day no. 17,493: governors and the governed

"His word is so plain that none can contradict that they are to be subject and obedient to God's laws and word. For the whole Decalogue and every part thereof is written as well to kings, princes, and other public persons, as it is to private persons. A king may no more commit idolatry than a private man: he may not take the name of God in vain, he may not break the Sabbath, no more than any private man. It is not lawful for him to disobey his parents, to kill any person contrary to God's laws, to be a whoremonger, to steal, to lie and bear false witness, to desire and covet any man's house, wife, servant, maid, ox, ass, or anything that belongs to another, more than any other private man. No, he is bound and charged under great pains to keep them more than any other, because he is both a private man in respect of his own person, and a public figure in respect to his office" — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power

The world is not divided into governors and the governed as though those who govern were excluded from the category of created beings. Governors are not above the law they are elected to enforce. They may be sovereign over a certain jurisdiction, but they are also subjects. Christ is King of kings and any command of His is as fit for a lesser magistrate as much as it for a milkmaid. Both are subject to Him and to His law. Both have responsibilities and obligations that must be carried out according to His Word.

Romans 13:1

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

No earthly authority is absolute, which is to say that all earthly authority is borrowed from its Author. There are those invested with real authority here on earth as His deputies, but none are so authoritative as to bring any new rights into existence. All authority here is derivative. It depends on the Author. It cannot usurp its Author, but it can oppress other image bearers by usurping their ability to defend themselves or by taking advantage of their dependence upon them to wield their swords well.

"So then if by this word, soul, is meant every spiritual and temporal person, man and woman: and by this word, power, the authority that kings and princes execute, then can not kings and princes be contained under this general word, soul, as well as others? And they being but executors of God's law, and men's just ordinances, not be exempt from them, but are bound to be subject and obedient unto them. For good and just laws of man are God's power and ordinances, and they are but ministers of the laws, and not the law itself." — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power

No soul is exempt from God's Law. There is no diplomatic immunity here on earth or in Heaven. If God cast the rebellious angels out of Heaven and stripped them of their former ranks, how much more so will He cast out rebellious image bearers from the face of the earth?

"The good emperor Triananus (who for his just behavior, the Senate of Rome took to be a god) being in possession of his office, and minding to show that he was not ordained to be a tyrant, but to see the people well governed, and that, albeit he was the minister of the laws, yet he was subject to the laws, took a sword, and gave it to the captain of the horsemen, and said: 'Take this sword, use it for me against my enemies in just causes: and if I myself do not justly use it, then use it against me.'" — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power

A good king gladly subjects himself to the weight of the law. He maintains his office by enforcing the law, executing justice, and promoting the good all according to the strict standard of God's laws.

"Zaleuchus the ruler and maker of laws to the Locres, when he made this law, that an adulterer should be punished with the loss of both his eyes, and his son had committed this offense, although the people made great intercession, that his punishment may be pardoned, he would not consent to it, by pulling our one of his sons eyes, to fulfill and keep the law, he suffered one of his own eyes to be pulled out as well." — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power

A just ruler recognizes he righteousness of God's law regardless of who is involved. The weight of the law is no less heavy on those elected to enforce it, if anything, it should weigh even heavier upon them.

"It is requisite and just that a prince obey his own laws. For then he may look to see that others keep his laws, when he himself honors them. Justice wills that princes be obedient and bound to their own laws, and that they can not in the own doings condemn those laws which they prescribe to others. The authority of their saying is just and indifferent, if they suffer not to do what they prohibit unto their people." — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power

No one below is above the law. The law goes before us all and will be all of our judge in the end. Praise God that in Christ we, who are lawless, are considered righteous and our trespasses are not counted against us. May God give us masters who understand that they are slaves and elected officials who understand that they are servants. Amen.

day no. 17,492: the civil must war or civilization will be defeated

"He is a good citizen that does not do evil (so said a noble wise man) but he is better who does not allow others to hurt or do injustice to the innocent. For the blood of the innocent shall be demanded not only from those that shed blood, but also of those that make or consent to wicked laws, to condemn the innocent, or suffer their head to kill them contrary to just laws, or to spoil then of what they justly enjoy be the order of law." — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power

A good citizen does not do evil to his neighbor, but a better citizen is one who does not allow other to do evil to his neighbor. God is a God of order, not chaos. Good order is a by-product of following God's good laws and submitting to His good rule. Those who love the Law seek to keep it and to protect others from those who seek to break it.

