than many people.
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
Don't steal.
And this means:
Do not grieve your neighbor by disrespecting his property rights. Don't do what foxes and mice do if you think you're better than a fox and a mouse. The fox steals without knowing the law on theft; and the mouse gnaws at the barn, not realizing that it is harming someone. Both the fox and the mouse understand only their own need, but not someone else's loss. They are not given to understand, but you are given. Therefore, you are not forgiven what is forgiven for a fox and a mouse. Your benefit must always be subordinate to the law, it must not be to the detriment of your neighbor.
NINTH COMMANDMENT
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
BUT this means:
Do not be deceitful either towards yourself or towards others. If you lie about yourself, you yourself know that you are lying. But if you slander someone else, that other person knows that you are slandering about him.
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
Do not covet your neighbor's house; do not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is with your neighbor.
And this means:
As soon as you desired someone else's, you have already fallen into sin. Now the question is, will you come to your senses, will you catch yourself, or will you continue to roll down the inclined plane, where the desire of someone else leads you?
Desire is the seed of sin. A sinful act is already a harvest from the seed sown and grown.