Martin Luther on Psalms 127:5

Verse. 5. Blessed is the mā that hath his quiuerful of them: he shal not be ashamed when he speaketh with his enemies in the gate.

He setteth forth the former similitude more plainly, and by the quiuer he vnderstandeth the common weale, as in the verse going before by arrows he vnderstood yong men. As if he sayd: That is a happy Prince, and that is a happy common weale, which hath this blessing, and knoweth it to be the gift of God. Uictory and peace must needes be there.

To speake in the gate is a phrase vsed of the Hebrewes. And it doth not onely signifie to speake, but to speake politikely, that is, to make lawes, to gouerne by lawes, to defend the godly, to bridle the wicked, &c. And it is as much to say as where such yong men are, the Magistrates are able to speake in the gates: that is, they are able to defend the common weale, they fruitfully trauell in the affayres thereof, they mainteyne good lawes, &c. But heare what he addeth moreouer, that such haue alwayes enemies which doe not onely withstand them, but also hate them and speake euil of them. But all this must they learne to beare. For if they will be discouraged through the malice of ye wicked, if they seeke to please and feare to displease, there must needes follow a confusion of all thinges. As we may see in Princes Courtes, where men seeke to please, and to liue in fauour, and therefore they will reproue nothing, least thereby they shoulde purchase the displeasure of the Prince. They will be in authoritie and liue in the Court for reward, promotion, and glory, and not to serue the Prince and the cōmon weale. And hereof commeth it that there is no right forme of gouernment any where to be found. Wherfore let such as feare to offend and can not beare the displeasure and hatred of men, take no office, no rule or authoritie vpon them. Who euer gouerned a kingdome more holily then Dauid? and yet when his seditious sonne Absolon spake euill of him to the people, he easily founde those which did beleeue him. And why so? Because Dauid was a holy King, and did not winke at the sinnes of his subiects, but punished them sharply according to their desertes. This thing procured vnto Dauid the hatred of the people. Afterwards when his owne sonne tooke vpon him to be the captaine and author of sedition, they were easily perswaded to forsake him their Lorde and King & rebelled against him. For it can not be but that he which wil doe his duety vprightly in his calling, not omitting nor neglecting the fame either for feare or for fauour, must needes stirre vp against him the hatred of the wicked.

Wherefore this clause, to speake with the enemies in the gate, must not be barely vnderstand, as of a matter of light importance. For it signifieth the great care and trauell, the faithfull diligence and vigilancie of godly Magistrates in their vocation, that is to say, to make good lawes and to execute the same, to constrayne the wicked to obey them with punishment, with bondes and imprisonment, to stirre vppe the fury of the malicious and spitefull, &c. So that he which ruleth must so rule, that he shall neuer be without the feare of great daungers if he respect the outragious boldnes and presumption of the wicked. For he shall finde that to rule is nothing else but to heape vpon him selfe dispite and malice, and to cast him selfe into the iawes of a byting and a cruell beast: As Aeschines when he gaue ouer the gouernment of the common weale of Athens, sayd that he was deliuered from the common weale, as from a madde and a raging dogge. And Bias sayd, that the office sheweth what the man is. For howe many common weales, how many Princes shall ye see at this day, which keepe their people and their nobilitie in the reuerent and due obedience of their lawes? For, to rule, of all the workes and affayres that belong vnto man in this worlde, is the greatest and the hardest. Moreouer, like as he which entreth into matrimony and marrieth a wife to no other ende but to accomplish his owne lust and pleasure, is deceiued, and wrappeth him self in great and infinite troubles: euen so he that taketh vppon him any office in the common weale for reward, estimation and glory, findeth all things cleane contrary to his expectation, if he endeuour to rule and gouerne as he should doe. Wherefore it followeth, that they being oppressed with troubles and trauells, become impatient and forsake all togither.

Wherefore the Magistrate must learne that in gouernment these vices are not lacking: to witte, hatred, rebellion, sedition, discord, ingratitude, and a thousand daungers: also troublers of the common peace and quietnes, which are enemies to his life, his goodes, his name and estimation. What shall the Magistrate here doe? First let him know that power and authoritie is the ordinance of God, perswading him selfe that he is appoynted to rule and gouerne by the will of God. When he hath thus done, let him arme and confirme his mind agaynst all troubles and daungers, and let him boldly and cheerefully doe his duty in his calling, though the people rage neuer so much. Then will God adde his blessing vnto his labours: he will helpe and assist him against his enemies as here he sayth: He shall not be ashamed when he speaketh with his enemies, that is to say, disobedient, rebellious, & seditious persons. Againe, Psal. 144. which doth subdue my people vnder me. Also, Ps. 7. The Lorde is iudge ouer the people. As if he sayd: It lyeth not in my power, policie or wisedom, to rule this people. It is the Lord therefore that giueth obedient people, which notwithstanding, naturally hateth the Magistrate. For euery man loueth libertie, and wil not be subiect to lawes. As at this day we may see in the nobilitie, which would liue in all libertie to doe what they list, without any punishment or regard of lawes. If the higher powers go about to bridle them by lawes, they fall away and become traitours and rebells.

Against such great enemies and daungers the holy Ghost comforteth the Magistrate in this place. When thou makest lawes for the common weale, sayth he, and f[illegible: 1 letter]ithfully executest the same, thou shalt not be ashamed: For God will giue thee yong men which shall be able to helpe thee. For often times we see that one or two good men by their wisedom, grauity and seueritie do keepe a whole multitude in good order. But cōtrariwise, they that wink at all thinges because they will not displease, are but paynted images and good for nothing.

Here haue ye a Psalme as touching both ciuill and houshold gouernment, enstructing a godly man howe he shall behaue him selfe in both kindes of life, to the ende that he neither fal into securitie by too much successe, nor be discouraged by trouble & aduersitie. Both which things happen to the vngodly, which rashly and without the feare of God either enter into matrimony or take vpō them any office in the common weale. For since they are ignorant that God is the gouerner of these things, they will needes rule all togither by their owne wisedome and policie. Hereof it followeth that they are miserably ouerthrown in their own deuises and practises, or else they fall into such securitie that they rule and reigne with all crueltie and tyranny: Wherfore, as this doctrine is most necessary and profitable, so we whom God either hath or hereafter will thrust into these kindes of life, must labour to atteyne, and to follow the same: wherein we shall be profitable both to the common weale and to ourselues. Then shall our seruice, our labours and trauels please God, & he, as he hath promised, will giue good successe thereunto, and will shewe that he hath pleasure in them that feare him, and in all them that trust in his mercy.