"A civilization is not destroyed by wicked men; it is destroyed by weak men who cannot defend what is good.” — G. K. Chesterton

Civilization is not maintained by those who merely seek to avoid evil, it is sustained by those who seek to keep others from carrying out their wicked designs. 

“Every high civilization decays by forgetting obvious things.” — G.K. Chesterton

When we become too content with staying out of trouble we allow troublers to corrupt our cousins. It is not enough to merely keep yourself from corrupting others, it is a matter of keeping the corrupted from carrying out their schemes and confronting them in the midst of their corruption.

“If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.” — Thomas Sowell

Civilization requires confrontation. Evil does not forget its ancient enmity, even when good grows content to forget. Barbarism must be battled. Force must be applied because it lacks the self-control to stop itself. If good men will not step up to stop it, bad men will step all over them.

day no. 17,491: nuptial nations

"Instead of the old social distinction between those who are married and those who are unmarried, there will be a distinction between those who are married and those who are really married. Society might even become divided into two societies; which is perilously approximate to Disraeli’s famous exaggeration about England divided into two nations. But whether England be actually so divided or not, this note of the two nations is the real note of warning in the matter. It is in this connection, perhaps, that we have to consider most gravely and doubtfully the future of our own country. Anarchy cannot last, but anarchic communities cannot last either. Mere lawlessness cannot live, but it can destroy life. The nations of the earth always return to sanity and solidarity; but the nations which return to it first are the nations which survive." — G.K. Chesterton, The Superstition of Divorce

No fault divorce has produced no reason marriages, but not every marriage is for no reason and not every married couple would get divorced without a Biblical cause or fault. So, in this sense, we do have two tier marriage. We have those who are married according to vows made before God and men and we have those who are married according to the whims of the State and the state of their current mood. But this produces two societies. One in which men and women keep their promises and one in which they don't. The blessing of God to the faithful is the curse of God on the faithless. That which cannot go on forever, won't. Insanity is not a long term strategy. Anarchy is unsustainable. And so, the fruitless and faithless will cut themselves off from the future. The tragedy is the destruction they cause on their way down. Like a drowning victim, they are dangerous and likely to take some down with them, but they refuse to be saved by those with a foot on solid ground. That is intolerable. It is a lack of empathy and they refuse to receive a helping hand from those who claim to have the high ground.

day no. 17,490: no fault divorce and no reason marriage

"The obvious effect of frivolous divorce will be frivolous marriage. If people can be separated for no reason they will feel it all the easier to be united for no reason. A man might quite clearly foresee that a sensual infatuation would be fleeting, and console himself with the knowledge that the connection could be equally fleeting." — G.K. Chesterton, The Superstition of Divorce

No fault divorce leads to no reason marriage. If there isn't real money on the table, people will risk more than normal because there are no serious consequences attached to it. In other words, the risk is nearly eliminated. No one has any fun playing poker for pieces of candy they don't care about. It may be one way to gamble without "gambling," but it isn't really poker if there isn't anything real at stake.

The same can be said for marriage. If the vows aren't real, the breaking of them isn't a big deal. If everyone knows that no one means it, it means less if they get tired of playing along later. 

