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

CHAPTER 3

¹O King, incline now thy heart to consolation, and let thy soul be refreshed by the remembrance of Him who is called the Son, even Saint Ajora, who was sent from the bosom of the Most High.
²For He walked among men, yet was not defiled; He took upon Him the form of a servant, that He might lead princes and paupers alike into the light.
³He taught not as the scribes, but with power; and the simple were made wise, and the crooked were made straight.
⁴By His hand were the sick made whole, and the deaf caused to hear, and they that were bowed down raised up in joy.
⁵He opened the eyes of the blind with clay, and lo, they saw not as men see, but beheld the glory of the Lord.
⁶To the harlot He spake with mercy; to the soldier, with truth; to the priest, with a rod of correction.
⁷He trod the dusty road with gladness, and though He had not a place to lay His head, Ivalice itself made Him a path.
⁸When He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He was betrayed, He opened not His mouth; and when He was brought low, He raised others high.
⁹He spake of the Kingdom not made with hands, and of a Paradise whose gates are not closed, wherein dwelleth peace everlasting.
¹⁰To the meek He gave the promise of the hills; to the pure in heart, the shining of the firmament.
¹¹And now is He seated at the right hand of the Lord, robed in light, and interceding for all that call upon His name in faith.
¹²O King, forget not His words, nor suffer His doctrine to fall by the wayside.
¹³For as a man guardeth his vineyard from the creeping worm, so must thou watch over the churches of thy land.
¹⁴Be thou as a shepherd that knoweth the voice of his flock, and seeketh the one that strayeth, leaving not the ninety and nine to perish.
¹⁵Let the houses of worship be free from oppression, and the ministers of the Word not weighed down with burdens grievous to be borne.
¹⁶Grant them space to grow, and root not up the tender vine that the Lord hath planted with tears.
¹⁷Let not the hand of the magistrate profane the altar, nor the sword of the soldier silence the psalm.
¹⁸For where the Spirit is hindered, there dwelleth no blessing; and where the breath of prayer is stifled, there the land falleth into shadow.
¹⁹Permit the children to come unto the priests and be instructed in the Way, for of such is the joy of the Kingdom.
²⁰Let the bells ring, and let the incense rise; let the feasts be kept, and the fasts observed in reverence and truth.
²¹Rebuke the false prophet, and cast out the merchant from the holy place; but judge not the penitent harshly, lest thou be judged.
²²Give ear to the bishops and the elders, whose heads are crowned with silver and whose eyes have seen the Lord's mercy.
²³Let them advise thee in wisdom, and strengthen thy hand in righteousness; for the king that loveth the truth shall never be moved.
²⁴And if thy people shall err, be swift to correct, but swifter yet to forgive.
²⁵For the Lord delighteth in mercy more than sacrifice, and in the broken heart more than a thousand rams.
²⁶Therefore be thou a defender of the faith, and a protector of the humble, that thy throne be established in justice.
²⁷Let not the greed of the unrighteous choke the storehouse of the temple, nor the cunning of the world lead astray them that seek holiness.
²⁸For the world passeth away, and the beauty thereof, but he that doeth the will of the Lord shall endure for ever.
²⁹Thus saith the Lord through His Son: “Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, for I have bought them with My blood.”
³⁰Though thy kingdom be great and thy rule renowned among the nations, consider it not thine own, but as a charge committed unto thee by the Most High.
³¹For a day cometh when all shall stand before the Judgment, and every crown shall be cast down, and only they that served shall be lifted up.
³²Let thy name be known not for dominion alone, but for piety and uprightness; for the just king is as the dew upon the grass.
³³And when thy time shall be accomplished, may thy deeds go before thee as heralds, and may the gates of Paradise be opened unto thee.
³⁴There shall the tree of life bear fruit for thy healing, and the voice of Ajora shall welcome thee with joy.
³⁵“Well done, O faithful one,” shall He say, “for thou didst not hinder My church, nor silence the cry of the lowly.”
³⁶“Thou didst build upon the rock, and not upon the sand; enter now into the joy of thy Lord.”
³⁷This I pray for thee, O Arald, noble King of Zeltennia, that thy days be many and thy reign full of peace, and that thou rejoice in thy posterity even unto the third and fourth generation.
³⁸Amen.

▷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 ZELTENNIA
            ▶1—2—3—4

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