day no. 17,476: Godforsaken rascals and representative government

"Where the people have forsaken God, and contend with His word, there has the devil by his ministers, occupied the whole country, and subverted the good orders, justice and equality, that was in the commonwealth... This is so manifest in most places, that it shall not need any particular example. Wherefore it shall be the part of all Christian men to take heed, that in forsaking God, they bring by injustice the devil and tyrants to reign over them." — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power

Where men and women have reviled the Word of God, the Lord has allowed the vile to obtain power. Where men and women have forsaken the Law, the Lord has allowed lawlessness to run rampant.

“When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers." — John Calvin

Wicked men choose wicked men to represent them. God judges wicked people by giving them over to oppressive rulers and He also judges them by convincing them that wicked men are the best men to represent them.

“And ye, O peoples, to whom God gave the liberty to choose your own magistrates, see to it, that ye do not forfeit this favor, by electing to the positions of highest honor, rascals and enemies of God.” — Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism

Let us no longer forfeit the favor of God by favoring Godforsaken rascals to represent us, which is to say, let us no longer be Godforsaken rascals ourselves.