If covenants can be dissolved willy nilly they will be entered into willy nilly. If promises can be broken without consequence, they will be made with more regularity. Why not? What's the worst that could happen? Such is the mindset of those who approach covenants lightly and the lay of the land is the worst that could happen: evil is rewarded as good and good is derided as evil.

day no. 17,489: scary godmothers and the divorce cult

"With or without marriage, with or without divorce, with or without any arrangements that anybody can suggest or imagine, it remains a tragedy. The only difference is that by the doctrine of marriage it remains both a noble and a fruitful tragedy; like that of a man who falls fighting for his country, or dies testifying to the truth. But the truth is that the innovators have as much sham optimism about divorce as any romanticist can have had about marriage. They regard their story, when it ends in the divorce court, through as rosy a mist of sentimentalism as anybody ever regarded a story ending with wedding bells. Such a reformer is quite sure that when once the prince and princess are divorced by the fairy godmother, they will live happily ever after. I enjoy romance, but I like it to be rooted in reality; and any one with a touch of reality knows that nine couples out of ten, when they are divorced, are left in an exceedingly different state. It will be safe to say in most cases that one partner will fail to find happiness in an infatuation, and the other will from the first accept a tragedy. In the realm of reality and not of romance, it is commonly a case of breaking hearts as well as breaking promises; and even dishonour is not always a remedy for remorse." — G.K. Chesterton, The Superstition of Divorce

Those who believe divorce to be a better solution than marriage often accuse supporters of marriage of being unrealistic or hopelessly romantic, but Chesterton points out here that the divorce dealer are just as much, if not more, unrealistic and hopelessly romantic. Divorce afforded the credit for a happy ending. Everyone lives more happily ever after now that they are no longer bound to their spouse. But divorce does not lead to happier men, women, or children. It is not the roll credits love fest that it was marketed to be. Fairy godmothers do not grant divorces and if they do, they are fallen fairies. Just an demons are fallen angels, dark fairy tales are the flip side of scary godmothers. 

day no. 17,488: the more things change...

"What is respected, in short, is fidelity to the ancient flag of the family, and a readiness to fight for what I have noted as its unique type of freedom. I say readiness to fight, for fortunately the fight itself is the exception rather than the rule. The soldier is not respected because he is doomed to death, but because he is ready for death; and even ready for defeat. The married man or woman is not doomed to evil, sickness or poverty; but is respected for taking a certain step for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness or in health. But there is one result of this line of argument which should correct a danger in some arguments on the same side." — G.K. Chesterton, The Superstition of Divorce

No one gets married in order to become worse, but everyone who gets married is willing to be worse in order to be married. No one gets married in order to be poorer, but everyone who gets married is willing to be a bit poorer in order to be married. No one gets married to be sicker, but everyone who gets married is willing to be sicker in order to stay married.

A man must be willing to lay down his life for his bride, but he doesn't marry her hoping to be separated from her by martyrdom. Fidelity is a strong desire to keep things the same as they are combined with a strong willingness to endure change in order to keep the same thing.

day no. 17,487: homes and homelands

"Marriage makes a small state within the state, which resists all such regimentation. That bond breaks all other bonds; that law is found stronger than all later and lesser laws. They desire the democracy to be sexually fluid, because the making of small nuclei is like the making of small nations. Like small nations, they are a nuisance to the mind of imperial scope. In short, what they fear, in the most literal sense, is home rule." — G.K. Chesterton, The Superstition of Divorce

Atoms are like bb's in a bag: they can be conformed to any shape an external pressure desires. Molecules have more structural rigidity. They have a shape of their own. They cannot simply be maneuvered into whatever shape someone else wants. They exist on their own and can maintain themselves without outside interference or assistance. 

Democracy wants to isolate the atoms and treat people as individuals. This gives it the ability to move and shape said individuals into whatever shape they like. A bag of bb's does not put up much of a fight. Grease the bb's with the sins of the sexual revolution codified in our legal codes and refuse to enforce the moral law with equity and you get a bean bag incapable of any resistance whatsoever.

The home is a world unto itself. It is under the authority of the magistrate inasmuch as it is subject to the laws of God enforced by them, but other than that, they do not need the state. The home exists under God on its own authority of husband and wife to educate, care for, provide, and nourish its people as it sees fit. The state fears the home for it claims primary citizenship of its people. A man is a husband and a father before he is a citizen and those who have homes, wives, and children act like it. They take care of their own business which means they do not need anything from the state, which means the state does not have any levers on that men or the people for whom he provides.