The Ruler Should Be Discerning in Silence and Useful in Speech

The ruler should be discerning in keeping silence and useful in speech, so that he neither speaks what ought to be held back nor holds back what he ought to speak. For just as careless speaking leads people into error, so thoughtless silence leaves in error those who could have been taught. Rulers who lack foresight, afraid of losing human favor, often shrink timidly from speaking freely what is right. As the Truth says, they guard the flock not at all with the zeal of shepherds but in the manner of hired hands, since they run away when the wolf comes if they hide themselves in silence. That is why the Lord rebukes them through the prophet, saying: “Mute dogs that cannot bark.” And again he complains: “You have not gone up to face the enemy, nor set up a wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord.” Now to go up to face the enemy is to go out with a free voice against the powers of this world in defense of the flock; and to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord is to resist bad men, out of love of justice, when they fight against us. For when a shepherd has been afraid to say what is right, what else has he done but turn his back by keeping silent? But surely, if he puts himself in front for the flock, he sets up a wall against the enemy for the house of Israel. [a]

So again it is said to the sinful people: “Your prophets have seen false and foolish things for you, and they did not uncover your wickedness to move you to repentance.” For in the sacred language teachers are sometimes called prophets, since by pointing out how fleeting present things are, they make plain the things that are to come. The word of God convicts such men of seeing false things because, afraid to rebuke faults, they flatter evildoers in vain by promising them safety. They do not uncover the wickedness of sinners at all, because they hold back their voice from rebuking. For the language of rebuke is the key that uncovers, since by rebuking it lays open a fault of which even the one who committed it is often unaware. That is why Paul says: “So that he may be able by sound teaching to convict even those who contradict.” That is why it is said through Malachi: “The priest’s lips guard knowledge, and they will seek the law from his mouth.” That is why the Lord urges through Isaiah: “Cry aloud, do not hold back, lift up your voice like a trumpet.” For it is true that whoever enters the priesthood takes on the office of a herald, so as to walk ahead, crying aloud, before the coming of the judge who follows, dreadful in his coming. So if the priest does not know how to preach, what loud cry will a mute herald give? That is why the Holy Spirit settled on the first pastors in the form of tongues: because whomever he has filled, he at once makes eloquent.

That is why Moses is commanded that when the priest goes into the tabernacle he is to be surrounded with bells; that is, he is to have the sounds of preaching about him, so that he does not provoke by his silence the judgment of him who watches him from above. For it is written: “That his sound may be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he does not die.” For the priest dies when he goes in or comes out if no sound is heard from him, because he provokes the anger of the hidden judge if he goes without the sound of preaching. The bells are also fittingly described as set into his vestments. For what else should we take the priest’s vestments to be but righteous works, as the prophet testifies when he says: “Let your priests be clothed with righteousness”? So the bells belong to his vestments to signify that the priest’s very works should also proclaim the way of life, together with the sound of his tongue.

But when the ruler prepares himself to speak, let him keep in mind with what careful caution he ought to speak. Otherwise, if he is rushed into speaking without order, the hearts of his hearers may be struck with the wound of error, and while he perhaps wants to seem wise, he may unwisely cut the bond of unity. That is why the Truth says: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Now salt stands for the word of wisdom. So let one who tries to speak wisely be very afraid that his eloquence may disturb the unity of his hearers. That is why Paul says: “Not to be wiser than one ought to be wise, but to be wise with sober judgment.” That is why, by divine command, pomegranates are added to the bells on the priest’s vestment. For what do pomegranates stand for but the unity of the faith? For just as many seeds inside a pomegranate are protected by one outer rind, so the unity of the faith holds together the countless peoples of holy church, whom a variety of merits keeps within her. So that a ruler is not rushed thoughtlessly into speaking, the Truth himself proclaims to his disciples the words we have already quoted: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” It is as if he said, in a figure drawn from the priest’s dress: Join pomegranates to bells, so that in all you say you may keep the unity of the faith with careful watchfulness.

Rulers must also take anxious care not only never to say what is wrong in any way, but not to say even what is right too much and without order. For the good effect of what is said is often lost when careless, pressing talkativeness weakens it in the hearts of the hearers. And this same talkativeness, which does not know how to serve the hearers’ good, also defiles the speaker. That is why it is well said through Moses: “The man who has a discharge of seed will be unclean.” For the quality of the speech that is heard is the seed of the thought that follows, since speech is conceived through the ear and thought is born in the mind. That is also why the wise men of this world called that excellent preacher a sower of words. So the one who suffers a discharge of seed is declared unclean, because, given over to much speaking, he defiles himself with what could have produced the offspring of right thought in the hearts of his hearers, had it been let out in due order. And while he carelessly pours himself out in chatter, he sheds his seed not for begetting but for uncleanness. So Paul too, urging his disciple to keep at preaching, says: “I charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, keep at it at the right moment, and pressingly.” About to say “pressingly,” he first puts “at the right moment,” because in truth pressing spoils itself in the hearer’s mind by its very cheapness if it does not know how to keep to the right moment.