But is there any good deed that has not already been prescribed by God Himself in our conscience? Can one wish for a better law than that found in the word of God? Follow such leaders and you will never find reasons for repentance. That transformation which you consider necessary for all, begin with yourself; Bring order into the circle of your subordinates, set an example in your life of those perfections that you would like to see in public life. And one such example cannot remain without effect, especially if there are many of them. And what would happen if all the self-proclaimed reformers of societies followed this path of self-correction? How many crimes and horrors would have been avoided! How much disorder and evil have been destroyed in an inconspicuous way! How much good has been produced in silence and peace! And the tears of the deceived, which are now flowing before the God of vengeance, would then be tears of sincere gratitude.

There may, of course, be such shortcomings in the structure of human societies as are unable to overcome all the jealousy of private people. But for this very reason there is a supreme power, in whose hands are concentrated the forces and means to strengthen the weak, to grow the young, to heal the weak, to eradicate, to plant and to take away. Should we complain about the lack of these remedies or about the lack of their use? If all peoples were to doubt the beneficial activity of the powers that be, then Russia cannot. Its greatness is the true work of its autocrats. Who stretched the boundaries of the land of the Fatherland to the ends of the universe, forced non-Christian Asia to bow down before the sign of the Cross, and recently freed the whole of Europe from the heavy yoke?** - Our autocrats. Who has called to us enlightenment, who has increased the vineyards of sciences, who has commanded the light of the intellect to spread even where the light of the sun seldom appears? - Our autocrats. Who has paved the immeasurable paths of domestic industry, facilitated the movement of the people's surpluses, opened the entrances and exits for industry in all the countries of the world? - Autocrats. Who in the course of so many centuries pronounced rights and laws for the Fatherland, was the sonorous organ of the people's conscience and sense, the voice of God Himself? - Autocrats. In other countries, good things often began below and ascended to the throne; with us it has always arisen on the throne and descended to the valley. Others preceded, we were always preceded, and could hardly contain what was served. After such a past, with our present, is it possible to fear for the future?

Finally, there is no reason to be troubled by the thought that the actions of the powers that be, however solicitous and wise they may be, like human actions, may, so to speak, lag behind the development of the forces and needs of the people, and thereby retard the progress of civil society. The King of Heaven, in Whose right hand are kings and kingdoms, saw this danger before us, and averted it once and for all. How did he turn him away? By the fact that he has subordinated the essential development of human societies not to the weak arbitrariness of man, but to his all-encompassing and all-wise Providence. In fact, the growth of nations, as well as of man, depends largely on external circumstances, and has its own internal law, the actions of which no force can stop. In human societies there is a principle of perfection (the possibility of perfection - ed.) laid down by God Himself, not stifled by anything. This life-giving principle, innate to all, is the striving for the true, which in nations, as well as in individuals, ceases to act and bear fruit only when they themselves, in the darkening of their minds and the violence of their will, deviate from the main goal of their existence. With the development of such a beginning of life, all the worst passes by itself, prejudices disappear, concepts and desires are purified, everyone enters into his own rights, mountains and hills are humbled, the wilds are filled, and the whole body of society assumes of itself a slender and splendid appearance. On the contrary, violent upheavals of societies not only do not accelerate their true improvement, although they are apparently undertaken for this purpose, but even slow it down. The inevitable consequence, and at the same time the punishment for them, is civil schism and mutual hatred. When one half of the citizens rushes headlong forward, the other, as if by some law of opposite, rushes backwards. In the middle, an abyss opens that swallows thousands of victims before it is filled. Between extremes there begins a struggle and hesitation, at the end of which, thinking to be at the goal, they often find themselves further away from it than before.

No, the path of true civil advancement comes from the throne, and not from the wilderness, and leads to the temple of piety, and not to the caves of turmoil. It is long-lasting, but safe and firm; long for the life of one man, short for the life of nations. Kingdoms grow over the centuries, and the slower, the more durable they become.

Dear Fatherland! With what joyful calm from these sacred truths do we turn to you, in whose fate they are so truly and fully realized! It was not by admiration (thought - ed.) that you did not ascend to the height of world fame. When other nations were already enjoying the fruits of freedom and citizenship, you still bore chains and were diminished. The series of your temptations has been long, the bloody feats have been long, the test of faithfulness has been terrible, but behold, God has exalted you.

What can lead you astray from the path to true greatness if you do not deviate from your high goal? Continue to walk the peaceful path of lawful self-perfection, not deviating either to the neck or to the right hand, not giving way to those pernicious impulses of strength that elevate for years and weaken for eternity. Let the tongues wander and the people learn in vain, let the king of the land appear on the field of battle, and the princes gather together against the Lord and against your Christ; Let them say: Let us break their bonds - the bonds of love and prosperity of the people, and let us cast away from us their yoke - a good and easy yoke. He who lives in heaven – and in your Orthodox churches, and even more so in your Christ-loving heart – will laugh at them, and the Lord will mock them, as they swear at you. He will cry out to them with His wrath, and with His wrath He will crush me. And He will not only restore to you the former ones, but also give new tongues for your inheritance, and for your possession the ends of the earth. Only continue to work for the Lord with fear, and rejoice before Him with trembling; only accept the punishment sent down to you with good humor. Blessed are all the hopeful Nan (Psalm 2).

Dear compatriots! There is no doubt that each of us wholeheartedly participates in these good wishes for the Fatherland. But every true good will must be expressed in good action. Let us repeat before the God of righteousness the vow, in imitation of the example of the monarch, to use all our strength and abilities for the good of the Fatherland. The day of the sacred coronation should be a day of repetition of sacred vows before God for the king and his people—especially at times like the present. Amen.

* The uprising of the Polish nobility lasted almost a year, as initially the government considered it an internal affair of Poland and did not take measures to protect the people and order. (Ed.)

** We are talking about the brilliant victories of Russian arms during the Russian-Turkish wars of 1787-1791, then 1806-1812, as well as the victory over Napoleon. (Editor's note)

Sermon on the Birthday of the Most Pious Tsar Nicholas Pavlovich, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Delivered in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, June 25, 1832

In the life of every person, the day of his birth is important, because the whole life begins and depends on it. But the birthday of the sovereign should be important and sacred for the whole people, because the new fate of the entire kingdom begins and depends on it. The appearance of sovereign persons is like the ascent of new luminaries in the firmament: everyone involuntarily asks what should be expected, and what does it portend?