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Orthodox Doctrine (Summary of Christian Divinity)

Metropolitan Platon of Moscow, tr. Pinkerton, 1814

5. Part 3, Section 5: The First Commandment

The first commandment teacheth us, that we ought to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths, that there is but one God; and that our belief in his divine attributes, should be conformable to what we are taught of them in his word.

Of the unity of God, and of his other divine attributes, we have already spoken in the beginning of the First Part in Section v. where we have proved, both from reason and revelation, what conceptions we ought to have of the majesty of God. Therefore, when our conceptions respecting God correspond with what is there stated, then we obey this first commandment.

Those who transgress against this commandment are:

1. Atheists, who, with inexcusable wickedness, dare to say that there is no God. But as the being of a God is a truth of itself clearly and deeply engraven on the heart of every one, so it is not without good reasons, as formerly mentioned, that some have even doubted if such Atheists can exist without feeling their own consciences condemn them, for uttering such blasphemy. With Atheists also, we must class those who call this world, or any part of nature, God.

2. Polytheists. Such were the Heathens, who, by an inconceivable kind of error, believed in a plurality of gods, and assigned to each different parts of creation as placed under their government; thus, Jupiter was supposed chief in heaven, Pluto in hell, Bacchus they revered as the god of drunkenness, and Venus the goddess of sensuality and incontinence. And according to the words of Paul, “They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.” Rom. i. 23.

3. Epicureans. Those are usually called Epicureans, who, though they confess the being of a God, yet deny his providence; refusing to admit, that every thing in the world takes place according to the purpose and infinite wisdom of God’s government; ascribing all to some blind chance, or to a certain kind of necessity which they call fate. There are also people who, in words, confess the providence of God, but in deeds reject it; that is, who live as if they had not the least expectation of a distribution of rewards to the righteous, and of punishments to the wicked after death.

4. Sorcerers or witches, who, by the muttering of certain words, promise to confer happiness, or to remove disease; who, in an unknown way, work intrigues, and injure people by some sort of devilish agency, or by the traces on the hand profess to foretel events, or who, by hanging certain amulets or written papers about the neck, pretend to secure against any kind of evil, and who make use of many other devilish inventions to deceive the common people. But those do not less transgress against this commandment, who repair to them, and expect any kind of assistance from them. For all these things are contrary to the providence of God, and are like so many attempts to exclude God from the government of this world.

5. The superstitious, who make trifling remarks on certain objects or appearances, or ascribe to them some kind of powers. Such are those who interpret dreams, and believe in them; who lay great stress on accidental coincidences, and mark particular days, which are ominous for undertaking any important concern.¹ But those are most grossly superstitious, who place their hope of salvation in external acts; namely, who offer up long and hypocritical prayers, in order to be respected as holy, or who, though they pray without hypocrisy, have more fluency of speech than contrition of heart, and think, notwithstanding, that they thereby do God service. In the gospel, the Pharisees are considered as such. Those also belong to this class, who suppose that there is some kind of sanctity in wearing certain kinds of dress, or cutting their hair in a peculiar manner, or who make a difference between old and new books. Again, that superstition is not less destructive, which leads men proudly to place dependence on their own works. For though we ought, by all means, to do good works; yet at the same time we are to place our hope of salvation alone on the mercy of the Saviour.

Superstition is opposed to this commandment, because it leads men to place their hope on something else than on God and on his truth.

6. Heretics and Schismatics, who, to the truth of God, add their own pernicious opinions; and by this means dishonour the majesty of God, and lead others from the paths of truth.

7. Those who reject the Holy Scriptures, or who receive them, and pry with a vain curiosity into them; that is, desire to know the hidden mysteries of God’s decrees, the secret causes, and means by which he operates; or those who doubt of some parts of the faith, or laugh at certain pious ceremonies of the church, and attach a wrong meaning to them. All such, in a certain way, reflect dishonour on the majesty of God.

8. Such as place their hopes in riches, in power, or in their own wisdom. Those also transgress against this commandment, who put their confidence in riches, or trust in their own or another’s power, or depend upon their own wisdom or devices, and do not acknowledge the almighty providence of God; but flattering themselves in these human aids, promise themselves every kind of safety and happiness. And hence the prophet of God wrote: “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord;” Jerem. xvii. 5. But in short, all those sin against this commandment, who entertain opinions which are clearly in opposition to the will of God, or who hold sentiments that cannot be reconciled with the honour of the divine Majesty, or who attach themselves to any creature, so much as to place in it their chief hope, and derive from it their supreme happiness.

The invocation of saints is not contrary to this commandment.

We do not transgress against this commandment, when we invoke departed saints; for this invocation, as understood by our holy church, is very different from the invocation of God. We call on the name of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, as the Supreme Lord and Almighty Upholder of all things, and we address the saints as his servants, but who with him inhabit a blessed eternity. The invocation of God consists in the most humble subjection of spirit to the divine Majesty, and in founding all our hopes upon him; but the invocation of saints consists in uniting our prayers with theirs. In support of this, it is sufficient to observe, that the saints, while still upon the earth, prayed for others, and required others to pray for them, as we clearly see from Rom. xv. 30, “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” See also 2 Cor. i. 11. Phil. i. 4. Acts xii. 5. And now that they are drawn near, or rather united unto God, and continually behold his face in glory, it is impossible that they should not have the most sincere desire for the salvation of all believers; and if so, what inconsistency is there in joining our prayers and desires to those which such saints as Paul, for instance, present or feel? In this the invocation of the saints consists. But this invocation does not lay aside the all powerful mediation of Jesus Christ; for his mediation is the continual, and absolutely necessary foundation, both of our prayers, and of the intercession of the saints. However, we ought not foolishly to imagine that this respect given by us to the saints, will be of any advantage to us, if we live in sin and impenitence; for there can be no honour shown to the saints equal to that of imitating their lives, and trusting in God alone according to their example.

Those, therefore, are inexcusable, and grievously transgress against this commandment, who render unto the favourites of God, divine, or nearly divine honours, and who trust in them almost as much as in God himself; who offer up prayers to them more frequently than to Him, who respect their memory, and keep their holidays with a greater degree of devotion than the holidays of the Lord, and reverence their pictures more than those of our Saviour himself. For the favourite saints of God are of themselves by no means so great; they are the servants of God, and the work of his hands; consequently, between them and God there is an infinite difference. It is necessary, therefore, for every one to be very watchful, that he be not infected with such errors.²

Preventives against error.

In order to avoid all the above mentioned transgressions of the law, the following means will be found useful: 1st, To lay aside every opinion which we have received, either from evil customs, or from intercourse with wicked men, or from reading pernicious books, or from that free thinking which disposes us to form rash judgments of every thing: to lay aside all these, I say, and to hold fast by sound and clear reason, with the assistance of wise men and good books. 2d, To subject ourselves to the truths of revelation, that is, to take the word of God to be the rule of all our reasonings, and in all things to follow its guidance. These are the most hopeful means of preserving a man from error. On the contrary, it is impossible that those should not err who either despise these means, or who, in the use of them, let loose the reins of their imagination. For, according to the doctrine of St Peter, we do well when we take heed unto the word of God, “as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.” 2 Peter i. 19.

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