THE EPISTLE OF SAINT VELIUS TO THE KINGDOM OF FOVOHAM: CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

¹Now let me speak unto thee again, O King, not as a stranger, but as thy brother in the Flame, and as a shepherd of the flock of the Most High.
²For thou hast heard already of the mighty works of Saint Ajora, and of the truth that proceedeth from His mouth as a two-edged sword.
³He was lowly, yet He spake as one having authority; He was meek, yet Ivalice did tremble at His word.
⁴He walked among the poor and the broken, and they knew Him not, but their hearts did burn within them when He opened the Flame to them.
⁵With His voice He healed the withered hand, and with a touch He opened the eyes of them born blind.
⁶He raised the child from her deathbed, and the widow's son He delivered again unto her arms.
⁷The leper He cleansed, and the lame He made to dance as the hart upon the hill; and the dumb sang the praise of the Most High.
⁸The winds obeyed Him, and the seas were calmed; the spirits of darkness fled before Him, crying, “Thou art the Flame incarnate!”
⁹Yet He sought not His own glory, but spake ever of the Father who sent Him, and of the Kingdom which cometh without trumpet or crown.
¹⁰And when the multitudes would make Him King, He withdrew into the mountain to pray.
¹¹He did not set foot in the palace, but made His dwelling among the lowly, and called fishermen and outcasts to be His disciples.
¹²He opened the scriptures and showed their heart, and they were ashamed, and rejoiced in their tears.
¹³He taught that mercy is greater than sacrifice, and that love is the fulfillment of the whole law.
¹⁴He said, “Let him that would be great among thee be servant of all; and he that humbleth himself shall be lifted up.”
¹⁵And when they reviled Him, He opened not His mouth; when they scourged Him, He blessed; and when they led Him to death, He forgave.
¹⁶In His final hour He spake not of vengeance, but of peace; and He gave up the Flame with a cry that shook the Heavens.
¹⁷Yea, the curtain was rent, Ivalice did quake, and the graves of the just were opened.
¹⁸But they knew not what they had done, for their eyes were veiled, and their hearts were hardened.
¹⁹Yet from His death did come forth life, and from His sorrow sprang joy that shall not be taken away.
²⁰And now He sitteth at the right hand of the Most High, until the day when He shall return, crowned with fire, to judge the quick and the dead.
²¹O King, let not these things depart from thy remembrance, for they are thy life, and the hope of thy people.
²²Let the churches in thy land be as gardens, enclosed yet blooming, fed by the waters of doctrine and the warmth of charity.
²³Appoint unto them guardians who fear the Lord and not the face of man, who teach not for gain but for love of truth.
²⁴Let not thy hand be heavy upon the flock, neither let thine eye be turned away from them.
²⁵For the shepherd must guard his sheep from wolves, but he must also lead them to pasture and give space to graze.
²⁶Oppress not the voice of the preachers, nor bind the hands of the prophets.
²⁷For the Flame speaketh not always in thunder, but oft in the still small voice, and in the humble soul.
²⁸Let the houses of prayer be places of peace and not contention, filled with light and not with gold.
²⁹Take not from the churches their bread, nor exact tribute of them; for their treasure is not of this world.
³⁰But bless their works openly, and encourage the faithful; give them leave to build and to teach, and to heal the wounded in spirit.
³¹The poor and the weary shall come unto them, and they shall find rest if thou openest not the gates against them.
³²If the King rejoiceth in the holiness of his land, the Lord shall rejoice in him and lengthen his reign.
³³For where the Flame is cherished, the sword is stayed; and where mercy flourisheth, the kingdom shall know peace.
³⁴Count not thy churches as rivals, nor their ministers as rebels, for they seek not thrones but souls.
³⁵Yet if one among them stray from the path and cause scandal, let him be corrected with gentleness, and restored if he repent.
³⁶For every branch must be pruned, yet none should be cast into the fire save it be dry and without fruit.
³⁷In this also shalt thou reflect the Lord, who is both just and merciful, terrible in wrath but quick to forgive.
³⁸Be thou not like the kings of old who silenced the prophets and worshipped the works of their own hands.
³⁹Their names are forgotten, or remembered in shame; but the righteous are as stars, shining forever in the firmament of the Lord.
⁴⁰I beseech thee therefore, O Galgariff, crown thy rule with righteousness, and let thy legacy be one of holiness.
⁴¹If thy scepter be just, it shall be as a rod of iron; but if it be cruel, it shall be broken as a potsherd.
⁴²Let the children in thy streets be taught the name of Saint Ajora, and let the songs of the Flame rise daily from thy halls.
⁴³For this shall be a blessing unto thy house and unto the land, and unto thy children’s children after thee.
⁴⁴Remember that thou art not lord of the Church, but a servant set over the realm wherein she dwelleth.
⁴⁵And the Lord shall not forget the kindness shown unto His servants, nor the honor given to His Son.
⁴⁶Let thy laws be righteous, but let thy heart be tender; let thy rule be firm, but let thy spirit be teachable.
⁴⁷For pride is the root of all fall, but humility is the root of all grace.
⁴⁸As the Flame descended upon Ajora, so shall it dwell among thy people if thou prepare the way and keep it holy.
⁴⁹And they shall call thee blessed, not for thine armies or gold, but for thy love of justice and thy care for the sacred.
⁵⁰I pray for thee daily, O King, that thou mayest be a light unto thy kingdom, and a friend unto Heaven.

▷THE SEVEN SCRIPTURES OF THE CHURCH OF GLABADOS
    ▷THE EPISTLES OF SAINT VELIUS TO THE NEW KINGDOMS
        ▷THE EPISTLE OF SAINT VELIUS TO THE KINGDOM OF FOVOHAM
            ▶1—2—3—4

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